The Case For Bill Richardson
By Keith Boykin, in politics·viewpoints
Wednesday, August 1 2007, 12:01AM
It's time for our regular Wednesday feature looking at the various presidential candidates. I've asked people in the black LGBT community to make the case for their respective candidates. The first feature in the series three weeks ago was on Barack Obama. Two weeks ago we featured Hillary Clinton. Last week we profiled John Edwards. And today, we make the case for Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico who is running for president.
Unlike the previous articles on earlier candidates, this one is written by someone we already know on this web site. And it's written from someone who is a constituent of the candidate. Today's article is written by Kenneth Winfrey, a regular columnist on this site, who lives and works in Albuquerque. Winfrey says Richardson is a smart, charismatic diplomat and an activist who knows where he came from and wants to help people in need. Continue below to read Kenneth Winfrey making the case for Bill Richardson.
The Case for Bill Richardson
By Kenneth Winfrey
In any presidential election, there are those who struggle for recognition who are constantly referred to as second- or third tier candidates. Bill Richardson is one of those individuals. Today I'm going to try help him with that and make a case for my governor in his bid for the office of "Leader of the Free World." Actually, it's not all that hard to do because Bill Richardson is just plain smart. He has taken a positive stance on many issues that are important to me, such as foreign relations, human rights and the environment. He is charismatic, well-liked, and has made his fair share of enemies among those who would tolerate a dysfunctional status quo in New Mexico.
From Whence He Came
Born William Blaine "Bill" Richardson III on November 15, 1947, in Pasadena, California, Bill Richardson spent most of his childhood in Mexico City. He was sent back to the United States at age 13 to go to preparatory school in the Boston area. Richardson played baseball at Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts, and later for Tufts University. He was a star pitcher, but his hopes of playing professional baseball were cut short by arm injuries. At Tufts, he majored in French and political science and was a President of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He then earned a master's degree from Tufts' Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
After college, Richardson worked on congressional relations for the State Department. He was later a staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In 1978, he moved to Santa Fe and ran for Congress in 1980, losing narrowly to longtime 1st District congressman and future U.S. Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan, a Republican. Two years later, Richardson was elected to New Mexico's newly created third district, taking in most of the northern part of the state. He has previously served as a U.S. Representative, and as the U.S. Secretary of
Energy. He was also chairman of the 2004 Democratic National Convention as well as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association in 2005 and 2006, overseeing the Democrats' re-capturing of a majority of the country's governorships.
A Diplomat
As a former ambassador to the United Nations and congressman, Richardson has maintained his interest in foreign relations. He has a strong record representing US interests in places like Nicaragua, Guatemala, Cuba, Peru, India, North Korea, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Sudan, where our current administration has had little or no success. On more than one occasion over the past 5 years since I've lived here, Bill Richardson has hosted North Korean envoys to New Mexico (not the White House).
In 1995, Richardson traveled to Baghdad with Peter Bourne and engaged in lengthy one-on-one negotiations with Saddam Hussein to secure the release of two American aerospace workers who had been captured by the Iraqis after wandering over the Kuwaiti border. This was one of several times that Richardson went overseas during the Clinton years to negotiate the release of American prisoners. He was also successful in this task in Sudan and on another occasion in North Korea.
And an Activist
As an activist, Bill Richardson helped create and push through a tough hate crimes law and supported the successful addition of sexual orientation and gender identity as a civil right in New Mexico. Bill Richardson also worked hard to pass a domestic partnership bill in New Mexico, although this hasn't happened (yet).
On racial matters Bill Richardson has been a great leader. He favored legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants to earn citizenship. During the 2007 Democratic Primary Debate at Howard University, he made some compelling remarks about race relations in America as it relates to blacks.
"Leading on the issues of race is about being authentic, about speaking honestly. Race is a major issue in this country, and the next president has to talk about it. Race is not just passing new laws. Race is not just naming solid Supreme Court justices. Race is also dealing with bigotry and racism that exists in this country. And I believe very strongly that the next president is not just going to have to pass laws and take the steps necessary to reaffirm affirmative action and take steps to make sure that our schools are integrated, but also the next president is going to have to lead and speak passionately about a dialogue among all people. And I believe very strongly that issues of diversity, for me, the first Latino to run for president, aren't talking points; they're facts of life," he stated.
An environmentalist at heart, Richardson said in June "Bush won't follow the Kyoto treaty, but my state does." Being a resident of New Mexico, I can tell you that this is also true. Since Richardson took office, he set tough standards to reduce greenhouse emissions. New Mexico is also requiring utility companies to produce
energy from renewable sources. New Mexico is one of few states that give renewable energy with tax credits for wind, solar and biofuels. We have also eliminated taxes on hybrid cars.
