ABOUT FIRST READ

First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



Biden vs. Richardson is for real

Posted: Friday, September 21, 2007 4:03 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:

From NBC's Mark Murray
Yesterday, Biden's campaign blasted Richardson for changing his position on troop withdrawal from Iraq. Then, just hours later at the AARP forum, Biden -- with a smile on his face, as always -- jabbed the New Mexico governor after Richardson talked about his experience dealing with health care.

"My good friend from New Mexico, God love him. His state's a couple million people," Biden said. "Give me a break. He can pull that together. Pull together 300 million people. That's like saying, you know, 'I played halfback when I was in high school; I can play in the pros' -- a different deal."

Well today, the Biden camp is once again going after Richardson -- this time charging that the New Mexico governor imposed an $8-a-day tax (which he later repealed) on nursing home beds to make up for a shortfall in Medicaid.

Why is Team Biden going after Richardson? A Biden aide tells First Read that Richardson has "gotten a free pass from the press. And we're not going to let that continue."

Richardson spokesman Tom Reynolds responds, "The campaign is heating up. Certain campaigns are trying to draw attention away from their low poll numbers with harsh attacks. We are going to continue to run a strong, optimistic campaign."

*** Update *** Reynolds adds this regarding the nursing home-bed tax: "The record clearly shows [Richardson] has expanded access to quality, affordable health care, among many other significant achievements that continue to improve the quality of live for New Mexicans. Instead of using Republican talking points that Sen. Biden ought to know are full of distortions, he should stay positive, and like us, offer solutions."

A source from a rival campaign also notes that the Biden campaign release today recycles a charge the New Mexico Republican Party has made in the past.

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So Mr. Biden, OK so you can beat up on the less popular kids. Does that make you more popular? Can you beat up the popular kids at your school? The real test is whether you can stand up to the juvenile delinquents at the rival school?
I wish Obama would start taking shots at Hillary like Biden took at Richardson.  I think its a toss up between Obama and Biden for the VP spot so I don't think anybodys going to take shots at Hillary, which is probably a good idea considering her gigantic death star political machine.
So, if being the governor of a small state disqualifies you for the presidency, does that mean we Democrats shouldn't have considered Bill Clinton for the job back in 1992?

Biden's been in the Senate for something like a zillion years, representing (*ahem*) a small state, and what does he have to show for it?  Presidential polls showing him running neck-and-neck with "not sure".  So he's clearly desperate to make an impact -- even one as negative as this -- to get some press.  What Biden's not telling us is that Richardson has executive experience as a governor, AND legislative experience (US House of Representatives) AND cabinet-level experience (UN ambassador and Energy Sec'y under Bill Clinton).

I wish Biden well -- as a Senator from the small state of Delaware for another zillion years.  Maybe he'll accomplish something positive by them.
Is it me or has there been a lot more coverage of Biden this week than in weeks prior?  I like it.
i like joe but cut it out
Joe can try but he can't stop the Richardson Juggernaut!


Perhaps Biden is attacking Richardson because the Governor is making a strong showing in the polls, while Biden ... well, his numbers speak for themselves.  As one of the "couple million" New Mexicans who's benefited from Governor Richardson's leadership, I'll be glad to follow my votes for him in state positions with my vote for him in the primary, and another to defeat the Republican nominee in 2008.  Biden is much further down my list, and falling fast.
Here is the deal all of the left wing nuts jobs have been around for far to long and this constant slamming over mis-quotes and out takes is the prime reason that we need a third party the left and right are to blame I say we fire them all and put someone who presently lives on less then 80K per year in total income in the job, common sense is more important then experience - They are all quack jobs and the election is still more then a year away - everyone is so concerned with who is next that the people we have now are getting a pass for doing nothing - its time to change things for real, and no one that is running is willing to do that, there is no good choice, all you vote for these days are lesser of 2 evils, and my slogan is anybody buy Hiliary or FUHRC I love that shirt -

