WASHINGTON — Referring to the Bushes and Clintons, potential Democratic presidential candidate and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said the “presidency is not a crown to be passed back and forth between two royal families.”
O’Malley told PJ Media he is in the last stage of the decision-making process for the 2016 presidential campaign.
O’Malley was asked on the red carpet of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner how he would differentiate himself from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the only Democrat to enter the race so far.
“I would bring to this offering 15 years of executive experience running a big city, running a state, getting difficult things done and actually making my state a safer and more prosperous state as a result of it. And it’s also what I would bring, I believe, is a new perspective from a new generation that is different than that of my older Baby Boomer brothers and sisters. It’s about getting things done,” O’Malley, 52, said in the interview.
O’Malley was also asked how he plans to compete with Clinton on foreign policy.
“I certainly haven’t traveled as widely as former Secretary of State Clinton, I’m not sure any American has traveled as widely as a former secretary of State, but I have led trade delegations all around the world and I understand that the first job of the commander in chief is protecting all of us, keep us secure and you can’t do that in isolation,” he said.
“You can be engaged with like-minded nations around the world, even as we make ourselves stronger at home. We have to be working in collaboration with other nations on things like climate change, making this transition to renewable energy economies and rally the cause of a rising middle class around the world,” O’Malley added.
Clinton is expected to raise approximately $2.5 billion for her presidential campaign. PJ Media asked O’Malley if the Democratic Party would be able to articulate opposition to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision with such an immense fundraising effort taking place.
“I think it’s very hard. We’re to say we’re a party that can actually put regulations in place on Wall Street in order to protect us from another crash. There are many things we’ve done as a party these last eight years but there are some jobs that remain undone. Wages are not yet going up for the majority of Americans and we still haven’t completed the job of regulating Wall Street and people around the country, I’m sensing, feel that there’s been such a concentration of wealth and power not only in our economy but also in our politics — and the presidency is not a crown to be passed back and forth between two royal families,” O’Malley responded.
“It is a sacred and awesome trust to be earned and exercised on behalf of the common good of the people of our country and I think that’s what people are looking for. They want somebody that’s going to fight and fight on their side, because right now to most Americans this looks like a rigged game economically and it looks like a rigged game politically,” he added.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is considering a run for president but has not officially entered the race.
O’Malley continued, saying, “The good thing, though, is no matter how much money any of these candidates raise from powerful interests, the people of Iowa and the people of New Hampshire get to the make the first decision and no amount of money can keep you from getting in a van and going door to door.”
The former mayor of Baltimore said he would not be running for or against President Obama’s agenda; he would be running for his country.
“We elected President Obama a president; we didn’t elect a magician. He’s done a lot of good things and we can build on those things, but there’s still a lot of work to do,” he said.
O’Malley said he is at “the last turn in the bend” for a final decision on entering the race.
“There are many factors. Right now the most important thing is to know in my heart and in my head that I have a clear alternative to offer and that I truly believe it’s a better way forward for our country. Once you arrive at that clarity, then it’s up to the people to decide and I’m almost there,” he said.
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