Opinion: Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson to kiss and make up
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Bill Richardson just announced he plans to hold two fundraising events in New Mexico next month to help Hillary Clinton retire some of her presidential campaign debt -- much of it, of course, owed to herself.
The details in the full release are after the jump but the curious thing is it doesn’t appear that Richardson plans to be at the fundraisers himself.
[UPDATE: Pahl Shipley, Richardson’s spokesman, said the governor will be there, though that wasn’t clear in the release. And Clinton will be at both events, he reports -- also left out of the release.]
The first event will be hosted in Santa Fe by Dave Contarino, Richardson’s former chief of staff in the New Mexico governor’s office (and key figure in his failed presidential run), and the second will be hosted in Albuquerque by Paul Blanchard, a big Richardson supporter out there in the desert.
As for Richardson himself? ‘Gov. Richardson and Lt. Gov. Diane Denish will serve as the overall hosts for the day.’ Overall hosts. Yeah. That sounds a lot like, ‘He’ll be there in name, but not spirit.’
The release also quotes Barack Obama spokesman Bill Burton: ‘Gov. Richardson’s efforts reinforce Sen. Obama’s commitment to unifying the Democratic Party and assisting Sen. Clinton’s effort to retire her campaign debt.’
And the most awkward phone conversation of that whole setup had to be the one with Clinton. ‘Richardson wants to help NOW? Where was he when I needed him?’ The unspoken answer: Trolling for an appointment as vice president or secretary of state.
Of course, the release ends with the line that the events are invitation only. Figure maybe Clinton said to keep Richardson off the list?
-- Scott Martelle
SANTA FE, NM—Governor Bill Richardson today announced that he will hold two fundraising events in New Mexico for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Sunday, August 17.
One event will take place in Santa Fe and be hosted by Dave Contarino, the Governor’s former chief of staff and top political strategist.
The other will take place in Albuquerque and be hosted by Paul Blanchard, a prominent New Mexico businessman and supporter of the Governor. Governor Richardson and Lt. Governor Diane Denish will serve as the overall hosts for the day.
Money raised will go toward helping Senator Clinton pay down the debt remaining from her historic and hard-fought Presidential primary campaign. After withdrawing from the race in June, Senator Clinton enthusiastically endorsed Senator Barack Obama, now the presumptive Democratic nominee, and is working diligently to assist his campaign.
Governor Richardson was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination before withdrawing from the race in January of this year. He is an ardent supporter of Senator Obama, traveling across the country and making numerous media appearances on his behalf.
‘Governor Richardson’s efforts reinforce Senator Obama’s commitment to unifying the Democratic Party and assisting Senator Clinton’s effort to retire her campaign debt,’ said Bill Burton, spokesman for the Obama campaign.
‘Senator Clinton is grateful for Governor Richardson’s and Senator Obama’s efforts to assist with retiring her campaign debt and she is looking forward to continuing to campaign for Senator Obama and help ensure victory for Democrats throughout the country this fall,’ said Clinton spokeswoman Kathleen Strand.
Both events are invitation only.
