Richardson Grok

Richardson Ad Gives Bloggers a Voice

By Emily Esterson, 9-25-07

Is it all troops, some troops, or just a few troops? As candidate Bill Richardson gains in the polls in both New Hampshire and Iowa, some of his opponents have decide to attack, as it were, Richardson’s position that he’d pull all troops out of Iraq if elected. Joe Biden and Christopher Dodd, both of whom are merely blips in the polls, have decided to point out Richardson’s fuzzy math when it comes to just how many troops will remain. Early in the campaign, Richardson told Hardball on MSNBC that he supports leaving residual troops in Iraq. These days he’s said he’ll leave only enough troops to protect the U.S. Embassy. Biden’s campaign manager told the Baltimore Sun, “Gov. Richardson is right that he represents both experience and change – he has a lot of experience changing his mind on matters both large and small.”

Richardson launched a new ad today, seeking to underscore that his position is to pull the troops, all the troops, out of Iraq. This time, his ad speaks to the political netroots as he features bloggers such as Chris Bowers from openleft.com talking about his policy.  Although the bloggers didn’t get paid to appear in the ads, their travel and expenses were reimbursed. The New York Times writes that the bloggers stop just short of endorsing Richardson. Writes Bowers: While this ad is not an official endorsement of Bill Richardson’s candidacy, it is an endorsement of his no residual forces plan for Iraq. It is an endorsement of his leadership on the issue.

Seems everyone’s got something to say on the Richardson-and-the-bloggers ad. The Atlantic Monthly’s website TheAtlantic.com also weighed in today, choosing a quote from firedoglake.com’s Christina O’Connell. “Bill Richardson is the only one who would actually end the war,” she says. All this (positive?) fuss about Richardson’s Iraq policy may be the reason that Hilary Clinton’s tone has changed ever-so-slightly in the past few days.  Could it be that the other candidates are realizing that we, the voting public, really don’t want to be in Iraq anymore?

To fence, or not to fence. That is the question that’s facing candidates when it comes to immigration policy. Richardson says no fence, but more guards and ( good diplomat that he is) a conversation or two with the president of Mexico. Republican Duncan Hunter (R-California) thinks Richardson’s kinder, gentler way is wrong. “I know Mr. Richardson has been in New Hampshire saying that the fence does not work and that’s why he’s not for it,” Hunter said in a telephone interview yesterday to the Concord, New Hampshire, Monitor.  “I wanted to rebut that statement.”

And, in news that’s only partially related to campaigning, Richardson announced yesterday that the film Felon which could star (final negotiations are ongoing) New Mexico resident Val Kilmer, along with Sam Shepherd and Ann Archer among others, will be shot in Santa Fe. The state’s film program saw its first profits recently from a film project—Employee of the Month, starring Dane Cook and Jessica Simpson. New Mexico has loaned money to 20 films, but only this one has made a profit. The state received a cut of the profits in exchange for interest free loans. Nonetheless, New Mexico’s film project is one of the more successful Richardson-enforced economic development programs.

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