Blogging Bill

Everybody Wants Bill

2008-02-23T06:38:00.003-08:00

Unsurprisingly, Gov. Bill Richardson is getting lots of calls on behalf of Obama and Clinton these days. I heard him on KUNM not long ago (maybe Super Tuesday night) questioning the importance of endorsements one way or the other. But I think, particularly financially, Richardson did very well among the former candidates and his endorsement, if it yields throwing his former supporters, even a portion of them, toward his endorsee, could be influential. And, certainly, in Texas his support could represent a tipping point for one or the other. Time will tell, I suppose.
(cross-referenced from Julia Goldberg's Blog.

Not an endorsement, my *ss

2008-02-04T09:37:00.000-08:00

The two Bills claim that their Super Bowl party shouldn't be considered an endorsement. But c'mon, this photo from today's New Mexican front page is as good as one, dontcha think?

Slate on Richardson

2008-01-29T10:25:00.000-08:00

Slate's implying that Richardson may come out for Obama, citing quotes from the Washington Post about how Obama saved him during one of the debates. But Slate's talking Secretary of State, not VP.

Bye Bye Bill

2008-01-10T13:23:00.001-08:00

This story appears today on SFR.com

As the crowd chanted, “We love Bill,” the governor of New Mexico entered the Roundhouse, where he will next week oversee the beginning of the ’08 legislative session, and told the supporters and media packing the Rotunda that as of Jan. 10 his presidential campaign has ended and he’s home.
Looking cheerful and cracking jokes, Richardson characterized his year-long campaign as “a remarkable process,” and one, he said, from which he learned “I don’t have all the answers,” prompting laughter from the heavily Democratic audience.
Richardson credited his campaign as having influenced the discourse of the 2008 presidential race, noting that, “A year ago, we were the only major campaign calling for the removal of all of our troops within a year’s time from Iraq. We were the only campaign calling for a complete reform of education in this country…and we were the campaign with the most aggressive clean energy plan and the most ambitious standards for reducing global warming…now all of the remaining candidates are coming to our point of view.”
But Richardson—who has emphasized his dislike for personal attacks among candidates—also paid due to the other past and present Democrat contenders, singling each out with words of praise. He noted John Edwards as a “singular voice for the most downtrodden and forgotten among us,” Illinois Sen. Barack Obama as “a bright light of hope and optimism” and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton as someone whose “poise in the face of adversity is matched only by her lifetime of achievement and deep understanding of the challenges we face.”
Richardson said he would not be endorsing any of the remaining candidates, but urged those who had supported him “to take a long and thoughtful look at the remaining Democrats. They are all strong contenders who each, in their own way, would bring desperately needed change to our country.”
Richardson said that with the end of his presidential run, he plans to continue his international missions, ride his horse and work for the election of New Mexico Congressman Tom Udall, who is running for the US Senate seat to replace Pete Domenici. Udall, who introduced Richardson, gave the governor props for running the most “substantive” campaign and told him, and the crowd: “You worked the hardest Gov. Richardson.”
Richardson’s announcement follows lackluster showings in the Iowa and New Hampshire caucuses, where he garnered 2 and 5 percent, respectively. He did not take questions from the media following the press conference, and did not speak to the ongoing question of whether he hopes to secure either a slot as a Vice Presidential running mate for whomever wins the Dem nomination or, as is often mentioned, an appointment as Secretary of State. Although Richardson has dropped out of the race, he will still be listed as a candidate for New Mexico’s Feb. 5 Democratic caucus, which is part of the so-called Super Tuesday races.
Richardson did acknowledge the next legislative session, which begins Jan. 15, and his universal health-care proposal, which he has made his top priority.
In addition to thanking his wife, Barbara Richardson, staff and supporters, Richardson ended his speech by calling himself “the luckiest man I know.”
“I am married to my high school sweetheart. I live in a place called the Land of Enchantment. I have the best job in the world. And I just got to run for president of the Untied States.”
And to legislators and citizens, he said he had a message: “I am back.”

bye bye bill

2008-01-10T09:41:00.001-08:00

Cribbed from my blog.

The general consensus in the blogosphere about Bill Richardson's decision to drop out of the race (still unconfirmed by the man himself, which is ridiculous).

1. Richardson wouldn't turn down an SOS or VP job (obviously and, for what it's worth, I've had more than two people tell me that Richardson has told them that directly).
Again, it's irritating to me that he denies all along that he's interested in that but, then, everyone knows he is. And it will be spun around as, "well he wasn't interested in it when he was running for president, but now that he's not, blah blah blah." Isn't there a fine line between political semantics and being full of shit? And shouldn't one just try to stay away from that line if they are running for office in a year in which people are decidedly unequivocally sick of politicians being full of shit? I'm just saying.
2. The guv may find the Legislature harder to control than when he left. If so, something tells me bullying the Legislature into line may be just the post-presidential-partum-pick-me-up old Bill needs.
3. Some feel the guv may support one of the remaining candidates, aka Hillary for the Feb. 5 ballot. Others believe he's screwed up too badly with the Clintons to do so. Some think he may still try to win on the NM Feb. 5 ballot (on which he will remain) to try to control ballots at the Convention. Others say this is too risky and will piss people off. I predict he will not, certainly, publicly endorse anyone, but everyone will know that he's encouraging people to vote for someone but then when you ask him or his staff they will deny it and say no comment. Even though everyone knows it's true. My money's on Obama at the moment. I mean, my imaginary money.
4. Some wonder if Bill will now run for Domenici's seat for US Senate. Others say there's no way he will do that because Tom Udall is running and Tom's daughter, Amanda, is a heavyweight on Bill's campaign (a heavyweight who doesn't return phone calls, I might add) and there's no way Tom would have run if Bill was going to. I believe that is true, although I doubt it would stop him if Richardson really wanted to be in the US Senate. Which I assume he won't if he can be the SOS or the VP. If those are out of reach, then who knows.
5. Some say Bill will be remembered for trying, others say he will be remembered for failing. Some say he ran a good campaign, others say it wasn't good enough. He had clever ads, was a sucky debater, made some really stupid comments, although I thought his last few public appearances were a lot better. He touted his resume early and then the campaign turned into one in which change and youth were valued over experience. But I personally salute him for a comment he made during one of the post-Iowa debates, when he was asked if he thought youth was a detriment for a presidential candidate. Despite his emphasis on his experience, Richardson said very clearly that he did not think youth was a detriment and he spoke about the fact that JFK was a political hero of his, and that his youth and energy inspired a nation. I thought, at the time, that it was a generous and honest comment. I believe he really felt that, and that he can recognize that ain't no JFK. Although, now that I think about it, I suppose it might have been a comment calculated to gain points with Obama. Or, perhaps, it was a lucky truth. I find it really obvious when Richardson is being himself versus when he's trying to be something he's not, and that moment struck me as very much of the former ilk.
What a year it's going to be.

p.s.: Read Joe and Heath for more, if you haven't already.

DailyKos calls for Richardson to drop out.

2008-01-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

Even Wolf Blitzer called Richardson's 5 percent in New Hampshire, "very, very disappointing." The word is Richardson is heading back to New Mexico (if he isn't here already) to consider his game plan. Should he stay until Super Duper Tuesday, should he go back to governing? Personally, I'd like to see him stay until February, if only because I'm envious of the Republican's wide-open two-dozen-candidate race.

Sara Padilla, a NM resident and blogger, disagrees. On today's Dailykos.com, Padilla respectfullybegs Richardson to drop out and drop out now.

Padilla writes:

"I can't help but wonder, if you threw your weight behind someone with a stronger candidacy going into the the next few weeks, if you might not have a stronger impact on the direction this country is headed. As one of your constituents, I look forward to seeing your continued career in American government. I believe that you still have great things ahead of you, and will continue to be a credit to our state. This year, though, we need you to take one for the team."

You Tube Dump

2008-01-08T12:52:00.001-08:00

Punchline: From last night's return of the Colbert Report

MIA: Richardson stands up voters

Seeing Red: Profile of Richardson's spooky ginger intern

Take a bow (out): Admiral Duke asks Bill to come home.

did bill help barack?

2008-01-04T14:23:00.000-08:00

That's the question The New York Times is asking r.e. the Iowa caucus.

The 2 percent solution

2008-01-04T08:40:00.000-08:00

Ah, Bill, isn't it time to drop out? I mean, you're not going to win and, last we checked, isn't there a legislative session starting here soon that could maybe use a governor?
Also, let's face it, Obama got it going on.

Politics vs. Policy in Bill's Second Choice

2008-01-03T09:35:00.000-08:00

In the last post, we speculated on who Bill would choose as his second choice. According to most of the online questionnaires, Clinton was the closest in agenda. And yet! The Iowa Independent is reporting that Bill's endorsed Obama as the go-to guy for his supporters if Bill can't get the required 15 percent to stay in the game.

What's the strategy here? Help Obama win and therefore kill Hill's momentum? Then, Bill could scrape up her supporters?

Or, are the lesser surveys just more accurate than USA Today and ABC?

There's Something About Bill: Survey Says

2008-01-02T13:26:00.000-08:00

A version of this article appeared in this week's Santa Fe Reporter.

By Dave Maass
davem@sfreporter.com

Come primary night in Iowa, if a Democratic caucus-goer's candidate doesn'tlook like he or she will make the 15 percent threshold to stay in the game, the voter can switch affiliation.

Bill Richardson is still polling in the single digits in Iowa, and as the days count down to hours, he may have to consider nudging his supporters to back the candidate with the closest platform.

Several Web sites have simplified the selection process to an easy survey; answer the policy questions and the sites generate the most similar candidate. SFR plugged Bill's policies into the top quizzes to determine his best second choices.

ABC News' Match-o-Matic
(www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/)

This 11-question survey by ABC and USA Today focuses primarily on the issues of the Iraq war, immigration and health care. The survey says his second best match is Hillary Clinton, while Joseph Biden came in a close third.

USA Today's Candidate Match Game
(www.usatoday.com/news/politics/)

Although this quiz' questions are identical to ABC's, it's far more interactive and produces different answers. The results show Hillary Clinton is his second choice, and John Edwards is his third.

Minnesota Public Radio's Select a Candidate
(minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/ongoing/select_a_candidate/)
MPR's site generates candidate matches with a 15-point questionnaire. Bill's second choice slot here is a three-way tie between Joseph Biden, John Edwards and Barack Obama. Each agrees with Bill on 75 percent of the issues.

Glassbooth Election 2008
(www.glassbooth.org)
Founded by Rock the Vote and OnTheIssues
.org, the site allows the user to assign 20 points of "weight" to 13 issues, followed by a 20-question survey. Hillary Clinton again is Bill's second choice with an 80 percent position similarity. Mike Gravel comes in third with 79 percent.

VA Joe's Candidate Calculator
(www.vajoe.com/candidate_calculator.html)
More than 1.5 million people have used this fairly vague questionnaire. Like the results from MPR's game, Bill's second choice is a three-way tie between Joseph Biden, John Edwards and Barack Obama, all of whom agree with him 87.5 percent of the time.

Go To Quiz' Pick Your 2008 Candidate
(www.gotoquiz.com/candidates/2008-quiz.html)

At GoToQuiz.com, users can create quizzes like "How Pittsburgh are you?" and "Am I a lesbian?" Bill's results have Barack Obama and Chris Dodd tying for second with 85 percent agreement on issues ranging from the death penalty to Darfur.

Last Minute Attacks on Richardson?

2007-12-31T15:07:00.000-08:00

Yeah... but really low budget ones.

Radiation Billness

2007-12-18T09:36:00.000-08:00

SFR contributor and blogger Laura Paskus has a critical analysis of Bill Richardson's energy policy, among other things, in this month's issue of The Progressive. It's definitely worth reading, especially if, for a second, you thought that Richardson's policies would stand up to the scrutiny the media aims at first tier candidates.

¡Yo Quiero Taco Bill!

2007-12-12T08:51:00.000-08:00

A version of this story appeared in the Santa Fe Reporter.

By Dave Maass
davem@sfreporter.com

This month, Republican Mike Huckabee pushed into the near-lead slot in Iowa thanks to a roundhouse endorsement from Chuck Norris.

Like Huckabee, Bill Richardson is also an ambitious candidate with gubernatorial experience. Yet, none of his celebrity endorsements—not even Martin “I played a President on TV” Sheen—have budged him from his second-tier status. But maybe Richardson can finally score an “Early Four” state now that Carlos Alazraqui, the voice of the Taco Bell Chihuahua, is stumping and stand-upping for him in Nevada.

SFR asked Alazraqui, who also plays Deputy James Garcia on the Comedy Central show Reno 911!, how he’s helping the cause:

SFR: How does a Richardson campaign joke go?
CA: I don’t do jokes about his campaign. I talk about what we have in office, about how it’s hard for me to trust a president who I believe has to study from cue cards every morning. [Bush impression]. Workin’ hard. Doin’ a good job. Makin’ progress. Stay the course.

You’re also the voice of the Taco Bell Chihuahua. That’s an iconic role.
It was at the forefront for three years, from ’97 to 2000. People still remember it nostalgically. It’s very bizarre to be part of the American zeitgeist both as a talking Chihuahua and a racist sheriff.

Do you feel being a celebrity has an impact?
Maybe I’m not as big as Oprah. I mean, I’m a basic cable comedy actor, but, you know, why not? They feel like they know us, so maybe in that sense we have the power at least to get them to go and vote for any of the candidates on either side.

Would you like to see Bill as vice president if he doesn’t win the primary?
Whatever position of the Cabinetry he can get would be fantastic. He brings a lot of experience. Maybe he’s saying that [he wouldn’t accept the post] at this point in time because he’s still in the race. To say that would sort of admit defeat. I think he will accept some sort of position if he’s not elected via the primaries.

Could you endorse Bill with the Chihuahua voice?
Yeah!

Man with a plan :: Cindy Sheehan likes Bill Richardson on Iraq—if only he’d call her.

2007-12-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

A version of this story originally appeared in the Santa Fe Reporter.

By Dave Maass
davem@sfreporter.com

In a field of Democratic presidential contenders putting forth vague timelines for troop withdrawal from Iraq, one candidate’s plan sticks out for Cindy Sheehan.

The outspoken and controversial “Gold Star Mom,” whose son, Spc. Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq, led the anti-war charge in 2006, only to face disappointment when the new Democratic-controlled Congress failed to pass a veto-proof withdrawal timeline in 2007. Sheehan is now challenging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

And she’s also identified Gov. Bill Richardson’s promise to withdraw all troops from Iraq within the first three months of his presidential term as “the way to go.”

Sheehan tells SFR she won’t be making an endorsement for the Democratic primaries, and will instead likely back US Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., if she wins the Green Party’s presidential nomination. In the Democratic field, however, Sheehan says she’s leaning toward US Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, even though “Kucinich isn’t as strong on immediate and total withdrawal as Richardson.”

That may only be because Richardson is one of the few Democratic candidates who hasn’t met with her, Sheehan says, and he’s not putting much effort into California.

“People are thinking, ‘Well, any Democrat would be better than George Bush,’ even though Hillary and Obama and Edwards haven’t said they would advocate for an immediate withdrawal of our troops from the Middle East,” Sheehan says. “I think that is very naïve and not very wise. If they really wanted the occupation to end, they would be working for the bottom-tier candidates like Richardson, Kucinich and [Mike] Gravel.”

But national priorities are changing, Cook Political Report’s senior editor, Jennifer Duffy, tells SFR. Health care, the housing crisis and the swinging stock markets are propelling “the economy” into the top concern slot, trumping Iraq, in voters’ minds, Duffy says. Plus, Iraq has quieted down in the last few months.

“I think that people realize you can’t wave a magic wand and end this,” Duffy says. “I also think that the news out of Iraq is not as awful as it was for a time. To me, this whole thing is just encapsulated in an ad that Hillary put up in Iowa yesterday. She goes through all her issues and then goes, ‘Yeah, and we’ll get out of Iraq.’ It’s sort of like a big postscript for her.”

Richardson’s Iraq plan tops his pitch list. Recently, he even launched separate campaign Web sites dedicated to the issue, including GetOurTroopsOut.com and 2013isTooLate.com, a poke at Clinton and Obama’s refusal to promise an end to the occupation by the end of the first presidential term.

Richardson’s position has yet to propel him above fourth place in the polls, and Duffy suggests that if Richardson did move up in the polls, his Iraq policy wouldn’t withstand scrutiny.

In fact, in his 2005 memoir, Between Worlds, Richardson admits to getting both the first and second Iraq wars wrong.

Regarding the second war, Richardson takes a position nearly identical to John Edwards.’

“Had I known then what I know now, I would not have supported the president’s decision to go to war,” Richardson writes.

While perhaps this doesn’t count as a flip-flop (maybe just a “flip,” Duffy says), Richardson’s reversal does further obfuscate the options anti-war voters will have to choose from.

“I think it’s extremely muddied as far as the candidates and their views on the war, and definitely between what they say and how they vote,” Toby Hartbargar, Iraq Veterans for Peace member and administrative employee, tells SFR. “I’m extremely pessimistic about the outcome of the election. Whether it’s a Democrat or a Republican, either way, looking at the frontrunners right now, it’s fairly depressing.”

However unlikely, a Sheehan endorsement may clear it up a bit, Duffy says, but perhaps not in a way that would help Richardson.

