My family and I had other engagements in Cedar Falls, Iowa on November 15th, so we were only able to make it over to see Martin O'Malley just as he finished his speech and started visiting with the audience.
O'Malley was friendly. I told him I'd watched him on the Democratic debate the night before. "Was that fun?" he asked. "Yes," I told him, "I'm a Republican, but I think if Democrats are smart they should vote for you because I think you'd do better in a general election than the other Democratic candidates." O'Malley agreed. (At the time, I thought he should have been doing much better, since Clinton has so much baggage and Sanders is polarizing.)
Miscellaneous Facts: O'Malley is 52 years old. He is of Irish, German, Dutch, and Scottish ancestry. His father served in World War II, and an ancestor served in the War of 1812. Martin O'Malley is a Roman Catholic, has been married to Katie Curran since 1990, has four children, and is 6 feet 1 inch tall.
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Since I didn't have the chance to listen to his speech, here's a brief synopsis of his views from his website. O'Malley has 15 major goals.
1. Increase American families' median worth by $25,000 in 10 years.
2. Generate 100% of American electricity with renewable energy by 2050.
3. Cut the unemployment rate among young people in half within three years.
4. Reach full employment for American veterans by 2020
5. Put 11 million new Americans on the pathway to citizenship through comprehensive immigration reform.
6. Ensure that higher education students have the option to graduate debt-free within 5 years.
7. Improve college and career readiness; increase college completion rates by 25 percentage points in 10 years.
8. End childhood hunger in America by 2020.
9. Reform our criminal justice system to save and redeem lives.
10. Cut deaths from gun violence--homicides, suicides, and accidents--in half by 2025
11. Reduce deaths from drug overdoses by 25% by 2020.
12. Reduce infant mortality by 10% by 2020.
13. Require banks to separate commercial and speculative banking within 5 years.
14. Restore America's competition and antitrust laws, taking action within 1 year of office.
15. Implement public financing of congressional campaigns within 5 years.
To find out how he plans to accomplish these goals, see here.
Further Resources: Visit Martin O'Malley's website to learn more about him, or read about him on Wikipedia.
My Remarks: What kind of fiends must we have in this country when someone who wants to end childhood hunger, find employment for young people and veterans, reduce deaths, and save and redeem lives is polling at only about 2.6%?! But I guess I'm just as bad; I'm not voting for him either.
My Remarks: What kind of fiends must we have in this country when someone who wants to end childhood hunger, find employment for young people and veterans, reduce deaths, and save and redeem lives is polling at only about 2.6%?! But I guess I'm just as bad; I'm not voting for him either.
Disclaimer: Candidates' speeches are reconstructed from my imperfect notes. If you notice any mistakes, just let me know. I would not intentionally misrepresent anyone's position. I am not endorsing any candidate or candidate's position at this time, and no candidate has endorsed me. And yes, I do realize that often speeches are to some extent propaganda, but it's interesting to me to see the points candidates consider as most important.
For my personal political views, please see this article.
For my personal political views, please see this article.
I honestly thought O'Malley would have done better in the polls too. I really enjoyed his statements when he listed the differences of what Democrats say at debates vs Republicans
ReplyDelete""On this stage you didn't hear anyone denigrate women, you didn't hear anyone make racist comments about new immigrants, you didn't hear anyone speak ill of anyone because of their religious belief,"
I think his problem in the polls is he's stuck in the middle between progressives who support Sanders vs centrists and Democrats who think Clinton is more electable. I honestly will not be shocked to see him on the ticket for either Sanders or Clinton.
The one thing I really notice about O'Malley is how happy he seems on the debate stage. I wouldn't be surprised to see him as a VP candidate either, though this last debate he did make some jabs at the other two candidates--I remember particularly the one where he started off his remarks by saying he was from another generation than they, basically calling them old people! But I don't think it got too unpleasant.
DeleteI have to admit, I had never heard of him until the debate. I think name recognition is a problem for him. He seems like a pretty reasonable guy though.
ReplyDeleteThat may be a large part of the reason he is so low in the polls. Clinton and Sanders have a lot more name recognition.
DeleteAs a Democrat. I find O'mally to be alright and likable enough but his policy and how he would institute it isn't very compelling. He was the Governor of Maryland but for whatever reason not many from outside the state heard of him. My guess is because not that many found his ideas compelling enough to remember the person espousing them.
DeleteHillary has by far and away the best name recognition, having been 1st Lady twice, US Senator from NY and Sec of State.
I find it interesting that you characterize Bernie as polarizing. He just won 71% of the vote statewide in Vermont in his last election to the US Senate in 2012. That would seem to suggest he is anything BUT polarizing.
That would suggest Bernie Sanders is unifying. At least to me that's how it appears.
Bernie Sanders is by far the most exciting of the Democratic candidates in my book. He is passionate, and I think of the crowds I've seen at rallies, his was most vivacious/excited crowd besides Trump's.
