One of the more remarkable aspects of this campaign so far has been the performance of the Bill Richardson campaign. Many consider his debate outings to be the worst in the field so far. A recent appearance on "Meet the Press" was described by columnist Robert Novak as "perhaps the worst performance in the show's history."
Yet he continues to do OK in the polls, albeit below the three leaders. Three things appear to be going on. First, Richardson must be doing better on the stump than he's doing when we see him on national TV. He's obviously making a somewhat successful effort to organize Hispanic voters -- which may pay off at the early Nevada caucus.
But the main thing that seems to be helping him is a set of terrific and funny ads that feature Richardson in a series of mock job interviews where he never impresses the interviewer. The latest (
available here) -- on energy policy -- again gives him a chance to list his accomplishments in a way voters are likely to remember them.
The problem for Richardson, of course, is that while his resume is impressive, he's failed to convey his vision for the future. If his next set of ads can do that -- and he can follow it up with better performances in national forums -- he might have something.
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