Bill Richardson–Blago With Better Hair?
Putting the nation first ... by selling it out to the highest bidder.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spent a good portion of his time on Meet the Press yesterday vowing not to allow Roland “Tombstone” Burris to join the Senate. Why not? Because Burris is “tainted” by the fact that Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed him. It’s almost amusing to watch Reid and his fellow Democrats turn up their noses at Blago while the stench of corruption and pay-to-play politics wafts over their entire party:
From Bloomberg:
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson withdrew his name from consideration to be President-elect Barack Obama’s commerce secretary amid a federal investigation into how a political contributor won state financial business.
A federal grand jury in Albuquerque met in December to look at how Beverly Hills, California-based CDR Financial Products won $1.5 million of work from the New Mexico Finance Authority in 2004, people familiar with the matter said.
CDR, which also advised Jefferson County, Alabama, on bond deals that threaten to cause the biggest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, donated $100,000 to Richardson’s efforts to register Hispanic and American Indian voters and pay for expenses at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
Here is an excerpt from President-elect Obama’s statement on Richardson’s withdrawal (emphasis added):
It is a measure of his willingness to put the nation first that he has removed himself as a candidate for the Cabinet in order to avoid any delay in filling this important economic post at this critical time.
So, Richardson was forced to step down because he is being investigated for handing out state business to an allegedly corrupt financial firm in exchange for $100,000 in political contributions. And that somehow proves that he … puts the nation first? Huh?
A governor trading $100 grand in political contributions for state business. Hmm. That sounds familiar. Where have we heard about a deal like that? Oh yeah. That’s where:
After an October 6 meeting with Harris and Individuals A and B, during which Individual B sought state help with a business venture, Blagojevich told Individual A to approach Individual B about raising $100,000 for Friends of Blagojevich this year.
But remember! Blago is “tainted” while Richardson “put the nation first.” Riiiiiiiight …
For more on what a peach of a guy Richardson is, check out this Politico article from last month on his brief stint in the private sector after leaving the Clinton administration and before he ran for governor. Surprise, surprise! He exploited his government service to land lucrative gigs in the corporate world. Again, where have we heard of such a thing before? No, we’re not thinking of Rahm Emanuel and his $16 million dabble in investment banking. We’re thinking of that other Illinois politician. You know, the one Harry Reid says is “tainted.” Oh yeah! Here it is:
Blagojevich and others discussed various ways Blagojevich could “monetize” the relationships he has made as governor to make money after leaving that office.
Compare Blago’s plan to cash in to what Richardson told the whole world on national television about his post-government work:
“I’ve never been able, in public life, to make much money,” he said, “and this was an opportunity to just put a little bit in reserve.”
To recap: when Blago merely tried to “monetize” the relationships he made in government, he became persona non grata in Democratic circles. When Richardson actually went out and did it, he became … the perfect candidate for a major cabinet position in the Obama administration.
PS: Another highlight from the Politico article–Richardson sat on the boards of numerous energy and oil firms while simultaneously serving as a director of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Wow. Talk about having it both ways.
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