Richardson may be a good cheerleader for U.S. business, but does his past jibe with Obama’s campaign pledge?
When Barack Obama nominates Bill Richardson to be commerce secretary later today, he’ll be putting the New Mexico governor in charge of what an article in The Politico calls a “sprawling bureaucratic fiefdom.”
Some might say there’s no better job for a man many in New Mexico would compare to a feudal lord than overseeing an agency of nearly 40,000 employees that is in charge of everything from, according to The Politico, “the census to the National Weather Service to the Patent and Trademark Office to agencies charged with boosting economic development, international trade and minority businesses.”
Obama, according to the Washington Post, is scheduled to officially announce his selection of Richardson to run the Commerce Department at a news conference in Chicago that begins at 9:40 a.m. New Mexico time.
So let the scrutiny begin. The Politico article focuses on Richardson’s strong relationship with the business community and “his own brief foray into the corporate world (that) resulted in affiliations that seem an awkward fit with the president-elect’s platform.”
“In the nearly two years between the end of the Clinton administration and his election as New Mexico’s governor, Richardson traded on the prominence and expertise he accrued as Bill Clinton’s ambassador to the United Nations and as energy secretary to land more than 20 paying gigs, yielding hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of directors’ fees and stock options — much of which came from entities dealing in areas directly related to his work in the administration,” the article states.
Meanwhile, the article points out, Obama has “pledged to close — or, at least, slow — the revolving door between government and the influence industry, proclaiming in a speech featured on his campaign website that ‘you will not be able to lobby and cash in on service in my administration.’”
Obama’s transition team, according to the article, “declined to answer questions about how Richardson’s corporate affiliations jibe with Obama’s agenda, because an aide called reports that Richardson would be tapped as commerce secretary ‘speculation.’”
While Richardson’s past may not quite jibe with Obama’s promise, the commerce secretary’s most important job, the article points out, is being “chief cheerleader for U.S. business, both at home and abroad.” Many believe that may be a perfect match for Richardson.
As governor of New Mexico, he “got along famously with the business community,” Terri Cole, president of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, was quoted in The Politico’s article as saying. And CNN’s Candy Crowley said Richardson “brings to this plate, in particular in an era where the economy is the focus of attention, a lot of skills that could be put to use — perhaps opening up marketplaces for U.S. products abroad.”
Jamie Estrada, a Republican from Las Cruces who is deputy assistant secretary of commerce in the Bush administration, was quoted by the Albuquerque Journal as saying that he expects Richardson will be pro-trade and an “internationalist” who is “up to this challenge.”
I’ll have complete coverage of today’s announcement, including an interview with Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who will take over as governor when Richardson resigns, so check back throughout the day.