Opinion: Richardson gets it together

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Bill Richardson must be a morning person.

After a series of debate performances that ranged from pedestrian to pitiful, the New Mexico governor finally rose to the occasion during Sunday’s breakfast-in-Des Moines faceoff among the Democratic presidential hopefuls.

We took note previously of Richardson’s seeming lack of focus and inability to effectively articulate his positions during the first spate of candidate get-togethers. And the pressure truly was on him as the Iowa debate loomed because of the much-publicized gaffe he had committed earlier this month at a gay-sponsored forum in Los Angeles. Richardson, in a response his campaign quickly retracted, had answered ‘choice’ when asked by panelist Melissa Etheridge whether he believed homosexuality was a matter of preference or biology.

Against that backdrop, Richardson aides no doubt are breathing a huge sigh of relief that he not only navigated Sunday’s debate mistake-free, but received a round of kudos. In fact, his camp issued a press release this afternoon touting the strong reviews he garnered.

His hometown newspaper, the Santa Fe New Mexican, featured a complimentary piece headlined: ‘An assured Richardson brings his ‘A’ game in Iowa debate.’ But it wasn’t just his fellow New Mexicans who lauded him. ...

David Yepsen, the dean of Iowa political reporters, opined that Richardson turned in ‘his best debate of the campaign.’ (Not a particularly high bar to surpass, we would add.) Washington Post political blogger Chris Cillizza, who assiduously rates the candidate performances, tabbed Richardson as one of the winners in Sunday’s gabfest.

Richardson won wide acclaim for a crack that, while giving a nod to the two leaders for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, defined himself as the party’s best pick. ‘You know, I think that Sen. Obama does represent change. Sen. Clinton has experience. Change and experience: With me, you get both,’ he said, sparking an appreciative laugh from the audience while deftly summarizing his potential appeal.

Cillizza ranked it the morning’s best line. We call it a tie with Obama’s facetious reference to questions raised about his maturity level: ‘Well, you know, to prepare for this debate, I rode in the bumper cars at the state fair’ (which he actually did, with his five-year-old).

Richardson has reveled in projecting a rumpled, unpolished style on the stump. It’s paid some dividends --- such as gains in the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire --- but it also has created the impression that at times, he’s just winging it.

For those familiar with his lengthy career, that shouldn’t be a surprise. As a young man overflowing with ambition, he astutely plotted his way into a secure House seat. There followed an appointment as U.S. ambassador to the U.N., a Cabinet post and, after a brief detour into the private sector, his job as governor. But as a candidate on the ballot, he was seriously challenged only once --- way back in 1982, when he eked out the primary win that led to the first of a string of easy triumphs in his House district.

A resume like that can create an undisciplined campaigner; when coasting to victory, you don’t always --- or even very often --- have to be at the top of your game. But Richardson is playing in a different league now, and he may have finally learned that lesson.

-- Don Frederick