As of February 1st, Martin O'Malley has suspended his presidential campaign.
ISSUES
Environmental Regulation and Climate Change
O'Malley believes that climate change needs to be addressed quickly, especially because it is caused by human activities. He has many proposals for his presidential candidacy regarding the environment. He says that on his first day in office, he would make the transition to clean energy the country’s number one priority. O’Malley believes that clean energy is a moral obligation to the planet, a good job creating opportunity, and a public health initiative with emissions negatively affecting health.
Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus called O’Malley’s connection between ISIS and climate change in his policy plan ridiculous, “Martin O’Malley’s absurd claim that climate change is responsible for ISIS.” (O’Malley said that due to effects of climate change like drought, poverty was increased and people were put in worse conditions, therefore creating a platform for ISIS.)
Policy Proposals
The focus of his plan is a transition to renewable energy. His goal is to be 100% powered by renewable resources in 35 years. And until then, limit emissions. This will be achieved by:
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus called O’Malley’s connection between ISIS and climate change in his policy plan ridiculous, “Martin O’Malley’s absurd claim that climate change is responsible for ISIS.” (O’Malley said that due to effects of climate change like drought, poverty was increased and people were put in worse conditions, therefore creating a platform for ISIS.)
Policy Proposals
The focus of his plan is a transition to renewable energy. His goal is to be 100% powered by renewable resources in 35 years. And until then, limit emissions. This will be achieved by:
- Creating more energy-efficient buildings.
- Only allowing low or zero emissions vehicles for the federal government.
- Placing saved money from less fuel into renewable energy.
- More strictly regulating methane leaks from gas and oil companies
- Rejecting the Keystone pipeline, because he thinks that it would lead our nation into dependency on fossil fuels when we should be going in the other direction.
- Denying drilling permits in Alaska.
- Removing tax subsidies for big fossil fuel companies, and instead add a tax on proficient polluters.
- Doubling energy productivity with renewable resources.
Relevant History
- In October of 2015 O’Malley made a statement regarding oil companies’ denial of climate change, and how he wants to make it illegal in the same way tobacco companies cannot lie about tobacco causing cancer and must put warning labels.
- Signed the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative which put caps on carbon emissions for electric companies in Maryland.
- Signed an executive order creating a climate change committee in Maryland to research the potential impacts of climate change on the state, as well as researching the main contributing factors to climate change in order for Maryland to contribute less to the climate crisis.
Representative Quotes
- “The fact is, there is no either/or choice between our prosperity and protecting our planet — we can create a future where there are more jobs, and a future with a livable climate. And there is no future for humankind without a livable climate.”
- “As the nation, we can do far more — with a bold vision for America's clean energy future and the strong leadership needed to get it done.”
- “Clean energy represents the biggest business and job creation opportunity we've seen in a hundred years. And reliance on local, renewable energy sources means a more secure nation and a more stable world.”
Gun Control and Gun Violence
O’Malley believes there should be a ban on assault weapons, a limit on clip size, and a requirement for fingerprints. His philosophy is to strengthen the enforcement of the country’s gun laws. He supports restrictions on firearm ownership and the prevention of unauthorized firearm use with "smart gun" technology. He wants to expand background checks and make sure that gun manufacturers are acting in a responsible manner. He has stated that as president he would use federal power to improve gun safety.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Policy Proposals
- Expand background check protections to all sales.
- Impose new safeguards for gun purchases, including an age requirement for handguns and fingerprint licensing.
- Require the proper storage of guns at homes.
- Reject federal concealed carry laws.
- Protect women from gun violence, but taking away guns from those with restraining orders and those who break the law.
- Increase firearm reporting requirements through a national firearm registry, as well as making it necessary to report lost or stolen weapons and mandating "microstamping" for guns.
- Hold bad actors accountable by taking away licenses from dealers who break the law, increasing penalties for gun traffickers, and allowing for random inspections of dealers.
- Guarantee that firearm manufacturers act responsibly, including taking away legal immunity for manufacturers.
- Ban sale and distribution of assault weapons
Relevant History
- Signed a law, as governor, banning 45 types of assault weapons in Maryland and limiting magazine clips to 10 bullets.