Good luck to us all

Okay as I understand it Gov. Richardson, who at the AARP forum advocated stay at home mom's (and women who leave the work force to take care of elderly parents) get credit (i.e. as if they were contributing to social security) when they leave the work force to be stay at home mom's. So that when an executive's wife leaves the work force for 15 years to be at home with her kids (and at the gym, spa, and country club) she will have her social security credited, as if she was still gainfully employed? This wouldn't help middle and low income women have a choice (bad word when talking about Richardson) regarding staying home with kids or working, because the proposals economic advantage wouldn't be felt for decades. Reduction in building up your social security credits is not what makes staying home with kids economically difficult (or impossible). All this hair brain idea (the stay at home mom part) would do is put women who have the financial luxury of taking a decade or two off to raise kids the same social security credits of those who are working full time and raising kids on our  own, or those whose husbands income doesn't provide them the luxury of staying home with the kids.

As I understand it Richardson, whose been promising  everything under the sun, see above, as Governor of NM    "imposed an $8-a-day tax on nursing home beds to make up for a shortfall in Medicaid." I understand the tax was later repealed. But when his campaign responded they didn't deny that Richardson imposed the tax, and presumably repealed it under GOP pressure. The issue isn't whether Biden should or should criticize Richarson, the question is what Biden's staff put out about the tax true? I assume from Richardson's campaign's failure to deny the actual allegation that Richardson imposed the tax, and repealed it under pressure. Given all his promises, and his promise that none of this will cost us anything, I think the voters need this information!
Biden has an answer for the bush war/murders...how about hillary?....hillary is the system and would never get this liberal democrats vote!!!!i would vote for just about anyone else, besides that bafoon thompson, you go you bible thumpers this is your bush and your war...sick!
I have watched Richardson be MIA as the head of DOE and again as govener.  I can not belive any one considers him a real canadate. He is just lookong for his next job to be missing from
Go Joe.

It says something about the Dems that their best candidate is wallowing somewhere around last place.
"i like joe but cut it out"

Cut what out? Telling the truth?

"Perhaps Biden is attacking Richardson" Since when is telling the truth attacking someone. Dave Wesner, Biden didn't make fun of him for talking about junk food all the time, when clearly Richardson doesn't practice what he preaches, that would be an attack, and mean! Biden has pointed out Richardson's flip flops on Iraq, and told the voters that the guy who keeps claiming his programs won't cost anything, and lowered taxes by a huge amount in NM, actually put a significant tax on the elderly, which was repealed under pressure.

"the Governor is making a strong showing in the polls" polls mean nothing, Richardson spent more on TV ads in Iowa from May to August than all other campaigns combined, which increased his name ID. But take a look at how few people showed up supporting him at the Steak Fry. Biden was the only candidate who didn't provide free tickets or transportation to the event, and he was 4th in number of supporters there.  
I think Biden is attacking Richardson for a number of reasons. As a Biden supporter, I'm not going to sit here and suggest that improving poll numbers isn't one of them. Of course it is. The Biden campaign does have a point, however, when it says that Richardson has been given a free pass in this campaign. A lot of people like to joke about Biden's verbosity and his penchant for saying the wrong things sometime, but Richardson's public appearances have been distasters for that sort of thing - and yet we rarely hear much about it. In addition, whether you support Richardson or not, if you understand politics you should understand that going after Richardson is a good political mov for Biden. Richardson is catchable for Biden; right now, the frontrunners are not. In addition, Biden is able to highlight and deploy his strengths, in particular a workable solution for Iraq, against Richardson to great effect. This was never more clear than in one of the recent debates, where virtually every candidate on stage referred positively to Joe's plan for Iraq and said it was thr right path, except Richardson and Kucinich. Richardson's plan was roundly thumped as naive by several of the candidates on stage and Richardson was, quite frankly, left looking amateurish and lost after that. Of course Biden is going after him - as well he should.
True story, Molly.  I was there.  Richardson had hardly any people there by comparison and they seemed not very organized.  Iowa is all about the ground game.  You have to out-organize the competition, and be really good at retail politics.  

When I met Richardson, he gave a long wonky list of ideas(some of them I like), didn't give straight answers to questions on health care, and was barely polite when I talked to him afterwords.  He repeated the same speech at the Steak Fry.

