Only a Few More Days Until It's Time to Deliver

Sunday is the next Democratic debate--7pm on CNN, live from Manchester, NH--and this is Bill Richardson's chance to shine. He needs to step up and demonstrate why he is the most electable and most qualified candidate that the Dems can nominate--because he is. The first debate was OK, but he looked vaguely uncomfortable on camera. I, and a lot of folks, chalked that up to a (frankly admirable) lack of "slickness," but a *little* TV-readiness is a good thing in the long run. He then did very well on a seven-minute spot with Jay Leno, but Sunday's Meet the Press appearance with Tim Russert was a mixed bag. *I* know what he meant when he was talking about the Yanks/RedSox thing. He meant he's a Sox fan but always dug Mantle, but he didn't say that very well. And *I* know that the easy answer to the assault-weapons question was that he voted as his constituents asked him to, and that that's the job of a US Rep, and he said that, but he seemed a little tentative.

Anyway, this Sunday is big. We have a candidate who is better-qualified than any other and has electability in red states in the West and Midwest that no other Dem can touch. He's a dream candidate when he's at his best. He's also hit the magic double-digit figures in NH and IA that have him poised to make an even bigger leap in the polls. Sunday night is the time to set that kind of gain into motion. A strong, solid debate performance, big on charm and personality, big on specifics, maybe a little lighter on generalities, could propel Governor Richardson into full-on head-to-head competition in the polls with the leading three candidates. Do it, Governor. Your country and your party need you.

It's "Real Clear" That We're On the Move

Real Clear Politics has a good piece on Governor Richardson's sudden and unexpectedly quick upward mobility in the polls. Check it out here.

And, hey, welcome to all the new folks who have signed up over at the official campaign site for our New Jersey For Richardson group. You can join them by clicking here.

Bill Richardson Stands Up On Iraq and Immigration

Here's a piece from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer detailing the Gov's objections to the latest congressional action on Iraq and immigration reform. Good stuff, and likely to get him even more attention than he's already received this week.

David Broder Checks In on the Gov

Washington Post columnist David Broder thinks that a Bill Richardson v. Mike Huckabee 2008 contest would be the most interesting. He has lots of nice things to say about the Gov.

Bill Richardson On the Radio

Stephanie Miller is a great radio host. She does a highly rated morning show in LA that is nationally syndicated but hasn't made it to NJ yet, unfortunately. Hers is the rare example of an extremely successful talk-radio show with a progressive political bent. I haven't signed up for the podcasts at her site yet, but I'm close.

Recently she had Bill Richardson on the show and you can hear the interview here. It is amazing to watch/listen to the transformation of the Gov from "Well-Qualified But Slightly Nervous Guy in His First Time in the Extreme Limelight of a Presidential Campaign" to "Well-Qualified Confident Charming Knowledgable Presidential Candidate Who Can Run With the Big Dogs." He's really hitting his stride. I have very high hopes for him in the June 3 Dem debate in New Hampshire. It's a big chance to have his post-debate poll numbers reflect that he has fully reached the first tier of candidates.

New Official Campaign Site and New NJ For Richardson Group At That Site!

The official campaign site was already well put together, but now it's *really* looking good. It's much more interactive, including a feature that allows you to join a New Jersey For Richardson group there at the site. Here's the link for that group. And here's the link for the homepage at the new official campaign site.

For what it's worth, I've decided to keep blogging for the Gov here at Blogspot. There's a blog feature over at the new campaign site, so I've set one up there, but all it does it redirect you back here. Seemed like the easiest way to go about it. Have fun poking around the new site and sign up for the NJ For Richardson Group while you're there. Oh, and when you do, make sure to go in and edit your profile so it lists you as a member by name rather than just "User in Trenton, NJ" or something like that.

It's Official: Bill Richardson Is Running For President

It was an exciting day yesterday. First, the Gov made it official: he's running for president. I know; we knew that already, but it's all about the media events, so the deal is to do multiple announcements--one for the exploratory committee and one for the "official" announcement. So yesterday was a *huge* media day for Bill Richardson. It's good to see him getting the attention he so richly deserves. Experience and electability are what it's all about.

On a more personal note, it was an exciting day for me because the Gov took time out of his busy schedule to have a conference call with a few of us bloggers from around the country. It was interesting stuff, mostly strategy (shhhh, top secret!) and expressions of appreciation for what we BR bloggers are doing here in the blogosphere. There's clearly an air of excitement about the campaign because of the new double-digit poll numbers from IA and NH. This campaign is taking off and it's going to be a fun ride.

Double Digits in Iowa!

The Nation is reporting that Bill Richardson is now polling in double digits in Iowa for the first time as well, and rising fast.

Double Digits, Baby!!

Bill Richardson is now at double digits in New Hampshire in the latest Zogby poll. This is huge. The tally is: Clinton 28, Obama 26, Edwards 15(! down from 22 last time!) and Richardson 10. John Zogby himself says: "Of greatest significance is the move of Bill Richardson into double-digits from merely a blip on the screen. He is now a player in all this.”

Slow and steady...slow and steady really will win this race.

And, by the way, the "official" start to the campaign begins Monday. We're on the move.

The New Energy Plan:

Here it is, in bullet-point form, straight from the campaign site, and, on that page, there's a link to the full speech. Grist Mill, the environmental news and commentary website, says: "As of today, Bill Richardson has become the boldest, most visionary Democratic presidential candidate on climate and energy policy." Read their full story here with a fine recap of the whole plan included. This is big stuff, sure to attract those in favor of doing something less than "convenient" about the problem.

