Democrats Nominate Richardson To Lead 2004 Convention

The Albuquerque Journal (subscription required) ^ | July 28, 2003 | Jennifer Peter, The Associated Press

[Starrgaizr]

Richardson -- the man who personally interviewed Monica for a UN job. Perfect. Richardson is a fool, like most people Clinton surrounded himself with.

[Starrgaizr]

E. The U.N. Interview and Job Offer

On Friday morning, October 31, Ambassador Richardson and two of his assistants, Mona Sutphen and Rebecca Cooper, interviewed Ms. Lewinsky at the Watergate.

According to Ambassador Richardson, he "listen[ed] while Mona and Rebecca were interviewing her."

On Sunday, November 2, Ms. Lewinsky drafted a letter to Ms. Currie asking what to do in the event she received an offer from the U.N.(649) She wrote:

"I became a bit nervous this weekend when I realized that Amb. Richardson said his staff would be in touch with me this week. As you know, the UN is supposed to be my back-up, but because VJ [Vernon Jordan] has been out of town, this is my only option right now. What should I say to Richardson's people this week when they call?"

Phone records reflect that, at 11:02 a.m. on November 3, a three-minute call was placed to Ms. Lewinsky from the U.N. line identified in State Department records as Ambassador Richardson's.

Ms. Lewinsky stated that she believes she spoke to Ambassador Richardson, who extended her a job offer.

According to his assistant, Ambassador Richardson made the decision to hire Ms. Lewinsky. Ms. Sutphen testified:

"I said, are you sure; and he said, yeah, yeah, I'm sure, why. And I said . . . are you sure, though you don't want to talk to anyone else . . . . And he said, no, no, I think it's fine; why don't you go ahead and give her an offer?"

Ambassador Richardson and Ms. Sutphen both testified that Ms. Sutphen, not the Ambassador, extended the job offer to Ms. Lewinsky.

When the President was asked in the Jones deposition whether he knew that Ms. Lewinsky had received the offer of a job at the U.N., he testified: "I know that she interviewed for one. I don't know if she was offered one or not."

[Political Junkie Too]

So the Democrats play the race card once again.

-PJ

[My2Cents]

I agree with you 100%, and I've been saying the same thing for years. The GOP doesn't need to pander to the Hispanic or Black communities on "racial/ethnic" issues, but needs simply to talk about economic freedom and opportunity, about traditional values, school choice, law enforcement concerns, etc. Those issues would resonate in those communities, I believe, but no Republican has ever tried.

[CedarDave]

Here is an op/ed piece in the ABQ Journal that gives another perspective on his "tax cuts":

Friday, July 25, 2003

Governor Raids Piggy Banks, Gambles on Startups
By John Dendahl For the Journal
    Is he a tax cutter or a piggy bank breaker?
    Gov. Bill Richardson got the national publicity he wanted earlier this year by pushing former Gov. Gary Johnson's personal income tax reform through the Legislature. On top of local stories, there was favorable mention by Rush Limbaugh and the ads New Mexico taxpayers bought in Times Square and national publications.
    Devils always being in the details, most of this much-needed tax relief lies in the future. Unfortunately, a number of legislative sessions lie between now and then. There's plenty of time for a governor and a Legislature dominated by his party (make that "her party" if Richardson splits and leaves the governor's chair to Lt. Gov. Diane Denish) to undo the tax cuts if ends cannot otherwise be met.
    Meanwhile back at the ranch, the ends already won't meet. Financial chicanery was only a few days behind the tax reform legislation. Our piggy banks are under assault.
    First to go was the Tobacco Settlement Permanent Fund, the money New Mexico receives from the global settlement of litigation against cigarette makers. The Legislature created this fund to be invested and earn money in the future for such programs as extracurricular school activities, health services and research into the impact of smoking.
    Poof — it's largely gone. Senate Majority Leader Manny Aragon, D-Albuquerque, sponsored a bill that puts about $155 million of that money, over four years, into the General Fund, and at the disposal of the governor and Legislature to spend. Some permanent fund.
    Next, Richardson got the Legislature to amend the law governing investments of the Severance Tax Permanent Fund to permit speculative equity investments in New Mexico companies. The Albuquerque Journal has reported that $29 million is about to go into: Mesa Semiconductor ($15 million), Eclipse Aviation ($10 million) and PowerWAN ($4 million).
    PowerWAN isn't yet even a New Mexico company, but rather a five-person company in Minneapolis that is expected to start an operation here. Mesa Semiconductor is a management buy-out of the Philips Semiconductor plant in Albuquerque, which Philips planned to shut down. Eclipse, which is developing an executive jet airplane, has generated a lot of excitement, but I would consider an equity investment in the company to be a dice-roll.
    In 1987, I was a member of the State Investment Council, which oversees investments of these permanent funds. I worked hard to get conservative Republican legislators to agree that investment of a small fraction of the Severance Tax Permanent Fund in venture capital pools represented reasonable diversification.
    That's a far cry from making speculative investments in specific companies. Venture capital pools are managed by people with expertise in evaluating the prospects of new companies. Most of their investments crash, but some succeed spectacularly. The pluses and minuses frequently add up to fine overall rates of return.
    Richardson now has New Mexico in the venture capital business, and his directorship in his brother-in-law's scandalously failed company, Peregrine Systems, comes to mind. Does the State Investment Office have the talent to compete with experts in, say, Silicon Valley? Richardson is about to bet $29 million that it does. I think it's a bad bet that New Mexicans shouldn't be making.
    On Sept. 23, a few of us will go to the polls to vote for or against another permanent fund raid. This raid is a proposed amendment to the state Constitution to raise the annual distributions from the Land Grant Permanent Fund. If approved by the few voters who show up to vote, another $75 million or so a year will be available for the governor and Legislature to spend.
    Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., started out opposed to this Land Grant Permanent Fund raid, but turned 180 degrees after some Richardson arm-twisting. Because Domenici has rarely seen a project in New Mexico he didn't like to spend public money on, this is hardly the surprise of the year.
    But the real piggy bank buster is Richardson. Don't bet the grocery money on ever seeing his vaunted tax cuts. Unlike the government in which Domenici serves, New Mexico's is constitutionally required to have a balanced budget. To achieve that, the Legislature will undo the tax cuts long before it stops the spending orgy.

