Between Worlds: The Making of an American Life

Between Worlds: The Making of an American Life Bill Richardson with Michael Ruby Date: 03 November, 2005   —   $17.13   —   Book product page Rating:

I've said before that I'm not a big fan of biographies. This book didn't change my mind. That said, Bill Richardson's Mexican/American upbringing is becoming common among Western politicians and it's interesting to see what they're going to bring to the table as Latinos gain more influence in American politics.

If they're all like Richardson, I'm not worried. Personally, the guy is a typical Westerner -- a big, loud, back-slappin', nick-name callin', son-of-a-gun -- but he's also smart and competent where many Western politicians (including one particular New Englander who likes to pretend he's a Texan) are definitely not.

Richardson's early life in Mexico is intriguing and I was really interested in how he got into politics And as a politico, he's got a bunch of good negotiator stories to tell. He's sparred with just about every bad guy you can imagine: Saddam Hussein, Milosevic, the Taliban, Castro, Kim Jong-Il, and others of that ilk. He comes off as pretty tough, but I suspect the pictures will keep him from ever becoming President. The guy's done a lot of good things for America, but you just can't go around shaking hands with bad guys -- the stink rubs off 'em.

Anyhow, I like what he's done as Governor of New Mexico. Western Democrats tend to focus on things that are pragmatic and important to the future of America: education, fiscal responsibility, jobs, the borders, and independence from foreign oil are all big Western Democrat issues.

Western Democrats are more willing to work with businesses than some other brands of liberals, though they prefer middle-class tax cuts and other populist programs as opposed to their pro-business/pro-wealthy counterparts in the Republican Party. And as you can see by the disappearance of anti-gun rhetoric from Democrats, they're starting to have a broader influence on the party as a whole.

Richardson describes himself as a "New Progressive", who balances opportunity with accountability. I've written about this kind of new liberalism before, and I like it. I think our next Democratic President will be a Western Democrat -- but it probably won't be Richardson.