Do you have a problem with the following statement by Bill Richardson?

[MadBadger]

This is the first part of the Article. The rest can be found at:
http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/gov.-richardson-pretty-close-to-calling-for-gonzales-to-resign-2007-04-17.html


Gov. Richardson ‘pretty close’ to calling for Gonzales to resign
By Sam Youngman
April 18, 2007
Presidential candidate and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) said Monday the reason he has not called for the removal of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is that the two both have Hispanic backgrounds.

Richardson, in an interview with The Hill, said he is “pretty close” to making such a call, but added that he is reluctant to do so before Gonzales’s Senate testimony despite the high-profile involvement of New Mexico in the U.S. attorneys scandal.
“The only reason I’m not there is because he’s Hispanic, and I know him and like him,” Richardson said, adding, “It’s because he’s Hispanic. I’m honest.

“I want to give him the benefit of the doubt.”

[whistle]

1. That is a very serious admission on Richardson's part, mow that

....he has said that for the record, how can he in all honesty run as President for all Americans. He just admitted he has a bias.

This would be like Hillary saying, not that she would, but image Hillary suggesting she would not call for Condi Rice's removal as Secretary of State because they are both women, or Obama saying he would not call for Rice's removal because they are both black Americans.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. I will withhold judgement until I see his stance now that Gonzales disgraced himself with his words

[Mojambo]

3. I appreciate his frank honesty

But it's pretty effing stupid to evaluate anyone on anything other than performance.

It wounds my impression of him, yes.

[Firepit 462]

11. unfortunatley, he also admitted...

that the only reason he FINALLY killed cockfighting here in NM, is because he didn't want it to be an issue on the campaign trail.

cockfighting should have be abolished long before now, and not for a fucking political reason.

Richardson really is a pretty solid candidate and he is doing good for NM in general, but the 100mph speeding incident, cockfighting and now this absurd statement is kind of creepy.

[Sapphire Blue]

4. Is it Gov. Richardson's turn today?

[merh]

26. This phase of the campaign is to review the candidates and

to decide which one we want as a nominee in 2008. I don't have a problem with asking the question the OP asked.

We need to look at each candidate and choose for ourselves who we want to vote for, not based on the party, but based on their character, their leadership qualities, their devotion to service and when I say service, I mean service to the people and not special interests.

[bigtree]

28. you're nobody unless somebody's dissin' you

wonder where he gets his toupee cut?

[merh]

33. Wonder how Richardson got those seats on those boards of the

oil corporations.

[MadBadger]

5. No matter how honest it may be

It just seems like a stupid thing to say.

[EFerrari]

16. So, would you rather have honest and stupid or dishonest and slick?

lol

:)

[MadBadger]

18. Evade the question.

Since your answer comes off sounding awful. Politicians are wonderful at not answering the questions.

[merh]

25. How about honest, stupid and slick

His corporate love affair bothers the hell out of me, he sat on the board of oil corporations after he left his post as Energy Secretary, that stinks to high heaven. He left those boards to campaign and run for governor of NM. He blocked the NM 2004 recount, he pushed to ban cock fighting not because it was the right thing to do but to keep it out of the 2008 pres campaign, the NRA loves him and endorsed him for NM gov.

And now this stupid, yet "honest" statement.

Should I say that I won't vote for Obama because he is black and I am white? How does that sit with you?

To back someone because of their race or creed and not based on their job performance is not just stupid, it is bigoted.

What if Gonzo's name was Smith and he were white and all the white senators and candidates said they couldn't come out against him because he was white, how would you feel then?

He is a politician, not a statesman not a leader. He supports corporations over the individual and, as is obvious from his "honest" statement, he supports folks that share his ethnicity over competence.

Wow, let's elect him now! :sarcasm:

[EFerrari]

30. For the recount alone, he's not on my list. I like clean elections.

lol

[merh]

31. you and me both

He just keeps making easier to not like him.

:hi:

[geardaddy]

6. That is an answer, but a stupid one.

[WI_DEM]

7. As Justice Harlan said in his famous dissent in the Plessy case:

"Our constitution is color blind." If he broke the law he should go.

[seasat]

8. IMHO, the bigger reason is immigration not his ethnicity

That is why Richardson is not calling for his head. First of all, Gonzo is just the point man on the attorney firing scandal. All of us know that the Repug leadership was really behind it. I found it curious that Gonzo has few defenders even among Repugs. I also found it curious that Richardson was moderate in his attack of Gonzo. Richardson really has no ties to Gonzo other than working with him on immigration reform. Most of the left leaning Hispanic groups have attacked Gonzo so defending him wouldn't win them over. Richardson is not some political neophyte and knows that calling for Gonzo's head (like the rest of the candidates) would give him some boost among Democrats.

