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bigtree

(85,915 posts)
Tue Oct 20, 2015, 09:06 PM Oct 2015

O'Malley: "Debate first time that 99.9% of Americans ever tuned in or saw what I had to offer.”

Martin O'Malley ?@MartinOMalley Oct 19
Front page of @ConMonitorNews: O’Malley touts plans for gun control, Social Security expansion, debt-free college. http://omly.us/1Xf5SSP


Days after the first Democratic debate – which he considers a turning point for his campaign – the former governor of Maryland spoke about his policies, his experience and his competition for the Democratic nomination, while in Concord.

“Honestly, it feels like our presidential campaign really began two days ago with that debate,” he said. “From my own candidacy, that was the first time that . . . 99.9 percent of Americans ever tuned in or saw what I had to offer.

In terms of speaking time during the debate, O’Malley was in the middle of the pack, with less time than former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders but with more time than former Virginia senator Jim Webb and former Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee.

O’Malley, the former mayor of Baltimore and former governor of Maryland, said that his 15 years of executive experience set him apart from the other candidates, among other differences.

Gun reform, Social Security expansion and debt-free college are a few issues he hopes to focus on. Universal background checks with fingerprinting and licensing and a ban on combat assault weapons are pieces of his proposal to improve gun safety in the U.S. Though he hopes the discussion and consensus on gun safety will evolve during the primary, some states may work on gun reform before the federal government does, he said.

“I think there’s a growing awareness and a growing anger about the carnage that goes on in our country,” he said. Though he respects the right for law-abiding citizens to own firearms, he said, that does not mean “we, as a developed nation, should be the nation where it’s easiest to buy 4,000 rounds of ammunition online, no questions asked, like that jerk that shot the theater in Aurora or that combat assault weapons should be for sale in this country. . . . Why do we need combat assault weapons to be sold in our country?”

In addition to forming a plan to address gun control, O’Malley has proposed a plan to make debt-free college possible, as well as improve youth unemployment by making universal national service an option, which would allow young adults to earn Pell grants.

“That’s nothing that the younger generation can do on their own. They’re going to need all of us to do that for those that are that stage of life, and all of us are going to have to do what we must for those of us heading into the Social Security stage of life. It’s about a common good.”

O’Malley said it is possible to make Social Security work through expanding the program. According to his plan, he would not raise the age of retirement, as other politicians have proposed, and would strengthen the finances of Social Security by removing the cap on payroll taxes for workers who earn more than $250,000.

“There’s a lot of fear throughout our country right now because for the first time since World War II, we’ve gone through a whole decade where wages have gone flat or declined for 70 percent of us. So in times of scarcity, it becomes easy to scapegoat ‘the other,’ especially if ‘the other’ is going to keep us from holding on to what we have. And you’ve seen Donald Trump scapegoat ‘the other’ when it comes to immigrants,” he said. “There’s a danger that our children will look on things like Social Security and give in to this sort of scarcity mentality.”

“Social Security does work, and we can make it more solvent and we can extend its life,” he said.

He also spoke in favor of reinstating the Glass-Steagall banking act, a policy that was discussed during the debate. He called his stance on this a fundamental difference between him and Clinton.

“I believe our role in the world is to lead by example the cause of a rising global middle class, free from want, free from oppression, free from fear,” he said. “We do that first and foremost by making ourselves stronger here at home, but we need a new foreign policy of engagement and collaboration against the common enemies of humanity, first among them being climate change, and we need a new national security strategy that identifies threats before they rise to a level where we’re backed into a military boots on the ground or not kind of corner and instead creates new alliances to reduce those threats with actions sooner rather than later.”

The nation, O’Malley said, is looking for a change. “The two phrases I keep hearing are new leadership and getting things done.”


read: https://politics.concordmonitor.com/2015/10/gov-federal/omalley-touts-plans-for-gun-control-social-security-expansion-debt-free-college/

watch:


