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In reply to the discussion: In Iowa, O’Malley sounds a lot like a Democrat liberals love: Warren [View all]elleng
(130,901 posts)A big test came late in OMalleys first year, when he called lawmakers back to Annapolis to resolve a long-standing structural deficit in the budget, namely the states practice of planning to spend more money than forecasters expected it to collect in revenue.
OMalley offered a package of tax increases and budget cuts, as well as a plan to raise additional revenue by legalizing slot machines a poisonous issue for much of Ehrlichs term.
Legislative leaders cautioned against holding such an ambitious special session particularly with no guarantee of success. But OMalley pushed through his entire package, with some bills squeaking by after debates that stretched into the wee hours. He had established himself as a force to be reckoned with, even though some efforts such as repealing the death penalty didnt succeed right away.
In the end, there was no major OMalley initiative that didnt make it across the finish line. In some cases, he showed a willingness to compromise that frustrated his allies like slowing the pace of pay increases in a minimum wage bill.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/in-defining-omalleys-legacy-liberal-successes-compete-with-tax-hikes/2015/01/19/5b951d4c-9d81-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html