Thread: The Fall of Bill Richardson: The Man Obama Double-Crossed

March 22, 2009
The Daily Beast
The Man Obama Double-Crossed
by Sally Denton

The president’s staffing nightmares began with Bill Richardson, the erstwhile Commerce nominee, who has told confidants that he was promised the secretary of State job. Now, with looming investigations and sinking polls, Richardson may be lucky to hang on as governor of New Mexico.

Just over a year ago, Bill Richardson was a credible, if dark horse, Democratic presidential candidate and possible Barack Obama vice-presidential running mate. Five months ago, he was stunned when he did not become Obama's secretary of State; several people close to him say he thought he had been promised it. Then, in a humiliating and historically ironic slight to the man who had helped Obama win the Iowa caucuses and then the primary election, Obama passed over Richardson for State in favor of their mutual nemesis, Hillary Clinton. Still reeling from what he considered a double cross—Richardson told confidants he had been promised secretary of State—he gamely accepted the consolation prize, secretary of Commerce. But even that was to elude him. In early January, amid revelations that a federal grand jury was investigating a pay-to-play scheme involving a California-based financial company and Richardson’s political action committee, Richardson withdrew his nomination.

Richardson is now the lamest of lame ducks; his in-state approval ratings have plummeted to his all-time low of 41 percent.

In the span of a few short months, Richardson has gone from a luminous star in America’s political galaxy to a powerless pariah in the twilight zone. The second-term governor of New Mexico, whose term does not expire until 2011, is now plagued by the aura of scandal and is the lamest of lame ducks. Fending off a plethora of accusations, Richardson has watched his in-state approval ratings plummet to his all-time low of 41 percent. His political clout with the state legislature is severely weakened, and party leaders are discreetly lobbying for his resignation so that Democratic Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish can ascend as planned. “His popularity has really declined in the state,â€

Richardson must not have owed any back taxes so he is not qualified to be one of Obama's trusted officials.

Dixie

Great article, thanks or posting.

This little tidbit certainly caught my eye.

two Colorado men: Chris Romer and Michael Stratton. Romer, a Colorado state senator and the son of former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer Jr., was the lead executive for JPMorgan Chase, which was the senior underwriter on $1 billion in bonds sold by the state to pay for Richardson’s GRIP transportation projects. Stratton, who was the senior political adviser to Richardson’s presidential campaign, owns a Denver-based consulting firm that was hired by JPMorgan to lobby the Richardson administration.

JPMorgan and daddy worked at Citi, interesting.

It always comes down to "It's not WHAT you know...it's WHO you know"

Richardson is going down because he refused to give Hillary his endorsement for her presidential run. The Clinton machine did the dirty work because Bill was pissed. I remember him calling Richardson a traitor.