- Required individuals buying handguns to enter a fingerprint database.
Representative Quotes
- “The answer to cancer is not more cancer. . . . The answer to poverty isn’t more poverty. And the answer to gun violence is not more guns.”
- "For far too long, Democrats have been too afraid to stand up to the gun lobby. It's time for that to change. If I am elected president, I will make reducing and preventing gun violence one of my 15 goals to rebuild the American dream."
Drugs and Criminal Law
As mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland, O’Malley made crime reduction his focus. Consistent with his previous policies, O’Malley is supportive of and sympathetic to policies that disproportionately affect "low-level" criminals. He supports the reduction of mandatory minimums, and a change in the classifications of marijuana and crack, in an effort to reduce sentences for possession of these drugs. These policies are an effort to equalize the criminal justice system and eliminate racial bias, as well as reduce the massive prison population and resulting costs.
O’Malley has been criticized for his early policies in Baltimore (his critics have ranged from Maryland delegates to college students); his “zero-tolerance” policy has been criticized because of the mass incarceration it caused. Baltimore delegate Jill Carter has called O’Malley “savagely wrong” about justice reform, saying that his early mass incarceration policies helped create the tension today. Protesters claim that his policies helped fuel the tensions and incidents in Baltimore today.
Policy Proposals
(These propositions are some of O’Malley’s most prominent; see his website for further ideas and proposals.)
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
O’Malley has been criticized for his early policies in Baltimore (his critics have ranged from Maryland delegates to college students); his “zero-tolerance” policy has been criticized because of the mass incarceration it caused. Baltimore delegate Jill Carter has called O’Malley “savagely wrong” about justice reform, saying that his early mass incarceration policies helped create the tension today. Protesters claim that his policies helped fuel the tensions and incidents in Baltimore today.
Policy Proposals
(These propositions are some of O’Malley’s most prominent; see his website for further ideas and proposals.)
- Make marijuana a schedule II drug, allowing for some controlled use.
- Require law enforcement to report data on police-involved shootings, deaths, complaints, and use of excessive force.
- Impose a national standard for the use of force by police.
- Train police officers in conflict de-escalation as well as training to overcome racial bias.
- Make crack and powder cocaine the same in terms of prison sentences.
- Eliminate of mandatory minimums for low-level drug offenses.
- Abolish the death penalty.
Relevant History
- During his first term as mayor of Baltimore, he utilized a program called CitiStat to track crime. It saved an estimated $350 million, and also won an award for innovation in government.
- When elected governor of Maryland, he employed the same type of program, called StateStat upon coming into office, in which various state agencies such as education and police participate and submit data.
- Signed a bill that repealed the death penalty in Maryland.
- As mayor, O’Malley focused on reducing crime, earning him a hard-on-crime reputation. However, his “zero-tolerance” type policy led to mass arrests in Baltimore.
- Signed a bill decriminalizing marijuana in Maryland, changing consequences to being caught with small amounts of marijuana to a citation and a fine, like a traffic ticket.
Representative Quotes
- “As president, I will require every police department to publicly report all custodial deaths, all incidents involving use of lethal force, and all complaints of discourtesy and excessive force.”
- “Our federal government must expand investments in re-entry programs that provide job training and help secure employment. We must support community services that help people return to their families and transition back to a productive life.”
- “Our federal government must lead by example in banning the box so that a past criminal record does not disqualify a person who has paid their debt to society from obtaining gainful employment.”
Civil Rights - Gender and Sexual Orientation
As mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland, O’Malley has supported full women’s rights, including a woman’s right to choose. He previously supported a law in Maryland involving giving women the right to choose until the baby has grown to a point that it can survive outside of the womb. Planned Parenthood has complimented O’Malley for “his outstanding leadership in protecting and advancing reproductive rights in Maryland.” O’Malley is Catholic, but he takes his religious belief in “human dignity” to describe his approval of same-sex marriage. He vehemently pushed to have same-sex marriage recognized in Maryland, making the point that it would greatly benefit the children of these parents.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Policy Proposals
- Reduce the gap between men and women salaries through programs such as “paycheck fairness laws, strong family leave policies, and expanded access to quality, affordable childcare.”
