In Defense of Martin O’Malley

1/17/16 Democratic Presidential Debate

Last night’s debate could have undoubtedly been called the Clinton-Sanders Show. The night began with Secretary Hillary Clinton attacking Senator Bernie Sanders over his supposedly lax views on gun control; and over the course of the next two hours, the differences in the two frontrunners’ policies in regards to health care, Wall Street, foreign policy, and getting out the vote were highlighted. It was a great night of friendly but intense discourse, but one question lingered in my mind for the duration of the debate: where is Martin O’Malley?

Most pundits and voters alike would be quick to say that O’Malley, former mayor of Baltimore and former governor of Maryland, stands no chance at securing the Democratic nomination. Considering O’Malley is currently – according to RealClearPolitics – polling at a dismal 2.3% nationally, said pundits and voters are likely correct. In fact, the biggest news that O’Malley has made since his campaign began in May 2015 was his failure to secure a spot on Ohio’s primary ballot last month due to a lack of public support. His mess of a campaign aside, however, it’s clear to see that O’Malley’s policies are incredibly sensible and, though 2016 hasn’t worked out for him, he should most definitely shoot for the nomination again in the next election cycle.

Though ignored nearly completely by the media, O’Malley is well-known and well-admired in his home state of Maryland for the excellent reforms he pushed while serving as governor. For example, in 2013, he signed a piece of legislation that made Maryland the sixth state to officially ban the death penalty and the first in the South to do so. Additionally, during his last year as governor, O’Malley successfully pushed forward an initiative to raise the minimum wage to $10.10, saying that “it is not fair, it is not right, it is not just that people should play by the rules, work 16-hour days and still be raising their children in poverty.” Thirdly, O’Malley was one of the first governors in the nation to allow the children of undocumented immigrants – so-called Dreamers – to receive in-state tuition to Maryland’s public colleges. He later went on to sign on a law that allows undocumented immigrants to be granted licenses to drive.

Though Secretary Clinton likes to pride herself as the best candidate on gun control, Governor O’Malley was successful in signing a sweeping package of gun control measures into law. These regulations required handgun purchasers to submit fingerprints and obtain a license, banned most assault weapons, limited magazines to a maximum ten bullets capacity, and stopped the sale of guns to people who have been involuntary committed to a mental health facility.

O’Malley has channeled the spirit of Democratic runner-up Bernie Sanders in regards to dealing with the financial sector. The governor has time and again echoed Sanders’ calls for the reinstatement of a 21st century Glass-Steagall Act, which separated investment and commercial banking from 1933 (under the Banking Act) until 1999 (under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act). O’Malley has stated that he would appoint people to government positions specifically to prosecute bankers held responsible for the 2008 crash and would strive to fight against income inequality, stating that our nation’s highly “concentrated wealth and capital” has stopped our economy from being able to “go and grow.”

Speaking for a total of fourteen minutes and twenty-nine seconds (as recorded by Vox) — less than one-half of how long Sanders was able to speak for — O’Malley wasn’t given much of a chance to have his voice heard. In fact, the first sentence he spoke, in which he introduced himself, was a sad reminder that the former governor is not recognizable to a sizable proportion of primary voters. Though he was asked far fewer questions than the other two candidates, O’Malley was surely able to make a dent (albeit a small one) in the tone and content of the debate. For example, his energy plan — which he briefly mentioned last night — has captured the hearts and minds of many. His plan, which is idealistic at best, is one that would take the country off of fossil fuels completely by 2050. His plan would involve putting a cap on all carbon emissions, investing in clean energy jobs, ceasing offshore drilling, putting tariffs on oil and gas, and ending subsidies to the fossil fuel industry.

O’Malley’s dedication to reforming the staples of American communities is admirable as well. He has developed plans to end childhood hunger by rallying against poverty. His campaign has developed plans to lead the fight against opiate addiction and abuse. Public financing of congressional campaigns have been a matter of great importance to him. O’Malley has dedicated himself to making college education affordable and efficient. He plans on tackling unemployment among both young people and veterans. Though his platform, as it stands now, is incredibly vague, it’s based in a sincere place that is ideologically sound among most progressive circles.

So why is O’Malley losing so badly? There are a handful of theories and conspiracies. One such conspiracy blames his campaign for giving O’Malley a slow launch into the summer of 2015, allowing Sanders to establish himself as the leftist alternative to Clinton. Others have stated that it is his futile dedication to the state of Iowa — where he is trailing the two frontrunners by close to 40 points each, according to RealClearPolitics — that has led to his failure to launch. However, the most popular theory — one that I subscribe to — is that Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have satisfied the needs of both neoliberal and progressive Democrats through both their differing stances and through their popularity. To most Democratic voters, Martin O’Malley has nothing to offer that Sanders and Clinton can’t.

His lack of popularity aside, O’Malley is a good, albeit unfortunate, candidate for the Democratic nomination — but not for the 2016 election. He has a solid liberal record as both mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland, where he fought the good fight for gun control, rights for undocumented people, gay marriage, education, and healthcare. He leans further to the left than the arguably centrist Clinton, but isn’t seen as a fringe candidate like Sanders is by many. He has a combined sixteen years of executive experience, and was successfully able to lead the fight for progressivism below the Mason-Dixon Line for the better part of the early 21st century. Though many Democratic voters have already made up their minds this time around, O’Malley remains a steady and reliable candidate for the a future Democratic primary, should he choose to run again.