Why not Richardson?

[babylonsister]

Obama might consider not taking a senator away from his job, he is Hispanic, and he does have creds as a diplomat, which is Obama's strong suit. Does he have enough credibility in foreign policy, if that's a tipping point?

So let me know why that wouldn't work. Thanks.

[JI7]

1. i would love for him to pick Richardson

[Pierre.Suave]

2. Richardson would be perfect

I dont think there is a reason it wont work, but I am sure someone here will have one...

[NC_Nurse]

3. I like him. He was sort of disappointing as a candidate in the primaries, but

he might do better with the Obama people helping him.

[cynatnite]

4. Sec of State...

I think that's where he'd shine.

[trewsx11]

5. He likes to sexually harrass his Lt Governor

He is known to give unwanted attention to the ladies. His Lt Governor even called him out in public saying how Richardson is a creep.

Who knows, the vetting team might even have uncovered something in his past like an affair.

Anyway, he will never be chosen, and was probably never even vetted in the first place. A black and a Mexican on the same ticket? You can kiss Michigan and Ohio goodbye.

[babylonsister]

7. Your opinion is noted. But FTR, a Black and a Mexican sounds good to me. nt

[SwampG8r]

33. he is not "mexican"

and calling him one is a tool of diminishment

[texastoast]

19. I've heard of the womanizing thing

And if it wasn't vetted, we need to repair our processes in this day when running the country competently with a view to smart taxpayer decisions takes second fiddle to whether or not you are a bit lustful.

And the racists would certainly never vote for two people who might be slightly browner than they are.


:eyes:

[grantcart]

38. it is a widely held rumor among sympathetic democratic types

not to say that it is true but they would have to be 100% sure on the matter obviously

[catgirl]

50. I didn't know mexicans could run for the presidency here!

They must have changed the rules....LOL

[MH1]

6. I like Richardson as veep.

Like you said, I am sure someone here will have a reason against him.

[babylonsister]

8. Yep-he's a Mexican-gasp! nt

[mcctatas]

10. He is?????

well forget that then;)

[babylonsister]

13. Yes! Haven't you heard? The name Richardson is now-gasp-Mexican!!

:wow: I know, he's totally unacceptable. ;)

[Island Blue]

23. Lou Dobbs head would explode.

That would be fun to watch. :evilgrin:

[cliffordu]

25. That would be worth it altogether.

:rofl:

[Upton]

9. Realistically Obama needs a white male

Personally, I like Richardson but in today's still racist America an Obama/Richardson ticket is not going to work.

[babylonsister]

16. Or might work perfectly. There are a lot of Hispanics out there who

might be 'that close to' voting for Obama, and Richardson could give them the push. I have no idea, just throwing it out there.

[zulchzulu]

20. As much as Richardson is Hispanic, he certainly can be viewed as "white"

For the Raygun Democrat who is a racist, Bill Richardson looks "pretty white" compared to how some other Hispanics "look". I know that could be seen as mild stereotyping, but Richardson (not really a Hispanic name) could pass for...um... black Irish or Italian by the lesser-thinking racist who just so happens to be a Democrat.

[Zynx]

45. However, everyone and their grandmother is going to hear the media announce

that firts Richardson is half Mexican and secondly that the Democrats have put up an all minority ticket. However, I think that any votes we would lose from racists have already been lost by having a black man at the top of the ticket.

[tucsonlib]

37. Okay. Then How About -

BILL MOYERS!

[whistler162]

40. Well combined the campaign would have a white male

and 1/2 a hispanic male and 1/2 a AA male.:shrug: ;)

[Duder]

11. Might be...

"Barack Obama plans to be in New Mexico Monday but the campaign hasn't released any details about events or even which city or cities the presumed Democratic nominee will visit."

[cliffordu]

12. He would be my second choice, if it isn't CLARK, of course.....

But,to be blunt, and as sick as that sounds, that might be too much melanin on the ticket.

Unfortunately I believe this is a racist country.

But I'd sure like to see Richardson President in 8 years......


After 8 of Obama....

[trewsx11]

14. Obama's running mate will be a surprise. You can bank on it.

Except to be blown away next week.

[question everything]

15. Lousy campaigner

When he first announced, I thought that he would be the one. We have a tradition of electing governors and clearly he has a great resume.

But he never made a dent.

[babylonsister]

17. Does Obama need someone to make a dent, or chat up what he's about,

and defend him when necessary? :shrug: And maybe have the same 'heady' political ideas, like diplomacy, going for him?

[SwampG8r]

34. bingo

[zulchzulu]

21. A VP candidate doesn't have to have skills of a presidential candidate to be good

Richardson's role would be to hammer at McCain, which he is good at. If the Repugs choose an anti-choice zealot, he would have fun poking at their nonsense.

[zulchzulu]

18. Bill Richardson is my first choice

I have some reservations about how he can be a little slow out of the gate sometimes when responding to stuff, but he would be a terrific VP. His cred in government and foreign policy as well as diplomatic skills would make him very well suited for the gig. Yes, the Hispanic angle works too... plus he's against the Iraq War, which would be a consistent message in the Obama "brand".

My second choices are in the fog...

