Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has spent the weekend blasting his own party.
Less than 48 hours after O’Malley lambasted the Democratic National Committee for its restrictive primary debate schedule directly in front of DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, O’Malley took jabs at a new target: Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton.
During an interview Sunday with WMUR-TV in New Hampshire, the former governor outlined his economic agenda, explained his desire to expand Social Security, and criticized Clinton for sidestepping on a number of issues.
“For my part, I have underscored the differences I have with Secretary Clinton on the Trans Pacific Partnership,” O’Malley said. “I’m against it, I believe she’s for it. I’m against Keystone pipeline. I believe that she’s for it.”
“I have the independence to rein in recklessness on Wall Street that still threatens to crash our economy again. She’s been absolutely silent on it,” he added.
O’Malley described these as “legitimate differences” between himself and the former secretary, adding that his solutions to deal with college affordability and energy independence are more appealing than Clinton’s.
“I also have a better plan for affordable college, a better plan for social security, and a better plan to move us forward to a 100 percent clean electric energy future and create 5 million jobs along the way,” he said.
O’Malley later added to his criticism of the DNC’s decision to host just four debates before primary voters head to the voting booth at the first-of-the-nation Iowa caucuses in February.
“These are the issues that I’m chompin’ at the bit to talk about, if we’re only allowed to have debates in our party,” he added.
Despite his fiery rhetoric, the former Maryland governor is hanging on by a thread in national polls with just 1.5 percent support among likely Democratic primary voters, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling average.
