
By H.A. Goodman
There’s a myth among Hillary Clinton supporters that decades of experience has made the former secretary of state the most pragmatic choice for president in 2016. And like most fairy tales, it conveniently glosses over the heroine’s flaws: her 31,000-plus missing emails (the subject of a lawsuit by the Associated Press), questions about foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation, and direct donations to Ms. Clinton from big banks, including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan.
But there is an alternative. Rather than rallying around someone who can’t seem to elude perpetual media scrutiny, the person all Democrats should pay close attention to is former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley who is poised to officially join the race Saturday. The former Baltimore mayor and two-term governor offers a genuine alternative to the status quo within Washington and a real threat to any GOP challenger — especially Jeb Bush.
Mr. O’Malley, unlike Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush, isn’t linked to perpetual scandal and criticism, nor is he beholden to foreign donors, investment banks or a family surname. He rightfully stated that the presidency isn’t “some crown to be passed between two families” and compared to Ms. Clinton, Mr. O’Malley offers a genuinely progressive outlook on American politics. When both candidates are analyzed, it’s apparent that one caters to poll-driven centrism while the other is far more confident in a progressive vision for America.
Who is running for president in 2016?
While Ms. Clinton voted for the invasion of Iraq, Mr. O’Malley has been a longtime critic of the Iraq War. As governor, Mr. O’Malley sponsored and signed a same-sex marriage bill when Hillary Clinton was overtly against gay marriage. He also signed a marijuana decriminalization bill, while Ms. Clinton has said she was against the decriminalization of marijuana. Martin O’Malley wants to bring back Glass-Steagall, called the Trans-Pacific Partnership a “bad trade deal,” and urged the Senate in 2014 to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, once referred to TPP as “the gold standard in trade agreements,”and she still hasn’t taken a stance on the Keystone XL pipeline.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-choose-omalley-20150529-story.html