Relevant History
- Under his term as governor, Maryland legalized same sex marriage. After signing the bill, it survived a statewide vote, making Maryland the first state to ever pass marriage equality by popular vote.
- Signed a law banning discrimination based on gender identity.
- Signed the Maryland Lilly Ledbetter Civil Rights Restoration Act, which was aimed at helping women make sure their employers do not pay discriminate by lengthening the time period that employees have to file a complaint to the government about their employer.
- Signed the Family Planning Works Act which provided low-income women pregnancy counseling and resources such as contraceptives, STD testing, and cancer screenings.
- As governor, O’Malley expanded parental paid leave, a plan he believes in because it “includes more of our people more fully in the economic life of our country.” He also stated he wanted to make sure “women aren’t penalized in having to drop out of the workforce.”
Representative Quotes
- When commenting on the process of legalizing gay marriage in Maryland: “More so than equal rights, more so than fairness, more so than justice or injustice, the word that allowed us to move forward was really dignity: The dignity of every home, the dignity of a job, the dignity of work, the dignity of every family, the dignity of every individual."
- “Unfortunately, Republicans’ aversion to compromise means that many of the common sense economic policies that would most effectively help middle class families make ends meet, like paid family leave and ensuring equal pay for equal work, are stuck in the mud — just like Americans’ wages.”
Civil Rights - Race and Ethnicity
Martin O’Malley is very liberal in his views regarding racial and ethnic inequality in America. From police regulations to solving income inequality, his policies are often representative of the Democratic Party as a whole. For example, he believes that there needs to be stricter regulations for police officers to prevent unnecessarily harmful encounters between black Americans and police officers. O’Malley recognizes that racism is still prevalent in America today. He is also a strong believer in affirmative action. He believes that it makes up for the past injustices and allows people from lower class groups to rise in society.
Some black community leaders in Baltimore, such as Baltimore NAACP President Benjamin Jealous, have criticized his past policies encouraging strict law enforcement. They believe that by encouraging police officers to arrest so many people for only minor offenses, O’Malley helped create a distrust between citizens and law enforcement.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Some black community leaders in Baltimore, such as Baltimore NAACP President Benjamin Jealous, have criticized his past policies encouraging strict law enforcement. They believe that by encouraging police officers to arrest so many people for only minor offenses, O’Malley helped create a distrust between citizens and law enforcement.
Policy Proposals
- Require agencies to report data on any shootings, custodial deaths, discourtesy complaints, and use of excessive force.
- Set national guidelines on which every state should base their own laws on, and ask for states to review and amend their laws to meet federal guidelines.
- Use technology to make sure that police officers do not overstep their boundaries. For example, he believes that police officers should wear body cameras so that any actions they do can be backed by video evidence.
- Encourage independent investigations regarding any police-on-black case so as to not have any bias towards law enforcement that may result from public investigations.
Relevant History
- In 1999, as the mayor of Baltimore, O’Malley took a “zero tolerance” approach to crime, in which he encouraged law enforcement officers to strictly enforce all laws, and to arrest people based on even minor level offenses. While this did help move crime levels to the lowest they had ever been, many have criticized his policies for creating tension between law enforcement and the African American community.
Representative Quotes
- “I was motivated to go into public life because of the great chasm that exists between justice and injustice in our country. Nowhere is that divide greater than in America's cities.”
- “We have been seeing far too many tragic videos of police-involved deaths in our country, we have to make all our institutions more open and transparent.”
Fundraising Sources
Money Raised
As of October 16, 2015, O’Malley raised a total of $3,289,726, with two percent coming from super PACs ($50,172). He also has received $588,865 from outside groups. O’Malley also is the first major party candidate since McCain in 2008 to accept public funding for his campaign. This means that O’Malley is able to access funds from the government, which is paid for when taxpayers opt for a $3 donation to the fund when doing their taxes. In order to accept public funding, O’Malley has to limit his campaign spending on primaries to $10 million, limit campaign spending in each state to $200,000, and can receive public funds to match individual donations only if the donations do not exceed $250.
Super PACs
In addition to O’Malley’s total campaign funding, several super PACs have offered donations to his campaign.
