Bill Richardson officially endorses Barack Obama

bout time....edwards needs to stop being a weakstick and endorse obama too!

Bill Richardson is a sleeper here. He is highly regarded in the Southwest and could carry help carry NM, TX, OK, and CO.

What you need from a potential VP is someone who can help pull states into the blue.

Bill Richardson can do that. My guess is Edwards could as well. Edwards is simply ahead of his time, however his time might be NOW. He comes with his delegates and that swing VOTE might be important so my guess is he will hold off backing someone until the last minute.

bro i lived in oklahoma....jesus himself couldnt win oklahoma if he were a democrat. his biggest negative? is jesus was smart...oklahomans do not like smart people...or people of colour...or books... only beer, toby keith, and steak!

now if a steak was running, it would it might have a chance.....but only if it were a republican!

I think Richardson would be a good VP for Obama.

Richardson has a lot of experience in a ton of different areas -- but most importantly he doesn't carry a lot of negatives. Most people have (at least prior to this election) never heard of the guy and when they do hear him speak they tend to like him. He is very affable!

Edwards -- for whatever reason -- seems to just irk certain people. I think Edwards would be an excellent VP as well, but he seems to have that "It" factor that just seems to piss certain people off.

"Look at dat there fancy lawyer boy with his $400 haricut," they twang as they spit out their chew tobacky. "I'd rather vote for Hitler than some liberal lawyer who makes a fortune running God-loving decent companies outta business for no-good reason! I tell you what."

Sad, but true.

BUT take that same person and show him Richardson and they don't have that knee jerk reaction. At worst they kind of shrug indifferently and mumble something about how they "never heard of the feller afore" even though they've lived in New Mexico for the last 20 years.

So I officially endorse Bill Richardson as a suitable VP for Obama.

you know what dave chappele already addressed that issue!!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QullehqLQ78&feature=rela...

I like Richarson too, but we may need a few good lawyers to handle all of the future case load.

oklahoma has that young dude...umm whats his name...brad henry...yea..he finally got the lottery and tatooing passed. but brad henry is pretty useless.

This is an great endorsement for Obama, and another super delegate. Which may be even more important (sadly).

The Clinton camp will try to downplay it's importance, but that will ring a little hollow considering how aggressively they were courting Richardson.

Richardson is responding to Obama's fine speech in the same way that I did. He's on the air with Barrack right now. I'll get back to you.

ill tell you....im smiling like a mickey fickey right now....this is really encouraging. although i know this wont change peoples minds overall.....im still proud.

too bad people cant see or feel like i do right now.....!

I'm a New Mexican.
Bill Richardson lost my support with his support of Obama.
Follow the money.
Talk of renewing uranium mining in New Mexico - Farmington and Grants especially - and more nuclear power plants. $90 BILLION at stake for NM.
Obama whose # 4 contributor is Exelon showed his concern for victims of pediatric brain cancers in Illinois when he gave the nuclear industry the power to police themselves as they put tritium in the water.
Look for more uranium mining in New Mexico now that Richardson supports Obama.
Navajo Nation President Shirley stood up and said the Navajos have suffered enough from uranium mining and do not want it renewed on Navajo land.
NM State Representatives in Farmington say there is $90 billion at stake. Guess who will win? Who will lose are the rural, Apache, Pueblo, Spanish Land Grant and poor white people in Nothern and western New Mexico and on the Navajo reservation. We'll see more pediatric cancers, breast and other cancers increase, but insurance company lawyers will make sure there is no way to "prove" the connection. So no one will pay, except the children and families of New Mexico who will suffer the bad health effects of renewed uranium mining and nuclear energy.
Ask yourself what New Mexicans will think of Obama and Richardson after years of renewed uranium mining in Farmington and Grants?
Wonder why New Mexico voted for Hillary Clinton?

There we have it. Obama and Richardson have taken one step closer to being a powerful running ticket. My original visions of it being Barrack and Hillary have all but completely faded away. I, to minimally quote Bill Richardson, am "convinced" that a new form of politics is the mandate and Obama is the one to make that a reality.
What a great moment to witness live.
Sorry, Hillary. It's Obama's time.

