Richardson supporters discuss Internet buzz about governor’s behavior toward women

Supporters of Gov. Bill Richardson’s presidential run who are members of the Yahoo! Group Bill Richardson for President 2008 have been discussing recent Internet buzz about the governor’s behavior toward women.

Since he announced Sunday that he’s running for president, the Internet has been full of allegations and rumors that Richardson has certain indiscretions in his past that should concern Democrats, that he behaves inappropriately around women and has, at times, made lewd gestures toward them.

Group member Eli Blake wrote in a posting on the site that such talk is “crap.”

“Just keep in mind that Richardson just beat John Dendahl, former head of the N.M. GOP. My own experience with Mr. Dendahl is that he is a real snake in the grass and there’s nowhere he won’t go or strategy he won’t try to tar Democrats,” Blake wrote. “So if he had ammunition, he would certainly have fired it.”

He called Steve Clemmons, who first disclosed publicly an incident in which Richardson allegedly made a lewd gesture toward a woman, a “low-level blogger.”

Others weren’t so certain. Group member Susan H. wrote that Clemmons isn’t a “low-level blogger. He’s a reputable professional journalist and a liberal.” She pointed out that Clemmons isn’t “making up this stuff entirely,” noting Lt. Gov. Diane Denish’s comments last year about Richardson poking her and touching her thighs.

She notes that another reputable blogger also brought up concerns about Richardson, and that the two “wouldn’t have mentioned the rumors had they not hear more – and some things that disturbed them – that they chose not to put in print.”

“Frankly, if he does ‘wander,’ that’s not a deal-breaker for me,” Susan H. wrote. “See Bill Clinton. But if he sexually harasses women, that’s another matter.”

Group member Mike Kruger wrote that he has a friend in the Democratic National Committee who said he had heard about Richardson’s “wanderings” last year.

“The moral of the story is that Gov. Richardson needs to head these rumors off at the pass or get out of the race,” Kruger wrote. “He is a smart man, with a good staff. He must have known these rumors were out there and must feel confident they are untrue to throw his hat in the ring.”

Richardson has said he is confident he’ll survive the public vetting process, but has yet to publicly address his treatment of women, allegations of indiscretions, or similar issues.