David Brooks likes Bill Richardson as a Democratic presidential candidate. Normally, this would be the kiss of death, but since I hadn't ever really considered Richardson as a potential candidate, I read Brooks article to the end and then I read Richardson's web site, and talked about what I read with my wife over breakfast. What follows is a digest of my preliminary conclusions.
First, I was much more excited about Richardson than I have been by the other Democratic candidates, primarily because of his résumé (in no particular order):
- He was a member of Congress for 15 years.
- He is Hispanic.
- He is almost exactly my age.
- He currently is a successful Democratic governor of a "swing state".
- He has created an unassailable record on tax policy while governor.
- He served in the Executive Branch under Clinton as Secretary of Energy.
- He has served as the Ambassador to the United Nations.
- He has had extensive experience as a negotiator around the world, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, and Latin America.
- He is sound on the Iraq debacle and has no unfortunate baggage on that issue.
- He is knowledgable on immigration, and has positioned himself in a fairly central position on that issue.
- He emphasizes the importance of focusing on reality, as a negotiator and as a political leader.
As I see it, though, there are several negatives, primarily centered around a comparison with Barack Obama: Richardson is not a snappy dresser; he is a bit rotund; he is not a great orator, and his appeal to Black voters is unknown. His web site also doesn't talk about "hot button" issues such as abortion, stem cell research, gay rights, affirmative action, environmental policy, global warming, and so on. I'd like to hear more of what he has to say about those and similar issues.
I guess my bottom line is that I was pleasantly surprised at Bill Richardson's strong points as a candidate, and I really hope that this head-spinningly fast campaign allows him to stay around long enough that he can fill out his positions on a more complete set of important issues. Furthermore, I think that even if he doesn't get the nomination, he would be a strong member of a Democratic administration, possible even as a Vice President.
Greg Shenaut