Taming the Wild West is ‘critical’ to Richardson’s primary strategy

[babylonsister]

Taming the Wild West is ‘critical’ to Richardson’s primary strategy
By Sam Youngman
August 03, 2007


If New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson becomes the Democratic presidential nominee in 2008, his playbook no doubt will read like a version of “How the West Was Won.”

Richardson’s campaign sees the prevalence of Western states on Super Tuesday, along with early-voting Nevada, as a calendar that could propel the governor to a victory that looks like a long shot to most analysts.

“Western Democrats, particularly Democratic governors, have shown they can win the West, and we’re the only ones,” campaign manager Dave Contarino told The Hill.

Contarino acknowledged that next year’s loaded Super Tuesday, which now includes Arizona, Utah, Oklahoma, New Mexico and the grand prize of California, is at the core of the campaign’s strategy to win the nomination.

Contarino said his team knows it needs to build momentum ahead of the second round, momentum it only can get from making respectable showings in Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire. He said polls indicate support for Richardson is starting to materialize in those early states.

more...

http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/taming-the-wild-west-is-critical-to-richardsons-primary-strategy-2007-08-03.html

[Warpy]

1. I keep telling y'all that the new wave of progressivism

will start out west. The election of Brian Schweitzer, a plain spoken but unabashed progressive, was a clue to what it takes to win supposedly "red" states, and you can't get a whole lot redder than Montana.

Even Richardson, whose first 2 years were marred by DLC Koolaid, has taken a turn toward progressivism. He's still DLC, but he is giving every indication of shaking that bunch up. A lot.

Just don't expect it to be the same progressivism of the last century.

[HeraldSquare212]

2. Wish we would nominate a Governor

I don't know why we're so fixated on Senators in our party. The last sitting Senator elected President was JFK. Before that? I have no idea but I bet it's been no more than a handful in the history of the US.