Campaign 2008, Politics
I’m still on the fence about which candidate to support next year but have been leaning toward Bill Richardson. He’s got more boots-on-the-ground foreign policy experience than all the other candidates in both parties combined. He’s served in cabinet posts, was a member of the House of Representatives and he’s run two successful campaigns for governor of New Mexico, a state that tends to elect more Republicans than Democrats to high office
But Richardson’s appearance Thursday night at the Human Rights Campaign Presidential Forum has given me pause. It’s not just that he said that homosexuality was a choice — an incredibly stupid statement that he later took back — it was his entire performance. He was obviously uncomfortable, and it was clear that he had not given gay civil rights issues an in-depth analysis. (I know the campaign is being run on a shoe-string but was there no one available who could have given him a briefing?)
My sense is, Richardson is not a dyed-in-the-wool bigot but rather a a clueless macho straight guy who was suddenly immersed in the heady waters of gay politics and quickly found himself to be in over his head.
If Richardson had performed so badly in front of any other group — blacks, union members, women, Irish-Americans — his campaign would be in freefall right now. Fortunately, it was only the gays, so hardly anyone will take notice and he can recover.
He can even rehabilitate his image with gays, if he chooses to. All he has to do is introduce himself to a strata of gay life with which he can probably relate — the gay rodeo. As it happens, a golden opportunity presents itself next weekend when the 16th Annual Zia Regional Rodeo, sponsored by the New Mexico Gay Rodeo Association (NMGRA) will be held in Albuquerque.
Maybe someone in the leadership of NMGRA could invite the governor to attend the rodeo so he could get a taste of gay life closer to his own experience, and begin to rehabilitate his campaign after a disheartening presentation on gay issues.
Topics: Campaign 2008, Politics
Will Someone Please Take Bill Richardson to a Gay Rodeo?…
Bill Richardson’s performance at the gay presidential forum Thursday night has given gay Dems pause. Not only did he say homosexuality was a choice — an incredibly stupid statement that he later took back — he was unfamiliar with the issues and clea…
Until the LOGO forum I was also leaning towards Richardson because of his experience. I thought that his appearances at the various debates weren’t very good but put that down to the venue, thinking maybe he just wasn’t used to that type of forum.
But I’ve completely changed my mind. Sure, he’s just a straight guy out of his element, I can go for that…BUT he knew he was going to be asked about gay issues, why didn’t he take the time to learn something before making an ass out of himself. Now, looking at him, I think I thought his experience was good because I assumed he was good at what he did. Now I wonder and I’ve moved on. I am not gay and I’m appalled at the man. I can’t imagine how a gay person would feel.
Bill Richardson is so over his head running for president. Time and time again, he comes across like a moron.
Time for new blood and a break in the Bush/Clinton dynasty. The person to do this is, in my opinion, Barack Obama.
But I fear the fix is in and the Hillary monster will be sworn in on Jan. 20th, 2009.
Richardson is an awesome candidate on paper; in debates, not so much. He seems not to beleive in himself. Or rather, he seems not to be so comfortable in his own skin. I still think he would make a fine Secretary of State, or even UN Ambassador. Even as a Veep, he is a fine candidate… but he totally sucks in all the debate formats. And y’all are right, he knew this was a LGBT forum, why wasn’t he better prepared?