[Major Hogwash]

43. Mine too.

Richardson has a ton of experience at foreign affairs and was the most civil one of all of them during the debates.
He operates using his head, not his emotions, and he doesn't lie.

The only problem I can foresee is getting white males to vote for an Obama/Richardson ticket.
They seem to be the only demographic left that is not thrilled with Obama as our nominee.

[cliffordu]

22. I have a serious question about numbers....

Lets say it IS Richardson -


Can the numbers add up?

Will the numbers that he will bring - people who know and like him from his home state and, presumably, a larger portion of the Hispanic vote Obama doesn't already have, and the young and HIGH INFORMATION VOTERS like me who votes OBAMA no matter what,

Can all those people overwhelm the.....backlash McCain voters???

[babylonsister]

24. I think the numbers would be positive. As for the backlash

McCain voters, I could care less about them. The PUMAs who'd vote rethug anyway, but are making any and everything an issue?
There are some people who won't vote for Obama because he's 'black', the same people who might not vote for Richardson because he's 'hispanic'.
They weren't ever going to vote for Obama anyway.

[cliffordu]

26. You know - it would DOMINATE the news until the election.....

the swift boaters wouldn't know whether to crap or go blind...

:rofl:

[babylonsister]

28. No kidding! Think about the possibilities!

It'd be great, and I have not always been a big fan of Richardson. But he's sounding good to me.

[SheilaT]

27. I can't quite get my head around the idea

that he's supposed to be Hispanic. His last name is Richardson. He looks as white as, oh, I dunno, Richard Nixon? Does he speak Spanish? I hope so. But I'd want a Hispanic to be a whole lot more obviously Hispanic.

Other than that, he seems okay to me, although I personally have a different first choice. But I sincerely doubt that the VP pick will be someone I can't support.

[SayitAintSo]

29. He always looks like he's constipated on camera...n/t

[babylonsister]

30. That was an intelligent observation-not. Do you have anything worthy

to add? Can't wait. :eyes:

[Name removed]

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[wmbrew0206]

35. According to Bob Shrum, Richardson has womanizing issues.

[babylonsister]

36. So does Edwards. It's ironic that Richardson's hasn't been blasted

from the rooftops. :shrug:

[DFLforever]

39. I think it explains why we have no indications he's been vetted

And because of Edwards, the 2008 VP will have to be squeaky clean.

[wmbrew0206]

41. Accroding to Shrum, he went into a long explanation on Kerry's '04 vetting process, Richardson

was never seriously considered. They said that he pulled his name as soon as they seriously started to look at him. Shrum said that Richaqrdcson just wanted the publicity that goes with being considered. Apparently the vetting committee believed the womanizing rumors enough to not try and change Richardson's mind.

[DFLforever]

46. That's interesting

I bet there's a little of that going on this year with other VP candidates.

[Duder]

47. I disagree with the womanizing gossip…

The final stage of the Kerry vetting process had to do with finances. If you look up Richardson in Wikipedia you’ll find he got rid of his investments in offshore oil in 2007 because it might appear to be a conflict. Both Davis and Johnson have said they found there was no there there regarding womanizing during the vetting of Richardson for Kerry.

Bill is no Cindy, Richardson set the Guinness Book world record for most handshakes by a politician in an eight-hour period, shaking the hands of 13,392 potential voters. Gestures and touching is a big part of his character which is while he’s not great on camera but he’s had good success one-on-one. He’ll rub a bald man’s head and there’s a story that eight people in the room grabbed their side arms when he grabbed Saddam’s arm during negotiations. The only two sources for the “womanizer” rumors I’ve found was an article alleging the Lt. Governor was uncomfortable with his touching. She later said her comments were taken out of context and that in essence he could be like an annoying brother which she was afraid could be mischaracterized. The gist of the article in my view was when sitting in a long meeting Bill might get bored and reach over and pinch the Lt. Guv’s neck. The main source for the rumors seems to trace back to an article by Steve Clemons in which he asks, “Have you behaved inappropriately or not in public settings with female members of your government administration, jokingly or not?” If you discount the timing of the article right after his announcement as a candidate which even the author admitted could be viewed as suspect, and that the author has had a past disagreement with Richardson, then you can believe that Steve Clemons unnamed contacts claims that Richardson should be chastised for his conduct around his co-workers. When someone says he’s a womanizer one might think mistresses or prostitutes, the kind of affairs that have been documented such as Clinton, Edwards, or McCain, but I’ve found nothing that suggests he’s been unfaithful to his long time wife, Barbara Richardson.

When Dems call other Dems womanizers, perhaps we should clarify what we mean by womanizer and provide a credible source?

[DangerDave921]

42. The beard

When was the last time a P or VP had a beard?

[tekisui]

44. The razor:

[butterfly77]

48. He is not good on the issues...

he keeps repeating himself. He is not a good choice he does not seem to be that knowledgeable or good at explaining foreign policy even though they say he is an expert. I don't see it...

[Motown_Johnny]

49. It may be Bill, he is defiantly qualified. The Denver Post has endorsed him and he has not been

one of the "shiny objects" that are paraded out to be stared at by the MSM until their attention shifts to the next shiny object.


If if isn't Richardson it is because our party now suffers from an embarrassment of riches. There are many good choices for VP, Richardson is one of them.



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