‘What if Hillary decides not to run,’ is the question Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is thinking to himself – as a starting point – these days, as he tests the waters in hope of a 2016 presidential bid. He’s already set up his own political action committee, O’ Say Can You See, and is starting to raise money. He flew to Israel as well, a must for Presidential candidates, earlier this year on a trip is devoted to advancing business ties between Israel and Maryland.
At a fundraising event for New Hampshire’s state Democratic Party, Governor O’Malley went a step further in introducing a three-minute video highlighting his leadership credentials, in what is seen as an intro to his entry on the national level.
Over black-and-white photos of shuttered storefronts and crime scenes, the video depicts late-1990s Baltimore as “a cauldron of crime, drugs and profound despair,” according to CNN. It was O’Malley who “walked its mean streets” and “formulated an assault on hopelessness.” He used a data collection service called CitiStat to log crimes in Charm City, which he said resulted in the largest 10-year reduction of crime in any U.S. city.
In 2002, his 2nd year as Mayor of Baltimore, O’Malley launched the $2.1 million “Believe” campaign in an effort to combat the city’s twin scourges, drugs and crime. The mayor blanketed the city in jarring television ads that promoted a hotline, “1-800-BELIEVE,” for mentorship and drug treatment programs.
In his keynote speech at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, O’Malley made an early passionate and aggressive case for executive leadership, framing his approach as mayor of Baltimore, and the “Believe” campaign he launched there, as a strategy that should be applied at the national level, Buzzfeed reports.
“The people of Baltimore rallied,” he said. “Belief is important. Belief drives action. Now, like Baltimore in 1999, we, as Americans, are going through a cynical time of disbelief — a time, quite frankly, with a lot more excuses and ideology than cooperation or action. We seem to have lost the shared conviction we once had that we actually have the ability to make things better together.”
“It wasn’t about the bumper stickers, or the signs,” O’Malley said. “It was about something deeper: the belief we shared that in our city there is no such thing as a spare American. We continued to act on that belief, and over the next 10 years, Baltimore actually went on to achieve the biggest reduction in crime of any major city in America.”
“I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough of the cynicism. I’ve had enough of the apathy. I’ve had enough of us giving in to self-pity, small solutions and low expectations of one another,” he added.
According To BuzzFeed, O’Malley yelled into the microphone: “Enough finger-pointing! Enough obstruction! Enough wasted time! Let us achieve like Americans again. Let us lead like Americans again. Let us believe like Americans again.”
But while Governor O’Malley is indeed seen as a rising star, as long as the hype of “Ready for Hillary” goes on, polls show him standing no chance. A survey of New Hampshire Democrats in May showed the governor polling at “zero percent” in the state. In that poll, Clinton got 65% of the vote, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren received 5%. In a national poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports, Clinton got 70% to O’Malley’s statistical 0% support.
In a statement, New Hampshire Republicans responded by describing O’Malley as a “liberal, income tax supporting extremist” who is out of step with voters.
“During his abysmal terms in office, Governor Martin O’Malley implemented crushing new regulations, job-killing policies and $9.5 billion in new taxes,” said party chairwoman Jennifer Horn.
(Jacob Kornbluh- YWN)
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One Response
Nice words, sounds good, but before the liberal New Yorkers get all excited, O’malley is nothing more than a tax and spend liberal. Reductions in crime, etc. was because the Police refused to take reports, under his orders. CitiStat, while an excellent tool, is only good if you use it honestly and not just fudge the numbers.
When O’malley was first elected Mayor, he patterned crime control strategies after the New York plan that worked when you had a normal mayor. When the Black Ministers complained, O’Mally caved and just played with the numbers. Figures lie and liars figure. Don’t get conned again.
O’Malley is a nice guy and very personable. President? ____ NO!