O'Malley brings policy specifics, humor to I.C. event.

Democratic presidential candidate and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley spoke in Iowa City on Sunday, emphasizing his executive experience and the importance of rebuilding the American dream.

Speaking to a crowd of just over 200 at The Mill restaurant, O'Malley hammered on the need to make the economy work for everyone. Much of what he had done as governor in Maryland, O'Malley said, is applicable to helping the whole country.

"We made it easier for people to join labor unions and collectively bargain for higher wages," O'Malley said, also mentioning the state's increase in minimum wage and a law requiring equal pay for women in the workforce.

And, in one of his biggest applause lines, O'Malley took aim at Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad's veto this year of $55 million in one-time funds for Iowa schools.

"Memo to Governor Branstad: We actually increased funding for public education," O'Malley said, describing how Maryland students' test scores improved.

O'Malley said the two phrases he has heard around the country are "new leadership" and "getting things done." He said that won't happen with Republicans, and he criticized them for looking to the past.

"I believe nostalgia's not what it used to be," he said, to laughter.

A mixture of jokes and soaring rhetoric kept the tone of the event light, and O'Malley seemed to appeal to Democratic attendees by praising familiar liberal positions like raising the minimum wage.

"I believe we should be striving to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour however we can and wherever we can," he said, while pointing out that he is cognizant that the cost of living varies across the country.

O'Malley also showed familiarity with how issues are affecting Iowans and praised Johnson County for its efforts to raise the county's minimum wage. He also expressed support for Iowa's renewable energy industry, calling the state a model for how to reach his goal of a 100 percent renewable electric grid by 2050.

http://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/2015/08/30/omalley-brings-policy-specifics-humor-c-event/71277124/