Former presidential candidate O'Malley tells Utah Democrats that Trump ran on fear, scapegoating

[TexasTowelie]

Before keynoting the Utah Democratic Party's annual gala, former presidential candidate and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said Donald Trump ran a "fascist candidacy based on racist fear and Russian help" that "should never be legitimized."

He tweeted that message before he traveled to Utah for the $300-a-person fundraiser Saturday, joining a growing controversy between Trump and civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, R-Ga., who also says Trump's presidency is not legitimate.

O'Malley followed up in Utah by telling a rally of about 150 people before the fundraiser at the Marriott City Creek that Trump-created political darkness creates opportunity for his party.

"Don't give up. Don't be disheartened. The darkness is oftentimes the great canvass against which our light can shine," he said.

Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/news/4817948-155/former-presidential-candidate-omalley-tells-utah

Cross-posted in the Utah Group.

[elleng]

1. THANKS for posting this, Towelie.

'The darkness is oftentimes the great canvass against which our light can shine," he said.'

[TexasTowelie]

2. You're welcome.

It certainly qualifies as news and I think that he is a viable candidate for the 2020 election.

[elleng]

3. I HOPE so!

from the article: O'Malley also spoke about what went wrong for Democrats last year, and how to fix it.

"Our message of increased job creation … got lost in a torrent of appalling things that kept spewing out of the mouth of Donald Trump. We kept responding to what he was saying, and we fell into the trap of believing that our candidate could win the election simply by discrediting or disqualifying the other candidate," he said.

"We don't win elections like that as Democrats. We have to tell the positive story," he said. "We didn't do that. We had a very good economic recovery story to tell… But it got lost in this shower of tabloid excesses."

He urged Utah Democrats at the Saturday rally to keep spreading the Democratic message to family and neighbors who may like Trump now "because, believe you me, the time will come very soon when they are gong to be deeply disappointed."

O'Malley urged Democrats who do not like the state of things now to run for office and help the party because you "can't leave this to the unscrupulous, the narcissist, and — think of another word — the sexual predator" of Trump as president.

Is O'Malley running for president in 2020? "I just might be," he told the Tribune. "It's too early to make a decision like that. But leadership is important… I think you will see a lot more room for the voice of new candidates in the coming year than we had in the last year."

[e-mail]