“I think [Sheehan] suffers from a little overexposure,” Duffy says. “I don’t think that her endorsement would carry enormous weight, but it would come with all the negatives. If somebody was on the fence between Richardson and, say, Clinton, it could push them one way or another. She’s just a become a very polarizing figure.”

Two kids in a dorm room

2007-12-10T11:25:00.000-08:00

The brand new video blog, The Richardson Campus , from two Stanford students (a freshman and a masters candidate), dissects Bill's Sudan policy.

The kid with the fluffy hair really ought to read more SFR.

Bill’s ABCs

2007-12-05T09:46:00.000-08:00

A version of this article appeared in this week's Santa Fe Reporter.

By David Alire Garcia

As he struggles to claw his way up from a distant fourth place among likely Iowa caucus-goers, Gov. Bill Richardson has a new TV ad airing in the Hawkeye state. It aims to teach viewers some basic math: Richardson + the Oval Office = pure educational bliss.

The ad rehashes some of the same footage from Richardson ads that ran in New Mexico during the guv’s ’06 re-election romp, while an authority-soaked male voice-over reviews the guv’s ’08 education promises: Scrap the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act; set a national minimum teacher wage; universal pre-K and new math and science academies across the country.

Entitled “Bold Plan,” the ad ends with this line: “See what he did for New Mexico schools. He can do that for America.”

A Richardson-affiliated Web site dedicated to the guv’s record on education—www.risingschools.com—ticks off all the noteworthy things he’s done for the state’s schools. The bullet points run the gamut from boosting teacher salaries to increasing accountability to removing junk food from school campuses.

A campaign statement accompanying the release of the ad notes that “New Mexico ranked second in the country in education reform by the Fordham Foundation.”

A trip to the Thomas B Fordham Foundation Web site confirms the 2nd place ranking on reform, but the Richardson campaign left out a couple of other findings. The same study concludes that the state ranks 32nd for student achievement and has made only “minimal progress” for poor and minority students.

Scott Darnell, communications director for the Republican Party of New Mexico, piles on predictably—but accurately—with the following additions: Only 58 percent of the state’s public schools made adequate yearly progress under NCLB, and Richardson’s own Public Education Department reports a decline in the number of schools that met student academic performance standards from 2005 to 2006.

“If Richardson plans to do for the nation what he has done for education in New Mexico, we can expect nothing more than more of the same,” Darnell says. “The New Mexico education system should not be held up as the ideal standard.”

First Name Recognition

2007-12-03T08:23:00.000-08:00

Today Arianna Huffington's blog sports this headline:

Will Hill Kill Bill for Lying About Iraq?

Since we playfully refer to the Governor by his first name, that's who I initially thought she was talking about, especially since Richardson's Iraq exit strategy's been taking a lot of heat for being a bit on the impractical side.

Turns out, though, that Arianna's talking about Hill's husband for claiming he'd always been against the war, even though his record indicates otherwise.

I can't help but wonder if Bill's fourth-place polling is any kind of reflection of the fact that he's not the most prominent "Bill" touring the campaign circuit. Maybe he should change his name to Guillermo.

There's Something About Bill: Political Canvases

2007-11-28T09:59:00.001-08:00

A version of this story appeared in the Santa Fe Reporter.

There's Something About Bill: Political Canvases
NM artists brush up on Bill’s campaign.
By Dave Maass

Question: Can 65 local artists be wrong about Bill?

Answer: Not if they haven’t really made a decision yet.

Bill’s campaign is throwing an art show on Nov. 29 at the Hilton Santa Fe, called—for lack of a better name—“The Great Art Event.” Tickets are $250 for two, and approximately 100 patrons will be guaranteed a random piece of art donated by 65 local artists. The gala will likely be a who’s who of the local art scene, including First Lady Barbara Richardson, who will be on hand to dole out the prizes personally.

Calculated out, the event should raise at least $12,500 for Bill’s campaign. That really isn’t a whole lot, considering that, with the $2,300 maximum contribution limit, he could raise just as much chatting up half a dozen wealthy retirees.

In the end, it looks as if it’s the art patrons who will be coming out on top. At $125 a pop, they’ll be getting a steal depending on whose art they win. For example, photographer Cathy Maier Callanan estimates her three donated works—including a portrait of the late local eccentric and artist Tommy Macione—are worth approximately $1,000 on the open art market.

For the artists, donating work seems to be less an endorsement and more a thank you to the Richardsons, particularly Barbara, for supporting the arts. Michael Namingha, for example, who’s donating a 9-by-11 inkjet print of his word-art, says he hasn’t picked a candidate yet. However, Richardson is a friend of his father’s, Dan Namingha, who also is contributing art to the cause.

Perhaps, pro-Bill artists aren’t unlike other pro-Bill fence sitters: They tend to like Bill, but they’re not willing to commit to him unless he can prove he’s a viable candidate. Considering that Bill’s narrowed the gap between himself and John Edwards in New Hampshire to within a point, that may not be too far off.

Criticism for Bill

2007-11-23T12:04:00.000-08:00

The opposing perspective on Richardson's LV debate performance:

Praise for Bill

2007-11-21T15:40:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting take on why Richardson is making a difference in the presidential race even if he isn't leading the pack quite yet. It's a column by Ruben Navarrette Jr. that praises Big Bill for showing a little political courage during the Nov. 15 Las Vegas CNN debate. Combined with fellow Washington Post Writers Group columnist David Broder's (mostly) kind words about Big Bill offering substance over slogans - during the same debate - at least our home state guv is still turning some influential heads.

Stuck in Iowa

2007-11-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

The Washington Post and ABC News published a poll of likely Iowa caucus-goers today and the results are nothing short of dismal for our home state guv. Overall Richardson is mired in 4th place in just about every category, and even the spinnable silver linings can easily be spun right back to argue that Richardson is hurting big time with only seven weeks to go.

The poll will probably be best remembered for revealing that Barack Obama has edged past Hillary Clinton in the minds of the voters who will set the tone for the remainder of the Democratic contest. But for La Politica junkies here in NM (as blogger Joe Monahan fondly refers to us)_it just might also mark Richardson’s sinking prospects to be prez.

The Post-ABC News poll pegs Richardson’s support at 11 percent, virtually unchanged since July despite lots of TV ads and plenty of visits to the Hawkeye state. He needs to double his support if he hopes to exceed expectations and scoot past John Edwards.. and give his campaign any semblance of a “win” in Iowa.

Big Bill is locked in 4th place as the voters’ preferred 2nd choice (which is very important given the way the Iowa caucus is organized), and he’s also 4th best as the candidate who… “best understands the problems of people like you,” is “most honest and trustworthy,” has the “best chance of getting elected,” and can handle the economy, health care, social security, Iraq and Iran.

And on most of these questions the guv is a distant 4th.

On the bright side, Richardson scored an impressive sounding 1st place showing among Dems who say that immigration is their most important issue. Sadly for Bill, only 2 percent of likely Iowa caucus-goers say immigration is the most important issue.

According to the poll, Richardson is actually tied for 2nd place (behind Clinton) with 16 percent of Dems saying he has the “best experience” to be president. That also sounds good until you see that despite that glittering resume we’ve all heard so much about, he’s tied with none other than one-term former Sen. Edwards.

Maybe worst of all, only 2 percent of those hyper engaged Iowa Dems say Richardson has campaigned the hardest in Iowa. So contrary to his reputation in these parts, apparently our guy is lazy too.

Another Nom.

2007-11-15T13:28:00.000-08:00

Oh my. I'm so surprised. Bill's been nominated again for the Nobel Peace Prize. From AP:

Democratic Rep. Bart Gordon of Tennessee said he has sent a nomination packet to the Nobel Committee in honor of Richardson's diplomatic efforts with countries such as Sudan and North Korea.

"He's well-deserving," said Gordon, who got to know Richardson when they served in Congress together. "It's just a continuation of his willingness to continue to go around the world, whether it's a matter of hostages or other tense situations, and work with all parties."

Before you get all braggy about our governor, read David Alire Garcia's investigation into Bill's previous nominations.

There's Something About Bill :: Richie Rich

2007-11-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

A version of this story appeared in this week's Santa Fe Reporter.

SFR's Tips for Cashing in On Bill
By Dave Maass
davem@sfreporter.com

n a market economy, it’s said, consumers vote with their dollars. Since 2000, that concept has become a literal political phenomenon at Intrade.com’s “prediction market.” The Dublin-based Web site allows politicos to put their money where their savvy is through a stock-market-style gambling system.

Intrade.com users choose from a list of possible political events that will have a definitive yes-no outcome, such as Hillary Clinton winning the 2008 general election. Intrade.com uses the term “contract,” but for all practical purposes, Web site subscribers are trading stock in the outcome.

And like the stock market, demand raises a contract’s value, while liquidation sends it slumping. Contract values are measured in points, each worth 10 cents.

Here are SFR’s tips for banking on Richardson:

Bill to win the Democratic nomination
Bill’s chances of winning are at an ultralow at 0.8 points. He’s in fifth place behind Hillary Clinton (70.5), Barack Obama (14.4), Al Gore (6.7) and John Edwards (5.2). In fact, investors predict there’s a doubly better chance that Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice will join the race and win the Republican nomination. Yet, Bill is playing to win in the early primary states and running a strong ad campaign. Bill’s a long shot, but the cheap contracts could turn a huge profit if Bill makes last minute gains.

Bill to be tapped for the vice presidential nomination
Bill’s still in the top tier of potential vice presidential candidates with a contract rated at 16 points and rising—perhaps in reaction to Bill’s defense of Hillary during the last debate. Bill’s contract is tied with that of US Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., who, as Hillary’s national committee co-chairman, is widely speculated to be her first pick. Barack is currently the best rated at 21.5 points. However, as a byproduct of the widening Hillary-Barack rift, Bill’s contracts could rise slightly in value.

Bill to drop out by Dec. 31, 2007
General speculation that Bill would make a run for the seat of US Sen. Pete Domenici, R-NM, has the governor currently ranked the fourth best bet in both parties for bowing out. But since US Rep. Tom Udall, D-NM, has announced his Senate candidacy, SFR predicts that Bill’s even less likely to make the switch. Instead, SFR recommends investing immediately in “Democrat to win the NM Senate,” currently trading at 44 points.

Bill to win NM Presidential Primary
While this contract isn’t available yet, Intrade
.com spokesman John Delaney says it will soon be offered on the site. SFR’s recommendation: Buy fast, buy in bulk and sell when it tops 90.

What the?

2007-11-13T14:34:00.000-08:00

Bill's got a new website. That's in addition to his gubernatorial site, his campaign site, and his Get Our Troops Out site-- Oh wait. GetourTroopsOut.com now forwards to his new site, 2013istoolate.com.

That's really too bad. Get Our Troops Out was a neat site with a positive message about Richardson's plan. The new one is just a pot shot at Obama and Hillary. Howevs, the prediction of cost, casualties and deaths is pretty cool and well cited.

I see London, I see France ...

2007-11-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

Blogger Chuck Offenburger of Offenburger.com has some, er, interesting commentary on Bill's appearance this Sunday at the Greene County Courthouse in Iowa:

He gave a tremendous 45-minute speech, but the more he started lifting his arms, putting his hands behind his head and sticking his hands in his jeans’ front pockets, well, those of us on the east side of the front few rows couldn’t help but notice that the zipper on the fly of those jeans was creeping downward.

My wife Carla Offenburger, who is very good at spotting flaws in men, if you know what I mean, turned to me and whispered, “I think you should be telling him that he needs to zip up his pants!” I had a two-word answer: “Not me.”

Richardson started taking questions from the audience, became even more animated and soon that zipper had slipped down a good four or five inches. Then we could see white underpants – thank God.

And that's only the beginning ... read the rest here.

There's Something About Bill: Grin & Bear It

2007-10-31T12:30:00.000-07:00

A version of this story appeared in the Santa Fe Reporter.

There's Something About Bill: Grin & Bear It Can Richardson bite back at Colbert?
By Dave Maass
davem@sfreporter.com

With a tip of the hat, a wag of the finger, satirist Stephen Colbert threw his, er, tie into the South Carolina presidential primary. You could almost hear the sighs from the Federal Election Commission attorneys dreading the possibility of a televised McCain-Feingold Act prosecution. The Colbert Report host isshooting for slots on both the Democratic and Republican primary ballots, and he’s already climbing in the polls.

He’s jumped from 0 percent to 2.3 percent, according to a national poll of 1,000 voters conducted last week by Public Opinion Strategies. This means Colbert has edged out Bill Richardson by 0.2 percent.

Unlike presidential candidates Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul, Bill has yet to submit to a Colbert interview (though he did plug his book once on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart). When Huckabee appeared, he begged Colbert to join him as a running mate.

“This is nothing more than a gimmick for Stephen Colbert to sell his book, and the media is playing right along,” Richardson spokesman Tom Reynolds told the Albuquerque Journal. “We enjoy his show—but this is a serious election with serious consequences—and we are not going to comment on this ridiculous exercise.”

That’s pretty weak. SFR has a suggestion. If Bill wants to chase Colbert out of the race, he needs to remember one word:

Bears.

Brown bears, black bears, grizzly bears: Colbert fears them. Most weeks, bears top his Threatdown list. That’s how Bill can bite back. After all, he’s known for his bear hugs and he manages a state where, this year alone, one bear wandered into hospital in Rio Rancho and another bit a 13-year-old at Sugarite Canyon State Park.

Here’s the truthiness on Bill’s bear record:

• Bill officially declared this year’s Super Bowl Sunday, “Brian Urlacher Day,” in honor of the Farmington-born linebacker for the Chicago Bears.

• In March 2007, the “Out in Hollywood” blogger for the Los Angeles Daily News referred to Bill as “a big bear of a man.” Even his initials invoke the name of the beast.

• Bill’s CafePress store sells little white teddy bears wearing red ribbons and three different Richardson slogans for $14.45.

• Bill’s campaign contributors include employees of “Big Bear Construction,” “Bears Bilingual Mobile Services,” and investing giant “Bear Stearns,” for whom he delivered an energy speech in March.

Peace Prize Envy

2007-10-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

This was a political cartoon waiting to happen:

Click to enlarge.

Now read David Alire Garcia's research on Bill's "nominations."

Just a couple decent links

2007-10-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

Nothing to thoughtful this Sunday morning. I could blog on Richardson's semi-promise to look into the Roswell UFO crashes, but it's already been blogged to death.

Instead, I'll provide you with two of SFR's secret links:

1) Conservative strategist Patrick Ruffini's Richardson wire.

2) Time magazine's ranking of presidential candidate gaffes. Richardson actually does pretty well in contrast to the Republicans.

There's Something About Bill :: Political Animals

2007-10-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

A version of this piece appeared in this week's Santa Fe Reporter.

If dogs could vote, they might pick Bill.
By Dave Maass
davem@sfreporter.com

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney lost the dog-lover vote back in June, when The Boston Globe reported that he’d once tied his dog’s kennel to the roof of his station wagon for a 12-hour cross-country trip. The Irish setter reportedly wet itself on the journey.

Creatures can’t vote and, as nonprofit organizations, neither People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals nor Animal Protection of New Mexico may endorse a presidential candidate. However, the Humane Society Legislative Fund can, and so far, they’re pleased with Bill.

“We don’t expect orthodoxy and we don’t expect people to be aligned with us in every aspect,” the Fund’s president, Michael Markarian, says. "But we do look at the signals, what people have done with public policy and in their personal lives to help tell the story about their commitment to animal welfare. "

Here are the highlights of Bill’s animal rights narrative:

February 2005: Bill signs an executive order creating a Rodeo Council, citing the sport’s economic impact and “deep culture roots.” The next year, Bill approves $250,000 in rodeo facility improvements and $300,000 in scholarships to attract rodeo students to New Mexico colleges.

September 2005: Bill downs an oryx (see photo, right) with a single shot from 100 yards at Ted Turner’s ranch, according to a June 2007 Washington Post article. Bill has the antelope head mounted on a wall at the governor’s mansion beside a pair of elk horns and a stuffed wild turkey. Bill tells the Post he prefers shooting doves.

December 2006: Bill releases a $3.6 million “Animal Protection Plan,” a 10-point agenda including a $150,000 allocation to create an Animal Welfare Oversight Board and $2 million to improve animal shelters.

March 2007: Bill pushes to ban cockfighting in New Mexico. The Legislature passes it during the 2007 session, and Bill signs it into law. It’s a bit late: State Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, D-Doña Ana, had been introducing ban bills for 18 years, and New Mexico is the 49th state to pass the prohibition.

July 2007: Animal Protection of New Mexico honors Bill with its Executive Director’s Milagro Award for government-level animal advocacy.

October 2007: Bill declares Oct. 15-19 “Wolf Awareness Week.” In a press release, Bill says he believes, “as keystone predators, wolves play a critical role in maintaining balanced ecosystems.” The Center for Biological Diversity wags its tail.

Lucky Bill

2007-10-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

Rather than post a link to any number of stories laughing at Bill for getting beat by Stephen Colbert in the South Carolina polls, I'll balance out Julia's last post with this:

This is Rebecca Lavoie. She blogs at Grassroots & Granite, which is based out of the Merrimack Restaurant, an iconic political trough in New Hampshire. In a recent post, Lavoie admits, to her own full-blushed horror, that she had unintentionally hit on Bill during a seven-minute interview.

