Primary Place Online

Governor Bill Richardson appeared at an Exeter house party Saturday evening; one of his minions said there were 80 people signed in, though that seems a bit of hyperbole to me. There was a good crowd squeezed together in a hot, hot night. Richardson smilingly referred to the heat several times as he turned to face the fan pointed in his direction.

He talked about many issues, with passion. He got much applause when he said that within six months of his taking the office of president, he would bring  home all the troops from Iraq. It will take that long to get the equipment, contractors and military out, he stressed. And health care coverage is among the issues that would get needed attention when the costs of the Iraq war are reduced, he said. He favors universal health care, reduction of administrative health care costs (which, he pointed out, take up to 31% of the costs!). And mental health parity is a significant part of health care.

"Scrap No Child Left Behind" he urged, and pay beginning teachers everywhere $40,000! (As a former teacher, I cheered at that position.

As a former Secretary of Energy, Richardson's requirement that we ALL need to sacrifice in order to achieve energy independence: use of different sources of energy, expenditures for research on those sources, gas-economy in new cars, etc. Like other Democrats, he pointed out that sacrifice is not a Republican watchword!

I think one of the most significant points of Richardson's positions is his plan to provide incentives to companies to come into a state (rather than to send work overseas), and to incentives for industries to provide training, retraining, and unionization for workers. Though he is not the only Democrat to recommend incentives for changed policies (Hillary has long argued for his, as did Bill Clinton), it is a critical economic point, which Richardson aimed particularly at a union member who was in the audience.

Richardson addressed immigration, too, and acknowledged that this is a tricky issue. As a governor of a border state he is all-too familiar with the complexities of the issue, and says he would try to work with the Mexican government to address labor issues in both countries, as well as to study carefully options for addressing the problem. He doesn't panic, as a few members of the crowd seemed to, at "illegal aliens" crossing our borders. He doesn't oversimplify, either.

Richardson's warm humor and ability to laugh even at himself is refreshing. His resume is deep, his passion clear.  I could happily see him on the Democratic ticket, preferably as Vice President, or, if that isn't the outcome, certainly in the cabinet!