Is the only argument against Richardson as VP that he isn't white?

Seriously... I love this man. And I think it would be a beautiful combination.

Is there some other reason against it other than the fact that there would be no white people on the ticket?

since he thought it would be a good idea to use Great Lakes water as part of a national water poicy = presumably to irrigate New Mexico and Arizona, who've already overused the water in their region. I thought it showed a remarkable lack of knowledge about the Great Lakes and its water table. You can't replenish the Great Lakes and New Mexico and AZ don't have the water to sustain the kind of growth they've had.

and it was taken out of context and expanded upon.


to my knowledge there have been no serious allegations about any skeletons.

change their vote due to the brown man who is the running mate.

the brown guy isn't going to sway them.

But I do think the perception of "American" matters here. Obviously to us they're both American, but between Mexico, Kenya, and Indonesia, other people might see things differently. Like Karl Rove, for example. x(

his ethnicity

especially at this time of year...and I'm a huera! ;-)

makes McCain look like Nelson Mandela. :P

And I'm 50. I'm not yet to the Cindy McCain point, but it's getting close! :rofl:

In any case, I'd love to see Richardson as VP, but I wouldn't like to lose him as gov. As far as water policy goes (somebody mentioned it in this thread), NM is very water conscious. We have to be. My backyard grass--the only grass I have--is watered by a very small, old community ditch, and that's only a few times in the spring/summer. New Mexico has not done what AZ has done re the golf courses, lawns, etc. It's a high desert environment, and New Mexicans, especially Bill Richardson, appreciate that fact and respect it.

Ditch irrigation is conservative and responsible and goes back hundreds and hundreds of years.

that could also be a factor.

races won with at least 60% of vote (Min 20% margin)


Broke a world record that stood for 95 years...... most handshakes in an 8 hour period.. .... this guy know how to win elections.


lots more good stuff.. check out this link



http://www.governor.state.nm.us/governor.php

he was my 2nd pick for Pres back in January - but his lackluster debate performances and campaign showed that he wasn't ready for primetime.

Winning in NM is a lot different than winning in the big leagues...

He really didn't turn in one good performance in any of the debates. At least I don't remember one. And the one that sealed the deal for me: the gay/lesbian-sponsored debate. He was horrendous, really embarrassed himself. I was kinda shocked at how unprepared he was. If you have a stance, just spit it out - it didn't hurt Obama or Clinton, who both oppose gay marriage. People can respect an opinion that seems genuine and thought-out. But he stumbled and fumbled and hem and hawed so badly, the panel even felt sorry for him. I'm not gay, and I was appalled.

His performance on the campaign trail was pretty pathetic and the way he'd rattle off his resume was a real turnoff. His corniest moment was during a debate when he said: "Give peace a chance." I groaned at that one.

the ticket would be 1/2 "white," 1/4 "Hispanic," and 1/4 "Black." :D

:P

particularly bright.

Taught courses at New Mexico State University.. Chairman of the Democratic Governor's Association, Chairman of Freedom House, served on several boards including the Natural Resource Defense Council and United Way International

Etc. Etc. Etc.....

Not particularly bright?


http://www.governor.state.nm.us/governor.php

I don't think he's stupid but he's had some stupid ideas, and he comes off as kind of slow in the debates. Sorry.

And no I'm not running for President so don't draw that false comparison please. Richardson is clearly smarter than any Republican, but I think there are better brighter Dems on the table.

didn't mean to draw any false comparisons.. My apologizes if I did so.


I just don't think you should consider his poor showing in the primary debates as the end all and be all of his political talents. He didn't attack other Democrats and that made him look weak.

He won all his House battles with at least 60% of the vote and won his 2nd term as Gov. with 69% of the vote.

Again, accomplishments.. not titles.

But he did present himself as a fine upstanding Dem. For the sake of argument popularity doesn't equate to performance. Reagan was re-elected after all.


Do you have a ready made argument for why he should be Veep? I would be interested to hear. I'm not the most informed person RE: Richardson.

