Don't believe for a moment that Martin O'Malley will seriously challenge Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic nomination for president, says Daniel Henninger, deputy editorial page director of the Wall Street Journal.
"For starters, the former governor of Maryland — whose tenure was so unpopular — raised so many taxes that a Republican succeeded him last November," Henninger said Tuesday on "The Steve Malzberg Show" on
Newsmax TV.
"Hardly a track record to run for the president — maybe a track record given how left wing the [Democratic] party has become."
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Henninger pointed out that because O'Malley was once a "huge friend" of Bill Clinton, the idea that he would challenge the former president's wife "beggars belief."
"He's kind of out there as kind of a rabbit in a mile race. He's just going to go out there and give her the figment of competition," Henninger told Steve Malzberg.
"He'll drop out eventually after making it look as though she's got someone to compete with."
O'Malley plans to announce his presidential intentions on May 30 in Baltimore.
Henninger said he wouldn't be surprised if O'Malley had a cabinet position in "the back of his mind" if Clinton wins the White House.
Henninger also believes the growing crop of declared and undeclared GOP presidential candidates — 19 by one count — is ultimately good for the party, despite the fact it's worrying some Republicans.
"Everyone keeps talking about it and as I've said, the only 19 I can think of is the old Rolling Stones song, here comes your '19th Nervous Breakdown,'" Henninger said.
"They think there's just no way to handle this many Republicans and they think [former Florida Gov.] Jeb Bush turns out to be rustier in politics than they had expected and they're beginning to hit the panic button.
"With the exception of the debate, a lot of that is overblown. It's a surprisingly substantive group. There's a lot of accomplished governors in there – Bobby Jindal, Scott Walker, Chris Christie — and many of them are indeed talking substance and putting in forward plans."
Henninger added that, as chaotic as it seems, Republicans are "probably going to emerge from this with the best candidate" to go up against Hillary Clinton.
Clinton, he said, "essentially has no competition and one does have to wonder how fit she's going to be a year from now....
"Whatever shape Hillary may be in come next year if she and Bill survive for a year, the Democratic Party, the big blue machine, is going to just drive her forward.
"It will be a competitive campaign and the Republicans are going to need the best person they've got. This process, as I say, with perhaps the exception of the debate, ought to produce that."
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