by John Wagner, The Washington Post
Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley launched his long-shot White House bid Saturday with populist attacks on corporate giants, big banks and political dynasties, offering himself as a younger, more progressive alternative to Hillary Rodham Clinton.
“We cannot rebuild the American dream here at home by catering to the voices of the privileged and the powerful,” O’Malley told a sweaty crowd at Baltimore’s Federal Hill Park before coming here to campaign in the nation’s first presidential nominating state. “Let’s be honest. They were the ones who turned our economy upside-down in the first place. And they are the only ones who are benefiting from it.”
Even as a few protesters at the park sought to link O’Malley’s time as Baltimore mayor to recent unrest in the city, he said the rioting there underscored an urgent need to invest in struggling communities.
© 2015 The Washington Post
