Bill Richardson

Richardson has had an interesting career in the public eye. He has moved from representing a single district to occupying federal posts, returned to state politics, and now is seeking a federal position again (the biggest one). In some respects this made him harder to research than other candidates - there doesn't appear to be a great resource for recording what the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. or the U.S. Secretary of Energy does in their posts. So I did the best I could with the information available, and if anyone else has more than I'd be happy to have you share it.

Since I already gave my personal opinions on the major candidates, I'll break from structure and give my full opinion on Richardson at the end of the post. But please read the facts first so you can develop a picture of him yourself.

What does Bill Richardson think about helping the poor?

Political History

Bill Richardson was a U.S. Representative from 1983-1997, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. from 1997-1998, the U.S. Secretary of Energy from 1998-2001, and the Governor of New Mexico from 2003 to present.

U.S. Representative 1983-1997

• Sponsored bills to bring humanitarian aid to El Salvador¹, protect some American Indians from forced relocation², increase health care programs in the Peace Corps³, promote economic development among American Indians^{4 5 6 7 8}, extend the National Health Service Corps⁹, improve health programs for Hispanics and other minorities^{10 11}, allow social service block grants to be made directly to tribes¹², establish a program to fight fetal alcohol syndrome^{13 14}, consolidate community health centers¹⁵, and provide federal funding for foster care and adoption for American Indian children¹⁶.
• Served on the Helsinki Commission on Human Rights.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. 1997-1998

• Helped negotiate peaceful transition of power in Congo.¹⁷
• Made general calls for the need to protect human rights across the world.

U.S. Secretary of Energy 1998-2001

• Wikipedia states that Richardson pushed through a number of initiatives to benefit Native Americans - the statement was unsourced and I have been unable to find other corroboration on this point.¹⁸

Governor of New Mexico 2003-present

• In 2005, initiated home heating relief for low-income families¹⁹.
• In 2006, signed legislation to create savings accounts for low-income families²⁰.
• In 2006, signed an increase in the minimum wage to $7.50.
• In 2006, signed a large tax cut for low-income families²¹.
• In 2006, Offered tax breaks to companies that paid higher than the prevailing wage²².
• In 2006, led effort to call for full federal funding of the CSFP (a food program)²³.
• In 2006, signed bills and proposed legislation to expand health care coverage to more workers²⁴.
• In 2007, was part of effort to urge federal government to fully fund SCHIP (a children's health insurance program)²⁵.

Statements About the Poor

"America needs to lead the global fight against poverty – which is the basis of so much violence. We must promote equitable trade agreements, to create more jobs in all countries. And through our example and our diplomacy we must encourage all rich countries honor their UN Millennium goal commitments. A Commission on Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, composed of world leaders and prominent experts, should be created to recommend ways of meeting Millennium commitments.
America needs to lead donors on debt relief, shifting aid from loans to grants, and toward greater focus on primary health care and affordable vaccines. We should pressure pharmaceutical companies to allow expanded use of generic drugs, and we should stimulate public-private partnerships to reduce costs and enhance access to anti-malarial drugs and bed nets."²⁶


"For all the talk we hear about the perils of globalization, a simple fact is often ignored - open economies are poverty's enemy. In fact, a recent World Bank report indicated that East Asia's rapid economic growth over the past generation reduced by half the number of people living below the poverty line. Far-sighted economic policies implemented 20 years ago mean that today 350 million people do not live in poverty. These extraordinary advances are occurring around the globe. And frequently, the catalyst is free trade and open economies. Yet, with all the benefits that come from free trade and American engagement in the international arena, there are those on both sides of the political aisle who are not getting the message."²⁷


"In the past few years human rights abuses from Bosnia to Rwanda captured the world's attention and showed us once again that the struggle for the recognition and acceptance of universal human rights is a constant process. So long as women are denied educational and economic opportunity, so long as discrimination based on religion, ethnicity or skin color continues, and so long as war criminals can elude justice, we must remain vigilant."²⁸


"Think for a moment about the quality of life for an undocumented worker. No protection from unscrupulous employers. No job benefits. No health care, no pension, no Social Security, no workers compensation, no Medicare or disability insurance.
Yet – despite what some people would have you think -- almost all of these workers pay taxes, including Social Security and Medicare taxes. Because in order to find work they must either use someone else’s Social Security number or make one up. Since they will never collect benefits, these illegal workers are subsidizing our Social Security and Medicare trust funds with their payroll taxes. And those who are not paying into Social Security and Medicare are working under the table, and are at even greater risk of being exploited. No minimum wage, no safety standards, no over-time, no protection against sexual harassment or even sexual abuse."²⁹


