Althouse: "O’Malley had been not-subtly hoping to spin a vague impression that he did a decent job running Maryland into a position as the guy the Democratic Party will turn to..."

November 7, 2014

"O’Malley had been not-subtly hoping to spin a vague impression that he did a decent job running Maryland into a position as the guy the Democratic Party will turn to..."

"... when or if Hillary Clinton self-immolates. The total shellacking of O’Malley’s lieutenant governor and direct party heir makes the M.O.M. 2016 pitch a non-starter."

51 comments:

PB said...: Speaking of self-immolation, any reports of democrats setting themselves on fire in Wisconsin?; 11/7/14, 8:15 AM
mccullough said...: O'Malley is a featherweight. He wasn't going to win anyway.; 11/7/14, 8:18 AM
Big Mike said...: O'Malley never met a tax he didn't think he should raise. That worked, sort of, in deep blue Maryland. I suspect he wouldn't have won many states inland from the coasts.; 11/7/14, 8:21 AM
Bob Ellison said...: O'who?; 11/7/14, 8:22 AM
Original Mike said...: I was so happy to see his Lt. go down. O'Malley is a big tax-and-spender. Not what our deeply indebted federal government needs.; 11/7/14, 8:23 AM
Wince said...: Always a M.O.M., never a MILF.; 11/7/14, 8:24 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Speaking of self-immolation, any reports of democrats setting themselves on fire in Wisconsin?"

I was having a glass of wine around 5 p.m. yesterday in a crowded café near campus, and everybody looked pretty normal. At one point the conversation between me and one other person turned to the election and I was asked how I felt. I did a brief, light-spirited "win!" gesture, and I did not notice any dirty looks. I survived. Nobody jumped me on my walk home.; 11/7/14, 8:26 AM
khesanh0802 said...: I have always admired Jim Webb though I may not have agreed with him. He certainly is a better choice for the Dems than Hillary.

I know I am extremely tired of hearing/looking at Hillary. She is even more unattractive as an old lady than she was when younger. Bill will definitely be a big anchor to drag when people are actually faced with dealing with him again.

Contrast Hillary's presence with Joni Ernst, Nicky Halley, Kelly Ayotte, Mia Love or Shelley Capito and you realize she has a long row to hoe. I don't think she has it in her.; 11/7/14, 8:28 AM
Big Mike said...: I survived. Nobody jumped me on my walk home.

But did you have Meade with you? I don't think even the craziest progs in Madison would care to try anything rough if he was around.; 11/7/14, 8:29 AM
Mitch H. said...: O'who?

If you've seen The Wire, O'Malley isn't *exactly* Aiden Gillen's character, eventual Mayor Carcetti, but you can definitely spot the shiny spots where the serial numbers had been filed off. Supposedly reform Democrat mayor of Baltimore (and still touts his "reforms", which in practice seem to have led to the gangs running the jails and prisons, among other unintended consequences) followed by two terms as governor of the People's Republic of Greater DC.; 11/7/14, 8:30 AM
Unknown said...: The democrat bench is weak sauce.
All the excitement and talent is on the right. Despite what the unprofessional pro-democrat media / tired leftwing hollywood machine portray. They dabble in illusions and delusions.

Now it is highly probable that Hillary Clinton will stumble badly in the next two years. She is a stiff and unlikable public figure. She has nowhere to go ideologically, neither to the Elizabeth Warren wing of the party nor to the faded DLC brand of New Democrats her husband led. That husband will be a curse as well, ostensibly helping her but in fact undermining her in ways so weird and Machiavellian we will need to invent new words for them. And as Hillary showed with her recent job-creation comments, she will also do a pretty good job of shooting her own foot.

We know. Foist away, media and Hollywood. Foist away.; 11/7/14, 8:30 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: Nobody jumped me on my walk home.

Did anyone throw their baseballs in your lawn?; 11/7/14, 8:35 AM
Brando said...: The question is if Hillary does fall apart before the nomination, who will step up to be the democratic nominee? This is the danger of coronations--they've forced every possible candidate to the sidelines, held funding back so it can go to her, and have no insurance against her flopping. Incredibly foolish, considering she's flopped before.

