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ATTENTION ALL READERS!


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Governor Bill Richardson's Statement Clarifying Answer From HRC Forum

LOS ANGELES, CA -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson issued a statement tonight clarifying an answer to a question during the Human Rights Campaign Presidential Forum in Los Angeles. The question came from panelist Melissa Etheridge, who asked if he believed homosexuality is a choice.

"Let me be clear -- I do not believe that sexual orientation or gender identity happen by choice," Governor Richardson said. "But I'm not a scientist, and the point I was trying to make is that no matter how it happens, we are all equal and should be treated that way under the law. That is what I believe, that is what I have spent my career fighting for. I ask that people look at my record and my actions and they will see I have been a true supporter of the LGBT community."

Governor Bill Richardson has an accomplished record fighting for the rights of all Americans. Since taking office, Governor Richardson has:

1. Expanded anti-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation. [Senate Bill SB 28, 2003 Legislature]
2. Signed into law the state's first hate crimes legislation for acts including those based on sexual orientation. [SB 38, 2003 Legislature]
3. Provided state health insurance for domestic partnerships. [Executive Order 03 010]
4. Signed the Billy Griego HIV and AIDS Act, which was designed to ensure that consumers are the focus of the funding and services provided in all the state's HIV and AIDS cases. [Senate Bill 314, 2005 Legislature]
5. Created the state's first HIV and AIDS Policy Commission charged with reviewing and making recommendations on state HIV and AIDS policies. The commission also studies and makes recommendations on all factors affecting the availability, quality and accessibility of health services for persons with HIV and AIDS. [Senate Bill 313, 2005 Legislature]
6. Called a Special Session of the NM State Legislature to push for Domestic Partnerships Legislation, among other issues, after it failed by one vote in the Senate during the Regular Session. Governor Richardson has pledged to push for the legislation again during the next Legislative Session.

As President, Bill Richardson will:

• Continue to fight for equal rights for ALL Americans.
• Champion a repeal of the US Military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
• Appoint his Vice-President to be the Chair of the HIV/AIDS Commission.

Healthcare for all, without new taxes

Last night’s AFL-CIO candidate’s forum offered Governor Richardson a chance to shine in front of a national audience. As usual, he came across as very knowledgeable, experienced, and willing to show his sense of humor at the debate. Here are some highlights:

This performance definitely cemented the governor as the top tier candidate that the polls show he has become. He traveled from Chicago to New Hampshire today and spoke in Bartlett to New Hampshire teachers. Beverley Wang writes how Richardson reaffirmed his commitment to focus attention on our nation’s public schools, and also cited his stellar record in New Mexico:

"I believe that school reform should improve schools," he said. "But our nation's school reform has made our schools look more like reform schools, with all the mindless testing and bureaucratic rules and regulations."

Richardson ticked through his accomplishments as governor, including his Making Schools Work plan. That effort addresses not only classroom instruction but health and nutrition, parental involvement and clean schools.

"Our children can't learn if they aren't healthy," he said. "In New Mexico, we now provide access to free health insurance to every child under the age of 5. We have expanded our state immunization program. ... We've implemented statewide breakfast programs for our neediest kids. And we've gotten junk food out and put physical education back in."

Harvard International Review has published an essay by Governor Richardson in its Summer 2007 issue. It is titled “A New Realism,” and while reading it became fairly obvious to me that Richardson is the man best suited to lead our nation. His grasp of international issues and his emphasis on foreign policy is exactly what our country needs after the six years of decay our nation’s image has suffered. Here are some excerpts:

Rather than meeting radically new security challenges with radically new approaches, the US government has fought the “war on terror” the old-fashioned way, that is to say, with military force. Literally and figuratively unable to grasp the real stateless enemy, President Bush waged war instead against a state, Iraq, even though its dictator had nothing to do with Al Qaeda. Not surprisingly, waging a 20th century war in the 21st century has not produced the desired results. .

Today, leadership by the world’s only superpower is needed more than ever, but such leadership cannot disregard what goes on inside other societies. No nation can defend its own interests without blending them with the interests of others and seeking common solutions to common problems.

