Last edited Sun May 31, 2015, 03:48 PM - Edit history (1)
Lived in Md for 13 years and worked on Townsend and Edwards (primary) campaigns - never worked on O'Malley campaigns.
This is not a plus or minus against O'Malley and only provided as background. Maryland is a Democratic state. When Townsend lost the 2002 election to Ehrlich it was a major upset as Md. hadn't had a Republican governor in 40 years. Ehrlich (w Steele (Republican Party Chairman for Md) as Lt. Gov.) kind of self destructed when he vetoed a bill to provide health insurance to company employees > 10,000. Then Montgomery County Council Chairman Doug Duncan and O'Malley were in the primary to challenge Ehrlich in 2003. Duncan had to back out due to depression, thus giving the Democratic primary to O'Malley. That as much as O'Malley's talent is how O'Malley got in.
Executive experience is not a plus or a minus - it's just different... candidates with records in Congress have networks and allies with which to draw upon...different assets that those with executive experience might not have.
The big question I have about O'Malley is his establishment relationships...You can't be a Maryland or Virginia governor without being connected to the establishment (government workers, contractors, opportunities for staff/cabinet positions)...Lived in the DC area for 30 + years and it is there wherever you live - even as far away as Baltimore...people commute to work in DC from farther away than that.
Furthermore, it's more than the nepotism/cronyism. Most critically damaging is that being close to Washington, DC breeds a lens of looking at the trees rather than the forest....In contrast I see as Sanders' strength is because he is from outside the DC area, he can be more distant and analytic about national problem solving than O'Malley or Clinton.
Following O'Malley's career - he supported Clinton in the Democratic Party primaries against O'bama and then spoke at the Democratic Party convention in 2008...so I take his 2015 statement about the presidency not being some competition between two families with a grain of salt. I also take his strides for marriage equality and abolishment of the death penalty as being low hanging fruit.....possibly posturing....again we've seen this before.....perhaps I'm a cynic but as I've pointed out, Maryland has had Democratic governors for 40 + years prior to the Townsend debacle.
Worked in Md. with numerous progressive groups to try to move Van Hollen to the left - can't say we were concerned about O'Malley which is neither a plus or a minus. But I'm just pointing out as one who followed the peace movement that Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson in what I considered a gutsy move boldly came out against the war - O'Malley in contrast made no such statement, even given that both Maryland senators opposed the war...
Offering the above - for my two cents...I am a Sanders supporter because I do feel- despite his imperfections (i.e., support for Israel) he is the closest the citizenry is going to get to an 'outside the establishment' candidate.
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