thank you Bill Richardson
Posted by amy at January 12th, 2008
From Richardson’s last email:
Running for president brings out the best in everyone who graces the stage, and I have learned much from the other candidates running. They have all brought great talents and abilities to the campaign.
Senator Biden’s passion and intellect are remarkable.
Senator Dodd is the epitome of selfless dedication to public service and the Democratic Party.
Senator Edwards is a singular voice for the most downtrodden and forgotten among us.
Senator Obama is a bright light of hope and optimism at a time of great national unease, yet he is also grounded in thoughtful wisdom beyond his years.
Senator Clinton’s poise in the face of adversity is matched only by her lifetime of achievement and deep understanding of the challenges we face.
Representative Kucinich is a man of great decency and dedication who will faithfully soldier on no matter how great the odds.
And all of us in the Democratic Party owe Senator Mike Gravel our appreciation for his leadership during the national turmoil of Vietnam.
I am honored to have shared the stage with each of these Democrats. And I am enormously grateful to all of my supporters who chose to stand with me despite so many other candidates of accomplishment and potential.
Something happened on early last week, between the last debate and the misty Clinton diner moment, which is that Clinton went from a candidate I wouldn’t back, to a candidate I’m now rooting for. There was a moment in the debate where Clinton talked about the economy and her hope that by really looking to solve our energy crisis we can create a new economy that will essentially buy our way out of the recession. We can’t look to consumers to do it, we can’t look to the fed to continue playing with interest rates in some kind of giant ponzi scheme, we must look to what we do best, which is innovate. I must say, an economic plan that doesn’t rely on consumer spending is a refreshing idea. And though I’m the first to resist big government spending, this is a plan I could get behind, this is a debt I’d be willing to shoulder, if it meant we didn’t have to wage wars in foreign lands over substances that are slowly but surely poisoning us. One of the great successes of ancient roman empires was their indoor plumbing, I’ve heard rumors that one of the reason of their downfall was lead poisoning from said plumbing. Our dependence on oil seems to be similar.
And while John Edwards can proudly rail against greed and be an advocate of the downtrodden, I’m enough of a realist to recognize that a little greed is good. The connections between corporations and wall street and pension funds for state workers is clear in my mind. Innovation and rewards are good, people want to be recognized for the work they do, you want your pension fund manager to invest in companies that will make money so that when you retire, you don’t have to live on cat food in a cardboard box under a bridge. And it doesn’t mean that we have to settle for blind investing, fund managers for socially-minded investors had a greater return on their investments than traditional fund manager over the last 10 years.
And what can I say about Obama, if he is the nominee, I will pull the lever? George Bush said last week that if he were running for president right now, even he would be running on a campaign of change, but change into what?
I still hope to see Bill Richardson’s name on my front lawn come November, albeit in smaller letters and under someone else’s name, but for the short game, I’m going to be watching Hillary.
Amy…..The sad realization in our country’s political arena is that there is only (two) parties vying for control. Why only two? Actually their are more, but we are not allowed to hear from them. And the bigger problem is that they are not really very different from each other. We need more voices and choices to choose from, if real change is to come. Sadly I must reveal to you, that no matter who becomes president, their will NOT be any drastic changes that will effect your lifestyle or dependence on oil. They will throw out a few crumbs and waste hugh amounts of tax money on do nothing studies with no money for development. And you can take that to the bank!
Southview
I had exactly the same reaction in the beginning of last week regarding Hillary! I think it was a “tipping point” for many women. I realized that I am furious at the way she has been treated simply because she is a woman. The scrutiny of her is much harsher and more personal than it is of any of the male candidates and as a woman I find that deeply insulting. Anyway, glad to find a kindred spirit out here in the blogosphere.
The End of Motherhood?
Rock on Amy. I love Obama too, and I would be also be delighted with Hilliary. I would be relieved to have someone who knew what the whole president deal was all about. She has such courage and strength. I forgive her hardness, I can see myself wanting to play tough if I were in her shoes. It is hard to be vulnerable when you are also trying to kick ass, and run in the race of your life. Rock on Hilliary.
molly
Hey, Amy - I heart you, but I gotta’ take issue with your quick dismissal of John Edwards because “a little bit of greed is good.” I agree: a little bit of greed IS good. But runaway greed is very, very bad for all of us. Look at how predatory lending has been the catalyst for the entire world economy melting down. Look at the Houston teachers losing their entire retirement savings, because of a few over-greedy folks at Enron. Runaway greed is very, very dangerous - for all of us. The point is moot, because Edwards is clearly not a viable candidate, but his message is an important one, and I think it’s far too simplistic to dismiss the message as “he doesn’t like greed.”
Here’s one of my problems with Hillary: she is just as polarizing a figure as Bush is. One side hates Hillary just as much as the other side hates W…so, yes, she might be able to win, and if she does, she can probably squeak through a number of policy victories by getting a mere 51% of congressional votes here and there. And then in a few more years, we’ll pass the country to another polarizing figure, who will undo things with 51% margins, as well. But the corrosive divide between red and blue won’t go away, not with her. We won’t even be able to start bridging the divide.
My other problem with her are her ties to huge $$. You can claim they all have it, which is true, and it’s true that Obama’s getting more big $ these days, but he launched his presidential campaign refusing PAC $ and lobbyist money (PAC money still makes up 0% of his totals for this campaign) - Hillary took it all. The truth is, Obama is viable precisely because of that vision… because so many individual donors under $1000 reached into their pockets to support him. No major candidate is a saint but her ties to big $ are bigger, and deeper, than any of the other candidates. Their pie charts really do look different.
So, I dunno. I just can’t root for her. Not yet. Not even as much as I’d love, love to have my girls grow up with a woman president. Not even as much as I admire her skills, and strategy, and determination. For the time being, I’m still rooting against her in these races.
Ali B.