Posts Tagged ‘bill richardson’
The Latino Who Wanted to be President Kills the Death Penalty in New Mexico
9:14 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Justice| New Mexico| crime · Comments Off
19 Mar 2009
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson may not be president or be in the Obama cabinet, pero he’s not letting that get him down and made a really positive move for all people in the United States. Yesterday he signed a law that abolishes the death penalty in New Mexico.
Regardless of my personal opinion about the death penalty, I do not have confidence in the criminal justice system as it currently operates to be the final arbiter when it comes to who lives and who dies for their crime”…
“Faced with the reality that our system for imposing the death penalty can never be perfect, my conscience compels me to replace the death penalty with a solution that keeps society safe.”
Studies have shown that the death penalty does not deter crimes and ends up costing tax-payers more.
The New Mexico ban goes into effect on July 1st and is not retroactive, meaning that it will only apply to crimes committed after that date. This part is problematic to me. Why not commute the death sentences to life imprisonment? I am not an legal expert pero perhaps there is a legal reason for not making the law retroactive? Currently there are two men on New Mexico’s death row.
New Mexico becomes the 15th state to nix the death penalty.
Via / The Latin Americanist
The great Latino hope, Bill Richardson, that some wanted to be President, then Vice-President, then Secretary of State, but who ended up getting Secretary of Commerce, is now withdrawing his name from consideration.
Apparently Richardson’s withdrawal has to do with a Grand Jury investigation.
Richardson has denied any wrongdoing.
You can read Obama’s and Richardson’s official statements on the matter after the jump.
Today it’s expected the President Elect Obama will name his once presidential rival, Bill Richardson, as Secretary of Commerce. Richardson was touted as a strong choice for Secretary of State, a position that went to another Obama once-rival, Hillary Clinton.
Many feel that Obama’s passing over Governor of New Mexico Richardson as Secretary of State was a snub to Latinos, especially given his international experience as United Nations ambassador under the Clinton presidential administration.
Hugo Chavez and Gov. Bill Richardson Meet : And All You Did Was Visit Abuela This Weekend
6:53 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Colombia| Politics| Venezuela · 1 Comment
28 Apr 2008
On Saturday, the Latino U.S. President that wasn’t, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, met with U.S. Latin American enemy #2 (Cuba is still #1), Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Richardson was lending his support in hostage negotiations with the FARC, especially trying to secure the release of 3 U.S. hostages and of course, Ingrid Betancourt.
“I’ve had a good meeting with President Chavez … (he) has told me that he is willing to help in this situation,” Gov. Bill Richardson told reporters after the meeting.
“Many times in a conflict like this we forget the human side, that human beings are being held hostage.”
Via / Reuters
Bill Richardson Defends His Endorsement of Obama
4:00 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · US Presidential Race 2008 · Comments Off
3 Apr 2008
Me da pena. Really, I feel bad that Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico and former presidential candidate, has to defend his decision to endorse Barack Obama. But after Dem pundit and Clinton pal, James Carville decided to get all biblical and call Richardson a “Judas” for not endorsing Hillary Clinton, defend himself Richardson did, and quite publicly via a Washington Post opinion piece.
More than anything, to repair the damage done at home and abroad, we must unite as a country. I endorsed Sen. Obama because I believe he has the judgment, temperament and background to bridge our divisions as a nation and make America strong at home and respected in the world again.
This was a difficult, even painful, decision. My affection and respect for the Clintons run deep. I do indeed owe President Clinton for the extraordinary opportunities he gave me to serve him and this country. And nobody worked harder for him or served him more loyally, during some very difficult times, than I did.
Carville and others say that I owe President Clinton’s wife my endorsement because he gave me two jobs. Would someone who worked for Carville then owe his wife, Mary Matalin, similar loyalty in her professional pursuits? Do the people now attacking me recall that I ran for president, albeit unsuccessfully, against Sen. Clinton? Was that also an act of disloyalty?
This is a classic case of politicians trying to punish a politico of color for not “knowing his place”.
Read Richardson’s entire explanation.
Image Via / Radar
Bill Richardson Endorses Barack Obama
8:25 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Politics| US Presidential Race 2008 · 1 Comment
21 Mar 2008
The Latino president that almost was, Bill Richardson, has thrown his support behind Barack Obama. The Governor of New Mexico will make an official announcement today at a campaign event in Oregon.
Richardson had been courted aggressively by the Hillary Clinton camp, even using Bill Clinton, Richardson’s former boss when he was energy secretary. I can hear the Clinton disappointment now.
Bill Clinton : Bill, amigo. I thought we had a deal? We watched the Superbowl together!
Bill Richardson: Bill, you act like we were watching futbol futbol. It was just American football.
Ok that conversation didn’t really happen but listen to what Richardson did say in a statement about the endorsement…
No Latino in the Presidential Race : Bill Richardson to Drop his Run
7:19 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Politics · Comments Off
10 Jan 2008
Bill, we hardly knew ya. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is planning to announce the end of his presidential bid, after finishing fourth in Iowa and New Hampshire. This is according to two anonymous sources quoted all over the media this morning. Speculation includes the fact that Richardson may even just “suspend” his campaign which is sort of like going on a “break” from a relationship, just prolonging the inevitable.
