In my judgement, Richardson was one (if not the most) decent human being among this years' democratic presidential candidates. He chose to endorse Obama. What he said here is right on the temple!
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Monday, March 24, 2008; A02
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) said that the people around Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) practice "gutter" politics and that they feel entitled to the presidency, a day after an informal adviser to her campaign compared Richardson to Judas for endorsing Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).
James Carville told the New York Times that Richardson, who was in Bill Clinton's Cabinet, had committed "an act of betrayal," adding that it "came right around the anniversary of the day when Judas sold out [Jesus] for 30 pieces of silver, so I think the timing is appropriate, if ironic."
Richardson responded on "Fox News Sunday."
"I'm not going to get in the gutter like that," he said. "And you know, that's typical of many of the people around Senator Clinton. They think they have a sense of entitlement to the presidency."
"I am very loyal to the Clintons," said Richardson, but he wanted something beyond "Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton." "You know, what about the rest of us?" he asked.
He called for "a new generation of leadership" and added: "I think Obama represents this new change of not just bipartisanship, but bringing people together, bringing races together, bringing America's role in the world to be respected again."
"I just feel the time has come to come together behind a candidate," Richardson added.
- Re: Bill Richardson: the people around Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton practiceposted on 03/24/2008
I go with touche this time, haaaa :-)
In my own word: Clintons's practice is low and cheap. - Re: Bill Richardson: the people around Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton practiceposted on 03/24/2008
Richardson endorsed Obama at his low, indicating he is a man of principle. Not like Clintons, good at calculating. I am really tiered of Hillary's smearing attcks. She should realize that it will do no good for her in a long run, if she is really smart. Although I've been prepared that she will behave like that, still cannot stand her kichen sink attacks again and again. No decency at all. It is really a insult to people's intelligence. - posted on 03/24/2008
Who says Hillary is smart? I keep telling she is pretty dumb :-) but now she is even dumber than I can stand.
3mw wrote:
Richardson endorsed Obama at his low, indicating he is a man of principle. Not like Clintons, good at calculating. I am really tiered of Hillary's smearing attcks. She should realize that it will do no good for her in a long run, if she is really smart. Although I've been prepared that she will behave like that, still cannot stand her kichen sink attacks again and again. No decency at all. It is really a insult to people's intelligence. - posted on 03/24/2008
Bill Richardson urges unity among Democrats
N.M. governor calls Clinton-Obama primary fight ¡®enormously negative¡¯
If the Democrats hope to retake the White House in November, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama must stop their negative campaigning against each other and start talking about the issues affecting the country, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said on Monday on TODAY.
¡°It¡¯s gotten enormously negative,¡± Richardson said of the campaign. The governor spoke just days after adding to the acrimony that has increasingly characterized the battle for the nomination when he announced last week that he would give his superdelegate vote to Obama despite the fact that his own state voted by the slimmest of majorities for Clinton.
Richardson said that with Sen. John McCain already the Republican candidate, it¡¯s vital that the battle for the nomination not continue into the Democratic National Convention in August in Denver.
¡°What you see today is John McCain campaigning, being a statesman, unfettered, raising funds, and what we need is to stop this negativity,¡± Richardson said. ¡°I think there¡¯s plenty of time between now and the convention to heal the wounds.
¡°We need to bring the two campaigns together. I think the two campaigns should take a deep breath and stop talking for a while. Just reflect and start talking about the issues affecting the country like the war, like the economy, subprime lending, housing, the enormous problems of gas prices, and stop this internal, personal bickering that is right now hurting us enormously.¡±
The Clinton campaign has said that Richardson has already done his part to damage the party by endorsing Obama. Clinton supporter and veteran strategist James Carville went so far as to compare Richardson to Judas, who betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver.
Richardson himself had told The New York Times on Feb. 17 that superdelegates had an obligation to vote with their constituencies.
¡°It should reflect the vote of my state,¡± he had told the Times. ¡°It should represent the vote of my constituency ... If superdelegates decide this nomination, it¡¯s going to look like big-shot politicians and fat cats decided who should be president.¡±
¡®We cannot afford to continue fighting¡¯
Lauer pointed out that New Mexico voters had chosen Clinton by a margin of half a percent. He asked if Richardson was going back on his statement to the Times.
