The Richardson Solution

3 Things That Matter

Ok, I'm tired of this "Hillary has it" meme.  As a former Dean supporter, I've seen front-runners take wild turns.

Three Things Caught My Eye today:

First, Bill Richardson is the least rejectable candidate by all voters.  The LEAST.  More than half would never vote for Hillary - 70% would consider voting for Richardson.

Second, Bill Richardson is the Democrat MOST Republicans could most likely work across the aisle with.  That matters if you want progressive legislation (which any Dem wants).

Third, veteran political scientist Larry Sabato says that Richardson is UNBEATABLE and that his GOP friends privately tell him that if we nominate Richardson they know they will lose.

These are CRITICAL factors to the race.  More critical to any other issue - Richardson has more electorally viable than any other candidate and he can achieve as President.

The campaign should start screaming this from the rooftops.

Hispanic Vote Analysis - Straight from the GOP Chairman

With the launch of Mi Familia Con Richardson, I've been meaning to get back into discussions about the hispanic vote and what it means for a Richardson candidacy. 

But, after I found this quote from the International Herald Tribune, I thought I'd let Mel Martinez (GOP Chairman) speak on it himself:

The more basic considerations are cause for gloom. The fastest-growing major ethnic voters in America are Hispanics. Several years ago, there was Republican optimism that the party's promotion of a can-do entrepreneurial spirit and fealty to old-fashioned values were winners with these voters; in the last presidential election, George W. Bush got 40 percent of the Hispanic vote, a significant increase from earlier contests.

The ugly fight over immigration, with prominent Republicans leading the bashing, has set back these hopes, perhaps for years. In the midterm elections last November, the Republican Latino vote dropped to 30 percent.

"If we get the same type of Hispanic support in the next election cycle that we did in the last, there is no way we could elect a Republican president," said Senator Mel Martinez of Florida, chairman of the national Republican Party. (my emphasis added)

Now, I think this is pretty clear analysis.  If a Richardson candidacy can hold the Hispanic vote to what it was in the last election (30%), key battleground states fall for the Democrats.  Now imagine, that the mega inspirational and outreach apparatus from a Richardson candidacy pushes the Hispanic vote to Democrats up to 80% (given the GOP 20%).

I think there is a clearer phrase to sum all that up: electoral landslide.

Chew on that.

Election Day 2008

President-elect Richardson. 314 to 244.

What a fine day that'll be. 

The electoral solution could not be clearer.

I just wanted to whet everyone's appettite.  I'll be posting more on this later, specifically on how Richardson is the most electorally viable candidate in the race. (remember, the color variations are reversed)

Have a great night everybody.

Richardson plans to raise $2 million tonight

Can we help him out? Here's the skinny:

Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson expects to raise $2 million tonight at a single fundraising event in Albuquerque that hopes to draw close to a thousand supporters from across New Mexico.

The event, which his campaign says is the largest fundraising event in New Mexico history, comes three and a half weeks after Mr. Richardson, New Mexico's two-term governor, announced he was forming a presidential exploratory committee...

"My wife, Barbara, and I are overwhelmed at this tremendous outpouring of support from our fellow New Mexicans, including my friends and colleagues Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Congressman Tom Udall, and Lt. Gov. Diane Denish," Mr. Richardson said in a release. "I plan to use this successful event here at home as the springboard for our fundraising efforts across the country."

I'm throwing in $20.08 online right now.  Who's with me?

Events like this one and this forthcoming on in Denver, will make all the difference:

Richardson is scheduled to arrive in Denver on Wednesday to announce the formation of his Colorado campaign team.

He hopes to raise more than $100,000 at the fundraiser.

Check out that link to the event tonight.  Hispanic Buisness, that's right.  If people don't think the hispanic community are behind Richardson, they need to think again.  He's in this to go all the way.

Let's help him out.  Richardson for President.

Sunday Update

A few tidbits for some to enjoy while they are watching the Bears trounce the Colts (no one ever said we didn't have favorites here at BRS).

First, everyone who is at least interested in Bill Richardson and the state of our nation should watch the video of the Governor speaking this weekend.  Check it out here.

Second, we'll be blitzing this week with posts, so be prepared. 

Third, this write-up from the Rocky Mountain News sums up Richardson's speech pretty well:

Richardson, a veteran of Congress and the Bill Clinton Administration, told several hundred committee members and Democratic partisans that the United States needs someone with his international experience to repair the country's damaged issue around the world.

"The war in Iraq is not the disease," he said. "Iraq is a symptom. The disease is arrogance."

He dismissed President Bush, the former Texas governor, as someone "who thinks 'axis of evil' is a bargaining position."