Bill Richardson passed several bills during his term as Chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Native American Affairs in the 103rd Congress (1993-1994) that protected the natural resources of the Native American reservations throughout the country. I actually just recently completed advertising design work for the Governor's "Toss No Mas" litter campaign, a contest that encourages adults and children to come up with ways they can reduce litter.
Bill on HIV
When asked at the Howard debate, "African-Americans, though 17% of all American teenagers, are 69% of the population of teenagers diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. What is the plan to stop and to protect these young people from this scourge?" Richardson replied, "It is a moral imperative that America have a policy to fight this dreaded disease both nationally and internationally. You got to make some tough choices. First, we've got to have needles [in exchange programs]. We have to be sure that we have efforts in the African-American community to have comprehensive education. In addition, we have to deal with Africa. Close to 20% of the African people have some kind of HIV virus. It's important that the president of the US make a major funding effort, a major commitment to deal with this issue. And here I'm going to say something positive about President Bush. His funding for Millennium accountability and Millennium appropriations has been relatively impressive."
His response was in keeping with the work that has been done in New Mexico with HIV. I won't bore you with the numbers, but suffice it to say that New Mexico has one of the best HIV/AIDS support and prevention models in the world. I serve on the board of the state's largest ASO, New Mexico AIDS Services (www.nmas.net) and we have consistently felt supported and encouraged by the Governor.
Bill is Better than George W.
[End of section...need one say more?]
While I do not formally endorse any of the candidates at this time per se, Bill Richardson is on the right side of many the issues that are important to me.
Kenneth Winfrey is a web and graphics designer, and writer, living in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Comments conceal
MidwestGuy
August 1 2007, 9:28AM
Well Kenneth, there is no need to say more. You have basically knocked every person who has written in support of their candidate out the ballbark. If we are looking for the best presidential candidate, here you have it!
Foreign/diplomatic experience
Cabinet Secretary
A minority himself
Sensitive to minority issues
Governor
Activist
How do any of the other candidates mentioned thus far match up to Richardson? They don't!
Do any of the other authors feel there candidates experiences matches or surpasses that of Richardson? They shouldn't!
I can admit that it won't sway me from voting Obama. But, at least I know why I'm voting. Can most others say the same?
Keith Boykin
August 1 2007, 9:38AM
See also: President Richardson or Latino President Richardson?, By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, New America Media. Posted July 31, 2007.
MidwestGuy
August 1 2007, 10:26AM
Keith that was an interesting read. I find it amazing that most people polled believe that Obama is more experienced than Richardson. Well, I guess I shouldn't. Most people seem to feel Hillary is too.
It is unfortunate that both Obama and Richardson have to walk that fine racial line. They must to appear neutral in order to appeal to all voters. Yet, they have to convince their natural constituency that they are the person who can best represent their interests.
Maybe I should consider an Obama/Richardson ticket or Richardson/Obama. Two minority men.
Miss Thang
August 1 2007, 11:40AM
Bill Richardson is a Southwestern United States mess.
He thinks that its Ok for illegal immigrants to run across the border from Mexico. He wants amnesty for them.
Bill Richard for President?------I DONT THINK SO!!!!!!!
Anonymous
August 1 2007, 11:40AM
Bill Richardson: Eh.
Take note: my comments are in no way an affront to Kenneth Winfrey. KW is one of the best elements of keithboykin.com and his wisdom has moved me very much.
However, I am less than impressed by Richardson's tepid support for gay marriage. While he helped almost put down a Defense of Marriage Act in his state, he does not himself support gay marriage or benefits for betrothed same sex couples. He reminds me of Hillary Clinton with his triangulations. We need people who are for us without reservation.
I like much of his platform but like Clinton, he is not a true change-maker.
I fear that very few of the candidates (with the beautiful exception of DENNIS KUCINICH) have the progressive guts to be true change-makers.
Kenneth Winfrey: you have the God-given gift of communication and its worth noting that your arguments for voting for Richardson are beautifully phrased.
MidwestGuy
August 1 2007, 12:00PM
I could be totally incorrect and hope someone would correct me if I am. But, I think that while Richardson is opposed to gay marriage, he does support full benefits for same-sex couples. I also think he supports gays serving in the military.
His views are in line w/those of Obama, Clinton, and Edwards.
