Bill Richardson officially dropped out of the 2008 presidential race today, but he might as well have left it months ago, at the time of the debate sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign. When Bill Richardson could only offer distracted mumblings in explanation of his use of anti-gay slurs, and didn’t seem to even understand what was being talked about when he was asked whether he thought homosexuality was a genetic trait or a choice, he didn’t just offend homosexuals and their friends. He showed to other Democrats as well that he, in spite of all his claims of great experience, could not be trusted to understand the basic parameters of current cultural-political debates.
As we have done with Christopher Dodd and Joseph Biden, we will keep our collections of buttons, bumper stickers, and other campaign paraphernalia for Bill Richardson online for a while, for those supporters who seek a memento of their hopes and efforts.
