Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Federalism
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 Martin O'Malley |
Governor of Maryland (2007-2015) Mayor of Baltimore (1999-2007) |
 Democratic candidates: |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
This page was current as of the 2016 election.
Judiciary
- In an interview with The Des Moines Register's editorial board on October, 29, 2015, Martin O'Malley said that capital punishment is "inconsistent with our principles as a nation. It's very hard to have any sympathy for mass murderers, for people like the Boston bomber or any of these individuals. But the principle is this: Capital punishment is not a deterrent."[2]
- In June 2014, O'Malley "said he was disappointed with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said some public employees could not be required to contribute to unions," according to The Capital Gazette.[3]
- After the 2014 Supreme Court ruling in the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby case was released, O’Malley tweeted: "No woman should have her health care decisions made by her boss. Period. This decision is wrong and a setback for women’s health."[4]
- O'Malley appointed Mary Ellen Barbera to the Maryland Court of Appeals, 7th Appellate Circuit (Montgomery County) on August 7, 2008.[5]
- O'Malley appointed Sally Adkins to the Maryland Court of Appeals on May 27, 2008.[6]
Article Two of the U.S. Constitution
- On July 29, 2015, Martin O'Malley suggested he supports a constitutional amendment to abolish the electoral college. He said, “Well, as a matter of fact, our state — my state, became the first state to sign on to the popular vote movement, which says all of our electoral votes go toward whoever the winner was of the popular vote. So our state, Maryland, actually led in that movement.”[7]
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- On October 1, 2015, Martin O'Malley presented his campaign finance reform platform. In addition to fighting for Citizens United to be overturned, O’Malley would seek to establish “publicly financed congressional elections within five years” and bipartisan redistricting commissions. O’Malley also called for an overhaul of the Federal Election Commission and its disclosure requirements.[8][9]
Religious Freedom Restoration Act
- During a speech in New Hampshire on April 1, Martin O'Malley criticized Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. He said, "I think the wave of anti-gay and anti-lesbian legislation that's sweeping across many states is reprehensible and it's counter to everything that we stand for as a people. It's wrong, it is a thinly veiled–well, it's not even thinly veiled, I think the gig is up. Look, when you have people like Apple and all other sorts of businesses and leaders stepping up and saying not only is this wrong, not only does this run counter to who we are as Americans, it's also really bad for business. In our state, we adopted policies of inclusion, respect, and anti-discrimination laws to protect trans-gender people, as well as making marriage equality a civil right that’s enjoyed equally in our state. There’s a reason, and I think some of those things contributed to why the United States Chamber of Commerce, hardly a mouthpiece for the Maryland Democratic Party, named our state three years in a row number one state in America for innovation and entrepreneurship. Because economic inclusion, yes part of that is making wages go up so that workers earn more and can be better customers for businesses. But part of that is about also creating an open society where the talents of all are respected, needed and welcomed and where people can feel at home and contribute to the innovative and creative life of an economy and a state. So, let’s hope, my mom’s from Indiana. I know there’s a lot of really good people in Indiana, and this sort of ugly legislation is not consistent with the truer spirit of the people our nation or the people of Indiana."[10]
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- Martin O'Malley tweeted on January 4, 2016, that he supported President Obama’s executive action on gun control given Republicans’ “refusal to act.”
Given GOP refusal to act, @POTUS is right to take exec action on gun safety—here are 7 actions I'd take as President https://t.co/MZIVQsDJ7C
— Martin O'Malley (@MartinOMalley) January 4, 2016- At the third Democratic primary debate on December 19, 2015, O'Malley accused Hillary Clinton of switching her position on gun control: “Secretary Clinton changes her position on this every election year, it seems, having one position in 2000 and then campaigning against President Obama and saying we don't need federal standards. Look, what we need on this issue is not more polls. We need more principle. When ISIL does training videos that say the easiest way to get a combat assault weapon in the United States of America is at a gun show, then we should all be waking up. We need comprehensive gun safety legislation and a ban on assault weapons.”[11]
- At a meeting of the Somersworth Democratic Committee in New Hampshire on November 30, 2015, Martin O'Malley said he would not be “passive” in fighting the National Rifle Association in the wake of the November 27, 2015, Colorado Planned Parenthood shooting. He said, “One day it is Planned Parenthood, another day it is a church basement, then a school shooting. Can you imagine what we would be doing as a nation if it was [ISIS] carrying out these attacks, rather than our own people? … We’ve become passive as if we are going to have to deal with this particular congress and the NRA’s clout forever. I don’t think the NRA is as strong as the rest of us. So I intend to take them on.”[12]
- On November 3, 2015, O'Malley unveiled seven executive orders that he would issue to control gun violence, which included the following: “Using procurement contracts to advance gun safety by requiring manufacturers that seek federal contracts to make design changes;” ending the enforcement of a federal law that protects gun manufacturers when a gun made by that company is used in a violent act; enforcing “existing bans on gun ownership for domestic abusers and stalkers;” “banning so-called ‘cop killer’ ammunition;” “creating an ‘electronic alert system’ to inform local law enforcement officials when those who are prohibited from purchasing firearms attempt to do so;” “requiring the safe storage of firearms in homes by issuing and enforcing federal rules that make clear safety standards for gun locks and safes;” and “strengthening enforcement and audits of licensed dealers to ensure that they are in compliance with the law.”[13] [14]
