Despite the results in Iowa and New Hampshire, I'm not giving up. I've been blogging for Bill Richardson since February 2006. I've been organizing and doing political work for Governor Richardson for most of the last 2 years, before there was a campaign, and I'm not giving up yet.

Some people I know think of me like Don Quixote, taking on windmills, believing in some sort of pipe dream. But it's not that simple. As John Lennon said, "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one..." There are many Bill Richardson supporters across the country, many whom I've come to know.

Bill Richardson started his political career being underestimated. And despite losing that first race for Congress, he gained a lot of respect because he worked harder than everyone else. And eventually, that hard work translated into a lengthy career in public service, doing the work of the People. Bill Richardson did not get where he is today because he listened to the people who told him no. Bill Richardson ignored the people who told him no, worked harder than his opponents, and proved himself.

So, today, despite the results in New Hampshire not being what we hoped for, I'm not giving up. I refuse to take no for an answer. And now that the campaign is headed into the West, where the people know Bill Richardson best, let us all display that Richardson spirit and not let people tell us that Bill Richardson can't be the next President of the United States. As long as we continue to work, put in the time, effort and money, anything is possible.

Bill Richardson never gave up, and neither am I. I'm flying to Reno. Nevada on Friday to do what I can for the campaign in advance of the January 19 caucus.

Promoted by Joaquin

"You know, every candidate in this race is asking for the biggest job promotion of his or her life. The voters ought to look at what we've done.

"What has the Senate done in the last 12 months? Since my colleagues took over leadership of Congress, have they gotten us out of Iraq? No. Did they scrap No Child Left Behind and reform education? No. Did they stop an Attorney General who wouldn't say that waterboarding is torture? No. Have they done something to create the next generation of great paying jobs? No.

"I know that we can do better. And I have done better.

"In the last twelve months, I helped shut down North Korea's nuclear reactor. We brought back the remains of 6 American soldiers from that country that had been missing since the Korean War. I extended health coverage to every child under 12 in my state. I raised teacher salaries. I cracked down on unscrupulous lenders. I passed a landmark clean energy bill to create clean air and thousands of jobs that cannot be outsourced.

Promoted by Joaquin

"Richardson has heavyweight credentials for a heavyweight job; Obama, Edwards and Clinton, by comparison, have barely found their way into the ring," the paper wrote.

"A handful of years as senator for each of them simply does not stack up to Richardson's powerful resume as a former congressman, energy secretary, U.N. ambassador, and now, governor of New Mexico."

Promoted by Joaquin

The poll also found, however, that one in five Iowa Democrats and one in three Iowa Republicans said they could still change their minds before the caucuses on Thursday -- the first big test in the state-by-state battle to choose candidates for the November presidential election. [emphasis mine]

From the letters to the editor in the Des Moines Register today:

Like many Iowa Democrats, I take our first-in-the-nation caucus as a serious responsibility. With that in mind, it was particularly disappointing to read the Register's Dec. 16 endorsement of Hillary Clinton.

While the endorsement talks about Clinton's preparedness to lead the nation, the reality is that we need a Democratic candidate who is qualified and is a mediator, who can get elected and heal this nation. Clinton will do the opposite, just by being there. The endorsement says that "unfortunately, for many Americans, perceptions of Clinton, now 60, remain stuck in a 1990s time warp."

Boy, does that say it all: Perception is everything. Clinton's very presence is divisive. Even if she were to win the nomination, she cannot win the election. Suggesting that she carries too much baggage is an understatement.

I have been a Bill Richardson supporter since this past spring when his TV ads introduced him, and I maintained my support through the Harkin Steak Fry and the Jefferson Jackson dinner and after listening to all of the candidates. I have had lots of opportunities to give in to the media's forcing the top three candidates down my throat and to be swayed by other campaigns at events.

Richardson and Clinton are not alike. Bill Richardson is the most qualified candidate on all fronts, but he is a mediator who can regain trust and respect internationally for our country. He can draw Republican and independent voters next November and win the election. Clinton cannot.

- Sean Sullivan, Cumming, Iowa.

While I know that everyone in American politics is supposed to have some ulterior motive behind everything they do in public, everything in my experience has indicated to me that Richardson's position on Iraq is genuine. Richardson isn't alone, either. The latest CNN poll on Iraq showed public sentiment for total withdrawal sharply rising to 39%, a clear plurality nationwide. Further, residual forces wouldn't even be an issue in the campaign were it not for Richardson. No matter what happens when the voting starts, and no matter what you may think of Richardson otherwise, that is an important contribution to the campaign. And yes, it is one reason not to be cynical about American politics.

You have served magnificently. Now you are coming home.

Perhaps they think that because fewer of our troops have died lately that Americans don't care anymore. Well, we do and I dare the media to tell the families of the 37 troops who were killed last month that this issue doesn't deserve front-page coverage.

