Remember how during the Democratic debates, Bill Richardson was always the can’t-we-all-just-get-along candidate? Whenever things got too heated, that’s when Richardson would start intoning (to the point of irritation) about ending divisions, bringing people together, and rising above petty differences.
Now, in his endorsement of Barack Obama today, he’s
sticking with that message
, this time as a way of calling for an end to the Democratic race:
It is time, however, for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we will face against John McCain in the Fall.
People say Richardson should have endorsed earlier—that he could have been more effective before the Texas vote. Perhaps. But on the other hand, Richardson now gets to do what he does best: intervene at the moment of greatest tension and say,
Come on people, bring it in
. He was always better at playing the peace-making voice of reason than the partisan warrior. So from that perspective, if Obama’s new strategy is to convince superdelegates to wrap this thing up, Richardson’s timing couldn’t have been better.