Biden is completely charming in person--on the Dem side, he's the one you'd want to have a beer with.  He answers questions, doesn't duck any of them, and is obviously really really smart.

I decided to support him because I think he can take it to the Republican nominee.  If you watched the debate last night, you know what I mean.
And another thing: Richardson keeps playing this "governor" bogeyman under his "experience" credentials. Normally, I would agree with it, except in Richardson's case, his governorship has been anything but a resounding success. Here's a quote from his disastrous appearance on Meet the Press back on May 27th:

MR. RUSSERT:  But let’s go through the resume a little bit.  First, there’s governor of New Mexico.  As you well know, they rank states in a whole variety of categories from one being the best, 50th being the worst.  This is New Mexico’s scorecard, and you are the governor.  Percent of people living below the poverty line, you’re 48.  Percent of children below, 48.  Median family income, 47.  People without health insurance, 49.  Children without health insurance, 46.  Teen high school dropouts, 47.  Death rate due to firearms, 48.  Violent crime rate, 46.  You’re the very bottom of all those statistics of all 50 states, and you’re the governor for five years.

GOV. RICHARDSON:  Well, Tim, let me just say that we’ve made enormous progress in all of those areas.

This is the mantle of executive experience that Richardson is claiming? Biden's point about Richardson being given a free pass is nothing if not exemplified by this. Why hasn't more of the mainstream press challenged these executive credentials Richardson keeps burnishing?
Hey MOROSE, or MORRIS,

I guess you don't consider writing the Violence Against Women Act, blocking Bork's nomination, having a plan for Iraq, and writing legislation to put more cops on the street (to name a few) as accomplishment but those who support Biden think those are some pretty decent accomplishments.

NUANCED - your argument is nonsense.  Who would be the juvenile delinquents at the rival school?  Iraq - got a plan; Republicans - bring them on.  

Richardson flat out lies when he says he is the only candidate with a plan for Iraq.  That is a lie and you know it.  Hey, maybe Richardson is the juvenile delinquent.


I am from New Mexico and have no use whatsoever for Richardson.  He has lied through his teeth to us, spent more time outside of the state than inside, and is just looking to further his political resume.  I didn't vote for him on his two governship runs and will not vote for him (or Hillary) for President.
Come on Joe, we like you but you know Bill is just now starting to kick a bunch of butt. Bill were working hard and will do our best to get you there.
It seems somewhat obvious that Sen. Biden and Gov. Richardson are vying for cabinet positions in the (Hillary) Clinton administration (Sec State). That's not a bad thing.  All of the Democratic candidates are very qualified to be major players in the next White House Admin., save for Kucinich (might be too far left)and Gravel (can't figure this guy out.  Seems to be too angry, yet, very entertaining).  

In any case, all the Dems are much more qualified than the Reps to hold the Commander-in-Chief position.  The Reps just want to continue shoveling our tax dollars to the wind, and using our military for corporate use.

Richardson is the cheerleader for the Dems. NM is still one of the poorest state in our country under his management, and have one of the worse school system. people might think that he's gaining grounds but he's no where near the other contenders. But he does make a good cheerleader. Keep up the good work!
I'm leaning more toward Biden. I like a canidate that anwers question head on. That was one thing I admired about President Clinton, you ask a question and you received an understandable answer.  Sentor Biden is not afraid to say what he thinks.  You may not like the answer but you got a specific reply as opposed to most of the rest of the canidates who are too afraid to answer straight for whatever reasons.
A CBS poll just showed that most Americans don't even know Joe Biden.  They don't know him because the media hasn't been doing its job.  And people wonder why he is low in the polls?  

Breaking News:  Hillary is not electable.  Neither is Edwards (too left) or Obama (too inexperienced).  The only sure winner in this bunch is Biden.  

Admittedly, I don't know the specifics of this "stay at home mom" credit.  I don't think it's a bad idea.  It's not all that different from marital dissolutions when one spouse stays home to raise kids and the other works; the caretaker spouse is generally awarded some type of alimony or financial settlement to "value" the contribution that spouse has made to the marital assets.  

