I skipped the blogger meeting in Des Moines that idiosyncratic was able to make it to, but I did get the opportunity to interview him on his drive time from Ames to Boone for two house parties.  Richardson’s campaign has been by far the most accommodating in terms of one-on-one contact with the candidate, and I think that’s something that will generate a lot of good will for him.  Kos likes him, he is continually moving up in the Daily Kos and MyDD straw polls, and he is raising at a fairly brisk clip on actblue. 

I’ll have more impressions in one or more posts tonight or tomorrow, but I wanted to post the first half of my interview with the Governor.  A (probably pretty bad) transcript is included in the extended text.  You should see an mp3 player for audio of the interview – let me know if you don’t.  This is my first interview ever, so go easy on me.  🙂

Drew Miller (DM):  So why are you running for President?

Gov. Bill Richardson (BR):  Because I believe I am the best prepared I can bring this country together and I’ve had direct experience in addressing the main problems facing the country, restoring america’s standing in the world, getting out of iraq, becoming energy independent, creating jobs, and balancing budgets.  I believe that this country needs somebody who can end(?) bipartisanship and fix problems. 

What I am is somebody – a lot of these other candidates say I will vote a certain way.  I’ve actually done the things that this country needs – as a governor as an ambassador, as a congressman, and as a secretary of energy.

DM:  To be perfectly honest, I’m more of a personality voter than an issues voter – I would say personality, then maybe horse race, scandal and then issues for me, in importance.  I think there are probably a lot of people like that, just most people won’t admit it.

BR:  What was that?

DM:  I think there are a lot of people who vote mostly on personality, especially since when you hear in the primaries – everybody has similar views on things, on the the important issues of the day.  So I’ve got some less traditional questions, I think.

What was the most fun you had in college?

BR:  Incident, or just general?

DM:  Whatever.

BR:  The most satisfying moment was when I won the presidency of my fraternity and I realized that I may have a career in politics because my senior year in college at tufts I cared about baseball, I cared about well my girlfriend who is now my wife, so it was very satisfying when I won the election of my fraternity – I campaigned on making the fraternity more relevant, rather than beer drinking, that we’d deal with charities and helping people.

I don’t know if that’s the most fun, I used to, I guess that’s it.

DM:  In that race –  I read the albuquerque journal article – the five part series they just had – how successful were you at stamping out pot smoking and girls sleeping over at night?

BR:  I mainly was [against] the pot smoking, the other one I didn’t – that wasn’t something I tried to do.  I just felt that the fraternity was vulnerable at the time.  There were a lot of inspections and I just said, “We gotta end this.”

DM:  On a different topic, this is something that my friend Tom, who is on the state central committee, wanted to ask but didn’t get a chance.  There’s been a lot of people upset about the Nevada Democratic party’s plan to host a debate – to cohost a debate with FOX News.  What’s your take on that whole issue considering how important Nevada probably is for your Presidential Prospects?

BR:  Now which debate is this?  The next one is in Carson City – is that one sponsored by FOX?

DM:  I don’t think so – is that the SEIU one?

BR:  Yeah, I’m going to that one.

DM:  It’s a later debate, I’m not sure exactly when it is.  There is one that is cosponsored by the Nevada Democratic Party and Fox News – I know move on was involved in trying to get that changed, and a lot of the blogs are upset about it.  What is your opinion on FOX News and then what do you think about that situation and how it should be resolved?

BR:  I don’t know what I’ll do, but in all candor I’ve accepted all debates.  I’ve got to build support and I think the way I get my message out is through free media and debates.  I believe debates are important.  You know I’m not going to have the resources the other candidates are, so I’ll hold off on all the details.

There are other issues, like am I available that day.  I hadn’t heard about this, in all candor, I’ve been traveling, and I don’t read everything.

DM:  Something about debates – you’ve been asking people to sign a pledge to stay away from negative campaigning and just try to maintain a positive campaign.  That’s a little similar to John Edward’s persona in 2004, and a lot of people might say that he was campaigning more for Vice President than President that time around.  How would you respond to people who might say the same thing about your pledge?

BR:  I’m not campaigning for Vice President and I wouldn’t accept it.  I’m running for President.  You don’t get into these races to run for the number two spot.  I believe strongly that I can win.  The reason I’ve said that is I believe the last thing Democrats need to do is tear each other down.  Let’s save our fire for the Republicans.  I’m not saying you exclude responding to attacks in the general election, but in the primary, I think this Obama Hillary fight is silly, you know it was personal.

Joe Biden has agreed to sign the pledge besides myself.  It’s going to be proposed at the Democratic National Committee meeting in June.  I hope it’s approved.

DM:  It seems like your campaign more than any other one is really reaching out to blogs.  On Daily Kos, for example, they seem very friendly toward your campaign.  I’ve been trying to work with all the campaigns to get interviews and your campaign has been by far the most responsive.  Both times you’ve been here you’ve done meetings with bloggers.  What is your strategy with the netroots – do you think that that’s going to be a big impact for you over the course of the primary?

