Bill Richardson | The New York Observer

Spinning St. Louis: McCain Supporters Loved Palin Performance, Debate Format

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:21:56 -0400

At the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Rudy Giuliani set the tone for Governor Sarah Palin and the sharp, well-delivered attack speech that brought her to national prominence. Then, last night, after a poor stretch for Palin highlighted by embarrassing interview performances, Giuliani was back to confidently herald Palin’s return to form.

“I mean, this was a fabulous performance,” said Giuliani, walking at a two-step-per-minute rate with his wife, Judith, in a frenzied...

Richardson on McCain's Immigration Stance, Part One

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:08:49 -0400

In light of Bill Richardson's remarks to USA Today--he said John McCain has "good record on immigration" and noted, "You can't underestimate John McCain with Hispanics"--it's worth looking back at his recent appearance at the Council of Foreign Relations.

During that interview, with C.F.R.'s Garrick Utley, Richardson spoke at length about McCain, immigration and Hispanic voters. He offered praise for the Republican nominee, but also said he thinks McCain is moving in the...

Carrion Hosts McCain and Obama at Latino Conference

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:07:12 -0400

Adolfo Carrion will host Barack Obama and John McCain at a national conference of Latino elected officials meeting in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, June 28.

Some Democratic officials, like Representative Nydia Velazquez, have said Obama has a problem connecting with Latino voters, and argued McCain's immigration policy is viewed so positively among Latinos that some may decide to vote Republican.

In a public statement, Carrion, who is president of the National Association of Latino Elected...

Richardson Pushes for Holbrooke Inclusion on the Obama Team

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:29:10 -0400

Governor Bill Richardson said today that he has spoken with former U.N. Ambassador Dick Holbrooke, a Clinton loyalist, about supporting Barack Obama and said that he will suggest to the Obama campaign that they include Holbrooke on Obama's foreign policy team.

At a Council on Foreign Relations event today, I asked Richardson why he thought Holbrooke's name was missing from the working group on foreign policy that Obama announced and met with today, and whether...

Richardson Defends Free Trade, But Not for Obama, Exactly

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:59:52 -0400

Bill Richardson thinks that when it comes to Barack Obama's position on Nafta, an agreement which he calls "a plus, a slight plus, at least for my state," voters should look at Illinois Senator's record.

"He voted for the Peru Free Trade Agreement," said Richardson, who immediately proceeded to make it clear that he was in no way speaking for Obama or his campaign. "You've got to be realistic," he said, and "you've got to...

Richardson Says It Would Be an 'Honor' to Run With Obama

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:19:35 -0400

Speaking at a Council on Foreign Relations event just now in Manhattan, Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico said that being picked as Barack Obama's Vice President would be an "honor."

"Look," said Richardson when asked by a moderator if he would take the job. "How can anyone turn down an honor like that, honestly?"

Richardson said that he loved being an ambassador to the United Nations, energy secretary and governor, but added, "of course,...

Velazquez: Obama Needs Clinton's Latinos

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:03 -0400

Before Hillary Clinton’s speech last night at Baruch College, Representative Nydia Velazquez waded into a thicket of reporters and explained why she thinks Barack Obama should choose Clinton as a running mate.

“The Latino community sees her as a Hispanic leader,” Velazquez said. “And for whatever reason, it seems to me that there is a problem of connecting with Latino voters from the Obama camp.”

I asked her why she that was.

Richardson Adviser: He Won't Endorse, I'm With Hillary

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:20:36 -0500

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson will hold a press conference this afternoon at 1 p.m. Mountain Time to officially announce his departure from the Democratic presidential race—but he won't be endorsing another Democratic candidate at this time. "He wants to make a considered choice," said Martha Burk, his senior adviser for women's issues. Burk, a syndicated columnist and an editor at Ms. magazine, has made an endorsement, however. She said that "I expect I'll be...

Bill Richardson Not Expected To Endorse Another Candidate Today

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:04:19 -0500

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson will hold a press conference this afternoon to officially announce his departure from the Democratic presidential race—but he won't be endorsing another Democratic candidate at this time. "He wants to make a considered choice," said Martha Burk, his senior advisor for women's...

O-blammo!

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 22:12:01 -0500

Bill Richardson gave his speech.

"The national media has kinda put the Iraq war aside," he said at the New Hampshire State Democratic Party Dinner. (For the record, he'd like to have the troops home in a year.)