The fact is that despite Richardson’s long resume as a power player in U.S. politics and policy (Congress, President Bill Clinton’s Cabinet, New Mexico, freelance diplomat), he just couldn’t put on a show the way Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama can. Oh yeah and then there’s the tiny little matter of the fact that he’s a Latino.
Richardson didn’t get quite 5 percent in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday and came in with just 2 percent in the Iowa caucus last week.
Bill Richardson and Two Other Dems on the Reservation Today
5:00 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Events| Politics · Comments Off
24 Aug 2007
Apparently only some of the Democrats trying to snag the nomination from their party to run for prez think that the Native American vote is important. Governor Bill Richardson, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, and Senator Mike Gravel are in Cabazon, California for a candidates forum with the Indigenous community in mind.
Watch the historic Prez on the Rez forum presidential forum today via internet at www.prezontherez.org at 3:30pm Pacific time (5:30pm Central).We are making history with the Prez on the Rez forum with these dedicated candidates — Governor Bill Richardson, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, and Senator Mike Gravel. This is the first time presidential candidates will assemble on Indian land to lay out their visions for the future of Indian Country.
Mark Trahant, a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and the editor of the editorial page at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, will moderate the discussion between the candidates and tribal leaders.
Join the proceedings online by watching the forum at www.prezontherez.org. The next President of the United States will realize tribes are a critical voting block and the opportunities and challenges in Indian Country deserve visionary leadership and dialogue with American Indian tribal citizens.
Via / Culture Kitchen
Bill Richardson and Women in the Oldest Profession
11:15 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Politics · 1 Comment
20 Aug 2007Latino Democratic presidential candidate and New Mexico governor Bill Richardson lost one of his campaign aides when it was revealed that he used to work for a legal brothel in Nevada and was wanted on a felony arrest warrant in California.
Kristian Forland, the campaign’s eastern Nevada field director, is being sought by Los Angeles County authorities for failure to appear on four counts of writing bad checks. Forland also was arrested twice, once last year and again last month, in his home of Elko, Nev., on a similar bad check charge out of Las Vegas.Forland also was investigated by Elko police after women working at Mona’s Ranch, a legal brothel, complained he was shorting them on their pay. An investigator described Forland as “at best a manager of the property,” according to a June 2006 police report obtained by the AP.
Via / USA Today
Bill Richardson : Not Such a Latino/Gay Friendly Candidate
4:30 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · GLBT| MBAPBSAllAmericaDem| Politics · 5 Comments
11 Jul 2007
Would you vote for a candidate who used the gay slur, the “f” word? It certainly didn’t help the career of Grey’s Anatomy actor Isaiah Washington. What if the slur were in a different language, say Spanish? Well Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson used the word maricón in an exchange over a year ago with shock jock (and racist) Don Imus and now Richardson is scrambling to apologize.
The New Mexico governor used the term as part of a joke instigated by talk show host Don Imus during a March 29, 2006, segment of his “Imus in the Morning” syndicated radio program, simulcast on MSNBC. “Bernard on the staff here has been claiming you’re not really Hispanic so– that you’re just claiming that for some sort of advantage or something,” Imus said to Richardson, tongue clearly in cheek. “You can just answer this yes or no and this will answer that question. Would you agree that Bernard is a maricón?”
Without missing a beat, Richardson replied in Spanish, “Yo creo que Bernardo, sí — es un maricón si él piensa que yo no soy hispano. [General laughter] Was that good enough or what? [General laughter]”
“That’s good enough for me,” Imus replied.
Hola!
VivirLatino is a daily publication published by 2 Mujeres Media, dedicated to featuring all the latest politics, culture, entertainment of interest to the diverse and influential Latino and Latina community in the U.S.
About | Advertise with us | Contact | Twitter
- Leah Lakshmi: Thank you, beautiful culo-kicker. I miss you. We miss you. xoxox [...]
- Link Cariño | Hissip: [...] Who’s your mama? [...] [...]
- la Macha: I agree totally with you bubbles. [...]
- Bubbles: Re: "Many women have mental, emotional instabilities which cause them to end up in abusive relations [...]
- la Macha: and whaaaa? women who have mental health issues are suddenly to blame for getting beaten? [...]
- Mangos With Chili Presents Beloved: A Requiem for Our Dead in the Bay Area Tonite & Nov. 15th
- Vigil for Marcelo LuceroThis Evening in Patchogue, Long Island, NY
- VL At The Cine: The Fourth Kind
- Rihanna interview
- One of Marcelo Lucero’s Attackers Pleads Guilty
- Remembering Marcelo Lucero : One Year Later, The List of Hate Crimes Grows Longer
- Rihanna Speaks
- A Message To Maine
- Maine Voters Said Yes on 1 and Yes to Marriage Inequity
- New York City Wakes Up to Four More Years of Bloomberg
VivirLatino RSS Feed
- Mangos With Chili Presents Beloved: A Requiem for Our Dead in the Bay Area Tonite & Nov. 15th
- Vigil for Marcelo LuceroThis Evening in Patchogue, Long Island, NY
- VL At The Cine: The Fourth Kind
- Rihanna interview
- One of Marcelo Lucero’s Attackers Pleads Guilty
- Remembering Marcelo Lucero : One Year Later, The List of Hate Crimes Grows Longer
- Rihanna Speaks
- A Message To Maine
- Maine Voters Said Yes on 1 and Yes to Marriage Inequity
- New York City Wakes Up to Four More Years of Bloomberg