DeleteI'd also say he's one of the most sincere of all the candidates, Democrat or Republican. He's held his beliefs since he was young, voted them, and stood by them, regardless of whether those beliefs were popular at the time.
That said, Sanders is quite possibly the farthest left of any candidate. He's a socialist, and he's not ashamed to talk openly about, in his own words, "redistribution of the wealth." While that might go over ok in his home state or among those on the far left, it may be a hard pill to swallow for the more moderate, and I suspect it may very well alienate conservatives.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
He sounds like a nice guy! I'm afraid when it comes to Democrat candidates I'm pretty ignorant. Thanks for offering a way to educate myself Bethany! ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know what both sides think. Thanks for stopping by, Lydia!
DeleteIt's not as if he is trailing candidates that want to increase childhood hunger, promote unemployment for young people and veterans, and create deaths (is he pro-life?)...
ReplyDeleteWhat?! You hadn't heard about all that those evil Republicans want to do to ruin life for everyone?
DeleteNo, he's not pro-life. Enjoyed your witty comment. Take care!
I agree. I can't understand why anyone would vote for Clinton or Sanders. But like you, I won't be voting for him either.
ReplyDeleteWe have many more choices on the Republican side. I was surprised though in the first Democratic debate how much Jim Webb sounded like a Republican...I guess that is one of the reasons he had to drop out.
DeleteThanks so much for your hard work in posting this info, Bethany. I really appreciate your synopsis of each candidate! [and I was especially ignorant about this candidate!]
ReplyDeleteWe don't hear much about O'Malley since he is so low in the polls. I'm rather surprised he hasn't done better though. One thing I've noticed is how happy he looks during the debates. A lot of candidates look so serious, as if they're concerned if they say the wrong thing it will be political death. But O'Malley really looks very happy when he talks about what he wants to do.
DeleteSorry you didn't make it for the whole thing. Good picture, though.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I was happy we made it in time to meet him!
DeleteHey Bethany. I stopped back in to wish you and your family a Happy Christmas and an Oogie Boogie, New Year.
DeleteThank you! Have a delightful time this holiday season!
DeleteI like this guy! I think I would vote for him...maybe...except I can't! Lol! ;-) Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteOh no! I've almost persuaded one of my readers to vote for a Democrat?! What is the world coming to? ;) Thanks for stopping by Gabriela!
DeleteBETHANY!! I can't believe you'd stand near a liberal!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised, but I'm just kiddin' you, lol.
Have a lovely weekend!
Toni
This is the post to prepare my readers for seeing me stand beside Hillary Clinton! ;) You take care, Toni, and have a beautiful week!
DeleteI really don't know much about him. Though it seems he is not a bad guy. I hope he will do his best in tern I will be really disappointed!
ReplyDeleteCandidates always do their best to campaign in a way that makes them sound like the "good guys." :)
DeleteBethany you habve too many candidates
ReplyDeleteSome people seem to think so. ;) There really are a lot of Republican candidates on the ticket this year. The Democratic side could have used a few more candidates to make things more interesting, in my opinion.
DeleteI've read all your posts about the candidates and this is the first one I've never heard of in the news! Nice write up and nice photo.
ReplyDeleteIf you've heard about most of the other candidates, the Canadian news must do a lot more reporting about U.S. elections than American news sources seem to do on Canadian elections!
DeleteIt's probably a safe bet that American politics gets a lot more coverage internationally than international politics gets coverage in America!
DeleteI won't bet against you. ;)
DeleteFeliz Natal!!! Que a manjedoura do seu coração esteja pronta para receber o Menino Jesus que irá nascer!!!
ReplyDeleteUm ano novo repleto das bençãos de Deus!!!
Doce abraço com carinho, Marie!
Thanks! Blessings to you as well, Marie!
DeleteI would vote for him if I could :-)
ReplyDeleteOh no! Don't tell me I almost convinced another of my friends to vote for a Democrat! ;)
DeleteBernie is popular because he says that the system has serious issues with balance and fairness, and polls show most Americans would agree with him on both those points. He does not, however, necessarily come across as a natural executive, which is typically a prerequisite to be considered Presidential. Martin might be a little stronger in that department, but he is a little too flat and conventional, and he has found it difficult to differentiate his presentation significantly. On the other hand, Hillary has never seemed more poised, having somehow managed to pull her campaign together after a rather cackly start.
ReplyDeleteYou have some good points. I wasn't very impressed by Hillary's performance in the first debate (though it seems most people thought she won that for some reason), but her performances seem to be improving. This last debate, for example, her "Everyone should love me" line was just beautiful. O'Malley really came off as flat for me in the first debate when the only thing I could remember about him was how much he smiled, but he has had more of a chance to express himself since Chaffee and Webb left the stage. Still, it's hard for him to seem "exciting" to voters when they have Sanders making things exciting on the far left.
