Martin O'Malley, a possible challenger to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, speaking at Harvard University on Thursday night, called for a raise in the minimum wage to $15 an hour. With this position, O'Malley is not only positioning himself to the left of Ms. Clinton, but also to the left of Elizabeth Warren.
At the same time, Mr. O'Malley also told Harvard University students that he would not be supporting the Trans Pacific Partnership, a trade deal that has divided Democrats, taking the side of Progressive activists and Labor Unions. Whether you support these positions or not, what O'Malley is doing is twofold. On the one hand, he is making the kind of bold proclamations that made President Obama a name for himself on the campaign trail, on the other he is forcing Hillary Clinton to address these issues and to take a side.
With Hillary still in the early phases of her own campaign, it's doubtful she will respond and clarify her position on the issues anytime soon, however she will soon have to make her positions clear if she really wants to, as she put it, "connect with ordinary Americans."
O'Malley's loud support for the Fight For $15 and his equally loud positions on the TPP place him solidly on the left and on the side of real ordinary Americans. Even if a $15 minimum wage is impossible, taking such a strong stance in demanding congress to more than double the current Federal Minimum wage could, in the future, force more conservative Democrats and some moderate Republicans (if there truly are any left) to compromise on a deal to raise the minimum wage to the level Obama has proposed, at $10.10 an hour. On the other hand, such a strong view could foment opposition by business interests, sabotaging any possible future deal.
In any case, it is refreshing to hear a possible Democratic presidential candidate taking such strong populist positions. Even if there's little chance of O'Malley being nominated, his stance could force candidates to left and position O'Malley to make a Presidential bid in the future, with far more name recognition.
If we truly want a liberal Democratic party, we will need more leaders like Martin O'Malley to make such clear demands and take more hard-line positions. With Republicans unafraid to make radical demands, we can only hope Democrats will respond in kind, get out of their defensive crouch, and hold politicians accountable for their positions.