I’ll probably vote Republican for president next year. No big deal. I’ve done it for the past three, and the so-called “top tier” Democratic candidates haven’t done a thing to convince me to do otherwise.
We’ve got Hillary Clinton, the former first lady who rode her husband’s coattails to a Senate seat. If eight years on the sidelines in the White House qualifies you for the U.S. Senate, that elevator operator who was there for 40 years should be King of the World.
Then there’s Barack Obama. Many of the very people who claimed George W. Bush wasn’t qualified to be president after only six years as governor of the second largest state in the nation think this guy is the second coming of George Washington after only three years as one of 100 senators.
And don’t forget John Edwards. He did so much for North Carolina, after all, he surely deserves a shot to screw up the whole country. He gets $400 haircuts and claims to relate to the poor. I had to roll up some pennies to pay for my last $12 haircut. That’s relating to the poor.
There is, however, one Democrat who has been shut out by the national media’s fascination with the aforementioned three stooges. The more I learn about him, the more I like him. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is the one Democrat I could support, and I’m beginning to think he, more than any other candidate of either party, has the right stuff to go all the way.
Richardson has 15 years of experience in Congress, something the Big Three, particularly Obama, cannot boast. Prior to his election to the House in 1980, he worked at the State Department, and then was a staff member for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
As a congressman, he met one-on-one with Saddam Hussein in 1995 to secure the release of two American civilian aerospace workers held prisoner in Iraq after accidentally crossing the border from Kuwait.
In addition to Iraq, Richardson has also negotiated the release of hostages, American servicemen, and political prisoners from North Korea and Cuba. Earlier this year, he traveled to Sudan and brokered a cease-fire between President Omar al-Bashir and various rebel factions in Darfur. While that effort was to prove unsuccessful—through no fault of Gov. Richardson’s—I can’t help but think that a man who has earned the respect of even rogue dictators can surely restore the world’s faith in America as an international leader.
In 1997, Richardson was able to capitalize on his foreign policy experience when President Clinton appointed him U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, where he served for a year before becoming Secretary of Energy.
As secretary, he implemented tough efficiency standards that saved consumers billions of dollars in energy costs. As governor, he has required energy companies to produce 10% of all energy from renewable resources, while reducing carbon emissions; and the state is moving toward 20% by providing incentives for solar, wind, and biofuels. He has promised to do the same as president.
Since being elected governor of one of the poorest states in the nation in 2002, Richardson has cut taxes, balanced the budget, and created 84,000 new jobs...all without the benefit of a $400 hairdo. His efforts have led right-of-center and libertarian groups to praise him for reforming New Mexico’s economy. The libertarian Cato Institute calls Richardson “one of the most fiscally responsible Democratic governors in the nation.”
Gov. Richardson has worked to provide affordable healthcare to all people in his state, and has cracked down on illegal immigration across the New Mexico border.
It is noteworthy that while Democratic frontrunner Hillary is as polarizing a figure as the current President Bush, Gov. Richardson commands respect on both sides of the aisle. He was reelected in 2006, with 40% of the Republican vote. He had a good track record of getting things done in a bipartisan fashion while in Congress, and he’s worked with both parties in the New Mexico legislature to improve their state. His is the kind of leadership we desperately need in Washington.
It’s been said that Hillary and Obama are riding high because people want to say they made history by electing the first woman or the first black president. Okay…if you’re so shallow that that’s the only reason you’ll vote for somebody, issues be damned, vote to elect the first president of Hispanic descent.
You not only will have made history, you’ll have voted for someone who knows what he’s doing, isn’t on an ego trip, and has the experience and leadership to restore pride at home and respect around the world.
© 2007 by J.D. Lewis
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