She writes: "Yup, with a few inappropriate words, I’ve turned the smartest guy in politics in to a guy that sounds like he’s giving the not-so-cute girl at a bar the brush off."

Read the rest here.

poor Bill

2007-10-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

The Houston Press offers up its take on what automobile is each presidential candidate. Bill is depicted (it's a slideshow) in some kind of glass helicopter, and the HP notes: Bill Richardson: Who? Oh, yeah. The guy who’s not named Clinton, Obama or Edwards. Sometimes we even wonder if he’s there. And don’t get us started on how you use the bathroom in that thing.
Ouch.

From guffaws to tears

2007-10-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

OK, so Bill's made a huge 180 degree turn in his campaign commercial style. You gotta give him credit: he's had the best television spots of the campaign so far. And the latest one turns the wind-taking "I approved this message" disclosure on its head.

Compare the "job interviews" (top) to his latest ad:

Bill :: Easiest to stomach?

2007-10-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday to Bill! A poll released by Zogby International today shows that our Governor is the least universally detested of all the presidential candidates from both parties.

The question posed to 9,718 likely voters was, "Whom would you NEVER vote for for President of the U.S.?" Bill's at the very bottom, with only 34 percent saying they'd never vote for him.

With the exception of Hillary, all the Democratic first and second tier candidates made it to the bottom half of the spectrum. You'll notice, though, that Mike Huckabee is just one percentage point away from Richardson in undetestability.

Now, that would be an interesting general election, indeed. And we might see it happen, in a matter of sorts: both candidates highly favored on their respective parties' potential running-mate list.

View to a Kill

2007-10-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

All of Bill Richardson's efforts to reach out to women (no pun intended...well, maybe a little bit) apparently paid off with some significant name-dropping earlier this week. No, I'm not talking about the Women for Richardson movement, nor the campaign's "strong presence" (according to BR4P HQ) at the DNC Women's Leadership Forum in DC this week. I'm talking about The View, ABC's popular midday cluckfest.

According to a reliable source (okay, my wife) Big Bill received a largely favorable response from the gals when his name came up on the show. That is, if the former host of Hollywood Squares (Whoopi) saying something like "he seems like an honest man" can be considered a favorable response. And while Richardson took a little hot-flashing heat for his fumbled choice-or-genetics response to the origins of homosexuality, the loquacious ladies ultimately gave Bill a thumb's up for admitting/correcting his error. Now the BR4P campaign can only hope that Rachael Ray does a show on green chile and sopapillas.

Anticlimactic Bill headline of the week.

2007-10-19T11:38:00.001-07:00

Here is today's Sioux City Journal headline:

Richardson has plan to find bin Laden

Ohhhkay? Let's have it. Carpet bomb Kumrat Valley? Assassinate a fake Osama so he'll come out of hiding? Send grenade-strapped badgers into every cave in Tora Bora? What's this great plan to find the world's best hidden terrorist?

"I will build an international coalition to find bin Laden, to eradicate al Qaeda."

You know what that sounds like? This:

If we get all the people of the world together, we should be able to find him, right? I mean, it's a small world, after all...

4:30pm Update :: Hold the phone! I found lil' Osama, thanks to the help of a small-world coalition!

bill's bucks

2007-10-18T14:38:00.000-07:00

The New Mex, via AP, recently reported on Bill's campaign contributions from state employees. You can look at a whole lot of other info about Bill's bucks courtesy Open Secrets' campaign contributions information. Also fun to do a donor search.

And be sure to check out Salon's roundup of "All the Candidates' Books", which looks at, yes, all the books written by presidential candidates. (Kind of makes the aspiration to write a book seem less, um, aspirant).

They take an early look at Big Bill's next release, Leading by Example (due out Oct. 26) and conclude: "In short, the perfect candidate is back on paper, but perhaps that's where he belongs." Ouch.

Bill Flintstone?

2007-10-18T09:57:00.001-07:00

The political animators at Step On Me '08 this weekend aimed their MS Paint (or whatever low-budj software they use) at Gov. Bill Richardson's campaign. It's a cheap shot, focusing solely on his Spaceport program with Richard Branson. It's awfully unfunny, but it's good to see someone other than Stephen Colbert going to the effort of satire these days. That said, the voice impression is pretty good - somewhere between Bill and Michael Moore.

You can vote on which easier targer Step On Me should parody next: Rudy, Mitt or Fred.

Very Odd Appointment

2007-10-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

Bill Richardson has appointed Charles W. Daniels, a criminal defense attorney, to fill the late Pam Minzer's seat on the NM Supreme Court. As SFR reported before, Daniels was one of two Supreme Court candidates who had donated the maximum to Bill's presidential campaign. The other was Appellate Court Judge Michael E. Vigil. The difference between the two? For one: Daniels is a loyal, contributing Democrat (as is his wife Randi McGinn, who also gave $2300 to Bill's campaign, before giving $2300 to John Edwards). Meanwhile, Vigil's a loyal, contributing Republican.

For two, Vigil has a drunk-driving record. Daniels has a great ol' white beard.

But there's something else strange about the appointment. Bill's notoriously pro-death penalty, and Charles is notoriously anti-death penalty.

Of course, if you ask Bill, the appointment had nothing to do with money, but instead ...

“Charles Daniels exemplifies the qualities necessary to serve on New Mexico’s highest court...I am confident that Charles Daniels’ leadership, work ethic and impeccable integrity will be a tremendous asset to the state Supreme Court...I chose Charles Daniels for the Supreme Court given his keen intellect, outstanding reputation and unwavering commitment to uphold the rule of law."

Um...is it just me, or could the same generic statement be made for any of the other candidates?

bill's ad spending

2007-10-17T13:26:00.000-07:00

Here's more on Bill's advertising spree via the Journal via some other site, because I can't find it on the Journal's site. —JG

iowa teevee

2007-10-17T10:27:00.001-07:00

KSFR reported this morning that Richardson has spent more money on television commercials in Iowa than Barak Obama and John Edwards combined or Hillary Clinton. Obviously name recognition plays a big part in this, the other three candidates all over the news with free press constantly and Richardson pushed to the side with the other lower tier candidates.

Though this article from the Washington Post (from back in April) doesn't address the amount spent it, does highlight the content of the ads, namely Richardson's history and record as Governor and his ideas about the Iraq war. It's nice to see Bill looking forward rather than, as he did at the beginning of his campaign, focus on his resumé at the Federal level. He's done a great job of getting that info out there, as can be seen in an editorial from New Hampshire's Concord Monitor, where his experience is the reason for endorsement.

Unfortunately the KSFR story was just a snippet and didn't offer any real numbers, just a vague comparison.

Where's Richardson on Sudan Divestment?

2007-10-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

In this week's Reporter, I take a look at Darfur-linked investments made by New Mexico's Public Employees Retirement Association. All in all, PERA has invested more than $28 million in seven companies identified as "highest offenders" by the Sudan Divestment Task Force.

Unfortunately, according to PERA, they can't divest without a change in legislation. And the legislature can't deal with the issue unless Governor Richardson adds it to the 2008 legislative agenda. However, we haven't been able to get a clear response from his office, even though we've been calling for weeks.

"It’s simply too early to say what will be on the agenda for the next legislative session,” is all Deputy Communications Director Allan Oliver would tell us.

That's not to say Bill hasn't expressed any interest in Sudan. He did personally negotiate a cease fire (which abruptly fell apart). He also made this statement back in April:

"Time is running out for the people of Darfur. The people there cannot wait much longer, for waiting means more death, more broken families, more children without a future. This is a defining moment for the United States. We have an opportunity to lead the world in taking action to end the killing in Darfur and we must not blow it."

If time is running out, how can it be "too early?" Bill also outlined a six-point strategy for handling the Darfur crisis:

First, America must make peace in Darfur a much higher priority. I agree with Save Darfur--we need full-time, high-level US diplomacy dedicated to ending this crisis.
Second, America must engage Sudan's economic and political partners--China Pakistan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Arab League to build a multilateral coalition with real leverage. That could begin by endorsing the Arab League's commitments on Darfur--to aid the African Union's mission, to fund development in Darfur, and to support the UN hybrid force in Sudan.
Third, we should deploy a UN peacekeeping force to eastern Chad to prevent a regionalization of the conflict. America should join other wealthy countries to fund refugee camps in neighboring countries and assure that those weak states bend to accommodate, but do not break from the pressure.
Fourth, we should use our full diplomatic weaponry --offering incentives for compliance and threatening multilateral sanctions for resistance to both the Government of Sudan and the various rebel groups.
Fifth, we must develop agreed upon negotiating positions among the rebel factions, to assure that any common resolution won't be quickly undone by one dissatisfied rebel group.
Last, America should join the International Criminal Court.

Point Two is the most relevant here. Many of the "highest offenders" and most powerful in Sudan are corporations fully or majority owned by the Chinese government. It stands to reason that Richardson would pressure China to use its business in Sudan to influence the Sudanese government in Khartoum. Twenty states in the US have already implemented divestment schemes to exert this kind of pressure.

In essence, here's how state divestment schemes typically work. First, states identify companies they invest in who do business in Sudan. Then they send them all letters asking the companies to clarify their involvement and detail any humanitarian efforts they make in the African nation. If the companies don't respond, or if their responses are inadequate, the state then sends them another letter threatening divestment. If the companies still refuse to respond, then the state makes moves to divest -- and only if divestment wouldn't affect their fund by more than 5 percent.

Congress has also made moves to divest the US Treasury from these oil and gas companies, and President George W. Bush has signed an executive order barring US companies from involving themselves in oil and gas interests in Sudan.

In addition, the Sudan Divestment Task Force has also sent all the presidential candidates letters asking them to screen their own investments for Sudan involvement. So far, candidates from both parties, including Barack Obama and Sam Brownback, have divested. Bill acknowledged he received the letter, but has yet to respond whether he'll do the same. Again, we've called his campaign office several times over several weeks and received no real response.

In case you want to screen your own holdings, the Task Force has a handy tool for looking at your mutual funds.

Outta Sight/Mind

2007-10-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

Wait a second...was Bill wearing a leopard-print dashiki and humming "99 Luftballons" in that candlelit Indian hut? Because I had the SAME DREAM.

Okay, not really. But that's about the only place I would have come across El Gobernador these days. Out here in Cali, it has became glaringly apparent that Richardson's battle for name recognition hasn't gained much traction. These days, in these parts, he's still lanquishing behind Brian Urlacher and Kid Nation when it comes to readily identifiable New Mexico exports.

In fact, I'm hearing a lot more about the Republican law firm of Guiliani, Romney and Thompson than any of the Dems, save Hillary. The Whale's Vagina leans conservative and the folks around my 'hood are strictly Clinton or Obamaphiles, but few people seem to know much, if anything, about Big Bill. While that "official" announcement a few months back in LA served its purpose of giving Richardson a national stage to launch his campaign, it doesn't seem to have resonated with voters here.

Granted, Iowa is still three months away. But it's also three months away and Richardson has to make considerable national headway between now and Super Tuesday to even be considered a viable running mate. But, if nothing else, maybe all those "Job Interview" events will give him a leg up for a position running a grain elevator in Dubuque if the whole president/VP/senator/SOS thing doesn't pan out.

Bill visited me in my sleep last night

2007-10-15T14:03:00.001-07:00

Yes, he did, and it was weird. I shit you not. It occurred at about 5:30a.m. this morning. My dog woke me up as she scrambled over to water dish. I pulled the covers over my head, rolled over and drifted back off.

In the dream that followed, I was in my room in my parents' house, visiting for Thanksgiving. I got up, went to the bathroom, came back and there he was, sitting at the end of my bed, next to a dim lamp.

He told me three things:

1) "I'm not sure where I'll be next year, but I have five options," he said and lifted those chubby little fingers to count them off. "President, Vice President, Secretary of State, Senator, or Governor."

2)"I'm going to be endorsed by the mining association."

3) And then he whisked me off to a small candlelit hut in India, where he told an old couple that their son will be given $78 a week, and that will ensure he goes to school and grows up to be a computer scientist.

And then he was gone and I was back in my parents' house. The dream faded into the newsroom, where I was telling Julia, my editor, about my dream and how I wanted to blog it. She glared at me coolly and suggested I do some research, because journalists don't write pieces based on vision quests.

Bill 'n' Olbermann

2007-10-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

Last night on Countdown:

I really wish Keith had hit him harder.

Bill pisses off Michigan

2007-10-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Stateline.org for pointing our N.M.-related news from out of state.

Bill has pissed of Michigan, not just because he withdrew his name from their primary ballot.

According to Detroit Free Press, Bill "Long Shot" Richardson had told a Nevada newspaper: "I want a national water policy...We need a dialogue between states to deal with issues like water conservation, water reuse technology, water delivery and water production. States like Wisconsin are awash in water."

Even though Bill specifically named Wisconsin, it was Michigan environmentalists and Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm who lept to the defense of the Great Lakes.

"It's ridiculous to say that," Hugh McDiarmid, spokesman for the Michigan Environmental Council told DFP. "Until the compact is passed, our water protections are hanging on by a thread."

Apparently, Bill's people wouldn't defend his statement. Tom Reynolds, his spokesman, "did not respond to an inquiry about the governor's comments." Sound familiar?

Is it just me...

2007-10-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

...or do Richardson's repetitive denials that he'll run for the Senate sound an awful lot like Larry Craig's repetitive denials that he's not gay?

Just a thought...consider this an open thread for discussion.

There's Something About Bill: Trivial Pursuits

2007-10-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

A version of this piece appeared in this week's Santa Fe Reporter.

There's Something About Bill: Trivial Pursuit
So you think you know Richardson?
By Dave Maass

1. What action did Bill Richardson take this month?

a. Called a moratorium on executions until the US Supreme Court rules on lethal injection
b. Approved his Ethics Task Force’s report and recommendations
c. Appointed an NM Supreme Court justice to fill the late Pamela Minzner’s seat
d. Wrote to Texas Gov. Rick Perry to oppose a copper smelt in El Paso

2. How many days in September was Richardson fund-raising in New Mexico?

a. 1
b. 2
c. 5
d. 8

3. How much did Richardson report his presidential campaign collected in the third quarter?

a. $3.7 million
b. $5.2 million
c. $7.8 million
d. $11.1 million

4. Who was Richardson referring to when he explained, “How the Grinch stole children’s healthcare”?

a. US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt
b. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell
c. House Republican Leader John Boehner
d. President George W Bush

5. In the event that Richardson wins the presidency and Lt. Gov. Diane Denish wins

a. Senate seat, who becomes governor?
a. Attorney General Gary King
b. Speaker of the House Ben Lujan
c. Secretary of State Mary Herrera
d. Senate President Pro Tempore Michael Sanchez

6. What lapel pin did Richardson tell CNN he wears?

a. MIA/POW logo.
b. Star-shaped American flag
c. The New Mexico Zia symbol
d. Democratic Party Donkey

ANSWERS ARE UNDER "COMMENTS"

Your ranking:
6 correct = Who are you, his press secretary?
4-5 correct = Oh my, you are indeed Bill-informed.
2-3 correct = Meh, you’re about average.
0-1 correct = Please don’t vote without reading our election guide first.

Bill Richardson: "Very Little Air"

2007-10-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

Googling around, SFR found this astrological chart for Bill at Astrodatabank.com. We're not really sure what all the colorful criss-crossies mean, or how accurate it all is, but we find it fascinating nonetheless that the astrologer concluded:

"Richardson’s planets and points are mainly in fire and water signs, with no earth except his north node and very little air. In addition, all his planets except for Uranus are above the horizon...

"...Many born in late-1946 and 1947 share a Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Leo. In Richardson’s case, however, that powerful conjunction includes Mars and the 7th house trio is in a tight square to his Sun, Midheaven and South Node."

There's Something About Bill: Lo-Tech Special

2007-10-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

A version of this article appears in this week's SFR.

Rating His Debating :: The Lo-Tech Version
(using a voice recorder set next to the tv, and camera phone pointed at the screen)
By Dave Maass

There’s a great line from a second season episode of the latest Doctor Who: Following an Earth-invasion attempt, the prime minister laser-beams a retreating alien ship. Appalled, the Doctor states he can bring her down with six words, which he whispers into her assistant’s ear: “Don’t you think she looks tired?” It works.

Not to sabotage Bill’s campaign, but doesn’t he look, sound, act tired? There was the gay-is-a-choice gaffe (excuse: jet lag). He confused SEIU with AFSCME while courting the labor vote. Finally, his performance during the Sept. 26 MSNBC debate was flat and meandering.

Being inarticulate isn’t necessarily a disqualifier, at least among Republicans, who seem to identify with bumbling orators. We wonder whether Slate.com’s editors will endorse Bill, if only to adapt their Bushisms feature to Billisms.

Speaking of Slate, surely some portion of 1.4 million viewers had to agree with Brit contributor Christopher Hitchens’ observation that the Dem candidates have lost their luster (except maybe Hillary, with her increasingly charming self-deprecation and the implication that she, not her husband, wears the pants).