O'Malley in that case could become the nominee by default, leading to disaster in the general.; 11/7/14, 8:41 AM
khesanh0802 said...: BTW I haven't seen Garage's byline for a few days. Is he well?; 11/7/14, 8:42 AM
khesanh0802 said...: ...or Madisonman/Inga and ARM. They must be in rehab.; 11/7/14, 8:43 AM
SteveR said...: O'Malley the alley cat.

Garage broke down driving to Ill to deliver votes to Quinn.; 11/7/14, 8:57 AM
phantommut said...: I would welcome a Democrat that I could respect even if I didn't like that person't policies.

Webb is a politician so I'm sure he isn't a saint. On the other hand, I believe that he would hold the good of the country as being more important than what's good for Jim Webb.

That would make him an improvement over what we've had and over who's been touted as the replacement.

If the Republicans can't nominate better, (or if they nominate another Bush -- I like Jeb, but come on, aristocracy is what we had a revolution against way back when) I could vote for Webb.; 11/7/14, 9:05 AM
Rumpletweezer said...: I can't forgive O'Malley for raising the sales tax from 5% (which is fairly easy to do in one's head) to 6% (which is damn near impossible to figure in one's head).

His failure to deliver a win to his lt governor ought to end his aspirations but it seems the Democratic Party does not discriminate on the basis of competence or ability.; 11/7/14, 9:15 AM
Unknown said...: I too would welcome Jim Webb. We need to get out of the gutter.; 11/7/14, 9:32 AM
lgv said...: Blogger April Apple said...
The democrat bench is weak sauce.

It wasn't that long ago Republican choices included: 1) Rick Sanitarium 2) Michelle Bachman 3) Rick (I can't remember my points) Perry

When it comes down to who will actually run, it is usually weak sauce on both sides. We have had weak sauce for 14 years at a minimum.

The best players don't play.; 11/7/14, 9:35 AM
Jaq said...: Isn't Maryland the first state where people got up and filed away as the greatest orator since Seneca spoke in support of this guy?

Isn't this the state where after Obama appeared, the Democrat's numbers dropped by 9 points?

I thought so. On MSNBC all morning, they were saying the Democrats lost because they didn't use Obama. Now I am really confused.; 11/7/14, 9:38 AM
RecChief said...: khesanh0802 said...
BTW I haven't seen Garage's byline for a few days. Is he well?

He was here last night. Same old Garage.

The other two...I haven't seen. Maybe their MMFA and/or ThinkProgress/ Daily Kos internships came to an end?; 11/7/14, 10:04 AM
Birches said...: Aren't' you talking about Madisonfella, not MadisonMan?; 11/7/14, 10:06 AM
RecChief said...: Birches said...
Aren't' you talking about Madisonfella, not MadisonMan?

yeah, that's it.; 11/7/14, 10:12 AM
Birches said...: I'd always thought that Hickenlooper would pick up the pieces after Hillary! was gone. But I'm sure his star has fallen a lot after he barely eeked out a win against such a has-been like Beauprez.

How old is Jerry Brown? Yikes. This race is looking like a flip flop from 2008.; 11/7/14, 10:12 AM
Original Mike said...: "I can't forgive O'Malley for raising the sales tax from 5% (which is fairly easy to do in one's head) to 6% (which is damn near impossible to figure in one's head)."

Multiply 1% by 6.; 11/7/14, 10:27 AM
Michelle Dulak Thomson said...: lgv,

Do you folks misspell both of Michele Bachmann's names just for fun, or is it actually inadvertent? I mean, "Rick Sanitarium" is deliberate, but Bachmann could easily be sheer accident/stupidity/pigheadedness/confusion with the FLOTUS. Please do tell us which.; 11/7/14, 10:36 AM
Eric said...: Get yourself mentioned as a possible alternative to Hillary and bad things happen.; 11/7/14, 10:40 AM
FleetUSA said...: Their pinch hitter is probably Cuomo, the NY governor.; 11/7/14, 10:46 AM
Anonymous said...: khesanh0802 said...
I have always admired Jim Webb though I may not have agreed with him. He certainly is a better choice for the Dems than Hillary.