View on Campaign Finance
O’Malley has put forward a plan to implement campaign finance reform. He has stated, “The staggering figures required to run for the highest office in the land aren't as much a sign of muscle as they are an indication just how broken our democracy is.”
As of October 16, 2015, O’Malley raised a total of $3,289,726, with two percent coming from super PACs ($50,172). He also has received $588,865 from outside groups. O’Malley also is the first major party candidate since McCain in 2008 to accept public funding for his campaign. This means that O’Malley is able to access funds from the government, which is paid for when taxpayers opt for a $3 donation to the fund when doing their taxes. In order to accept public funding, O’Malley has to limit his campaign spending on primaries to $10 million, limit campaign spending in each state to $200,000, and can receive public funds to match individual donations only if the donations do not exceed $250.
Super PACs
In addition to O’Malley’s total campaign funding, several super PACs have offered donations to his campaign.
- The O’ Say Can You See PAC, a Democratic PAC, has raised $299,400.
- Generations Forward, the super PAC for O’Malley, has generated $289,400.
- Most of the funding of these super PACs comes from law firms, alcohol manufacturers, real estate, and health care companies.
View on Campaign Finance
O’Malley has put forward a plan to implement campaign finance reform. He has stated, “The staggering figures required to run for the highest office in the land aren't as much a sign of muscle as they are an indication just how broken our democracy is.”
- He called for a complete overhaul of the Federal Election Commission, which he believes is “inherently partisan and perpetually deadlocked,” hoping to establish a single administrator to oversee the agency.
- He also offers a plan for a $25 tax credit to anyone who donates to candidates for Congressional office in order to promote small, individual donations.
- O’Malley wants to establish a national fund (called “Freedom From Influence Fund”) to combat monetary influence of large donors on politicians. The fund would help match donations under $150 from individuals at a $9 to $1 ratio (for example, a $100 donation would have the impact of a $900 donation).
- He also wants to work towards overturning the Citizens United Supreme Court decision that lowered the restrictions on independent political spending.
Defense and Foreign Policy
Martin O’Malley believes that in order to keep the American people safe, a strong economy is necessary. In his view, America’s global supremacy is derived from its economic strength rather than its military might. Therefore, in his view, if the U.S. strengthens its economy it will have fewer security threats to deal with as its economic strength will deter conflict. He also believes that the U.S. must take care to more often engage with foreign nations diplomatically. O’Malley believes that the U.S. must defeat ISIS through primarily non-military means. In other words, he believes that the U.S. needs to launch an anti-ISIS propaganda campaign in order to damage the group’s reputation outside of the U.S. and undermine its recruiting.
O’Malley’s main opposition has been Hillary Clinton, who has advocated a more interventionist approach than O’Malley has. For example, while O’Malley has stated that the U.S. should refrain from an ISIS strategy primarily focused on using its military, Clinton has supported the opposite. While she hasn’t advocated a mass invasion of Iraq and Syria, she has called for increased use of ground troops against the Islamic State than there are being used now. In all, Clinton supports a more aggressive foreign policy with the U.S. continuously intervening while O’Malley calls a more diplomatic approach and one centered around ensuring a healthy economy to ensure our safety. During a Presidential Democrat debate, Clinton even told O’Malley that “I think what the president has consistently said- — which I agree with — is that we will support those who take the fight to ISIS. That is why we have troops in Iraq that are helping to train and build back up the Iraqi military.” In essence, Clinton cited the use of ground troops as important to the fight against ISIS in response to a claim made by O’Malley.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
O’Malley’s main opposition has been Hillary Clinton, who has advocated a more interventionist approach than O’Malley has. For example, while O’Malley has stated that the U.S. should refrain from an ISIS strategy primarily focused on using its military, Clinton has supported the opposite. While she hasn’t advocated a mass invasion of Iraq and Syria, she has called for increased use of ground troops against the Islamic State than there are being used now. In all, Clinton supports a more aggressive foreign policy with the U.S. continuously intervening while O’Malley calls a more diplomatic approach and one centered around ensuring a healthy economy to ensure our safety. During a Presidential Democrat debate, Clinton even told O’Malley that “I think what the president has consistently said- — which I agree with — is that we will support those who take the fight to ISIS. That is why we have troops in Iraq that are helping to train and build back up the Iraqi military.” In essence, Clinton cited the use of ground troops as important to the fight against ISIS in response to a claim made by O’Malley.