18 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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O'Malley: "Debate first time that 99.9% of Americans ever tuned in or saw what I had to offer.” (Original Post) bigtree Oct 2015 OP
Thanks for posting, bigtree. elleng Oct 2015 #1
it's my thing bigtree Oct 2015 #3
We've noticed! elleng Oct 2015 #4
'In addition to forming a plan to address gun control, elleng Oct 2015 #2
Why? It's a pretty simple question. NCTraveler Oct 2015 #5
'O’Malley said it is possible to make Social Security work through expanding the program. elleng Oct 2015 #6
That is true. And he is a fine detail person. He would be a good addition Luminous Animal Oct 2015 #7
'He also spoke in favor of reinstating the Glass-Steagall banking act, elleng Oct 2015 #8
tptb have decided that Mrs Clinton will be the president. there was a real danger of Doctor_J Oct 2015 #9
He was awesome on The View. DemocratSinceBirth Oct 2015 #10
Thanks, glad you noticed! elleng Oct 2015 #11
You are welcome DemocratSinceBirth Oct 2015 #12
How'd that work out for him? brooklynite Oct 2015 #13
it's working just fine bigtree Oct 2015 #15
O'Malley, he claims to be running to the left of BeRnie but no one is calling him a socialist? nt Todays_Illusion Oct 2015 #14
Because he doesn't? brooklynite Oct 2015 #16
K & R. n/t FSogol Oct 2015 #17
Thanks for posting. askew Oct 2015 #18

elleng

(130,126 posts)
1. Thanks for posting, bigtree.
Tue Oct 20, 2015, 09:14 PM
Oct 2015

“I believe our role in the world is to lead by example the cause of a rising global middle class, free from want, free from oppression, free from fear."

elleng

(130,126 posts)
2. 'In addition to forming a plan to address gun control,
Tue Oct 20, 2015, 09:25 PM
Oct 2015

O’Malley has proposed a plan to make debt-free college possible, as well as improve youth unemployment by making universal national service an option, which would allow young adults to earn Pell grants.'

 

NCTraveler

(30,481 posts)
5. Why? It's a pretty simple question.
Tue Oct 20, 2015, 09:36 PM
Oct 2015

"I think there’s a growing awareness and a growing anger about the carnage that goes on in our country,” he said. Though he respects the right for law-abiding citizens to own firearms, he said, that does not mean “we, as a developed nation, should be the nation where it’s easiest to buy 4,000 rounds of ammunition online, no questions asked, like that jerk that shot the theater in Aurora or that combat assault weapons should be for sale in this country. . . . Why do we need combat assault weapons to be sold in our country?”

elleng

(130,126 posts)
6. 'O’Malley said it is possible to make Social Security work through expanding the program.
Tue Oct 20, 2015, 09:36 PM
Oct 2015

According to his plan, he would not raise the age of retirement, as other politicians have proposed, and would strengthen the finances of Social Security by removing the cap on payroll taxes for workers who earn more than $250,000.

“There’s a lot of fear throughout our country right now because for the first time since World War II, we’ve gone through a whole decade where wages have gone flat or declined for 70 percent of us. So in times of scarcity, it becomes easy to scapegoat ‘the other,’ especially if ‘the other’ is going to keep us from holding on to what we have. And you’ve seen Donald Trump scapegoat ‘the other’ when it comes to immigrants,” he said. “There’s a danger that our children will look on things like Social Security and give in to this sort of scarcity mentality.”

“Social Security does work, and we can make it more solvent and we can extend its life,” he said.'

Luminous Animal

(27,310 posts)
7. That is true. And he is a fine detail person. He would be a good addition
Tue Oct 20, 2015, 09:40 PM
Oct 2015

to Bernie's team re immigration reform.

elleng

(130,126 posts)
8. 'He also spoke in favor of reinstating the Glass-Steagall banking act,
Tue Oct 20, 2015, 09:42 PM
Oct 2015

a policy that was discussed during the debate. He called his stance on this a fundamental difference between him and Clinton.'

 

Doctor_J

(36,392 posts)
9. tptb have decided that Mrs Clinton will be the president. there was a real danger of
Tue Oct 20, 2015, 10:23 PM
Oct 2015

a populist backlash this time around, so the gop clown car is pitted against an extremely conservative female, everyone else is cut off from the corporate media, and we get to choose between two members of the bfee. Mrs Clinton's vapid, no-answer debate performance is declared a success, polls are created out of whole cloth, and all is well on wall street.

bigtree

(85,915 posts)
15. it's working just fine
Wed Oct 21, 2015, 08:10 AM
Oct 2015

...he's made a significant difference in this race, encouraging a more progressive response to the issues of the day with his advocacy and proposals.

askew

(1,464 posts)
18. Thanks for posting.
Wed Oct 21, 2015, 11:06 AM
Oct 2015

I really feel like O'Malley is hitting his stride and is finally getting some media attention. Seeing a real uptick in positive comments about him on Facebook, blogs, twitter.

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