Baltimorean @freedlander drops a major truth bomb re: O'Malley’s record in Baltimore

[bigtree]

Last edited Wed May 6, 2015, 02:07 PM - Edit history (1)

Lis Smith ‏@Lis_Smith (longtime, unofficial O'Malley press responder)

Baltimorean @freedlander drops a major truth bomb re: @GovernorOMalley’s record as Mayor in Baltimore http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/06/you-have-martin-o-malley-all-wrong.html …

Lis Smith @Lis_Smith · 6m 6 minutes ago
GovernorOMalley did something a lot of these mayors don’t do: He walked w/ the small people…He walked the streets”

From 2000-2010, the incidents of crime in Baltimore dropped 43 percent, outpacing by a stretch the 11 percent drop that the nation saw during that period. The crime rate dropped by 40 percent. Graduation rates rose. Median home prices doubled. A new biotech park was built on the city’s east side. A new performing arts center was built on the west side. O’Malley was obsessed with numbers and metrics, and set up a 311 call center to track citizen complaints. A program called Project 5000 enlisted volunteer attorneys to help deal with the city’s massive vacant home problem as titles to those homes was eventually transferred to individuals and non-profits for redevelopment. The school system was pulled back from the fiscal brink. CitiStat, designed to track crime, helped bring the crime rate down and created a budget surplus of $54 million that was then reinvested in schools and programs for children. At last, the population stabilized. It was no longer necessary to flee, if you could. The number of college educated 25-to-34-year-olds living within three miles of downtown Baltimore increased 92 percent in the ten years after O’Malley became mayor, fourth among the nation’s 51st largest metro areas.

Time Magazine named O’Malley one of the five best big city mayors in America. Esquire named him the best young mayor in America. CitiStat won Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government “Innovations in American Government Award.”

Drawing a bright red line between the Clinton and Bush years, O’Malley said, “We haven’t had an agenda for our cities in thirty years. It is not something you solve with a nifty pilot program. It is not something you solve with philanthropy or with a thousand points of light. When you create an economy where you subsidize corporate profits through a welfare program and food stamps in order to keep wages low in some perverse pursuit of ‘competiveness,’ than you reap the fruits of the anger that you sow. And that is what is happening in our country today.”

Tying O’Malley to Baltimore is an old political saw. When you tried to run for governor of Maryland, Republicans ran ads with flashing police lights, talked about how O’Malley would do for Baltimore what he did for Maryland. O’Malley won statewide twice though, boosted by those same Baltimore neighborhoods that he is now blamed for turning into powder kegs.


read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/06/you-have-martin-o-malley-all-wrong.html …

[misterhighwasted]

1. I may look favorably at O'Malley since Bernie's a GunNut.

Bernie'statement after Sandy Hook slaughter makes me close the book of hope on that guy.
Disgusting.

O'Malley has some positive personal traits that show he can evolve with time & he has a compassionate heart.

I will give him a closer look.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

2. What were Bernie's comments, can you link and state them please?

[misterhighwasted]

4. Here. theres a link to the Slate article in OP.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026630123

Guess I wasn't aware of his gun vote nor his matter of fact statement following Sandy Hook.

Makes me sick. Some say there is truth to his statement but considering the soweow & horror those kids & families endured, it should have brought down a National moratorium on gun sales, types of weapons & also, tell me why people with the power of Sanders dod not pound his fists & demand some change.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

6. Thanks, while I vehemently disagree with him if he is pro gun, it is an acceptable trade

off for jobs, healthcare, roads, bridges, world peace, etc.

[misterhighwasted]

8. To me world peace means no gun culture.

Later. Appreciate your input.

[Jackpine Radical]

27. Having grown up in a very peaceful "gun culture,"

I guess I disagree. I do think that some weapons--many weapons, in fact--should be outlawed, but you get into all kinds of crazy definitional problems there. I don't like large-caliber autoloading handguns (e.g. Glocks) or any of the M-16-inspired "assault rifles." I also see no justification for large-magazine sawed-off shotguns. The problem is in defining these things in such a way as to outlaw the things you don't want, while keeping the things you want. In my mind, the distinction is between arms specialized for hunting, and those specialized for killing other people. But how the hell do you write that into law? The magazines are separable from the guns, so there is a black market for large capacity magazines.

Ultimately, I think that a more just and compassionate society is the answer. The violence in our society is largely driven by desperation.

[misterhighwasted]

7. I'll return later tonight. Am off to work.

BTW I detest the gun culture in this country.
Doesn't matter how they spin ot.
Other countries don't have as many kids killed by negligent gun owners as we do.
Its sick but yes it sure is profitable.
Ugh!

[Koinos]

17. Non-violence is very important to me as well.

I too detest the gun culture. Other nations do quite well without it.

O'Malley's support of gun control is a huge plus for me.

I am tired of Americans (including kids) shooting each other for no reason other than the fact that there happened to be a gun in reach.

[misterhighwasted]

19. Yes. Yes

This has got to change.
Nice to meet you & now I really better get out the door..I need my job!! Ha

[fredamae]

3. Yes, please provide credible "evidence"

What exactly did he say?

[Raine1967]

9. Bernie is not a gun nut. Your Post violates the SoP of this forum.

Please consider rethinking posting things like this and re-reading the SoP for this group. http://www.democraticunderground.com/128128

SoP for the Martin O'Malley Group

The Martin O'Malley group serves as a safe haven to discuss and learn about Governor Martin O'Malley. As fellow Democrats, bashing other Democratic candidates is not acceptable. This is paramount to participation in this group.