Policy Proposals
- O’Malley opposes deploying American troops in Syria and Iraq. In his view, the invasion of Iraq was one of the largest military blunders in American History, and that we should take care to learn from this mistake.
- Focus on undermining ISIS rather than Assad, as he believes the U.S. has wasted its time in the past by disposing of foreign dictators since we have not been able to determine their successors. Thus, he would continue the bombing of the Islamic State while using anti-ISIS propaganda to deter new recruits and strip the group of its credibility.
- Strengthen U.S. cybersecurity by using more advanced technology that has been developed by the U.S. private industry, tasking the National Guard of each state with ensuring cybersecurity.
Relevant History
- O’Malley served two terms as the Governor of Maryland. Thus, he does not have much experience in foreign affairs.
He was the co-chair of the National Governor’s Association’s Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety, where he advocated for the addition of cyber security teams to the National Guard of each and every state.
Representative Quotes
- "Only with a stronger and more inclusive economy can we maintain our security.”
- "Containing, degrading, and defeating ISIS will require an integrated approach, an approach focused not only on military power, but on political solutions."
Business Regulation and Corporations
O’Malley’s goal is to address economic inequality by favoring a raise of the minimum wage and ensuring through his economic reform and regulations that another economic crash does not occur. He has promised to put “an end to too-big-to-fail, too-big-to-manage, and too-big-to-jail financial firms.” His financial regulations endorse structural and accountability reforms of Wall Street through changing the culture of regulatory and oversight agencies and departments. O’Malley believes that our capitalism today is not as fair and transparent as it should be, and thus is in favor of more regulations to ensure ‘true’ capitalism. O'Malley has, in the past, been in favor of a progressive tax system, like in Maryland with the "millionaire’s tax."
O’Malley has called out Clinton for her ties to Wall Street. In return, she challenged O’Malley’s hypocrisy and relationship with Wall Street when he was chair of the Democratic Governors Association, which raises money to support Democrats running for governor across the country. She said, “When Governor O’Malley was heading the Democratic Governors Association he had no trouble at all going to Wall Street to raise money to run campaigns for Democratic governors.”
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
O’Malley has called out Clinton for her ties to Wall Street. In return, she challenged O’Malley’s hypocrisy and relationship with Wall Street when he was chair of the Democratic Governors Association, which raises money to support Democrats running for governor across the country. She said, “When Governor O’Malley was heading the Democratic Governors Association he had no trouble at all going to Wall Street to raise money to run campaigns for Democratic governors.”
Policy Proposals
- Ensure key political appointees are independent of Wall Street by appointing people who will fight for the public interest and who have a strong record of prosecuting people who break the law.
- Add stronger regulations to the economy through his promise to double the funding for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) to create funding for enforcement agencies. Under the Commodity Exchange Act, the mission of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is to promote open, transparent, competitive, and financially sound markets by protecting people from fraud, manipulation, and abusive practices. The SEC similarly seeks to promote sound market regulation through protection of investors, maintaining fair and efficient markets, and facilitating capital formation.
- Reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act in an effort to keep the U.S. economy safe from future financial crises by requiring commercial banks to be separate from investment banks. The idea behind requiring commercial banks and investment banks separation is to prevent the risk of losing Americans’ deposits if one fails.
- Mandate higher capital requirements for big banks to require banks to fund themselves with equity, instead of what he believes is “risky” debt.
- Implement a financial transaction tax designed to correct bad incentives for traders’ speculation that result in poor allocation of investments that could have otherwise created jobs.
Relevant History
- Enacted a minimum wage increase to $10.10, in order to create more customers willing to spend on local businesses and to create family-supporting jobs.
- In 2008 O’Malley proposed a progressive tax measure, deemed the "millionaire's tax," which created a higher new tax bracket applicable to taxpayers with taxable income in excess of a million dollars.
