Richardson the Odd Democrat Out

A year ago Jay Leno drew howls from his late night talk show audience when he wisecracked, "And yesterday Bill Richardson officially announced he's running for president. So now he officially has no chance of winning." Leno's unflattering crack after Richardson's public announcement that he was a presidential candidate hit the mark in a lot of ways. The politically luckless Richardson's campaign was perennially cash strapped, and garnered few endorsements. He was almost always an afterthought during the Democratic presidential debates. And in the worst insult of all, he got almost no support from the one constituency that he banked on, Hispanic voters. Most top Hispanic Democrats backed either Clinton or Obama. So it's no surprise that at the first whiff of the brewing scandal over the allegation that state contractors paid to play with Richardson, depending on who you want to believe, he booted himself from the Commerce secretary spot or got the boot from Obama.

The generally low public regard that Richardson was held in during his brief presidential foray seemed odd. Richardson is a three term Congressman who worked on the budget, gun control, abortion, and national security issues. He's traveled widely internationally as a sort of diplomat-without-portfolio and brokered deals with Saddam Hussein to free American captives. He bargained with Castro to gain the release of American political prisoners, and helped negotiate the release of US pilots held in North Korea. He served a quiet, but effective stint as UN ambassador in the mid-1990s. He's been praised as a bridge-builder. Later he served as Clinton's Energy Secretary. And he is, of course, is a two term New Mexico governor.

This stoked Richardson passion to be a major player in American politics. The problem as always was that the public didn't quite see Richardson as that major player. Despite his impressive political resume on paper, he recognized the glaring drawback. The title of his autobiography, Between Worlds: The Making of an American Life, was a candid declaration that he was a man of two identities. He talked about his early life in which he grew up eating hot dogs on the Fourth of July and celebrating El Grito (Mexican Independence Day in September), as well as other American and Mexican holidays. In an interview with the Arizona Republic, in April 2007, Richardson was asked directly if being a Latino helped or hurt his ability to deal with both sides in the immigration debate.

The interviewer undoubtedly meant the pro and anti-immigration forces. It could have as easily been a double entendre for the duality of being a Latino American. There was the faint undertone of an invisible separation between the two in the question. Richardson's answer walked the razor thin line between the two worlds. This wasn't the end of the questioning of Richardson's possible dual loyalties. The interviewer also probed Richardson's accomplishments as governor and what that meant for the rest of the country. This was yet another way of putting Richardson on the spot about his public policy accomplishments and whether his achievements could translate out into broad voter appeal. Richardson took the cue and talked about the standard campaign issues of health care, the education budget, taxes, business growth and development in his state and insisted the positive marks he got on these issues proved he could be an effective national leader with wide appeal.

That was a pipe dream. Richardson was a politician with limited appeal who got the Commerce post as a political reward for smartly jumping on the Obama bandwagon, and because he is a good Democratic Party foot soldier.

The play for pay scandal just reinforced the notion that politicians who try so hard to be major players in the political ranks will often wheel and deal, cut corners, and or not averse to lining their campaign and even personal coffers with dubious contributions to get ahead.
When they do, and they're called out on it, it insures that they remain not just odd men out of the rarified political circles they desperately want to crack, but disgraced ones too.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His forthcoming book is How Obama Won (Middle Passage Press, January 2009).

Comments

[dubster]

I'm appalled at the many factual errors and sophomoric arguments contained in this article. This appears to be the work of a political neophyte. First of all Richardson was a seven term congressman not a three term one; that's a big difference of 8 years of service in Washington as an elected representative. Furthermore, I couldn't believe he brought the not carrying the Hispanic vote up as an issue. That's so dull and unsubstantiated as an argument given that Richardson only participated in two contests i.e. Iowa and NH which are very homogeneous.

The fact of the matter is Richardson is a political thoroughbred with a gold-plated resume that not even these childish barbs can penetrate or get any real credibility from scholars in the field of politics. I'm optimistic that Richardson will come out vindicated and even stronger than before with a bright future in national politics and a component of an future Obama administration if he wins reelection in 2012 becasue it's no secret in Washington that many people on the Hill have great respect for the Governor.

[Lancer 101]

What goes around - comes around. Hopefully, justice will prevail in bringing these corrupt politicians to full justice!

[thromulese]

I lost all respect for Richardson when he admitted that he held back on any "judgment" of then attorney General Alberto Gonzales simply because they shared the same race. Then he went on to say that he thought that being gay was learned trait as apposed to being genetic. He later corrected himself and tried to claim he didn"t hear the question properly or some other lame excuse.

Richardson is one democrat I will not miss, nor, I guess from the polls, will many other democrats.

[dubster]

Wrong, I'm not sure what polls your reading, but he's still one of my favorite democrats, in spite of this scandal - becasue he hasn't been indicted nor convicted of any wrong doing.

[standard]

"Richardson was a politician with . . . "

Given Bill Richardson's service to his state and our nation he, more than most, deserves the right to be presumed innocent. Before referring to him in the past tense, let's just see of what, if anything, he's guilty--and not merely accused. So far, he's guilty of not supporting Mrs. Clinton to James Carville's satisfaction and not being the Hispanic Barack Obama. The first I find admirable and the latter, nearly impossible.

I appreciate your post, all the same. Make that "your posts".

[Grulg]

Well, it universally said that Richardson was the Romney of the Democrat Primary field-the most Unpopular of the candidates amongst the others. No one really liked him, and that little stab in the back of the Clintons was both VERY predictable and very Richardson like. So no, I'm NOT surprised here at all.

[max08]

Read Al Giordano's take on this:
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/no-drama-policy-action-richardson-withdraws-commerce-secretary#comments

[max08]

Richardson has done A LOT for New Mexico. Very clever about bringing new businesses to the state.

[rainbowblue]

The problem with Richardson is that he makes a good bureaucrat, but not a good politician. He probably would have done a fine job in the Obama administration, but not as President. He probably would have been another Carter, too much micromanage. He's just not personable. I've been watching too much West Wing lately, so I'll say he's just not "Presidential". In any rate, he should stay out of the news for the next four years and try for another cabinet post after the next election.

[StephenFox]

Richardson's withdrawal is a very complext subject, with lots of layers of perception and facts. This article is just a tiny bit meanspirited and rather shallow in analyzing his Presidential campaign; his motivation for withdrawing I believe to be exactly and precisely what he said it was:.Richardson doesn't want to impede the progress of Obama with delays because of this ill considered grand jury investigation. I think he might also be wanting to "keep his powder dry." I am very saddened by this latest development, and believe in due course he will be exonerated fully. He is my governor, and is squeaky clean.
Stephen Fox, Political Editor, New Mexico Sun News
Founder, New Millennium Fine Art

[max08]

You're right. And the hint in it is his Latino-ness because of the anti-immigration nonsense.