However, if it is being suggested that such a plan is going to make it easier for women to stay home with their kids, then I agree with Sara that it is not going to accomplish that.  The reality is that most people cannot afford to live without two incomes.  The only people that I know who even attempt it are couples who have several children not yet of school age, because the cost of daycare is so expensive that the difference between daycare expenses and the income of the stay at home spouse is slight.  Or, of course, wealthy couples who don't really have to worry about money.

I just don't see this helping the average person much now.
I am simply puzzled by Biden's strategy. What is his campaign thinking. Why is it that he seems interested in going after everyone except the frontrunner. Did he forget that Hillary is the one he should be going after. So far, I've heard him attack Edwards about his union support, Obama about experience and now Richardson for being a governor. Missing from this discussion, the person who may give him a VP slot. Kucinich and Gravel better watch out, I think their next.
I agree Biden had a good show of support and gave one of the best speeches at the Harkin Steak Fry.  I'd like to see him as VP or in an Obama cabinent.  Obama's 3000+ march of supporters from his pre rally to the Steak Fry entrance was one for the record books.  They joined more supporters in the Steak Fry. A sea of Obama O signs and the roar of the crowd 'Obama, Obama' when Harkin said "you did'nt come here to see me, you came to see..." was incredible.
Go Joe, Go!
Bidens just another Paper Hanger in Washington. He is uncle teddy's left hand tet. and kerry's right hand tet. Thus meaning this three headed monster is always todestroy those who have some what of a chance to help. Over the past thirty years the three Paper hanging s.o.b"s have always either kissed another A@@ or sought to ruien those with a solution to an issue.

Richardson will never become the President , but he stands his ground ,, which is some what pointless. He is like Hillary Clinton a ""Great white hope"" but at the end of the day,, Just Richardson is left standing,,only because he is a want to be Paper HangingS.O.B.

Democratics rule the world of the Idiot. Fragmented, ill prepared, always sucking up to some one's coat tail, all with the same concept as a liar.Now show me real leadership,,not lip serviceand self serving agenda!!!!
so who is the better choice..? i don't think either would take a VP spot....Biden could still win this because he has the balls..richardson wants to SOS job and  has been running for the job for the last ten years. Bottem line we need someone who  has had enough and can stand up and put an end to Bush and this ...I don't knwo a word that could discribe wherewe are......
Bill Richardson has always had my vote.  I've been a constituent of his since his first term in Congress.  Bill Richardson has always been there for the People, including my family.  New Mexico and the United States have greatly benefited from his work.  Think about this -  what other candidate has his track record for dealing with and resolving issues in foreign countries?  Right now, with the mess that is going to be left behind by the current administration, the United States needs a great diplomat and leader.  That great diplomat and leader is Bill Richardson.
Personally, I think we are fortunate to have so many great candidates in the Democrat Party! Hillary is villified by so many and not just on the ultra conservative side. I see Democrats making snotty but clever remarks as well. I keep hearing that only blue collar babes "get" Hillary...well, it ain't necessarily so. I hold a college degree and Hillary is my first choice for President. None of us are perfect, but she is one smart woman, a deep thinker and tough in the best sense. I want her for president and hope she blows a hole through all this cloud of negativism. Take a look around folks. Want more of the same? Vote any Republican choice and you got Bush all over again. Whoever gets the Democrat nod will get my vote: I just hope we're smart enough at last to make that Hillary.  
It just so happens that in my humble opinion the most qualified and experienced Dem ticket (though not a snowball's chance in heck) is Biden/Richardson. Go Figure.
richardson was clinton ass kisser ,and if the women gets elected he will start all over again.
Biden likes to hear himself talk and talk.  Claiming that a governor with an outstanding record of accomplishment who hails from a small state can't make a great President is going to get him nowhere.

Most Democrats believe Bill Clinton was our best President since WWII. He came from a small state.

What does Biden's argument say about Iowans? Under his reasoning, no governor of Iowa would ever be competent to serve as our President. And doesn't that mean Biden too is not the same quality senator as Obama or Clinton?

