by Jill Zuckman
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has joined the chorus.
Along with three of his Democratic opponents, Richardson is questioning whether Sen. Hillary Clinton can win the White House if she nabs the Democratic nomination for president.
The issue of electability - specifically Clinton’s - has come to dominate the campaigns of former Sen. John Edwards, Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Christopher Dodd, and now Richardson.
“What worries me when I think about the 2008 election is that if we nominate the wrong candidate, we’re not going to win the White House,” Richardson writes in a fundraising letter sent out today.
Entitled “Kicking the bums out,” Richardson’s email questions whether Clinton, the undisputed frontrunner, can survive the onslaught of Republican attacks in the general election.
“You’ve seen how the national Republican Party operates,’’ says Richardson. “They’re masters at destroying our candidates through smear campaigns and distortions. They’ve already got their long knives out for Senator Clinton - a person I admire even though I disagree with her on many important issues.
“The best we can hope for if she is the nominee is another squeaker that could go one way or the other,’’ Richardson says.
Not surprisingly, Richardson has a solution: “If I’m the candidate, we’ve got our best shot at taking back the White House.’’
In a postscript, Richardson confronts the critics who have dismissed his presidential candidacy as merely a prelude to a Senate race or a role as someone else’s vice presidential running mate.
“Don’t you believe it,’’ Richardson writes. “I’m in this race until the end.”
When asked why Richardson felt a need to reiterate the fact that he’s only running for president, spokesman Tom Reynolds said it was included “to finally put an end to the rampant speculation among the Beltway chattering class.”
“Richardson plans to be the Democratic nominee for president and to win back the White House for his party,’’ Reynolds said.
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Comments
Why wouldn't they pile on Hillary? She's winning...
If you listen to the Republican debates (it's hard, I know) you would come away thinking that Hillary had been the President the last 7 years and not their very own Republican President 24%.
If the Republic Party nominates Rudy, Hillary will have no problem winning because Rudy's whole campaign is a house of cards based on a noun and a verb and 9/11....a 9/11 that he actually blundered before during and after it happened.
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0732,barrett,77463,6.html
Posted by: John E | November 8, 2007 2:57 PM
Politicans. . .got to love them. Why aren't they telling us why we should vote for them and not why we shouldn't vote for their opponents. Won't it be funny to see the love fest, if Clinton gets the Democratic nod, and selects one of them to be her running mate?
Posted by: Janstress | November 8, 2007 3:15 PM
Isn't this just like the democratic party. Taking their most experienced candidate, the one with the most leadership ability, and trashing her. And the party does not know what it stands for, only that it is against something, but not sure what.
A former democrat.
Posted by: Watcher | November 8, 2007 3:17 PM
Even if we did elect Hillary in the general, she'd never get 60 votes in the Senate to get anything major done.
And so, once again we'd leave our country with a serious case of buyer's remorse.
Posted by: Larry from Purdue | November 8, 2007 3:31 PM
Who does Richardson want or think should be the nominee? certainly it will not be him or the others at this point. I think Richardson should switch sides because none of these Morons are worth the White House, but then again none of the Republicans are worth anyhing either.
Posted by: Gary H. | November 8, 2007 3:45 PM
Jump on in Billy, the water's fine. People who think with their brains are coming to the realization that Hillary/Bill may win the nomination, with the overwhelming support of women who love soap operas, she will not be able to defeat the Republican candidate, who is presumed to be Don Giuliani. The Republican androids are already programed to vote for Don Rudy on the strength of his being able to say 911 every 10 seconds.
The Democratic establisment think that there are enough androids among their ranks to program them to think another dose of deception from the Clintons. But they are wrong. Women who see right through Hillary/Bill's noble victim feminism are not going to vote for her. Democrats who felt that Bill's last goodbye in Jan 2001 was for keeps are not going vote for their ticket again.
Posted by: GW | November 8, 2007 4:36 PM
Now they've got another issue against Hillary. They need to quiz her about her role in harrassing Kathleen Willy after Willy complained about Bill groping her in the Oval Office. Hillary was the enforcer and probably still is for Bill's notorious meanderings. So Demo candidates, put this in your list of questions. And when are the "mainstream" media going to mention Willy's new book?
Posted by: Hassan | November 8, 2007 5:29 PM
Clinton's "winning" because she sells papers... she sells papers because of controversy... which is why Bill Richardson's comments about squeaking by is true. She's fodder for the media fire and that's all. They will happily rip her to shreads if (and good lord I hope not) she's nominated.
Regardless of her popularity in the media, she's not my candidate of choice and a rather dangerous nomination in my mind. But I would vote for her in a heart beat over Gouhliani or any of the other repulican creeps.
Posted by: Nathan | November 25, 2007 10:35 PM