DeleteHi Bethany, I have been enjoying your series of posts on the Presidential candidates so much and this one on Martin O’Malley is no exception. Not only are the posts themselves interesting but also the comments you get and your replies to the comments. You go the “extra mile” and there is no doubt about that. From the very beginning you identify yourself as a Conservative Republican and yet you do an exceptionally unbiased job of reporting on each candidate, regardless of party, and their views. It’s also interesting to me that you get a broad cross-section of comments … obviously you have followers from both sides, which really doesn’t surprise me at all given your ability to write so well and truthfully about whatever interests you. I was reading the comments on your Hillary post and saw this from blogger Beate on January, 3: “I'm blown away by the amount of work and effort you put into those blog posts about the candidates. It is absolutely amazing!” I agree with that 100%. Now, regarding Martin O’Malley … Your post has actually changed my mind, a little bit, about him. I had not even really been giving him much attention but now that you pointed it out to me (in your reply to something I said about Hillary) he may well end up on either ticket with Hillary or Bernie. The wisdom in that would be putting a younger person on the ticket. On the other hand, as you mentioned, Bernie already seems to have appeal with younger people, so would it be good to put Martin with him on that ticket? I guess that’s just one of the interesting things we will discover as 2016 unfolds. Oh, one last thing, and please excuse me for going on so long here … After you listed the views from O’Malley’s website, you said, in your Remarks, “What kind of a country do we have when someone who wants to end childhood hunger, find employment for young people and veterans, reduce deaths, and save and redeem lives is polling at only about 2.6%?!” (Excuse me for rephrasing slightly.) I think the answer revolves around “name recognition” in American politics. Now, I don’t know about Iowa, but in Washington, near voting day, the roads will be littered with political signs for every position you can think of. I often wonder how many people actually check out the candidates and their views … Often it seems that one of the candidates who puts up the most signs is the winner. :-)
ReplyDeleteHa! We do have some political signs. I live in the country, so we don't see a mass of them like I imagine you do in Seattle. As we near the general election, I'm sure we'll see more. At this point it's more like, "Oh, there's a sign in that yard, how neat!" Two houses in Ackley have very large Cruz signs up, and I've seen some Carson signs here and there. Also one of the country places on the highway has a Hillary sign...except it says "Hillary for Prison" instead of "Hillary for President." Obviously they must really dislike her to go to the trouble of putting up a sign like that!
DeleteIt would be a smart idea to have a younger person on the ticket. Bernie does really appeal to young people, but he is pretty old. If he ran against, say Rubio, I'd think the Democratic party would really be in need of a younger person if they didn't want to appear the party of the ancient--even O'Malley has made a jab at the other Democratic candidates for their age. It will be interesting to see if O'Malley does come back into play as a potential VP.
Thanks for your kind words about my posts. I really appreciate my readers and commenters and the wide variety of opinions they express. It's good to know how other people think.
Great blog Bethany, love it :)
ReplyDeleteAmerica is already socialist! its two most popular policies are medicaid and social security for goodness sake! Also public high school, sanitation, the police force, public roads, public parks, the military, firefighters etc etc are all socialist policies
I am from Australia and most of sanders' policies are common place here, his message might be revolutionary to America, but its business as usual for Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Denmark etc etc. You know the countries that are consistently in the top 10 for human development, social equality and GDP.
We are democratic socialists which is a free market managed with checks and balances provided by a government with direct representation to the people. This is what Sanders is trying to replicate in America. Universal health care, free or heavily subsided college and a $12-15 minimum wage stimulate the economy and the result is a highly educated workforce with high social mobility
Rand Paul says that nothing is free, but the caveat of that is that no one accomplishes anything truly by themselves, society works because we work together, without public roads, the internet, utilities, the media, technology etc small/medium/large business wouldn't exist. The idea of the 'self' made millionaire is a fallacy. There are 'invisible' hands all around us that allows businesses and ideas to flourish in America but not in less developed countries like Zimbabwe for example
Socialism is about supporting the system that supports you, guaranteeing a minimum standard of living for its citizens so they can go ahead and move the country forward :)
Hi Ross, thanks for stopping by and commenting.
DeleteI would have to agree with you that the United States is already somewhat socialist--to an extent. Still "socialist" is a bit of a "bad word," that even Hillary Clinton refuses to use to describe herself. I really admire Bernie Sanders for not being afraid to call himself exactly what he is--a socialist! And I am glad that you are happy and content with the system of government in your own country.
I personally strongly disagree with the tenets of socialism, and would be more than happy to see Medicaid and Social Security gradually phased out. The public schools are a little more complicated, but if a system could work to phase them out too, that might be good.
I do not believe the police force, public roads, parks, military, and firefighters are inherently socialistic--they work in a capitalistic society as well. But you are right that an ideal libertarian Utopia would probably privatize them all.