Happy Holidays

I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone in the Buckeye state and beyond a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Also I want to thank the troops that have sacrificed their holiday seasons in Iraq, and the 3,897 who will never see their families or friends again. You will be missed.

Caucusing in Ohio

Well, we're coming down to the wire. The Iowa caucuses are two weeks away, but we've got work to do at home. Got an email from the campaign saying they are now collecting signatures to get Governor Richardson on the ballot in Ohio. If anyone would like a petition, email me at mc270505@gmail.com. They are due in by Jan. 4th but the campaign would prefer Jan. 2nd so they have time to figure out which signatures are actually usable.

Also, if anyone would like to be a district delegate for Bill Richardson at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, let me know. The caucusing to determine these delegates takes place in a specific location in your U.S. Congressional District on January 3rd at 7:00 PM. As usual, email for details.

In the meantime, make sure you're spreading the word about Governor Richardson. He needs all of us in Ohio to make sure his message is heard.

Looking out for Ohio

With 31 days left until the Iowa caucuses, it is a busy time to say the least. Candidates are trying to get to every last voter, shake every hand, and let people know why they should be our next president. At least that’s the Bill Richardson strategy; having recently completed stops in all 99 counties in Iowa, it is very clear who is working the hardest to make sure all of our concerns are heard. Since the last post here, Governor Richardson has added a fifth Nobel Peace Prize nomination to his other four thanks to his diplomatic efforts in Sudan and North Korea:

Between campaign stops this year and his job as governor of New Mexico, Richardson went to North Korea to recover the remains of missing U.S. troops from the Korean War and to Sudan to encourage a cease-fire in the Darfur conflict. Richardson often undertakes these efforts on his own, without an official imprimatur from the U.S. government, and he has negotiated with some of the world's most notorious dictators, from Iraq's Saddam Hussein to Cuba's Fidel Castro.

"I'm profoundly humbled by this nomination, but I was just trying to do my part," Richardson said. "There are hundreds of dedicated advocates, nonprofits, humanitarian organizations and public servants who work each day to reduce tension in Korea and try to bring peace to Darfur."

Restoring America's leadership in the world. More can be read here.

A CNN/WMUR poll out of New Hampshire shows Hillary Clinton dropping seven points, while the governor has made the biggest gains, jumping from 6 to 12%.

"I have campaigned everywhere, shook so many hands and visited so many New Hampshire towns," Richardson said. "I love doing it, but when you see the fruits of your labor producing momentum, that's where I want to be."

Richardson said he thinks voters are making the connection that he's qualified to bring change to the country.

"What's happening in New Hampshire is they are seeing me as a candidate who has serious experience -- as a governor, as a diplomat and as a secretary of energy," Richardson said. "That I've been able to bring change."

Richardson appeared on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" to speak about withdrawing all troops from Iraq and denouncing the claims made by Senator John McCain that the surge has been working:

Just days ago while campaigning in Iowa, Governor Richardson unveiled his agriculture plan, including incentives for alternative energy production (hello Ohio) as well as limiting subsidies to large-scale operations:

In his policy package, Richardson sought to blend together farm incentives with alternative energy proposals he has discussed on the campaign trail. Those plans address wind energy, ethanol production and biodiesel fuels.

Richardson set ambitious goals, including cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2020 and reducing dependence on foreign oil by 50 percent over the same period. He would offer tax credits for production of ethanol and other alternative energy options, including biofuels, wind and solar.

He also pledged to support "an alternative energy infrastructure" that would include flex-fuel and plug-in pumps at gas stations.

The full text of the AP article can be read here. Governor Richardson has also released a statement on a crucial issue for Ohio: home foreclosure. Our state ranks as one of the highest in the country in this respect, and Richardson is taking the lead on this issue:

As Governor, Bill Richardson:

* Prohibited lending made without regard to one's ability to pay back the loan.
* Prohibited the refinancing of a home loan when the loan provided no net tangible benefit to the borrower.
* Restricted the fees and points charged for a home loan.
* Limited late payment fees.

As President, Bill Richardson will:

* Reform the bankruptcy laws to give primary housing residences the same status as vacation homes so that mortgages on people's actual homes can be restructured during bankruptcy.
o This alone will prevent some 600,000 hardworking Americans from losing their homes in the coming months and years.
* Prevent up to 1.75 million Americans from defaulting on their mortgages by enacting the FDIC's proposal for a temporary freeze of introductory rates on the most default-prone adjustable-rate loans.
* Insist on transparency in the mortgage industry and build a firewall between credit-rating agencies and the companies that they rate.
* Preserve our communities affected adversely by foreclosures. While fighting to prevent foreclosures, Richardson also will work with lenders who do have foreclosed properties to ensure that these properties are responsibly maintained and that our neighborhoods are protected.
* Guarantee transparency in the credit card industry and all of its activities.
o Insist on 'plain English' instructions for all credit card contracts. Users of credit should not need a PhD to understand what they are signing.
* Prohibit retroactive higher interest rates on balances incurred before a rate increase went into effect.
* Place limits on the interest rates that can be charged for medical debt and prevent credit agencies from downgrading credit scores due to medical debt.
o Over one-third of working-age Americans have had trouble paying medical bills or have incurred medical debt in the last year, and medical expenses play a role in nearly half of all personal bankruptcies.

