ISIS. Obamacare. Russia. The NSA. Wealth disparity. Immigration reform. Gun control.

What do all of these hot issues for the 2016 election have in common?

None of them matter because we’re all going to die.

Every forecast on Climate Change predicts severe consequences without dramatic measures. And yet, Federal legislators do essentially nothing.

In light of this, I offer myself as a candidate for U.S. Senate.

If elected, I vow to address Global Warming like a human being with basic reasoning and any sense of proportion.

In other words, a dramatic measure.

Please vote for me. If for no other reason, then at least so we don’t all die.

I don’t expect to win the election. I would love to—I would be more than happy to carry out as many of campaign promises as I can before they kick me out or I get assassinated. But my hope is to remind people who are ultimately going to be having this debate that there are people who feel as strongly about something as they do.

In another year, Martin O’Malley would look like a front-runner for president of the United States.

He’s a photogenic former governor of an influential state, Maryland, and boasts a record of progressive achievements that should thrill grassroots Democrats. At age 52, he’s old enough to command some gravitas and young enough to look like a candidate of tomorrow. He even plays a mean guitar.

But Mr. O’Malley, as of right now, is not being taken seriously. Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, is the juggernaut of 2016. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who calls himself a socialist, is electrifying liberals in Iowa and New Hampshire who are sick of the Clinton dynasty. Much of the chattering class thinks there’s simply no oxygen left for the nice-looking guy from Maryland.

Unsurprisingly, the O’Malley camp is dismissive of such talk. And they’re convinced Mr. O’Malley is exactly where he needs to be, even if he’s garnering single-digit support in national and early voting state polls.

The Pope is a tough act to follow, but Martin O’Malley made a good show of it. Last week, on the same day that the pontiff released his new encyclical calling for a global effort to combat climate change, O’Malley released his own plan for reducing emissions and staving off global climate catastrophe. It’s an aggressive platform that frames the fight against climate change as a moral imperative, rather than simply a question of science and economics, and in an op-ed for USA Today, the former governor of Maryland said that climate change “is at the center of my campaign for president.”

Well hot damn, Martin. As the Huffington Post’s Kate Sheppard notes, the O’Malley plan sets a very high standard for other Democratic candidates to meet. He directly rejects the “all of the above” energy policy favored by the White House (and quite a few Republicans) and instead calls for an end to the use of fossil fuels within the next 35 years. In keeping with the framing of climate change as a moral issue, O’Malley makes a point that “ending fossil fuel use is a public health imperative, and would extend the lives of 200,000 Americans each year.” He also says outright that he’d reject approval for the Keystone XL pipeline.

The Pope is a tough act to follow, but Martin O’Malley made a good show of it. Last week, on the same day that the pontiff released his new encyclical calling for a global effort to combat climate change, O’Malley released his own plan for reducing emissions and staving off global climate catastrophe. It’s an aggressive platform that frames the fight against climate change as a moral imperative, rather than simply a question of science and economics, and in an op-ed for USA Today, the former governor of Maryland said that climate change “is at the center of my campaign for president.”

Well hot damn, Martin. As the Huffington Post’s Kate Sheppard notes, the O’Malley plan sets a very high standard for other Democratic candidates to meet. He directly rejects the “all of the above” energy policy favored by the White House (and quite a few Republicans) and instead calls for an end to the use of fossil fuels within the next 35 years. In keeping with the framing of climate change as a moral issue, O’Malley makes a point that “ending fossil fuel use is a public health imperative, and would extend the lives of 200,000 Americans each year.” He also says outright that he’d reject approval for the Keystone XL pipeline.

Democratic presidential hopeful Martin O’Malley said Friday that the massacre in a Charleston, S.C., church should “call all of us to action” on gun violence and mental health services.

“We need to reignite the conversation on a national basis because we suffer from a horrible epidemic of gun violence,” the former Maryland governor said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” calling for “common-sense legislation” and “better mental health coordination.”

