Katie took some photos of protestors that gathered outside on CNBC’s GOP debate in Boulder, Colorado Wednesday night. It was the usual lefty, anti-Koch brothers, and pro-gun control crowd, so that means MRCTV’s Dan Joseph just had to talk to these people. Within this motley crew, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley could be found near the pro-gun control activists that arrived (all 20 of them it appears).
Joseph and the governor got into a brief discussion, where Dan mentioned that O’Malley wants more debates, and that he’s done slightly better in the polls since the first one, though Lincoln Chaffee and Jim Webb decided to bow out.
“That’s amazing once we start having debates,” O’Malley said.
Yet, O’Malley decided to clam up about his 2016 campaign, when Joseph mentioned that the governor is still trailing Sanders and Clinton in the polls.
“Why is it that that somebody, like Sen. Sanders, who may actually have a lower profile than you did as governor of Maryland; why is he doing well without the debates, but you feel you need the debates in order to rise in the polls,” asked Joseph.
“I don’t know, man. What do you think?” responded O’Malley. Joseph noted that he’s the reporter in this exchange to which O’Malley simply said, I’m the candidate, and I’m not going to answer your question. People will figure that out. Look man, it’s early in the process.”
He added that he’s “not doing the pundit thing,” and that he’s “never run a bad race.” O’Malley then segued into a pro-gun control bit, noting that Democrats have had a long discussion about gun safety. He hopes that some questions of that sort will be asked of the Republicans in their debates, especially why can’t we find a backbone to expand background checks and stand up to the National Rifle Association.
So, in the end, O’Malley used Joseph’s microphone for a sound bite, though he should probably know that such a question is never going to be asked in a Republican debate. If this ever did occur, the GOP field would probably say that universal background checks don't stop mass shootings. Second, all legal gun owners buys from a dealer with a federal firearms license, meaning that a background check is required for all purchases–even with online sales. Third, they would circle back to an area where Americans feel is the reason why mass shooting continue: we fail to detect and treat mental illness. Also, O'Malley's gun control package is not passable.