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Richardson’s ego led to a dual legacy
Gov. Bill Richardson (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
In his final days in office, Gov. Bill Richardson has made national news for going to North Korea to try to calm tensions, considering a pardon for Billy the Kid, and announcing that a blockbuster movie will be filmed primarily in New Mexico.
While at least two of those are good (I’m with those who say considering a pardon for Billy the Kid is a waste of time), those things are all notable because they get people talking about… Bill Richardson.
Being a politician seems to often come with an ego, but Richardson’s has been an ego on steroids. I don’t doubt that Richardson likes doing things that are good for others, but it is the ideas that are also good for his image that have really caught his attention and focus.
He’s convinced New Mexico to embrace some visionary projects, but his reckless ambition has also led to scandal that plagued his tenure.
Big ideas
The Albuquerque Journal’s Winthrop Quigley wrote recently that Richardson deserves credit for big ideas. He’s right.
Whether it’s trying to make Las Cruces the hub of the commercial space industry in North America, attempting to redefine transit in and around mid-sized cities with the Rail Runner, drawing film production to the state with financial incentives, or pushing the development of renewable energy with the creation of the Renewable Energy Transmission Authority, Richardson pushed visionary projects that have the potential to dramatically change New Mexico’s future.
Heath Haussamen
He dared New Mexicans to dream big. A state that didn’t have the vision to keep Bill Gates has, under Richardson’s leadership, taken some bold steps.
The problem: Those projects were largely about bolstering Richardson’s own image so he could become president.
Pay to play
Richardson entered the presidential race as an underdog. He and those helping him knew he would have to raise a ton of money if he was going to have a shot at securing the Democratic nomination.
Richardson pushed the legal limits of campaign finance laws and, in the opinion of many, crossed ethical lines (and maybe even legal lines). Countless news articles about Richardson donors getting lucrative contracts and influential political appointments made pay to play a household term.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I suspect history will remember Richardson more kindly than New Mexicans currently do. Even if only a couple of his big projects work out, they will have a significant impact on New Mexico’s future.
But Richardson came back to New Mexico in 2002 so he could be a big fish in a little pond and build his résumé in preparation for his presidential run. That ambition led to scandal after scandal that tainted his tenure as governor.
The irony
What’s ironic is that even that negative half of Richardson’s legacy has led to positive change in New Mexico.
All the scandals, shenanigans and disregard for ethical lines got the media, activists and lawmakers focused on ethics reform. It became politically popular to support such reform – to the point that Richardson actually pushed some of the very proposals that were inspired by the way he was doing business. (There’s that ego again.)
After eight years of Bill Richardson, we have a gift ban and expanded public financing. We have campaign contribution limits. We have legislative webcasting. We have a Sunshine Portal. We have reform of the State Investment Council. We have the Fraud Against Taxpayer’s act, which, ironically, Richardson signed into law and is now being used to sue him. We have open conference committees.
I could go on. The number of ethics and transparency laws passed in the last few years is astounding.
There were certainly other, dramatic public corruption cases that contributed to the climate for reform, including the state treasurer and metro court scandals.
But let’s be honest. When many of us heard story after story about potential pay to play in the Richardson administration, it simply became difficult to believe the tired line from Richardson’s people that campaign contributions did not affect his decisions.
As scandal after scandal brewed, the momentum pushing ethics reform forward only grew stronger.
Good from the good side, and the bad side
So I’ll call Richardson’s a dual legacy. In dreaming big, he convinced the state to place its hope in some long-term projects that have the potential to create a better economic future for New Mexicans. That’s his good side. His bad side helped create a climate ripe for structural ethics reform that was badly needed and will benefit New Mexico’s future.
For the first, I’ll thank Richardson for being a decisive leader, even if I don’t agree with every decision that was made and even though his motives weren’t necessarily pure. For the second… All I can say is that it really is true that good can come of any situation.
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Methinks I have struck a nerve…
I have pushed the “ignore” button for this poster, he or she is beyond hope.