Richardson would nicely compliment Obama on a presidential ticket for two reasons that I can think of:

1.) Experience - Obama is often criticized for being new to the scene, having little foreign policy experience, and having little executive experience. Richardson, on the other hand, has done political negotiations with some of the most dangerous men in the world, is a governor, and has been an active player in politics for many years.

2.) Geography / Demographics - Richardson is most likely more popular in the southwest where Hillary has had a slight edge over Obama and his appeal has not been as great. Also, there has been a lot of talk about the "schism" between african-american and hispanic voters in the democratic primary season and Richardson could help bring those groups together for the general election.

Eco1_Media

Look into it and you'll see nuclear energy and renewed uranium mining in NM and elsewhere is what we'll get with Obama and/or Richardson.

Check into Richardson's long relationship with the CEO of PNM and his insistence on nuclear power as a part of the future.

Then look into what the Navajos against Uranium Mining and President Shirley have to say.

Hmmmm... Let me see if I remember this right ...Wasn't Billy Boy on the Clinton Cabinet???

I guess he's not that loyal ... or maybe he's just loyal to himself?

Regardless, this is a non-news issue. McCain will clean house everywhere Richardson could help. Edwards is a Southern Democrat, and clearly the correct choice for the Democratic VP.

Took Richardson long enough to decide where *his* political best interests lie, didn't it. Go Edwards!!! (He probably only pisses people off because he actually gives a shite.) But TouchArt has something to say about Richardson...he *doesn't* really give a shite; although I know a lot of New Mexicans would *like* to forgive that nasty fact for the little bit of "notoriety" he brings to the state.

While also a proud New Mexican, I'm also of the opinion that Richardson is just another career politician who, while running for Presidential Office (honestly I think he had a snowball's chance in hell), did absolutely NOTHING for New Mexico in the long weeks and months he nearly *completely* ignored the Governor's office while quietly collecting his check...milking it. Well, perhaps I'm a bit harsh as he *did* entertain Bill Clinton --once-- for the Superbowl (his old boss!), briefly making some local front page news. But then Bill Richardson always takes publicity any way he can get it, especially if it's at our expense; and not so surprisingly either, it never seems to benefit real New Mexicans. (Take that time for example when he showed up to be on TV for the fights at the Santa Ana casino...you know that foo has absolutely NO interest in MMA whatsoever, but *sigh* he was there!...*once!*)

1Eco_Media mentions alternative energies, well hey, great idea! Yet Richardson hasn't subsidized ANY of those alternatives to my (albeit limited) knowledge on the subject. Some of the coops do it on their own, but Richardson isn't any help to them. Richardson, sadly, though New Mexico pride would have us care enough to at least *want* to like him and believe in him, is certainly no visionary nor hardly as "progressive" as even Obama (even Edwards!) at least appears to be now.

Further it's my-nsh-opinion that he's effectively ushered in a police-state here with little more than a media-hyped publicly funded frenzy on the farce of DWI law "enforcement." Consequently we have MORE people in jail here today than at any time in our history on basically trumped up DWI/DUI charges, and cops (local, state, county AND tribal!!!) are so plentiful they're practically running into themselves! Only one family in recent memory, who's actually suffered loss of life from DWI, has actually had the courage, wisdom and fortitude to rise above the propaganda here to act in a more responsible and effective manner hoping to make, in civil suit, the establishments indiscreetly proffering and profitting from the sale of alchohol, legally-liable for enabling the majority of these drunk drivers on the road today. Because they care really. And for no other reason. In many places in New Mexico, bars and liquor establishments pollute the frontage roads nearly every mile for miles! (I strongly suspect as I see it on the news all the time that most of the worst DWI offenders are actually bar hoppers. We simply need more pragmatic laws and officials that are willing to *affect* the situation, and not perpetuate it because fines are more profitable than actual progress. "Tougher" laws, while making politicians "look" good, do little to solve the problems, while paying little more than lip-service to the grieving families that continually pay the ultimate prices for political ineptitudes.)

Bill Richardson, though he may eat green chile like he's one of us, is not our man. At best he's probably a diplomat, but he hasn't the heart for the kind of leadership we really need. Just mho.

yup derk! thanks for pointing that out!!!

