Don't Repeat Error of 2004 - Reward Experience

by Chad Shue [courtesy of Blog for America]

Cross-posted here 

I recently attended a “Presidential Candidates Forum” hosted by one of our local Democratic Legislative District organizations (Washington State will conduct precinct caucuses on February 9th).  While the forum featured local surrogates for the actual candidates, the answers to a pre-determined list of questions were required to be from specific policy statements of the candidates themselves and not simply the opinion (or spin) of the surrogate.  The questions ranged from Iran/Iraq, to Immigration, to Healthcare, to Energy/Environment, to restoration of the Constitution. While I went into the forum a Richardson supporter, I left even more convinced than before that we need experience in the oval office. Although there were many good ideas and plans laid out before us at this forum, the one thing that kept running through my mind was the truism, “Actions speak louder than words.” Having served at every level of government, Bill Richardson is the only person running for president this year who has actually produced results in the areas that impact our country the most at this time in history.

As a congressman, Richardson introduced successful legislation to expand national park lands in his home state of New Mexico. At the behest of a constituent, he traveled to hostile territory in Sudan to successfully negotiate the release of US hostages being held there. During the Clinton administration he served as this country’s ambassador to the United Nations and as Secretary of Energy, serving with distinction in each of those areas. Currently in his second term as Governor of New Mexico (an arguably “deep red” state), Richardson has brought differing sides together to establish New Mexico as a model for other states in the areas of energy, education and healthcare.