Dr. J:
If you think disagreement with your opinions and an analysis of your attitude towards others (to say nothing of pointing out rather large inconsistencies between your statements and actual facts) constitute personal attacks, then it seems that I am not far from the mark in regards to your insecurities. Furthermore, if you think that your frequently patronizing attitude towards other posters and elected officials, your unsubstantiated and often factually baseless statements about the words and actions of others, your recurring knee-jerk descent into hyperbolic right-wing media talking points in lieu of an actual knowledge of issues, your childish name-calling and diminutive nicknaming, and your hypocritical situational inconsistency are not all evidence of a man who is demonstrably prone to irrelevant and repeated personal attacks on myself and others, then I stand by my earlier analysis of extreme narcissism and an obvious inability at self-reflection.
That being said, I’m flattered that in your attempt at a rebuttal, you (inadvertently?) chose to quote me.
And let me add Icarus, I don’t know how you think all your personal attacks on me (such as: “You’re like a clinical study in narcissism”, ” I am continually amazed at your ability to invent ways to ridicule others for your own apparent lack of skills and knowledge in technology, logic, critical reasoning, constitutional law, American history, etc., etc., etc”, etc.) are conducive to reasoned debate and dialogue on issues. And BTW, I have not attacked or ridiculed you so I am amazed at the venom you have for me. Do you always do this to those who have the temerity to disagree with you?
The display of the platform on this website:
http://www.nmdemocrats.org/platform
will not allow me to right click and copy and paste. I don’t know what you have that is different from mine, but I can’t do that in my browser.
Yeah, I’m having no trouble doing that either; for example:
Just a random sampling, copied and pasted directly from the document, without downloading or paying for anything. I am continually amazed at your ability to invent ways to ridicule others for your own apparent lack of skills and knowledge in technology, logic, critical reasoning, constitutional law, American history, etc., etc., etc. Or are you merely trying to come up with a way to distract us from your remarkable inconsistency?
Icarus, please try and read what I said. Reading the platform is not the issue. To comment on what I agree with (since there are things I don’t), I have to cut and paste (you know, the right click to sae time re-typing all this junk), the display on the website will not allow that, so it has to be downloaded to do that, and to download they require MONEY. Now read that all back slowly and several times if you still don’t understand what I have said several times here before.
I can read the platform in five browsers on two computers without ever being asked to pay for anything, and I’m “technically challenged? You really will believe anything to be correct in your own mind. You’re like a clinical study in narcissism.
Rorsh says: “It reminds me of the old, bitter people I always see on TV at the City Council meetings with no lives who make themselves feel important by putting others (those who sacrifice their time and energy to serve the public) down.”
You mean those frustrated, experienced, successful, and mature citizens, tired of being preached to, lied to, and mislead by politicians and bureaucrats paid to be our servants but who think we should bow down and serve them instead?
Dr J,
I love it. You have no fear at all of scalding and naming whichever politician you want (and I would love to see the examples of you going after Republicans. If examples exist they are few and far between). But for some reason you won’t list the ones you support?
That is great. You throw mud without and cast stones without acknowledging anything positive being done.
It reminds me of the old, bitter people I always see on TV at the City Council meetings with no lives who make themselves feel important by putting others (those who sacrifice their time and energy to serve the public) down.
Icarus, you too seem to be technically challenged. If you click on “download this document” on the link for the platform (you can’t cut and paste the display on the website), you get here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/33245286/2010-DPNM-Platform#open_download
It asks for money in order for you to download this precious and valuable work so you can cut and paste. Try it yourself. And the other link is now working, but I tried to open it a dozen times before and it brought up error messages as “could not open page”, maybe their cheap servers were down. I have no idea which mysterious candidates believe in the items I do, but they obviously believe in much I do not in areas like energy, the enviroment, big government intrusions into our lives, etc. for me to not support them. But it is common for the left wing Democrats to believe in many things I do, but to fail to believe in much more important issues in the economy, regulations, and the role of government. These type Democrats are not ones I can support, I am not monolithic or simple-minded, as many Democrats are these days.
