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IowaPolitics.com: Richardson says he can deliver western states other Dems can't
6/22/2007

By Eric Johnson
For IowaPolitics.com

DES MOINES -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Friday he could deliver Rocky Mountain states that 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry lost by slim margins to President George W. Bush.
   
“We in the Democratic Party seem to be nominating candidates that maybe are very strong in the East Coast and the far West Coast,” said Richardson, addressing the concept of electability raised recently in Iowa by fellow Democratic candidate John Edwards, a former senator. “The only dispute I have with the senator’s perception is that I can deliver the Rocky Mountain states that other candidates can’t.”

Richardson, speaking to a crowd of more than 150 at Drake University, also discussed what kind of Supreme Court judges he would nominate if elected president. He stressed the importance of selecting judges who were distinguished scholars who would uphold American’s constitutional rights. He also said he would partially base his decision on their opinions of Roe v. Wade.

“I would say, 'Do you believe Roe vs. Wade is settled law?'” the governor said.  “If they say yes, they have a good chance of getting picked. ... I say this because, you know, we always dance around this issue.”

Richardson, who calls New Mexico the clean energy state, explained his vision for a more energy independent America.

“I believe reducing our dependence on foreign oil is a moral concern. It’s national security, it’s energy security. But it also involves our quality of life,” said Richardson, who recently signed a bill in New Mexico requiring state utilities to quadruple their use of renewable energy. “I believe we need to decrease our dependence on foreign oil by 50 percent in the next 10 years.”

But it won't be easy, he pointed out, saying that attaining energy independence would require sacrifice from everyone.

Richardson made the comments at an event hosted by IowaPolitics.com and Drake University on the Drake campus. The event was sponsored by the Rocky Mountain News-Des Moines Bureau. Richardson also hit on topics such as Iraq, illegal immigration and education at the forum.

A few highlights from the event:

*Richardson on Iowa's renewable energy future: “Iowa can win in two areas. One, in the area of renewable energy, solar, wind and biomass because you have a good, strong university system, and you have plenty of wind,” Richardson said. “And you can win very obviously in the area of ethanol, biofuels and biodiesel. This is a new industry in America and could mean a lot of jobs for Americans.”

*Richardson on the war: “I would not do any more appropriations for a resolution. I would do what is called a deauthorizing resolution,” he said. “What the Congress should do is pass a resolution deauthorizing the war on Article I, where only the Congress should determine if we are at war. If I am president, I will only go to war if I get the authority of Congress.”

*Richardson on illegal immigration: “I have to deal with this issue every day as the governor of New Mexico. There are four border states, and we are one of them,” Richardson said. “Am I for this wall? No. It’s a 10-foot wall. First of all, Congress didn’t fund the whole thing. And do you know what’s going to be built? Eleven-foot ladders.”

*Richardson on education: “If there is a bad school, we should have the policy of helping that bad school. We should have incentives; get the good teachers to go to the bad schools. We need to help that bad school perform better,” said Richardson.

After the event, Richardson was due to open his Iowa campaign headquarters in Des Moines.
Multimedia Blog: Audio and video from the event


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