Overall I like Webb as well, though I thought he was a complete ass as a Senator Elect talking President Bush. Bush inquired about Webb's son in Iraq and Webb went postal.; 11/7/14, 10:54 AM
lgv said...: "Do you folks misspell both of Michele Bachmann's names just for fun, or is it actually inadvertent? I mean, "Rick Sanitarium" is deliberate, but Bachmann could easily be sheer accident/stupidity/pigheadedness/confusion with the FLOTUS. Please do tell us which."

What difference, at this point, does it make?

I couldn't choose amongst the four choices you gave me. I'll go with apathy.; 11/7/14, 10:55 AM
Kirk Parker said...: "O'Malley in that case could become the nominee by default, leading to disaster in the general."

Works for me...; 11/7/14, 11:08 AM
khesanh0802 said...: @birches

I do confuse easily these days!; 11/7/14, 11:16 AM
mikee said...: O'Malley, when mayor of Bawlmer, MD, miraculously decreased crime through the simple expedient of changing the reporting requirements. While murders were still counted as murders, lotsa B&E and violent muggings, etc., became merely vandalism and disorderly conduct.

He worked miracles on crime in Baltimore! Make him governor!

I love how upward promotion for failure is possible in government.; 11/7/14, 11:17 AM
RecChief said...: How old is Jim Webb? Viet Nam officially ended in 1975, 40 years ago.; 11/7/14, 11:38 AM
richard mcenroe said...: That's the same James Webb who let his aide take the heat for smuggling Webb's handgun into the Senate for him? That guy?; 11/7/14, 11:43 AM
Anonymous said...: "That husband will be a curse as well, ostensibly helping her but in fact undermining her in ways so weird and Machiavellian we will need to invent new words for them."

That word is Clintonian.

"Hillary showed with her recent job-creation comments, she will also do a pretty good job of shooting her own foot."

That word is Hillarian.

A Hillarian woman has no accomplishment except to lie to the American people to protect her lying philandering husband, and hopes to gain power on said husband's dirty coat tail.; 11/7/14, 11:44 AM
Anonymous said...: Nobody jumped me on my walk home.

But a few Hispanic guys loitering on the corner did call out, "Mira, ¡qué curvas! Y yo sin frenas."; 11/7/14, 11:54 AM
Original Mike said...: "Bush inquired about Webb's son in Iraq and Webb went postal."

I forgot about that. That was ugly.; 11/7/14, 12:03 PM
Birches said...: @ Paul Z

Good thing I wasn't drinking anything. You win.; 11/7/14, 12:35 PM
dreams said...: It was a great win and here is a quote from a Washington Post post article that they think contributed to the win.

"Reid and McConnell engaged in some brief talks — talks that included a key mistake by Democrats: They made an offer on the tax levels, and Republicans actually accepted it. There were other key issues to resolve, but once that central issue was settled, the momentum headed toward resolution.

At that point, McConnell called Biden and famously asked: “Does anyone down there know how to make a deal?”
Reid, Schumer and other leaders and their advisers then waited to see the final details, furious that the deal was being made. Democrats leaked stories to The Post, Politico and other outlets about how at one point Reid took an offer that Obama was considering making to McConnell and threw it into the fireplace in his office on the second floor of the Capitol as others watched.
On Tuesday, after Democrats got stomped, the man they feared the most, Mitch McConnell, had the biggest smile of all.
“Friends, this experiment in Big Government has lasted long enough. It’s time to move in a new direction,” he said in claiming victory."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/midterm-disaster-rips-apart-awkward-ties-between-obama-and-senate-democrats/2014/11/05/5bdd257a-650e-11e4-9fdc-d43b053ecb4d_story.html; 11/7/14, 12:56 PM
Crunchy Frog said...: As far as 2016 goes, Cuomo's probably best positioned to make a run if/when Hillary implodes.