I wonder if there are a large number of gays who are looking to vote for a candidate solely on the issue of gay marraige like there were many who voted for Bush because of the same.
We are still reeling from the consequences of such even now in '07.
Anonymous
August 1 2007, 12:33PM
Remember how on Pam's House Blend (a great black lesbian's blog) she posted about Bill Richardson appearing on the Imus Show (yes, that's right, he did!) and on that show he used the Spanish equivalent for "faggot" in response to a banal question about gays in the military and then had to apologize for it?!
The truth is that his support for gay causes is tepid and expedient (yes, like Clinton, Edwards, and most other Democratic candidates) and when pressed he sometimes slips into the realm of a veiled lack of support.
But he's done some good things for gays too!
On a Latino blog (vivirlatino.com) Richards was called "Not Such a Latino/Gay Friendly Candidate" (google it)...
So the question of how fully he supports gay causes specifically is still debatable as his support fluctuates slightly.
However, MidWesternGuy is right. Never vote for a candidate based only on one issue, a gay issue or otherwise.
If Richardson was running against a Republican. I'd vote for him.
cmoney
August 1 2007, 12:58PM
He lost me with his comments about giving Alberto Gonzales a free pass because he is Latino. This confirmed my suspicion of Latino politicians and business leaders--they are extraordinarily biased towards their own and unabashedly so. In general, they do not accept the "melting pot" theory of America. Go into any Latino institution and I dare you to find any non-Latinos working there. Go to a Black or White institution and you will find at least token acknowledgement that there are other people in the U.S. besides Blacks and Whites. I'm not even going to bring up the illegal immigration amnesty issue because his position is the same as the rest of the Democrats--bring 'em in! Sorry, can't vote for this Democrat.
MidwestGuy
August 1 2007, 1:33PM
CMoney, Richardson didn't say he gave Gonzales a free pass. He said (4/07) that he was relunctant to call for his firing because he was Hispanic. A couple of days later he called for his resignation. On the surface, that is wrong on so many levels. It was a grave slip of the tongue. But, He voiced what many others say in private.
-I was not surprised that a Hispanic would support another Hispanic no more than I am if a Jew supports another Jew. Whites supports Whites. Indians support Indians etc. That is a commonality shared among all ethnic groups. It is exacerbated only when minorities take on majority positions (looking out for each other). It is then that they are wrong.
Ask a white person how often they support black businesses.
I do not believe that most whites or blacks have this innate desire to have that token acknowledgment you spoke of. They do it out of necessity. It doesn't make it right or wrong.
There are enough liberal minds in the world to maintain a good balance.
cmoney
August 1 2007, 2:11PM
Midwest: Qualifications have little, if anything, to do with whether or not someone gets elected president in this country. Elections are about emotion. Richardson, like any Latino candidate these days, has an image problem. One is the illegal immigrant issue and the other is how inclusive he will be to non-Latinos and their issues. Obama has similar burdens of proving he is not "too Black" and "experienced enough" (a question that's never asked of Hillary, despite her thin resume'). Supporting one's own kind is one thing, but Alberto Gonzales? Are you kidding me? He's an embarassment to Latinos. Richardson backtracked because he realized how outrageous his support for Gonzales was and that it called into question his judgement. Not to mention that Latino image problem of being insular and pro-Latino to the exclusion of others. Not saying it's fair, but it's reality. Not enough liberal minds to go around in this country!
MidwestGuy
August 1 2007, 3:16PM
I do agree with you on that. That is why the lack of experience criticism for Obama is a smokescreen.
-The image problem for Latinos may not be self-imposed. Americans are known for placing unfair stigmas to entire groups.
-I don't disagree w/his immigration platform. He is for training more border agents, path to citizenship, and going after employers who solicit illegals.
-If he hasn't pandered solely to latinos prior to his presidential run (I don't know if he has) I don't see any reason why he would do so if he's elected. There should be something in his past to suggest that.
Self-interested people usually support their own. OJ, Scooter, Gonzales. I'm less concerned about how Richardson started out as am I how he ended. He ended up calling for his resignation.
Latinos seem no more insular than the rest of us. Maybe they appear to look out for themselves because that's all many of them have. I believe blacks have done the same.
