BILL RICHARDSON

Richardson’s biggest strength is his resume. He has been nominated for the Noble Peace Prize four times! Governor Richardson is the only candidate not from the legislative branch – and history shows that Americans are far more likely elect Governors or Generals, than Senators, to the country’s highest Executive office. He represents a key and rapidly growing ethnic demographic. So why isn’t he in the lead? Because stories are facts wrapped in emotions. Richardson has all the facts and none of the emotions. He has almost no storyline at all. The very skills that made him such and effective diplomat (the ability not to demonize his Antagonist but to work with them to reach a positive resolution in a crisis) leaves him unable to effectively harness the energy a good Antagonist can give a candidate to focus his message and rally his own troops. Richardson’s resume is paralyzing him. In Iowa he is running an ad that shows him doing a job interview on the basis of that resume, but a primary isn’t a job interview. The way primaries are played now are more like speed dating. If the chemistry isn’t there, nothing else matters.