First things first…I only know as much about him as Wiki tells me, which doesn’t give me a feel for how he’s regarded in politics. I’ve heard Biden, Hillary, and Obama mainly mentioned in threads as Democratic hopefuls with legs, but not Richardson so much. Is he regarded as not having a chance? Would he help or hurt any of the aformentioned candidates? I really wasn’t sure if this was a GQ candidate since it’s not really a factual question-feel free to move it if needed.
Or, to make it more debate-worthy-does he have a shot? I’m afraid that Richardson + Obama would be too “diverse” for some people, and that each needs a “safe” partner to make a good team. This isn’t my opinion, just my reading of the public in general as so very likely is flawed.
Richardson falls into that second tier of players who are generally known but not so well known that they’re in the top three. He needs some lucky breaks and coverage to be a serious player for the nomination.
As a candidate he’s pretty damn good…funny and engaging, a good public speaker who’s kind of a policy work. He fit in well with the Clintonistas of the 90s.
He’s latino but with an anglo name. He could give speeches in English or Spanish depending on the crowd. It possible that he could move a lot of voters who are on the fence in the latino community.
I think he’d have a great chance of taking states like Arizona, New Mexico (obviously), Colorado, Nevada – basically many states in the West that in the past, have voted for the Republican candidate. Think about it – when was the last time someone from there ran? We’ve had Reagan and Nixon (recently) from California, and Johnson and the Bushes from Texas.
Wilkie’s running mate was officially from Oregon, Goldwater was from Arizona, and that’s it. The non-California West has a poor record for Presidential candidates, and a far worse one for Presidents.
I’ve always liked Bill Richardson, but I’m not convinced he’s presidential material. I know the question here is for Veep, but you never know when he could be bumped up a level in office.
I have a very good impression of Richardson, very good. He’s done a lot of jobs, and he’s done them all well. I’ll tell you who the last person I felt like that about was: Bush the Elder. (Had Bush the Elder been the Presidential candidate in 1980, I would have voted for him.) He sold his soul to Reagan and his crew, which carried over into his presidency, and frankly, from that experience, Richardson as a VP candidate will do far less for me than Richardson as a P candidate.
How much influence does a VEEP actually have on a presidential election? Unless they are making an idiot out of themselves like Quayle it seems like they are nothing more than an after thought.
For those who don’t know, Richardson is widely regarded in political circles as an inveterate womanizer…worse in that department even than Clinton, if that’s possible. Whether that should matter—or whether it would hurt him less as a vice-presidential candidate—is arguable, but the perception is certainly out there.
Anyone know how often a VP helped a Pesidential candidate carry a state that he would otherwise have lost? I know it depends on how far off the Presidential candidate would be in the state, but still …
I think Gore probably helped Clinton a bit in carrying some of the Southern States that Clinton might have struggled a bit more in. Clinton carried TN, GA, KY, LA, and of course Arkansas.
I dreamt I was riding a Greyhound Bus cross country…you know, purple mountains majesty and all that. And Bill Richardson was the driver. He had the grey uniform and peaked cap and everything.
He kept lecturing me on policy issues through the PA system.
I’ve heard this a few places, but without anymore details then you give here. Is there any specific allegations or anything? I’d vote for the guy, and don’t really care about his personal life, but I’m not eager to go through a repeat of the latter Clinton years.
Well, I’m hearing a lot about the way for the Dems to bust the Southern Strategy is to make a Mountain West Strategy. Richardson, in either capacity, would certainly seem to be a good step in that strategy. Plus he seems like a “good” politician. In other words, somebody I’d vote for.
Just pondering this as I wrote, and not to hijack, but Edwards/Richardson would make for an interesting ticket. Southerner and Western Latino.
I put him in the top of the veep pool and in the second tier of the presidential pool. He seems a competent and decent fellow. I like the mountain west strategy- take New England, the Great Lakes, and the West Coast, add a few mountain states and the Dems could finally have the electoral map in their favor.