Yesterday, Governor Richardson outlined his universal healthcare plan. Campaigns and Elections’s Justin Schardin focuses on the fact that the plan would not include raising taxes, instead using a large part of funds from the Iraq war to go towards the project:

Saying, "we need a president who believes that every American should have access to quality healthcare," Richardson outlined a plan with numerous initiatives, including investment in health information technology, an emphasis on preventive care and disease management, and requiring insurance companies to spend at least 85 percent of collected premiums on direct care.

Richardson's plan would mandate that every American purchase a health plan by the end of his first term. People, depending on their age and socioeconomic status, would be able to choose from their existing private plans; purchasing the same plan that members of Congress use (which is administered by the Office of Personnel Management); a Medicare program expanded to include people ages 55 and over; Medicaid and S-CHIP programs for low-income families; and what Richardson calls a Heroes Health Card, which would simplify and broaden coverage for veterans.

Richardson estimated his plan would cost $110 billion per year to implement all its measures, and contended that greater resulting efficiency and health would potentially save the same amount. The plan purports to save much by covering the currently uninsured since Americans already indirectly pay for their emergency care, which tends to cost more than preventative or early-stage care.

The governor’s plan can be read in full, PDF format, here. Governor Richardson will be heading from New Hampshire to Los Angeles for the HRC Presidential Forum tomorrow evening.

Governor Richardson proposes universal healthcare plan

Here is the official campaign press release:

Richardson plan offers affordable, quality health coverage choices for all Americans

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA -- Governor Bill Richardson announced his plan for universal, affordable healthcare in a speech to Iowans today.

"We need universal healthcare now," said Governor Richardson. "Now is the time. For every American who wants to look a suffering loved one in the eye and tell them that tomorrow will be better than today -- now is the time. For the good of our nation, now must be the time."

Governor Richardson outlined the following details of his plan:

• Coverage - Guaranteed Coverage for All Americans with Real Choices: Bill Richardson believes that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to providing affordable health coverage for all Americans.Nor does he believe in creating new bureaucracies. Under a Richardson administration all Americans will have affordable coverage choices through 1) the same plan as members of Congress; 2) Medicare for those 55-64; 3) Medicaid and SCHIP for lower income families; 4) existing family coverage for young adults up to age 25; and 5) a Heroes Health Card and stronger Veterans Administration for veterans
• Costs - Making Health Care Affordable for All: Bill Richardson believes that everyone must share responsibility for making the system work. He believes that 1) All Americans should be required to have coverage; 2) Employers should be required to do their fair share to contribute to a healthy and covered work force; 3) A sliding-scale tax credit should be available for Americans who need help affording coverage; 4) American families should get immediate relief from high interest rates for medical debt placed on credit cards. As President, Richardson will save the government up to $110 billion per year to invest in quality, affordable health coverage for all Americans, by streamlining health care administration and investing in prevention.
• Care - Improving Quality of Care for All Americans: Bill Richardson believes that all Americans deserve access to affordable, high-quality health care. Richardson will work to improve quality of care for all Americans by: 1) Promoting evidence-based care and comparative effectiveness research; 2) Promoting transparency on price and quality of health care; 3) Restructuring incentives for high-quality care; 4) Improving patient safety; 5) Ensuring an adequate health care workforce; and 6) Reducing health disparities.

"My plan provides choices -- including the choice to keep your current coverage -- and existing programs to expand coverage options," said Governor Richardson. "We spend over 2.2 trillion dollars a year on health care in this country. We all know that we're not getting what we've paid for.

"We need to require that all health plans cover a standard set of proven preventive services. If there's one thing better than a patient's being cured of a disease, it's his never having had it at all."

Governor Richardson also criticized the Bush Administration for its failed and misguided efforts on healthcare.

"Today, we as a nation need to be responsible stewards of the health of our children and parents, our brothers and sisters, our husbands and wives," said Richardson. "President Bush has failed this basic test of American decency."

Please find the text of Governor Richardson's speech and background documents on his plan here.

Iowa to Yearly Kos and back again

This weekend brought the Yearly Kos Convention to Chicago August 2-5. All of the Democratic candidates except Joe Biden were on hand for the event, and Governor Richardson made the most of the opportunity on Saturday. He took strong stands on fiscal responsibility and the urgent need to bring our troops out of Iraq. Christine Pelosi of the Huffington Post blogs from Chicago:

Governor Richardson said: "I have a one point plan: we should get out. We should leave no residual forces.” He said he does support troops in Sudan where they could help not in Iraq where they are targets. "This is about American kids dying."

