Richardson's Mount Pleasant speech getting high marks among Iowans

Across the country, Bill Richardson is mostly unknown except for being "that one governor guy" among the Democratic candidates.  In the latest Newsweek Poll, he had support from only 1% of Democrats.  But Iowa, the first state to vote, Richardson is gaining momentum.  He is in fourth place with an impressive 11 percent.

Most significantly, Iowans are still buzzing about a speech Richardson gave last week at Mount Pleasant, Iowa.  According to supporters, he was articulate, passionate and came across as experienced.  He spent a lot of time on Iraq.  But what impressed Iowans the most was his call for shared sacrifice:

Angie Thomas and her 18-year-old son, Patrick, are pleased that NewMexico Gov. Bill Richardson talked about sacrifice during his 90-minuteappearance Friday in Mount Pleasant.

The Thomases agree withRichardson that Americans should do their part to save the environmentby recycling, riding a bicycle instead of driving a car or heating ahouse with corn instead of coal. Richardson's call for sacrifice - notalways a popular concept - also makes the Democratic presidentialcandidate seem more honest, Patrick Thomas said.

"I love to hear a politician say that," said Thomas, who will be a freshman this fall at Iowa State University.

Richardson told a crowd of about 80 people at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant about his top priorities.

During the debates, to many, Richardson came across as dry and policy wonky.  Though, everyone agrees there is a lot of substance.  His challenge is to get the media to pay attention, which is hard because the 24-hour news channels already decided that it's a three-candidate race.  If only the media paid attention to substance.

Speaking of substance, there was a lot of it in the New Mexico Governor's Mount Pleasant speech:

• Iraq: Redeploy from Iraq in six months.  No US base.  No US security forces.  "If we withdraw, the insurgents will turn on al Qaeda," Richardson said.
• Education: Minimum wage for teachers of $40,000.  Would forgive education loans if students complete one full year of monitored national service.
• Economy: Constitutional amendment requiring balanced budget, which is what the European Union has.  New Mexico's economy is the fifth fastest growing in the nation.  Richardson wants to enact a similar tax policy that enables all classes.
• Health Care: Says health care is a "fundamental human right."  His plan will limit the power of HMO's and insurance companies.
• Energy: Apollo project that reduces oil dependence in half by 2020.  The Sierra Club commended Richardson for his energy plan, which would reduce greenhouse emissions by 30% by 2020.  50 mile-per-gallon standard for vehicles.

One major problem with the Richardson Campaign is its web team.  They are slow.  With Obama, Clinton and Edwards, videos, photos and speeches from events usually get posted one day after they happen.  For Richardson, sometimes it takes weeks.  The Mount Pleasant speech is not up yet.  But the press release is.

Comments

[Jon]

I really like a lot of Richardson's policies. Certainly more solid and Hillary and even Obama.