"And let’s not forget what kind of lives the vast majority of illegal immigrants were living in their home countries – what propels them to come here in the first place. Economic opportunity and upward mobility in Mexico and Central American countries are limited, and half of all Mexicans live in poverty and a fifth live in extreme poverty. When there are hundreds of thousands of relatively good paying new jobs available every year a few hundred miles to the north the result is completely predictable."³⁰


The President should talk about that tragedy [Sudan] every day and try to get not just nations to join and pressure Sudan and the rebels to get together but the international community, the United Nations. The United Nations should be more vigorous. And this is where I would try to become a moral leader as a nation again. Participating [in the effort to end] the tragedy in Darfur, find ways to be a leader in the effort to fight global climate change, find ways that we try to eradicate poverty in the world with progressive aid programs, do something about AIDS and refugees and those issues that nobody wants to talk about, genocide. That's how I believe we can restore America's role in the world.³¹


A robust economy with successful companies translates into higher levels of healthcare and coverage for all. However, in the short term, we can make some fundamental changes to how we approach healthcare in New Mexico and improve the results. We need to find a way to make healthcare more affordable and ensure that all New Mexicans have the access to the care that they need.
My approach requires innovation, proven solutions, and use of best practices to shift New Mexico from fragmented care delivery to purchasing organized and accountable systems of care. It combines good ideas from other states, with increased efficiency and preventative healthcare.³²

Private Life

• Richardson is worth around $5-7 million dollars, which he holds in investments and rental properties. His income is evenly divided between the governor's pay, investments, and income from the rental properties. I was not able to find any information about his charitible donations.
• Richardson has been routinely criticized by political opponents for what they consider to be lavish excesses in his governor's lifestyle. He pushed the New Mexico legislature to fund a $5.5 million private jet for his use.³³
• Has been the Chair of Freedom House and participates with Big Brother/Big Sister of Santa Fe and the Santa Fe Jaycees.
• Has made trips to Sudan to negotiate with leaders there and push for peace, and has frequently called out U.S. and international political leaders on the need for peace and human rights in Sudan.³⁴

I was not impressed while researching Richardson's record. Like McCain, he has shown some concern for Native Americans and human rights overseas (actually, not even as much as McCain), but otherwise he rarely focuses on the poor. His record is fairly similar to the Democratic platform, which on this issue is better than the Republican platform. But unlike the other three Democratic candidates in this race, he hasn't shown any special concern for those in need or any desire to focus on the issues that pertain to them. I don't know that his tenure as president would be bad for the poor. But I don't have the confidence that their needs would be a priority to the degree that it would for Edwards, Clinton, and Obama.

But what do you think? Has he done more than I've seen? Or does he have competence that overshadows the efforts of the other candidates and would do more practically to help the poor? On a personal level, does Bill Richardson hear the cry of the poor?


^[1]A bill to authorize assistance to help alleviate the human suffering...
^[2]A bill to place a moratorium on the forceable eviction...
^[3]A bill to provide for a 2-year pilot program in the Peace Corps...
^[4]A bill to provide for and promote the economic development of Indian tribes...
^[5]Indian Development Finance Corporation Act
^[6]Indian Finance Corporation Act
^[7]Indian Employment and Investment Act of 1993
^[8]Native American Financial Services Organization Act of 1994
^[9]National Health Service Corps Revitalization Act of 1990
^[10]Hispanic Health Parity Act of 1990
^[11]Minority Health Improvement Act of 1997
^[12]To grant authority to provide social services block grants directly to Indian tribes.
^[13]Comprehensive Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Act
^[14]Comprehensive Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Act
^[15]Health Centers Consolidation Act of 1996
^[16]To amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to provide for Federal funding...
^[17]White House Press Release, June 18, 1998.
^[18]Bill Richardson, Wikipedia entry.
^[19]Press release, September 20, 2005.
^[20]Press release, March 8, 2006.
^[21]Press release, March 17, 2007.
^[22]"Bill Richardson content to start slow in White House race", Los Angeles Times, April 10, 2007.
^[23]Press release, April 12, 2006.
^[24]Press release, July 20, 2006.
^[25]Press release, Feb. 28, 2007.
^[26]"The New Realism and the Rebirth of American Leadership ", Speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Feb. 8, 2007.
^[27]USUN Press Release, pertaining to remarks made at City of Denver's 18th Annual Free Trade Day Dinner, May 19, 1998.
^[28]Speech made at the UN General Assembly's third committee, Nov. 14, 1997.
^[29]Speech on comprehensive immigration reform, Dec. 7, 2006.
^[30]Speech on comprehensive immigration reform, Dec. 7, 2006.
^[31]"MyDD Interview with Bill Richardson", www.MyDD.com, Mar. 26, 2007.
^[32]"Priorities", www.RichardsonForGovernor.com, Oct. 24, 2002.
^[33]Profile of Gov. Bill Richardson, About:Liberal Politics:U.S.
^[34]Press Release, Jan. 7, 2007.