Been to a black or white country club lately? lol
Mikey
August 1 2007, 3:56PM
Dennis Kucinich is the practically the best candidate in the Democratic ticket and I still say that those that supported the Iraq War aren't qualified to be President on either side so that would eliminate everybody but Kucinich, Obama, Gravel on the Democratic side and Ron Paul on the Republican side. Kucinich is the ONLY one that has a written and specific health care plan HR 676, Kucinich and Gravel are the ONLY ones that support full marriage equality. As far as I know Kucinich is the ONLY one that is calling for Election Day to be recognized as a National Holiday, that alone should get more people out to vote and I'm sure the rich white people don't like that. And even as far as African American rights he speaks very clearly about his stance on his website. We shouldn't let how much money a candidate makes and how much media attention they're getting determine who gets elected.
Anonymous
August 1 2007, 4:21PM
Mikey: You called it.
DENNIS KUCINICH is indeed the very best Democratic candidate by far.
Why for the life of me progressives don't want to vote for this guy in a race against everybody else is beyond me!
Keith: please get somebody good to write an essay about DENNIS KUCINICH . I'd do it but I am hardly well-known and, well, I'm anonymous.
MelancholyGuy
August 1 2007, 6:44PM
Obama, totally.
One Among Many
August 1 2007, 7:54PM
The only reason so many people like Barack Obama is because he is black and I'm sorry that's not enough of a reason for me to vote for him. I mean hell Condelessa Rice is black and I wouldn't vote for her if I had a gun pointed to my head. I mean it's not like he REALLY has a record to stand on. It's just because he's black and gives good speeches and is on Time Magazine and Oprah and such people say "I like him cause he's different." Duh of course he's different he's the first black person that seemingly has a real chance, which I commend him for, but he's still a too much of a newbie to me. And only reason people like Hillary is cause she's Bill's wife. But her voting for Iraq and the Patriot Act is an automatic disqualification in my book, and she won't even admit she was wrong for doing so. We already have a leader that can't admit his wrongdoings we don't need another.
Steve
August 2 2007, 12:29AM
The camera is not kind to Bill Richardson. Face it, he looks like hell. Sorry, but that counts for a lot in today's environment. He will not make the grade. Next!
MidwestGuy
August 2 2007, 9:54AM
OneAmong, it would be a great day in America when black people are well-liked solely because they are black. We would have truly come a long way.
Is that why so many people love Oprah, MLK, Malcolm, Carter, Washington etc.--because they're black and give/gave good speeches?
Don't think we're there quite yet.
C. Baptiste-Williams
August 2 2007, 10:05AM
Being a latino governor from a border state... how could your case for Bill Richardson not include something on immigration?
Alejandro
August 2 2007, 10:53AM
I like him, he seems to at least have a clue, which none of the others running in either party has. As for the gay marriage issue, it would be great if one of them came out for it, but, come on now, they are POLITCIANS, and they know that they won't win anything since the overwhelming majority of people in this country are against it.
Looks like 4 more years of yet another GOP win, none of the Dem's IMO have a good chance of winning the key "red" states, although Richardson could take Texas and Arizona with their large Latino populations.
But, just like with Obama, he has to walk that thin line of race, and no matter what anyone says, that still trumps all for many people despite their qualifications.
Derrick from Philly
August 2 2007, 11:08AM
Richardson will be on the Democratic ticket--top or bottom spot. Actually, I'll change that: Bill Richardson will be the next Vice President of the United States.
cmoney
August 2 2007, 2:22PM
Derrick: So you are you saying Bill Richardson's a bottom?
Derrick from Philly
August 2 2007, 3:01PM
Probably so, cmoney. Governor Richardson aint no pretty man. But that's the best thing about being a "bottom"--you aint got to be pretty. They just roll us over on our bellies, do they bi'nezz, with the cover of CLICK magazine taped to the back of our heads.
Yep, all a "bottom" has to do is keep it clean.
Andy
August 2 2007, 6:40PM
Well, Derrick, so, that's the joy you botoms endure, just being there?? Thank God I'm not into that scene at all, LOL! But, I'm one of those who thinks that BR would be a excellent president, and will leave the looks to Edwards, even though there really ain't a hot or goodlooking person in this race! So, qulaifications and a chnce to win counts over looks in this case.
Anonymous
August 3 2007, 8:31AM
Damn, Derrick and Cmoney: Chil', y'all be nasty.
cmoney
August 3 2007, 8:51AM
LOL! That's why they won't let more than one gay person do politics-It might turn into an episode of "Men on Film".
DDC
August 3 2007, 11:19PM
Most Republicans are ugly so no suprise there, Andy, but I think most will agree that Obama is pretty goodlooking (in an exotic Eastern way) & Edwards, too(in a pretty-boy Barbie & Ken way). They are sights for sore eyes in comparison to Guliani & co.
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