Biography
American politician,
Governor of New Mexico from 2002, Chairman of the Democratic National
Convention in Boston in July 2004, and Presidential hopeful for the 2008
election.
Richardson grew up in Mexico City, Mexico, the son of an American father
who was a Citibank executive working there and a Mexican mother, who was
from a privileged family. As a teenager, he attended a US prep school. A
talented baseball pitcher in high school, he was drafted by the Kansas
City (now Oakland) Athletics. His father, however, convinced him that
college would be a better choice. A year later, with an elbow injury, he
was grateful that his father had been so practical. Richardson graduated
from Tufts University in 1970 with a major in political science. A year
later, he graduated from Tufts' Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
with a master's in international affairs and, on a field trip to the
U.S. Senate, was inspired by Hubert Humphrey to enter politics. Moving
to Washington, DC, he landed a job as a staff person in the House of
Representatives. A year later, he moved on to the staff of the
Congressional Affairs Office of the US State Department. In 1976 he
enhanced his resumé further by joining the staff of Hubert Humphrey on
the foreign relations subcommittee of the US Senate.
He moved to New Mexico in 1978 and became involved in local politics. In
1980, he made an unsuccessful bid for a congressional seat. Two years
later he was elected to the US House of Representatives and held onto
his seat in the House of Representatives for 14 years. During that time,
he landed membership on prestigious House committees and campaigned
diligently on behalf of Democratic candidates for national office. His
diplomatic efforts brought positive results and favorable reviews, and
he became known for his ability to negotiate in difficult diplomatic
situations. In 1996, President Bill Clinton made Richardson US
ambassador to the United Nations and in 1999 appointed him secretary of
the Department of Energy. A year later, Richardson resigned this
position. Returning to New Mexico, he taught college classes and worked
as a business consultant. On January 12, 2002, he announced his
candidacy for the governor's seat. Claiming the world hand-shaking
record (13,392 in an eight-hour period), he won the election by a
landslide, the largest margin of victory since 1964. He was inaugurated
on January 1, 2003 and has become one of the most popular politicians in
the state.
Richardson married Barbara Flavin in 1972; the couple have no children. A
large, jowly fellow, he is known to be amiable and forthright and enjoys
meeting voters one by one. He makes quite an impression on New Mexicans
when he travels around the state, shaking as many hands as he can,
taking notes on issues raised, and often resorting to affable physical
gestures to make his point. He describes his approach as “What you see
is what you get.” Although he is a savvy politician, he sometimes trips
over his own tongue, blurting out what he thinks instead of giving the
politically correct response. Then he defends himself against criticism
by saying “Hey, I’m honest!” Via e-mail and his website the Governor of
New Mexico announced on January 21, 2007 that he is seeking the
Democratic Party nomination for the 2008 US Presidential race.
For More Information on the Web:
http://www.governor.state.nm.us/governor.php
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/bill-richardson/
http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/08/08/bill_richardson/index.html
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What Do You Think?
Today’s presidential candidates seemed to have begun their campaigns
earlier than usual. They are busy fund-raising, orating, debating, and
shaking hands in advance of the early primaries and state caucuses. Let’s
get into the political swing by starting with the chart of Bill Richardson.
He’s not one of the top tier candidates, but he has an impressive resumé,
and his political future will be interesting to track. If anyone can get the
birth time of Barack Obama from a reliable source, please send me an e-mail
(Pat@astrodatabank.com) so that we can have an online astrological
discussion of his chart sometime in the near future.
- Reviews of Richardson in his past political roles are generally positive.
His performance in the debate of Democratic Party candidates on April 25,
2007 was lackluster. Nevertheless he offers interesting qualifications and
experience. What astrological factors indicate success in politics? Does his
birth chart show the promise for him to be the Democratic Party candidate
for President?
-
Richardson’s planets and points are mainly in fire and water signs, with no
earth except his north node and very little air. In addition, all his
planets except for Uranus are above the horizon. What do you make of these
emphases in elements and hemisphere? What kind of leader is he? What
strengths does he exhibit? Where might the challenges be for him in
government leadership positions?? How would you interpret these emphases in
light of his career choices?
- Many born in late-1946 and 1947 share a Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Leo. In
Richardson’s case, however, that powerful conjunction includes Mars and the
7th house trio is in a tight square to his Sun, Midheaven and South Node.
What do these positions tell us about his personality, his drive, and his
style of behavior?
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