"I believe that we are best as a party when we lead with our principles, not according to polls"

[madfloridian]

Martin O'Malley said that today, he is right.

Martin O'Malley Goes After Hillary Clinton For Leading By 'Polls,' Not 'Principles

WASHINGTON -- Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) went after Hillary Clinton Thursday, accusing her of changing policy positions based on polls rather than her convictions. It's the first time the prospective Democratic presidential candidate has attacked Clinton since she announced her presidential bid Sunday.

"I’m glad Secretary Clinton’s come around to the right positions on these issues," said O'Malley, referring to same-sex marriage and immigration. O'Malley spoke to reporters at Harvard University, where he gave a speech on the economy.

"I believe that we are best as a party when we lead with our principles and not according to the polls," O'Malley added. "And every election is about the future. And leadership is about making the right decision, and the best decision before sometimes it becomes entirely popular."

[liberal_at_heart]

1. That's exactly why I don't listen to campaign promises. They are usually broken within the first

minute of being elected.

[madfloridian]

10. I hate the feeling of not trusting anyone anymore.

And that's how I feel now when many politicians speak.

[sabrina 1]

2. He is absolutely right. There is something very appealing about politicians who speak from the heart

and even members of the opposition tend to respect them.

I remember eg, how hated Kucinich was in the early Bush years by the Right because he was one of the few who had the guts to speak out against Bush and Cheney and the Iraq War.

But I also remember a few of them stating 'well at least you have to respect a man who stands by his convictions even if you think he is an idiot'.

And that is why Warren resonates so well with voters, she doesn't hold back or mince words when she speaks about corrupt Bankers and wait for polls to see if she should 'risk' telling the truth.

[madfloridian]

3. "politicians who speak from the heart"

Yes, I admire them.

And I find myself admiring posters who have the courage to stand for something and call their party out for caving on vital principles.

[sabrina 1]

4. Yes, if you love someone, or something, that is exactly what you do, you don't let them go astray

without trying to save them from themselves. We lost the House and Senate because of that kind of behavior, refusing to let them know that leaning further and further to the Right wasn't going to win elections for them.

Those of us who DID were attacked. And they lost.

But it's still our party, the only one we have, so we have to keep on trying to bring it back to its principles regardless of those who are blinded by partisanship, who, imo, are responsible even more than the Right for those loses we all had worked so hard to achieve.

[Fumesucker]

5. The pragmatic moderate centrists all loathe Kookinich too...

I think the PMCs also have considerable animosity for Warren but are hiding it as best they can for now.

Bear in mind it's far easier to forgive someone for being wrong than for being right.

[TheKentuckian]

6. Fuckin A right.

[sabrina 1]

7. I agree with that. Kucinich is a kind of litmus test for me. I remember in the early Bush years

there was not a single Democrat I met in RL or on online, who didn't respect him. But around 2004, which I identify as the period when the Third Way began making their presence known on Left forums, the anti Kucinich posts began to appear.

As for Warren, yes, definitely they don't like her and they are beginning to do as they did with Kucinich, little by little we are seeing them come out in the open with their hatred for her.

Eg, the WSJ OP by two of the Third Way founders attacking her for her stand on Social Security. I guess they though the 'timing was right' but they got so much backlash, they stopped answering questions about WHY they decided to come out in the open like that.

Then they sent Dean out. I can imagine the meeting of the Third Way Board: 'Look, people don't know us so that is why our OP Ed failed, but how about we get someone the Left respects to warn her about toning down her rhetoric before the election? Oh boy are you brilliant, YES that is the way to go! So, who can we get to talk to these commies? How about Dean, they all love Dean! That is it, he can say what we said and they will listen'.

Lol, shows how little they know about the Left. Dean unfortunately did publicly admonish Warren, and all that happened was he lost his own credibility.

I respect Kucinich more than ever when I think of how right he was and how wrong they were and the trail of disaster they have left behind. And I wish we had had 500 Kucinich's back then.

[canoeist52]

9. Good points on the history. What they don't understand is that liberals are loyal to ideals

not to personalities. If Warren or Sanders started spouting free-market Heritage Foundation solutions we'd just move on to another candidate that represents our ideals.

[sabrina 1]

11. Exactly! That's why they don't like liberals, they are not easily propagandized.

[cali]

8. kick

that is absolutely spot on.

[NM_Birder]

12. .

90% of likely votes agree,..... with the statistical likely hood that only 70% of those qualified as "likely" voters will show up to the polls, so of the 63% qualified as "likely voters" agree that 50% of the time, polls are 75% useless.

yet the first and last piece of information always seems to be a percentage poll.

[FiveGoodMen]

13. I'd go farther.

We are no good whatsoever when we choose polls over principles.

He who stands for nothing will fall for anything.

[bigwillq]

14. Good for O'Malley.