National Review Article and more

I'm not a big National Review reader, but this morning, I stumbled across this article about Bill Richardson: Another Gov. Bill to the White House, Could Richardson do It?

It is quite positive for a conservative publication. It highlights some of the wonderful things about Bill Richardson, and minimizes some of the criticisms. It begins:
If there were a presidential candidate available who had deep experience in both state and federal government, the executive and legislative branch, and foreign and domestic affairs, would he be rated among the top of the field? How about if the same candidate had the retail political skills to match his policy experience and came from a bellwether state in a battleground part of the country? And what if this person had the sort of national contacts that are a must to raise the significant sums necessary for a run for the White House.

And did we mention he’s part of the nation’s fastest-growing ethnic group, is bilingual, and has a record of getting crossover votes?

Yeah, he is wonderful! To add to all of his great qualities, he is also not candidate bashing. See this short bit in the Boston Globe. That article says:

In an interview with the Globe, Richardson said it would be good if Senator Barack Obama joined the presidential race. Even though it might hurt his own chances to be the nominee, Richardson said an Obama campaign would bring in new voters.

“I am not among those praying he doesn’t get in,” Richardson said. “He brings a measure of excitement that is really good for us as a party, and I think the party needs a free-spirited primary.”

Personally, I agree. I think that it is better to have a large field with enthusiastic supporters who argue why our candidate is the best as opposed to a nasty, bloody campaign where everyone ends up bruised before we get to the general election. Of course, I think that Richardson is the best candidate -- and ought to run, win the primary, and take back the White House!

And now Sudan

Because of the horrible crisis in Darfur, and because Richardson's wonderful negotiating skills, the Save Darfur Coalition has asked Bill Richardson to travel to Sudan to urge them to accept a peacekeeping force. Read about it here and here.

The world needs Bill Richardson to be our next president! If he can help with these crises now, just imagine how much good he could do as president.

New Hampshire

Governor Richardson was in New Hampshire yesterday. Unfortunately, I had other obligations and couldn't get there. But read about his visit here.

Though he wasn't there as a candidate (he was congratulating NH Dems for their marvelous gains in the state house and governorship), he talked about how he is a grassroots kind of candidate. He hold the world's record for the most handshakes in a single day. Here in Maine, we love that kind of candidate too.

Richardson meets with North Korea officials

Wow. This is one of the reasons I like this guy. He is doing what he can to help out by talking with N Korea diplomats. They came to New Mexico today to prepare for the upcoming six nation talks in China. The New York Times offers this quote:

"The only governor with a foreign policy'' is how Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, describes Richardson.

Read the article.

Richardson will announce in January

According to the Washington Post, I have to wait until January to find out if Richardson will run to be our next president. Of course, I really want the answer to be a yes.

We can probably make the decision easier if there was already some money in the campaign coffers. Go to ActBlue and contribute to the Bill Richardson for President Draft fund! I know there are lots of organizations, people, and presents asking for money this time of the year. But any amount would have to help turn a maybe into a yes....

Richardson speaks out on immigration reform

Richardson gave a great speech on illegal immigration today. You can read the text here. As usual for Richardson, it is a comprehensive, thoughtful approach.

First things first -- no fence. What a phenomenal waste of money! Here in Maine, we have an extensive border too. And we wouldn't dream of a fence. A fence (read wall) running the hundreds of miles of border will not deter anyone who feels they must be here. It will cost a ton of money. And the symbolism of a wall "flies in the face of America as a symbol of freedom."

No wall doesn't mean a policy of open borders. We need to improve our border security. Governor Richardson thinks we ought to double the number of border patrol agents. More agents would be more effective -- and cost a fraction of the monster fence.

We also need to acknowledge that illegal immigrants are helping our society run -- and pay taxes while they are doing so. We rely on immigrant labor to get things done. Even here in Maine, many of the blueberry rakers are migrant, immigrant workers. Richardson thinks that the economy wouldn't rely on immigrant labor as much if the minimum wage were raised. But it would still require more immigrant laborers than are currently permitted. So, he proposes extending the number of worker visas. Again, every summer, businesses in Maine complain that the quota of worker visas has already been met before our season really begins.

Richardson also proposes that there be a clear, streamlined path to citizenship. This is not an amnesty program, but a citizenship program. He also points out the real situations of families where the parents may be here illegally, but the children are US citizens. For these families, we need to have a path to citizenship.

Finally, and I think most importantly, Richardson reminds us that people wouldn't be coming here if the situation weren't so dire elsewhere. If 1/2 of Mexicans weren't living in poverty, if 1/5 weren't living in extreme poverty; then living in the shadows here wouldn't be nearly as attractive. We need a leader who will talk with our neighbors, with other leaders, and find real, thoughtful solutions to the problems that exist. We do not need simplistic finger pointing. We need Richardson.

Endorsement -- and Quinnipiac poll

In his column today Bill Clark of the Columbia Daily Tribune endorsed Bill Richardson for president. Bill Clark offers a nice summery of Bill Richardson's impressive resume. I would recommend the reading. To quote just a bit, Clark writes:

Bill Richardson has a lengthy record of success on the international stage; he has 15 years of legislative experience in Washington; and he has been a successful governor who won re-election by 68 percent of the vote this year.

