| Adam at MPW has a must read posting about unhappiness within the labor community over perceptions that Martin O'Malley did not do enough for them during the last legislative session. But I want to add my own take on the issue. The Governor not only has a problem with labor, but in almost every corner of the Democratic base. Environmentalists are furious that the Global Warming Solutions Act failed. The LGBT community (as Adam mentions) was looking for more leadership on marriage equality, and some are a little upset that there was even a question of O'Malley not signing the bills expanding domestic partnership rights. The immigrant rights community has seen tepid support on some of their priorities as well. And you can be absolutely certain that his strong stand in favor of slots has angered a lot of grass-roots progressives, especially in the DC suburbs. One Democratic activist said this to me a couple months ago, "He co-opts our issues when they seem like they'll be popular, and refuses to publicly fight for us when it looks like it will require some political capital." Although, it's worth noting here that the revenue package the Governor proposed during the special session was fairly progressive, and it was the legislature who made it less so. And, as well, that O'Malley has supported a number of progressive initiatives, including taking a fresh look at the death penalty, expanding health care for kids, and finding more money to clean up the Bay. But as is often the case with politicians, bad poll numbers seem to have pushed O'Malley away from fighting on controversial issues. The problem with that is that he needs the strong support of Democratic activists to bolster his re-election campaign and undermine a challenge from the left in the 2010 Democratic primary. I'd also argue that voters would rather see a Governor who stands for something than one who seems only to respond to public opinion. Voters like to see real leadership, even if they don't always completely agree with where they are being led. And it's not like there are no progressive issues that have the potential to bolster O'Malley's public image. The Global Warming Solutions Act is one, despite the fear-mongering that pushed a couple unions onto the wrong side of the issue last session. In the labor movement, there are loads of issues like this, including a legislative requirement for employers to provide paid sick days to employees (89% public approval in one national poll), a ban on state agencies buying from sweatshops, and an expansion of unemployment insurance to cover part-time workers. Politically, O'Malley has some work to do in mollifying the base. And Democrats in the legislature need to help his cause next spring. Otherwise, 2010 could be a very difficult year. |
