In an interview with NPR’s “Morning Edition,” potential 2016 presidential candidate former Maryland Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley said that Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio’s belief that big government hurts the middle class was “patently bullshit.” (VIDEO:Marco Rubio: Personal Attacks Are ‘So Much More Common On The Left’)
HOST STEVE INNSKEEP: We spoke with Marco Rubio on the day that he announced his candidacy, a Republican of Florida. And he said an interesting thing that a number of other Republicans have said. He argues that an active government actually keeps people frozen at their economic status because if you are well off, if you can afford a lawyer, if you can deal with regulations, you can maneuver through government and stay prosperous. And if you are not so well off, it’s harder to work the system.
Is there some truth to that? You were a big city mayor; you know how government works.
O’MALLEY: No, I don’t think there’s any truth to that.
INNSKEEP: Not any truth to that?
O’MALLEY: No, I don’t think there’s any truth to that.
INNSKEEP: Isn’t it true that corporations, large corporations for example, are able to deal with regulations in a way that small businesses might struggle with?
O’MALLEY: Oh, certainly. I mean, our tax code’s been turned into Swiss cheese. And certainly the concentrated wealth and accumulated power and the systematic deregulation of Wall Street has led to this situation where the economy isn’t working for most of us. All of that is true. But it is not true that regulation holds poor people down or regulation keeps middle class from advancing. That’s kind of patently bullshit.