Hors d'oeuvres with Bill Richardson
Tonight, in my role as grass roots coordinator for DC for Richardson, I was invited to a private fundraiser for Gov. Richardson at Bob Bennett's house and got the luxury of meeting and briefly speaking with the Governor.This was a private fundraising event and had a very intimate feeling. I met several people, all of them strong Richardson supporters, who work in the space industry. In fact, probably half the people there were involved in the space industry. Of course, they love Governor Richardson because he has the vision and understanding to see that commercial space flight is not only feasible, but a future billion dollar industry. It is that kind of vision and leadership that filled Bob Bennett's house this evening.
After making his way around the room and shaking everyone's hand, Governor Richardson was able to speak for 10 minutes or so. He didn't give his stump speech because everyone in the room already knew how incredibly qualified he is for the presidency. Instead, Governor Richardson spoke about how the campaign is moving up (apparently he is 2nd in Minnesota and has increased in the Iowa) and his vision for America.
I think his vision could be summarized in a phrase I heard a couple of times from his mouth tonight, "We aren't afraid of the future." It is exactly the type of bumper sticker slogan that is both positive and creates a team attitude that makes getting on his bandwagon enticing. I know it speaks to me about hope and vision, but without stating them explicitly.
The most interesting moment of the night was when I met a registered Republican who supports Richardson. I'm not surprised at that because Richardson is a very business friendly and the most experienced foreign policy candidate on either side. However, the surprise came when this man said he was scared of Hillary. I'm not scared of Hillary, but I'm not a fan either. Yet, this proves a point, I've been trying to make. Richardson flips Republican votes to Democratic ones. Governor Richardson makes sense based on his resume and political advantages.
The best part of the evening for me was watching the governor interact with people. He didn't treat me (a low man on the totem poll) any different than the host. During his talk, Richardson peppered his points with jokes. He was engaging and eloquent. He is far from the stiff that he sometimes get portrayed as in media reports.
Bill Richardson is the best choice for next President of the United States.
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posted by Expat Teacher @ 1:44 PM