While Bill’s unique as the only non-Congressperson, he dropped the ball when moderator Tim Russert pointed out that managing New Mexico is hardly comparable to, say, California or Texas. Sure, Bill also stood out by claiming he’d bring the troops home lickety-split. Obama, Clinton and Edwards would not commit, but their rebuttals painted Bill’s exit strategy (take ’em through Kuwait, Turkey; leave light equipment behind) as impractical poll-pandering.

Bill even had an alienating Axis-of-Evil moment, bragging about his diplomacy with the “bad guys.”

Then there was the audience question on immigration: Would Bill allow sanctuary cities to continue? He’s based in Santa Fe, a notable sanctuary city, and he should’ve unloaded specific examples about how tolerance has benefited the community. Instead, he played the Hispanic card.

The biggest hit was Russert’s condescension of Bill’s social security plan. Postulating a $300 million deficit, Russert teased, “It’s not funny money. It’s real money.”

According to Chris Dodd’s talk clock, Bill racked up almost 12 minutes of airtime. Fourth place, again. No matter how many bones he’s thrown, Bill will never lead the pack until he shakes himself awake and plays alpha dog.

Richardson's NM Supreme Court Nominees Are Big Contributors

2007-09-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

On Monday, New Mexico's Judicial Nominating Commission held public job interviews for 15 candidates hoping to fill the New Mexico Supreme Court opening formerly occupied by Justice Pamela Minzer, who died last month. Among those 15 nominees, three had contributed the maximum allowable amount under McCain-Feingold ($2,300) to Bill Richardson's presidential campaign. And of those three, two made the cut:

Charles W. Daniels - a criminal defense attorney with Freedman Boyd Daniels Hollander & Goldberg. According to his online bio, he's appeared in every single issue of "Best Lawyers in America" over more than 20 years. Daniels is a loyal Democrat who's contributed thousands to Tom Udall, the Democratic Party of NM, John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. He made his donation to Bill's campaign on February 15, 2007--in our minds, a belated a Valentine's Day gift.

Judge Michael E. Vigil - Described by Legalnewsline.com as, "the best-qualified appellate candidate." A Santa Fe-native, Vigil was appointed by Richardson to his current seat in 2003, but his past is dotted with drunk driving offenses from the 80s, which, according to the New Mexican, he begged the Commission to ignore. Although Vigil's contribution to Bill's campaign predates Daniels' by two weeks, Vigil is, for the most part, a Republican funder, listed by the FEC as slipping big bucks to Sen. Pete Domenici, Rep. Heather Wilson and George W. Bush.

While we can only speculate whether the contributions will affect Richardson's appointment decision, it should also be noted that another finalist, Maureen A. Sanders, also contributed $500 on February 15 to Bill's presidential campaign. Two other contributors didn't make the cut, Thomas L. Dunigan ($2300) and Norman F. Weiss ($500).

Getting Better

2007-09-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

NM Gov. Bill Richardson sat down for about 20 minutes on PBS yesterday… in one of his better interview performances of the campaign so far.

Looking dapper, his hair neatly combed and styled, the often frumpy guv was anything but as he fielded a wide array of questions from Ray Suarez, even managing to crack a couple jokes along the way.

About the Iraq war, Richardson touted his plan to withdraw completely from the country, leave no residual forces behind and focus on political negotiations. “My position is the war can only end, peace come to Iraq with a compromise… There’s no military solution, but I think there’s a political solution, but the window is ending..

Pushing back, Suarez asked: “You can’t see any role for American arms in that part of the world?” Richardson: “I just believe this war is detracting from the real threats of this country,” he said, pointing to Iran, North Korea, the broader Middle East.

On how the would-be first Mexican American prez would deal with Mexico and the immigration issue, Richardson gave his most thorough answer of the interview.

“The first thing you do is have a foreign policy discussion with the president of Mexico,” Richardson began, emphasizing that the US has to be tough with Mexico. He offered this respectful, but frank advice to Mexican President Felipe Calderon: “Mr President, you got to do something to give jobs to your people, to reduce poverty there, at the very least stop handing out maps on the easiest place to cross.”

Richardson called for a stronger border security, development of higher tech detection methods at border, but no wall. In his best line of the night, he added: “If you build a wall that is 12 feet tall, a lot of 13 foot ladders are going to happen.”

More on immigration: “There’s got to be a legalization program. What’s the alternative? Round everyone up and deport them? That’s not going to happen. Or the current status, which is leave the problem and not deal with it. I think that’s not acceptable.”

In a revealing bit of Richardson’s biography, Suarez asked the guv if not living full-time in the US until he was in the 8th grade “gives you an insight into this that other candidates don’t have?” Richardson answered by touting his bilingualism, biculturalism, his emphasis on “respecting other points of view” and resolving problems through negotiation and diplomacy.

He also plugged an unusual promise if he actually wins the nomination:

“If I’m the nominee, I’ll name my cabinet before the election. So that the American people know what team it is. I’ll have independents, I’ll have Republicans in my cabinet,” he said.

Maybe remembering he’s still in the heat of the DEMOCRATIC nominating contest, he added this with a crooked smile: “I won’t overdo the Republicans.”

The BIG Issue

2007-09-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

Forgive the nearly unforgivable pun ... Today, Bill chewed the fat with health advocates at the Obesity Society's Public Policy Conference. According to his most recent press release, his promise went like this:

"As a country, we need to have a long-term vision based on education and prevention, not just treatment. As President, fighting obesity will be one of my top priorities."

The obvious question that pops onto SFR's tongue is, has the aspiring executive officer made his own weight a priority? How is he coping with all the steak-fries and pork barbecues and fair food (see campaign Flickr image, left)? We did some a-googlin', and sure enough, back in February, Bill told the Albuquerque Trib:

"This has been a problem for me. I've been on every diet. I've been on every possible effort to lose weight. And I finally have lost weight, but I haven't finished losing weight. I want to lose more.

"Then, the key is, can I stay this way? And that is still the verdict that has not been decided."

That's some candor for you. So how come Bill's spokesperson Tom Reynolds gave us the rude-around when we tried to get the specifics on Bill's diet and exercise regiment the day before the talk? About all he'd say is that Bill's lost 30 pounds since he announced his candidacy, and he's currently on a "strict diet and a vigorous workout routine."

Listen for yourself:

Here's some of the transcript:

SFR: And as far as his diet goes, is he dealing with a nutritionist or a dietician or is it just sort of common sense?
TR: Most of it is common sense. He watches what he eats and he exercises regularly, which is what we're trying to promote for the rest of the country.
So he doesn't subscribe to any of the diets, like the Atkins Diets or any of the other sort of ...
I don't want to get into the specific details about that stuff.
I think that's important though. If he's talking about prescribing diet plans to schools--
Do you want me to answer or no? He's eating more healthy. He watches what he eats and he exercises regularly.
That's pretty vague though. Can you define what 'healthy' is? Can you define 'watching what he eats'?
Do you want me to send you a list of the week of what he eats?
Do you have that?
No! That's getting a little ridiculous.
It's not getting ridiculous. You're being very vague, and I'm trying to specify. Because if you're talking about watching what he eats, is he watching that and comparing that to specific guidelines that have been set up by a doctor or physician or dietician? Watching what he eats, is he looking at his plate and going "Oh there's food on that plate, I'm gonna eat it,"? What is he watching and how is he comparing?
Steve, I gotta go into a meeting, I thought I've been kinda helpful for you.
You've been very vague. Is there someone else I can call? You're saying he's eating "healthy" and you're not defining what eating healthy means and without that, that's just words.
Less fried foods, more fruits and vegetables, portions that are responsible. We're talking about a lot of big issues. You want me to start counting calories.
Well, is he counting calories? That's the question.
He certainly keeps track of what he eats, yeah. I wouldn't say on a calorie-by-calorie basis. We're running for president here. We have bigger issues we're worrying about like the Iraq War and health care.
But he is speaking tomorrow on this issue.
Exactly, because we think its important because we're putting our motto into action.
But, he doesn't feel it's important enough....
Hey, Steve, I'll see if I can get any more details.
I appreciate it.
Thanks.

For the record, the interviewer's name is Dave, and Reynolds never got back to him.

There's Something About Bill

2007-09-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

A version of this article appears in this week's SFR.

Cell & Tell: On the Road for Richardson.

When Nevada moved its caucus to Jan. 19, smack between Iowa and New Hampshire, Senator Harry Reid, D-NV, claimed it would “diversify the nominating process” by allowing a Western state to give their candidate an early boost.

However, without the party’s permission, Florida and Michigan also moved their election dates to January. This left Nevada, in the rare poetry of the Associated Press, feeling like the “presidential primary’s awkward stepchild,” with some candidates minimizing their presence in the Silver State.

But not Bill. The Reno Gazette-Journal’s August poll showed that although Bill’s in fourth (behind Clinton, Obama, and Edwards), his support has quintupled to 11 percent since March. While Bill spent this past weekend in Iowa, three vans of faithful gubernatorial constituents journeyed to Nevada.

SFR played Wile E. Coyote with the “Richardson Roadrunners” via mobile phone.

Friday, Sept. 14
2:10 pm, Gallup, NM: “Adopt-a-State” Director Michelle Frost answers her phone while driving, which would be illegal if it were an official state vehicle. She hands the phone to volunteer Don Ortiz, who reports they’re picking up their final three roadrunners.

3:30 pm, Flagstaff, Ariz.: The 30-odd-person convoy stops at Sizzler. Albuquerque volunteer Frank Rosetti reports most choose the salad bar.

7:15 pm, Laughlin, Nev.: They avoid the oft-congested Hoover Dam. Ortiz brags that Frost convinced the Sizzler staff to pick Bill in Arizona’s Feb. 5 primary.

Saturday, Sept. 15
Noon, Las Vegas, Nev.: Rosetti reports he’s learned through neighborhood canvassing that few Nevada Democrats have picked a candidate. The only problem: Even fewer are aware their primary is now in January.

6:30 pm, Las Vegas, Nev.: Rosetti estimates he’s contacted about 40 people, leading him to conclude, “Hillary hasn’t locked up anything.” Meanwhile, Dixie Trebbe from Rio Rancho is phone-banking. She says she spoke to 53 people personally, and only five were actively supporting a candidate, usually Obama or Clinton.

Sunday, Sept. 16
11 am, Las Vegas, Nev.: Richardson’s Nevada communications director preemptively strikes, asking SFR not to call anyone until after 3 pm.

5:30 pm, The Road: After invading a Mexican Independence Day celebration, the weary roadrunners journey home. Rosetti predicts Richardson will “run strong” in Nevada, either winning or taking second place. “It depends on Hillary’s money,” he says, adding that Richardson has some cool new baseball cards.

Slippy McTonguers

2007-09-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, Air America hosts were RFLAO-ing about Dubya's latest public-spekaing gaffe. While speaking in Australia, the President confused APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) with OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries), and then iced that foot-cake by talking about "Austrian" troops in Iraq. Here's the YouTube evidence:

Yeah, har-har-har ... OPEC-APEC, Austria-Australia ... What a moron and all that.

Unfortunately, it seems Bill one upped the president at yesterday's Service Employees International Union Conference. From "Hubris" co-author David Corn's Blog:

"... As I listened, I wondered why he has not been taken more seriously as a candidate--a smart, accomplished governor of Latino heritage. Then I found out.

"At the end of his speech--after noting all the ways he would defend the Constitution and redress global warming--he waved farewell to the crowd and shouted, 'Thank you, AFSCME!'

"AFSCME? Wrong union, governor. He left and the audience repeatedly shouted, 'S-E-I-U!' A polite reminder."

Unhappy looking camper

2007-09-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

Richardson's winning smile doesn't get any love on Slate's Presidential Mashup. Hillary Clinton's big smiling mug stands out on the graphic as the biggest and whitest, while Obama and Edwards, just a little smaller, bookend the former first lady. But what's going on with Bill? He's down there on the bottom of the floating head pyramid with a look of confused anger.

But onto the transcript. There some interesting tidbits here, including Bill's answer to an answer about troop withdraw from Iraq that acknowledges "the other three candidates" but no one else. It's an interesting move for Richardson to put himself with the front runners and ignore the abundance of second tier candidates. It's bold, though a little cocky, but in the end it seems smart to ignore the huge field and for Richardson to compare himself, similarities and differences, to the candidates most people are talking about.

Again Richardson denies any interest in becoming the VP, but without any solid reasons. Sure New Mexico is great and there's probably not a ton of time for the VP to ride his horse but the answer still seems canned and the Gov. refuses to say what about the vice presidency doesn't appeal to him. Nor really why the presidency does.

The best bit, and most fitting for the article at hand, comes from a response to Bill Maher's question about Richardson's faith in voters.
"The national media, for example, in Washington and New York that likes to tell the American people who's going to win, what the polls are saying. I feel that the American voter is substantially well-informed, and it's up to politicians and political leaders and parties to stimulate greater voter turnout, and that means talking honestly about issues."
Hopefully Bill's tiny, grouchy face, and Hillary's big, sparkling one won't sway too many voters out of Richardson's camp, but at least he knows that the problem exists, and that we are paying attention to it.

There's Something About Bill

2007-09-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

A version of this article appears in this week's SFR.
Don't Know Cybersquat: Introducing the masters of Bill’s domain.

Three and three-quarter years ago, a Tennessee small-business owner built a Web site for his construction company. He registered the domain, Clintonrichardson.com, and thought nothing of it. That’s his given name, after all, and the name of his company.

His company operates exclusively in Memphis and only builds two or three $100 to $200,000 homes each year. The Web site’s not exactly Chocolate Rain. But six months ago, Clint’s hit counter started acting up. It was nothing server shaking but, in his words, “clicking pretty good.”

Then, a little more than a month ago, he received a call from Washington, DC, asking about the availability of the domain. Then another. A third call came from somewhere in Texas. It seems that Web investors are beginning to take a Hillary Clinton-Bill Richardson ticket seriously, and in a few months good ol’ Clint may have a good ol’ bidding war on his hands.

“They’re just talking. I think they want to hold on for some indication of what the ticket is going to be,” Clint tells SFR. “It’s a Web site that serves my construction company. But if the price is right, I’m certainly willing to consider selling it.”

Fittingly, as a homebuilder specializing in energy-efficient, environmentally conscious housing, Clint says he’s likely to support a Democratic candidate.

“I’m watching closely, and [Clinton-Richardson] is a ticket I’d actually support,” he says.

Clint isn’t the only one sitting on Richardson-related electronic property. Brian Wolk, a lawyer in Plantation, Fla., bought the domain Edwardsrichardson.com in July 2007. He’s not talking about his motivation yet and, as a lawyer, that’s smart; publicly stating your profit-mindedness is the big trigger that sets off the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act.

Sponsored by US Sen. Trent Lott in 1999 (back when the minority whip from Mississippi, was the majority leader), the Act was designed to prevent the hoarding and ransoming of domain names. However, it hasn’t stopped the so-far anonymous company behind Politics2008.com, which owns Obamarichardson.com, Richardson2008.com, Richardson2012.com, and Richardson2016.com.

Richardson2020.com, though, is registered to an optometric physician named Todd Richardson from Vancouver, Wash.

But if Bill’s planning on a run in 13 years, he can rest assured that, according to his Web site, Dr. Richardson accepts Visa, MasterCard and Discover.

2007-09-05T11:19:00.001-07:00

Technorati Profile

Richardson, the energy candidate

2007-09-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

This interview with Richardson on energy issues is interesting, albeit a little soft. As a companion piece, also be sure to check out our piece from June, if you missed it.

Richardson, the libertarian

2007-09-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

or so argues this piece from Reason, with a dissenting view from former Gov. Gary Johnson (the most libertarian politican ever in NM, possibly anywhere). The piece also notes Richardson's savvy at hiring so many journalists so as to deteeth the state press corps.

Something About Bill

2007-09-05T11:03:00.001-07:00

A version of this article appears in this week's SFR.
Hearing Voices
Loose talk from and about Big Bill on the campaign trail.

By Nathan Dinsdale

“It’s not going to work. If you’re going to build a 10-foot-wall, know what’s going to come next? An 11-foot ladder.” – Gov. Bill Richardson, talking to voters in Dover, New Hampshire about building a border security wall on Sept. 2, as quoted by Fosters.com.

“I brought the Red Sox some good luck.” – Richardson, as quoted in the Sept. 3 edition of The Citizen of Laconia (New Hampshire) newspaper, joking about his appearance at a Sept. 1 Boston Red Sox game in which rookie pitcher Clay Buchholz threw the first Red Sox no-hitter in five years.

“You want to arrest somebody? Arrest me.” – Richardson, condemning federal authorities for arresting a terminally-ill cancer patient in New Mexico for possessing medical marijuana, in a speech at a backyard campaign event in Plymouth, New Hampshire on Sept. 2 (as quoted by The Citizen).

“He did not answer my question,” – Plymouth resident Fran Taylor, reacting to Richardson’s response to her question about what the governor would do to help Iraqis who’ve aided American efforts in Iraq but have been denied entrance to the US, in the Sept. 3 edition of The Citizen of Laconia. Richardson instead reportedly gave a lengthy oration on establishing a peace accord in the region.

“Iowa, for good reason, for constitutional reasons, for reasons related to the Lord, should be the first caucus and primary. And I want you to know who was the first candidate to sign a pledge not to campaign anywhere if they got ahead of Iowa. It was Bill Richardson.” – Bill Richardson, as quoted in a Sept. 4 story in the Des Moines Register, talking to a crowd at the Northwest Iowa Labor Council picnic.

