Guest Post: Why I Support Martin O’Malley – We Need New Leadership

Last weekend, I was proud to stand up in Dubuque and endorse Martin O’Malley for President of the United States.

So much of what O’Malley stands for has struck a chord with me — his progressive values, his commitment to equality, fairness, and opportunity. But more than that — Martin O’Malley has an impressive record to back it up.

This endorsement came down to three key issues for me. And on every one, I believe Iowa needs new leadership, from Martin O’Malley, to rebuild the American Dream.

Immigration

In 2009, I spent some time in Postville after what was, at the time, the largest immigration raid in U.S. history. It was a life changing experience to see people, families, deathly afraid of what these ICE vehicles were doing. Immigration officials were pulling their friends, their family, their fathers, their daughters, off the street in these raids and hauling them off to a detention center in Waterloo. It was shocking.

I’ll never forget seeing hundreds of families sitting in a small church for weeks, afraid to go home, for fear of being picked up or separated. That’s not what America is about, that’s not what Iowa is about – and we need new leadership from someone with a track record of standing up for our progressive values even when they may not be popular.

Martin O’Malley was the first presidential candidate I had ever heard talk not about ‘undocumented people,’ or ‘illegal immigrants,’ but about “new Americans.” And then to hear about his record of giving drivers licenses to new Americans in Maryland, of welcoming young children who had come across the border into his state, and of standing up to call for real immigration reform – it was beyond refreshing.

Wall Street Reform

Governor O’Malley is a candidate who really stands up for our progressive values. This week he followed up his bold plan to address climate change with an equally detailed and visionary plan to hold Wall Street megabanks accountable and protect our American economy.

O’Malley believes that true capitalism requires a level playing field where everyone plays by the same set of rules and he’s not afraid to take on those who have for too long posed an enormous risk to our economy. That’s the kind of leadership we need.

Trade

The final nail in the coffin for me was O’Malley’s commitment to American workers and opposition to the Trans Pacific Partnership.

Unlike some other candidates, Martin O’Malley is not waffling and trying to figure out what the polls are telling him to do.

Here in Iowa, we’ve seen what bad trade deals can do. I don’t meet many people with kind things to say about NAFTA, and I think we’re crossing the same bridge with the Trans Pacific Partnership.

Governor O’Malley’s position of standing against the Trans Pacific Partnership right from the get go was the final piece for me that said this is the person that I want to be the next President of the United States.

Martin O’Malley will provide the new leadership we need to enact our progressive values and actually get things done.  I am proud to endorse him for President of the United States.

By John Murphy, Dubuque County Recorder
Posted 7/12/15