Richardson Ends Campaign With Keystone Kops Routine

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 02:42:07 PM EST
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Bill Richardson was easily the worst candidate of this cycle and he ends his campaign tonight with an appropriately hilarious Keystone Kops routine. First, John Harwood of the NYTimes, a serious guy, reports:

After earlier winning the support of Dennis Kucinich, Obama’s campaign has reached an agreement with Bill Richardson for the second-choice votes of Richardson supporters in caucuses where the New Mexico governor can’t clear the threshold for competition, according to a senior Obama campaign adviser [It is David Pflouffe, me talking not Harwood. How do I know? Becuase in the update he went on the record to say there was an "informal arrangement"]. . . . But the specter of backroom deal-making could also raise questions about Mr. Obama’s stance as an opponent of traditional politics. The national spokesman for Mr. Obama’s campaign, Bill Burton, said word of a deal “isn’t true.”

I believe it is true now, and a useless deal it is. If it were not true, Richardson would be denouncing Obama's campaign for this. They are not. Marc Ambinder reports:

Tom Reynolds, a spokesman for Bill Richardson, denies reports that his precinct captains will urge non-viable Richardson caucusers to choose Sen. Barack Obama second.

If it is not true, why is a senior Obama advisor quoted on the record (albeit anonymously) by the solid John Harwood? Shouldn't Richardson be talking about the dirty tricks the Obama campaign is playing? They are not saying that because it is true. Boy I bet those Richardson precinct captains are really enthused now.

Bill Richardson's campaign is over tonight. And good riddance. And I doubt this deal will amount to a hill of beans anyway. But if I was with the Clinton or Edwards campaign, I would be trumpeting this deal to everyone - first as a sign of the backroom politics Obama plays and second to argue that his caucus total will be greatly inflated. Of course neither is really very true. But in politics, when has that mattered?

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Richardson Ends Campaign With Keystone Kops Routine | 14 comments (14 topical)

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A Joke (5.00 / 2) (#1)
by BDB on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 03:12:01 PM EST

Richardson has been a joke. I honestly have no idea how this guy could have his resume.

I also don't understand why any of the second tier would do anything other than send their folks to Edwards. If Obama wins tonight, the media will anoint him. If Clinton wins tonight, the media will still hate her and try to keep this thing a horse race, but it's very difficult for anyone else to get any traction with her national lead. If Edwards wins tonight, this thing becomes much more up in the air and that could be good for number four. Killing off Edwards tonight, just makes Richardson a potential third fiddle to Clinton and Obama and that's a losing position. He can't compete against those two. He needs a divided electorate.

Actually, what he needs is 100 million dollars, a different campaign, and a better candidate, but that seems unlikely at this point. Other than the residual troop issue - which I think he's badly misplayed - is there any reason to vote for this guy? His resume is totally undermined by his lousy performances.

The only thing Richardson gains from making this deal is possible VP choice by Obama (I think his chances with Clinton was always slim, but this kills it).

i thought richardson (5.00 / 2) (#2)
by cpinva on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 03:21:55 PM EST

was a "throw away" candidate from the get go. for reasons i've never been able to figure out, my wife likes him. of course, she's also convinced the civil war started over the issue of "state's rights", not slavery.

OT but for your wife (5.00 / 1) (#4)
by Molly Bloom on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 03:30:17 PM EST

Respectfully (and I am a grits eating Southerner)...

3/5th compromise
The election of 1800
Missouri Compromise of 1820
Dred Scot
Compromise of 1854
Who fired first and why?

As for Richardson, I always thought he was angling for VP. I think he's blown that.


: Maybe not (5.00 / 1) (#13)
by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 05:29:56 PM EST

Richardson may feel this is the best path to be Obama's VP.

My husband''s top choice too for some (5.00 / 1) (#12)
by Teresa on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 05:10:30 PM EST

reason. He's switched from Clinton to Biden to Richardson. Maybe we need to do a YouTube video of him.


Edwards would look like a hypocrite (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by tommyg on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 03:29:23 PM EST

if he attacked Obama or Richardson for this. He made a similar deal with Kucinich in 2004. And there was no backlash; just the opposite in fact.
And there are also rumors via Digby of Clinton pulling off a similar deal with Edwards.
So you can keep hoping for backlash, but it won't happen.

Not an attack (5.00 / 1) (#5)
by Big Tent Democrat on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 03:31:00 PM EST

Just pointing out facts.

Or do you really believe pols are incapable of hypocrisy?


They're capable; Edwards in particular (5.00 / 1) (#6)
by tommyg on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 03:33:59 PM EST

but I just think it would backfire since almost everyone there knows this is how the caucus works. It might fool people outside Iowa into thinking something dirty was going on, but people there know this is part of the game.


: Almost everyone in Iowa? (none / 0) (#7)
by Big Tent Democrat on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 03:42:41 PM EST

Sure. There will not be any more voting in Iowa after tonight.

Simply put: (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by Plutonium Page on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 03:47:16 PM EST

Richardson sucks.

He's my governor, and he's been tolerable (signed a few good bills), but he's so full of crap on this one. I'm really disappointed, to put it mildly, not using obscenities.

Plus, he and Obama are pretty different on a number of issues. That's neither here nor there. It's just obvious that Richardson wants a cabinet position.

Suits me. Maybe Diane Denish will be my next governor.

Richardson has always sucked. (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by oldpro on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 04:06:06 PM EST

He was a major disappointment in Bill Clinton's cabinet...can't imagine Hillary would go near him. Looks good on paper and has a few seriously impressive negotiating achievements but in person? Dreadful. Just dreadful. And the rumors aren't helpful either...


: Where'd that Classified Info Go? (none / 0) (#10)
by BDB on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 04:46:37 PM EST

Yes, Richardson's tenure as Energy Secretary was hardly a glowing success. There was the missing classified data at Los Alamos. The uranium poisoning in Paducah. Not necessarily Richardson's fault, but what I remember was how unimpressive he was in his response. Although perhaps I'm remembering wrong - anybody care to help me out?

Just saw Richardson on CNN... (1.00 / 1) (#11)
by Teresa on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 05:09:11 PM EST

he said for his people to make up their own minds and that he wants to win and come in the top four. Said no deal has been made.

Richardson (none / 0) (#14)
by newleftie on Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 12:49:09 PM EST

Being from New Mexico, I read the comments on Richardson and thought, I need to sign up on this blog. The man is giant fraud. He has a lot of experience, yes, and it is all bad experience.
His claims of what he has done for New Mexico are equivocations or downright lies. And now he pulls this stunt. Whether anyone likes Bill Clinton or not, Clinton did a lot for this guy, and this is how Richardson repays the favor, by backstabbing Clinton's wife. At 2% (all his other votes obviously gone to Obama) he is just making a fool out of himself. But I have a problem..don't necessarily want his sorry butt back in this state, but don't want to pay him for being governor while he is out galavanting making a laughing stock of himself. Please people, do not judge New Mexico by this clown.