“That was a little weird. I don’t know what God had to do with choosing Iowa among other states. I found that a little strange.” – Sioux City resident Joe Shufro, reacting to Richardson’s picnic speech, in the Sept. 4 Des Moines Register.

“This process is completely out of control and only an agreement by the candidates can restore sanity…Anarchy in the nominating process does nothing to further the cause of changing America.” – Richardson, in an Aug. 31 statement announcing that he would be the first of the Democratic presidential candidates to sign a “Four-State Pledge” to not campaign in any state that schedules it’s primary or caucus ahead of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

“I don’t see how anybody who believes he or she should be president of the United States of America could get tricked into signing a pact to ignore tens of millions of diverse Americans by a selfish, four-state alliance of party insiders.” – Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman, responding to the “Four-State Pledge” signed by Richardson, in a Sept. 1 story in the Miami Herald.

Richardson pledges domestic partnerships for '08 session

2007-08-31T16:10:00.001-07:00

By David Alire Garcia

At an Aug. 30 Santa Fe fundraiser for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson’s presidential campaign, organized and attended mostly by the state’s gay elite, Richardson poked some fun at himself.
Recalling the political hornets nest he stirred up at a gay-themed Democratic candidate debate earlier this month, at which he called homosexuality a personal preference (“It’s a choice,” he infamously said), Richardson owned up to the gaffe in the first few lines of his remarks.
“I want to start out by saying I’m sorry,” he told the gathering at a ritzy Las Campanas home. “Is there any press here,” he then asked with a big grin on his face. “Can I go off the record with one word?” Hearing no objection, the governor added: “I fucked up.”
The forgiving and slightly inebriated crowd instantly erupted in laughter.
Later on, Richardson promised to put domestic partnership legislation on his official call for the coming January 30-day legislative session in addition to major health care reform.
“The governor is the only person that can add to the agenda,” he said. “If I don’t do anything, it will only be the budget. But I want to tell you here that we have some unfinished business and it’s called domestic partnerships.”
He noted that advocates will need to gain one vote in the state Senate—“or two just for insurance.”
Richardson added, “If we can pass this law, this is going to be historic. Remember we are in a red state,” he said. “I know I’m in a sea of progressives, but I want you to know you are vastly outnumbered,” Richardson said to more laughter. “And if you don’t believe me go to Clovis or go to Alamogordo.”
Members of the fundraiser host committee estimated that as much as $100,000 was raised during the evening.

kind words for bill

2007-08-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure the Republican mentioned in this very flattering column about Richardson is David Pfeffer...who else could it be?

Bill who?

2007-08-21T10:52:00.001-07:00

Poor Bill. An entire article devoted to questioning whether knowledge of foreign policy is necessary for a presidential candidate and not even one mention of Richardson. Although Santa Fe gets a little shout out (sort of).

Bill's Gay Gaffe

2007-08-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

Choice Words
By Nate Dinsdale

Published: August 15, 2007

Do you think homosexuality is a choice, or is it biological?-Melissa Etheridge to Gov. Bill Richardson at the Aug. 9 "Visible Vote '08" presidential forum focused on LGBT issues.

"It's a choice. -Bill Richardson, responding to Etheridge.

"Presidential candidate Bill Richardson, plung[ed] last night's Democratic gay and lesbian forum deep into Ricky Gervais-style awkwardness. For someone who brags about his experience, Richardson keeps acting like he's not ready for prime time.-Michael Crowley on The New Republic's "The Plank" blog, Aug. 10.
"Throughout his 15 minutes on camera, Richardson tried again and again to return the conversation to his very strong record of actual achievements in gay rights, but the "˜choice' and "˜maricon' gaffes only underline how easily he and voters have been distracted from his impressive resume"”on this and so many other issues. It's the central conundrum of his candidacy.- Chris Crain on his "Citizen Crain" blog, Aug. 10.
"I just simply made a mistake. I misunderstood the question"¦I thought it was a tricky science question, where you put politics into science. I think the word Melissa used was "˜biological'. Since I use "˜choice' so much, I'm so committed to choice"”a woman's right to choose"”I thought that was the appropriate answer"¦Also, I had flown all night from New Hampshire. I was a little tired, but there's no excuse. I made a mistake. I think my record stands for itself.- Bill Richardson, in an interview with Queerty.com, Aug. 10.
"I regret Gov. Richardson's mis-statement"”as I sometimes regret one or two of my own"”but his error in the pressure of a debate should not detract from his very strong record in defense of equality for all Americans, including those of us who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender."- Openly gay US Rep. Barney Frank, D-MA, in an Aug. 13 statement.
"[Richardson's] rationale and his initial answer are inexcusable. To gays and lesbians, flubbing the choice vs. nature question is like botching the answer to "˜What's one plus one?' Note to Richardson's current and former gay staffers and supporters: Do an intervention"”and get him an Ambien"”before he implodes again.- Jonathan Capehart, Washington Post column, Aug. 13.

Here's some funny Comedy Central video on that forum.

Tubular

2007-07-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

Sadly, I missed the CNN/YouTube debate last night and am now dredging through the galaxy of video clips floating in Cyberspace in an effort to piece everything together.

I'll pass the conch to David as far as offering a more succinct and relevant appraisal of the Guv's performance but my general first impressions are that the format was brilliant.

Sure, you can't have melting snowmen ask questions about global warming at every debate (although I strongly encourage it). Nevertheless, this go-around seemed to be refreshingly devoid (as much as humanly possible) of the usual canned questions = canned answers format. It's good to see presidential candidates showing a pulse every now and then, even if it takes some guy dressed as a redneck lumberjack asking about Al Gore in order to do it.

On paper (literally, looking at the transcript), Richardson seems to have held his own. Although, true to form, it looks like he struggled for face time with his answers appearing few and far between. Once again, Big Bill earned the unanimous "most disappointing performance" nod from CNN's online panel of experts. But, from what I've seen, it probably wasn't that bad. Or was it?

What about Women's Rights?

2007-07-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

Monday the AP quoted Richardson as saying, "I believe my platform is the strongest pro-women’s platform and it shouldn’t be based just on the fact there’s a woman in the race," and that voters hearing his agenda would be swayed.

Unfortunately voters didn't get to hear Richardson's ideas about abortion rights at two public events put on by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Clinton, Obama and Elizabeth Edwards showed up, and though all seemed more interested in arousing pro-choice support without giving solid action plans, it's too bad Bill didn't take the opportunity to prove himself and get specific. It seems especially important for a candidate from a rural state to step up and talk about how to guarantee birth control and sex education in the more isolated, more conservative parts of the state/country. Especially when reports of pharmacists, based on their own beliefs, refusing birth control or Plan B to women with no access to another drug store become more and more common.

Candidates, on both sides of the issue, talk a good game about how important their view point is, but rarely does one take the opportunity to really put themselves on the line to stand up with solutions. Clinton even seems to demean the issue by calling women's rights "human rights." Technically, sure. But until the human race steps up to care for the ones who take the brunt of burdens of unplanned pregnancy calling womens rights, human rights is the same as lumping people under animal and asking PETA why they aren't feeding hungry orphans in Sudan.

Republicans & Republican'ts

2007-07-17T11:34:00.000-07:00

I've always secretly wished that voters would flock to the polls in November and, improbably, elect "Mickey Mouse," "Your Mom" and/or "Ponch from CHiPs" to the US presidency via a feverishly cynical write-in campaign.

Turns out, Your Mom has about as good a chance as anyone to at least win the Republican nomination. According to a new AP/Ipsos poll, the leading candidate for the GOP nod is currently "None of the above."

Ouch. Rudy G and Fred "Law & Order" Thompson are the closest to None of the Above (23 percent) at 19 percent, followed by McCain and Romney. Rudy has been in a free-fall since the Spring but McCain appears to be the one that's dead in the water, what with empty coffers and an exodus of campaign advisers. I'll bet that lipstick-smeared, Neo-Con face-lift isn't looking so pretty in the mirror these days.

The Dems,for now, are looking solid. But even with the toxic fallout from G-Dub coating all things Republican, Democrats always seem to find a way to shoot themselves. Nevertheless, the AP quotes University of Iowa poli-sci guy David Redlawsk as saying "Democrats are reasonably comfortable with the range of choices. The Democratic attitude is that three or four of these guys would be fine."

In case you're keeping score at home, Bill Richardson is probably the "or four" Redlawsk references. Despite his best efforts (see this week's "There's Something About Bill" in SFR), the Guv hasn't managed to cripple his campaign yet.

In the meantime, Big Bill is spending the first half of this week in New Hampshire at various "job interview" and "Women for Richardson" events. Tomorrow is an off-day, presumably to be spent in mental preparation for his "All Day" appearances on Thursday and Friday in Des Moines.

Give the man credit. Most people are ready to leave Des Moines after 20 minutes, let alone two full days. According to the latest campaign schedule, Richardson will spend Saturday in "Iowa" (no specific cities or events are mentioned, maybe it's a euphemism) before jetting off to South Carolina on Sunday in advance of the DNC Presidential Debate on Monday. That debate could be big (for better or worse) for the Richardson camp considering SC is the campaign's weakest early primary/caucus state to date.

But hey, at least he's not getting beat by None of the Above.

Catcher in the Rye

2007-07-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

If you build it, they will come. If there's some press coverage and maybe a few votes to gain out of coming, all the better.

Governor Bill paid a visit to the "Field of Dreams" from...uh...Field of Dreams earlier this morning during a visit to Dyersville, Iowa. Right about now, he's conducting a "Presidential Job Interview" at the Cedar Lodge Steak House in Manchester. Then another Job Interview at the Pizza Ranch in Independence, followed by one more interview at the La Chiquita Mexican-American Restaurant in Waterloo.

Cedar Lodge Steak House? Pizza Ranch? La Chiquita Mexican-American Restaurant? Me thinks that the Guv might be in danger of falling off the (chuck) wagon. Either way, he'll wash down his Iowa binge by mid-afternoon with an appearance at the Cedar Rapids BR4P headquarters. Then it's on to Cincinnati then Detroit this evening.

Tomorrow morning is more Detroit before a "Walk Through" at the Sparks Farmers Market in Nevada. Friday is Reno, Elko, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. Saturday will be spent in New Mexico before Richardson heads out to Chicago on Sunday, culminating a campaign swing of eight states and at least 14 cities in five days.

Hey, you gotta burn calories somehow.

Gone in 60 Seconds

2007-06-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

I don't envy Pahl Shipley. The BR4P communications director is typically in charge of touting all things Bill Richardson. Not bad work, if you can get it. But it seems like Shipley has been forced to do spin/damage control after every major television appearance the governor has made in the last month.

Today's press release regarding last night's Democratic presidential forum at Howard University celebrates Richardson's "strong debate performance" that "showed again that he is the candidate with the boldest vision and the strongest record to lead America forward."

Not exactly.

Richardson actually started off strong, giving relatively succinct, articulate answers to questions about racial inequality and education. The Guv was focused and memorable. Then the bottom fell out. Richardson was the first candidate to be presented with a question about combating high HIV/AIDs rates in the black community. He fumbled it miserably. The topic clearly took the governor by surprise and it showed. What followed was a painful ramble about moral imperatives, condoms, needles, Africa, more needles and praise for George W. Bush.

The latter (supporting Bush's funding for combating AIDs in Africa) was bad enough in an anti-Bush, pro-Dem atmosphere (especially considering that, if memory serves, Bush's efforts in Africa are tied to Neocon platforms like abstinence instead of condoms). Even the Republicans name-check Bush as little as possible. But Richardson also stammered twice about needing "more needles." Presumably he was referencing the use of clean needles and/or implementing needle exchange programs but he didn't actually say that. Just "more needles," which made little sense to anyone. And I swear he nearly choked (possibly at the thought of conservative swing voters slipping away) before he said "condoms."

The crowd was deathly silent after Richardson finished speaking. Even Mike Gravel, who answered the question with a diatribe about the War on Drugs, received some polite applause. Subsequently, Richardson slipped back into his old routine of offering meandering answers that frequently went well over his allotted time limit. At one point, Richardson told moderator Tavis Smiley "I'm almost finished" while postulating about tax cuts. Smiley responded, "Yes, you are" and promptly cut Richardson off in favor of a smirking John Edwards. Ouch.

Richardson rebounded from the HIV/AIDs debacle, sort of, with his answers on job outsourcing, tax cuts and Darfur. But he never fully recovered, diminishing what would have otherwise been arguably his best debate performance.

It's no secret that Richardson excels at kissing hands and shaking babies (or whatever). But if The Guv becomes a serious contender, people will start paying attention to what he says on national TV. He can still afford some slip-ups at this stage (I mean, who watches PBS at 7 pm on a Thursday in June?). But he's going to have to clean up his performances quickly if he's going to survive increasing scrutiny in the months to come.

Lights, Camera, Action

2007-06-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

Bill Richardson (and the other seven Dems) will be going live on PBS in about five hours. The format appears to be more "forum" than "debate" but the difference is basically negligible when you have eight presidential candidates on the same stage at the same time.

Tavis Smiley will moderate while a panel of three journalists will pepper the candidates with questions about health care, education, criminal justice, immigration, environmental issues, the "digital divide," economic development and whether they'd rather be stranded on an island with Ginger or Mary Ann (a pre-forum poll showed a split among the candidates with three Gingers, three Mary Anns and, disturbingly, two Skippers).

But the forum will have plenty of competition for its primetime (7 pm start in NM) television run. And some of the television shows airing at the same time also have odd correlations to the presidential campaign. If only they ran simultaneously...

"The NBA Draft (ESPN)": With the 23rd selection in the first round, the New York Knicks select...Joe Biden, a 65-year-old shooting guard (and senior US Senator) from Delaware. He's a streaky shooter with little jumping ability and a bum knee, but he talks a good game. Subsequently, the Richardson campaign issues a press release asserting that the governor was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 12th pick.

"Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" (Fox): In the case of most presidential candidates, probably. But the jury's still out on Sam Brownback and Tom Tancredo.

"Ugly Betty" (ABC): Dennis Kucinich and most of the Republican field release a knowing sigh.

"My Name is Earl" (NBC): Mike Gravel forgets his name. Again. And forgets to wear pants. Again.

"World's Craziest Police Chases" (Court TV): An SUV carrying Bill Richardson (and driven by a New Mexico state trooper) attempts to elude a Bernalillo County Sheriff trying to pull the governor's caravan over for speeding.

"Best Places to Find Cash and Treasures" (Travel Channel): Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama visit a Democratic Party banquet in Beverly Hills.

"America's Funniest Home Videos" (Nickelodeon): Assorted YouTube clips of Gravel and Dennis Kucinich as well as Bill Richardson campaign ads and the governor's appearance on Meet the Press.

"Extreme Makeover" (Style): Bill Richardson sports a Moo Moo, John Edwards dons a dashiki and Rudy Guiliani tries a houndstooth derby on for size.

"The Sixth Sense" (TNT): Tavis Smiley sees dead people. Then realizes it's just Gravel taking a nap while Chris Dodd talks about his universal health care plan.

"Deadliest Catch" (Discovery): Biden candidly discusses the burning sensation he experienced after a particulary rowdy Theta Chi party at the University of Delaware in the spring of 1963.

Iran, Uran

2007-06-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention. Gov. Bill Richardson has just been handed an urgent and horrifying foreign policy statement. I need all of you to stop what you're doing and listen:

"Cannonballllll!!"

Ah, to be a campaign speechwriter. Alas, Richardson's "major speech" (BR4P's words, not mine) tomorrow in D.C. will almost certainly be very serious and very presidential. El Gobernador will discuss his position on Iran to the Center for National Policy tomorrow around lunch time. Suffice it to say, "Nuke 'em all!" or "Let's just send Ahmadinejad some kittens" will not be phrases included in the speech.

Here's a guess: Big Bill will satisfy the hawks by talking heavy about imposing tough sanctions, perhaps along with an idle threat like not taking "any option" off the table (i.e. Fat Man and Little Boy circa 2009), if Iran doesn't discontinue its nuclear program. But he will also offer an olive branch to the doves by insisting that hard-nosed international diplomacy (sugarcoated with economic incentives) should be the first option, complete with an anecdote about former UN Ambassador Bill talking to Saddam, Castro and/or Mussolini after Bill Clinton said "Let's send Richardson. Bad guys love Richardson."

Bing. Bang. Boom. I just saved you an hour of your life, Center for National Policy. You can thank me later.

In the meantime, The Guv is in Iowa City this morning/afternoon before heading to NYC for fundraisers this evening. Tomorrow morning is Boston (fundraising) and the rest of the day is D.C. (Iran/fundraising). Thursday is the next Democratic Presidential Debate (this one held at Howard University in D.C., aired by PBS and moderated by Tavis Smiley). Friday will be spent either popping champagne or licking wounds after the debate while raising cash in El Paso and Las Cruces. And, with a little more than two weeks before the next FEC campaign finance report deadline, the heat is on to raise dinero.

After all, more cash means more BR4P-generated polls like the one unveiled yesterday by campaign headquarters that shows Richardson inching up to 13 percent favorability among likely Iowa caucus-goers. The campaign even went one step further (with the help of polling hired hand Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin and Associates) by surveying the "likeliest" voters, which moved Richardson past Barack Obama into the rarefied air of third place and 18 percent.