"I know the usual rap on governors is that we don't know anything about foreign affairs," Richardson said, pointing toward "a certain governor from Texas."

"But not this governor," he added.

Richardson also challenged his Democratic rivals to pledge to avoid personal attacks and save their fire for Republicans.

That last part caught my attention specifically - mostly because it is a direct signal of what kind of campaign the Governor intends to run.  If Richardson can campaign the majority of the primary season as a positive alternative to all the bickering and fighting that will break out among the Trio of Inexperience (now, I now that wasn't that positive - but it was honest) than he can use that position to slide in with significant moderate, independent and hispanic support (something that we will be blogging about extensively soon).

Also, Richardson got the most standing ovations from anyone at the Winter meeting.  Take that for what it is but I'm excited that all those delegates that were there are that receptive to the Richardson message. 

Let's keep working folks.

Update:  Vote in Nevada Today's Poll!

Gov signs first bill - brilliant political strategy

This may seems like normal news:

Gov. Bill Richardson has signed into law the first bill of the 2007 legislative session.

The $22.8 million “feed bill” pays for the session and the Legislature’s year-round operations.

Richardson signed the bill without vetoing any of the expenditures.

It allocates $7.8 million for the 60-day session that began Jan. 16 and nearly $15 million for the Legislature’s operations in the budget year that begins July 1.

Now the substance of what he signed isn't that important - it's the fact that he will be working the 60-day legislative session concurrently to running for president.  Far from a hinderance, this is exactly the strategy he is building to combat Clinton and Obama.

Remember this point (linked from the Bill Richardson Blog, taken from the Gov's announcement on "This Week" and coincedently, the quote that stuck in the minds of my sister and her boyfriend):

“The next president must be able to make us energy independent, must be able to make schools better, create jobs, give the American people, every American, a fair shot,” said Richardson. “To get that done, you need real-life experience. All I’m saying is, a lot of these folks can make speeches about all these things. I’ve actually done it.”

Now, we're going to see a lot of campaigning over the course of the next two months from all these senators.  While this is going on, Richardson is going to be doing what he does best - creating solutions for the citizens of the state he serves.  The contrast couldn't be clearer.  He'll be putting into place renewable energy programs, building a state-based health care system, protecting the environment and working with the legislature.  Everyone else?  Well, they'll just be talking.

Here at The Richardson Solution we are looking forward to detailing these events as they pave the way for the Governor's electoral solution.

Let's get started!

The Guv is in:

Richardson plans to announce Sunday that he will soon file papers to create a presidential exploratory committee, several officials with knowledge of his plans said Friday. The governor is scheduled to appear Sunday on ABC's "This Week."

His entry would make the Democratic race among the most diverse presidential contests in history. Besides Richardson's bid to be the first Hispanic chief executive, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois would be the first black president and likely candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York would be the first female president.

Richardson, 59, is a former congressman, U.N. ambassador and Energy Department secretary. He brings a wealth of experience in international affairs that has extended even into his governorship of a sparsely populated but politically important swing state.

He has hosted talks on North Korea's nuclear program in New Mexico and most recently traveled to Sudan to meet with the country's president to press him for an end to the bloodshed in Darfur.

I hope everyone will be watching "This Week" on Sunday. 

Now everyone - here is a simple lesson:  we want Richardson to win, that's for sure.

But we shouldn't want  him to be the front-runner this early out.   Being the front-runner this early out leads to  massive media scrutiny and doesn't allow the beginning formation of a campaign to progress the way it should.  Let's fly under the radar, let the Guv work his magic on the retail politics level and then we can climb up in the minds of voters who want more than just flashy platitudes from their candidates.

Richardson has so much to offer and when the national media or voters begin to notice these traits, things will change inevitably.

The electoral solution is simple:  Richardson in 2008 .

 

Nevada's Debate Schedule

Mark it on your calendar:

Democratic Party officials and leaders of key unionized labor organizations announced Saturday that Nevada will hold a series of five Democratic candidate events before the party’s Jan. 19 presidential caucuses in that state.

The first of these, a forum scheduled for the state capital of Carson City this Feb. 23, appears to be the earliest candidate faceoff set so far for the 2008 campaign...

The Feb. 23 forum will be sponsored by AFSCME. A March 24 forum at a site to be determined, focused on health care issues, will be sponsored by SEIU and the Center for American Progress, a liberal Washington, D.C, think tank.

The first formal debate, on Western regional issues, is tentatively slated for mid-August in Reno, followed by Nov. 2 debate sponsored by the state Democratic Party at University of Nevada at Las Vegas and a Jan. 15 debate, just before the caucuses, co-sponsored by the Caucus of African American Nevadans and Impacto, the political arm of the Latin Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas.