Comments on: Bill Richardson Withdraws As Commerce Secretary Nominee

By: libbyliberal

libbyliberal — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:30:38 +0000

An interesting story. I read once that one of his assistants got annoyed with him because he would literally lean over and lick one lens of her glasses while she was wearing them and trying to communicate something to tease her. What is with that behavior?

By: barbwire

barbwire — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:29:12 +0000

Note, the reply by me above was to Kassandra’s comments. Ooops.

By: barbwire

barbwire — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:28:39 +0000

Kassandra, I’d like to disagree with some of your assertions. I find your comment about a “Mexican Mafia” rather insulting, but in any case it wouldn’t apply to Richardson since he is viewed in a negative manner as an outsider because he wasn’t born and raised here. The long-time status quo that’s been most engaged in pay to play is actually against Richardson, not with him.

As for New Mexico’s finances shifting rapidly from boom to bust, that’s what happens when so much of a state’s budget is funded by oil, gas and mineral mining fees and taxes. There was a surplus last year because oil and gas prices, as well as those for other minerals like copper, were high. We all know what’s happened of late with those prices crashing.

As for Intel, they have been in business here for decades, and still are, even if they — like so many other companies — have had to lay off workers recently.

Richardson has his faults as do all politicos, but he has moved NM into at least the 20th century with a commuter train line from Belen to Santa Fe, that will eventually be extended further. It was put into place in record time. He’s also successfully pushed for a space launch facility that’s leased primarily by Virgin and brought hundreds of movies to be filmed here producing lots of jobs. He’s also made sure that tech training for various aspects of the move industry is provided here. In addition, the standards he pushed successfully for renewable use here are some of the very best in the nation.

It’s easy to say all politicians are crooks, and that’s true to some extent because that’s the nature of the beast in the USA with its money driven political system. But to paint with such a broad brush as you have is more than a bit over the top in my view.

By: Kassandra

Kassandra — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:55:45 +0000

The Mexican Mafia runs NM. Richardson and the corrupt legislature keep giving away our tax base to out-of-state corporations who come in here and take our $$$ supposedly to provide jobs and then, like Intel, lay off all their workers and go bankrupt, take the pensions with them and leave a huge environmental mess to clean up.

Just this last summer, there was hooting and hollering about a 200 million surplus. Then, it was gone ( who knows where) and now we have a budget deficit; thsis has happened several times since I’ve lived here

Richardson has always seemed like a good Republican to me. And Albuquerque’s mayor Chavez is as corrupt as they come.
The only bad news about this is that Richardson will be coming back and Denish won’t be our governor. ERGH.

I hope they hang him high.

By: MarkusQ

MarkusQ — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:50:23 +0000

Yeah, that’s my take too.

I suspect what’s really going on here is the Karl’s slime machine got Richardson and they’re going to hold off until he can wipe the rove off his shoes, rather than tracking all over the freshly mopped floors and stinking up the place.

– MarkusQ

By: barbwire

barbwire — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:46:55 +0000

Manny certainly did wrong, but many people don’t know that for many years he was one of the most progressively liberal forces in NM. He helped many people and he did many good things, including providing very strong support for the GLBT community. In fact, Richardson has too, and NM is one of the few states without a DOMA law.

As for bribery and skimming — show me a place where it doesn’t go on. It is the very basis of power in the US government. If you’re not doing it, you’re not powerful. It’s time to stop punishing people for dealing with the system that exists, and start changing the system that requires people to become crooks to rise in politics.

By: barbwire

barbwire — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:39:30 +0000

Steve Terrell may be right about something changing re the grand jury, but I’m not so sure. If you read the statements by Obama, Richardson and now Lt. Gov. Diane Denish - who would replace Richardson if he left - there is clearly an assertion by all parties that this is just a temporary delay that will ultimately result in Richardson’s getting off the hook and into the Obama administration.

Read this for another interpretation of what’s going on and why: http://tinyurl.com/9fjnvf

By: questioneverything

questioneverything — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:34:45 +0000

And now Wilson wants to run for Governor in 2010. What a prize she is.

By: pajarito

pajarito — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:40:20 +0000

And let’s not forget Pete Dominici and Heather Wilson, who used their high offices to attempt to get an honorable US Attorney to hurry up an indictment for political gain. Though they haven’t been charged, or indicted for anything. They are crooked to the core.

By: RAMA

RAMA — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:34:33 +0000

Let’s not forget this is the state where Rove and Gonzo had David Iglesias replaced as U.S. Attorney because he wouldn’t bring frivolous prosecutions against Democrats. It will, I suspect, pay to wait and see if there’s any there there, other than an attempt to throw sand in the Obama transition gears.