Casting Call

2007-06-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

Bill Richardson has used up most of the tread on his "rock star" line (i.e. "I'm running against two rock stars but the American people don't want or need a rock star for a president"). But given the scripted nature of presidential politics, there's still some mileage to be gained from a "movie star" analogy.

And since there's a momentary lull in the campaign (and because we watched Ocean's 13 the other night) I wondered what it would be like if current presidential candidates were cast in Ocean's 11 (the 2001 version, not the original).

I've yet to learn how to not act on impulse...so coming soon to a theater (or diner, if you live in Iowa) near you...

Hillary Clinton as Danny Ocean (George Clooney). Both are the better half of attractive scene-stealers (Bill Clinton and Julia "Tess" Roberts). Both have spent time in prison (Ocean literally, Clinton figuratively). Both are smooth and calculating enough to give you the impression that they're the masterminds when, in fact, someone else is doing most of the heavy lifting.

Barack Obama as Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt). Both are charming and charismatic with a little renegade streak running through them. They're magnetic despite their flaws (eating constantly and sleeping with federal agents for Rusty and smoking and inexperience for Obama). Plus, their names are fun to say: Rusty, Obama, Rusty, Obama.

John Edwards as Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon). Both are handsome, intelligent and capable of running the show yet are always playing third fiddle to Rusty and Danny (or Hillary and Obama). The kind of character you root for without really caring whether they win or lose.

Bill Richardson as Frank Catton (Bernie Mac). Richardson is actually an amalgam of several characters (a little Livingston, some Linus and maybe a bit of Basher) but he fits in here because Frank always seems to be in the middle of everything without being part of the braintrust (Danny, Rusty and Linus). He's a useful guy to have around (either as a card-dealer or as a Presidential undercard) but his charisma is most useful as a distraction while the others raid a vault, steal diamonds or win the Democratic nomination.

Joe Biden as Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle). Both are likeable characters, albeit for different facets of the same reason. Basher is entertaining because of his British wit and his tendency to blow things up. Biden is entertaining for his New England wit and his tendency to self-implode with incendiary comments like "You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent."

Dennis Kucinich as The Amazing Yen (Shaobo Quin). Both are elfin in stature but agile at maneuvering in tight spots (Yen squeezing into a room service cart and Kucinich convincing people he's a US Rep from Ohio instead of an unemployed Keebler Elf). That said, you don’t really notice either of them until they’re doing a backflip in a bank vault (or shouting “No strings!” at a Democratic forum).

Mike Gravel as Saul Bloom (Carl Reiner). Both are old, crotchety and short-tempered if they don't take their pills. Both are prone to nonsensical outbursts. But while they're a serious threat to keel over at any given moment, they both fulfill a purpose. Saul is an old, crotchety, short-tempered master of impersonating German businessmen and Gravel is an an old, crotchety, short-tempered master of impersonating old, crotchety, short-tempered former Senators from Alaska.

Chris Dodd as Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison). While both Dodd & Livingston (sounds like a brokerage firm) hold heady credentials (Dodd as a US Senator and Dell as a computer nerd) nobody really pays much attention to either of them.

Mitt Romney as The Mormon Twins (Casey Affleck and Scott Caan). No, not just because Romney is Mormon. More because pre-candidacy Romney is a completely different person than post-candidacy Romney. And his two halfs tend to argue with each other a lot (I support a woman's right to choose! No, I don't! Yes, I do! No, I don't...etc.).

Rudy Guiliani as Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould). Both Rudy and Reuben seem to play big roles in the larger scheme of things but it's tough to say what, exactly, they do. Other than talk funny and bankroll nefarious operations (casino heists and/or presidential campaigns) with hard (millions of dollars) and political (9/11) currency.

John McCain as Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). Both are stiff, cold and more than willing to give up Julia Roberts to either A) Get their money back or B) Win over the conservative right.

Layover

2007-06-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

The Guv took last weekend off. After stops in NYC and DC yesterday and today, Richardson will have another day of rest tomorrow. Good for him. The man has been running ragged for months now. But it might not be a mere coincidence that he chose this week to take a breather.

It's been a rough month for BR4P. First was Meet The Press. Then the presidential debate. In the interim, Richardson sold off his oil stocks and agreed to stop name-dropping dead Marines for political gain. But he's taken another hit with this story in the current issue of The New Republic.

TNR writer Ryan Lizza basically nails Richardson to the wall. Not necessarily in any sort of malicious way. Just surgical. Granted, Lizza tossed in some gratuitious snark ("frat-boy-in-chief," etc.) and probably humped the scalp-tickling and hot dogs a bit much. I also don't think I've ever heard anyone in New Mexico call Richardson "Govzilla" (although it does have a nice ring to it). But the story did dissect The Guv's weaknesses along with exposing the kinks in the armor Richardson's built around his resume platform. And that "they're all called Kim" comment about North Koreans isn't going to win Richardson the Asian American Association endorsement.

Then again, there's something to be said about the Everyman candidate, whether such posturing is scripted or genuine. The TNR story isn't exactly one for the BR4P scrapbook, but it does portray him as an oddly endearing political oddity as much as it does a clueless, conniving opportunist.

After all, certain segments of the electorate love to see guys like Bill Clinton wolfing down fries at Mickey D's or Bill Richardson tossing F-bombs while he tears through a hot dog at the ballpark. But, luckily for Big Bill, most of those folks probably don't subscribe to TNR.

Poll Position

2007-06-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

Governor, we have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that you're up in the latest polls. The bad news is...you're down in the latest polls.

At least according to the head-scratching mixed messages slowly filtering in from pulsetakers in the aftermath of the June 3 New Hampshire debate.

First, the good news. On Monday, a CNN/WMUR poll in New Hamp suggested The Guv is now netting as high as 11 percent (when excluding Al Gore) of Granite State voters. In response, BR4P headquarters breathlessly exclaimed "Richardson now in top tier" in a press release that points out that the poll shows B-Rich as close as two percentage points from John Edwards. A recent LA Times/Bloomberg Poll also had Richardson earning a point (from 3 to 4) between April 5-9 and June 7-10 (What, you guys too good for May?).

Now, the bad news. The LA/Bloom poll has Joe Biden (Richardson's primary competition for "top of the second-tier," if not VP consideration) surging ahead of The Guv with a four-point swing (from 1 to 5). Also, a recent AP/Ipsos Poll had Richardson slipping a point (from 4 to 3) between March 5-7 and June 4-6 (they're too good for May and April, apparently).

But the worst news comes from a recent Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll that has the Richardson campaign in a death spiral, dropping three points (from 4 to 1) between May 15-16 and June 5-6. It's the rough equivalent of Hillary Clinton announcing her support for genocide as a solution to overpopulation in China, subsequently dropping her from 40 percent to 10.

What's worse, the perceived drop in the Fox poll means that The Guv has theoretically fallen into a three-way tie for last place alongside Chris Dodd, Mike Gravel and "Other". I'm not sure which is worse: being tied with Gravel or Other. Although people do seem to like Other's position on ambiguity.

Then again, it is Fox News we're talking about. Nevertheless, Richardson will have to have a strong showing at next month's debate in South Carolina. Otherwise he runs the risk of proving Fox News right and thus negating all of human existence.

Big Bad Wolf

2007-06-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

As if selling oil company stocks and wilting on national television wasn't enough to worry about, The Guv also apparently endorses Mexican wolves eating small children.

At least according to a contributor on the official John Edwards blog who posted an entry ("Bill Richardson Supports Wolves Stalking Children") on Monday criticizing Richardson's support for reintroducing endangered Mexican wolves into the wild.

"SisterFlash" asserts that the governor, "in an attempt to pander to the greens and environmental extreme, decided the risk to rural children was acceptable." This after three incidents in recent months involving wolves and children in New Mexico and beyond. None of the children were harmed, mind you, but that's not a chance that "SisterFlash" (nom de plume for Little Red Riding Hood?) wants to take. The blogger also suggests Richardson will support coyotes attacking kids in New Jersey, alligators killing children in Floria and mountain lions stalking young 'uns in Arizona.

Do you hear that, Ed? Bears. Now you're putting the whole station in jeopardy.

Psssshhh. Then again, it would certainly distinguish Richardson from the other Democratic candidates if he were to launch a "Save the Mexican Wolf: Feed it Defenseless Farm Kids" platform. But the governor probably has bigger predators to worry about these days.

When he isn't putting honey marinade on kindergarteners, The Guv is hitting the campaign trail hard this week. After the debate on Sunday, Richardson was in Chicago on Monday to speak at a forum for the Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. Monday night was fundraising in Phoenix. Tuesday and Wednesday saw Richardson passing around a hat in San Antonio, Dallas and Houston. Last night he was giving a speech to the Henderson Democratic Club in Nevada.

This morning, the governor was in Las Vegas (NV) and right now is probably in a plane somewhere over Utah on his way to a fundraiser in Denver tonight. Tomorrow is Denver and Pueblo, then Alamogordo and Carlsbad. Saturday, he's taking the day off to sprinkle paprika on Mrs. Campbell's third-grade class, then he's back in California for a fundraiser in Los Angeles on Sunday. A visit through the woods to grandmother's house may have to wait until next week.

Debating the Debate

2007-06-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

As eight-person debates go, it was an entertaining affair. The June 3 CNN prez debate among the announced Dem candidates only offered a few true news bytes, but it did provide another test for the wannabes.

And one wannabe in particular, Big Bill, seemed a bit out of his element. From my sofa, he seemed too scripted, often unable to directly answer questions concisely, and more to the point, not able to react as quickly as the format required.

Some of my favorite Richardson moments:

Moderator Wolf Blitzer interrupted Richardson's answer to a question about universal health care when the guv cited how his administration here in NM is "getting junk food out of the schools."

Then there was the moment when Richardson disclosed that we New Mexicans have a new name for our state - "We call it the clean energy state," Big Bill offered, apparently unaware that NM's economy is completely tied to the fortunes of extensive oil, gas and coal mining.

Richardson also plugged his proposal for a "hero's health card" (nice) and his off-hand suggestion that Bill Clinton could have a role in a future Richardson administration as special Mideast envoy.

The guv did score with a major compliment from Hillary Clinton, who referred to him as one of "the great diplomats" the USA has in its roster. He also shook up the debate (for a couple minutes, at least) with his proposal that the US threaten to boycott the upcoming Beijing summer Olympics if China doesn't do more to lean on its friends in Sudan over atrocities in Darfur.

Overall, I thought Richardson's performance was OK. Not terrible, but definitely not stellar either. More than anything, I was left thinking that Big Bill is throwback to a different era of politicians where hashing out (backroom) compromises was the currency of the land, not snappy or eloquent made-for-TV repartee.

But he does have one hell of a resume!

Spin Cycle

2007-06-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

BR4P headquarters kept relatively tight-lipped after the governor's Meet the Press hiccup on May 27. Conversely, the campaign is frantically performing PR triage after Sunday's debate in New Hampshire.

Right now, the lead photo link on the campaign home page even goes so far as to boast the headline, "A Clear Winner in New Hampshire." That's what you call taking editorial liberties. The link connects to a BR4P press release touting his "strong showing" while, elsewhere on the Web site, the campaign includes at least one YouTube link featuring a Richardson convert "loosed" by Barack Obama and a few blog posts praising his performance as evidence for Richardson's "victory".

It's as if the Chicago Bears issued a press release following the Super Bowl announcing that they, not the Colts, actually won the game. I'm a Bears fan so I'd be cool with a little revisionist history on that end, but it still wouldn't make it true. Nevertheless, that's how this game is played. Participants in tonight's GOP debate take note.

Any Given Sunday

2007-06-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

Gov. Richardson struggled in the national spotlight for the second Sunday in a row last night, this time at the New Hampshire presidential debate. The bite marks from Tim Russert's serrated teeth were still fresh after last week's Meet The Press feeding frenzy but a lack of camera time probably hurt The Guv more than anything during the debate.

Richardson had trouble shrink-wrapping his points into short sound bites and, when he did get the conch, moderator Wolf Blitzer was nipping at his heels to stay on-topic so aggressively that the governor's positions ultimately seemed more vague and less coherent than they actually were. He wasn't unhinged (like, say, crazy uncle Gravel) but he also didn't do anything to separate himself from the pack. That is, other than making a seemingly off-hand comment about boycotting the Beijing Olympics if China doesn't step up its efforts in Darfur. That's probably the only position of Richardson's that will get any pub, which could do more harm than good for his campaign.

The top three candidates (Edwards, Hillary and Obama) had the lion's share of face time, but worse for the BR4P campaign was Joe Biden's strong showing. For weeks, Richardson has been widely acknowledged as the top "second-tier" candidate but Biden's forceful performance may have chipped away at that distinction.

SFR will have a more detailed analysis of Richardson's debate performance later this week. In the meantime, here's my debate score card and whether each candidate's stock rose, fell or stayed the same afterwards:

1. Barack Obama (stock up)
2. John Edwards (up)
3. Hillary Clinton (even)
4. Joe Biden (up)
5. Dennis Kucinich (up, as much as it can be)
6. Bill Richardson (down)
7. Chris Dodd (even)
8. Mike Gravel (down, if that's even possible)

The good news for the Richardson camp is that there's still seven months until the Iowa caucus and most Americans were probably more concerned with the Sopranos finale and/or the Red Sox/Yankees game rather than the debate.

Sunday Morning Coming Down

2007-06-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

CNN will broadcast the New Hampshire Democratic presidential candidate debate live at 5 pm (New Mex time) tonight. The debate is expected to last two hours and will be followed by a two-hour, post-debate "Raw Politics" segment. It's probably foolish to expect that "Raw Politics" is anything like "WWE Monday Night Raw" but I'll still hold out hope that Kucinich will wack Dodd in the head with a folding chair.

St. Anselm College in Manchester will be the host venue for both the eight Dems debating tonight and 10 Repubs on Tuesday. Security probably won't be an issue since the new director of the US Secret Service (Mark Sullivan) is a member of the St. Anselm class of '77. Which is a feather in the cap for St. A, but also probably led to some awkward conversations at the 30-year reunion:

"Mark! It's been ages!"
"Ted, you old goat! How is Marilyn and the kids? Oh, by the way, I've been meaning to talk to you about the suspicious phone calls you've been making to Islamabad lately..."

Two classmates who tried to spike the punch at the reunion were last seen with black bags over their heads as they were loaded into an unmarked van by five government agents.

The Guv will, once again, have his hands full trying to get a memorable word in edge-wise with all the preening, clucking and flying feathers of his compadres. He's obviously not alone. Hillary is probably the only candidate who can afford to play it completely safe at this stage in the game. But there's good news for the BR4P camp: CNN's Wolf Blitzer will be moderating the debate, not Tim Russert.

Spring Cleaning

2007-05-31T12:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday Night Live has been, by and large, painful to watch the last couple of years. As such, I rarely do. But a recent (May 19) animated skit just caught my eye. The premise of the "TV Funhouse" segment (the series that brought you The Ambiguously Gay Duo) is presidential candidates airing their dirty laundry on Oprah. And there are plenty of soiled sheets, so to speak, to choose from.

It's offensive. It's outrageous. It's sacridelicious.

The Guv is featured for only about 17 seconds in the nearly five-minute sketch but he isn't skewered nearly as bad as most (aside from the fact that the Richardson impersonator sounds like the unholy offspring of Jack Nicholson and George Bush I). Former NYC mayor Rudy Guiliani probably gets the worst of the Zed treatment. But you'll just have to see for yourself. Without further ado,

Live, from New Mexico, it's ...uh... Thursday afternoon!: Enjoy.

Score One for Hillary

2007-05-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

Fresh off his official (but super anticlimactic) announcement in Los Angeles last week, Bill Richardson must be feeling a bit down today. The reason: LA Mayor Antonio Villariagosa, one of the country's most talented and energetic Latino pols, just endorsed Big Bill rival Hillary Clinton. Villariagosa must be betting that Hillary is most likely to win, while Richardson isn't... despite his perfect Spanish and Mexican-American heritage. Still, its gotta be a big blow for Big Bill.

As a matter of comparison, can anyone seriously imagine former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington or former NYC Mayor David Dinkins NOT endorsing Jesse Jackson during his historic runs for the White House back in the '80s. Not a chance. Fast forward to Richardson's historic run two decades later, and he seems unable to generate the same kind of ethnic appeal and solidarity.

That probably speaks to how Richardson has been able to (successfully) transcend his ethnic identity for most of his career, not just with an Anglo last name, but more importantly with his own political decisions to focus on foreign policy, for example, rather than immigration or civil rights issues.

In some ways, Richardson has been a victim of his own success.

Off-Shore Bank Accounts

2007-05-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

El Gobernador is hitting up a different sort of White Sands this week. Yesterday was Boca Raton. Today is an island-hopping fundraising jaunt in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The primary purpose for the trip is raising cash, raising cash and raising cash (and, if there's time, lobby Ricky Martin to quit pouting and just do the Menudo reunion already).

It's not a bad move on Richardson's part. Give the neglected US Territories (or Commonwealth, in PR's case) some face time. Plead for campaign funds. Say hi to the outgoing Miss Universe (see previous link). Maybe even sip a fruity umbrella drink. See? It's not that bad being a presidential underdog.