Having already taken great steps against predatory lending and other usurious practices in his own state, Richardson has already shown his ability to meet this type of lending head-on, and he would do the same for our country. The governor will be in Iowa today before heading to Washington D.C. and then Florida.

A Devastating Failure

This was posted at the Huffington Post and at the main campaign's blog. So we have another of Bush's yes-men selected as Attorney General who isn't exactly sure where he stands on torture (shocking) while four Democratic senators who could have stood up and made a statement against torture sat back and watched it all. We need Bill Richardson's leadership on this and many other issues:

A Devastating Failure

By: Governor Bill Richardson

Real leadership requires having the strength to stand up, even when it isn't easy and victory isn't guaranteed. The Senate's confirmation last night of Michael Mukasey for Attorney General was a devastating failure of leadership, and a serious set back in our fight to take back America.

Mukasey's waffling about waterboarding and torture was unacceptable -- and should have been a deal-breaker from the start. Since the Spanish Inquisition, the rest of the world has been able to identify torture. Why is it too much to expect our attorney general to be clear on what torture is and whether or not it is illegal?

Waking up this morning with another attorney general who won't steadfastly stand against torture was a shock. Even more shocking was that four Democratic U.S. Senators running president failed to even show up for the fight.

I may not be perfect, but I can tell the difference between right and wrong.

Torture is wrong. Torture is un-American. This is a black and white issue. There is no gray -- torture of any kind is a crime.

And I will stand up and say so unequivocally: when I'm president, I will ensure that any form of torture, including waterboarding, will never be used. Furthermore, I will direct the Department of Justice to vigorously investigate and prosecute ANY individual responsible for the use of torture No one is above the law. No one.

This may have been forgotten by the Bush administration, but the attorney general's job is to steadfastly defend the Constitution and execute the laws of the land, without exception or equivocation. Judge Mukasey's willingness to let politics distort such a clear-cut moral issue was disappointing. But, by allowing him to be confirmed as attorney general, the Senate has allowed the Bush administration to move the moral line-in-the sand once again. Have we not learned that when you give this man an inch he will take a mile?

Last night, the confirmation could have been stopped with a filibuster and 40 Democratic votes. The fact that four Senators didn't show up and speak out boggles me. I know they are all against torture, but if they had shown up and spoken out, they may well have changed the outcome.

I believe some things are worth fighting for -- even if you fail, at least you go down fighting. And if the use of torture isn't worthy of that kind of fight, I don't know what is.

You can join me in this fight at http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/notorture

The following is an excerpt from an article appearing in The Nation, detailing Governor Richardson's abilities to lead, his ambitious policies and why he is the right choice to lead our country in 2008:

The positive choice is Bill Richardson, the candidate who has the greatest depth of experience, as a member of Congress, UN ambassador, Energy Secretary and governor of New Mexico. Richardson has for years been an inspiring leader in the fight against global warming. He recently signed into law a bill that requires New Mexico utilities to quadruple their use of renewable energy. Armed with the most aggressive plan to gain energy independence and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, Richardson would provide the crucial environmental leadership sorely lacking in the United States.

Bill Richardson is smart, likable and dedicated to the best of progressive principles. He would allow working families and small businesses to purchase healthcare coverage through the same plan enjoyed by members of Congress. He is the only candidate who has declared that acceptance of Roe v. Wade as established law will be a necessary condition for his Supreme Court nominees. While in Congress, he voted against, and continues to oppose, the military's disrespectful and discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. He proudly stands for equal legal rights for all families, including same-sex couples.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Any and all Ohioans interested in networking with other supporters please visit richardsonforpresident.com, create a profile, join groups and get the conversation started. Primaries are only a few months away, and there's still a lot of work to be done.

"You are my hero."

Welcome to why Republicans want to limit the Democratic presidential candidates to a "top tier": electability.



Governor Richardson appeals to both moderates and progressives. Take a moment to write a letter to your local newspaper in support of his candidacy. Use this link to write a letter to the editor about the governor's plan for bringing all of our troops home, educate people on his energy initiatives or his other plans to make this country better. It's going to take all of us to let Ohioans know that the best candidate for president next year is not the most glamorous. But he will bring the experience and change we need.

Going Strong

The campaign is still going very strong as Governor Richardson continues to separate himself from the pack on some very important issues. One of those issues is the war in Iraq, and the governor published an op-ed in the Washington Post on the 8th detailing his stance and emphasizing the need for a true change of course:

Our troops have done everything they were asked to do with courage and professionalism, but they cannot win someone else's civil war. So long as American troops are in Iraq, reconciliation among Iraqi factions is postponed. Leaving forces there enables the Iraqis to delay taking the necessary steps to end the violence. And it prevents us from using diplomacy to bring in other nations to help stabilize and rebuild the country.

The presence of American forces in Iraq weakens us in the war against al-Qaeda. It endows the anti-American propaganda of those who portray us as occupiers plundering Iraq's oil and repressing Muslims. The day we leave, this myth collapses, and the Iraqis will drive foreign jihadists out of their country. Our departure would also enable us to focus on defeating the terrorists who attacked us on Sept. 11, those headquartered along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border -- not in Iraq.