More Energy Buzz on Bill Richardson From Reason Magazine

I'll have a lot more on the Gov's energy-policy statement today in a little bit once I digest the whole thing, but in the meantime here's a piece from the Reason Magazine blog (along with an audio clip) that promotes Bill Richardson as the "Market Democrat" on energy policy. It's that electability thing again....

Two New Polls...Go Vote For Bill Richardson

Here and here are your latest chances to show your support for Bill Richardson by voting for him in the Daily Kos and MyDD monthly polls. Now go vote! (Oh, and in the MyDD one--the first of those two links--just vote for the Gov; they ask for rankings but then your vote will get spread around too much).

The Right Stuff

I stumbled over this piece today, which is a fine tribute to the Gov. The author, Mary MacElveen, says that Bill Richardson is the candidate who has two qualities that outpace the others in contention for the Democratic 2008 presidential nomination: experience and electability. It's a popular point of view, apparently. :)

Yeah! Let's Have More Like That!

Bill Richardson was great on The Tonight Show last night. He was funny, charming, self-effacing, and got into some specifics without being a wonky nerd. It was nearly (Bill) Clinton-ian. Between this and the new ads, I think we're on the move.

Tonight: Bill Richardson On With Jay Leno!!

Headline says it all: 11:35 EDT tonight on NBC.
The beer and popcorn will be ready at my house. I think this appearance is really well-timed with these new ads, which are getting a lot of notice.

Bill Richardson's New TV Ads

Taking a cue from those wacky Paul Wellstone ads that were so effective way back when during Wellstone's first Senate campaign, the Gov has taken an interesting tack with his new ads--humor. I like it. In fact, I like it so much that I think he should keep building on these and issue a new series of them when it's time for more ads.

"The more I see of him, the more I like him. His qualifications are spectacular."

The Gov is catching on in New Hampshire. Read about it here in an article from the Eagle Tribune (from MA).

More Buzz Over Bill Richardson

This article on Bloomberg.com praises the Gov's debate performance on 4/26 (thanks to our latest Zanby member for the link):

"Bill Richardson: It seems that every primary season some governor comes out of nowhere to steal the nomination. Richardson showed in this debate that it might well happen again. He was genuine and tough, the kind of guy who could pull the troops out of Iraq without looking wimpy. If he has a couple of more debates this good, money will start flowing his way. (Grade: A+)....
If the Democratic primaries continue along the path they began last week, then Richardson is the only thing between Clinton and coronation."

Welcome to the Bus; Have a Seat, But Let's Remember Whose Idea This Was

Looks like Senators Clinton and Byrd have come on board for Governor Richardson's plan to have the US Senate vote to deauthorize the war. Welcome, have a seat. The bus is moving now....

Straight Talk From the Gov On Iraq

He really does have the most comprehensive plan to get us the hell out of Iraq. Click here to get the full deal.

Time to Vote Again!

Go here to show your support for Bill Richardson in an online poll.

It's 1988 All Over Again, aka: Have We Learned Anything in 20 Years?

A few weeks ago, I was talking to a friend about the 2008 race, and how the *most* important thing to do this time around was to focus on winning the general election with a candidate who can pick up red states with the ease of a '92 (or '96) Bill Clinton, and not have this turn into a just-missed fiasco ala the last two presidential elections. Yeah, we agreed, it's 1992 all over again, when pragmatism ruled the day, and we Dems nominated the person most likely to win in the general election instead of the person we necessarily were most completely in love with on every issue.

But recent visits to places like Daily Kos and MyDD and recent conversations with others who want a change in this country make me wonder if we Dems aren't just a little too cocky for our own good. I've heard comments like, "No *way* can we lose in '08! This country *hates* this war!" Well, that type of comment is half right. This country *does* hate this war, but Democrats *can* still lose this election.

It's a polarized country, and presidential politics is more about the individual candidate than the party. I'm not here to point fingers at any Dem candidate as unelectable but I know for sure that only one Dem is *extremely* well-situated to win in places like Ohio, Missouri, Colorado, New Mexico, West Virginia, Montana, Arizona, Nevada, and Iowa--Bill Richardson.

Stated a little differently, it's not 1992. It's 1988. We've had eight years of GOP rule, and it looks like the country's in the mood for a change of power/party in the presidency, but go ahead and nominate a candidate whom the moderate red states think is too liberal, too out-of-touch with their concerns, too likely to tax and spend them into bankruptcy (and, yeah, I know... GWB has spent more than anyone) and we will lose like Michael Dukakis lost. Dukakis was a decent guy, a well-meaning guy, but he got trounced because this is a big country where the red/blue divide is deeper than ever and, if you haven't noticed, we've been on the short side of that divide twice in a row.

I'm old enough to remember that 1988 election oh-too-well. I thought that the country was ready for a change, and, by and large, they *were*, but only with a candidate with whom they were comfortable. In 2008 Bill Richardson can provide that necessary general-election red-state appeal and still pursue a progressive agenda for change. His foreign-policy experience is second to none and will guide us out of Iraq and into a peaceful solution. His alternative-energy cred is, likewise, impeccable. He will pursue healthcare coverage for all Americans. He is a proven defender of personal liberty and his pro-choice commitment has never wavered. *But* he also has proven that he is not a tax-and-spend chief executive, and, while that may not matter a bit in a blue state, go ahead and add up all those blue states that Kerry (or Gore) won, and what do you get? A close loss, that's what. We can't repeat that mistake again.

It's 1988 all over again, but, if we're smart, we'll treat it like 1992. Vote smart *and* progressive. Vote Richardson.