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 News from Around the Americas | January 2008 
Richardson: Humor, Experience
 William Petroski - Des Moines Register
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| | Democratic presidential hopeful, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, shakes hands as his opponent, Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., prepares to take the stage at the 100 Club Dinner at the New Hampshire Dome Friday, Jan. 4, 2008 in Nashua, N.H. (AP/M. Spencer Green) |
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is equipped with a thick resume and a disarming sense of humor in his campaign for the Democratic nomination.
Richardson has been this presidential campaign's version of the "Happy Warrior." It's a label often used to describe former vice president Hubert H. Humphrey, a Democrat known for his cheerful, passionate pleas on behalf of social justice and advocacy for working people.
POLITICAL SKILLS
Richardson, 60, has been an exhaustive campaigner in Iowa, often making four or more stops a day at places like Sapp Bros. truck stop in Council Bluffs, the United Auto Workers Local 74 hall in Ottumwa and American Legion Hispanic Post 731 on Des Moines' south side.
Five years ago, he claimed a world record by shaking the hands of 13,392 people over eight hours at the New Mexico State Fair and at a tailgate party outside the University of New Mexico.
"I love these crowds," Richardson told about 120 people who attended his campaign talk in July in the basement of the Boone County Historical Center.
People who have heard his message describe him as a good listener, with well-developed policy statements on issues such as ending the war in Iraq, protecting family farms, addressing the nation's mortgage crisis and resolving foreign trade conflicts.
David Hurd, retired chief executive of Principal Financial Group, one of Iowa's largest employers, is among Iowans who have endorsed Richardson. He says he has been impressed with Richardson's background and experience as a governor, member of Congress, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. Energy secretary, and his innovative approach to problem solving.
"When I first started looking at candidates, I was awestruck" by Richardson's accomplishments, Hurd says.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Bill Richardson often remarks that presidents have described him as the person to call when they need someone to talk with bad guys, referring to his experiences negotiating with leaders such as Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro and the North Koreans.
As president, he promises he would be at the table dealing with anybody involved with national and international troubles.
"I would be there every second. I am a negotiator. I was a deputy whip in the Clinton years getting votes. I built coalitions with Republicans, with churches, with community groups, with anybody to get something done," he says.
While a member of Congress from New Mexico, Richardson was one of the nation's most prolific holders of town-hall meetings with constituents, conducting close to 2,000 over a 10-year period.
"That is reflective of how I make decisions. I go straight to the people," he says.
DECISION-MAKING STYLE
Richardson likes to appoint task forces to deal with specific issues, such as education and tax reform. On a day-to-day basis while on the presidential campaign trail, he is running New Mexico by keeping in regular touch with his staff on his BlackBerry, he says.
"My chief of staff says, 'We want to do this. Is it OK?' And I say, 'No. Do this.' So I know what is happening in my state. I try to consult experts, but in the end it is my experience, my sense of what is right."
Richardson has spent the past five years as New Mexico's chief executive. He has promised campaign audiences that, as president, he would work to bring Americans together, and he would appoint a Cabinet that would include Democrats, Republicans and independents.
In New Mexico, Richardson says, half his Cabinet is composed of women and 70 percent are minorities. Top administration officials include four Republicans and two independents. But he acknowledged he has critics who will say he is too aggressive and that some will even claim he is vindictive.
"I am not vindictive, but I am strong and the state needed to be jolted," Richardson says.
POLICY VISION
Bill Richardson is generally liberal, although not on all issues.
On reproductive issues, he's a Roman Catholic who strongly supports legalized abortion. On gay rights, he has promised to become the first president in history to reject the honorary chairmanship of the Boy Scouts of America because it won't allow openly gay men to become Scout leaders.
On gun control, he vows to uphold Second Amendment freedoms for gun owners.
On immigration reform, he has called for stronger border security, although he favors a process that would permit illegal immigrants to remain as legal residents of the United States.
He's called for a complete pullout of U.S. forces from Iraq, favors universal health care, and has proposed a massive push on energy issues to reduce carbon emissions and increase use of alternative fuels.
The New Mexico Republican Party has issued a Richardson baseball card, saying he tries to "cover all bases" on many issues. Republicans also say he has stood on both sides of immigration reform legislation while authorizing New Mexico's illegal immigrants driver's licenses and in-state college tuition.
Richardson has roots on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border, and if elected, he would be the first Hispanic to become U.S. president.
His father was William Richardson Jr., an American citizen and a Mexico City banker, while his mother was a native Mexican, Maria Luisa Lopez-Collada. When his mother was about to give birth, she took a train to Pasadena, Calif., where her sister lived, to ensure there would be no doubt about her son's U.S. citizenship.
In Richardson's autobiography, "Between Worlds: The Making of an American Life," he described growing up speaking English and Spanish. He lived in Mexico City until he was 13, when he was sent to Massachusetts, where he attended boarding school and was an accomplished baseball pitcher.
"My father was very proud of his American son and my mother was very proud of her Mexican son," Richardson wrote. "Their pride was passed down to me, and I grew up honoring both the United States and Mexico and the language and culture of each country."
MANAGEMENT SKILLS
During his first term as New Mexico governor, Bill Richardson says, he made good on campaign promises to improve education, cut taxes, build a high-wage economy, develop a statewide water plan and make New Mexico safer by getting tough on drunken driving, domestic violence and sex crimes.
He's now in his second term. New Mexico has been a national leader in job growth and economic development with 80,000 additional New Mexicans working since Richardson took office, campaign aides say. The state has a balanced budget and the highest budget reserves in state history.
Terry Huertaz, executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving New Mexico, praises Richardson, saying he responded to the group's concerns about deep-rooted, alcohol-related problems by implementing a plan focused on treatment, law enforcement and the courts ? along with prevention strategies and public awareness.
"He is very down-to-earth and very strategic in finding solutions," Huertaz says. "He has shown enormous compassion to people." |
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