BLOG #2
Martin O’Malley
By TJ Gosse
By TJ Gosse
He has said he is “very
seriously” considering the 2016 bid according to MSNBC. Currently, I believe
O’Malley’s public image is bright, although his political identity is not as
clear-cut as someone like Rod Bush or Hillary Clinton. He is known for taking
initiative and making differences in communities. He also made big changes in
Maryland like marriage equality and abolishing the death penalty. He is also
known for his hard-noise approach to crime and terrorism. During his time as
mayor of Baltimore, crime drastically decreased. He is someone whose beliefs
are genuinely in the interest of the American people and is able to win over
respect and trust in this way. He proved this by winning this election, where
he was the only white candidate in a primarily African American community. Another
way that O’Malley is portrayed is as a family man. He has four children of his
own and puts a strong emphasis on education, children, and their futures.
As far as bettering his
image, he does not need to do much. If anything, he needs to work on his public
speaking. He is known for a couple embarrassing/offensive slip ups while
speaking, so speaking/communications skills might need a tune up. O’Malley also
tends to lack charisma which a president must
have. This makes him seem incompetent at times, which is not the case at all.
He needs to show the country why he should be president. His views are very
similar to democrats like Hillary Clinton, so how is he going to separate and
differentiate himself from her campaign. Since they are so similar, it has been
speculated that he may be in contention for her vice-president slot. He should
also show the American people that he is committed. He is in a rock/folk band
which may turn a lot of voters off. If he can maintain this formal, disciplined
image with the proper charisma, I believe he can make a serious run in 2016.
Strengths:
-Successfully held leadership positions before (Mayor and Governor)
-Progressive/
takes initiative
-He’s
young and good looking
-Very Democratic perspective, not a lot for Democratic Party to dislike
-Relatable family man
Weaknesses:
-Not
the best charisma, monotone voice
-Admitted
to setbacks during his time as governor
-Has publicly misspoken and offended people in the past
-Lack
of dynamism
Threats:
-Clinton
administration
-Utilitarianism: Can be perceived
as someone who only cares about results
-Does
not have a clear cut political identity
-Intellectual
competence has been called into question
During his time as
governor of Maryland, he put a lot of stress on education and jobs. He has been
doing a lot of traveling over the last several months raising money, talking to
people, and visiting universities. Another focal point of his campaign is economic
inequality. Some other issues that he has tackled during his career include:
-Marriage equality
-Immigration
-Approves of legalization
of medical marijuana
-Repealed the death penalty
in Maryland
-Increased gun control
On issues like climate
change, he said he will discuss that during the campaign.
Sources
It was very interesting to hear your perspective when conducting the SWOT analysis on Martin O'Malley, but I noticed there was no section on his opportunities. For whatever reason it isn't in the blog post, what do you see as Martin O'Malley's opportunities during the 2016 election?
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