Richardson won the debate because on the issue Democrats care the most about - how to end the war in Iraq - he gave a clear and unambiguous answer. With Richardson, the voter knows that every single U.S. troop will be out of Iraq within a year of his taking office.

With a President Biden, Edwards or Clinton when will the last U.S. soldier leave Iraq? The answer they gave is it depends on President Bush.

Talk about being passive leaders and not carrying out the will of the American public. I don't want my next President to continue to deploy U.S. troops in Iraq because President Bush is making a mess of the situation. We already know that.

Only Richardson gets it. Our soldiers have become the targets of all sides in a civil war. There is no military solution. In fact, our presence is unwittingly continuing the war. The Iraqis have become dependent on the U.S. for security. By remaining in Iraq, we perpetuate this dependency. We'll never see the Iraqis take charge of their own nation if the U.S. continues to sacrifice its own soldiers to do the job the Iraqis should be undertaking.
"put someone who presently lives on less then 80K per year in total income in the job"

I believe that Biden is somewhere like 98th out of a 100 in personal wealth in the Senate. That's as close as your going to get. The guy commutes home (to Delaware) after every Senate session. He has like 150,000 net worth (which is a LOT lower than many 60+ year old people who madee 40,000 a year).

Biden is as much an everyday person as anyone on this forum. People here get on his case for being as candid  with their opinions as they are. What a bunch of hypocrits you all are.
Gerry, Alaska: that is the same thing I pointed out about Richardson. He has not done a good job. Just because you worked in the Governors office and did not get your job done does not mean you should be "promoted" to the presidency. He was also deficient at the DOE.
We already have a failed administration , even though I know MICKEY MOUSE could be better than shrub, we do not want to settle for mediocre.
Anyone who has followed Richardson's campaign knows he has a position for whatever audience he's speaking to... and none of them even remotely resemble each other.

The prior comments about how Russert took Richardson to task on his so-called "resume" is accurate, but incomplete. Tim went, point by point, through Richardson's claims to fame and showed him to be the greasy, shape-shifting fraud that he really is.

Senator Joe Biden is perhaps the most qualified of all the Democratic candidates in the field. It's a darn shame his positions are not more closely followed up on by the press. They have not only substance but also reflect his knowledge and integrity.





I like them both, and Hillary too.
Any one of thode 3 would be a great President
I like Joe Biden.  This man is real.  He has sensible, workable ideas and is willing to go on record about his ideas rather than talk around them.  He has my vote.
Biden is an also-ran grasping at straws. When he voted for the funding bill without a timeline he showed he has no real interest in ending the mess in Iraq. He could have gotten the troops the money they needed for the uparmored humvees without linking it to the rest of the funding. Biden enabled Bush with that vote and his plan for Iraq assumes we need to be the absolute rulers of Iraq - shaping their nation as we see fit. It was a mistake for us to get involved there in the first place.

Richardson is a good man, and he would make an excellent Vice-President for Obama. Obama has the vision and forsight to lead this nation out of the shadow of the Bush years, and his plan for Iraq would end our combat troop involvement, allow the Iraqis to determine their own destiny, and refocus our effort to destroy Al Qaeda in Afganistan and hunt down Bin Laden.
Maybe Joe Biden is just concerned because there are no Dunkin Donut shops in New mexico?

Or maybe because Bill Richardson is not as clean as Obama?

or maybe he is just a Senator from a state that hardly ever makes the newspapers unless he is in it or someone gets shot?

Very interesting, he would pick on someone at the bottom tier instead of going after Hillary.
Biden obviously has no clue as to the diversity and complexity of the people of New Mexico. We aren't so easily roped in as Mr. Biden suggests.
People that take offense to Biden attacking Richardson are way too sensitive and weak.  What's wrong with some harsh, honest debate?  Some people are just way too passive, and their desire to have their politicians behave passively and politely is what contributes to the sad state of American politics.  

It's this type of thinking that has given us the pathetic Democratic Congress that we have right now.  It's this type of thinking that allowed Kerry to get swiftboated while neither he nor his party could mount an adequate defense and/or counter attack.

