O’Malley, Webb make pitch to Dems in Iowa

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2015/08/14/omalley-webb-make-pitch-to-dems-in-iowa/

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is laying out 15 goals he would pursue if elected president and is presenting himself as a new generation of Democrat in the presidential race.

O’Malley used his appearance at the Iowa State Fair’s political “soapbox” to touch upon a series of goals for the next president, from raising the median net worth of families to cutting the unemployment rate for young people to generating 100 percent of American electricity from renewable sources by 2050.

When one man told him that rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bernie Sanders are too old, the 52-year-old O’Malley noted the man was standing among a group of people wearing red AARP T-shirts.

O’Malley said Democratic primaries typically come down to an inevitable front-runner and “the voice of the new generation.” He said the Democratic race would be about a “new generational perspective. Our world has changed. This is not the Cold War. This is not the Vietnam era. This is a new world.”

O’Malley told reporters after the event that he would “welcome” Vice President Joe Biden’s entry into the Democratic primaries, pointing to the respect the vice president has within the party. Biden is considering a 2016 campaign.

Meanwhile, Democratic presidential hopeful Jim Webb says people who don’t like big money in politics should take a look at his campaign.Webb says he’s “unbought” and “unbossed” and has his own mind.

The former Virginia senator spoke Thursday at the Iowa State Fair from the fair’s political “soapbox.”

Webb deplores the number of super PACs that are raising money to support candidates in the race. He says he doesn’t have one.

Webb told fairgoers they should ask candidates who decry super PACs why they take the money. And he says if people want to change it, they should vote for him.

Webb also touts his military experience, saying he has the qualifications to be commander in chief. He was a Marine officer in Vietnam and later served as Secretary of the Navy.