“A lot of us are disappointed and angry”: Martin O’Malley sounds off to Salon
Potential presidential candidate talks Elizabeth Warren, middle class -- and why some Democrats are "victimcrats"
JOAN WALSH
Martin OMalley is having kind of a moment.
The former Maryland governor, whos exploring a run for the 2016 Democratic nomination, still doesnt break single digits in polls. He trails not only presumed front-runner Hillary Clinton but Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. And yet among all of those luminaries, hes been the most upfront about his desire to run next year. Warren says shes not; Biden wont rule it out but hasnt apparently raised money or hired staff. Clinton is almost certainly running, but shes been more coy about it than OMalley.
Now, with the media gorging itself on its favorite dish, an alleged Clinton scandal, and even some Democrats reportedly (and almost always anonymously) anxious about Clintons campaign, theres new interest in seeing that the undeclared front-runner at least faces some primary opposition. Even some Clinton supporters think it could help her get the rust out of her operation and sharpen her campaign. Of course, things could also end the way they did in 2008, though theres no compelling young senator from Illinois waiting in the wings this time around.
But there is OMalley, and hes getting a turn in the spotlight now that Clinton is seeming embattled. Hes trying to make the most of it, but hes frustrating the media by refusing to kick his rival while shes (sorta) down. In a 15-minute Morning Joe interview Thursday, the crew asked him about Clintons email issues five times. He mostly deflected the questions I dont feel compelled to answer that, he told a persistent John Heilemann trying to turn the conversation back to his ideas about growing the economy and narrowing income inequality.
But when asked if hed want his secretary of state to use official government servers, he answered, Well, sure, it would be important to me. (It should be important: Thats now the law, though it wasnt when Clinton was at State.) That was enough: Matt Drudge got his link,
to a Politico story: OMALLEY STRIKES: Important Secretary of State Use Government Email. Every single other mainstream news report, like
this one from ABC, accurately said hed refused to take the bait.
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http://www.salon.com/2015/03/13/a_lot_of_us_are_disappointed_and_angry_martin_o%E2%80%99malley_makes_his_case_to_salon/