- O'Malley held a press conference October 28, 2015, near the University of Colorado-Boulder, the site of the third Republican debate where he called on Republican presidential candidates to challenge the National Rifle Association (NRA). "In these beautiful mountains of Colorado, I am in search of a very elusive being. And that is a Republican candidate with the backbone to take on the NRA," O'Malley said. He also criticized his Democratic rivals, saying, “Once Secretary Clinton and Sen. Sanders get done bickering about 'shouting' and who's sexist and who's not, I hope they come back to the main issue here, which is that we need common-sense gun legislation.”[15]
- On September 14, 2015, O'Malley published an op-ed about gun violence prevention on CNN. He said he would change federal procurement policies of firearms to prevent trafficking and revoke the licenses of dealers who “routinely” sell guns that are used by criminals.[16]
- O'Malley announced a gun violence prevention plan on September 14, 2015, targeting youth gun ownership. Under O’Malley’s plan, possession of a handgun or ammunition by anyone under the age of 21 would be illegal.[17]
- O'Malley published an op-ed in The Boston Globe on July 25, 2015, calling for stricter gun control laws. In addition to regulating who can sell guns, O’Malley’s policy vision included “banning the sale of assault weapons, increasing inspections, and establishing a national gun registry to help law enforcement track down dangerous criminals.”[18]
- In an email describing his gun control platform on June 19, 2015, O'Malley declared, "I proudly hold an F rating from the NRA, and when I worked to pass gun control in Maryland, the NRA threatened me with legal action, but I never backed down." After calling the string of mass shootings in America "a national crisis," O'Malley stated he wanted to institute a ban against assault weapons, make background checks more stringent and limit straw-buying.[19]
- O'Malley signed Senate Bill 281 - Firearm Safety Act of 2013, which, among other measures, defined and placed restrictions on "assault weapons" and ammunition and required gun owners to report the loss or theft of a firearm.[20]
Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- During the fourth Democratic presidential primary debate on January 17, 2016, Martin O'Malley talked about government surveillance, privacy and security: “I believe whether it's a back door or a front door that the American principle of law should still hold that our federal government should have to get a warrant, whether they want to come through the back door or your front door. And I also agree, Lester, with Benjamin Franklin, who said, no people should ever give up their privacy or their freedoms in a promise for security. So we're a collaborative people. We need collaborative leadership here with Silicon Valley and other bright people in my own state of Maryland and around the NSA that can actually figure this out. But there are certain immutable principles that will not become antique things in our country so long as we defend our country and its values and its freedoms. And one of those things is our right to be secure in our homes, and our right to expect that our federal government should have to get a warrant. I also want to the say that while we've made some progress on the Patriot Act, I do believe that we need an adversarial court system there. We need a public advocate. We need to develop jurisprudence so that we can develop a body of law that protects the privacy of Americans in the information and digital age.”[21]
- Speaking at an Iowa Caucus Consortium event on July 24, 2015, O'Malley said law enforcement officers should get a warrant before accessing digital evidence.[22]
Crime and justice
- On December 3, 2015, Martin O'Malley said he supported an independent inquiry into how the Chicago Police Department handled the shooting death of Laquan McDonald. "One of the most important things that we have in any society is the relationship and trust that must exist between people and their government, between people and especially their police departments, and so I think that given the questions that have arisen, that yes, indeed, an independent investigation is called for,” O’Malley said.[23]
- O'Malley sought to distinguish himself from Ben Carson and Bernie Sanders who all appeared at a forum on criminal justice and race relations on November 21, 2015, saying, “While the other two candidates will talk about things we should do in criminal justice reform, I have actually done them. Every day we worked to improve policing-community relations and, in fact, we did. When we found things that work like drug treatment and civilian review, we have made them stronger and did more of it. When we found things that did not work like the death penalty that did not work, we stopped doing it and abolished it.”[24]
- On August 4, 2015, O'Malley said he wanted to abolish the death penalty at the federal level, but declined to directly comment on calls to execute Dylann Roof, the alleged perpetrator of the Charleston church shooting. “I don’t for a second pretend that this is an easy issue. It’s not. But I do know that there’s a difference between criminal justice policies that work to save lives and redeem lives, and policies that don’t work,” O’Malley said.[25]
Black Lives Matter movement
Netroots Nation
- At the debate, on October 13, 2015,Martin O'Malley praised Black Lives Matter. O'Malley said, "[T]he point that the Black Lives Matter movement is making is a very, very legitimate and serious point, and that is that as a nation we have undervalued the lives of black lives, people of color. When I ran for Mayor of Baltimore -- and we were burying over 350 young men ever single year, mostly young, and poor, and black, and I said to our legislature, at the time when I appeared in front of them as a mayor, that if we were burying white, young, poor men in these number we would be marching in the streets and there would be a different reaction. Black lives matter, and we have a lot of work to do to reform our criminal justice system, and to address race relations in our country.”[27]
- While speaking at the 2015 Netroots Nation conference on July 18, 2015, O'Malley was interrupted by activists from the Black Lives Matter movement.[28] Tia Oso, a national organizer for Black Alliance for Just Immigration, took to the stage and demanded a microphone to "shift the focus of the program" from immigration to racial justice.[29] Oso said, "We are going to hold this space and acknowledge the names of black women who have died in police custody, and then Governor O’Malley we do have questions for you! As leader of this country will you advance an agenda that will dismantle structural racism in this country?”
