In Defense of Bill Richardson

Last week, I called New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson out for pandering, writing

Richardson does not give poll-tested answers to questions at events, but neither does he simply give audiences straight talk. In fact, as I have remarked to many who know me over the past few months, Richardson is very much a panderer.

Since then, news that Richardson told an Iowa crowd that Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status is God’s will — and is a constitutional right — has ignited the netroots’ desire to eat its young. Markos Moulitsas, who some knew to be considering an endorsement of Richardson months ago, blogged on DailyKos:

You know, he’s better than this — his solid record confirms that — but the national stage is clearly not for him. He’s clearly ill-prepared for it.

There’s a nice Senate race just begging for his entrance in New Mexico. His style is clearly a great fit for his state, and it deserves non-senile, non-corrupt representation in the Senate. I know it’s just a pipe dream, but I’m losing respect for Richardson the longer he remains in this presidential race. And as the highest-profile Latino in American government, I’d rather that not happen.

Perhaps Markos is right, but it isn’t time for Richardson to quit just yet. The pandering and the flip-flopping are there, but it has been going on for months. Richardson is running a campaign in the style of George W. Bush: he’s a southwestern governor, a former frat member, and a guy who is just good at getting along with people. His record as a governor is pretty stellar. He’s well connected but sufficiently detached from the Washington establishment. His words are less important than his aura.

This isn’t a candidacy in the mold of Joe Biden or Chris Dodd, who are the only two candidates with resumes that rival Richardson’s. This year’s Democratic primary is heavy on policy wonks, because that is what the base is asking for. We are demanding that candidates release detailed proposals for health care, Iraq, the environment, etc. Richardson has done his best to fulfill our demands, but that isn’t him.

He’s the guy who can go into a room with Kim Jong Il and get things done, even if it means compromising. While it’s pandering when he buddies up with crowds in Iowa, in a room filled with world leaders, it’s effective diplomacy. When he does it in a room of Senators and Representatives, it’s effective legislating.

We have a right to demand a wonky presidential nominee if we want one, and we have several good ones to choose from. But it is healthy for us to have a candidate whose strengths are not based on policy proposals but are instead based on personality.

After my claim last week that Richardson is a panderer, I explained why I think he’s catching on in Iowa anyway:

…because Richardson exudes so much personality and humility, his pandering does not come off as disingenuous. It is easy to feel that, at least during the time that it takes Richardson to tell his audience what he thinks they want to hear, he actually believes the red meat that he is throwing you. And he sweats more than everybody else, painting Iowans the perfect picture of a candidate: of someone who is truly willing to work for their support, even when it means a few minor contradictions and misstatements.

Iowans have learned over decades to stop looking for substance in everyday stump speeches anyway. Richardson has a likeable, humble personality and a resume that is close to perfect, and that is a strong combination.

We know he’s pandering, but he does it with a wink and a smile so that everyone knows what’s going on. When called on it, he freely admits what he’s doing. He doesn’t use the word “pander,” but he makes no excuses for the way politics works.

That might infuriate Markos and others, but I think it’s refreshing. Every candidate panders, no matter what they claim. When Richardson says, realistically, that he was just telling a joke to appeal to his audience, he’s being far more transparent than Clinton, Obama, or Edwards would be in the same situation.

The controversial Richardson quote is what it is. No one in the crowd thought he was serious. Outside Iowa, people might think that there are Iowans who actually believe that our first-in-the-nation status is God’s will, but I promise, no one actually does. We should welcome his admission that he was telling a joke that his audience wanted to hear, not punish him for it.