I just sent the following e-mail to our Washington State for Richardson group:

Dear Friends, I've just set up a new Facebook group for Richardson supporters called "I Will Caucus for Bill Richardson in Washington on February 9,2007. If you have a Facebook account please join this group so I can start confirming that you will participate in the caucus and support Governor Richardson. Please also invite everyone you know who supports Governor Richardson, lives in Washington state and will attend the February 9 caucus.

Here is the link to the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7889506977

Thanks again for all you do.

Ken

If you're in another state and coordinating for the campaign you might consider doing the same thing to start getting a handle on identifyingRichadson supporters in your area.

In 2004, Richard Gephardt went negative on front runner Howard Dean, and Dean counter attacked. Voters in Iowa were turned off. Two candidates with positive messages, John Kerry and John Edwards, came from behind to win. Six weeks before the election Kerry was polling in the mid teens and Edwards was still in the single digits.

Could we be soon witnessing a repeat of 2004? Clinton, Obama and Edwards are locked in a tie for first place, and the race is starting to heat up. As reported by Iowa political commentator David Yepsen:

The 2008 Edwards doesn't sound much like the 2004 Edwards Iowa Democrats came to admire. Now, he sounds increasingly sharp-edged in campaign stump speeches that often border on class-warfare politics. He's started flaying away at the Clinton years in the White House. He and Obama talk about Clinton's support from lobbyists. Clinton has started pushing back about Obama's lack of experience, recently pointing out that living for a few years in a foreign country as a child hardly makes you a foreign-policy expert.

Back and forth it goes. At one level, it's a good thing. Democratic caucus-goers are entitled to vet candidates and see them probe one another's weaknesses before the GOP does it in the November campaign. But Democrats have to be careful about this stuff. Edwards' negativity mars the sunny, moderate image that served him well in 2004. Obama's attacks distract from the politics of hope he likes to preach. Clinton's attacks just undercut her efforts to change her image as a cold-hearted candidate.

Richardson holds a firm grip on fourth place in the race. He's done that with a combination of hard work - he's been in 98 counties - a positive message and some genuinely humorous television advertising earlier in the campaign. "I sense a lot of grass-roots momentum, especially in rural areas," Richardson said in an interview. He packed more than 200 people into the meeting room at the Saylor Township fire department on Saturday afternoon last week. They were mostly older and blue-collar union Democrats, the kind of folks who show up at caucuses. "We're getting huge crowds," he said. "I sense this race is not over. Polls show 50 percent undecided. There's a lot of fluidity. Iowans are known for making up their minds at the last minute."

New Mexico Bill Richardson has barnstormed 95 of Iowa's 99 counties, wooing rural Democrats with his pro-gun record and urban caucus goers with his aggressive Iraq withdrawal plan. He has fielded questions on every imaginable subject, from term limits to the space station. The Richardson style is frank but casual. He leans forward in his cowboy boots, fists jammed in his suit pocket.

. . .His niche is the positive moderate, similar to Edwards circa 2004. Indeed, Richardson is trying to eat into Edwards' support among working class, small town caucus goers. "I think Edwards tends to attract the same people I need to attract," Richardson said. His events also draw large numbers of older women - part of Clinton's target audience. "I like her, but I think she's too polarizing," said Mary Kathryn Gepner, a librarian who attended a Richardson event in Mt. Ayr, and lists Edwards and Richardson as her first and second choices.

The following video will give you a sense of how Iowa voters are responding to Richardson. Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSUepIkRBOk

What vision is Richardson articulating for America when he speaks to Iowa voters? Richardson recently outlined his vision for our nation at the end of a speech on a new farm policy for America:

Unfortunately, in Washington today there's too much negativity. Negativity over health care. Negativity over immigration. But when I travel around Iowa, I see something different. I am reminded again that we are a positive nation, founded on inspiring principles.

I see a place where character is more than the contents of your bank account. Where leadership means more than a list of things you plan to do. Where your neighbor's word is more important than all the smooth talk in the world. I see a people who reward those who work hard; but also recognize that even the hardest workers cannot do it alone.

I see a nation attached to our land, but rooted in our values. I have a vision of America in ascendancy. It's a vision that all our people, whether they are in blue, red our purple states can share.

This is America. We landed a man on the moon. We built the internet. We beat the Great depression. We defeated the Nazis. We routed the Soviet Union in a global battle over the future of the planet. So my message for all those who are pessimists, those who are negative, those who are angry is this: We can do it.

To those who said I couldn't get those hostages out of Sudan -- I said I can. And I did it. To those who say we can't get a fair deal for our family farmers -- I say we can. To those who say we can't we can't revitalize our rural economy -- I say we can. To those who say we can't conserve our land and water -- I say we can. To those who say we can't spark a new energy revolution -- I say we can. To those who engage in the politics of personal attacks -- I say we can do better. If we work together, we can solve our problems. We can. And we will.

From the Associated Press:

Richardson Nominated for Nobel Prize

"WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrat Bill Richardson often touts his four Nobel Peace Prize nominations on the presidential campaign trail.

Now he has a fifth.   Read More »