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In the wake of the excitement of the Republican debates, the former Governor of Maryland is trying to gain traction in Iowa and the Granite State for his presidential campaign. He is frustrated by the decision of the DNC, Democratic National Committee, to delay debates until October. Governor O’Malley is concerned that there will be only one debate prior to the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire First in the Nation Primary. He criticized this development by claiming, “This has turned a primary into a ‘coronation’ rather than an exchange of ideas.” O’Malley has tried to work around the DNC and has discussed the matter with Senator Bernie Sanders who is also in favor of more debates. O’Malley has reached out to the Clinton Camp. However, he says that the lack of a response has been “deafening.”
The Republican Party has had the apparent benefit of a robust discussion of views from a diverse group of candidates who have been using this as an opportunity to attack President Obama and the presumed Democrat candidate, Hillary Clinton. O’Malley sees this as a lost opportunity to discuss the positive aspects of the Obama presidency and to share the Democrat Party’s view for the future. Media attention to the Democratic candidates has been eclipsed by questions of Hillary Clinton’s character–not issues.
The rest of the interview dealt with Martin O’Malley’s plans to help the shrinking middle class and the problems of millennials and their parents who are burdened with college debts. He is in favor of increasing taxes on the rich and raising the minimum wage. The former governor also discussed ways that he used in Maryland to control healthcare costs.
