Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley said on Sunday that if he runs for President, he'll launch his campaign in Baltimore. O'Malley also served as the Mayor of Baltimore.
O'Malley: "We haven't had an agenda for America's cities probably since Jimmy Carter. We have left cities to fend for themselves.
"But look, the structural problems that we have in our economy, the way we ship jobs and profits abroad, the way we failed to invest in our infrastructure and failed to invest in American cities, we are creating the conditions. Please, Speaker Boehner and his crocodile tears about the $130 million, that is a spit in the bucket compared to what we need to do as a nation to rebuild our country.
"And America's cities are the heart of our country. We need an agenda for American cities. We need to stop ignoring especially people of color and act like they are disposable citizens in this nation. That's not how our economy is supposed to work, it's not how or our country works."
NBC host Chuck Todd: "Do you think you can run on your record as mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland, given all this? You are getting a lot of scrutiny now. Do you think this is a positive thing voters will look at and say Martin O'Malley ought to be President?"
O'Malley: "I did not dedicate my life to make Baltimore safer and more just place because it was easy. And I am more inclined and deeply motivated to address what's wrong with our country and what needs to be healed and what needs to be fixed. This should be a wake-up call. What's happened in Baltimore should be a wake-up call for the entire country. The protests that also happened in New York, Philadelphia, and other cities--we have deep problems as a country. And we need deeper understanding if we are going to give our children a better future."
Todd: "This now sounds like you want to make it central to any campaign."
O'Malley: "I think it has to be central."
Todd: "So you'll probably announce in Baltimore?"
O'Malley: "I wouldn't think of announcing any place else. This has been a setback for us, but our story is not over. We are not defeated as a city. And we are not about to throw in the towel on our country."
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRHFSPaJxRE]
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