Clinton Campaign Disrespects Latino Governor over Obama Endorsement

Richardson Responds and also says voters-- not superdelegates should decide race 
On Friday the Hillary Clinton campaign dismissed Governor Bill Richardson's endorsement of Senator Obama for president by suggesting that it is insignificant.  Bill Richardson is the only Latino Governor in the U.S. The Clinton campaign said the following at a press conference on Friday:

QUESTION: Mark, how significant do you think Governor Richardson's endorsement of Senator Obama is today? I mean, he is a veteran of the Clinton administration and he is attesting to Senator Obama's qualifications to handle national security.

PENN: Well, you know, look, I think that everyone has their endorsers. I think this contest so far has consistently come back to the people at hand and their qualifications.

You know, I think New Mexico is a state that, actually, we won. And if Senator Obama's campaign wanted to follow what they tell everyone, they certainly would be telling Governor Richardson to be casting his pledged delegate to us.

But I think that, you know, perhaps the time when he could have been most effective has long since passed and -- long since passed.

QUESTION: So, it's of no significance, basically?

PENN: Look, I don't see this as a kind -- you know, as I said, we both have our endorsers, but I don't think that it is a significant endorsement in this environment.

Richardson responded. "I resent the fact that the Clinton people are now saying that my endorsement is too late because I only can help with Texans — with Texas and Hispanics, implying that that's my only value," the New Mexico governor told CNN's John King. "That's typical of some of her advisers that kind of turned me off."

Then on the Keith Obermann show Richardson said the following:

OLBERMANN: Governor, Mark Penn of the Clinton campaign responded today by disparaging the impact, or any impact your endorsement will have.

Let me quote him and I`ll get your reaction. "The time that he could have been effective has long since passed. I don`t think it is a significant endorsement in this environment."

How do you react to that statement from Mr. Penn?

RICHARDSON: "Well, I regret it. You know, it`s typical of many of the people in that campaign. What he basically was saying, the stereotype was that I could have endorsed before Texas because I`m Hispanic and that`s when I would have made a difference.

Now that Texas was over, my endorsement doesn`t make a difference. That`s his view. That`s maybe the campaign view. I still have enormous respect for Senator Clinton. I think she`s fought a great race, President Clinton too. But I think you have to get in the arena.

I have felt that the time has come for us to stop this bickering like Mark Penn, making statements like that and basically come together as a party and talk positive about this country at the issues instead of all of these sniping that seems to take place almost every day.. . So, maybe my endorsement has a little bit of significance. But obviously, Mark Penn doesn`t think so. But we`ll see."

He also stated, "Well, I`m not in any position to tell her what to do about her campaign but I have seen your eloquence on this issue. I share the view that since Texas, since the last big D-Day which was Ohio and Texas, the campaign`s gotten very nasty. Almost daily personal attacks, integrity attacks, the 3:00 a.m. phone call, you know, on both sides. And we don`t need that.

We`ve got John McCain running around the world boosting his policy credentials, raising funds, building support, and we`re bickering. And we`re a Democratic Party that has been on the resurgence and the American people are on our side on the issues. But when it appears that we`re downgrading each other, attacking each other, not talking positive, cat- fighting, nastiness, then, I think, the time has come for individuals, like myself that have been in the arena that maybe have run for president, to say, all right, the time has come to stop this.

The time has come to come together as a party. The time has come to get a nominee before the convention. The time has come -- also, I`d just think these superdelegates shouldn`t be the arbiters and the deciders of this race, 800 of them, a lot of them are, you know, good people, but they`re fat cats, they`re governors like me or senators, they`re congressman.

You know, why should we decide? Let the voters in proportion to the vote in various states make that decision."

YET MORE DISRESPECT 
The reaction of some of Mr. Clinton’s allies suggests that endorsing Obama might have been a wise decision. “An act of betrayal,” said James Carville, an adviser to Mrs. Clinton and a friend of Mr. Clinton.

“Mr. Richardson’s endorsement came right around the anniversary of the day when Judas sold out for 30 pieces of silver, so I think the timing is appropriate, if ironic,” Mr. Carville said, referring to Holy Week.

 When asked to respond Carville statements Richardson said the following on Fox News Sunday:

Well, I'm not going to get in the gutter like that. And you know, that's typical of many of the people around Senator Clinton. They think they have a sense of entitlement to the presidency.

You know, and I got in this race myself. I am very loyal to the Clintons. I served under President Clinton. But I served well. And I served the country well. And he gave me that opportunity.

But you know, Chris, it shouldn't just be Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton. You know, what about the rest of us? I got in the race. A lot of other candidates — Senator Biden, Dodd — that are qualified and experienced — you know, Senator Obama representing change.

So I feel that it's important that we bring a new generation of leadership. You know, the American people hate this partisanship, these divisions, snapping at each other as we seem to be doing.

And I think Obama represents this new change of not just bipartisanship, but bringing people together, bringing races together, bringing America's role in the world to be respected again.

The huge message that he would send if he's president, an African American of mixed heritage, of great intelligence and tremendous depth as a human being, the way he handled that race issue, is going to be a great signal for America.

In the interview Friday, Richardson also said he called Hillary Clinton Thursday to inform her of his decision to back Obama, a conversation he described as "painful."

"It was painful and it wasn't easy," he said. "I've spoken to others who have had that same conversation and they say at the end, it’s not all that pleasant."Last month, Chris Dodd — another former presidential candidate who decided to endorse Obama last month — said he had a "not comfortable" conversation with Clinton informing her of the news.

"I think that Sen. Obama has something special,” explained Richardson. “Something that can bring internationally America’s prestige back, that can deal with the race issue as he did so eloquently last week, that can deal with the domestic issues in a bipartisan way."
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