"Am I going to be the first American president to do more for Hispanics than any other president?"

[bigtree]

February 27, 2007

Richardson Promotes His Presidential Run to Hispanic Leaders



By Sayed Zafar Hashemi

(AXcess News) Washington - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson amused an audience of Hispanic leaders in the fourth week of his campaign for the Democratic nomination for president.

Being a Hispanic is a positive credit for his "win," Richardson said in a speech Tuesday. He added that since the beginning of his presidential drive, his poll numbers have risen from 1 percent to 8 percent.

"I am moving up!" he said to applause and laughter.

Speaking without a formal written speech, Richardson asked, "Am I going to be the first American president to do more for Hispanics than any other president?" He answered his own question with a strong "Yes!" But he said he wasn't just running on Hispanic issues.

Born Nov. 15, 1947, in Pasadena, Calif., to an American father and Mexican mother, Richardson grew up in Mexico City before moving to New England, where he attended high school and college.

The governor recalled his last visit with his 93-year-old mother, who calls him a Spanish nickname "Mijito," a term of endearment for a young boy. He said she asked him, "Are you still governor of New Mexico?" and was bamboozled when he told her he was starting his presidential campaign. She asked him, president of which country? That drew a laugh from the crowd.

Richardson said he is seeking help for his "long journey" and is confident he can win. He ended his speech by saying. "In fact, I think I am a best qualified for this job."

http://www.axcessnews.com/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=13086

[jwirr]

1. He needs to get more info regarding his position on issues and

about himself out to us. I know very little about him and if I am that ignorant what must the rest of the people know?

[bigtree]

3. here's a good place to start

The Richardson File

http://www.freenewmexican.com/richardson

August 7, 2006

The freenewmexican.com staff has assembled this comprehensive index to "everything Richardson".

The links to the left feature articles on Richardson's policies, character, elections, and his more colorful moments. There is also a photo gallery.

Further down the page is a huge list of outside links (http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/47552.html#Richardsonlinks) to public statement transcript archives, voting and veto records, campaign finances, political supporters and detractors, and other information.

A more detailed overview on Bill's life and times was penned by political reporter Steve Terrell in 2002 as part of the Free New Mexican 2002 gubernatorial election coverage
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/47424.html



The Richardson File
http://freenewmexican.com/richardson

Policies
http://freenewmexican.com/TRF_Policies_Bills

Bills
http://freenewmexican.com/TRF_Policies_Bills

Proposals
http://freenewmexican.com/TRF_Policies_Proposals

Public Statements
http://freenewmexican.com/TRF_Policies_PublicStatements

Appointments
http://freenewmexican.com/TRF_Policies_Appointments

Character
http://freenewmexican.com/trf_character

At Home
http://freenewmexican.com/TRF_Character_AtHome

At Work
http://freenewmexican.com/TRF_Character_AtWork

At Play
http://freenewmexican.com/TRF_Character_AtPlay

Elections
http://freenewmexican.com/trf_elections

NM Governorship
http://freenewmexican.com/TRF_Elections_NMGovernor

Other
http://freenewmexican.com/TRF_Elections_Other

Escapades
http://freenewmexican.com/trf_escapades

Transportation
http://freenewmexican.com/TRF_Escapades_Transportation

Campaigning
http://freenewmexican.com/TRF_Escapades_Campaigning

Photo Gallery
http://www.freenewmexican.com/slideshow.php?galleryid=1385

[jwirr]

4. Thank you.

[Czolgosz]

13. Richardson is tied with Hillary and Biden for the least progressive candidate. Objective sources:

Sources NOT affiliated with the campaign spin:

http://www.ontheissues.org/Bill_Richardson.htm
http://www.whereistand.com/BillRichardson/16327
http://vote-smart.org/npat.php?old=true&can_id=H2505103&npatform_id=11

An interview with Richardson: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,151631,00.html