ETA, There is no problem having disagreements, but smearing fellow candidates are not needed to have a fruitful discussion.

[misterhighwasted]

12. Bernie is pro gun. I am not. This makes me want to take a much closer look

At Martin o'Malley.
That O'Malley walks among the poorest of neighborhoods, & decries what has been said about him following the protests, I am impressed to see his compassion and has forced me to look further as to who he truly is. What his voting record has been & know that he is a man of the people who can evolve as their needs do.
I am more impressed with O'Malley, the more I learn of him.
And the less with others, in that respect.

I am guessing that much of the hit against him following the protests was intended as just that.

He has stepped out to not just talk the talk but he has walked the walk.
That is impressive. To me.
Apologies if I have stepped over a line in this Group.
Thank You

[Raine1967]

14. I appreicate your input.

and I too disagree with some of Senator Sanders votes on this issue. Some were very good, and some I disagree with, but I don;t believe it is gong to be helpful to use one slate article to pit Sanders supported against people who want to take a good look at O'MAlley. I hope you will further contribute to the group, welcome!

I happen to very much agree with the stances that O'Malley put forward and legislated as governor.

[misterhighwasted]

16. yes. This will be a good group to learn more about him.

Its a long way until next summer when the primaries occur.
I am really hoping for a formidable group of Dems to gather to take 2016 from the GOP & hopefully enough coattails to change the power of DC in our favor.
Geez so much is at stake in this election.
I feel like we have just one chance to get it right & we cannot lose this.

It will take a collective effort but i believe the American voters are ready to reject all things GOP & their extreme leanings.
I want a President who can walk with the crowds of all neighborhoods.

Will be a year to change the world if we want it.
Thanks

[Jackpine Radical]

26. I like what I've seen of O'Malley.

If the Bernie campaign collapses or something, I'll be here.

That said, I do think Bernie has a "0" rating from the NRA.

[iandhr]

20. Remember Bernie is from a pro-gun state.

There are a lot of liberals in Vermont who also love guns.

[Raine1967]

21. That's true.

I am originally from upstate NY. lot's of hunters etc., up there. I have always been fine with hunting guns. I am fine with stricter gun control laws. I like what Maryland did.

While I am looking forward to his response to his votes on tort reform (because ultimately those votes were more about tort reform than gun issues) , I still do not believe he is a gun enthusiast like the ilk on the right.

Either way, O'Malley has a much better record on this. It's because he was a governor. He needed to serve the constituency of his state from a gubernatorial POV. Senator Sanders comes at this POV from a congressional and senatorial POV.

I still believe that what O'Malley did as Governor regarding guns is wonderful. http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Governor-Martin-OMalley-to-sign-gun-control-legislation--207695891.html

He signed legislation to ban the sales of nearly all semi automatic weapons.

Maryland's gun laws are now among the strictest in the nation.
Governor Martin O'Malley signed the sweeping gun control measure Thursday. Under the new legislation, which the governor helped push through the General Assembly, anyone buying a handgun will have to submit fingerprints to obtain a license. The bill also bans 45 types of assault weapons, but those who own the weapons before the law goes into effect will be allowed to keep them.
Gun magazines will be limited to 10 bullets, gun ownership by people who have been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility will be banned, and Maryland State Police will be able to suspend the licenses of gun dealers who fail to comply with recordkeeping obligations.

[elleng]

5. Thanks, bigtree.

[FSogol]

10. K & R. Thanks for posting. n/t

[Koinos]

11. O'Malley is not running from his Baltimore tenure.

And the facts are on his side. Baltimore City overwhelmingly voted for O'Malley for mayor and then for governor. Among all the stats of accomplishments in Baltimore and in Maryland, beyond all the awards, these are the most important stats of all -- the votes he received from the people. These are hard numbers.

I wish he would announce and get the suspense over with, but I suppose he has his reasons for waiting.

[bigtree]

13. he's said he'll likely make a decision in May

...stay tuned.

[Koinos]

15. He said by the end of May.

Maybe we can hope for an earlier announcement. I am really liking the guy. When it comes to the Baltimore issue, I am really impressed by his courage and logic. He doesn't wilt in the face of negative statement.

I agree with him on the issues, but I also respect what I see of his character. It takes more than a list of positions to be president.

[misterhighwasted]

18. Agree. This is when I began paying attention to Martin O'Malley also.

Enjoy your day

[Raine1967]

22. Agree.

I will be honest, I would like to see him announce soon.

HAving said that, I tend to be too over eager. I like how he has run his potential campaign so far but as you saw in my other post about who may run his campaign, I think there is a strategy going on here.

[elleng]

23. Yes. Maybe waiting for some of the air

to deflate the Bernie bump a bit.

[Raine1967]

24. That would make sense.

Everyone declaring all at once is chaotic.

Just take a look at the GOP clown car.

[Raine1967]

25. Kicking this.

I am seeing that the Mo'M group is getting a few new readers and I don't want this one missed.

[Koinos]

28. Thanks, Raine!

As usual, you are on top of this!

There are many uninformed opinions about O'Malley out there. He has the hard job of educating the electorate about himself. I think he will be up to the task. And your effort is much appreciated.