- Demonstrators began to chant the names of black victims who died in police custody. O'Malley responded, "This issue is so important. Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter."
- Activists reacted negatively to O'Malley's statement and heckled him. One proclaimed, "Do not generalize this!"[28]
- Before leaving the stage, O'Malley attempted to offer at least one policy proposal. "I believe every police department in America should have to report in an open and transparent and timely way all police-involved shootings, all discourtesy complaints and all brutality complaints," O'Malley said.[28]
Apology
- Later in the day, O'Malley participated in an interview on "This Week in Blackness" where he addressed his response to the protesters. "That was a mistake on my part and I meant no disrespect. I did not mean to be insensitive in any way or to communicate that I did not understand the tremendous passion, commitment and feeling and depth of feeling that all of us should be attaching to this issue," he said.[30][31]
Territories
- While campaigning in Puerto Rico on August 1, 2015, Martin O'Malley said of the island's debt crisis, "Right now, the people of Puerto Rico ... are being treated very unjustly by forces on the mainland, forces on Wall Street and the intransigence of this Republican Congress in taking action to restore simple bankruptcy protections," he said. While O’Malley did not comment on the question of Puerto Rican statehood, the Associated Press reported that “he would fight for equal treatment for the territory, which he noted receives lower Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates compared with the mainland.”[32]
Recent news
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ ABC News, "Martin O'Malley Suspends Presidential Campaign," February 1, 2016
- ↑ The Des Moines Register, "O'Malley hits Clinton on death penalty, changing views," October 30, 2015
- ↑ Capital Gazette, “O'Malley criticizes Supreme Court ruling against unions in home health care worker case," June 30, 2014
- ↑ Politico, “Hillary Clinton blasts Hobby Lobby ruling," July 2, 2014
- ↑ Maryland.gov, "Judge Barbera biography," accessed March 12, 2015
- ↑ Maryland.gov, "Official biography of Justice Adkins," accessed March 11, 2015
- ↑ Daily Caller, "Martin O’Malley Hints At Supporting Electoral College Abolishment," July 29, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Martin O’Malley Urges Public Financing of Congressional Campaign," October 1, 2015
- ↑ Martin O'Malley for President, "Restoring Our Americna Democracy," accessed October 2, 2015
- ↑ Bloomberg Politics, "Democrats Turn Against Religious Freedom Laws. Voters Don't Agree With Them," accessed April 15, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "3rd Democratic debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," December 19, 2015
- ↑ Foster's Daily Democrat, "Martin O'Malley says he'll take on NRA," November 30, 2015
- ↑ WMUR.com, "O’Malley rolls out 7 proposed anti-gun violence executive actions," November 3, 2015
- ↑ O'Malley for President, "Preventing and Reducing Gun Violence," accessed November 4, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Martin O'Malley Calls For Gun Control Outside Republican Debate," October 28, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Martin O'Malley: My promise on guns, NRA," September 14, 2015
- ↑ BuzzFeed, "O’Malley Calls For Raising The Age Of Legal Handgun Possession To 21," September 14, 2015
- ↑ The Boston Globe, "Congress needs to act on gun reform," July 25, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Examiner, "O'Malley: 'I'm pissed,' calls for gun control, NRA silencing," June 19, 2015
- ↑ Maryland.gov, “Senate Bill 281 - Firearm Safety Act of 2013," accessed March 11, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "The 4th Democratic debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," January 17, 2016
- ↑ The Des Moines Register, "O’Malley: Warrants best for getting digital evidence," July 24, 2015
- ↑ Progress Illinois, "Democratic Presidential Candidate O'Malley Backs Federal Probe Into Chicago Police Department," December 3, 2015
- ↑ The Post and Courier, "Ben Carson, Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley talk criminal justice in Columbia," November 21, 2015
- ↑ The State, "Democrat Martin O’Malley touts criminal justice reforms on first SC stop," August 4, 2015
- ↑ Baltimore Sun, "O'Malley signs death penalty repeal," March 2, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "The CNN Democratic debate transcript, annotated," October 13, 2015
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 TIME, "Sanders and O’Malley Stumble During Black Lives Matter Protest (Video)," July 18, 2015
- ↑ Mic, "I Am the Black Woman Who Interrupted the Netroots Presidential Town Hall, and This Is Why," July 21, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "O'Malley apologizes for saying 'all lives matter' at liberal conference," July 19, 2015
- ↑ YouTube, "O'Malley on TWiB! Nation," July 18, 2015
- ↑ ABC News, "US Presidential Hopeful Martin O'Malley Visits Puerto Rico," August 1, 2015
