If It's Not Hillary...

++Bill Maher offered Elizabeth Warren $1 million to enter the race. She turned it down. So…

++Check out the video at democratic underground of the Polk Country Democratic Dinner in Iowa. Jim Webb and Governor Martin O'Malley spoke. Webb was succinct and captured the moment. But Martin O'Malley impressed me. It is no wonder Howard Dean expressed his admiration for him. He basically praised President Obama and spoke about strengthening the American Dream. It was populism with the New Democratic technological bent. O'Malley hit all the high notes--from Obamacare, marriage equality, alternative energy,income inequality--and made it uplifting and a picture of optimism to overcome the sagging middle class. 

++I was impressed. He weaved stories about Baltimore holding off the British in the War of 1812, to his parents serving in WWII to the problems of college age children and the poor. He has a gift and no Democrat should be ashamed of him.

++Jim Webb spoke about writing the GI Bill and criminal justice reform.

++Neither man apologized for being Democrats and neither avoided President Obama. O'Malley has a gift for gab. He may be speaking to a small number of Democrats but his speech had a wider reverberation. It was a pleasant change from 2014 Democrats who tried to avoid embracing their own party. 

++The key here is that both men talked about a future and conveyed optimism. O' Malley went after the hate and venom of the Tea Party by invoking our better angels and what values Americans really believed in. He hit the value-theme full on and economic populism. 

++I thought men equipped themselves well and would be viable against the crew the GOP has sent out so far. No Take the country back sentiment in either of them--full speed ahead.

++It's a good sign that the Democratic bench has able people and not just Hillary. Expect to hear more from these two guys.