O’Malley did not offer detailed proposals but cited legislation passed during his tenure as governor that banned 45 types of assault-style rifles and included new permitting requirements for those seeking to buy a handgun, as well as several measures intended to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.

O’Malley, ... said that race appears to be a large part of the motive in the slayings this week of a prominent minister and eight parishioners at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

But O’Malley, a former Baltimore mayor, acknowledged he isn’t entirely sure how to address the country’s racial problems.

“I don’t know exactly how we address this,” he said. “Look, we as Americans we all share a very painful racial legacy, and we need to acknowledge it, and we need to take actions to heal it, but I don’t think anybody’s figured out the magic solution to that.”

NEW ORLEANS - July 05, 2010 -
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley received the America’s Greatest Education Governor Award from the National Education Association (NEA) today during the NEA’s Representative Assembly in New Orleans. The prestigious award is presented each year to a governor who has made major, statewide efforts to improve public education.

“Governor O’Malley took office in 2007, just months before the nation plunged into a deep recession,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. “Despite the economic devastation to his state, he kept his eye on the big picture—he understands that the recipe for economic recovery and success means preparing Maryland’s young people for the challenges of the 21st century.

“Governor O’Malley is a strong advocate for public education,” Van Roekel added. “He has made great strides in increasing school funding, expanding school programs, and taking the needs of the whole child into account in education policy decisions. O’Malley listens to parents, educators and community members when making policy decisions that affect Maryland’s public schools. He continues to be a champion of public education and truly believes, as we do, that education will lead to a brighter and better future for all of us.

“Lots of governors like to think of themselves as education governors, but Governor O’Malley has really earned that accolade.”

Under O’Malley, Maryland has made progress in closing the achievement gap. A key strategy has been the governor’s insistence that underprivileged and minority students be taught by teachers as highly qualified as those who teach economically advantaged students. That approach is paying off. In 2009, for example, 7.5 percent of Hispanic students and 9.6 percent of African-American students earned a score of 3 or better on at least one AP exam during high school. That’s up from 5.7 percent and 7 percent, respectively, in 2004.

O’Malley also secured a freeze on tuition to Maryland institutions of higher learning, making higher education more affordable for Marylanders.

"Public education is the cornerstone of our democracy, and especially in these difficult times, we must remember that it is also the key to moving our economy forward and the key to our future,” said O’Malley. “In Maryland, we've made some very tough decisions to protect funding for our schools, and it is paying off.

“We've worked with our Maryland teachers to create the No. 1 public school system in the nation. I'm honored that the NEA recognizes our strong partnership and the great results it has produced with this award.

“While as a country we don’t always do the best job at showing our appreciation,” O’Malley told NEA members, “your work is the answer to the great global challenges of our times and the key to unlocking our greatest job-creating potential and expanding our global leadership in a rapidly changing world. Improving pre-K, K-12, and post-secondary education is essential for unleashing the job-creating, life-saving, power of American innovation.”

NEA President Van Roekel presented the award to O’Malley in front of the 9,000 educators who are attending NEA’s Representative Assembly in New Orleans. The Maryland governor is only the third person to receive this award. Previous winners were Gov. Richardson of New Mexico and Gov. Easley of North Carolina.

Some of O’Malley’s other accomplishments: reinvigorating Maryland’s Career and Technology Education and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs statewide, and launching the comprehensive Maryland STEM Innovation Network to promote the delivery of high quality STEM education at all levels throughout the state.

“Governor O'Malley has consistently placed public education at the top of his agenda,” said Clara Floyd, president of the Maryland State Education Association."In the most difficult of economic times, he championed historic funding of K-12 public schools, which has increased student achievement and led us to become No. 1 in the nation.”

Over 80 years ago, our country figured out—through the passage of Glass-Steagall—how to protect our national economy. We need to reinstitute Glass-Steagall, and keep commercial banks and investment banks from becoming so big that they harm our economy.

Over 80 years ago, our country figured out—through the passage of Glass-Steagall—how to protect our national economy. We need to reinstitute Glass-Steagall, and keep commercial banks and investment banks from becoming so big that they harm our economy.