By the time he was wrapping up, railing about how the primary should be settled by the voters, not by the "national media," hundreds of Obama supporters had begun gathering near the stage, chanting and yelling.

Then: an...

Bowl Week and the Presidential Race: More in Common Than You Think

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:49:51 -0500

Traditionally, the week after Christmas is Bowl Week, a bonanza of largely meaningless college football games, from the obscure PapaJohns.com Bowl to the august Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

This year, the bowls will have competition for the nation’s attention from politics, with the day after Christmas marking the start of a frenzied week-long run-up to the January 3 Iowa caucuses (which will actually...

New Yorkers Wanted for Bill Richardson

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 12:46:06 -0500

Bill Richardson is looking for help.

In an email to supporters, the head of his New York effort writes, “Our most immediate need is for people to help with collecting signatures between now and December 3 to get Governor Richardson on the ballot in New York.”

Here's the whole thing: From: Natalia Sorgente, Richardson for President <info@richardsonforpresident.com>
To: ### #### <####@gmail.com>
Sent: Fri Nov...

Top Dems Say They'll Skip CBS Debate

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 10:46:35 -0500

According to The Huffington Post, Democratic contenders Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, and Bill Richardson have all announced that they'll skip a December 10th debate, to be hosted by CBS News in Los Angeles, unless the network can come to an agreement with its striking employees.

Note that all four candidates' statements refer to those on strike as "workers" (Hillary gets the word in three times in two sentences), which sounds better than...

Desperate Candidates Cry 'Kerry'

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:56:25 -0500

In a lengthy interview with George Stephanopoulos that aired on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, Fred Thompson became the latest endangered presidential candidate to invoke John Kerry’s name.

Asked what kind of showing he will need to make in Iowa, where he now hovers around 10 percent in polls, Mr. Thompson replied, “It’s hard to say. But I’m planning on doing well. I think John Kerry had about nine percent at this stage of the...

Obama, Edwards Push Clinton for Hedging on Foreign Policy, Eliot Spitzer

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 09:33:56 -0400

For all Barack Obama’s aggressive talk about how he was finally going to force Hillary Clinton to answer for taking seemingly inconsistent positions, it was the New York senator herself who ultimately raised the issue.

After evading pointed attacks from Obama and John Edwards over Iran, Iraq, social security and taxes for much of Tuesday night’s debate at Drexel University here in Philadelphia, it was a question about, of all things, Eliot Spitzer’s failed proposal...

Leon Simmons Calls for Change in 2008

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 14:18:08 -0400

Leon Simmons was sitting outside City Hall Park, selling Poland Spring bottled water ($1), reading the Staten Island Advance, and wearing an "I Heart BX" shirt. A one-man focus group!

In honor of the holiday, I asked Simmons who he thought Columbus would vote for if he were alive today.

“Honestly, one of the white guys.”

Why?

“Because he’s a white man” and “this country has...

Bill Richardson and the Senate Option

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:24:47 -0400

The United States Senate is the world’s most exclusive club, but it’s also where presidential ambitions go to die.

And now that New Mexico’s Pete Domenici is retiring after six terms, Bill Richardson has a tough call to make.

Mr. Richardson is running for President, but his campaign is going nowhere. There are several reasons for this. Given the shadow Hillary Clinton has cast over the field from day one, it...

Richardson's (Very) Optimistic Man in New York

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 11:00:39 -0400

I just chatted with Bill Richardson’s volunteer state coordinator, Steve Bulko, who said he was optimistic about Richardson‘s prospects despite being on enemy turf.

“He comes in second in New Hampshire, we got enough time between that to filter down to the people voting on February 5th, it’s anybody’s game at that...

Richardson Campaign Gets Bloggers on Board

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 09:02:30 -0400

Today, Bill Richardson’s campaign is launching a television ad in New Hampshire about removing residual troops in a Iraq, a position on which he diverges from the leading Democratic candidates. And bloggers on are board!

The ad is being cut from a YouTube video into a 30-second spot featuring three leading progressive bloggers: Christina Siun O'Connell of Firedoglake.com, and Matt Stoller and Chris Bowers of OpenLeft (who wrote about the ad yesterday).

>> Watch the video...

Richardson: Bush-Cheney More Odious Than Bill Belichick

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 14:32:22 -0400

Governor Bill Richardson has found the day's most creative way to attack the Bush administration.

