Shedding Light on the Richardson Endorsement

[NYCGirl]

This very illuminating article from Ezra Klein at TAP

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=03&year=2008&base_name=shedding_light_on_the_richards

I don't know if Bill Richardson's endorsement means much, but I'm glad it led Jason Zengerle to remind me of this conversation between Terry McAuliffe and Mike Crowley:

The preternaturally jolly McAuliffe is a good man to have spinning for you in a pinch. But his good cheer dimmed when I asked him about Bill Richardson, who appears to have made an 11th-hour deal to throw his supporters to Obama. “How many times did appoint him?” McAuliffe marveled. “Two? U.N. Ambassador and Energy Secretary?” He looked at me, half-glaring, awaiting confirmation. “I don’t know,” I joked, “but who’s counting?” “I am,” McAuliffe said firmly.

If you were Bill Richardson and and you read that quote, wouldn't you say to yourself, "fuck these guys, I don't work for them!" Richardson is a grown man, and he didn't make some deal with Bill Clinton where his appointments guaranteed his support for Mrs. Clinton's hypothetical future presidential campaign. At the end of the day, the mafioso bit works so long as everyone is afraid of you. But if folks stop being afraid of you, or see a chance to topple you, then it turns out they never really liked you at all...

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

1. McAuliffe is a cancer on the Democratic party

He subscribes to the same kind of cronyism that has made Bush's presidency so wonderful.

[Mooney]

8. He's more of a hemmorhoid. n/t

[NYCGirl]

18. Yes, but he's so great at raising money!

That's what the Clintons always said...

(Until now, I guess.)

[SoCalDem]

2. Just the paternalistic culture in action

Richardson was a token "brown-skinned" man to them, and by "elevating" him within , they thought they had bought his neverending allegiance..

They would not have expected lifelong-gratitude from one of their true peers..

This is the same mentality that stunned some plantation owners when they saw their slaves actually leave the plantations when they were freed..

Many of them could not understand why on earth those people would leave...when they had been taken care of for all those years..

[ingac70]

7. That's exactly it. He was just a token to the Clintons...

and they more or less said as much when they said Richardson's endorsement doesn't mean anything since he didn't do it before Texas.

[bvar22]

20. Off Topic, but.....is that a REAL Photo of Bill in your sig line?

Because it looks exactly like Eddie Haskill
from the Leave It To Beaver Show.

[SoCalDem]

21. It's Bill's alter-ego.. Eddie Haskell & Hill's alter-ego.. Nellie Olson

and the doggie is Cajun , their little Louisiana pooch :)

[bvar22]

24. OK...LOL

I like it!
:rofl:

[SoCalDem]

25. It was tricky finding a scrawny dog with a beret.. on google...

[rug]

3. It couldn't possibly be an offer he couldn't refuse.

[ingac70]

4. I hope that was his offer!

Luv Bill Richardson!

[rug]

6. .

http://youtube.com/watch?v=XOdD3cXrgmE

[SoCalDem]

9. i think Bill is going to be offered Sec of State... a better deal than vp

Obama will "need" to have a vice presidential pick who is sufficiently mainstream religious, up to snuff with economic stuff, and who's got military credibility..

[Guava Jelly]

5. So he is pissed that Richardson didn't give them his vote because

of favors given to him by the Clinton administration.
It took courage and deep soul searching for Richardson to back Obama over his friends the Clintons.
He made a choice and someone was going to be unhappy with it.
McAuliffe is a turd in need of flushing

[SoFlaJet]

10. and after he got up on that stage

and saw the way the crowd was going for Obama and felt the energy I think right then he knew he made the right decision

[Guava Jelly]

12. Yeah..How could he not

He was my first choice for Pres.
Then it was Edwards and now i am proudly supporting Obama.
The more I hear about Obama the more I am convinced that I have made the right choice

[SoFlaJet]

14. I've been an Edwards guy

since around the turn of the century-I had high hopes for him to be president someday-I thought this could have been his year...Obama is just fine though for me thank you very much

[Adelante]

11. Richardson went with his heart, is what I think

He likes Obama and seeing the excitement Obama brings to American politics, as Richardson said himself, he "wanted to be part of it." He's an emotional guy and I think the decision turned on that. Not that he hadn't analyzed the possibilities, I am sure that he did endlessly, but taking such an enormous step was motivated by a gut level trust in Obama and, by the way, in us. IMO.

