Both Parties Face an Angry Summer
That's why O'Malley thought it would be more prudent to apologize than try to argue semantics. "That was a mistake on my part, and I meant no disrespect," O'Malley said in an online interview after the event. "I did not mean to be insensitive in any way or communicate that I did not understand the tremendous passion, commitment and feeling and depth of feeling that all of us should be attaching to this issue."
The group later heckled Sen. Bernie Sanders, too. The self-described socialist from Vermont knew better than to dilute the "Black lives matter" slogan in front of this crowd, but also failed to show enough preparation on police issues to satisfy this crowd. Racial issues aren't as big a deal in Vermont, his supporters admit.
Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton suffered through a similar booing fest eight years ago and managed to skip this one.
Clinton faces the same sort of criticisms from her party's angry left wing for being "not liberal enough" that are faced by almost the entire Republican field from their right, currently dominated by Donald Trump.
Fortunately for them, Trump appears to be determined to talk his way out of any chance to win the Grand Old Party's nomination. Apparently miffed that McCain had accused Trump of attacking illegal immigrants to incite the "crazies" in the GOP base, Trump shot back: "He's not a war hero. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured."
Anti-McCain comments like that triggered a backlash from fellow Republicans and may have dampened Trump's ratings in an ABC News/Washington Post taken over the weekend. Although he finished first in the 16-person field with 24 percent, that reflected a drop from 28 percent in the poll's first three nights down to single digits on Sunday, the day after his McCain comments.
That must come as a relief to Republicans in the party's sensible center. That's also probably a disappointment to Democrats. It may take more than troubles in the other party's ranks to make up for the dissatisfaction that's brewing in their own.
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(E-mail Clarence Page at cpage@tribune.com.)
(c) 2015 CLARENCE PAGE DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
