Former Maryland Governor and Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley didn't mince words about the state of the Democratic Party after President-elect Donald Trump's election victory last year.
The politician appeared on CNN on Friday morning and admitted that his party had been “hit hard” after Trump's victory, and expressed his belief that the Democrats were defeated because Lost touch With the working class in America.
“What we failed to do was connect with the biggest fear that hard-working people in America had, which was the fact that inflation, they felt, was rising faster than their paychecks,” he told network host Cassie Hunt.
Former Maryland governor and Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley criticized his party for overlooking the concerns of middle-class voters in an appearance on CNN. (Screenshot/CNN)
O'Malley positioned himself as the next DNC chair and the person who could bring change to the party's faltering state.
“The staggering losses we've had, and the fact that our brand has been hit so hard that the hard-working people of America have lost sight of us — they thought we were more supportive of the elites than we were of them — this requires a time of change, and I believe I have the ability to… “I will be an agent of change.”
He continued, noting that his experience as governor and head of a national committee in the past makes him the best candidate for this position.
“I'm a transformation leader — an operational transformation leader, probably the best in our party, and that's why the president sent me to Social Security. Second, I've already chaired a national committee…and third and last, I've actually run for vice president.” I was elected.”
Recently, other liberals accused former President Barack Obama of transforming the Democratic Party into serving the elites at the expense of the working class, which led to their loss in the recent presidential elections. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Hunt asked O'Malley if he agreed with Democratic strategist James Carville's recent assessment that the party has not focused enough on economic problems.
In a guest article for The New York Times on Thursday, Carville wroteHe added: “We lost for one very simple reason: the economy was stupid, it is and always will be stupid. We have to start 2025 with that truth as our political north star and not be distracted by anything else.”
O'Malley told Hunt that he “absolutely” agreed with the former Clinton adviser's view and stated that Carville had given him advice about running for president.
The candidate added that the change required to become this party is “a return to our true selves because our party's primary goal is economic security for every American.”
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in interview As The Hill reported this week, an anonymous progressive strategist criticized the party for abandoning the working class as well, particularly former President Obama for making the party serve the elites.
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The strategist told the newspaper: “I don’t know exactly when the Democrats lost their comfort with populism, but I don’t think it’s because Trump chose it,” adding: “I think Trump chose it because the Democrats abandoned it.” During the Obama years, when they started chasing Silicon Valley money, Obama wanted to appeal to college graduates who thought populism was lousy and uneducated.