When asked about pressuring Pakistan to crackdown on terrorist activity, where it is known that Al-qaeda has been gaining strength, Richardson said he would not tread lightly with Pakistani President Musharraf:

Governor Richardson said: "The Bush-Cheney policy toward Musharraf is appeasement. We have huge aid programs there. Say to Musharraf: 'You go after those safe havens. If you do not we will.' "

At the breakout session after the general debate, Coyote Gulch asked the governor about national water policy and was met with a thoughtful, specific answer:

Richardson plans to appoint a cabinet level official to work on water policy across the nation. That official will then convene a "Water Summit" to study the issue and produce a water plan for the country.

We're pretty sure that the Governor wasn't just pandering and speaking in generalities to help his candidacy. Being the governor of New Mexico he has to have a deep understanding of water issues, we hope.

Governor Richardson’s commitment to the environment has been a central part of his time serving in New Mexico. Now others are seeing that he is the candidate most capable and qualified to lead on these issues. Kate Phillips at The Caucus writes about more questions Richardson fielded at the breakout session, from his “One Point Plan” for Iraq to his progressive views on civil liberties:

In the breakout session, when he reiterated his position that the Leave No Child Behind Act should not be reauthorized, he received a round of applause. As he did when he said he never liked the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

As to the dispute between Senators Clinton and Obama about whether they would meet with rogue leaders of Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, etc. without conditions, Mr. Richardson remarked that he’d already met with three of them.

The governor’s take on these debates and on political proposals is to poke fun at 5-point and 10-point plans. Several times today, in the large and smaller settings, he reminded everyone that he has a One-Point Plan for Iraq: “Get Out. Get Out.” That line drew applause, too.

The rest of Ms. Phillips’s piece can be read here. Richardson also touched on domestic efforts and the Department of Homeland Security, which, shockingly enough, includes issues outside of terrorism:

Governor Richardson also said that as President he will restructure the Department of Homeland Security to react promptly and effectively to disasters and to better serve the American people.

"First I will only appoint people who actually know what they're doing," said the Governor. "I would also take FEMA out of homeland security and put it under the President." The Governor also said American foreign policy plays an important role in making the country secure, and the US must take action to restore our standing in the world.

"We must again become the country that respects human rights. We must close the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, we must reinstitute habeas corpus, and we must end our policies of torture."

That press release is published here. The governor emerged from the forum as the candidate who best emphasized his international and diplomatic experience, as well as his executive branch accomplishments in New Mexico. On Friday Richardson spoke in Mount Pleasant at Iowa Wesleyan College. Erin Jordan of the Des Moines Register covered the powerful speech about a “path to citizenship for immigrants,” the reality of being able to support our troops and not the war, and the importance of sacrifice in our everyday lives:

Richardson wants the United States to create a path to citizenship for immigrants who entered the country illegally that involves stiff fines, background checks and moving them to the back of the line behind people who are trying to immigrate legally, he said.

Richardson supports some cuts in military spending, but wants to make sure troops have top-notch equipment. He would save money by requiring more competitiveness in the process in which the government grants military contracts, he said.

Angie Thomas and her 18-year-old son, Patrick, are pleased that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson talked about sacrifice during his 90-minute appearance Friday in Mount Pleasant.

"I love to hear a politician say that," said Thomas, who will be a freshman this fall at Iowa State University.

Chief Editor Todd over at The Blue State also posted about the Mount Pleasant speech and the governor’s growing support among Iowans:

Most significantly, Iowans are still buzzing about a speech Richardson gave last week at Mount Pleasant, Iowa. According to supporters, he was articulate, passionate and came across as experienced. He spent a lot of time on Iraq. But what impressed Iowans the most was his call for shared sacrifice…

His challenge is to get the media to pay attention, which is hard because the 24-hour news channels already decided that it's a three-candidate race. If only the media paid attention to substance.