BR:  Yes, I think that netrooters are important.  You bring new people into politics – issue oriented.  You increase the debate.  I’m courting you because I think you’re important.  You’re idealistic and you will drive people to the polls.  Many of our views are similar, so yeah I try to be accessible in every state I go to, to meet with bloggers, to have one on ones.  That’s going to continue –  I have a good staff that maintains ties to the netrooters.

I don’t have the technology the other campaigns have, yet, to communicate with the bloggers – YouTube and all that.  I consider bloggers important.  I’ve had, on this trip, in two days, I’ve met individually with three bloggers, and one session with a bunch of bloggers yesterday.  That’s gonna continue.  You wanna see me next time, I’ll see you next time.

DM:  Awesome.  I wrote down a whole bunch of questions here – one of my other friends wanted me to ask, “So you’re in Iowa, what’s your take on ethanol?”

BR:  Ethanol?

DM:  Ethanol.  Yeah, corn-based ethanol especially but ethanol in general.

BR:  I’m for corn-based ethanol, and I was one of the original supporters in the US congress in the clean air act amendment.  I’m for ethanol, biodiesel, renewable energy, renewable technology.  I would consider Biodiesel and ethanol in the category of investing in new renewable technologies, like solar, wind, biomass, other fuel efficiency initiatives.  I believe that coal, nuclear, oil, and gas have gotten too many of the benefits and subsidies.

I believe in an equal playing field.  I would extend the tax incentives not just to the producers of ethanol but to the gasoline stations that market it.

DM:  One thing I read in the profile in the journal was that you actually signed up for a conceal and carry permit in New Mexico.  Is that permit still active?

BR:  Yeah.  I don’t carry it, I just did it symbolically.

DM:  How good of a shot are you?

BR:  Umm, fair.

DM:  If you come back to Ames do you think you would ever want to go out shooting with the ISU Rifle and Handgun society?  [Actually the ISU Rifle and Pistol Club.  For some reason I thought their name had changed.]

BR:  Yeah I would.

DM:  Alright, I will let them know.

BR:  I would.

DM:  I think that would be fun.  Actually I told one of my friends that the first candidate to go shooting with me I would definitely endorse.

BR:  Well you know I got an A rating from the NRA.  You might as well get that in before it gets out.

DM:  Might as well, yeah.  I was a big Dean supporter back in the day, so he was-

BR:  So you’re ok with that.

DM:  He was a fairly NRA-friendly candidate too.

BR:  Yeah.

DM:  A couple of things that seem maybe of concern to a lot of primary voters – at least at one point you were really supportive of a Constitutional amendment banning flag burning?

BR:  I am for on the Constitution, trying not to usurp it.  I’m for a Constitutional amendment to balance the budget – I am firmly for that – you know I’m looking at that position that I had and possibly reassessing but I haven’t made a final decision.  There was one vote I cast in congress, wasn’t it?

DM:  I’m not sure.  I read the journal, but I’m not really familiar with your voting record to be honest.

Another thing it said though is that you have been supportive of the death penalty.  In what situations would you say you actually do support the death penalty?

BR:  You know in the most heinous of crimes – terrorism – I believe that Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden deserve it, but I think we gotta be a lot more careful especially with DNA technology, I don’t think there is adequate representation of inmates, minority inmates, only in the most heinous of crimes.

DM:  Let’s see what else I’ve got here, I’m kind of jumping around in my list of questions I made.  I haven’t gotten through all my fun ones.

BR:  You know I’m from the west, I’ve gotta be a moderate.

DM:  For sure,  I don’t disagree.  New Mexico is a pretty swing state.

Do you drink at all?

BR:  Do I what?

DM:  Do you drink at all?

BR:  Occasionally I have a glass of wine.

DM:  So no beer?

BR:  No.

DM:  I was gonna ask you what your favorite brand of beer is.

BR:  Well I drink it occasionally.  Probably bud light.  But I mainly drink wine, because it’s better for my diet, which I’m constantly on.

DM:  (laughter) How has that been for you?

BR:  Well I’ve lost about 25 pounds but I’m miserable.  It’s doctor prescribed, but it’s liquid lunch and breakfast.

DM:  Have you talked to Mike Huckabee about it at all?

BR:  No, you know I like Mike and I think he’s made great contributio- I don’t like to preach about it, I do it myself.  I am for encouraging anti-obesity programs, but I’m not somebody who will go get in your face and say you gotta do this.  It’s your own individual decision. 

I’ll provide the incentives and the programs to do it, and I think a key to having a sensible healthcare policy is a lot of new preventative measures, like anti-obesity programs, getting junkfood out of schools.  I’ve done that in New Mexico.  Like creating incentives for companies to promote healthy workstyles, lifestyles with their workers, having phys ed in schools, healthy breakfast for all kids.

Am I going too fast?  Are you getting all this down?

DM:  I’m recording it, so I’ll transcribe it later.  Actually let me turn this off for a second.

[I ask him for a dirty joke.  He didn’t have one.]