Dr. J:
Both of the links that Rorschach provided work perfectly fine, and neither requires a purchase of any kind. You have officially been caught being either a) technologically unskilled, or b) strategically disingenuous. I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it’s the former. What I’m not going to let slide is the fact that you just listed multiple positions (at lest three by my count) that you claim to believe in that are major positions of candidates and elected officials that you have vehemently criticized without even acknowledging these alleged commonalities.
You are obviously aware your link to the state party platform site (the other one doesn’t work) requires a puchase on SchribID before you can access the platform document for download, how convenient for you. Are you an employee of the Democratic Party of NM? Instead let me show the parts of the DNC platform (What We Stand For) that I support (that’s free):
Civil Rights:
Strengthening the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to better protect voting rights
Enacting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which includes measures prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity;
Repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in a sensible way that strengthens our armed forces and our national security,
Ensuring civil unions and equal federal rights for LGBT couples, as well as fully repealing the Defense of Marriage Act;
Building a fair and more equitable criminal justice system that provides non-violent offenders a second chance at a rehabilitated life
Economy and Job Creation:
Providing tax cuts to small businesses and expanding lending so that businesses can create new jobs;
Science and Technology:
The Obama Administration has taken unprecedented steps to use technology as an instrument to restore faith, transparency, and accountability to government. By opening up government to all Americans, we can harness the ingenuity and experience of all Americans to increase efficiency and effectiveness of government.
Immigration:
Responsibility from the federal government to secure our borders: The Obama Administration has dedicated unprecedented resources to securing our borders and reducing the flow of illegal traffic in both directions.
Responsibility from unscrupulous businesses that break the law: Employers who exploit undocumented workers undermine American workers, and they have to be held accountable.
Responsibility from people who are living in the United States illegally: Undocumented workers who are in good standing must admit that they broke the law, pay taxes and a penalty, learn English, and get right with the law before they can get in line to earn their citizenship.
Open Government:
Bring unprecedented accountability to federal spending;
Rein in the influence of lobbyists in Washington;
Shut down the “revolving door” that allowed lobbyists to move freely from government to special interests and back;
Open more lines of communication with the American public; and
Increase cooperation across all levels of government, as well as with nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals in the private sector.
Voting Rights:
Democrats continue to fight for voting rights year-round, and the Democratic Party has made voter protection an integral part of its work. We are making progress, but we won’t stop working to promote a system of elections that is accessible, open, and fair—one that ensures that every vote lawfully cast is counted.
Energy Independence:
Investing in the development of renewable energy and clean technologies that will lead to the energy sources of the future;
Investing in a smart electric grid and energy efficient homes, offices, and appliances that will reduce our overall energy consumption as a nation.
And as for which Democrats I supported, financially and with volunteer time, I will not divulge that list as it would compromise my identity and privacy. But rest assured in 2010, there are several statewide candidates (one of which lost), numerous state representative and county candidates, and outside NM, the Democratic Party candidate for Guv in Texas and a few other states. You may love to label and pigeon-hole people, but I am not one that can be easily generalized, as partisanship is not in my makeup. I have also been critical of numerous Republicans (Weh, Pearce, Dominici, Wilson, Bush, etc.), perhaps you missed or ignored all that.
Really Dr J? Which principles of the Democratic Party do you stand behind? Here is the State Party’s Platform: http://www.nmdemocrats.org/platform. It would be interesting to see what ones you stand behind. And candidates? Really? Which ones have you supported with time and funding? Here is the state list: http://www.nmdemocrats.org/content/us-senate (with others available through links at the top of the page).
I would be extremely sorry for stereotyping you in to a corner, except that every single post on this site that comes form you criticizes Democrats. It would be easy to say that you were one of those folks that uses the anonymity of the posting process to claim to be a Democrat, when really you are not. That happens fairly regularly.
True, the Spaceport now exists…after taxpayers put up $200 million to build it. Jobs? Of course we did get some temporary construction jobs out of it. Where did the firms come from? Usually they come from out of state. Usually they bring their own personnel. A few jobs are usually tossed out to the locals, but they are usually temporary and unskilled (lower paying pick and shovel type work). Such jobs tend to disappear when the construction phase is over. Will we ever recoup the $200 million investment? That remains to be seen. The Rail Runner is up and running as well, but at what cost? We paid for easements and rail we’ll never use (going all the way up to Colorado). We paid millions more for engines, equipment, terminal buildings, the laying of track. And for what…so that a couple of thousand passengers (maybe) might use the train per week? Was all this “big-thinking” and risk taking worth the $400 million budget deficit we now find ourselves having to deal with? Maybe for some it was. For most however, not likely.