In an email his campaign just sent out to reporters titled "Governor Bill Richardson Statement on New England Patriots Spying Incident," Richardson is quoted as telling voters in Iowa today that "The President has been allowed to spy on Americans without a warrant, and our U.S. Senate is letting it continue. You know something is wrong when...

The Richardson Letdown

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:52:26 -0400

There are 18 candidates for president between the two parties, and Bill Richardson might just be the biggest disappointment of all of them.

The New Mexico governor stepped into the Democratic race with low poll numbers but enormous expectations. In his quarter-century in politics and government, he’d assembled a powerful résumé including service as a congressman, cabinet secretary, ambassador to the United Nations and, since 2003, chief executive of a state. He had...

Some Bark, Few Soundbites at Howard

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 08:11:48 -0400

The rules made it difficult for them to capitalize, but Mike Gravel handed his seven fellow Democrats a golden opportunity for a “Rudy moment” midway through tonight’s presidential forum.

The topic was the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the African-American community, but Mr. Gravel, the scattershot Alaska senator from a generation or two ago, used his time to plead for the legalization of drugs, arguing that those targeted by the federal government’s war on drugs are...

Instant Debate Analysis

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 23:40:45 -0400

In a debate billed as a battle for the black vote, the Democratic candidates generally avoided any confrontation and each sought to present him or herself as the champion of the African American community.

Barack Obama, the first African American candidate with a real shot at the presidency, received a cheer when he walked onto the stage and used his remarks to call for greater accountability within the community. Sen. Hillary Clinton, who...

Another (Good) Interview Spot for Richardson

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 16:10:15 -0400

Bill Richardson's campaign is out with another one of those job interview spots. Richardson this time boasts about his credentials protecting New Mexico's environment. ("President Bush doesn't follow the Kyoto Treaty, but my state does.") Richardson is clearly very comfortable in these fictitious job interviews and is good in front of the camera, making it that much harder to explain his distinctly un-stellar turn recently on Meet The...

Hillary, Like McCain, Sees Progress In Anbar

Mon, 07 May 2007 13:51:13 -0400

Asked yesterday during a Town Hall-style event in Red Oak, Iowa about what to do about Iraq, Hillary Clinton made the familiar argument that the troops needed to be extricated from a civil war. But she also added some notably optimistic comments about the soldiers' recent success in the mostly Sunni Al Anbar province where Al Qaeda has its stronghold.

"The war is 360 degrees, there is no battlefield," she...

Caucus of Influential San Francisco Dems Goes for Edwards

Fri, 04 May 2007 19:13:09 -0400

John Edwards prevailed as the winner of a potentially influential, privately-held caucus of influential fund-raisers and activists in San Francisco last week, besting Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson, all of whom made personal appeals to the group.

According to an attendee, Hillary’s session in front of the group's approximately 120 members went over extremely well, especially when she talked about gay rights. But when it came time...

Edwards Wins Caucus of Top San Francisco Dems

Fri, 04 May 2007 19:01:56 -0400

In a potentially significant show of strength, John Edwards emerged as the winner last week in a caucus of influential San Francisco fund-raisers and community activists.

The private gathering of about 80 prominent Democrats was held on Thursday, April 26, in San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel.

The Clinton, Obama, Edwards and Richardson campaigns were represented that day by their northwest regional finance directors and other local fund-raising staff....

Debate Scorecard: They're No Jack Kennedys!

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 00:41:31 -0400

Next February 5, when approximately 83 states are scheduled to hold primaries and caucuses that cumulatively figure to determine the party’s presidential nominee, chances are no one will remember anything from the lead-off Democratic debate.

There were no sharp attacks, no memorable exchanges, no gotcha moments. No one was asked about the hypothetical rape and murder of Kitty Dukakis; no one accidentally declared Poland liberated; and no one foolishly compared him or herself to Jack...

Bill Richardson on Rock-Star Status, Rudy, Foreign Intervention

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 11:15:37 -0400

Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson doesn't want to peak too soon. "Well, I can't compete Senator Clinton and Obama. I don't think anyone can," he said during a round-table with reporters after he spoke at the National Action Network this afternoon in midtown. "But I don't believe money or rock-star status is going to win this election." He added, "I don't want to surface to the top right now. This race is 10 months away....

Richardson’s Afghanistan Veteran Vents

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 08:44:32 -0400

So, as the Presidential candidates for 2008 wage a campaign in their name—Republicans support the troops in Iraq by supporting their mission; Democrats support them by trying to bring them home—what do the soldiers themselves think?

