Presidential candidate and former governor of Maryland Martin O'Malley joined Jim Braude and Margery Eagan for Boston Public Radio. Highlights from the interview include:
On the Democratic National Committee's plans to limit the number of primary debates before Iowa and New Hamsphire:
"The country deserves better and we're a better party than this...I think there's a mentality of 'circle the wagon' and 'protect the inevitable frontrunner' from any criticism, which ironically has the opposite impact. If we were all on the debate stage, talking about how we get wages to go up, how we make college more affordable, that would be a far better message than what we hear every day, which would be the questions that never end about emails."
On his performance in the election so far:
"I'm one of those candidates, like many that we've seen in presidential primaries past, that is virtually unknown across the country. But as we've become known, we're picking up support. A lot of my time has been spent in Iowa and New Hampshire, more in Iowa for the last month...We have gone in that caucus contest from single-digit name recognition to over 40%...That's how these things start. I'm going to continue to campaign the old-fashioned way, which is from one living room to another. That's what you have to do in Iowa or New Hampshire. Names like Jimmy Carter or Gary Hart were not known until they had that first expectation-beating finish in the early contest."
On a generational shift he's seeing in the country:
"If you talk to young people under 30 you will very rarely meet young people who deny climate change is real, or think their government shouldn't do something about it. You'll rarely meet young people who want to bash immigrants or discriminate against gay couples or their children. That tells me we're moving toward a more connected or compassionate place. The question is whether we'll take a detour in this next national election or whether we'll move forward."
To hear more from former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, tune in to Boston Public Radio above.