I wonder what he was promised? Politics.

Why the endorsement? For one thing, Richardson was impressed by Obama's speech on race.

Yet it is astounding to see how unfairly and viciously some radio and TV commentators are reacting to that speech. It is simply inexcusable to say, as they do, that Obama “threw his own [white] grandmother under the bus.”

Rather, contrary to what everyone expected, he didn't throw anyone under the bus, neither his regrettably hate-filled pastor, nor his own partially prejudiced grandmother who herself admitted that she sometimes struggled with such feelings (as Obama makes clear in his book, Dreams of My Father). He didn't throw racially resentful blue collar workers under the bus, nor did he throw angry unemployed black radicals, nor you or me under the bus.

Instead, he pointed out that we are all part of this wonderful but in some ways still flawed America, and that there are legitimate reasons for some of the hurtful black and white anger that divides us -- anger which, nonetheless, we should all strive to overcome.

Never since Lincoln has a politician spoken to our nation with greater candor, dignity, and truthfulness. Obama stands tall above all the carping talk show hosts who -- resentful at being confronted by a person so utterly sincere, honest and, quite simply, good -- try in vain to pick him to pieces.

His speech will stand the test of time because it represents something new -- not politics as usual, but something that lies at the root of all right-minded religion. I begin to wonder if America is worthy of this person of such uniqueness, stature, integrity, and amazing magnanimity.

Rev. Jim Boswell

Yes, and it took him running for 'president' to give that speech. Amazing in all of the twenty years he attended that church and actually in the years he was in the legislature he never gave a speech like that... why not if he truly believes it? The trouble is people don't want to admit there is a political motivation behind his timing and selection of location of it if they support him because bascially it does make him look like any politician. And I'm sorry, but Richardson didn't endorse him because of one speech, he endorsed him becaue he believes he will gain the most out of it for himself. Why didn't he then endorse him sooner? Politics is politics no matter what people want to assign to a speech.

JanforGore, Barack talks about the state of race in politics and America in his book and when running for Illinois Senate we heard him speak on the issue once or twice during the campaign. Nobody is claiming Barack Obama isn't a politician... they are just claiming he'd make a much more honest, intelligent, and innovative President than any of the other candidates who could start to bring this country together and move it one step in the right direction.

I would hope some people wouldn't cover for Richardson simply because he's of similar heritage. We're proud, but we're smarter than that too. A real governor gets things done to benefit the people of his state. That's NOT Richardson, by any stretch. JanforGore has the real picture and asks all the right questions...Richardson's too busy thinking about *his* future. EDWARDS is clearly a MUCH BETTER choice for VP anyway. (And let's not forget it was Obama and Clinton who started ripping off his platform in the first place...albeit that was largely ignored by corporate media)...

1Eco_Media, you talked about energy concerns, well here's what a Governor can do if he's motivated and has goals. I'm sure Governor Schwarzennegar isn't "perfect" either but he's DOING something for the state of California. My opinion, Schwarzennegar almost completely out-classes him on governorship but, you might inform Richardson if you still think he has a chance to be a good governor for New Mexico...that is, if he can take the time out of his busy schedule to actually *be* any kind of governor to New Mexico:

http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/scimedemail/la-fi-so...

but here's some of it if in case a few readers don't care to leave the page...
"Solar energy is getting a big boost in Southern California with the unveiling of two projects that will be capable of generating a total of 500 megawatts of electricity, enough to serve more than 300,000 homes.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Southern California Edison plan to announce today the country's largest rooftop solar installation project ever proposed by a utility company. And on Wednesday, FPL Energy, the largest operator of solar power in the U.S., said it planned to build and operate a 250-megawatt solar plant in the Mojave Desert.

The projects would help California meet its goal of obtaining 20% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010. In 2006, about 13% of the retail electricity delivered by Edison and the state's other two big investor-owned utilities came from renewable sources such as sun and wind, according to the California Public Utilities Commission.

Energy experts were struck by the size of the two projects, which would bolster the state's current total of about 965 megawatts of solar power flowing to the electricity grid.

