Comments on: Bill Richardson Is Running

By: BenG

BenG — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 04:39:48 +0000

Awe, I think we’ve all witnessed some Holiday magic; DosPeros made a friend, CHEERS.

My two cents: Although I hate to pre-judge anyone based on ethnic backgrnd,at this time there’s no chance of an Hispanic becoming president of the U.S. Politacally incorrect as that is, we are in serious need of unbiased leadership about the illegal immigrant problem, and if he is truely sympathetic to amnesty, as suggested, than forget about it. If this is not true then please inform and we’ll stand corrected.

By: Johnny

Johnny — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 01:37:05 +0000

Richardson/obama will not win the South. Richardson and a white guy could. JMO…

By: Pete Abel

Pete Abel — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 19:51:43 +0000

Thank you, DosPeros. I appreciate the ultimate civility of the exchange, and I hope you will take many opportunities to challenge our collective thinking, here and elsewhere. In fact, I would enjoy your perspective at Central Sanity (http://centralsanity.blgospot.com), as you have time and if you are so inclined.

By: DosPeros

DosPeros — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 18:11:04 +0000

Pete – that was a very reasoned retort to what was more or less a snarky statement on my part. I knew what you meant. I inhabit that sliver of politically incorrect space not all that fond of Abe Lincoln. His iconic mythology is so great – and intermeshed with racial dynamics – that it is very dangerous to have an detached conversation about the objective history of the man. We have learned to simply bow and smile and shut-up. No matter how tempting, I will not stray from this & my comment above was an inadvertant slip.

By: Pete Abel

Pete Abel — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 15:20:14 +0000

Commenting on a post about Richardson, I’m reluctant to get into a debate about the Republican Party of Lincoln’s day, but DosPeres called me out, and rightly so: my word choices were not as clean or precise as they should have been.

So I hope the collective readership won’t mind if I take a moment to clarify.

Several years ago, I had lunch with an editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who has since moved on and who, prior to her position with that paper, was a member of the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board.

We talked about the contrast between the editorial positions of the Post and Trib, and while she acknowledged that the Trib was more conservative, she qualified that statement with, “Republican, yes, but more in the spirit of the Lincoln Republicans.”

That qualifier has stuck with me ever since, and it was …

1. The recollection of the same

2. The echo of the words of the Trib’s own statement of principles (”The Tribune believes in the traditional principles of limited government; maximum individual responsibility; and minimum restriction of personal liberty, opportunity and enterprise. It believes in free markets, free will and freedom of expression.”)

3. Lincoln’s place in history as the one President who was willing to take the steps necessary to end slavery, the ultimate affront to civil liberties

… that prompted my original comment, although again, I could have been more exact in my earlier choice of words.

By: GreenDreams

GreenDreams — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 04:54:40 +0000

Hmmmmm, 14 term congressman, UN Ambassador, Cabinet experience, popular governor, tax-cutting Democrat, Hispanic, Western state far from deep south and northeast, alternative energy supporter and very media savvy. We could do worse. Oh, wait. We are doing worse. Far worse.

By: Alan Stewart Carl

Alan Stewart Carl — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 23:54:08 +0000

From what New Mexican friends tell me of Richardson, he’s a Western Bill Clinton — both in his popular appeal and shady history. I don’t know if another slick Willy is what we need. But I’ll hear him out.

By: sleipner

sleipner — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 21:36:25 +0000

Frankly I’m still hoping Gore will run again…either Richardson or Obama would be a good choice for #2 man but I don’t think either has the stuff to win the #1 slot. Edwards is probably my second choice.

By: DosPeros

DosPeros — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 16:18:06 +0000

You’ve got to be kidding me. Well, the Chinese would fully endorse him and make their Buddhist contribution to Gore seem a mere pittance in consideration for Richardson’s informational free-trade policy while he was head of the used car lot known as the DOE under his reign. He’s not a leader, he’s a careerist schmoozer and his johnny-come-lately soap-boxing of illegal immigration is, in my opinion, evidence of his disingeniousness and his willingness to sell-out his own people for personal advancement.

On a side note, this amused me:

back to the rationale center, the non-intrusive, civil-liberties party it was in LincolnÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s day.

Umm, okay. Rational Center, yes, thus name of his political progeny: the Radical Republicans. Non-intrusive, yes, of course, with the small exception of invading half of the country with federal troops. Civil liberties, indeed, except of course the part were Lincoln suspended Habeus Corpus just like George W. Bush.

Lincoln may have been the best president ever but he wasn’t a centrist, or non-intrusive, or a civil libertarian.

By: Ken Camp

Ken Camp — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 15:49:02 +0000

Fox News got it wrong again. Richardson did not announce his candidacy. For the full story, visit Washington for Richardson.

By: Pete Abel

Pete Abel — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 13:57:56 +0000

Richardson-Obama ticket would be interesting. And yes, Richardson is a dark horse, but the Governor step to the WH is a strong one, and Richardson’s work in his home state has been lauded in many corners. I just hope someone in the R camp can run as a true moderate, and stop pandering to the extreme base. I want my father’s party taken back — back to the rationale center, the non-intrusive, civil-liberties party it was in Lincoln’s day.

By: David

David — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 13:50:44 +0000

I gotta say, a Richardson-Obama ticket would be something I’d want to hear more about…