The Bill Richardson Blog

Clearly, our good friends at Western Democrat are trying to overload us with great analysis that demands comment. Their most recent post, A Southwestern Strategy, is especially good, because it refines an idea I’ve suggested to Andrea a number of times: ticket reinforcement would work very well for Bill Richardson.

Some background.

Usually, Presidential candidates are encouraged to pick their running mates for one of a few reasons: they need their subject-matter expertise (Cheney is a great example of this), or the ticket needs to win their home state (sup, LBJ). In the modern day, you hear a lot about “ticket balance.” A Northeastern liberal like John Kerry runs for President? Well, pick yourself a Southern moderate! Something for everyone!

By contrast, ticket reinforcement is premised on the theory “if one is good, two is better!” Clinton-Gore in 1992 is the archetype. Clinton, a young Southern moderate, chose Gore, another… young Southern moderate! The effect was to reinforce and amplify their message: we are the future of the party (young), we are going to win moderate votes, and we have charming accents. There is no confusion of the message, no disparate records to reconcile, no disagreements to paper over. You pick someone like yourself.

The post at Western Dems suggests a Richardson-Napolitano ticket. (Napolitano is the Democratic governor of Arizona.) My suggestion to Andrea, when I get worked up about this stuff, is usually Sen. Ken Salazar, from Colorado. (Sometimes when I get really crazy, I suggest Rep. John Salazar, of the Colorado 3rd–Ken’s brother.) In both cases, it’s a Southwestern Strategy: the idea being to take one of the most reliably Republican areas of the country and split it wide open, destroying any chance the GOP has to win a Presidential election for the next 12-16 years.

Of course, Richardson/Salazar puts two Latinos on the ticket, and Richardson/Napolitano puts a woman on the ticket. Either one would be a radical break from tradition, and I’m not sure the country is ready for either; then again, we’re never going to know if we’re ready until we go out there and do it. Plus, either one would be awesome, and you never win the big victories unless you go for the gold.

I also relish the thought of watching the GOP squirm as Gov. Richardson and Gov. Napolitano hammer them on immigration, an issue they wield with dominance and authority.

Richardson/Napolitano also has another interesting fact about it: John McCain is from Arizona and enjoys immense popularity there. Napolitano’s presence on the ticket, however, would force him to campaign in his home state, and probably to campaign a lot in his home state. She has nearly 60% approval in Arizona, and Republicans like her more than they like Bush. She simply could not be ignored. (Here’s the Google cache of that poll, which has since expired from AZCentral.)

I’m eager to hear everyone’s thoughts on this. It is completely clear to me that a Southwestern Strategy is the way to go; I just don’t know which one. There are so many great Western Democrats, it’s hard to choose! (Meanwhile, everyone else can bore themselves to tears with thoughts of Clinton/Clark, or something.)

Per the AP, Richardson will employ a simple litmus test for Supreme Court nominees. Maybe it’s more real to say: Richardson will openly employ a litmus test. Because if you think Bush or Clinton or Reagan or Taft were unconcerned with the results of their nominees, then you are a fool.

What will be interesting to watch is the pressure this places on the other candidates. NARAL and other pro-choice groups will, no doubt, try to extract similar pledges. If they get it, that’s good; it moves the center of the party firmly to where the country is (this is a pro-choice nation, after all). Even more interesting is whether the GOP field will have to answer similar questions, with the opposite pledge, of course. That would be even more helpful, since the “mainstream” GOP position (criminalizing virtually all abortions) is so far to the extreme right of America that whenever they debate abortion amongst themselves, we win.

From the mouth of Markos himself:

Richardson, in just the last couple of months, has brokered landmark deals in Darfur and North Korea — efforts that had stymied the Bush Administration through two terms. There is no one in American politics today more respected and accomplished on foreign policy than Bill Richardson.

Compare this to Hillary Clinton, who talks about “ending the war”, yet the fine print of her plan shows she’d keep up to 75,000 American troops in Iraq.

Richardson’s clear plan (to get out of Iraq by the end of calendar year, without leaving behind a “residual force” to continue a failed war on a smaller scale) is a sharp contrast to his primary opponents. No one can accuse the man of having an unsophisticated mind when it comes to foreign policy, and no one can accuse him of being insufficiently “serious.” While one- and two-term Senators play hawk in D.C., Richardson is pushing us back from nuclear catastrophe and demanding we get out of Iraq.

Perhaps Clinton wants to leave tens of thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq because she doesn’t want to look “weak” on foreign policy; maybe, as I tend to think, she really believes it. Who knows? The brightest minds in our party and our nation’s most accomplished super-diplomat, though, are all on the same page: Out of Iraq. Now.

From Hillary Clinton’s most recent fundraising e-mail:

Yesterday, in my latest HillCast, I described a plan for an Apollo-like effort to make clean, alternative energy the energy of America. This plan would create a strategic energy fund to invest in developing and deploying clean and alternative energy — home grown energy.

Where have I heard that before? Ah, yes. Gov. Richardson used the phrase in his response to the State of the Union, used it on Larry King Live nearly a year ago, and has used the phrase (or “man-on-the-moon effort,” its equivalent) many times since.

It’s certainly a positive development that Sen. Clinton has recognized what we’ve known for a while: that Richardson’s ideas are the best in the race.

Continued from Part 3.

House Party, Hampton: 2 pm

I only get slightly lost trying to find the house hosting the final event of the day. Was that Liberty Lane East or West? I finally park at the end of a very long lane of cars on a curving street and walk up the brick path to the house. I feel kind of weird just walking in the front door of someone I don’t know, but I guess that’s how these things go. I squeeze into the back of the living room to hear the Gov praising the elected officials who came out to talk with him.

“What paper are you from?” whispers a well-dressed lady.

I need to get better at answering this kind of question. I look blank, then say, “I write for the Harvard Law Record and the Bill Richardson Blog.” She nods like this is what she expected, and points to an older woman in an orange blouse. “She’s the host of the party.”

I nod like I’m all ready to go interview her, when I’m really thinking, I hope she doesn’t come up to me, say “Who are you?” and kick me out of her house.

Richardson is gesturing to a blond woman near him, who I realize is new Rep. Carol Shea-Porter. Cool of her to come out. He also points out the state Speaker of the House, Terie Norelli, and other people whose names I can’t keep up with. This is a pretty high-powered living room. I think I was misled by all the knitted sweaters.

Richardson is talking about how much he likes retail politics, and how this works out well with how active New Hampshire voters are. “You want candidates who talk about issues,” he says, and lots of heads nod. “Who are real, who you can see and touch and see what their heart is made of. And I like that.” This comes across as really genuine. “The factors in your choice,” he says, “should be ‘Where do you stand? What’s your experience, and what have you done?’”

A woman with a fancy camera squeezes through the door, and I notice that on one side of her green laminated ID it says “Hillary” very large (as in, For President), and then below that, “Traveling Press.” I have no idea what that’s about, but she takes a picture and leaves a minute later. Weird.

The Gov talks about health care, about switching the focus to preventative care, and how he’s looking into the Massachusetts plan to see if it’s a good national model. He reiterates that he isn’t running a campaign full of glamour and jets and hundreds of staff: “I had a consultant, but I fired him, so it’s just me.”

He very quickly gets to the question phase, and is first hit with a direct question about women’s rights. His answer is just as direct: “I’ll always be pro-choice.” He speaks a bit more about the need to not make policy based on religion, on his support for contraception and education that prevents unwanted pregnancy, and reminds the crowd that presidents appoint judges who majorly affect the interpretation of our rights. He ends by looking the woman in the face and says, “So I’ll be with you.” She seems very happy.

Richardson takes more questions, and talks about election reform and his push to get paper ballots in more states, his skills in diplomacy, and even how he’d reform the international bodies he believes so much in. He wants to expand the Security Council, and reform the IMF and World Bank to weed out corruption and make sure loans to countries help build social systems and enterprise. He says bluntly that he would increase our foreign aid budget, because we could be radically checking AIDS and it’s just embarrassing we’re not better funding poverty and nutrition programs. I am really thrilled to hear this.

The Gov’s biggest problem right now is that he has so much to say that he can go on two or three tangents within the same question. Answering a job about the retention of American jobs, he goes from the problems with government jobs programs to streamlining the military budget to his dislike of spending a lot of money to update our nuclear weapons, and then swings back to American workers. It’s endearing because he’s getting so into it, but a little whiplash results.

I sneak into the kitchen so I can position myself to say hi (or goodbye) when he’s done. After this event he’s rushing back to New Mexico, so I figure I won’t get some big chat with the Gov – on this trip, at any rate. The staff are pacing, trying to signal him to stop taking questions already. In the living room, the Gov is rolling through his immigration proposals and expressing support for McCain-Kennedy – “that is, if Senator McCain still supports that, he’s been changing his mind lately.” That gets a laugh.

Finally, we hear him say “I have a lot of power as a governor, but not over Delta Airlines. Which they tell me is going to leave without me.” He flashes a big smile, and with that, makes for the door. I make sure to get in his way and stick out my hand.

Richardson’s eyes flash with recognition. “Harvard Law School!” he cries, like it’s my name, and he pumps my hand up and down.

“I’m so glad I got to meet you today,” I say. “I’m going to write it all up on the blog.”

“Great,” he says. “Thanks for coming out. You do that.” And that’s it. The NECN reporter swoops in, and my big encounter with the guy I want to be President is over.

I shake hands, collect some business cards, thank Jeff for inviting me, and head outside in the snow. I tell him that if the campaign returns my emails, I’ll know it was a successful day. I pass Norelli’s car, with its Speaker of the House license plate, and another plate marked President Pro Tem, I guess of the NH Senate. It really was quite a living room. And right before I get to my car, I pass a car whose backseat holds a very faded sign I know too well: Dean for America. Ah, I remember those days.

Back on the road, I head down I-95 toward Boston. It’s been quite a day. I wondered what I’d think, seeing this person I’d been reading about forever actually meet voters and talk about his record, and now I know: Bill Richardson IS the real deal. His answers aren’t always clean and polished, but he’s loose, funny, and a walking encylopedia of policy expertise. I hope he made some fans today. I’m almost positive he did.

Then I stop at a Wendy’s along the interstate. And shovel a baked potato, salad, fries, and a soda into my mouth. It’s been a long day.

Thanks for reading the series. Hope you all enjoyed it! And for the record, Pahl Shipley promptly returned an email. Nice guy.