ABC Democratic Debate: Live Coverage

Sanders talked about re-framing drugs, in the context of race and policing, and mentioned marijuana. But a more apt comparison might be the rise of harm-reduction policy when it comes to heroin and opiates, which are affecting white Americans mainly; but there has been a hard sell to treat crack cocaine or other drugs associated with black Americans from a public health perspective. “Addiction is a disease, not a criminal activity,” Sanders said, but how the government chooses to treat and incarcerate is very different based on different drugs.

I’m sure it hasn’t helped O’Malley. But his fundamental problem is that Hillary Clinton is popular across almost every major constituency within the Democratic party — and for the few in which she isn’t, Bernie Sanders is a better fit than O’Malley is.

I think he was going nowhere regardless, but it sure as heck hasn’t helped. That record probably took away any shot of him making any movement in this race. One thing I will say is that O’Malley has tried to become a progressive alternative to Clinton, and his criminal justice record has made that nearly impossible.