(Dendahl is former NM Republican Party Chairman)

Copyright 2003 Albuquerque Journal

[mass55th]

Between his appearances on TV and with his running the '04 convention, when does he have time to be Governor? The people of New Mexico are getting ripped off big time.

[mass55th]

"I still think this guy is real bad news. "

I agree. There's a reason the North Koreans asked to meet with him...and it probably isn't a good reason.

[CedarDave]

No matter what you may think, Richardson is no fool. He is smart and very politically savvy. He has consolidated power in NM like no governor before him. He demanded resignations and has replaced EVERY board, commission and regents member down to the lowliest staffer with his own appointees, even those not scheduled to be replaced due to staggered year appointments. He tried to do the same with judges, but got slapped by the courts. Lots of institutional history went by the wayside because the new appointees, no matter how good individually, have to come up to speed with their new jobs. If a Republican had tried that, there would have been hell to pay, but he got away with it with just a minor slap on the wrist from the ABQ Journal in a couple of editorials that went largely unnoticed.

Clinton was/is very bright but got easily distracted by the perks and the icing that went with the office. Richardson is a very hard worker who doesn't lose his focus on what he wants to accomplish. He will probably end up fighting Hillary in 2008 for the Dem nomination, and likely come out on top.

[CedarDave]

And, BTW, although I intensely dislike his actions as described above, I have respect for the man (unlike Bill and Hillary), and have no trouble with his personality -- in other words he doesn't make me want to shut off the TV (or worse) when he is speaks. He will make a formidable opponent for the Republicans in 2008.

[Quix]

Not at all surprised.

[ladyinred]

Taco Bill....

You are killing me here! What kind of Mexican name is Richardson?

[Starrgaizr]

OK, I confess that my only opinions of him were shaped by UN/Energy where he was forced to pretend he liked and agreed with Clinton. He reminded me of a Sandy Berger, a relatively warm man but hopelessly in over his head and being played for a fool. Perhaps it was just the environment in which he had to work.

[mewzilla]

He will probably end up fighting Hillary in 2008 for the Dem nomination, and likely come out on top.

Oh, I don't know. Once a Toon butt-boy, always a Toon butt-boy. He'll do what he's told.

[Quix]

Good point.

Has our culture become SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DELUDED about right and wrong generally that perceptiveness and discernment have virtually ceased even among many conservatives and Christians?

My Dad's not normally blind about most things.

[CedarDave]

See my #25 and #28

[Chad Fairbanks]

His real name was 'Richardsonez', but he changed it in order to be able to compete in the White Man's World...

[BillyBoy]

"Under my leadership, we had the biggest breach of security fisaco in the nation's history!!"

"Bring Back Bill!" "Bring Back Bill!" "Bring Back Bill!"

[BillyBoy]

>> His real name was 'Richardsonez', but he changed it in order to be able to compete in the White Man's World... <<

His father is a rich WHITE American buisnessman, but if you have a drop of Spanish blood, you're an "oppresesd person of color", of course.

[EGPWS]

You gotta wonder what Howard Dean and John F. Kerry think of this fellow.... He's "too right wing" for the Democratic Party.

GOOD! A little competition will make for a great run!

[EGPWS]

Has our culture become SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DELUDED about right and wrong generally that perceptiveness and discernment have virtually ceased even among many conservatives and Christians?

Yes.