Martin O'Malley

What I admire about O'Malley is that he didn't run away. He admitted his mistake and was contrite. And then he stayed for hours talking to people, listening to what they had to say, and shaking hands. He cares about what other people think, and he learns from them. The incident didn't make him angry; it made him more determined than ever to work hard on an interpersonal basis. He is used to facing people who are angry and in pain. As mayor of Baltimore, he experienced and took to heart the pain of many people who lost loved ones to violence in Baltimore. He has referred many times to the family of five that was murdered for reporting a drug deal. He is well acquainted with BLM, since they have protested him in the past. O'Malley has empathy. He carries the pain of many with him. He has made mistakes, and he has had amazing successes as an executive. But he goes on, tries to do better. There was no question in his mind that he had to return to Baltimore when it was hurting. Many pundits said he was finished for returning to Baltimore, for announcing his candidacy in Baltimore. I took it another way. This guy doesn't let up. I don't have a tenth of his character and courage, but I know it when I see it. He doesn't react to anger with anger; he learns from it and grows from it. As Confucius said, the small man blames others when things go wrong. The great man blames himself, examines himself, and changes what he is doing.