Representative Quotes
- In O’Malley’s open letter to “megabanks” he wrote, "I know that many of you have tried to dismiss and undermine my calls for stronger reforms as 'anti-capitalist. Let me be clear — the ongoing reckless behavior of your megabanks isn't capitalism — it's the antithesis of it. True capitalism requires a level playing field on which everyone plays by the same set of rules. True capitalism requires competition. True capitalism means that just as businesses and banks can succeed — they can also fail."
- “To create jobs, a modern economy requires modern investments: educating, innovating and rebuilding for our children's future. Building an economy to last, from the middle class up, not from the billionaires down.”
Education
Inspired by the GI Bill which allowed his father to go to law school debt-free, O’Malley wants all Americans to have the same opportunity as his father. As president, O’Malley has a goal for all students to have access to a high-quality, debt-free college education within 5 years at any in-state public college or university. He also wants to set a national goal to increase college completion rates by 25 percentage points within 10 years. O’Malley understands that for students to reach success in college, it begins with improving the early education systems of the youth. He wants to partner with states and schools to increase funding for public colleges and universities, expand access to early college credit and quality college counseling to give students the resources they need to be prepared. One of O’Malley’s goals is to eliminate discrepancies in graduation rates based on race and income to even out the playing field. O’Malley encourages the expansion of public charter schools. O’Malley believes the best way to decrease student debt, increase completion rates, and leave more students with degrees in their hands is to improve the quality of the educational process at each step of the way.
The National Review has shown disagreement with O’Malley’s "income-based repayment" plan for college loans. George Leef of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy explains, “income based repayment would lessen or even remove the incentive that students now have to think prospectively about the cost/benefit ratio of college.” He argues that candidates like O’Malley should focus more on driving down tuition costs, instead of subsidizing student debt. In addition, O’Malley suggests that his education plan will be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes and taxing capital gains at the same rate as earned income. However, Marco Rubio, in the third Republican debate said, “Let me tell you, everybody, when they say they want to give it to you for free, keep your hands on your wallets because they're coming to you to pay for it.”
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
The National Review has shown disagreement with O’Malley’s "income-based repayment" plan for college loans. George Leef of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy explains, “income based repayment would lessen or even remove the incentive that students now have to think prospectively about the cost/benefit ratio of college.” He argues that candidates like O’Malley should focus more on driving down tuition costs, instead of subsidizing student debt. In addition, O’Malley suggests that his education plan will be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes and taxing capital gains at the same rate as earned income. However, Marco Rubio, in the third Republican debate said, “Let me tell you, everybody, when they say they want to give it to you for free, keep your hands on your wallets because they're coming to you to pay for it.”
Policy Proposals
- Limit tuition at four-year public universities to no more than 10% of the state median income and, at two-year public colleges, no more than 5% of the state median income with federal matching grants to help states to invest more in public colleges and universities.
- Provide immediate relief to student borrowers by allowing students to refinance their student loans at lower rates. O’Malley would base repayment terms of student loans on the salary students receive after they graduate, with the choice to opt out, thus decreasing the risk of taking out student loans by easing the repayment process. New borrowers will be eligible for student loan forgiveness.
- Freeze public tuition rates right away .
- Increase Pell Grants, money provided by the government for students to pay for college without requiring repayment, to allow 2 million students to participate (3 times the current amount).
- Expand access to early college credit by increasing the emphasis on accelerated learning dual-enrollment programs, and college counseling, especially in low-income areas, to help prepare high school students for college in order to increase completion rates.
- Create a block grant program for states to invest in education.
- Potentially close tax loopholes for corporations and increase taxes on capital gains for individuals, in order to finance these plans.
Relevant History
- Signed the DREAM Act in Maryland, to provide in-state tuition for local undocumented workers.
- Maintained public school funding in the state during times which other states were making significant cuts.
- Maintained tuition prices by freezing tuition at state universities for four years. O'Malley cites Maryland as the only state that went four years in a row without increasing the price of college tuition.
Representative Quotes
- "I believe that actually affordable college, debt-free college is the goal that we need to attain as a nation. And, unlike my two distinguished colleagues on this stage, I actually made college more affordable and was the only state that went four years in a row without a penny’s increase to college tuition.”
