Dems: Nominate Martin O’Malley for president!

[DonViejo]

No matter how much you may want Hillary to win, the more candidates running for president, the better

BY JONATHAN BERNSTEIN

Hey, Democrats! No matter how much you like Hillary Clinton – and if she runs, she’s certainly a very solid favorite to win the presidential nomination in 2016 – what you want to be doing now is getting Martin O’Malley to run. And Andrew Cuomo. And Joe Biden. And Amy Klobuchar. And maybe two or three others.

Why? Because competition for nominations is the best way for most of us to really affect what happens in a democracy. A walkover for Clinton would mean that Democrats – activists, donors, party officials and staff, and everyone else – would give up their best chance for leverage over the political system.

Indeed, this gets into what democracy really is and how it functions. The key is the limited ability of voters-as-just-voters to really do much. After all, suppose you voted for Barack Obama over Mitt Romney in November. What message did you send? That you liked the Affordable Care Act? Wanted to reward Obama for the death of bin Laden? Didn’t like Paul Ryan’s House budget? Support marriage equality, or abortion rights, or voting rights? Oppose the war in Iraq? Or perhaps you happen to be expressing ethnic solidarity with Obama; perhaps you are a bigot and don’t like Mormons. Or maybe you didn’t like the 47 percent stuff, or you’re punishing the GOP for George W. Bush. Maybe you just like the cut of Barack Obama’s jib.

It’s even worse for partisans. If you’re a loyal party voter – and if you know much about politics, it’s sensible to be one – then if you voted for Obama, you almost certainly voted for him in 2008, and John Kerry before that, and Al Gore, and Bill Clinton, and however far back you go. What message are you sending? “I’m a Democrat.”

read more:
http://www.salon.com/2013/01/26/dems_nominate_martin_omalley_for_president/

[bluestateguy]

1. I get the Mondale-Dukakis vibe from him

He does not strike me as as winner or as a heavyweight.

[karynnj]

2. In other words, he is not HILLARY

I really do not get the need to attack any possible person who might possibly decide to run for President. In his case, he is a very strong future possibility - young enough that he would likely pass if HRC declared she is running. (I know the same could have been said for Obama, but in his case the calculus was different as his appeal could have been less as the time from his incredible speech increased. I don't think there is anything similar here.)

I think ANY possible future leader now would pale compared to the leaders we have seen in action - including Obama, HRC, and Biden. Part of that is that we are seeing one in depth, the other rather vaguely. Believe me, Bill Clinton in early 1992 did NOT impress like he did a year later. Those of us old enough remember that Democrats were far more impressed with Cuomo and were unhappy when he first equivocated then did not run.

This article says HRC would be a frontrunner. It also does look more like she will run, but I remember Al Gore looking like he could get in in 2004 - and then not doing so - and repeating that in 2008 (when unlike 2004, he would not have been the favorite over HRC.)

It may be that one of the next generation will be our candidate in 2014, but if not, they clearly will be in later years. It would be nice if people did not feel they had to dismiss all but their favorite - instead of just explaining where their favorite was a far better candidate.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

5. Unlike most Democrats, my governor, Martin O'Malley has stood up to the Republicans

time and time again. Instead of relying on your "vibes," learn who he is first. O'Malley is not one these weak-kneed, run-of-the-mill, soft-spoken Democrats.

[PADemD]

9. +1000

[Mass]

11. +1000

[Hippo_Tron]

13. Not an endorsement for O'Malley, but nobody is really a heavyweight 4 years before an election

Yea Hillary is a "heavyweight" in the sense that she has near universal name recognition. She had basically the stature of an incumbent Vice President last time (for all of the good that did her) and would have it again next time.

O'Malley and the other names mentioned certainly are no lightweights. They are people who could conceivably be the next President. The thing is that most will not picture them as "presidential" until they secure their party's nomination and the probability that the reality that they may very well become President sinksin.

[madinmaryland]

15. He has been a very success governor of Maryland, and there is NO Mondale/Dukakis

vibe from him.

[DCBob]

18. yes, me too.

We need a stronger more charismatic candidate. This next election could be more challenging due to electoral college gerrymandering by the GOP.

[Arkana]

21. I like the idea of O'Malley as the nominee, but I'd still like to see more of him.

His convention speech was upstaged by the likes of Deval Patrick, of all people--so he's going to have to work much harder.

My general feeling is that the next Democratic nominee is going to have to come from outside Washington. That way, he/she can freely associate with the positive parts of Obama's administration and back away from the negative parts. One of our governors who's not named Andrew Cuomo.

[Freddie]

3. Deval Patrick

His speech at the convention was awesome. Hope he considers running.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

7. I see him more in the Senate for now.

[Mass]

12. He wont. At least not this cycle.

If he would, I would be supporting him from day 1.

[Pab Sungenis]

6. The claim is from his father.

"Thomas O'Malley served as a bombardier," not Martin.

[Cirque du So-What]

8. Nevermind

Need...more...coffee...

My faith in Wikipedia is restored, but confidence in my own reading skills is now shaken.

[Mass]

10. I like him. He is very good on TV.

He is a solid progressive too. We could do a lot worse than him.

[totodeinhere]

14. I like Martin O’Malley very much and I could support him. And remember that last time

Hillary Clinton was considered the solid favorite until a guy named Barack Obama came along. I think it will be healthy for the party to have a vigorous contest for the nomination rather than a Hillary Clinton coronation. But having said that I will have no problem whatsoever supporting Clinton if she gets the nomination.

[vincenzoesq]

16. Not crazy about my governor

I'm an educator in Maryland. O'Malley says he is for education, but he has not supported it, and has indeed supported big cuts. When teachers from every county in Maryland arrived in Annapolis to protest, the governor(who had not been invited to speak) jumped in on a shocked speaker, and took over the microphone. I am unimpressed. I am a lifelong democrat, and I don't know what I would do if he were our nominee.

[DCBob]

17. me too. I live in MD and I voted for him of course but..

I really dont see him as Presidential material.... however....

I said the same thing about Bill Clinton many years ago when I lived in Arkansas.

[TwilightGardener]

19. John Hickenlooper? Huh. Intriguing, but he is very centrist.

Gillibrand--I've ruled her out as a lesser Hillary-Hawk clone.

[Trascoli]

20. Cuomo would get smoked

He can only win if we dumb down the pop a bit.

[Nancy Waterman]

22. No way!!

I live in Maryland. He is a good governor, he is good on most issues, and I am happy to be in a Blue state. But O'Malley has zero charisma. ZERO. He could never win in a national contest.