Richardson Endorsement of Obama Expected
Bill Richardson, a man who held a couple positions in the Bill Clinton Administration, has come out to endorse Barack Obama. I’m pleased with his reasons, don’t think those reasons will do much to change the imbloglio about the Dem nomination struggle, but do think Bill Richardson will help in the general election.
I’m not surprised by this one, even though Bill Richardson did good work for the Clinton Administration. We’re talking minorities here, and Bill Richardson has always been about bringing them together. From the AP wire on yahoo:
“I believe he is the kind of once-in-a-lifetime leader that can bring our nation together and restore America’s moral leadership in the world,” Richardson said in a statement obtained by the AP. “As a presidential candidate, I know full well Sen. Obama’s unique moral ability to inspire the American people to confront our urgent challenges at home and abroad in a spirit of bipartisanship and reconciliation.”
Richardson’s endorsement also could help Obama pick up support among Hispanics, who are the nation’s largest and fastest-growing minority.
Clinton has been the favorite of Hispanics in primaries and caucuses, according to exit polls. She won the New Mexico caucus in early February with a nearly 2-to-1 advantage among Hispanics.
Richardson backed Obama despite his ties to Clinton and her husband, the former president. He served as ambassador to the U.N. and as secretary of the Energy Department during the Clinton administration. Last month, Richardson and former President Clinton watched the Super Bowl together at the governor’s residence in Santa Fe.
. . .
“There is no doubt in my mind that Barack Obama has the judgment and courage we need in a commander in chief when our nation’s security is on the line. He showed this judgment by opposing the Iraq war from the start, and he has show it during this campaign by standing up for a new era in American leadership internationally,” Richardson said.
Obama said he was “deeply honored” to have Richardson’s support.
I suppose most of America is thinking that Bill Richardson doesn’t matter so much. I’m thinking he doesn’t in the primary season here. The campaign teams of Obama and Clinton are set, and there’s not going to be much movement because of an endosement unless Jack Kennedy or Martin Luther King comes back from the dead, at least that’s my thinking at this point. But Bill Richardson can work well as an advocate in the general election, especially in John McCain’s home state of Arizona. His endorsement argues against Hillary’s argument that she’s the one who can best combat the Republicans.
That seems like an “inside politics comment.” Darn, I hate when I do that!
Bill Richardson is nothing if not a cagey politician - still, I’m surprised he’s taken this step. He’s reading the political winds. I don’t think that his endorsement will mean that much in the big scheme of things, but it would appear (on the face of it) that he’s jockeying for position within an Obama administration. Also, if Obama is the nominee, I’m sure that Richardson will be utilized as a surrogate in the Hispanic community.
Curious timing, for sure.