But here.... try this instead

Denver Post Endorses Richardson For VP

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_10061391


<snip>

Richardson's record not only qualifies him to assume the presidency, it makes him an ideal partner to the visionary and eloquent Obama in the task of running this country. And as a leading figure in a Rocky Mountain West that has emerged as a swing political region, Richardson could do more than any other possible running mate to carry the Democratic ticket to victory in November.


My personl opinion tends to agree with the Denver Post on this matter

Richardson is very bright.

He'd be a help in Colorado, Nevada and Florida (not to mention NM, although Obama will win that anyway).

The arguments against him are that he's a horrible public speaker/debater and there are too many rumors about his general touchy-feeliness. His selection might also reopen some Clinton supporters' wounds because of the way the endorsement went down.

I just don't see him as very exciting or eloquent as a speaker. That's a downer.

Similarly, the most compelling anti-Clarke arguments are Richardson, Clinton, Baye etc.

There are lots of strong candidates for VP. Richardson may be one, but may not be the strongest.

and if you want to stay away from a 2 senator ticket that just leaves Clark, who has never held elected office and has only Military Experience (impressive experience by any measure, but narrow in scope)


EDIT, I missed that you added Bayh in your 2nd list.. but my point stands

I'm certainly not willing to deny that Richardson is the "resume" candidate, although I won't go as far as to concede it - I'm not an American, and I haven't studied the various candidates resumes in any detail.

I'd be surprised if at least one of "etc" will have an at least comparable resume, though.

http://www.governor.state.nm.us/governor.php

2 term gov. 15 years in House... Sec. of Energy and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. are the highlights (there is more)

I don't think anyone can compare with his scope of experience. Some may have been in the same Senate seat longer than he has been in politics but that is about all you can say about them.

Of course, given Obama's campaign, that may not be a bad thing.

I'd LOVE to see Richardson in the Veep spot.

Having lived there for a stint, I think I can comment a little about a great state but with some strange politics.

For instance, the previous GOP Gov admitted snorting coke and was big anti-war on drugs and vetoed practically everything.

Albuquerque polls about 80 percent pro legalization or decriminalization of pot....Santa Fe is EVEN MORE LIBERAL. And Richardson refuses to do anything about even Medical Marijuana. (This may have changed but that was when I was out there.)

The state's biggest industry is military contractors and this is where I think it could get dirty. Sandia, Los Alamos, White Sands...big money.

And then there are all the Native American tribes that compete with one another and have Casinos and such.

I'm from the Chicago area, so I know how mail can be right. Well in Albuquerque you can add a week to your mail service (ok 3-7 days) extra. Don't know, that's just gov't in New Mexico.

Their schools were and I think are in Federal receivership. They scammed the tax payers for replacing roofs on the schools 3 times.

It just is a different sort of government. Much like how Chicago city politics works. (Best job in the country is a Chicago City Council Rep, part time and I believe 50-100 of them at I believe 60k a year?) I'm kind of pulling those out of my ass as everyone knows it's a scam and you don't have to check. Anyway, my point is, Chicago still manages to work somehow, and New Mexico as well (although to a lesser degree, imo). But I would have big doubts about a politician from EITHER.

So, why not be concerned about Obama? Well, it is a concern, but he was never city politics really. And Obama came from Harvard, he wasn't brought up through the system.

So just my thoughts.

I'm not sure what mail has to do with Bill's qualifications as governor, but since you lived here for a while, you know that it just takes that long here. New Mexico is very spread out. Having said that, there are SOME areas that are totally effed up when it comes to mail, but again, not sure how that relates to Bill.

As far as NM politicians being dirty, you're right. But I don't know if that makes the state any different from others. I do think there's a chance that Bill would be extra-vulnerable on such an issue, should it become an issue, though, because I think being "dirty" for many would include being willing to sell out the people you were "dirty" with...it seems like nobody here can keep a secret for very long. :)

Bill has a tendency to say too much and sometimes comes across as being a little out of touch in conversations and debates. He seems to have the foot-in-mouth disease, unfortunately. One thing I like about him and at the same time cringe at is that I really don't think he's much of a "politician." He kinds of says what he thinks without thinking about it, which I'm sure is responsible for the aforementioned "foot-in-mouth" problem. With all his experience, he also seems to be a little naive. I could be wrong, but that's what *I* think.