[zalinda]

13. Richardson is a politician

He wanted to endorse the front runner before he was inconsequential. He's been in politics all his adult life , he wants to get back to the White House, so he took a gamble that the nom is going to be Obama. The fact that he didn't endorse Clinton makes him ungrateful, but he's a politician first and that's what counts.

zalinda

[okasha]

15. He painted himself into this corner

when he said Hillary should drop out if she did poorly on March 4. She did well, but Richardson already had one foot on the tailgate of Obama's bandwagon. No VP offer forthcoming from Hillary at that point.

He endorsed Obama because he had nowhere else to go.

[Faygo Kid]

16. He endorsed Obama because Barack is the better candidate.

Hillary supporters here are all alike: Any supporter of Barack Obama, any primary in his win column, any expression of support is dismissed as inconsequential.

You would be trumpeting a Richardson endorsement of Hillary from the rooftops - but you didn't get it, so his endorsement is to be dismissed. Your post and the one to which you replied reflect exactly why Hillary is going to lose.

[AllentownJake]

17. Here is the thing

I love it how the Hillary supporters now diminish Richardson. He was good enough of a guy for you to appoint twice. I don't take it as he owes you. He served Bill Clinton and did a great job for him. If anything Bill Clinton owes Richardson for performing above board in his tenure. Presidents are nothing without the people who work under them. Making good appointments as we sadly learned with Rumsfeld and Brownie is probably one of the most important parts of the job. Its the culture of the Clinton campaign we made Bill Richardson. Ahem. I differ. Bill Richardson is one of the people who helped make Bill Clinton's presidency a success.

[zalinda]

26. I'm not a Clinton supporter

And, I didn't really care for Richardson, so I'm just stating my opinion. It seems that people here think you are either for Obama or for Clinton, but there are plenty here that don't like either of them. I'm one of them. But, if I had to choose, I think Obama and his supporters are the worst.

zalinda

[NashVegas]

23. Hehe

I heard something interesting on a quick CNN radio news bit Friday morning. It said Richardson & Obama first bonded during the debates, rolling their eyes at each other while their opponents were speaking.

How mature!

[Divernan]

19. HRC keeps shooting herself in the foot - needlessly antagonizes important Dems

From cnn.com, we learn that while Richardson tried to give HRC the professional courtesy of an advance call to let her know his decision, she did not respond in a professional manner. Richardson initially limited his comment on the telephone call as simply saying it wasn't easy.

Then Penn and other Clinton supporters began ridiculing Richardson as someone whose time was past and whose endorsement would make no difference. At that point Richardson responded, including the information:"It was painful and it wasn't easy," he said. "I've spoken to others who have had that same conversation and they say at the end, it’s not all that pleasant.

The article also stated:

"The former Democratic presidential candidate declined to elaborate further on his conversation with Clinton.Last month, Chris Dodd — another former presidential candidate who decided to endorse Obama last month — said he had a "not comfortable" conversation with Clinton informing her of the news."

I can understand that HRC might have lost her self-restraint when she got the call from Richardson, OR from Dodd. Richardson was gentlemanly in only stating that the phone call "wasn't easy." But then Clinton turned the attack dogs on him. If she truly believed his endorsement was of no value, there obviously would have been no reason to attack him/have Carville call him a Judas, etc.

And MOST IMPORTANTLY, if HRC truly believed she had any kind of shot left at winning the nomination, she would have calmed down after the Richardson call, and realized she would still need his support in the general election. I think her surrogate's attacks on Richardson reflect their need to blame someone else, anyone else for her inevitable loss of the nomination.

"At the end, it's not all that pleasant." That phrase foretells the meltdown we'll see when she finally is forced to bow out. And I think she and Bill will do what they can between that point and the GE to damage Obama.

[Lucky 13]

22. Barack and Clooney... not the dream ticket

it's the DREAMY ticket...

I could see how you could make the mistake though!

100% agree with you on Richardson. Clintons are realizing their web of cronyism is deteriorating. We'll see more defectors in the next few days. Before Pennsylvania I think we'll see Jimmy Carter and John Edwards make an endorsement for Obama. Or maybe that's wishful thinking.