$7 Million in the Second Quarter

The financial goal of this campaign has always been to stay competitive. Bill Richardson is never going to out finance the Obama or Hillary campaigns. But he doesn't need to. He just needs to stay in the game, in terms of ad-buys and getting his ideas out there, and it appears that he is. Here's the proof.

It's Debate Time Again, Plus Another Chance to Vote For Bill

Thursday night June 28 on PBS at 9pm EDT, it's time for the next round of debates for the Dem candidates.

Also, be sure to vote for Bill Richardson in the Daily Kos monthly poll.

On the Move in Iowa

The latest Iowa poll numbers are in and there are some pretty amazing gains for Bill Richardson. He's up to 13% in the overall poll, which is a steady improvement, but among the "likeliest" caucusgoers--i.e., the ones who went to the '04 caucuses, voted in '06, and say they're going to the caucuses in '08--get this: Bill Richardson just moved past Barack Obama into third place. Wow. He truly is "first-tier" in Iowa.

Richardson Makes An Impact in a Crowd

Politico.com took a poll of folks attending the Take Back America conference and the results are interesting. By and large, you'll find the Gov where he's been for the past month--in a solid fourth-place position, coming on reasonably strong, but still with a long way (and a long time) to go.Not earthshattering stuff, but it gives me hope that we're on the move.

But by far the most interesting stat appears on page 15 of that report, when voters are asked whose speech made the biggest impact on them in terms of changing their minds and making them more likely to vote for a candidate. The answer? Bill Richardson, by a huge margin. That tells me that if the Gov just keeps at it, and spreads his message far and wide, especially using the personal touch of live events, and even using humor and a personable approach to advertising, he can make friends and allies fast, faster than anyone else.

The Gov Wouldn't Play Games With People's Lives By Vetoing Funding Of Stem-Cell Research

I'm not big on reposting press releases, but this one strikes me as important. Yesterday, the president vetoed the loosening of federal-funding restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research. Here's what the Richardson campaign had to say about that. Good for them:

Richardson: Bush Turns His Back on Millions with Veto
of Stem Cell Bill

Lifting ban on federal funding for stem cell research
would be a priority for Richardson
SANTA FE, NM -- Governor Bill Richardson today issued
the following statement regarding President Bush's
veto of legislation to lift the ban on federal funding
for stem cell research:

"With one pen stroke, President Bush has ignored hard
science, embraced misplaced ideology and turned his
back on the millions who stand to benefit from the
advances that stem cell research holds.

"Countless Americans continue to suffer from
debilitating diseases while our country's brightest
scientists are denied critical funding needed to
search for cures and treatments.

"Congress must continue to fight this battle,
exploring every option at its disposal to lift this
arbitrary ban and give hope for a brighter future for
those living with Parkinson's, ALS, cancer, spinal
cord injuries and other debilitating ailments.

"The President's veto is not the last word on
advancing stem cell research. There is too much at
stake for Democrats to back down. We must press
forward because that's what a majority of Americans
want.

"And if the President continues to ignore the will of
the people, I promise, once elected to the White
House, I will lift this ban, giving our scientists the
funding they need and restoring hope to millions."

Richardson has a strong track record of working to
advance important medical research. Last year,
Richardson announced a major $10-million investment
plan in stem cell research for New Mexico, which
included:

$2 million to establish a nationally-recognized
training program in Stem Cell Research for medical
students, graduate students, residents, fellows,
physicians and scientists.

$4 million to recruit nationally recognized
scientists. Funding is needed to support the initial
recruitment costs plus provide start-up funds to buy
necessary equipment and supplies, and to train and
develop staff.

$4 million in capital to establish state-of-the-art
research facilities for Adult and Embryonic Stem Cell
Research. Federal guidelines currently prohibit work
with embryonic stem cells in space that has been
constructed with federal funds. This capital outlay
will be used to build a state-funded area devoted to
embryonic stem cell research.

"Dean Without The Scream"

The flurry of activity from the Richardson national campaign recently has led me to wonder if the Gov is mining some potentially very productive territory of late. Right now he is, among other things: (1) the only governor in the Dem race, and, hence, the only one with chief-executive experience, (2) the Dem candidate with the clearest anti-Iraq-war position, and (3) a fiscal conservative who knows how to balance budgets without blowing taxes through the roof. Now go back to the '04 race, and think about who that sounds like: Howard Dean.

