Obama's VP (Pt. 3)

3) Bill Richardson (+15)
Pros:
o Résumé: Richardson’s foreign policy experience and résumé in general is nothing to take lightly. He successfully negotiated numerous hostage situations and nuclear arms confrontations with foreign counties – something that could be extremely beneficial to Obama’s stance on talking to countries that pose a threat to America. (+10)
o Governor Richardson: Richardson has a huge benefit for being a very successful two-termed New Mexico governor. He fronted numerous changes including medical marijuana legalization, infrastructure progress, and LGBT rights. He is also a democratic Governor that successfully cut taxes to spark economic growth, which could really help Obama’s argument to cut taxes for the middle class. (+10)
o Location: Being the governor of a swing-state is always a plus. (+5)
o Hispanic Vote: The Hispanic population has shown mild hesitance towards Obama, even though he has fought hard to court them. Having the backing of the only Hispanic governor in America could only help. (+5)
Cons:
o Attack Pup: Bill Richardson is not the type of politician that can go after another effectively. Sometimes that’s a necessary job for the VP and he could be the next John Edwards when it comes to head-to-head combat. (-5)
o Debates: Richardson never had a strong standing in any of the debates. Some things that came out of his mouth were confusing, unfocused, gaffes, and blunders. For example, he once answered, “yes” to a question asked by Melissa Ethridge if “homosexuality was a choice” to which later in the interview he repeated his claim and backed it with that he is “not a scientist.” His campaign released a statement the next day saying that Richardson did not believe that homosexuality was a choice and that he was “let-lagged.” (-5)
o “Judas”: James Carville attacked Richardson harshly when he announced his support for Obama regardless of his close ties to the Clintons. He has been ostracized by many Clinton supporters for doing so and could have more trouble than others when it comes to courting Clinton’s former voters. (-5)