It’s a measure of how awful the Democratic bench is – not excluding its front-runner – that this is newsworthy: “Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley stepped up his critique of Wall Street excesses here Friday as he began his first swing through Iowa this year with a populist speech to an enthusiastic crowd of close to 300 people attending a Democratic dinner.”  As most people reading this probably know already, O’Malley is not exactly known for having the word ‘enthusiastic’ associated with him.  He is, in point of fact, rather dull.

O’Malley, on the other hand, has one major advantage over pretty much every other potentially-viable Democratic candidate for President: he’s a two-term former governor who isn’t sweating a possible indictment. Not exactly the most stellar resume in the world, but then the twin wildfires of 2010 and 2014 did a laudable job of destroying the careers of many a promising Democratic politician.  Martin O’Malley was highly fortunate to have been in a safe enough state in 2010*, and to be not running in 2014; and while his message of Isn’t Wall Street awful may not actually resonate with voters in general it may be a different story for Democrats in the primary.

Now, does this mean that Martin O’Malley has a serious chance?  …Probably not. O’Malley is a bit of a desperation play for Democrats who are studiously refusing to be consciously aware of just how tired and picked-over their Presidential prospects are this cycle. Presumably the people looking at the former governor now will eventually slump their shoulders and accept their cruel fate.  Eventually.  For right now, the twin tangs of false hope and suppressed despair [are] in the spring breeze…

Moe Lane (crosspost)

*Although it certainly wasn’t safe for O’Malley’s anointed successor in 2014!