- "Making college more affordable for more people is actually really good for the economy," O'Malley said. "Our economy isn't money. It's people."
Taxes and Economic Policy
O’Malley’s rhetoric suggests that he wants to close the gap between the rich and poor. He wants to build up a stronger middle class and make things easier on working class Americans. Instead of “trickle-down” economics, he insists on “middle-out” economics which includes raising the minimum wage, cutting taxes on the lower class, and raising taxes on the upper class. He has advocated for an “inclusive economy” and he proposes to accomplish this by simplifying the tax code and making it easier for American citizens to understand.
O’Malley’s critics greatly oppose his ideology of increasing taxes in times of great economic decline. Although this may work within a state, they argue, taking this approach across the country may not work as effectively and will create large opposition. As he continues to cite his successes in Maryland, opponents have criticized him saying that what works for a state doesn’t always work for a nation as large as ours. He has been specifically criticized by a centrist group called “Third Way” for wanting unnecessarily to take away significant and money from the wealthy retirees through his social security plans.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
O’Malley’s critics greatly oppose his ideology of increasing taxes in times of great economic decline. Although this may work within a state, they argue, taking this approach across the country may not work as effectively and will create large opposition. As he continues to cite his successes in Maryland, opponents have criticized him saying that what works for a state doesn’t always work for a nation as large as ours. He has been specifically criticized by a centrist group called “Third Way” for wanting unnecessarily to take away significant and money from the wealthy retirees through his social security plans.
Policy Proposals
- Tax capital gains and dividends at ordinary income rates (currently they are taxed at a lower rate).
- Apply the Social Security payroll tax to earnings over $250,000.
- Create a mandatory carbon tax and move the country to 100% dependence on renewable energy by the year 2050.
- Raise the minimum wage nationally to $15 an hour.
- Expand Social Security to increase reach by 50% more than the benefits it provides today.
Relevant History
- In contrast with the measures other governors took during the Great Recession in 2008, O’Malley continued to have more taxes put on his citizens in order to keep Maryland’s public investments intact.
- Championed a variety of taxes on goods, ranging from an increase in the tax on gasoline, to smokeless tobacco, to alcohol. He often cites his success in Maryland when discussing his plans for economic policy.
- Eliminated Telecom Property Tax Credits (corporate income tax credits) in Maryland, as well as several individual income tax exemptions.
- Pushed for highway and bridge toll increases and introduced a new hospital provider tax.
Representative Quotes
- “Ben Carson was fond of saying you can’t put a high enough tax on the very wealthy in our country to make up for the debt. Well actually Ben, you can: it’s called math.”
- “I think they all go together. What the people of our country want is not ideology, not trickle-down economics, but middle-out economics, where we strengthen our middle class to grow our economy and to give our kids a better future.”
- “The economic pressures on millions of families ... have resulted in meager, if any, retirement savings for tomorrow's retirees.”
Immigration
Martin O’Malley's immigration policies focus on advancing programs that provide aid to immigrants. He plans to use executive orders to establish immigration reform and amnesty policies. In addition, he plans to expand and create programs to facilitate a path to citizenship for immigrants of all statuses. He also opposes an excessive use of detention centers, and believes that they should only be used as a last resort if the person is a clear threat to society.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Policy Proposals
- Order the Department of Homeland Security to provide relief from deportation (with work authorization) to all illegal immigrants that meet certain guidelines listed in an immigration reform proposal in the Senate.
- Rescind regulations being placed on the Affordable Care Act, which restrict immigrants who are DACA and DAPA-recipients (deferred deportation action) from having access to health care.
- End the “34,000 beds” quota, a Congressional mandate requiring that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) keep at least 34,000 beds filled in detention centers for undocumented immigrants.
Relevant History
- Signed the DREAM Act for Maryland — a bill similar to one that failed to pass in Congress — which provided undocumented immigrants access to in-state college tuition and drivers licenses.
- In addition, as Mayor of Baltimore, O’Malley also reduced the number of deportations in his state by ordering the Baltimore City Detention Center to stop holding immigrants without criminal records for deportation by the federal government.
Representative Quotes
- “My end goal is to get 11 million people [immigrants] out of the shadow economy and shadow society and in the light of full participation.”