Schools are a problem, as you suggest, and may soon become a bigger problem (I speak from firsthand knowledge here). I'm not sure who is to blame, but apparently NM is NOT following state law when it comes to funding schools, and there are several school administrations that are planning some possibly-embarrassing action within a few months if the situation isn't rectified. That, and Bill's initial involvement in NCLB (although he has since said he would scrap the program altogether and start over) could be a problem.

There are also some pretty ugly rumors about him and he's been caught in some embarrassing "misstatements" that don't relate to policy, but are still prime fodder for the haters.

I know it sounds as if I'm running Bill down because I've only posted negative stuff about him. But as I have said in the past, I think he has done a really good job as governor, and he is very popular here. I'll always love Bill. I just don't think that VP is the right place for him. Some sort of diplomatic position would be GREAT for him, though.

to deal with, but in any case, welcome to DU.

Keeps him 2nd on my list.

But white folks definitely need their affirmative action too, or else they'll call brown folks racist some more. No doubt about that.

Problem is, he can't be successfully vetted. Gore tried in 2000. I got this from people who worked with him in both the Clinton administration and in NM government. It's unfortunate but it's the truth.

when he is listening that are quite distracting. In otherwords, his facial persona is less gravitas and more kind of WTF?

He's not slick. But he's very, very accomplished and intelligent. This combination may seem strange to people in the United States who are used to media perceptions, etc., but I'd venture a guess that it's that very same combination that has enabled Richardson to be such a great diplomat.

which is why his face was all narled up....but I see that happening when he's on television. It may be his hearing or something, but whatever it is, it sadly does take away.

I was surprised of how tall Bill is. I believe that after Obama, Bill was the tallest canidate, taller than Biden by an inch or so.

See, this is the look I'm talking about. He has a tendency to scowl. :shrug:

He often looked confused and unpresidential. He also looked very unhealthy. I was not impressed and admittedly disappointed.

primary so he struggled translating his success in the small state of NM on a national level.

The argument against Richardson is that he's not verbally adept enough. He's a bumbler. Compare his appearances on TV as an Obama surrogate with say, a McCaskill or a Kerry and it's no contest. They are in different leagues.

Nice guy, smart guy. But not what Obama needs as a VP.

but it's not the Orwellian kind of talk many people are accustomed to. There are trends in the media, in news speak, that he doesn't use. Orwell would be proud of him.

It's because he would be a poor choice.

It would be, non "dark looking"

We all get that its fucking stupid, so we don't need some object lesson about it. But its the way it is.

And I wasn't asleep. I must not've been tuned into that angle.

Anyhow I think Barack and Hillary just finished proving that sex and race aren't deal breakers anymore - this isn't the 50's...

If Richardson wasn't hispanic, I think an Obama/Richardson ticket would be the biggest no brainer on the planet.

It hurts like heck to keep saying no. I thought he was the most qualified of all of the primary presidential candidates we had back in January. But he tips the ticket.

I still remember the ridiculous uproar when Obama said that more Americans need to be bilingual. In my mind, that was the kiss of death for an Obama/Richardson ticket.

Which is patently ridiculous. Other than that he's ok.

...I mentioned that debate upthread, but couldn't remember the question that stumped him and which he couldn't answer. That was it.

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Wow... bye.

:thumbsdown:

http://www.gaynewswatch.com/Page.cfm?PageID=22&SID=1842

Iirc, not the only incident.

That's disappointing.

I have never heard anyone who disliked him for being hispanic.. With a name like Richardson, he could just be a "tanned guy".. I know Anglos who are darker than he is, and who also speak spanish fluently..

HE's the one who always reminds people that he's hispanic.. :)