I find it odd that, even though I am a long-time registered Democrat who has and is supporting numerous Democrats both financially and in volunteer time, I am “blindly partisan” whenever I disagree with and am critical of liberal members of my party and their policies. Somehow, all those other Democrtaic Party ideals and views are irrelevant if I don’t tow the party line on liberal fiscal policy and big government control of opur lives. Again, I will remind you that there are numerous Democrats like myself, both here in NM and nationwide. We are the ones who threw out the left wing of our party during the last election, remember? That is not partisan, but rather principled on higher issues that are beyond partisanship.
My New Years Resolution? Continually point out how Dr J is blindly partisan and therefore lacks any shred of credibility whatsoever. First example; his ramblings about how Bill Richardson is blindly evil.
Yes, Richardson is immensely egotistical. Yes, he is a political carpetbagger. Yes, he engaged in shady practices in the run for President that was his whole life’s ambition. Yes, the Billy the Kid thing is the last example of how he will use whatever powers his office provides to get himself attention. And for all of those reasons I, like a majority of New Mexicans, am more than glad to see him go.
However, if you actually read all of Heath’s article (and Dr. J, you did say it was “very well put”), then you would see that he is trying to make a point that Richardson’s tenure will produce some positive results for the state.
“I would call most of his “visionary” projects nothing but hallucinations”.
Really? Have you seen the spaceport? It’s being built; no mushrooms necessary. The construction jobs are in place.
There is money for Science education going in to the local schools. Branson has signed his lease and will start launching people in to space (possibly at the end of this year). This is not a hallucination. http://www.nmpolitics.net/index/2010/12/2010-was-full-of-spaceport-milestones/. I laugh when I notice how all of the naysayers that bagged the spaceport when it was first brought up have fallen eerily silent now that it is actually starting to work. And how about all of the roads and other infrastructure organized by Richardson? Yes, he used his ego in the name (GRIP), but that does not diminish the improvements.
“If he had spent his energy and political talents on worthwhile things to improve education and our economy, his time would be much better spent. Even if those things got him no notice outside our NM borders, they would have been much more “visionary” and would actually have helped the citizens of our poor and undeveloped state.”
The guy pushed the development of Charter Schools (look at how many there are in NM now http://www.ped.state.nm.us/resources/personneldirectory/charterschools.pdf), and early in his tenure utilized part of the state permanent fund to increase teacher salaries. New Mexico went from a bottom three ranking to middle-of-the-pack (http://teacherportal.com/teacher-salaries-by-state). And along with this came a system for holding teachers accountable when seeking promotions. As for the economy, he did try for too many instant gratification projects that may have created some low-paying jobs (call centers, etc) but his emphasis on alternative energy will pay dividends in the future. And controversy aside, the film incentives did bring money and thus created jobs here. I know there are mixed reports, but if you’re telling me that the increase in production from 2004 until now did not contribute to our economy, I will beg to differ: (http://www.nmfilm.com/filming/downloads/filmographyFiscalYear.pdf)
And all of you conservatives that like to kill the guy every time you get, wasn’t Richardson the one responsible for incorporating Bush-like tax cuts for rich people in New Mexico and then refusing to get rid of them last legislative session in spite of pressure from liberals? And yes, the guy was responsible for unionizing the state, but every AFSCME union member I know hated the guy after the first year for bargaining too hard with them.
Finally, for all of those concerned with civil rights, Richardson was a champion for gay and lesbians across the state, implementing statewide domestic partner benefits as soon as he was put in office.
So Dr J (and 75% of the other commenters on this site), realize that the world is gray. Quit parroting Fox News (or for that matter MSNBC) at us all of the time. Arguments like the ones that you make, of the completely one-sided, without-thought variety, are one of the reasons this country is becoming so divided, and this weaker.
