The Richardson Endorsement: does it matter?

Happy Good Friday to all who observe it. Happy Purim to all who observe it. Happy Weekend to all who observe weekends. I think that should cover everyone (and if not, what do you have against weekends?)





New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, the only Latino governor in the US, endorsed Barack Obama on Friday. Richardson's endorsement has been long sought-after by both candidates, but Clinton staffers were quick to dismiss the endorsement as irrelevant, noting that a large majority of Latinos had already voted in the primary (and most had gone for Hillary.) You can't help but wonder if Obama wishes Richardson had done this before the Texas primary.

Does the Richardson endorsement matter, then? Opinions vary. Clinton's line is technically correct: the vast majority of the nation's Latinos have already had their say in this primary. Barring a revote in Florida, which has a large and powerful Latino population, the only primary left where the Latino vote is a deciding factor is Puerto Rico. But this logic assumes that Richardson's endorsement only matters to Latinos, which is like saying Obama's candidacy only appeals to blacks. Perhaps more importantly, Richardson is a former Clinton insider who served as Bill Clinton's ambassador to the UN. The implication here could be damning: here is a man who has had an up-close view of how the Clintons do business, and he is siding with their opponent.

The media's role in the endorsement process is crucial, of course. Since public endorsements are really just another type of campaign ad, how much it is reportered -- and how -- is almost as important as the endorsement itself. If the prevailing story turns out to be the Clinton claim that Richardson has endorsed too late, then the impact of Richardson's nod may be minimal. On the other hand, if the narrative ends up being about a former Clintonite going to bat for the other team, it could end up harming Hillary.

There is already talk around the internet about a possible Obama/Richardson ticket. Having Richardson as a running mate would certainly help shore up Obama's spotty support among Latinos. But with the nomination far from won, it's a bit early to be talking about running mates. Still, the speculation, and the endorsement itself, accomplishes one very important objective: to help get the public, and the media, to begin moving away from the damaging Pastor Wright scandal.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Richardson is a superdelegate. So even if the Clinton assessment proves to be correct (which is not unlikely) and the endorsement has no real impact on the polls, it certainly has an effect on the ever-crucial delegate count.