Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley gave an economic speech at the Kennedy School of Politics at Harvard last night. He laid out his 5-point economic agenda and then had a great Q&A session with attendees.
” O’Malley presented a five-part plan for economic change that would focus on wage policies, public investments, financial accountability, better trade deals, and expanded Social Security.
His 5-point agenda includes:
They included raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation; expanding Social Security benefits; making it easier for workers to organize and collectively bargain; restoring “accountability” to financial markets; and no longer “entering into bad trade deals,” which he said include the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership.
He offered an array of prescriptions -- including expanding Social Security benefits and allowing college graduates to refinance loans -- that have been sprinkled throughout his speeches during recent travels to Iowa, New Hampshire and other early presidential nominating states.
Additional comments via
Baltimore Sun:
O'Malley panned the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact as bad deal that would send jobs overseas, and he called for a higher national minimum wage indexed to inflation. He said he thinks the country should broaden its view of which workers qualify for overtime pay and make it easier for workers to unionize and bargain for better wages.
He pointed to paid leave and affordable childcare as key to improving the economy, and said he believes it is an economic imperative to create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
During the Q&A:
In response to a question from an audience member following the speech, O'Malley said he could support raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour -- more than twice the current federal rate. He noted legislation passed in Maryland during his tenure that will raise the state's rate to $10.10 an hour by 2018, calling that "the furthest I could push it and still get the consensus to get it done."
In remarks prior to the speech, when
asked about Hillary's evolution of views on driver's licenses for undoumented Americans and same-sex marriage:
"I’m glad Secretary Clinton’s come around to the right positions on these issues," said O'Malley, praising his home state of Maryland for its relatively early legislative approval of gay marriage. (Audio of the remarks was provided after the speech by a campaign aide.) "I believe that we are best as a party when we lead with our principles and not according to the polls. 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."
Pressed again, on whether he thought Clinton had merely responded to polls, O'Malley applied faint praise with a trowel.
"Let me say that I’m glad Secretary Clinton has come around to the right positions on both of these issues," he insisted. "I believe marriage is a human right, not a state right. I’m glad she’s come around to that position as well. I believe that we do our country a disservice when we make it harder for new American immigrants to abide by the rules of the road and obtain drivers licenses. And I’m glad she’s come around to that position now, too."