Martin O'Malley

I would trust O'Malley more than the other candidates to lead us out of it. He was pretty good at the helm when Maryland got hit by the last recession.

But this will be a worldwide decline, led by price drops in commodities. We will see lots of contraction and deflation, especially if the Fed raises interest rates.

Scary stuff ahead. We will have to hug the people we love and hold on to the things that count.

Another thing I like about O'Malley, even though it goes against my nature: He is an unflappable optimist. He believes in people.

What a terrific and lovable fool he is.