Gov. Martin O'Malley: Democrats too slow in delivering on economy (VIDEO)
Democrats have not delivered fast enough on the economy, said Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. But he defended Obama at a Monitor breakfast Thursday.
Washington
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, charges that both US political parties “genuflect to greed,” adding that they need a new narrative to connect with voters in challenging economic times.
Governor O’Malley defended President Obama at a Monitor-hosted breakfast Thursday with political reporters. But the DGA chief, whose strong reelection win last year was one of the few bright spots for his party, acknowledged that Democrats have not delivered fast enough on the economy.
“What we have yet to be able to do as quickly as we would like as a party is to be as effective as we would like ... as quickly as we would like to be, in digging out of the wreck of an economy that George W. Bush left to us. I think that is the real challenge here: It is the pace of the progress,” O’Malley said.
He was questioned about the causes of Mr. Obama’s political woes. Recent signs of the president’s political troubles include a Bloomberg poll that found 72 percent of Americans say the country is on the wrong track. Also, a recent Field Poll found that fewer than half of voters in the blue state of California approve of Obama’s job performance.
“We need a new narrative here that acknowledges our problem but that appeals to our core shared value ... which is that one of the greatest freedoms we have is that responsibility to make our country a better place,” O’Malley said. “We need a new narrative, and instead, too often, I think both parties genuflect to greed and peddle myths that are not good for the health of the republic.”
O’Malley ducked a question about his plans after leaving the Maryland governor’s office. But not surprisingly for someone who probably has further political aspirations, O’Malley argued that Democrats are ahead of Republicans in finding a better way of connecting with voters. “Both parties have a challenge in figuring this out," he said. "I think the president is much further along in figuring it out.”