Besides, there probably aren't a lot of candidates making official stops in Condado and St. Thomas. If the Guv reaps a windfall, it won't be long before he hits up Guam, American Somoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. He could even take a slow-moving freighter to Palmyra Atoll if money gets tight.

But, alas, it's not all fun and games. Richardson will be leaving the islands quickly with his "I Went To Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands For 24 Hours And All I Got Was This Stupid T-Shirt...And $425,000 in Campaign Contributions" shirt in tow. He will be back in boring old landlocked New Mexico tomorrow and Friday before jetting off for Rundlett Middle School and the New Hampshire Democratic Convention in Concord on Saturday morning.

But wait...there's more!

Not one to miss out on a party, The Guv will traverse back across the country in time for the Iowa Hall of Fame Dinner in Cedar Rapids on Saturday night before hopping another flight back to New Hampshire for the next Democratic Presidential Debate on Sunday (5 pm New Mex time) at St. Anselm College in Manchester.

Joe Biden and Chris Dodd will be making the New Hampshire-to-Iowa-to-New Hampshire trip as well. The Three Amigos will also be joined by Dennis Kucinich and Michelle Obama at the NHDC. Apparently Barack Obama is in such high demand he has to send family in his stead. So don't be suprised if you see his second cousin Ray-Ray give a stump speech to the Greenville County Democrats at a Waffle House in South Carolina.

The Guv will also be joined in Cedar Rapids by Dodd, Biden, Hillary and John Edwards for the Iowa Hall of Fame shindig. Alas, the Hall of Fame in question has something to do with the Iowa Democratic Party and thus is filled with names nobody outside Dubuque has ever heard of. But Cedar Rapids is a good place for politicians to act like they enjoy being in Iowa considering the town has produced such thespians as Ashton Kutcher, Elijah Wood, Ron Livingston (Peter from Office Space) and Michael Emerson (Benjamin, the Creepy McCreeps leader of The Others on Lost). Which, come to think, a combination of Lost and Office Space probably sums up what it's like to live in Iowa.

Richardson's resumé

2007-05-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

This article from the American Chronicle about Richardson's need to talk about more than his resumé was good, but characterizing Richardson as being from a "midwestern" state confused me. I'm pretty sure I don't live in the midwest. If I do, I may have to move.

Full Court Press

2007-05-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

The Guv met the press on Sunday and, by most accounts, caught a few on the chin for his troubles. Michael Buffer, take it away:

In this corner, the challenger wearing the red trunks with yellow trim, hailing from Santa Fe and weighing in at two bills and some change..."Wild" Bill Richardson!

And in the other corner, the reigning Meet the Press champion wearing the Men's Warehouse special, a southpaw hailing from Washington DC and weighing in at 190 pounds (not counting the 15 added by the camera and/or Green Room buffet)..."Tenacious" Tim Russert!

Let's get ready to ruuummmmmbbbbblllllllllee!!!

Okay. It probably wasn't that dramatic. But judging from video clips and the interview transcript, Russert certainly didn't pull any punches. In fact, you could say Russ had Big Bill on the ropes soon after "Governor Richardson, welcome back to Meet the Press."

Russert pressured Richardson on his Iraq stance, immigration, his name-checking of deceased US Marine Aaron Austin, New Mexico's persistently high poverty rates, his tenure as Energy Secretary, his energy proposals, gun control, being "drafted" by the As, even whether he roots for the Red Sox or the Yankees. In short, everything short of Richardson's opinion on walking while chewing gum (he initially supported the idea but, in reflection, changed his mind upon the realization that such multi-tasking could have serious public health consequences).

Russert probably scored a unanimous decision. But while the governor was reeling on an occasion or two, he was still standing when the final bell rang. And there's nothing wrong with a little bare-knuckled political pugilism every now and then (few around these parts are bold enough to even step into the ring with Richardson). It thickens the blood. Builds moxy. Plus, chicks dig scars.

The BR4P camp can take some solace in the showdown. Getting grilled with tough questions for an hour on national television legitimizes, in a sense, your candidacy. For instance, Russert and other reporters aren't going to bother thoroughly raking Mike Gravel over the coals. The inclination is more towards getting the former Alaska senator a warm cup of milk and directions back to the Anchorage nursing home he wandered away from about three months ago.

Besides, if it was an actual boxing match (instead of a tortured analogy), chances are good the governor would mop up. My prediction: Richardson by TKO in the fifth.

Singing Points

2007-05-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

Not unlike Halley's Comet, every once in a while the New Mexican daily paper emerges to contribute something useful to The Discussion. The latest offering comes courtesy of Steve Terrell and his analysis of presidential theme songs. A tip of the cap to Terrell, but it occurs to us that theme songs only serve a solitary purpose. Which is why I've compiled the following list of songs tailor-made to be the soundtrack for any prospective Richardson talking points:

BR4P advertising campaign: “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles.
Budget deficit: “2+2=5” by Radiohead.
California primary: “Beverly Hills” by Weezer.
Campaign schedule: “Gone ‘til November” by Wyclef Jean.
Domestic partnerships: “Gay Bar” by Electric Six.
Foreign Policy: “Come Together” by the Beatles.
Fundraising: “C.R.E.A.M.” by Wu-Tang Clan.
George W. Bush: “American Idiot” by Green Day.
Global Warming: “This is Why I’m Hot” by MIMS.
Gubernatorial appointments: “Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None)” by Snoop Dogg.
Health Care: “Be Healthy” by Dead Prez.
Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards: “Ain’t Sayin’ Nothin’ New” by the Roots.
Immigration: “Walk The Line” by Johnny Cash.
Inappropriate touching of lieutenant governors: “I Touch Myself” by the Divinyls.
International diplomacy: “I’m Afraid of Americans” by David Bowie.
Iowa caucus: “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere” by Dwight Yoakam.
Iraq: “B.O.B.” by Outkast.
Jerry Falwell: “Dead and Bloated” by Stone Temple Pilots.
Latino Heritage: “Lean Like a Cholo” by Down.
Name recognition: “Who Am I (What’s My Name?)” by Snoop Dogg.
Nevada caucus: “Viva Las Vegas” by Elvis Presley.
New Hampshire primary: “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” by Pearl Jam.
New Mexico: “It’s Good to be King” by Tom Petty.
Next “I’m Running For President” Announcement: “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake.
Presidential polls: “Underdog” by Sly and the Family Stone.
Resumé: “Ch-Check it Out” by the Beastie Boys.
South Carolina primary: “Raise Up” by Petey Pablo.
Speeding tickets: “I’m in a Hurry and Don’t know Why” by Alabama.
US Attorney firings: “I Think I Smell a Rat” by the White Stripes.

The Aftermath

2007-05-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

What a difference four months and two words ("exploratory committee") sent to the guillotine can make. Back in late January, people outside the 505 shrugged when Bill Richardson unveiled his BR4PEC on This Week with George Stephanopoulos. That reaction was for several reasons. Among them,

A) The announcement came mere days after the two-headed hydra of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama had entered the fray.
B) Four months ago, approximately 17 members of the general public outside New Mexico, the Clinton Administration and the Democratic Party could pick Richardson out of a lineup.
C) Those same 17 people are the only folks outside the Stephanopoulos family who regularly watch This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

Nothing, other than semantics, substantially changed with Richardson's official entry on Monday. But this time around Big Bill's announcement was carried by most (if not all) the major television news networks and earned him headlines in Papers Of Record from New York to LA.

Therein lies the beauty of the curious political concoction that is the presidential exploratory committee (just ask Tom Vilsack how announcing right off the bat worked out for him). Moreover, the timing gave the Guv a rare spotlight all his own after several months of building support and, more importantly, some semblance of name recognition.

The majority of Americans still probably couldn't tell you what state Richardson governs if you spotted them the "New" and the "Mexic". Then again, plenty of Americans still think "New Mexico" refers to the strand of beachfront hotels and Señor Frogs in Cancun. If only Richardson had announced he was forming a presidential expedition committee on Monday. Then he could make another (bigger and with more balloons) announcement in September. Alas.

The Guv doesn't have quite as hectic of a campaign schedule this week, but he's not exactly spending the next couple of days pruning the Yuccas outside the governor's mansion either. Today he'll be hosting a limited engagement in...wait for it...Santa Fe (it's a small city in northern New Mexico) before he jets off to Seattle tomorrow, back to Albuquerque on Friday before making an appearance on Meet The Press (the show's title is taken quite literally in the governor's case) in DC on Sunday morning before returning to California Sunday night. The Yuccas might have to wait.

A Delicious Irony

2007-05-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's "official" announcement in Los Angels has got me thinking about the main argument Big Bill uses at every turn to make his case to voters: I'm the most qualified.

Here's how he put in in LA: "I am running for President because these times call for a leader with a proven track record, and a demonstrated ability to bring people together to tackle our problems at home and abroad. I am that person, not because I say so, but because of what I have done..." Call it the "resume" pitch, a strand of which is practically woven in every speech Richardson gives, not to mention those two funny TV ads he's released to date.

But the other (obvious) part of Richardson's announcement in LA was to emphasize his Latino heritage. Combine the two—impressive resume and Latino heritage—and you turn one tired insinuation on its head. To his credit, Richardson isn't shy about pointing out that he's arguably the most qualified presidential candidate, period.

Seems to me that's a delicious irony in a country where ambitious minorities are often disparaged as unqualified.

The Old Switcharoo

2007-05-20T17:59:00.000-07:00

Turns out all my whining about the Los Angeles Press Club hosting Big Bill's official coming out party was for naught. Or maybe the SFR blog is just so powerful that it causes entire presidential campaigns to buckle to their knees. Either way, according to BR4P headquarters, the announcement will be at the same bat time (Monday, 11 am NM time) but on a different bat channel.

Richardson has moved the press conference to the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. I make no presumptions about the state of the LAPC, but the Biltmore sounds a tad more swank. According to the hotel's Web site, it "has been home to presidents, kings and Hollywood celebrities since it opened in 1923." Natch, apparently, governors from New Mexico.

We'll nevertheless still be monitoring the San Andreas Fault to see if the governor's announcement shifts any tectonic plates, causing a fissure in the Democratic primary through which Richardson's liquid hot charisma (if not magma) will seep.

Yeah, I watched Volcano on AMC the other night.

Department of Redundancy Department

2007-05-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

This just in: Bill Richardson is running for president.

The BR4P campaign just officially announced there will be an official announcement by the governor on Monday to officially announce his candidacy, officially. Fare thee well, presidential exploratory committee. We hardly knew yee.

As far as official announcements go, this ranks up there with declaring that the sky is blue, water is wet and Tara Reid is drunk. In other words, not surprising. After all, it's not like Big Bill was going to spend months of campaigning just to yell "Psych!" and fold up his tent, renounce his citizenship and live out his years as a sheep herder in Uruguay (although I hear Uruguayan shepherds do quite well).

What is a little suprising is the locale of his announcement. Richardson will officially throw his hat into the ring at 11 am (NM time) at the Los Angeles Press Club in, you guessed it, Los Angeles. It's no secret that California could conceivably reap huge electoral dividends for Richardson and, admittedly, he has to get some high-profile pub outside of New Mexico to be taken seriously as a national candidate. But don't be fooled by the well-tanned SoCal press corps, governor. Beneath those white veneers lurks rampant gingivitis of the soul.

Feeling slighted? Perhaps. A little jaded that we don't even have a Press Club? Maybe. But at least we didn't kill Biggie Smalls.

Cabin Pressure

2007-05-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

Big Bill is racking up the frequent flyer miles this week.

Monday saw the governor chatting up Google employees in Cali. Although his appearance hasn't had much effect on his Google hits, currently in the 1.3 million range (yes, we're keeping score at home). Tuesday was Portland, OR. Yesterday, Richardson landed in the nation's capital and, if the campaign schedule is accurate, the governor is tending to an "Energy Roll Out" at the DC Hilton as we speak...er...write. Presumably the event is an opportunity for the Guv to postulate on his various energy proposals and not a chance for him to unveil his new Ludacris remix. But if that was the case, we'd imagine it'd go a little something like this:

We got renewable energy (Roll out!)/Me and my homies (Roll out!)/We rollin on (hybrid) twenties, with the top back (Roll out!)/So much money (for biofuels and solar energy), you can't stop that!

Ahem. Tonight the Guv storms into Shreveport, Louisiana. Tomorrow is Omaha. And the week wraps up on Saturday with a tour of Iowa's Greatest Hits Volume: 3 (Red Oak, Shenandoah, Glenwood, Carter Lake) culminating with a Pottawattamie (say that 10 times fast) County Democrats House Party. No word on whether Kid or Play have RSVPd.

The Richardson campaign (like almost every other campaign) has yet to weigh in on the passing of Jerry Falwell. But while some stand mute, others have shouted from on high with their own...um...tributes: http://www.shoutmouth.com/index.php/news/12085

Is Bill Going Viral?

2007-05-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

his new ads are certainly garnering comments. Mostly positive ones (not the actual blog I'm linking to, but the comments in response are positive).
A quick google blog search on Richardson would indicate that, in general, the ads are getting him noticed. And noticed, when you're barely polling above the percentage of error, seems like a good, um, first step.

Oh, Canada

2007-05-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

It appears that Bill Richardson's "Job Interview" ads are already getting some attention from our friendly neighbors to the north (Canada, not Colorado).

This blog posting from Chris Boutet (sounds French-Canadian or "Freedom-Canadian" if you happen to be former Ohio Rep. Bob Ney "The Freedom Guy" circa 2003) of The National Post, a Toronto-based paper presumably printed on recycled maple leaves, weighs in on the governor's telegenic candidacy.

Boutet dubs Richardson the Democrats' "loveable loser" but calls the governor's new ads "pretty damn funny" and wonders "Why can't Canadian political ads be this good?" Boutet also points out that this isn't the first time Big Bill has used "humour" (as opposed to, say, "colour," "honour" or "jewellery") to gain political traction and includes a link to the "Western" ads Richardson ran during his last gubernatorial campaign.

This could be good news for the Richardson camp. After all, if the whole Oval Office thing doesn't work out you just might see some "Richardson for Prime Minister '11" bumper stickers sprouting up in the future. Take that to the banque.

union talk

2007-05-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

the gov touted his pro-union career to firefighters (in New Hampshire at their convention; the article I'm linking to conveniently seems to be missing the location).
Richardson, of course, hasn't been entirely popular with unions. Certainly the Corrections unions, here, have had plenty of gripes. I can't find the links, but here is some of our reporting on Richardson's problems with the Corrections unions.
All of these stories are copyrighted by The Santa Fe Reporter.

June 15, 2005, published in The Santa Fe Reporter
Bad Faith?
Union officials decry governor’s contract response.
By Dan Frosch
After nearly two years of negotiations, New Mexico’s State, County and City employees were certain they’d emerged less bloodied than Gov. Bill Richardson. After all, they had won most of their demands for better working conditions through an independent arbitration agreed to by both parties.
They were wrong.
Earlier this month, Richardson’s office sent a letter to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in Washington, DC, citing several problems with three points that had been decided in the union’s favor. Those issues included a 2.5 percent incremental salary increase, extra personal days and more bereavement days.
Leaders of New Mexico’s Council 18 Union—which represents 13,000 workers throughout the state and is part of AFSCME—tell SFR they were shocked by news of the letter. Union officials say they believed the governor was bound by the arbitration to which he’d agreed.
“I’m really surprised. I didn’t think he could do this,” Zach Garcia, vice president of the State Correctional Workers’ Union, Local 3422, and a member of the Council 18 negotiating team, says.
“We had faith in the governor,” Arcy Baca, president of Local 477, which includes all State workers in the Santa Fe area except corrections workers, adds.
The arbitration followed initial negotiations on a new contract in 2003 in which union and State officials reached an impasse on a number of key issues related to salaries, personal leave, staffing, scheduling and overtime.
In February of this year, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services decided the union’s final proposal—which entailed pay raises, more bereavement days, better overtime compensation and other improvements—was reasonable and should be agreed to by the State. State negotiators had argued such a proposal would cost too much and violated existing rules mandated by the New Mexico State Personnel Board.
Although the New Mexico State Legislature failed to fund an overall pay increase, union officials say they wanted a 2.5 percent incremental increase written into their contracts to help pressure the Legislature to fund it in the future.
In May, Council 18 presented Richardson with a new contract and assumed he’d sign it. Anthony Marquez, executive director of Council 18, says the union now has requested a meeting with the governor but has not heard a response. He also noted that last week at its state convention in Albuquerque the AFL-CIO national labor union—affiliated with AFSCME—passed a resolution urging Richardson to sign Council 18’s contract.
Tiffany Ricci, spokeswoman for AFSCME, which represented Council 18 during the arbitration, says AFSCME is still negotiating and she expects the results to be favorable.
In response to questions from SFR, The New Mexico Office of the Governor issued the following statement regarding negotiations with the union: “The Governor’s Office acknowledges that there are some technical issues that remain. But we are hopeful and optimistic that an amicable agreement will be reached.”
Such optimism doesn’t sit well with local union leaders—especially corrections workers, who are particularly miffed at this latest setback because of their struggles for pay raises and rocky relations with Corrections Secretary Joe Williams.
Throughout the legislative session, union members picketed the Roundhouse for better wages, and in March, the Corrections Union unanimously handed Williams a vote of no confidence.
“For Richardson to say that he supports collective bargaining, go through the negotiations and then do this…We feel betrayed,” says Lee Ortega, a corrections sergeant at the Santa Fe state penitentiary and president of Santa Fe Sub-local 3422.
Cayetano Trujillo, a corrections worker and secretary treasurer for the Santa Fe Sub-local, was part of Council 18’s negotiating team and believes Richardson’s hardball tactics will considerably strain an already tense relationship between public employees and the governor.
“He’s dictating all of this on whole terms, so it’s as if the whole process was useless,” he says. “Now we have to go back to the same place we started. Now we have nothing. This was a real slap in the face.”