Biden would never allow that too happen.  He is clearly the Dems best and most electable candidate.  But, if too many Dem voters get too uncomfortable with this kind of tough talk then they'll nominate another loser.  And, in 2008 they'll scratch their heads and wonder how they could've lost to a Republican when all the facts and the majority of the people are on their side.  
Keep your eye on the ball, folks.  Instead of quibbling over the minute details that swing voters won't consider anyway, we need to talk about which candidate has a chance of beating the Republican candidate in the general election.  Biden had a good point in the AARP debate the other night: Hillary is too polarizing.  She has NO CHANCE of getting votes from moderates and independents.  Accordingly, she has NO CHANCE of winning the general election.  Didn't we learn anything from '04?  Who cares about shoring up the liberal base?  Those folks will never vote for a Republican anyway.  We need to court the vote of the moderates and independents.  Those are the people who gave Bush another 4 years; those are the people who have already made it clear that they hate Hillary and don't trust Obama and his lack of experience to run the country.  Biden, like it or not, is our best chance of winning the general election.  He has experience, he has a record of pulling Republican across the aisle in the Senate, he's likeable, and he's the only candidate who has a valid exit strategy from Iraq.  
The Dems are just as responsible for all Bush's disasters as the GOP.
* Clinton hurt Gore because he couldn't keep his pants zipped and then couldn't campaign for Gore as a successful popular president.
* Gore and Kerry didn't study and learn from Rove/Bush tactics in *two* previous elections and the GOP primary so they could know how to deal with them.
* Gore and Kerry ran stupid campaigns and made stupid mistakes even without help from Rove/Bush. Kerry went wind-surfing even though Rove/were attacking him for being a rich boy who changed positions on the issues. Duh!
What a fine mess we are in.  The GOP is incompetant in office and the Dems don't deserve to win elections. Somebody better get their act together or we'll be even further down the toilet than we are now.  Not even one of these bozos on either side is presidential material.  Gerald Ford looks better every day.
can someone answer me honestly and explain why i constantly see "bush war" etc. when it was the same dem's in congress currently running for president that ok'd the war to begin with?  do i need to bust out some quotes by hillary, edwards?  seriously: they were presented with the same intel that W had.  do you think W took all the intel, edited it, then gave it to the senators?  grow the heck up and accept responsibility that we are all in this war together. the only difference is the democrats WANT us to lose.
Big Mouth, Shoe in Butt Joe! As a resident of the first State--Delaware, It's Joe Who to us in the southern section of Delaware. Joe relies on the liberal north for his main support, give them what ever and as much as the liberals need. ANTI-GUN is why us in southern Delaware dislike [HATE] him.
Biden is the best candidate and Richardson is the worst. His intensions are good but he can't even pull off a talk on Meet the Press where Biden's intelligence and patritotism shine brighter than the greedy gleam in Clinton and OhBombma's eyes. His only problem is that's he's too smart and descent to lie and throw out one-liners. Sadly that seems to be a problem because we dont want forthrightness and intelligence thrown in our faces because with Oboma ans Clinton it's easy to be disparaging. If we actually had to respect our President I think we might feel like we had a real leader and that makes Americans uncomfortable, to have to trust for real. And not just trust that there will be tax cuts but trust that we can have a direction, a plan that makes us think about consequences instead of the quick glory-feel we had been looking for.  
Biden is the best candidate and Richardson is the worst. His intensions are good but he can't even pull off a talk on Meet the Press where Biden's intelligence and patritotism shine brighter than the greedy gleam in Clinton and OhBombma's eyes. His only problem is that's he's too smart and descent to lie and throw out one-liners. Sadly that seems to be a problem because we dont want forthrightness and intelligence thrown in our faces because with Oboma ans Clinton it's easy to be disparaging. If we actually had to respect our President I think we might feel like we had a real leader and that makes Americans uncomfortable, to have to trust for real. And not just trust that there will be tax cuts but trust that we can have a direction, a plan that makes us think about consequences instead of the quick glory-feel we had been looking for.  
I would love to see Joe Biden be the candidate for us. If not that, the vice president or the Sec. of State.


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