Richardson Grok

Richardson: That’s Right, the Women are Smarter

By Emily Esterson, 7-17-07

Democratic presidential candidate and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was back in Concord, N.H. last week, this time to launch a group called Women for Richardson. In addressing the group, he said he’d make sure his supreme court nominees would uphold Roe v. Wade. “Some people call this a ‘litmus test’. I call it respecting precedent and putting women’s lives above politics,” Richardson told the Boston Globe. Richardson also said that he believes the president has the right to ask about settled law, which Roe v. Wade is. In addition, he’d demand equal pay for men and women, and give women who stay at home with their children the right to earn social security benefits. The Manchester Union Leader noted Richardson’s statement on his women’s platform. “I’ve always appointed women to critical positions. You know why? Women are better workers than men. It’s very simple,” Richardson said to laughter. “I hope that doesn’t lose the men’s vote.”

Later on, in Portsmouth, Richardson visited with residents in the seaport town, talking about health care and the war in Iraq. WAPO writes about Richardson’s comments concerning his lack of faith in the military being able to assess the “morass” in Iraq. He said the president’s approach has been haphazard since the beginning.

At a trial lawyers luncheon on Sunday, candidate Richardson again reiterated that, if elected, his Justice Department would be free of White House influence. The Democratic controlled Congress has been looking into whether the White House exerted its influence by overseeing the firing of federal prosecutors investigating candidate corruption before the ‘06 elections, writes Forbes this morning. He also noted that he’ll overhaul the Patriot Act, and get the Supreme Court back on track.

For a less positive view of the Richardson camp, look to HispanicBusiness.com, which says Richardson is “struggling” to stay in the race. That’s in contradiction to fund raising reports which note that Richardson is hot on the trail of No. 3 candidate John Edwards. Richardson spoke about his role as the only Mexican-American in the campaign “I’m trying to convey that I’m a mainstream American governor who’s very proud to be Hispanic,” Richardson said. “I don’t try to be a wedge candidate. I’ve never wanted to be categorized as a professional Hispanic. I want to compete with everybody.”

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