Nov. 2, 2005
Roid Rage
Prison union alleges inmate price gouging.
By Dan Frosch
Rarely does a prison movie go by without the requisite scenes of gargantuan inmates, swollen from untold bench press reps, stomping around the jail yard shirtless and scowling.
The reality, at least at the Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe, is a bit more complicated.
SFR has learned that Sub-local 3422, the local chapter of the state prison guard union, has filed a complaint with Attorney General Patricia Madrid’s office alleging that the New Mexico Corrections Department is overcharging inmates for vitamin supplements used by inmate weight lifters.
Further, the union says Corrections Secretary Joe Williams inappropriately hired a personal friend, local weight trainer Perry Barnes, to administer the vitamin program, allowing Barnes to make a profit off the inmates in the process.
“Not only are the inmates getting gouged in terms of the prices,” Joe Kellenyi, Sub-local 3422 recording secretary, says, “the secretary also gave his friend what is essentially a no-bid contract.”
According to Kellenyi, the union originally contacted Madrid’s office this past summer after an inmate weight lifting club complained to guards that Barnes was charging them too much money for vitamin supplements. The inmate group, Power Demons Self Help Club, sells the vitamins at the Penitentiary commissary, and uses the profits to pay for funeral furloughs when an inmate’s family member dies, bedside visits to sick relatives and local charities.
Before Barnes started working with Williams late last year, Power Demons told Kellenyi that they alone negotiated with the supplier, Universal Nutrition, and were able to garner a better deal. An Aug. 8 letter, obtained by SFR, and written to Williams from Power Demons, calls Barnes unprofessional, his prices extreme and says the vitamin purchasing worked better when the club was in charge.
The letter also says Power Demons has thus far paid Barnes nearly $4,500 for the vitamins, far in excess of what it paid Universal directly for the same products.
Subsequent documents drafted by Power Demons and given to SFR by Kellenyi, show the club is now paying Barnes an average of about $5.75 more per package of vitamins for the four different products it purchases.
Since filing the initial complaint, Kellenyi says he’s been in contact with staff from Madrid’s office but has received no definitive word of whether an actual investigation will take place.
AG spokesman Paul Nixon confirmed receipt of the complaint from the union but would neither confirm nor deny an investigation.
Williams, himself a former body builder, acknowledges being in contact with the Attorney General’s Office but says there’s no impropriety and that standardization of vitamin purchasing was a security concern because the piecemeal fashion by which inmates were previously buying vitamins was difficult to oversee.
“We had inmates at some facilities buying bags of one protein and inmates at another buying a different sort of supplement,” Williams says. “Some of these vitamins the Federal Drug Administration were still looking at, and I didn’t feel comfortable with that.”
The New Mexico Corrections Department has a six-tier classification system based on the severity of crime committed. Only inmates classified as less dangerous—levels one though three—can lift weights. The more serious body builders within that lower risk population will buy multi-vitamins or protein supplements like creatine, William says.
According to Williams, since Barnes took over, the vitamin prices have largely gone down throughout the state prison system with the exception of the Penitentiary in Santa Fe.
Corrections spokeswoman Tia Bland says inmates at the Lea County Correctional Facility, for example, used to shell out $40 for a five-pound bag of “Ultra Whey” vitamins but now only pay $24. (Santa Fe inmates paid $19.45 before Barnes took over, she says.)
“We can understand why the inmates at Santa Fe might not want to pay more, but we had to look at the bigger picture,” Bland says.
Williams says the arrangement with Barnes—whom he met at a mall kiosk where Barnes was selling his vitamin wares—is not illegal because “there’s no taxpayer money involved.”
State agencies must allow open bidding for contracts of less than $20,000 and a “Request For Proposal” process for contracts of more than $20,000, according to Alex Cuellar, public information officer for the New Mexico General Services Department, which oversees purchasing for the state. But because Barnes sells his goods directly to the inmates, the Corrections Department does not have to do either, Cuellar confirms.
Barnes also defends his involvement and says the vitamin purchasing standardization prevents contraband from entering the prisons because it’s easier for the New Mexico Corrections Department to oversee a single system. He also says before he came on board, inmates were purchasing vitamins containing Aspartame, a controversial artificial sweetener.
Though Barnes would not divulge how much money he’s earned, he did tell SFR he typically sells protein vitamins for about half of the going market price—$46—and barely breaks even as a result.
“The allegations are false,” he says. “The Power Demons are just mad because they were making money when they were the distributor. They’re the price gougers.”
Not so, according to Kellenyi, who’s pressing the Attorney General’s Office to conduct an audit of the Santa Fe Penitentiary commissary.
“To us, this has every appearance of a kickback,” Kellenyi says. “We’re hopeful the attorney general will look at this seriously.”

June 7, 2006
Correcting Corrections
Union officials question prison leadership
By Dan Frosch
If it weren’t for the Treasurer’s Office, the New Mexico Corrections Department could make a legitimate claim as the most troubled agency in the state.
In 2005, a nasty split between the corrections union and administrators over salaries and working conditions left both sides on horrible terms. Last year, four guards were attacked at a facility in Santa Rosa, an incident union leaders blamed on a lack of funding. This past April, the ACLU of New Mexico filed a lawsuit against the Corrections Department for ignoring overcrowding at a women’s prison in Grants.
And the bad news keeps on coming.
On May 29, Gov. Bill Richardson removed Secretary of Corrections Joe Williams from office while investigators look into his use of a state cell phone, a state trip and his personal relationship with an out-of-town prison lobbyist. The temporary sacking came on the heels of a May 28 Albuquerque Journal story that detailed Williams’ relationship with Ann Casey, an assistant warden at an Illinois prison and a New Mexico lobbyist in 2005.
The day the governor put Williams on unpaid, administrative leave he also appointed Deputy Secretary of Administration Jolene Gonzales to take over day-to-day operations during the interim.
Now, union officials question Gonzales’ appointment.
“We’re very concerned because Jolene doesn’t have a corrections background. You think that would be a prerequisite to run the entire department,” Lee Ortega, president of northern sub-local 3422 in Santa Fe, says. “We don’t have a clue why she should be appointed.”
Richardson initially tapped Gonzales for the deputy secretary post in August 2004. Prior to that appointment, she worked as a budget analyst for the state’s Legislative Finance Committee for nearly 10 years. She was also budget bureau chief for the Corrections Department for approximately five months in 2004.
Union officials say none of those jobs translates into the ability to oversee 10 prison facilities and manage more than 2,000 employees throughout the state.
Both Ortega and Dominic Vigil, the state corrections union president, say Erma Sedillo, deputy secretary of operations, should have been appointed acting secretary. Sedillo has worked in the corrections industry for more than 20 years.
“Jolene has no experience. She’s basically a bookkeeper. We have a lot of serious issues we’re dealing with right now. And she’s not capable of handling them,” Vigil says. “Erma should have been put in that position.”
In response to questions about why the governor chose Gonzales over Sedillo, Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos sent SFR an e-mail statement:
“Governor Richardson is confident that the entire leadership team at the Corrections Department will do a good job of overseeing the operations during this brief period.”
Gallegos also stresses Williams will likely be back on the job after the review is completed June 9.
New Mexico Corrections Department spokeswoman Tia Bland repeatedly told SFR that Gonzales was unavailable for an interview.
Union officials have long had a contentious relationship with Williams and his administration, clashing over wages, staffing and other contractual issues [Outtakes, Aug. 3, 2005: “The Late Shift”].
In April 2005, union members gave Williams a vote of no confidence, and Vigil says many issues, such as staffing, remain unresolved. According to Vigil, the Corrections Department is more than 300 officers short.
Meanwhile, the investigation into Williams, conducted by the State Personnel Office, continues. State Personnel Director Sandra Perez says she expects to meet the June 9 deadline set jointly by her office and the governor’s office.
Union leaders on June 3 gathered in Las Cruces to discuss Williams’ leadership, Gonzales’ appointment and other ongoing concerns they have relating to work conditions.
Ortega says the union has decided to hold protests within the next month unless Williams is permanently removed from office and is replaced by someone “we can work with.”
The protests won’t be the first of their kind. In the spring of 2005, the corrections union held demonstrations outside the Roundhouse to protest the Legislature’s failure to grant workers a pay raise and what union leaders perceived as Williams’ lack of support.
Says Ortega: “We sit down with [the administration] at least once a month. They say they’re taking care of the issues we’re concerned about but nothing happens. We’re tired of playing their game.”

Jay and Silent Bill Strike Back

2007-05-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

The Guv is hitting up his third state in three days today (after NY and NH) for a little California dreamin'. His LA trip is ostensibly a short fundraising swing but we suspect that Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n' Waffles has something to do with it.

The highlight of the roadie will be a spot for Big Bill on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno this evening (10:45 pm New Mex time on NBC). In order to cause a minor stir during the 2004 election, John Kerry rode a Harley into Leno's studio. Alas, a Hog and some leather chaps couldn't save him. Maybe Richardson will have more luck if he putters on stage aboard an electric Vespa while Tupac's "California Love" thumps in the background. Ya know, to capture that elusive 30-and-under renewable energy "Thug Life" tattoo voting demographic.

Richardson has a tough act to follow after last night's Leno lineup of Cameron Diaz, Nelly Furtado and a 6-year-old piano prodigy. The Guv will be sharing the stage tonight with "Julie Scardina and Sea World Animals" and special musical guest Miranda Lambert. "Miranda who now?" you ask. Pssshhh. Apparently you weren't one of the 324 people who tuned into that season of Nashville Star. But her latest single ("Famous in a Small Town") has a certain a propos poignancy for Richardson. Let's just hope he doesn't get up-staged by Shamu and friends.

Why Bill Was Right to Oppose Birth Certificates for Stillbirths

2007-05-10T10:56:00.000-07:00

If Richardson wants the vote of the majority of Americans, who are pro-choice, then he needs to be consistent in his support of reproductive rights. That's why his decision on this seemingly-uncontroversial bill was particularly astute.

If it makes grieving women feel better, then why not just issue the certificates? Well, because we have to weigh the comfort some women may receive from the certificate against the rights of all women. Requiring state-issued birth certificates for stillborn fetuses is a vital part of the anti-choice movement’s strategy to overturn Roe v. Wade by slowly and systematically assigning to fetuses rights that supercede the rights of women.

In the Roe v. Wade decision, the Supreme Court ruled that a fetus is not a “person,” unlike the grown person whose body is hosting the fetus. It should make perfect sense that a woman is entitled to protection under the 14th Amendment, whereas a fertilized egg is not, and that we cannot take rights away from women simply because they have the fortune (or misfortune) of getting pregnant. Unfortunately, all that information is just blah blah blah when mainstream media focus on the heartbreak of stillbirth, quoting grieving women who want birth certificates to acknowlege their loss.

Yes, it is miserably heartbreaking to lose a child, but it’s also a misery to be forced to have a child against your will. And that’s where this whole birth-certificates-for-stillborns thing is going.

According to National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy, “…If they can convince the Supreme Court that ‘times have changed’ since Roe was decided and that a fetus should now be recognized as a "person" under the Constitution, then abortion would immediately become an act of murder in every state across the country. …And once a fetus is considered a "person" under the U.S. Constitution, no legislation, no ballot measure, no court case, no vote will be able to keep abortion legal in this country."

In the effort to overturn Roe by establishing the fetus as a person, anti-choice activists have been pushing all kinds of laws, on state and federal levels, that attempt to give rights to fetuses, while infringing on the rights of women. Gandy cites several examples:

1) The Bush administration added new regulations to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) in 2002 that classified a fertilized egg as an "unborn child" eligible for health insurance. They said the change was needed to cover prenatal care — but it was really just "cover" for another fetal personhood initiative. (In fact, the Clinton administration had covered prenatal care under S-CHIP without regulations establishing that an embryo is a child.) The same year, Bush told the Advisory Commission on Human Research Protections (under the Department of Health and Human Services) in 2002 to consider embryos as "human subjects."

2) In 2004, Bush signed into law the so-called "Unborn Victims Of Violence Act," which amended federal criminal laws to create a second, separate offense for killing or injuring a "child in utero," thus transforming even a fertilized egg or zygote into a child — a person — under that federal law. Although the stated purpose was to protect pregnant women from violence, conservatives in Congress quickly killed a substitute that would have doubled the penalty for any crime against a pregnant woman. This law covers only crimes committed on federal land, so it has limited actual application — it's just another step in the march toward fetal personhood.

3) Prosecutors across the country are using child abuse and neglect statutes to criminally charge women for actions that potentially harm the fetus, claiming for example that pregnant women were "delivering" drugs to "minor children" through their umbilical cords.

4) In 2005 and 2006, three bills were introduced in Congress that would severely punish doctors unless they tell women seeking abortions (contrary to medical knowledge) that "your unborn child" will feel pain in "the process of being killed in an abortion," offer her anesthesia for the fetus, and get a signed statement that she received the information. This so-called "fetal pain" bill was narrowly defeated in the closing days of the 109th Congress, but is already on tap for the 110th.

“Taken together with the appointments of two anti-woman Supreme Court Justices and several anti-woman chiefs and advisors to key entities such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA Advisory Panel on Women's Health,” Gandy says, “these affronts to women's rights comprise a substantial undertaking—an organized effort to supply the Supreme Court with an abundance of references for an argument that fetal personhood should be legally recognized. Every state and federal measure that calls embryos and fetuses ‘children,’ unborn or otherwise, is a resource in the right-wing's ‘Roe-Be-Gone’ reservoir, waiting to be tapped. I'll say it again: Don't be chastened by those who say ‘it's just semantics.’ Words matter in the law, and in the case of fetal personhood, they may matter a lot more than you think.”

For a complete analysis of fetal personhood, check out the writings of Joyce Allen, a Canadian pro-choice writer and publisher.
(posted by Gwyneth Doland)

Bill's new ad

2007-05-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

I gotta say, I think this was a good move on their part. I'd much rather see a clever ad than a didactic one, and Richardson is not a great speaker, so this ad, in which he's mute, works on several levels.

Richardson under attack

2007-05-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

While most people agree Richardson doesn't have a shot at becoming president (most people I talk to, anyway), he's still under attack. This group is targeting Richardson for vetoeing a bill that would have given birth certificates to mothers whose babies had died stillborn.

Blogging Bill

Everybody Wants Bill

*Not* an endorsement, my *ss

Slate on Richardson

Bye Bye Bill

bye bye bill

DailyKos calls for Richardson to drop out.

You Tube Dump

did bill help barack?

The 2 percent solution

Politics vs. Policy in Bill's Second Choice

There's Something About Bill: Survey Says

Last Minute Attacks on Richardson?

Radiation Billness

¡Yo Quiero Taco Bill!

Man with a plan :: Cindy Sheehan likes Bill Richardson on Iraq—if only he’d call her.

Two kids in a dorm room

Bill’s ABCs

First Name Recognition

Will Hill Kill Bill for Lying About Iraq?

There's Something About Bill: Political Canvases

Criticism for Bill

Praise for Bill

Stuck in Iowa

Another Nom.

There's Something About Bill :: Richie Rich

What the?

I see London, I see France ...

There's Something About Bill: Grin & Bear It

Peace Prize Envy

Just a couple decent links

There's Something About Bill :: Political Animals

Lucky Bill

poor Bill

From guffaws to tears

Bill :: Easiest to stomach?

View to a Kill

Anticlimactic Bill headline of the week.

Richardson has plan to find bin Laden

bill's bucks

Bill Flintstone?

Very Odd Appointment

bill's ad spending

iowa teevee

Where's Richardson on Sudan Divestment?

Outta Sight/Mind

Bill visited me in my sleep last night

Bill 'n' Olbermann

Bill pisses off Michigan

Is it just me...

There's Something About Bill: Trivial Pursuits

Bill Richardson: "Very Little Air"

There's Something About Bill: Lo-Tech Special

Richardson's NM Supreme Court Nominees Are Big Contributors

Getting Better

The BIG Issue

There's Something About Bill

Slippy McTonguers

Unhappy looking camper

There's Something About Bill

Richardson, the energy candidate

Richardson, the libertarian

Something About Bill

Richardson pledges domestic partnerships for '08 session

kind words for bill

Bill who?

Bill's Gay Gaffe

Tubular

What about Women's Rights?

Republicans & Republican'ts

Catcher in the Rye

Gone in 60 Seconds

Lights, Camera, Action

Iran, Uran

Casting Call

Layover

Poll Position

Big Bad Wolf

Debating the Debate

Spin Cycle

Not an endorsement, my *ss