¡°Not at all,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯m also a western governor. Sen. Obama has done very well in the West. It was half a percent. It was so close, it was razor thin ... Obama¡¯s won 30 states. He¡¯s 121 delegate votes ahead. He is very strong. He can bring the country together.¡±
Ten primaries remain for the two candidates, with Pennsylvania¡¯s April 22 vote being the biggest. Richardson said that when those 10 primaries are done, the two candidates and the party need to agree on who the candidate will be and not take the battle into Denver. ¡°We cannot afford to continue fighting and being so negative,¡± he said.
A measure of the bitterness the campaign has created in the party is a recent poll in which 37 percent of Clinton supporters said they will not vote for Obama if he is the candidate, and 26 percent of his supporters said they will not vote for Clinton.
¡°There¡¯s the election right there if those voters stick to that,¡± Lauer observed.
¡°That¡¯s my point,¡± Richardson replied.
Analysts have repeatedly held that no matter what Clinton does in the remaining primaries, she cannot catch Obama. But in addition to the pledged delegates decided in the primaries, there are 800 superdelegates, of which Richardson is one. If the elected delegate count is close going into Denver, the superdelegates, who are free to support either candidate, can broker the nomination.
If that happens, analysts say, the party will not have time to heal the rifts and organize a unified campaign against the popular McCain.
¡°The delegate count, the popular vote is in favor of Obama,¡± Richardson said. ¡°My point here is instead of having this bitter, contested effort all the way to August, is that we come forth and decide on a nominee based on the reality that the Democrats need to be unified against a very strong John McCain.¡±
- Re: Bill Richardson: the people around Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton practiceposted on 03/24/2008
What do you expect from Richardson? He has nothing (more) to lose. He wasn't the sharpest candidate to start with.
- Re: Bill Richardson: the people around Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton practiceposted on 03/24/2008
Irrelevant comment. You mean he was the least bitchy candidate? I agree with you on this.
moab wrote:
What do you expect from Richardson? He has nothing (more) to lose. He wasn't the sharpest candidate to start with.
- Re: Bill Richardson: the people around Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton practiceposted on 03/24/2008
moab wrote:
What do you expect from Richardson? He has nothing (more) to lose. He wasn't the sharpest candidate to start with.
He is an old and good friend with Clintons. It is not as easy as it looks to support Obama. - Re: Bill Richardson: the people around Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton practiceposted on 03/24/2008
Richardson interviewed Monica for her white house inter job and he felt terribly after ÀÁ´ÃÅ :-) - Re: Bill Richardson: the people around Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton practiceposted on 03/24/2008
There's a huge difference between being sharp and being bitchy. Richardson doesn't belong to either.
touche wrote:
Irrelevant comment. You mean he was the least bitchy candidate? I agree with you on this.
- Re: Bill Richardson: the people around Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton practiceposted on 03/24/2008
Richardson is weighted (politically) heavier than most of super delegates. Among them not many can be qualified as a candidate. Also, being an only Hispanic American senator, his endorsement means something to people with Hispanic and Latin American decent. - posted on 03/24/2008
Richardson is first a politician before he is anything else. Was he doing this out of principle? Maybe, to some limited extent. To say that's not a calculated move? I don't buy it.
3mw wrote:
Richardson endorsed Obama at his low, indicating he is a man of principle. Not like Clintons, good at calculating. I am really tiered of Hillary's smearing attcks. She should realize that it will do no good for her in a long run, if she is really smart. Although I've been prepared that she will behave like that, still cannot stand her kichen sink attacks again and again. No decency at all. It is really a insult to people's intelligence. - posted on 03/24/2008
moab wrote:
Richardson is first a politician before he is anything else. Was he doing this out of principle? Maybe, to some limited extent. To say that's not a calculated move? I don't buy it.
Maybe you are right. I often forget politicians are not normal people like us:) Let me change my tone: Richardson did a right calculation this time; he made a right selecion between Obama and Clinton. He was wise. What I said he has principle is to mean that he considered party before powerful friends. Of course, this action is consistent with his own benifet too. There is no party, then, no Richardson. So, why not?
But, I still think his action was very decent, especially caompared with what from Comrade Hillary.
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