My view (please check out Richardson's positions on issues for yourself, there are just issues important to me):

Top 10 Problems with Richardson

1. Pro-NAFTA/Pro-CAFTA/Anti-Fair Trade;

2. Supported Vouchers for Private Schools (draining public school funding);

3. Shut down presidential recount despite suspicious circumstances;

4. Supported medical savings account approach to broken health care system;

5. Hawkish on military bases and homeland security;

6. Supports revenue reduction via tax cuts for corporations and the ultra-wealthy;

7. Supports giving churches access to federal funds to provide faith-based social services;

8. Has much praise for Bush's immigration plans;

9. Richardson is a favorite of the DLC; and

10. Weakness on Civil Rights (see below)



Richardson's Top 10 Civil Rights Weaknesses (So Many, I Need Another Top 10 List)

1. Richardson’s support for mandatory jail time, even for non-violent offenders;

2. Richardson’s support for the death penalty;

3. Richardson’s vote to abolish habeas corpus in death penalty appeals;

4. Richardson’s opposition to offering the option of life-without-parole as an alternative to the death penalty;

5. Richardson’s support for prosecuting minors as adults;

6. Richardson’s support for expanding the number of federal crimes punishable by death;

7. Richardson’s support for eliminating parole for anyone convicted of a violent crime;

8. Richardson’s support for eliminating automatic citizenship for all children born in the USA;

9. Richardson’s support for limiting access to our court system for people hurt by negligent hospitals; an

10. Richardson’s vote in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act against gay marriage.

[bigtree]

17. what nonsense. these sites are not responsible judges of what's 'progressive'

from On the issues: Bill Richardson is a Moderate Liberal Populist.

whereIstand.com had no such analysis of his 'progressivism' on the page provided

Project Vote Smart makes no such analysis either.

They do present a wide range of issues, though, which indicate a pragmatic approach to legislating and governing which is not restricted to any one ideology.

[skipos]

2. I like Richardson a lot

That photo is pretty funny.

[walldude]

5. I don't know much about this guy but I can safely

say that I cannot vote for a person who is so afraid of being bald that he will put a squirrel on his head in a sad attempt to cover it up.

[bigtree]

8. one of the things I like about DU is that sometimes it takes me back

to my junior high school cafeteria days

[EFerrari]

9. Green jello. "Ambrosia".

:rofl:

[walldude]

10. Well you have to admit, low self esteem is not a quality

you look for in a president.

[bigtree]

11. I like his self-effacing style. The thing about these cosmetic criticisms is . . .

when you have a guy like Richardson who will readily make fun of himself, dwelling on them tends to make the folks who practice that type of politics look petty and mean.

Did you consider that many DUers may wear hairpieces? Do they also have low self-esteem?

[walldude]

12. DU'ers aren't running for president. So their self-esteem

doesn't really concern me. And this isn't a cosmetic criticism it's a personality criticism. Maybe the problem rests with a society that is overly vain, but there are plenty of people who are bald and don't give a shit what society thinks. I would rather have a person who stands up for who they are then one who tries to hide it.

[bigtree]

15. folks wear all sorts of things to accentuate or hide imperfections

in their appearance.

A hairpiece is not a measure of any significant issue of 'self-esteem', though I'm not surprised that someone would raise it as a negative aspect of Richardson's character. Personally, I think it's a shallow observation which speaks more to the character of the questioners than to the character of the subject.

[Czolgosz]

14. I prefer Richardson's hair to Biden's hair plugs.

I am more troubled by Richardson's past claims in campaign literature which falsely suggested that he was drafted in 1966 Major League Baseball draft.

[Oeditpus Rex]

6. Is he going to be the first American president

to utter a non sequitur?



Doubt it.

[MGKrebs]

7. **snarf**

[SaveElmer]

16. Richardson will be the darkhorse here...will overtake Edwards...

By early next year, and give Obama and Hillary a real run for their money...

IMO