Bring It On! Election 2008

Yesterday, Governor Richardson was in South Carolina introducing himself to voters and working to raise money.

Here is the Greenville News wrap-up.

Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson asked party activists in Spartanburg and Greenville on Saturday to “keep your powder dry” and not make a hasty selection.

For Richardson — and those hearing him — it was a get-acquainted session.

The governor of New Mexico and former United Nations ambassador told about 100 people at a suburban Greenville hotel, “I want you to get to know me (and) let this election unfold.”

Making his first purely campaign swing through the region since speaking at a state Democratic event in Greenville earlier this year, Richardson held a fundraiser Friday night in Columbia, then made appearances in Rock Hill, Spartanburg and Greenville before wrapping up at the Anderson County Democratic Party’s summer rally.

Here is the Associated Press wrap-up (via The State), which details another first for a Presidential campaign. As you may recall, Bill Richardson was the first Presidential candidate to visit Marlow, NH last week.

Yesterday, Governor Richardson became the first candidate to ever visit the Catawba Indian Reservation.

Earlier Saturday, Richardson became the first presidential hopeful to campaign at the Catawba Indian Reservation near Rock Hill.

“I think it’s wonderful that he called us and wanted to come down here,” said interim Assistant Chief Claude Ayers. “First time anybody’s ever done that.”

In addition to visiting parts of rural Iowa that never receive attention from candidates, Governor Richardson is reaching out to voters who don’t normally have any interaction with Presidential candidates, living up to his pledge to out-work the other candidates. Clearly, there’s no hand Bill Richardson won’t shake, no baby he won’t kiss and no town too small for him to visit. And that’s not a bad thing for Democracy.

From Richardson for President:

Monday, July 9th — Mountain Time

When: All Day

What: Fundraising

Where: New Mexico

Tuesday, July 10th — Central Time

When: 11:30 AM

What: Presidential Job Interview

Where: United Steelworkers Local 105, 880 Devils Glen Road, Bettendorf, IA

When: 3:15 PM

What: Presidential Job Interview

Where: Riverside Restaurant, 517 N. 2nd Street, Ground Floor, Clinton, IA

When: 5:15 PM

What: Presidential Job Interview

Where: Costello’s Old Mill, 22095 Highway 64, Maquoketa, IA

When: 7:00 PM

What: Presidential Job Interview at Residence of Christine and Tom Sinsky

Where: 1390 Valentine Dr., Dubuque, IA

Wednesday, July 11th

Central Time

When: 9:00 AM

What: Visit to “Field of Dreams”

Where: 28963 Lansing Rd., Dyersville, IA

When: 10:00 AM

What: Presidential Job Interview

Where: Cedar Lodge Steak House 205 S. 12th Street, Manchester, IA

When: 11:15 AM              

What: Presidential Job Interview

Where: Pizza Ranch, 1900 1st Street W, Independence, IA

When: 12:45 PM

What: Presidential Job Interview

Where: La Chiquita Mexican-American Restaurant, 301 East 4th Street, Waterloo, IA

Taking the road less traveled (which has been known to make all the difference), Governor Richardson was the only Democratic candidate to campaign in New Hampshire yesterday. 

In what may have been the most straightlaced portion of his three-day swing through New Hampshire, Bill Richardson spent an hour yesterday on a manicured patio in Bow fielding questions about why he wants to be president.

The house party was a nod to traditional politicking in an itinerary packed with the offbeat: Banging pots and pans with locals in Greenville to welcome Independence Day on Tuesday night, inviting voters to quiz him in mock job interviews and, this afternoon, becoming the first presidential candidate to ever visit Marlow, a town of 789 outside of Keene.

About 50 people came to Deborah deMoulpied’s hillside home to hear Richardson, the Democratic governor of New Mexico. The format was traditional, but he kept with the overall spirit of his tour by cracking jokes, stressing that he was the only Democratic candidate to visit New Hampshire on July Fourth.

Here is the Boston Globe’s wrap-up of the day’s events.

More from the Union Leader, which includes some rave reviews:

“I loved most of what he said,” said George deVito of Hopkinton. “The question is more than ideas, it’s how you get these things done,” he said, referencing a divided congress, among other roadblocks. “I don’t know that he could answer that.”

“The current ‘my way or the highway’ doesn’t work,” said Randy Choiniere of Concord. “Richardson has experience with actual diplomacy.”

“Prior to his ads and the debates, I didn’t consider him a serious candidate,” said Sarah Brown of Bow. “Now I do.”

This morning, Governor Richardson posted an Independence Day message on his campaign blog. I encourage you to read the entire message, but here is an excerpt:

This is a day not for partisan politics, but for grateful remembrance and joyous celebration. A day of optimism and hope. A day to remember that we live in the greatest nation on earth, where our best days are still ahead of us. A day to celebrate our freedom, but also to remember that freedom comes at a cost.

Baghdad is Iraq’s largest city with 7 million residents. Iraq has 15 other major cities, hundreds of smaller cities and towns and thousands of villages with another 20 million people in a nation the size of California.

We don’t have enough troops now in Iraq to bring peace and stability to the country - and never will absent re-instating the draft and sending over 600,000+ soldiers, which of course should not and will not occur.

How then will withdrawing the bulk of our forces but keeping residual troops in Iraq - as several Democratic candidates for President have advocated - achieve anything other than continued American deaths? Which Democratic Presidential candidate has the best plan for getting the U.S. out of Iraq? In my opinion it’s Bill Richardson. 

Read my analysis at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/7/4/15640/18882