"Five hundred megawatts -- that's substantial," said spokesman George Douglas of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. "Projects of that size begin to show that solar energy can produce electricity on a utility scale, on the kind of scale that we're going to need."

that's progressive. that's moving your state forward... Richardson hasn't displayed any of those qualities for real New Mexicans... If he hasn't really acted to advance our people or our communities, can we really expect him to act in any better faith on a national stage??? I bet he's probably quite a likable and articulate guy when you personally get to know him, but I seriously don't think we Americans can afford just anybody as our United States VP.

Thanks echoz for the info on solar energy working on a massive scale in California.
We New Mexicans see close up the difference between words and action that Governor Richardson means for our state.
Ask the people in Rio Arriba County whose bucolic landscape is plagued with the distinction of being the "black-tar heroin capital of the nation" just minutes north of our state capitol in Santa Fe.
Richardson's support of Obama just means he thinks the man will win and wants to get on board to get his.
But I think Richardson betrayed Hillary too soon before assessing the deep erosion Obama's 20 year association with Reverend Wright and his Church's honoring of Farrakhan will cause among thoughtful voters both Democrat and Republican.
Again, New Mexico voted for Hillary and the margin wasn't any closer than margin Obama has over Hillary in delgates now. As a superdelegate, Richardson should go with the will of our state and vote for Hillary, so should Kerry and Kennedy whose state voted for Hillary, especially since other super delegates were pressured to change their vote from Hillary to Obama when he won their states.

1Echo_Media wrote "I know a little about what the Native Americans in the Four Corners are Against and those issues are many and all seem to relate to the very important WATER NEEDS.
What I want to know is WHAT ARE THEY FOR?
."
then, WHAT DOES PRESIDENT SHIRLEY WANT TO DO TO HELP HER PEOPLE AND THIS NATION NOW?"

I'm not Dine (Navajo), and don't presume to speak for the Dine. But, two things, one, the Dine live a life centered on maintaining balance and immersed in "Hozho", roughly translated, Beauty. The lives of the traditional Dine still focus on sustainability and wise use of water, land and natural resources. You can learn about the Dine philosophy and culture from "The Way of the Navajo" and countless books and websites on the Dine, also check out the "Sheep is Life" cooperative based at Dine Community College in Tsaile, Navajo Nation (Arizona).
Two, President Shirley is a man. Check out the Navajo Nation website to see his philosophy and accomplishments for the Dine.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=117618581

President Joe Shirley Jr. endorsed Hillary Clinton for President in February. Read why here -
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&...

that's quite an interesting take on superdelegation, TouchArt...and it could be Hillary's last hope, is what I'd heard. the way i'd heard it put, "she's campaigning like a Republican"...that made me laugh, but heck, aside from looking a bit pathetic with a few embellished re-tellings of running practically Rambo-style across the tarmac under sniper scope, I just wonder if she's actually showing the republicans just how to do it [undermine Obama] potentially! That kinda stuff would likely be a lot more convincing coming from the McCain camp anyway =P hehe...

as far as any Obama-RevWright-Fairykahn connection, I wonder if the Republicans are holding onto something until the right time, because if they aren't, Americans will probably just think that "3z a crowd" in that stretch and get on with the business of electing Obama.

Of course McCain is already announcing his failure as President in that he's promised MORE wars and LESS jobs for Americans. it's hard to believe he'd stump on that unless he was quite close to the Bush administration (and/or his secret societies) perhaps bent on being on the "cronies" himself, if he isn't already. Sure seems like it.

I don't like McCain's present stance, that's for sure.

If I had my way, everyone would get out of the way for Edwards =P lol or...maybe that feisty Kucinech or whatever his name was...or maybe this Ron Paul I've heard so much about. =) or even Nader... Wouldn't it be great if everyone of those guys had some position of authority in the White House?!! =D I'm sure Washington conservatives would just cringe unbearably if that ever became some kind of a reality!! And I'm sure I'd just *love* to see that kind of a "terrorist" attack go down on Washington to bring those "business as usual" pricks down on their knees! LOL =D "Government FOR the PEOPLE, and BY the PEOPLE u political denigrates!!!"