It is nice to have an endorsement so early. (Thanks to Missouri for Richardson, Florida for Richardson, and Washington for Richardson for being so swift.)

On another note, Quinnipiac released their "thermometer poll" of various politicians (many possible presidential candidates). For this poll, respondents gave the politicians a warmth rating between 0-100. They also track the percentage of respondents who didn't know enough to give a rating. There are a few interesting points to make with this poll. First, while Richardson only came it tenth among all of the possibilities,within the top ten, he had the highest percentage of respondents who didn't know enough about him. I am confident that as people know about him, the warmth will only rise. Second, while he rates better from Democrats than Republicans, he still gets decent ratings from Republicans and better than decent ratings from Independents.

Another Reason to love Bill Richardson...

Bill Richardson instituted changes to New Mexico's OUI law. There was an article in the New York Times about this change yesterday.

Like Maine, New Mexico had a serious problem with OUI offenses. Lots of people were being killed. Despite tough penalties, people still drove with suspended licenses -- and drove drunk. (We had a situation here where a woman in Rockland drove drunk to the police station to complain about her previous arrest for drunk driving.) Governor Richardson came up with a great solution... Those who are convicted of OUI still have to pay their fines, still have community service hours, still have whatever jail time might apply to the charges, still have to attend DWI/ OUI school. But instead of not being allowed to drive at all, "an ignition interlock driver’s license must be obtained and an ignition interlock device must be installed and operating on all motor vehicles driven by the offender" for however long the license would have been revoked.

I cannot stress how cool this is. There are so many people who lose their license here in Maine because of driving under the influence. But instead of their lives getting better, many lose their jobs, can't get to medical appointments, go to the grocery store, even get to drug and alcohol treatment etc., unless they have someone to cart them around or if they break the law again. Richardson's solution punishes the offense, but allows for the offender to recover while still protecting the public from further offenses.

The result in New Mexico has been that they have seen a nearly 12% drop in alcohol related fatalities.

Why Maine needs Bill Richardson

Bill Richardson would be a good president for the United States for the same reasons as he is right for Maine. But let me be more specific….

Foreign Affairs and Maine: First and foremost, we need Bill Richardson for President because we need someone who understands what diplomacy means, who can listen, and who can negotiate. Here in Maine, we have a large percentage of young people who enter the armed forces. We need to make sure that every diplomatic option is exhausted before those young people are put in harm's way. Richardson’s background in foreign affairs, his time as ambassador to the UN, and his well-documented success in international negotiations prove that he can handle the delicate discussions we need to enter internationally.

Maine’s Environment: As beautiful as Maine is, we at the end of the Midwest exhaust pipe. For the little pollution we produce and the phenomenal number of trees in our state, our air quality is frightful. Our waters and, in turn, our fisheries are threatened because of the precipitation from this pollution. We need someone for president who understands energy and will really do something to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels as well as encourage the development of renewable energy. Richardson’s experiences as Secretary of Energy along with his expansion of renewable energy in New Mexico show that he understands energy.

Maine’s Economy: Governor Baldacci has done a great job with our state’s economy. But there is only so much that can be done on the state level. Unlike the current president, Richardson understands that Medicaid and education are ultimately the responsibility of the federal government. That means that Richardson understands that the federal government should be covering the bulk of the costs for these programs. For the past several years, states such as Maine have faced the same and growing demands from the population with fewer federal dollars to meet that need. With Maine having an older population and a higher rate of diseases such as Alzheimer’s than most states, we have higher Medicaid costs than most states. If the federal government covered more of the cost of Medicaid, then the state wouldn’t have to do so.

Fair Elections: Maine has the best election law in the country. We deeply care about our elections being fair and verifiable. Richardson shares Maine values in this regard. When Richardson became governor, New Mexico’s broken election system had electronic-only voting machines. Many people were disenfranchised. Governor Richardson changed his states laws, and now every ballot is paper.

Hunting and fishing: Like Maine, New Mexico has a lot of folks who care deeply about hunting and fishing. Hunting and fishing also bring tourism dollars into the state. In New Mexico, Richardson has taken an active role in assuring access to lands for hunting and fishing.

Heritage: Finally, and of least importance (but kind of fun), Bill Richardson apparently has Maine roots.

The fundraising -- it has begun

Yes, it may seem early, but fundraising is already underway. But Bill Richardson hasn't announced yet? How can we raise money for his campaign? Here is how this works. Act Blue has set up a "Draft Bill Richardson fund". (They have funds for other prospective presidential candidates too). When Bill Richardson decides to announce, he will already have those funds available to him. Should someone donate to a "draft x fund" and x doesn't decide to run by convention time, the money will go to the DNC. Giving early can only show the support Richardson has.

Happy Birthday!

Today is Bill Richardson's birthday! 59! Happy Birthday Governor!

Maine for Richardson is born

Well, the 2006 elections are over and it is time to start on 2008. This will be a major election for our country. I have done a fair amount of research on the possible candidates for president, and I believe that Bill Richardson of New Mexico is the person for the job. I am impressed with his unique combination of national, foreign, legislative, and executive experience.