The Daily Beast: Jonathan Miller: 'For 2016: Take Martin O'Malley Seriously'

Source:The Daily Beast- Governor Martin O'Malley (Democrat, Maryland)

"As Martin O’Malley dips his ankles into the deep end of national politics – most recently with his full-throated plea earlier this month against the deportation of immigrant children — I recalled the first time I saw him on a national stage. I had a pretty good view: I was standing right next to him."

From The Daily Beast

"Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley talks to Candy about his plans for 2016." 

Source:CNN- Governor Martin O'Malley (Democrat, Maryland)

From CNN

It is way too early right now to be talking about 2016 for president especially since we are still three months away from the 2014 mid-term elections that will decide who controls Congress next year, or will Congress be divided again and who will control the majority of state governorships and state legislatures. 

I wouldn't be much of a political junky if I didn't look ahead to elections down the road. And this is one thing that makes politics so interesting is that politicians and potential politicians do the same thing which gives us good stuff to write about.

I'm a native Marylander or Free Stater (for those of you not familiar with Maryland) as well as a Democrat who voted twice for Martin O'Malley for Governor of Maryland. And I'm as proud of those two votes as any votes that I've ever cast. 

Governor O'Malley is a hell of a great Governor who governs one of it not the wealthiest states in the union as far as quality of life, per-capita, income and wealth. So of course he has a lot going for him as well as location being in the Mid-Atlantic. But it still takes a good leader to make those things work, or the state can lose ground to other great states in the region like New Jersey or Virginia.

We have the best public schools in the nation and those rankings came during his administration. Maryland doesn't invest heavily in education, but we invest well and get solid results. During the Great Recession we always had an unemployment rate below the national average and never had serious debt or deficit issues unlike most of the rest of the country. If you want to look at the economy and freedom issues. Again with the great schools not just K-12 but we have a great state college system with Maryland University and others. We have great roads and other infrastructure as well.

The taxes both personal and on business are a little high compared with our competitors in the area. And I would like to see them come down especially since we now have legalized gambling and will probably legalize marijuana in the near future as well. But for the taxes we pay in this state and again a bit high the results that we get in return are pretty good. 

Maryland is gaining business's and tourists everyday. Maryland is a state where you have good skiing in the winter, good beaches in the summer on the Atlantic. Where you can gamble, smoke and posses marijuana without going to jail for it. Where gays can get married and where you are never more than two hours away from doing anything.

I believe the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries will not just be about a mushy-middle Centrist who's afraid to take any solid positions on anything controversial in Hillary Clinton. Or a New-Left Socialist who will take the strongest positions possible perhaps even just to get to the Left of Hillary. 

I also believe there is room for at least one more person who can run and say: "I share the same Democratic and liberal values as you do. And I have a record of producing solid results. I'm not from Washington (even though I live next door to it) and I know how to govern." Who will still be fairly young in 2016 who can appeal to other Gen-Xers and Millennial's and that person could be Martin O'Malley.

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