Richardson has been critical of Gonzo but has stopped short of calling for his resignation. He has called him a political flack, said he shouldn't have been confirmed, and stated that the only way for him to survive was to admit that he politicized the AG office. However, if you follow the links in a journal article I wrote the other day, you'll see that the main reason is very likely immigration reform. The issue is important to Richardson and he has been a leader in working on it for over a decade.

Gonzo has been Shrub Incs point man in pushing an immigration reform that most Democrats support. It includes a guest worker program with a path to citizenship for current illegal immigrants. It is very similar to the McCain/Kennedy Bill and Richardson's own plan. The Repugs who are calling for Gonzo's head are all for locking down the border and expelling every illegal immigrant in the country. I can guarantee that the AG that replaces Gonzo will be a supporter of the xenophobic wing of the Repug party. He'll make it a point to publicize every case involving an illegal immigrant and will get the AGs to focus on it. The Repugs are looking for the next issue to scare the country with and this will be it.

Check out my journal article for more detail.

[Mass]

9. Yes, but if there was only ONE statement I disagreed with for each candidate, I would be happy.

At some point, I will decide who is the one I have the least problem and I will support him or her.

Until there, I am just counting the problems with each of them.

[Solly Mack]

10. that kind of thinking has always protected the good old boy network

"he's one of us"


is that really the kind of thing Richardson wants to emulate?

I don't think he does...

[in_cog_ni_to]

12. WTF? Just because he's Hispanic? Being qualified for the job, breaking LAWS and LYING to Congress

aren't more important than his ethnicity? That man should NEVER be president. I'm sorry. That's just outrageous.

[ceile]

13. ah, geez

I'd be more worried about him giving Hispanics a "bad name". That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard! :eyes:

[JuniperLea]

14. Yes, I do. No one should see color, creed or nationality

When it comes to upholding the law.

This guy just lost all credibility, imho.

[JTG of the PRB]

15. Oh come ON!

Following this same logic, because I am white, and President Chimpy McConstitutionStab is white, I should give HIM the benefit of the doubt too!

Bullshit, Governor. Bullshit.

[Kelly Rupert]

17. I do, yeah. I admire his honesty, but... nt

[bigtree]

19. I would if that was the entirety of his statements about this

and I believe you know this isn't representative of his stance toward Gonzales

[MadBadger]

21. I cant say for sure

BUt when I saw this on Tucker, and then read it online, I thought this sounded like deja vu, like he said it before.

[merh]

32. You know good and well he doesn't support the firing or resignation

of Gonzo, I gave you that link the other night.

If you think the statement is out of context, the please do us all the favor and post the full statement so we can see what it is he truly meant.

thanks in advance

[Horse with no Name]

20. Yep.

But since that isn't the only thing about Richardson that bothers me...I'll shut up now.

On edit:
TO BE FAIR (and I AM trying), I adore Henry Cisneros, however....
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110006136

I cannot speak on this because I can almost understand the need for a race that has oppressed to feel the need to support each other.
Even though it pisses me off.

[mmonk]

22. He said he was pretty close to making the call

but hadn't because he is hispanic and wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. That comment was on Monday.

[theboss]

23. That's a very truthful statement, but I'm not sure I'd want my president to say it

To me, it's not too far from the Bush "He's a good guy with a good heart" approach to picking public officials. I want to give short Italians the benefit of the doubt, but if Joe Pesci was on the stand today, I would be calling for his ouster.

[WinkyDink]

24. Yes, I do. It's not merely misplaced loyalty; it's meaningless loyalty.

[spooked]

27. Same Reason OJ SIMPSON was found NOT GULITY

Richardson is very honest to admit this phenomenon.

[Jacobin]

29. I like Richardson but that's a dumbass statement to make

whether its 'honest' or not. Quite frankly, its fucking racist

[THUNDER HANDS]

34. forget being dumb, that calls into question his ability to use good judgement

if he wants to give "one of his own" more of a benefit of the doubt that someone of a different race or color or background.

I was considering him as serious VP material before. He's lost me now. I don't want anyone who would think like that being in our party, let alone leading it.

[hatrack]

35. I don't care if Gonzolez is Hispanic, or caucasian, or asian or whatever . . .

I care if he's honest, and if he's intelligent, and if he has a memory extending further back than his last fart or cup of coffee.