Yeah, I know, you're thinking, "Uhhhh, what are you doing, Steve, drawing an analogy to a candidate who lost the nomination?" Here's the point: go back to this time in '03, before his message was distorted by the media, and Howard Dean looked pretty damn good. I was a Dean fan back then (long before he was apparently not ready for prime time and acting a little, er, unpresidential after the Iowa caucuses) because Howard Dean was a fiscally conservative, socially-progressive governor who distinguished himself as *the* anti-Iraq-war candidate of '03/'04. Had he not been distorted by the media into the "waaaaaaaay left candidate that can't win in the general election" and had he not let loose with The Scream, he could have been a formidable candidate--a progressive centrist with heavy anti-war cred, electable as all hell in centrist red states which control presidential elections and which fear tax-and-spenders (which he is not). Instead, he got co-opted by his media-driven reputation and his candidacy crashed and burned.

Which brings us to Bill Richardson....

Governor? Check. Fiscal conservative/social progressive? Check.
Is he about to let loose with a Scream? Nope. He never struck me as the type. Will he let his image be co-opted by the media so he suddenly becomes the "too extreme on the left" candidate? Doubtful, especially because he has a much longer record on which to base a proper evaluation of him. Put differently, he's a more known quantity than Dean was back then, and he's unlikely to get painted into a corner, position-wise, by the media as a result. Finally, is his anti-Iraq-war position as attractive as Dean's was, and as distinctive as Dean's was from the other candidates for the nomination? You bet.

"Dean without The Scream." I mean that as a compliment of the highest order. Bill Richardson has all of Howard Dean's '03 positives without any of his '04 negatives. Those who want to win in '08 should take notice.

Distinguishing Himself, Part Two

Bill Richardson has a new website dedicated to making it clear that he is the one candidate who wants to bring home every single US troop *now*. Check it out and sign the petition while you're there.

Additionally, today at the AFSCME event where the Big Four Dems spoke, the Gov did his best to make it clear that he stands out from the pack. Watch the video here.

Distinguishing Himself

You may have noticed a different approach from the campaign in the last couple of weeks. They seem to be making a sustained effort to make it clear that Bill Richardson's plan for ending the Iraq War is stronger and more definitive than the other candidates. The Gov has even begun to criticize his rivals' positions on this issue. I think you're going to see more of an effort in that regard in the coming months and days--not to "go negative," but, rather, to make sure that voters understand that, in a number of important ways, Bill Richardson's positions and experience stand out from the pack.

The Dark Horse Emerges

Here's a nice piece from Huffington Post detailing how, despite debating skills that have so far been less than senatorial, Bill Richardson is impressing a hell of a lot of people with his ideas and his record. It's good stuff and it focuses on an interesting point: do we want slickness or substance? With rising poll numbers, it's fair to say that substance is on the march.

Bill Richardson's New Book

It looks like the Gov is set to author another book. He just signed a deal to release a volume in November that addresses energy policy and his sweeping, progressive plans to make energy independence a priority in the US. The book also focuses on how achieving energy independence will make us more secure as a nation and leave us less vulnerable to the whims of the Middle East. The Santa Fe New Mexican has a whole article on it that you can read here.

"Bill Richardson Is Not a Pirate"

Learn more here.

New Bill Richardson TV Ad!

Here it is. It's called, "What Kind of Tree?" and it's really funny, ala the original interview ads.

I'm Back and Here's a New Article

Went out of town for a little no-internet-available R&R and got back to find this in my inbox. It's an LA Times article on the Gov that you might find interesting.

So, What Did You Think?

I'm curious to see what you NJ For Richardson folks thought of the Gov's debate performance tonight. So leave a comment.

Very briefly, my take is that he did well, but it's hard to deliver any knockout punches in an eight-person format. Quibbling only in a very minor way, I'd say that he doesn't need to reference his status as the only governor in the race on *every* answer, but I thought his answers were clear, concise and well thought-out, and his executive experience *does* provide him with a better perspective. I think we'll see a new Zogby poll for NH soon. Let's hope the debate made a positive impact for Bill Richardson's numbers.

I'm out of town and offline Tuesday through Sunday this week. By the time I get back, I hope we'll be celebrating even better poll numbers....

Bill Richardson's New Clean Energy Ad

Just in time for the NH debate tomorrow night, the Gov has unveiled a new ad touting his clean-energy cred in New Mexico. It doesn't have the funny charm of the "job interview" ads, but it's good stuff, making clear that he's the most aggressively pro-environmental of the Dem candidates.