Today Governor Richardson stopped in Sioux City, Le Mars, and Cherokee, Iowa for more “Presidential Job Interviews”. Bret Hayworth of the Sioux City Journal covered the speech at Morningside College where the governor detailed his record on tax-cuts, foreign relations, as well as the need for a new approach to energy policy:

Richardson said the war in Iraq, health care access, immigration policy and energy concerns are most on the minds of Iowans. He said he supports withdrawing troops from Iraq within six months, since "there will be no military solution," and that as long as the U.S. is in Iraq, Al-Qaeda will have U.S. soldiers as targets.

With 65 percent of oil consumed in the U.S. imported, Richardson said that percentage must be reduced to 10 percent in five years, through more solar, wind, biomass and ethanol use. He said Congress members shouldn't be praising recent action for increasing fuel economy standards to 35 mpg in a few years. "That is pathetic, it should be 50 (mpg)," Richardson said.

Added Richardson, "It is going to take a little sacrifice. I'm going to ask each citizen to be a little more careful about energy" usage.

A little honesty in politics is never a bad thing. Finally, a happy 35th anniversary goes out today to Governor Richardson and New Mexico's First Lady Barbara Richardson!

The two began dating back when Bill was a senior in high school, and were married on the Tufts campus on August 5, 1972. The governor will be campaigning in Iowa tomorrow and Tuesday before heading back to Chicago for the AFL-CIO Forum on Tuesday night.

New Energy Ad

Today the campaign released an ad that details the Governor's plan for energy in the coming years. He would reduce our dependence on foreign oil and also significantly raise mileage standards. Reducing greenhouse gases 80% in the next three decades won't be easy, but Governor Richardson will set our nation in the right direction.

Here is some background on the Governor's plan for energy. His is the most comprehensive of all the Democratic candidates, and it's critical that America takes the lead on this issue so the rest of the world follows our clean energy example.

Bill Richardson went to work this weekend.

Just got back from the College Democrats of America National Convention last night, and what a weekend it was. Edwards, Hillary, and Obama all gave speeches, but my candidate was conspicuously absent. Where was Bill Richardson this weekend? Working.

He campaigned through New Hampshire Friday and Saturday, garnering even more support in the Granite State. All weekend long the blogs have been active with endorsements, speculation, and a certain curiosity about the governor’s unique campaign. areyouready at MyDD posted a diary titled “Richardson, a rising star in Iowa?” The writer notes that Richardson is the only candidate to have significantly gained in the polls in the last three months.

It looks like Richardson, for the first time, got a very decent coverage in the influential DesMoines Register this morning.

“My interview with Bill Richardson is off to an interesting start. You can tell right away he's a different kind of presidential candidate. It's not just his laid-back, average-guy demeanor in a field dominated by glamour-pusses. He's comfortable enough not to carefully weigh every word.”

This leaves some Kerry voters who are not sold on either Hillary or Edwards up for grab. Who are these people? What do they value the most in a candidate's credentials. Based this poll and Richardson's 'discredited' internal poll, it does seem to me these people are more interested in candidates with the right experience, they have largely taken a pass on Obama even with his early ads buys in that state focused mainly on his resume. This is why Richardson is gaining some visible traction in polls…

Todd Bennett points to the “fiercely independent” Iowa voters and their disdain for the media picking their candidate for them as a couple reasons for Governor Richardson’s significant gains in the state. At MyDD, he suggests that Obama may have more to worry about than Clinton and Edwards in Iowa:

I can't shake this feeling Obama is making a mistake in ignoring Richardson. Sure, he has to go after the Senator from New York, but what if he forgets about his backdoor? Here is the key to the whole thing: No residual forces. The strongest, albeit hard to pull off, anti-war position of all the major candidates seems to be resonating in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

Richardson, however, is a tougher nut to crack. A popular and successful Governor, an experienced global policy man, and generally likeable guy he is a good fit for Iowans, and the problem for Obama is he would also be likely to carry Iowa momentum into New Hampshire with his independent style.

Todd’s right; the Governor is running a different campaign. Staying away from petty insults and personal jabs, he has focused his efforts on the people. Governor Richardson has worked harder than any other candidate to get back to on-the-ground, old-fashioned politics. You can see the rest of Todd’s post here.

