Entering the Insanity: A Richardson-themed Presidential Foray

July of 2007 seems a lifetime ago, and, given the rapid-fire, shape-shifting nature of modern American presidential politics, in many ways it was. Yet, if you'll pardon the overused expression, it was at that time that I decided to dive, in my own somewhat verbose and often tangential way, into the choppy waters of the 2008 presidential race, which by that point was already about a half a year or more old.

The candidate I chose to support, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, like all but two of the eight-or-so serious Democratic contenders, got pulled out to sea by the Clinton/Obama undertow in January of this year, but not before placing a respectable fourth in the early Democratic races (behind Senators Obama, Clinton, and Edwards). This is not necessarily a horrible thing, as other fine candidates (particularly Senators Biden and Dodd) suffered the same fate, and it is anyway the case that the two remaining contenders for the Democratic nomination, Senators Clinton and Obama, are obviously very strong and qualified candidates, as well.

Anyway, it was in July of 2007 that I first sat down in order to begin the process of organizing the reasons why I thought Bill Richardson would be the best choice for Democratic voters in the various primaries and caucuses nationwide. What I produced is somewhat interesting in that it deals heavily with energy issues (particularly energy procurement, security, and use), and I'm not sure making that topic integral to my arguments was my initial intention--I may have had it in the back of my mind as a default unifying theme, but when I first looked at what I'd just written, it surprised me in that it seemed to be just about everywhere. Yet I'm glad it turned out that way, because energy concerns impact just about everything, whether domestic or foreign in policy nature, from global conflicts to transportation to the cost of goods and services to the cost of living in general.

The piece (I don't really know what else to call it, as it wasn't really "shaped" into anything after initially written) isn't perfect by a longshot. In fact, I'm not so certain it's even good--it reads far too much like a testimonial highlighting the saintly merits of some minor deity than it does a measured, thoughtful list of reasons why Governor Richardson should be the Democratic nominee for president in 2008. (In taking such a tone, I was obviously ignoring the realities of political existence, which do not allow for such consistently virtuous idealism; I knew this, but needed to get at this process in my own way, and then flesh-out the large issue of political realism later on.) But the piece does highlight where I began the process of finding my place to stand amongst the various candidates and their positions, and for that it is worthwhile.

I'm providing a chunk of it here, which should be just enough to give you an indication of where I still stand on a number of crucial issues (though my opinions have altered slightly on a few of the issues); you wouldn't want to read the full-length original version, parts of which sound like a mediocre after-dinner toast delivered by your good-natured but boring acountant neighbor....

WHY I SUPPORT GOVERNOR RICHARDSON FOR PRESIDENT

...We are respected in the sense that the values upon which the United States was established are still respected and admired by the vast majority of clear-thinking people in this world, wherever they may live. Our freedoms--personal, economic, and otherwise--are freedoms to which people around the globe aspire. Yet we are increasingly abhorred in that we have failed of late to marry our sense of optimism with a sense of historical reality and its implications on the present; we have failed of late to marry our sense of creativity and its accompanying power with a sense of the consequences of failing to apply that creativity and power in thoughtful, productive ways; we have failed of late to appreciate our freedoms through the necessary prisms of respect for all people who strive toward what we as Americans have, as well as the recognition that a little humility in the face of these great freedoms is necessary--along with the recognition of what price has been paid to keep them.

I support Bill Richardson for the Democratic nomination for president because Governor Richardson--with his vast experience in state, national, and international politics (as well as diplomacy), his ability to tackle challenges at these levels in pragmatic, intelligent, and innovative ways, and his willingness to put bold initiatives to the test, after first considering thoroughly their possible implications for our country and our world--is the best candidate to most quickly and accurately return the United States to its status as the most respected, energizing, intriguing, and pragmatic country in the world in the eyes of both increasingly disillusioned American citizens and increasingly (and alarmingly) skeptical people across the globe.

Governor Richardson has an eye-poppingly impressive professional resume', which includes (but is not limited to) several terms as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, followed by substantial amounts of time as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, the U.S. Secretary of Energy, and the Governor of New Mexico--all the while engaged in ongoing international diplomacy. He clearly has the tools and talent for the presidency. Does he, however, have the forward-thinking, engaging, inspiring ideas that a president elected in 2008 requires? Yes. His energy policy--surely one of the most important national policies, given that it affects both domestic and foreign affairs to an enormous extent--is by far the best of those put forward during this election cycle in that it challenges Americans to both reduce energy consumption where and when it is appropriate to do so, as well as work to produce alternate sources of energy to meet our considerable future needs in ways that are cleaner, safer, and more secure than ever before.

The percentages by which he wants to reduce greenhouse gasses as well as our dependence upon foreign sources of oil seem at first daunting, but when one reads the thinking behind them, and when one takes into account the notion that this challenge is akin to putting a man on the moon--something that America performed less than a decade after so many people thought that President Kennedy was setting an impossible timetable--one gets the sense that we can come together, as we have done before, to meet this challenge as we have met past challenges, and in doing so renew our innovative, industrious spirit, which is currently stuck in an outdated, fossil-fuel rut.

If we can achieve what Governor Richardson sets out for us to achieve in the realm of energy, which in many ways is at the heart of so much of the world's current strife, surely we can achieve the other necessary goals that the governor has set for us. These goals include moving quickly and unflaggingly toward a health care system that protects the quality of American healthcare while simultaneously extending it to all of our citizens (no small challenge, that...); extracting U.S. troops from unnecessary wars of choice, such as the war in Iraq, that distract everyone in this world from the real problem groups civilization faces, such as al-Qaeda in the more tribal regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan (as well as from the problems of ignorance, poverty, and alienation that help to radicalize entire populations to support such groups); and recognizing that so many problems, both of our own citizens and those of people around the world, stem from the unavailability of a well-rounded, quality education for each and every child that recognizes that good academic outcomes, far from being solely check-marks on a piece of paper, are the product of engaging and innovative academic processes, and for this to happen we must ensure that many of the best and brightest in our society are encouraged to be teachers and encouraged to actually teach--which means inspire and challenge students--as opposed to walk lock-step with the trendy, mediocre-standard-bearing, bureaucratic crowd currently muscling into schools.

These are daunting challenges indeed, and they will most certainly not be solved overnight. But of the current crop of Democratic candidates for president, all of whom are impressive in their own ways, Governor Richardson has the credibility and character, as well as the ideas and insight, to give us the best chance to meet these challenges and succeed. I, for one, say we should give him a chance, and in doing so we will be giving ourselves our best chance, too....