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New Mexicans have the best imaginations in the world, guv tells Esquire magazine
Did you know Gov. Bill Richardson grew his beard “as a rebellion against those consultants who told me I had to comb my hair, shave, lose weight.”
Or that the guv believes New Mexicans have the best imaginations in the world. His proof: “My point on UFOs is, I don’t know if they’re fact or fiction. But it’s fun. It’s Americana. Why shut down dreams?”
If you didn’t know these things, you should check out Esquire magazine’s What I’ve Learned feature on the guv that posted today.
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Wild cat, wily rodent may get endangered species protection
A Canada Lynx. And this one is a kitten! Photo by Josh More.
If you came across a Canada lynx while taking out the trash one night, you would not mistake it for a stray cat. The Canada lynx is a ferocious-looking, wildly furry creature bigger than a bobcat, standing about two feet tall at the shoulder. It has been known to kill deer, but mostly it preys on the (adorable and unfortunate) snowshoe hare.
Since 1999, when the animal was reintroduced to Colorado, approximately 60 of the cats have wandered into northern New Mexico and at least 14 have been killed. In two weeks, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will decide whether or not to extend federal protections for the cat to New Mexico.
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New Mexico’s next governor: ‘I’m ready for this job’
It became just about official today: Diane Denish will be the first woman to be governor of New Mexico.
The date that it will happen isn’t set. Bill Richardson says he won’t resign until the U.S. Senate confirms his nomination as commerce secretary, which won’t take place until after Barack Obama is sworn in on Jan. 20. That means the transition is likely to occur in the middle of a 60-day state legislative session in which lawmakers and the governor will have to make up for a budget shortfall of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Denish says she’s up to the task.
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Another hat in the ring to lead New Mexico’s Republican Party
According to a Southern New Mexico conservative blog, there is another name in the running for state Republican Party chairman.
Some guy named John Padoven.
Unlike Steve Pearce and Allen McCulloch, the other two names mentioned most often as potential party chairman for the state Republican Party, Padoven hasn’t lost a U.S. Senate race by 20+ points in the last four years (McCulloch to Jeff Bingaman and Pearce to Tom Udall). more »
Richardson dio gracias a la comunidad latina esta mañana — en español por supuesto
In his acceptance speech this morning regarding his new position as Commerce Secretary, Bill Richardson spoke in Spanish to the Latino community, thanking them for their support and pointing out the strength and unity of the Latino community.
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‘Our vote was our voice,’ Richardson says to Latinos en Español at Chicago press conference
Gov. Bill Richardson demonstrated one of his many skills Wednesday during a short speech after President-elect Barack Obama had nominated him as U.S. Commerce Secretary: that of bilingualism.
Richardson is perfectly bilingual in English and in Spanish, which likely will come in handy in his dealings as commerce secretary with the many countries of Latin America.
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Party like it’s 4:59 a.m.!! D.C. votes to let bars stay open late for inauguration week
From today’s Washington Times:
Hoping to tap in to an inaugural bonanza, the D.C. Council Tuesday night voted 12-1 to push back last call to 5 a.m. and allow bars and restaurants to serve food around the clock during inauguration week.
Millions of visitors are expected to descend on the city to celebrate Barack Obama’s presidential swearing-in on Jan. 20. The council hopes to accommodate the throng by allowing licensed restaurants and taverns to serve drinks later and to keep their doors open 24 hours a day for the whole week.
They sure didn’t do that when Bush was elected. Nope, not for Poppy or Clinton or Reagan.
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TODAY’S BLOG ROUNDUP: The Richardson-is-off-to-D.C. edition
You may have heard that Bill Richardson is Barack Obama’s choice for Secretary of Commerce. Some bloggers have also heard and discussed it — but most on the left side of the virtual aisle. Those on the right side of the aisle, at least nationally, seem more concerned about the Saxby Chambliss victory in Georgia last night.
The largest liberal blog on the Internet, Daily Kos, mostly just posted the prepared remarks of Barack Obama, while the discussion went on in the comments. Commenter The Crank wrote:
The position has been prominent at times, not at others. I’d never quite thought of this as being on the A-list, but I find the idea of an “economic diplomat” an intriguing one. I just hope Richardson has enough warm fuzzies with the business community to really bridge some of the gaps here.
Of course, the fine folks at Fox News wrote that Richardson was rewarded for his allegiance to Barack Obama. more »
Richardson pick for U.S. Commerce Department nod isn’t ‘consolation prize’ for Latinos, Obama insisted
It may have been the only sour note in Wednesday’s press conference announcing Gov. Bill Richardson as President-elect Barack Obama’s U.S. commerce secretary nominee.
Does Richardson’s nomination as commerce secretary amount to a “consolation prize” for the nation’s Latinos and Hispanics, a reporter asked.
“It seems many were expecting, hoping that Bill Richardson was going to be secretary of state,” the unidentified reporter continued.
It was a striking tableau — the nation’s first African-American president being quizzed about the diversity of his Cabinet.
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Obama to Richardson: ‘We’re deeply disappointed at the loss of the beard’
During the Q & A after the announcement of Gov. Bill Richardson’s nomination as U.S. commerce secretary, President-elect Barack Obama took a question from a reporter that many in New Mexico have been wondering: Where’s the beard, governor?
President-elect Barack Obama, not Richardson, decided to field the question.
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