Looking down the road to 2020 - if Barbara Boxer retires as has been hinted at, CA Lt Gov Gavin Newsom is favored to pick up her Senate seat and use it as a springboard. He'd be Gov already if Moonbeam wasn't in the way.; 11/7/14, 1:07 PM
Ctmom4 said...: Thanks to Hogan for sparing us an O'Malley run. He was a frequent talking head during the 2012 election, and he is a total ass. I mean Paul Begala levels of obnoxiousness. Plus, he just looks like such a doofus.; 11/7/14, 2:02 PM
Ctmom4 said...: @ Cruncht Frog - Have you heard Cuomo speak? Just shoot me now.; 11/7/14, 2:04 PM
Jaq said...: I used to actually like Cuomo, but he has some ethics issues that would get plenty of national air-time should he be the nominee.; 11/7/14, 2:10 PM
dreams said...: The liberals war on the Redskin name might have contributed to his win.

"Hogan began with this observation:

I like to call them the Washington Redskins and I don’t think the government has any business whatsoever trying to tell a private enterprise what they should call themselves. There used to be a thing called freedom of speech."

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2014/11/whats-in-the-washington-redskins-name-plenty-for-local-politicians.php; 11/7/14, 2:15 PM
Bobby said...: Yeah, I'm not endorsing Webb- don't think much of his foreign policy views, among other things- but I don't think I would characterize the Bush-Webb exchange as being "ugly." Granted, I was in Iraq at the time, so I may not remember it as well as you all do, but IIRC, Webb had intentionally avoided the line to get his picture taken with President Bush and was avoiding him. Bush then sought out Webb and asked him "how's your boy?" Webb said something about wanting Bush to withdraw all the troops. Bush said, "That's not what I asked. I asked how is your boy?" And Webb replied: "That's between me and my boy, Mr. President."

I don't think I'd consider that to be out of line. Given Webb's emotional state at the time (think about Anbar in Nov 2006... It actually looks a lot like Anbar in 2014, sadly, but Americans were dying back then), I think President Bush was being rather presumptuous to think he could intrude upon Webb and Webb's personal relationship with his son. I think Webb later stated that he was so angry that he'd wanted to punch the President - admittedly, THAT would have been ugly.

But that's just me.; 11/7/14, 2:30 PM
richard mcenroe said...: Can't wait to hear Webb's outrage now that Obama is doubling the troops in Iraq...anytime now...; 11/7/14, 3:31 PM
retired said...: Are Webb and Cuomo the best you Dems can come up with as an HRC alternative?? Where are all those dynamic governors itching for a shot at POTUS? Janet Napolitano? Mark Dayton? LOL; 11/7/14, 6:42 PM
Bobby said...: richard mcenroe,

Can't wait to hear Webb's outrage now that Obama is doubling the troops in Iraq...anytime now...

Well, that policy announcement is only a few hours old so I would submit that it's a bit disingenuous to be criticizing Webb for not coming out against it yet. But to be fair to Webb, he's been very critical of Obama's foreign policy, particularly with respect to the Arab Spring. For example:

Jim Webb: 'Willing to Bet' Some Top ISIS Fighters Have Been Trained By US
Jim Webb on the Iraq Crisis
Webb: We do not belong as an occupying power in Iraq

I actually disagree with Webb on the substance of what he says, but his record deserves to be reported accurately. I think he's earned that much.; 11/7/14, 7:35 PM
Douglas B. Levene said...: Well, O'Malley is gone, history, roadkill, but we still have Gov. Malloy of Connecticut to kick around. He had VP hopes at one time and maybe his 0.5% victory this year will convince the eventual Democratic nominee to tap him for the ticket. Hey, if Sen. Elizabeth Warrent gets the nomination and picks Malloy as her VP, they'll have an excellent chance of sweeping all the electoral votes in New England.; 11/7/14, 11:11 PM