Gov. O'Malley at Iowa Dem. Party 2014 Hall of Fame Dinner

please welcome the governor of Maryland and former steak fry speaker Martin o'malley thanks very very much a

thank you back at your thank you thanks very very much said thickly thank you thank you all so

very very much it's %HESITATION a real joy to be with you tonight as we honor a great son of Iowa and

I would be %HESITATION remiss if I didn't think Scott for your leadership this you're right this is one of the strongest party in

the entire country and we cannot govern govern effectively any of us in public office unless

our party is being made stronger every day don't you agree I also want to thank Dave Lopes act for his %HESITATION kind

review of musical talents in good taste and Irish music they've thank you %HESITATION I'm honored to be here to recognize the

most important person in the Iowa events center tonight first elected in nineteen seventy two this

individual embarked upon a lifetime of public service a career said distinguish that it's already in shrines in the Iowa Democratic hall of fame and

I'm referring of course to Ruth arc nnj

sure the good senator it's made a member of this hall of fame that was very big of you senator

I'm reminded of a story that of your former colleague Fritz Hollings used to say that my

wife and I have a lot in common we are both in love with the same man and there are at the at

thirty nine years and a hundred and seventy day %HESITATION it can be said that

senator Harkin is on the list of the longest serving members of the U. S. Congress but

even more important then his length of service I believe is his strength of service a

his understanding that we're all in this together and then in fact we need each other there was a time when we accepted discrimination oftentimes when it happened in plain sight because that's just the way it always been cruelty

and uncaring towards those Americans among us with disabilities the Americans with disabilities act has

his heart his commitment and his strength of service health reform healthcare for all that

would not have happened without his voice and his strength of service and no one in the halls of the United States Congress has fought harder to raise the minimum wage than

Tom Harkin has because whatever the fashion craze about trickle down economics was that %HESITATION peppered

through our country's history in the last thirty years Tom Harkin always understood that the way you grow your economy is to make your middle class stronger that's

a truth that also indoors a great American John Courtney Murray once wrote this democracy

is more than a political experiment it is a spiritual and moral enterprise and that success

depends upon the virtue of the people who undertake it from education to agriculture from