I’m not so inclined to sugar coat the Richardson legacy. For me he was the stereotypical carpetbagger that took advantage of circumstances distant from his own for personal gain. In his book Richardson admits New Mexico was little more than a launch pad for his political ambition. Thus for the longest time he managed to keep his wealthy south-of-the-boarder underpinnings hidden from view. The objective was to convince the average person that he could feel their pain so to speak. A poor State like New Mexico could hardly afford a the ambition and ego of an emperor, but yet that was precisely what we ended up with. Once elected the imperative shifted to unrolling the red carpet for those of means, for they were ones who could finance political campaigns. Huge tax cuts for the wealthy represented good start in this regard, but huge cuts in State Medicaid funding would be needed to pay for them. And so that’s what we got in year one. Then came the jet plane, the increases in mansion staffing and chefs, and a gradual but steady shifting over the years in budget priorities away from people programs, to the kind of big ticket items that draws attention and money. Of course a lot of wining and dining in the Governor’s mansion was required to grease the skids. And so several movies later, a growing number of play-for-pay scandals, a presidential bid gone awry, and a $400 million deficit–now that my friends is a legacy!
I do hope people caught this news item:
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_16974737
This, along with Bill’s ridiculous “national TV” announcement on Billy the Kid today just show how bad it really is for him.
Spot on, Heath. Richardson did more for ethics reform than any other governor in history. Unintentionally.
Can we not see a similarity in political aim between Richardson and Obama? Are they not twin peas in a pod?
Great study Heath. Richardson was bent on doing good, but let his ego ruin his image, just as Obama has. We never seem to learn from history or our mistakes, but rather believe we are smarter than the guy before us who tried the same thing and went donw in flames.
Well done, Heath. Richardson’s uncaged ego and short tempered personality certainly got in the way of rational thinking. This led to inane decisions trying to be a crusader and promoting his image and political standing here and nationally. He may have done some good things for New Mexico, but he gave New Mexico politics an even worse name than existed before. (Was that even possible?) Now, mired in scandal, controversy, pay to play, cronyism, favoriticism, etc., and with his approval ratings tanked, Richardson stands little chance of landing anything of any importance in the future. I cringe every time I see his name on some bridge or building.
Like most politicians, Richardson is addicted to seeing his name in the headlines. However, given his indulgent personality, he’s more addicted than most and knows his media train is leaving the station on Jan. 1. How’s he going to feed his addiction then?
This Billy the Kid pardon business has got to be the biggest non-story ever hatched as he desperately clings onto this last life line of positive press of his career as an elected official.
Interesting analysis Heath. New Mexico was just too small a venue for Governor Richardson, as he has always looked for a much larger national and international venue to portray his supersized ego. His big ideas like the train, spaceport, green energy transmission, etc. etc.sound so good but have left this state in a sujpersized fiscal hole. They will cost tax payers ten’s if not hundreds of millions to keep the spin alive.
I guess his next big idea is to have a center for world peace somewhere in the Santa Fe area. It is anyone’s guess how much that boondoggle will cost. My other bet is he gets a call from the Obama Administration to serve as special ambasador to North Korea, Cuba and the Middle East. Fantastic…Just wonderful….
More spin less substance. The Richardson legacy!
Very well put Heath. All these “visionary” projects are really all about Bill, his petty nature, blind ambition, and super-sized ego. I would call most of his “visionary” projects nothing but hallucinations. If he had spent his energy and political talents on worthwhile things to improve education and our economy, his time would be much better spent. Even if those things got him no notice outside our NM borders, they would have been much more “visionary” and would actually have helped the citizens of our poor and undeveloped state. As it is, he leaves NM worse off economically, more dependent on the government dole (by going out of his way to destroy private industries with PC regs and laws meant to garner political praise and attention outside NM), and still mired in last place in education. I really don’t see how his abuses of office leading to reform can be credited to him, that’s very backward logic, I would prefer to credit the reformers. He never was a New Mexican and never will be, let’s hope he leaves the state and returns to his real roots in DC and the East Coast, that culture fits him much better.