Bill Richardson, arguably one of the more qualified candidates in the Democratic field, has an uphill battle to fight for the Democratic nomination–a fight he is almost certain to lose, as passing up Clinton, Obama, Edwards and any number of other second and third tiers types is improbable, shall we say.
He doesn’t help himself by making gaffes that become news more easily than do his resume or his policy positions.
To wit, we have getting into a public disagreement with the mother of a fallen soldier (via the AP): Richardson to Stop Using Name of Marine (also discussed of yesterday’s MTP). Despite the outrage! of some, I would note that while Richardson should stop recounting the story (and he says he will), the more important issue should be (and is) the issue of Richardson’s work to increase the death benefits for the families of New Mexico National Guardsmen/Guardswomen who die in the service of their country.
And then there’s the ever dangerous sports minefield (via the BoGlo): Contender Richardson wants to have it all
Democratic candidate Bill Richardson wants to have it all.“I’m a Red Sox fan,” said the New Mexico governor, who was born in Pasadena, Calif., but spent his early childhood in Mexico City.
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Earlier this year, Richardson said that if he were not running for president, his dream job would be playing for the Yankees. Yesterday, on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he explained: “I’ve always been a Red Sox fan. But I said if I weren’t running for president, I would like to be No. 7 — Mickey Mantle — playing center field for the New York Yankees.
“My favorite team has always been the Red Sox,” he said, then added, “I’m also a Yankees fan. . . . This is the thing about me. I can bring people together.”
First, given that he was born in SoCal and grew up in Mexico City, it seems disingenuous to claim to east coast teams. Second, claiming both the Yanks and the Sox simply makes one look like one is trying too hard to be on both sides of an issue–which makes one look like a panderer who can’t take a stand.
Now, ultimately, neither of these things really, truly matters–but they are the kinds of things that can wound a campaign seriously.
At any rate, the bottom line is that these kinds of issues will get more press than anything else about the Richardson campaign.
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May 28th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
The Red Sox affection is understandable. He did go to school in New England. And, at least until recent years, they were the perennial underdog–a characteristic Richardson can identify with!
But the Yankees? Now that’s just pandering to a powerful (well, not so far this year!) special interest.
May 29th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Did his mother and father take a train from mexico to San Diego so that he could be born on American soil? True or False? Someone fill me in.
May 29th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Chris,
Feeling a tad xenophobic this afternoon?
He father was from Boston, actually (and hence the Red Sox interest, one would think).
May 30th, 2007 at 11:53 am
So explain me this.
Before the births of the couple’s children, Bill and Vesta Luisa, María Luisa Richardson was sent to deliver them in Pasadena, where her husband’s sister Rosa Natalie lived. As Richardson explained in an article in the Washington Post, “My father had a complex about not having been born in the United States.”[6] After the death of Richardson’s father in 1972, his mother was remarried, to Mexican nutritionist Salvador Zubirán Anchondo in 1986.
So I am right, Pasadena, not San Diego?
May 30th, 2007 at 11:58 am
Your initial question made it sound as if his parents came to the US solely for the purpose of gaining citizenship for their son while ignoring the fact that his father was already a citizen.
It isn’t as if, btw, Richardson would have been denied U.S. citizenship if he had been born in Mexico. Was it easier if he was born in the US? Yes.
You seem to be suggesting that there is something wrong with the situation.
What is your point?
May 30th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
It will be a big problem for Richardson, not so much the Marine deal, as he will be in line to become a VP candidate.
May 30th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Why??
May 30th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
One guesses Richardson’s father wanted to avoid this:
http://travel.state.gov/family/family_issues/birth/birth_593.html
May 30th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Apropos:
“Richardson self-destructs on Meet the Press
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(Source: SLATE http://www.slate.com/id/2167195/)
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Richardson’s many parries and contradictions might have been the work of a candidate who recognizes the world’s complexity, but they weren’t. He seemed not too thoughtful, but too little prepared. When he tried to explain the contradictions, like his shift on the immigration bill from supporting it to opposing it, his responses were meandering. Sometimes, he contradicted himself within just a few breaths. After explaining why he changed positions on the assault-weapons ban, he broadly asserted, “I don’t change my positions.” And on one of his core pitch-points—his diplomatic sixth sense for the world and the Middle East in particular—he had to admit that on Iraq, the blockbuster of the day, his skill failed him. For a long-shot candidate with limited opportunities to break through as a fresh new face, he missed his chance wildly.”