- “We are, and always have been, a nation of immigrants and our immigration laws must reflect our values. The enduring symbol of our nation is the Statue of Liberty, not a barbed wire fence.”
Health Care and Social Security
O’Malley views health care as a right that should not be infringed. Thus, he views the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as a huge success, and a step in the right direction to providing affordable health care to American citizens. He firmly believes that health care providers should be motivated by how well they treat their patients, and not by how many services they can provide. Aligning with his views on the necessity of health care, O’Malley seeks to reform Medicare and Medicaid to make the programs more effective in providing coverage to American Citizens.
O’Malley’s main opposition comes from the Republican candidates. He wants to keep the retirement age the same, and Republicans like Cruz and Huckabee want to raise it. Also, O’Malley is for the expansion of the ACA while all the Republican candidates are for its repeal. Within his own party, his view on health care differs with Sanders, who is proposing a single-payer health care system different from the ACA.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
O’Malley’s main opposition comes from the Republican candidates. He wants to keep the retirement age the same, and Republicans like Cruz and Huckabee want to raise it. Also, O’Malley is for the expansion of the ACA while all the Republican candidates are for its repeal. Within his own party, his view on health care differs with Sanders, who is proposing a single-payer health care system different from the ACA.
Policy Proposals
- Increase the minimum Social Security benefit for Americans who have worked at least 30 years.
- Change the way Social Security cost-of-living adjustments are calculated to better fit current senior needs.
- Keep retirement age the same.
- Raise the minimum wage so Americans can save for the future.
- Continue to support Affordable Care Act.
- Reform hospitals on the state level.
- Simplify Medicare by launching “Medicare Essential” program that provides all types of coverage (physician, hospital, prescriptions) in one.
- Develop health information exchange programs which would allow better and more efficient spread of medical data across the healthcare system.
Relevant History
- Expanded drug treatment funding in Baltimore, which was then expanded to Maryland.
- As governor of Maryland, O’Malley introduced the Working Families and Small Business Health Coverage Act.
Representative Quotes
- “We pay them based on how well they keep patients out of the hospital. How well they keep their patients. That's the future. We need to build on the Affordable Care Act, do the things that work, and reduce costs and increase access.”
- Q: "The president's health care plan--this roll out was a disaster."
- O'Malley: "With any new program, there are always problems. But the goal is to cover more people so that we can improve the wellness of our people and not have the constantly escalating costs of health care."
Poverty and Social Welfare Programs
Martin O’Malley generally believes that America needs to revamp its Social Security program. He will fight for increased benefits for those who already have them, for increased access for those who don’t, and for the retirement age to stay the same. To offset this cost, O’Malley plans to raise taxes for those making $250,000+ /year. In addition to this, O’Malley believes that raising wages (so that people would then have more disposable income) would allow Americans to set up savings accounts on their own, preventing them from having to rely so heavily on Social Security Programs in the future.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Policy Proposals
- Restore and refund SNAP (food stamps) to a state where the government can provide more benefits for those who need them.
- Make it possible for all children to receive free lunch at all public schools, without having to go through the tedious and complicated paperwork that recipients have to fill out now.
- In addition, O’Malley’s plan for Social Security Reform include things like:
- Ensuring that the retirement age will not rise
- Creating harsher penalties for those who scam seniors out of their retirement funds
- Requiring business owners with more than 10 employees to set up IRA funds for their employees (to ensure they have a retirement plan set in place).
- Set policies in place that would reward people who act as caregivers to their families, whether that be for an elderly family member, a sick family member, or a child.
Relevant History
- As the Governor of Maryland, O’Malley enacted a 4 year freeze on public college tuition, helping to make college more affordable for state residents.
- Enacted a minimum wage raise in Maryland to $10.10 / hour.
Representative Quotes
- “Our parents and grandparents should be able to retire in dignity—not poverty. Yet today in America, too many retirees are struggling to make ends meet.”
- “Unless we act now, more and more students will not be able to afford higher education at all, putting the American Dream even further out of reach.”
- “Instead of trying to cut our way to prosperity, we should restore cuts to key nutrition programs like SNAP that put food on the table for our children, seniors and veterans.”