Bill Richardson to Endorse Obama
 

I'm being totally sincere when I say this is some of the most pleasing news I've heard all campaign. I have a lot of respect for Bill Richardson, and I'd like to see him as Obama's vice president.

CNN has the story.

So what do you think? Will this make a difference? Obama/Richardson '08?

Oh, and based on CNN's current homepage picture, it looks like Richardson has pulled an Al Gore and grew a beard after losing a presidential race :p

http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/POL...son.afp.gi.jpg

He looks a hell of a lot less baby-faced with the beard.. I like it.

I thought Richardson was a lackluster debater, but I (generally) liked his politics... so this is good news to me, too.

I had really enjoyed hearing Richardson's ideas in the early stages of the Democratic primary. He (as stated) was rather flat when it comes to the "star power" that drives the Obama and Clinton campaigns, but his politics are sound and he would make a great VP IMO. But what do I know?

So this thread is to discuss his beard?

It wasn't until you came around.

Ustwo is using modeling foxnews' reporting methods. Distract, distract, distract.

He looks kind-of like Jimmy Smits as Matt Santos.

(And even without the threadjack, that would have been my contribution :D)

I agree, this is good news. I'm hoping over the next few days a wave of super delegates follow his lead. If they start dropping into camp Obama maybe she'll drop her scorched earth, kitchen sink campaign... which IMO is hurting the Dems more then anything the GOP could do.

*weeps openly about the West Wing ending....*

Yup. If I'm not mistaken, you were a Clinton supporter, correct? I'm glad to see things (very slowly) winding down, though I wish the process would speed up a bit. Like you said, I hope more superdelegates start to follow Richardson's lead, because they're the only ones with the power to put an end to this before June at the earliest.

I'm looking forward to being on the same side as Clinton supporters again. I've been extremely disappointed by her over the past 6 weeks or so, but for all her imperfections she's still certainly better than John McCain, or Mitt Romney, or Rudy Giuliani. I may not want her to be the next president, but I do want her as a contributing political voice in this country. And, really, I do have a certain sympathy for her, because I think a big reason she's fighting so hard is because she knows this is the only chance she's got at the presidency. If she's lucky, she might still have 2012 as an option. Still, it's time to put this primary campaign to rest and get on with the general election.

Kerry has said he supports Obama, Edwards supports Obama... has Gore said anything yet? I remember last year he was going on about not endorsing anyone, but despite his close friendship to the Clintons, it would seem logical for him to endorse Obama. Maybe if Obama speaks a bit more on environmental issues?

As an aside, I don't actually know any Clinton supporters here in California. Everyone I know in the Bay Area, Sacramento, Visalia, Los Angeles and San Diego all seem to be supporting Obama and many have been doing so since day one. Are we sure she took California?

That would be a big NO. I think if you look around you'll find I stated earlier if it came down to Clinton V. McCain I'd be voting for McCain. I then went and read up on some of McCain's proposed policies via his web site and retracted that statement. I then said if it were Clinton v. McCain I go to the beach on the day of the election.

I just hope after all the BS her campaign's done her supporters will be willing to rejoin the party and take on what clearly is the larger evil.

Heh, sorry, guess that was someone else around here :pAgreed.

Read there OP there was no point of discussion.

It was a post for 'found on the net'.

Someone endorsed a candidate I liked, oh and he has a beard.

That was it.

So tell me, what did I distract from? The beard or that secretmethod was pleased?

Did Edwards come out for Obama? When did that happen?

Sheesh. Tilted Politics is the kind of place where it's easy to take something like Richardson's endorsement of Obama and run with it. That's what I intended to happen.

But, just to make you happy - and because, you're right, generally we encourage people to put a little more in the OP - I added a few questions.

Now, to answer those questions:

I think this is great. I don't think it'll make much of a difference in voting, but it'll make a difference in media momentum, and also a difference in supporter enthusiasm. Obama/Richardson '08 is my dream ticket.

Happy? ;) (Don't take that as overly sarcastic...your point was generally valid, even if I think it was unnecessarily so. Never hurts to have someone keeping us on our toes.)

Yeah, I know nothing of this.

Obama is winning.

How, in any way, does being endorsed by the politicians who have failed to give the people this 'change' that they are seemingly crying out for this time around help convince people that he's the change they need?

Ted Kennedy?
Rejected Candidates of this election and previous processes?
Senators and congressmen of now and the near past - hey, they're not members of the established order with niches to defend to the death, are they?

Real change doesn't come with support from the established order, no matter how eloquent the rhetoric. Real change comes from an overwhelming mandate of the people _against_ the established interests in power.

Oh you know what, I misread an old report. It was Mrs. Edwards.

I understand what you're saying. But in this case the race has come down to the super delegates, ie the politicians and the establishment. Clinton, mathematically, can not catch Obama in the reg. delegates or the pop vote and Obama can not reach the need number without the SD's. So when one of the major SD's comes out and endorses it can lead other's to follow, which is what I'm hoping.

But that's just playing around in the same old systems of patronage and favours, special interests, rehashing the same old stuff, with the same old bunch of characters in the background, pulling the strings.

Well, it's not even the same old bunch of characters in the background... They're right out there on centre stage, smiling for the cameras.

I think, in general message, that said it best.

15 years on and still relevant. Sleep tight.

Well if you're looking for someone to defend the SD system the Dems have adopted you'll need to look elsewhere as I'm no fan.

But it is what it is and this is where we're at.

I didn't know that, when did she say this?

Endorsements generally dont much in the way of added votes. What Richardson brings to the Obama camp is a recognized and credible person with foreign policy experience (former UN ambassador, former envoy to N. Korea, former mid east negotiator...)

I dont think it will have much impact on superdelegates either. I think they will wait and see what happens in PA, NC and IN. If Obama wins the last two (PA is unlikely), the wavering superdelagates will swing to Obama and the pressure on Clinton to drop out will be immense.