After an initial report by the Associated Press , both CNN and NBC News have confirmed that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson will announce on Thursday that he is ending his campaign to be President. He finished 4th in Iowa with 2% of the Democratic vote and 4th in New Hampshire with 5% of the Democratic vote.
Barrack Obama won the Iowa caucus and Hillary Clinton won the New Hampshire Primary. John Edwards finished second in Iowa and third in New Hampshire. Richardson really has little choice but to face reality – he lacks significant voter support and money.
Richardson had a lot to offer to Democrats and represented part of a strong field of contenders for the Democratic nomination this year. He joined Hillary Clinton in offering a long record of public service, including Congress, Secretary of Energy, Ambassador to the UN and 2 term Governor. As a Hispanic he contributed to the diversity of Democratic candidates running this year.
Two other Democrats dropped out after the Iowa Caucucs – Senator Joe Biden and Senator Chris Dodd. Any of these three candidates could show up in the Administration of the next Democratic President – whether it be Obama, Clinton or long shot Edwards. Edward’s chances look slim at this point. He is hopping for a strong finish in South Carolina but momentum and money and votes are with Clinton and Obama.
After 8 years of Bush, voters appear ready to install a Democrat as our next President. Democrats are ready to move to the future and address the many problems facing America that Bush and the Republican Congress ignored. Meanwhile the Republican candidates for President want to return to the past and support most of the policies of Bush.
Republican talk of change is a false illusion because the Republican candidates do not represent real change – they merely want to return to old tired policies of more tax cuts for the rich, more handouts for corporations, more support for the deadly oil and coal industry contributing to global warming, more support for military solutions to world problems and free market economic policies that brought us ENRON and the mortgage crisis and increasing income disparity between the very wealthy and the rest of us.