Logistically, it would be possible to withdraw in six to eight months. We moved as many as 240,000 troops into and out of Iraq through Kuwait in as little as a three-month period during major troop rotations. After the Persian Gulf War, we redeployed nearly a half-million troops in a few months. We could redeploy even faster if we negotiated with the Turks to open a second route out through Turkey.

As our withdrawal begins, we will gain diplomatic leverage. Iraqis will start seeing us as brokers, not occupiers. Iraq's neighbors will face the reality that if they don't help with stabilization, they will face the consequences of Iraq's collapse -- including even greater refugee flows over their borders and possible war.

The United States can facilitate Iraqi reconciliation and regional cooperation by holding a conference similar to that which brought peace to Bosnia. We will need regional security negotiations among all of Iraq's neighbors and discussions of donations from wealthy nations -- including oil-rich Muslim countries -- to help rebuild Iraq. None of this can happen until we remove the biggest obstacle to diplomacy: the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq.

My plan is realistic because:

• It is less risky. Leaving forces behind leaves them vulnerable. Would we need another surge to protect them?
• It gets our troops out of the quagmire and strengthens us for our real challenges. It is foolish to think that 20,000 to 75,000 troops could bring peace to Iraq when 160,000 have not. We need to get our troops out of the crossfire in Iraq so that we can defeat the terrorists who attacked us on Sept. 11.
• By hastening the peace process, the likelihood of prolonged bloodshed is reduced. President Richard Nixon withdrew U.S. forces slowly from Vietnam -- with disastrous consequences. Over the seven years it took to get our troops out, 21,000 more Americans and perhaps a million Vietnamese, mostly civilians, died. All this death and destruction accomplished nothing -- the communists took over as soon as we left.

My position has been clear since I entered this race: Remove all the troops and launch energetic diplomatic efforts in Iraq and internationally to bring stability. If Congress fails to end this war, I will remove all troops without delay, and without hesitation, beginning on my first day in office.

Governor Richardson is the only Democratic candidate with a clear, articulate plan for bringing our troops home. The governor also was published at the Huffington Post, outlining his positions on Iraq, education, and health care. The article is titled "My Two for One Candidacy of Change and Experience," hearkening back to his line from the debate telling voters they did not have to choose between one or the other. Richardson believes that No Child Left Behind has failed, and that our students and young people deserve better:

Education is the key to our country's future. It may not be a sexy topic, but it should be one of the top issues discussed in this presidential campaign. We can no longer turn our backs on the needs of our public schools and teachers. We must once and for all get rid of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). In many urban areas of this nation, nearly half of the students don't graduate from high school on time. That is unacceptable in America! When I am president, we are going to bring real help to our public schools. Pay higher wages to teachers. Create math and science innovation academies so our kids can compete in the 21st century. As president, I will set a national goal- American students will be #1 in the world in math and science within 15 years.

President Bush promised to be the education president. That promise got about as far as his promise not to run an arrogant foreign policy. NCLB has been a failure because like everything else the Bush administration does, after the photo-ops, the policy got stuck in a drawer and forgotten about. Well, we cannot afford to forget about our children. Schools that are in trouble need help, not punishment. That is the basic problem with NCLB -- it hurts the schools that most need help. Few things motivate me more to serve as President of the United States than the opportunity to lead on the issue of education.

The rest of the op-ed can be seen here.

Also last week, the Univision debate took place, which was the first-ever Spanish language presidential debate. Candidates had earpieces, allowing them to hear the English translations of the questions they were being asked. The campaign released a press release explaining why Governor Richardson had the best showing out of all the candidates:

Tonight at the Univision Democratic Presidential Forum, the first-ever Presidential forum sponsored by a Spanish-language television network, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson clearly demonstrated why he is the best candidate to end the war in Iraq and move America forward.

Latinos currently comprise 14% of the U.S. population and are growing in importance in the political sphere.

"Latinos are the heart of the American mainstream," Governor Richardson said. "I am very proud to be the first Latino Democratic candidate to run for President. I think any way this country can promote diversity is important. Latinos care about all issues, including health care and the war in Iraq. We are mainstream. I was under the impression that, in this debate, Spanish was going to be permitted. I have always supported Univision throughout my career. But I am disappointed today that 43 million Latinos cannot hear one of their own speak Spanish."

Governor Richardson afterwards took a moment to talk about his success in the debate:

As you can see, the campaign is still gaining strength. Governor Richardson will be in Washington D.C. today before heading to Chicago tomorrow to speak at the Laborers International Conference.

Change and Experience

As Governor Richardson memorably put it during debate, he is the candidate of both change and experience. This new ad demonstrates his commitment to bringing all of our troops safely out of Iraq:




It will be nice to not have to compromise when I cast my next vote for president. Also, make sure you guys check out the new official Richardson for President store. You can buy shirts, buttons, bumper stickers, signs...whatever your heart desires:




That's it for now. School is slowly taking over (OU College Dems!), but I'll do my best to keep posting here.