Governor Richardson received more praise for his environmental and energy work from Stephen Cassidy on Friday. At DailyKos, Stephen writes about Richardson’s stellar record on these issues, earning him an “A” from the Conservation Voters of New Mexico. He goes on to list some of his achievements in this area:

Richardson's leadership for New Mexico on climate change has included:

· signing a 5-state Western Regional Climate Action Initiative MOU with Governors of California, Arizona, Oregon, and Washington committing to set regional greenhouse gas reduction goal and establish regional market-based mechanism for achieving the goal http://www.governor.state.nm.us/...

· becoming the first state to join the Chicago Climate Exchange to state reduce greenhouse gas emissions. http://www.governor.state.nm.us/...

· creating a Climate Change Advisory Group and stakeholder process to develop recommendations for achieving emissions reduction targets. http://www.governor.state.nm.us/...

· mandating some of the toughest greenhouse gas reduction targets in the country. The Climate Change Advisory Group process and recommendations – started implementing some of their recommendations, including commitment to adopt California clean tailpipe standards. http://www.governor.state.nm.us/...

· joining the largest national effort to take action in global climate change, which measures, tracks, verifies and reports greenhouse gas emissions. http://www.governor.state.nm.us/...

After the last six years of deception and of trying to keep global warming out of the public eye, it is necessary now more than ever to elect a president who will work to ensure our country is making smart and efficient energy decisions.

Meg Heckman of the Concord Monitor covered the governor’s stop in Manchester, NH on Friday. Addressing the crowd at Southern New Hampshire University, Governor Richardson took the opportunity to set aside the campaign stump speeches and instead introduced a thorough policy for defeating Al-qaeda in Afghanistan and the surrounding areas:

The botched occupation of Iraq has played into the hands of the jihadists, bolstering their propaganda that the U.S. wants to kill Muslims, and that we want to control the Muslim world to exploit it's resources," he said to more than 100 people in a campus auditorium. "We urgently must redirect our military effort away from Iraq, where al-Qaida's leadership is not located, and toward the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where they are located."

Richardson, the governor of New Mexico and a former United Nations ambassador, predicted another al-Qaida attack on Americans. He fears terrorists will find it too easy to sneak nuclear or biological weapons across our borders, and worries that our emergency responders are not adequately prepared.

"We know (the terrorists) have tried to acquire nuclear weapons," he said. "Our FBI director says he stays up at night worrying about an al-Qaida nuclear attack on America. We need to address this threat with the focus it deserves."

The governor also stood by his plan for a complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq in a timely manner:

"An orderly, phased and complete troop withdrawal could be completed rapidly," he said. "I hope Congress will get their spine up and de-authorize this war. . . . The sooner we are out of Iraq, the sooner we can be to winning the real war against the real terrorists who attacked this country on 9/11."

With his progressive vision for America's energy situation and the environment, and the only concrete, realistic plan to get our troops out of Iraq, Governor Richardson has taken the strongest lead of any candidate on two issues that will define the coming years for our nation. Voters in Iowa and New Hampshire are seeing how important executive branch experience is for a president, and Mark Nickolas wrote at SirotaBlog about Richardson’s recent gains in these states. Using polling data that shows upward trends that no other candidate is seeing, he reminds readers that John Kerry's ascent in 2004 began as an underdog with single-digit poll numbers as well. Hopefully, the mainstream media will soon be catching on to the governor’s “clear emergence”:

Richardson’s polling average has passed John Edwards in New Hampshire and is on the heels of Barack Obama in Iowa. And between Iowa and New Hampshire is the Nevada Caucus, a state where Clinton currently dominates but where about 10 points separates Obama, Edwards and Richardson.

But what if Edwards hangs-on and wins Iowa, with Richardson a strong third (ahead of Obama), and then five days later Richardson does well in the Western state of Nevada (finishing second or third), and then three days later he finishes third, defeating Edwards — all of which is entirely plausible based on current polling?

Would Richardson become the media darling just as the race heads into California and New York and Florida, all large states with large Hispanic populations?

Some things to consider in the coming months. A big thanks to Stephanie Valeska Lopez of the UW-Milwaukee College Dems and the others who contacted the South Carolina office and helped represent the campaign at CDA. Governor Richardson will be working back home in New Mexico until he heads to Iowa on Thursday.