Martin O’Malley to launch three-week tour of Iowa promoting new policies.

[elleng]

In a bid to climb his way into the thick of the presidential race, Democrat Martin O’Malley will launch a three-week, more than 15-stop tour of Iowa on Friday to promote a set of new policy proposals, his campaign told POLITICO late Wednesday.

The former Maryland governor — who is running behind Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in both the early-voting states and in national surveys — will unveil his collection of 15 national goals at the Des Moines Register’s Iowa State Fair Soapbox, attempting to highlight his own record and to put forth the race’s most specific proposals yet.

O’Malley’s campaign has made its focus on Iowa clear, and the super PAC backing his effort has invested in organizers on the ground in the Hawkeye State. But so far it is not certain whether O’Malley’s attempt to spend the most time there of any candidate has paid off: a PPP poll showed him rising to 7 percent in the state on Monday, but a CNN/ORC poll published Wednesday had him tied with Jim Webb at 1 percent, far behind Clinton, Sanders, and Vice President Joe Biden — who is not currently running.

Nonetheless, the O’Malley camp is betting that his set of new proposals will help set him apart.

The wide-ranging set of ambitious goals — some of which would face stark Republican opposition in Congress — span from increasing the median net worth of American families by $25,000 in a decade, to cutting the youth unemployment rate in half within three years, to ensuring all college students can graduate without debt within five years, to cutting deaths caused by gun violence in half by 2025, to reducing infant mortality by 10 percent before 2020, to implementing public financing for congressional campaigns within five years.

“Goals are fundamentally about leadership: the ability to lay out a vision and march towards it in the face of adversity,” O’Malley writes in a Medium post that will introduce the goals. “If we hope to rebuild the American Dream we need to ensure that every American — in every community — a fighting chance. All it takes is a commitment to action over rhetoric; courage over convenience; and compassion over close-mindedness.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/martin-omalley-to-launch-three-week-tour-of-iowa-promoting-new-policies-121315.html

[FSogol]

1. K & R. n/t

[FSogol]

2. His 15 goals:

The 15 Goals:

1) Increase America’s family median net worth by $25,000 in 10 years.

2) Generate 100 percent of U.S. electricity with renewable energy by 2050.

3) Cut the jobless rate among young people in half within three years.

4) Reach full employment for veterans by 2020.

5) Ensure 11 million “new Americans” are on a path to citizenship.

6) Achieve debt-free college within five years.

7) Improve college/career readiness and increase college completion rates by 25 percent within 10 years.

8) End childhood hunger by 2020.

9) Reform criminal justice system to “save and redeem lives.” Reduce recidivism by 20 percent within 10 years.

10) Cut deaths from gun violence — homicides, suicides and accidents — in half by 2025.

11) Reduce deaths from drug overdoses by 25 percent by 2020.

12) Reduce infant mortality by 10 percent by 2020.

13) Require banks to separate commercial and speculative banking within five years

14) Restore America’s competition and antitrust laws, directing the Justice Department to take action within one year of office.

15) Implement public financing of congressional campaigns within five years.

[Andy823]

3. It won't be easy

Not with republicans in charge of the House, but if we can take back the senate it might help. If anyone can get this done, or at least give it one hell or a try, I think it's O'Malley.

[FSogol]

4. True, it is never easy, but O'Malley accomplished several of those in Maryland, such as

reduce deaths from drug overdoses by 25 percent
reduce infant mortality by 10 percent
reduce recidivism

[elleng]

5. AND he knows how to deal with legislatures,

a very important attribute that we've learned about (the LACK, that is) during the past 6 years.