“Most soldiers couldn’t care less about politics,” said Ross Cohen, a fast-talking former paratrooper, in a panel discussion last week about a book-turned-documentary called Operation Homecoming at the Housing Works Bookstore on Crosby...

Dems Answer to Anti-War Listeners

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 06:00:00 -0400

A day after they ditched a planned FOX debate, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards will participate in a "virtual town hall" discussion this evening in the (presumably) more ideologically friendly confines of Air America radio. The Big Three, along with Bill Richardson, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd and Dennis Kucinich, will engage in a conversation entirely dedicated to the subject of Iraq and co-hosted by MoveOn.Org. Air America will be streaming it live...

Bill Richardson Seeks Clinton Scraps

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 20:00:00 -0400

Bill Richardson came to New York looking for cash, and at least a little recognition. “I’m raising money to be respectable,” he said on the night of March 26, as he leaned against his black Chevy Suburban wearing a blue suit, striped red tie and an exhausted look on his face. “I know that I can’t compete with Senators Clinton and Obama. I’m not a rock star. But I think my fund-raising totals...

Elsewhere: Spitzer, Bloomberg, Richardson

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 13:08:28 -0400

Budget negotiations between Eliot Spitzer and Joe Bruno didn't go well today. The long-delayed confirmation of the state environmental commissioner, Pete Grannis, passed a major hurdle. Mike Bloomberg blamed the free market for a lack of taxis in the outer boroughs. The guy leading the production of an upcoming anti-Hillary movie says despite some bumps in the road, "My organization is not in debt." A union representing half the state employees in NJ denounced attacks made by other...

Carrion Ducks Out on Richardson

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 09:00:00 -0400

At last night's Bill Richardson event, the honor of introducing the first Hispanic to run for President in a major party was supposed to go to Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, according to an advisory from Carrion's office. But then, it seems, things got complicated. Carrion has already endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. A photo of him next to Richardson, presumably, would have made a statement that the Clinton campaign might not have appreciated...

Richardson: 'Keep Your Powder Dry'

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 07:00:00 -0400

Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who is running for President, has a simple campaign strategy: be uncool. "I'm Bill Richardson, but I'm not a rock star," Richardson said last night at an event organized by DL21C on Manhattan's West Side. His talk, at times, felt like a recitation of his resume. Which I suppose is what you can expect from someone who has, at various times, been a governor, Congressman, federal energy secretary and...

Running for The Next-Best Thing

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 20:00:00 -0400

Every four years, a special class of candidates emerges from among the contestants in the Presidential primaries: those who are really running for Vice President. These would-be Veeps are not your garden-variety also-rans, the Dennis Kucinich and Duncan Hunter types who rather hilariously mistake their uncontested biannual victories in gerrymandered Congressional districts for some sort of national viability. Instead, they are reputable leaders with promising national profiles who, either before or at some point...

It’s Dukakis Time! Why 2008 Will Be About Competence

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 20:00:00 -0400

Competency usually doesn’t win Presidential elections. Michael Dukakis tried it in 1988, touting the Massachusetts Miracle. It was spectacularly unsuccessful. But 2008 may be different. This may be the first election in many years in which managerial capability trumps ideology. This is, in large part, the doing of the current administration. When liberals used to call this Presidency the “most incompetent” in history,...

He's Such a Tease!

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 06:21:57 -0500

Following up on my post from yesterday, about the "grassroots" "campaign" to "draft" New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson into the "wide-open" race for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, I received an email at the end of the day yesterday containing the following statement: "I am very encouraged and gratified by the support of these Nevada leaders for my potential candidacy for President," stated Governor Bill Richardson. "Support at the grassroots level is the single...

Planting the Netroots

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 05:47:21 -0500

A little story about me: Many years ago, back when George W. Bush was just the agreeable governor of Texas, I used to work for a Washington weekly newspaper called The Hill, covering the Democrats in Congress. I dealt with a lot of press secretaries and, as a result, ended up getting stuck on a lot of mass-email lists. I quit the job and moved to New York, but for a long time the...

Hillary Not Running! (see disclaimer for details)

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 07:43:39 -0400

A cautionary tale about discussing Hillary Clinton in a world in which every person associated with the senator has become a human tarot card: Last Tuesday evening, longtime Hillary pal and confidante Susan Thomases sent guests into a frenzy at a small meet-and-greet for New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson when she indicated that Hillary Clinton wasn't, in fact, running for president. According to two guests who were present at the "friend-raiser," which was hosted by Democratic...