Monday, March 2, 2009

Richardson's Approval Rating Plunges

A Survey USA poll of 600 New Mexicans last week showed the governor's approval rating has dropped to a low of 41 percent. In the past his approval ratings have been in the high 60's and low 70's. The drop is almost certainly due to the investigation under way in the U.S. Attorney's Office over the relationship between contributions to PACs controlled by the governor and the granting of contractual work to CDR, a bonding firm from Beverly Hills, a few years ago. The investigation prevented the governor from accepting a nomination as Commerce Secretary under President Barack Obama. By way of comparison, President Bush's approval rating as President was in the low-to-mid 30's during much of 2008, dropping in some surveys to the lowest level ever recorded.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

If the poll for Richardson was conducted in the southern part of the state he would be lucky to get 10%.Hey Richardson we are still waiting for you to fix our roads in Vado/.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the Governor can choose one of the many international crises and distract from the fact that his ratings have dropped like a rock. We still have pesky N Korea, Iran (there is an American female imprisoned unjustly now), Pakistan has reared its head recently (avoid Cricket games), and as always the Palestinian issue. There are an endless supply of international situations and as we know from the past--Richardson does not feel the need to coordinate with the President, State Dept, etc. Local issues are sooo trite!!

Anonymous said...

G Sal comments brings up a question. When Gov Richardson was doing all that international travel were the poor tax payers of NM footing the bill. Dr Garcia can you do your magic and look in to that for us loyal readers.

La Politica: New Mexico voted the Number One Blog of readers in Berino.

Jose Z. Garcia said...

I can state with a good deal of certainty that Richardson did NOT pay for the international travel with state taxpayer funds. Except that when Richardson was traveling abroad or in other states when he was running for President, he was not working for the people of New Mexico: he was working for himself at taxpayer expense, even if his travel expenses were not paid for by New Mexico taxpayers.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Dr Garcia for you insight on the self serving Richardson. Now that he is not running for office, I bet he has been in NM full time a first during his job as our state's leader. He did not even attend the recent US Gov conference in DC. It is funny all the time he was away from our state things were doing great and now that he is back here full time our state is in the pits.

La Politica: New Mexico voted the Number One Blog of readers in Berino.

Anonymous said...

We now know the soft underbelly of Richardson, and his poll numbers have dropped accordingly. So it is very easy to jump on the bandwagon and even flay him for things he hasn't done. And, speaking of which, Dr. Garcia, I would like to get your thinking on where he'll go after leaving the governor's office.

Jose Z. Garcia said...

I have no idea where he will go after he leaves New Mexico. I suppose it depends in part on whether he leaves New Mexico in good standing with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Albuquerque. If there are no further blemishes on his record, he might end up as a special envoy abroad for President Obama, rescuing hostages when the occasion arises, which is a specialty of his,or, more likely, as a well-paid lobbyist for international interest groups or well-heeled U.S. corporations.

Anonymous said...

This is a super blog with great insight for us here in southern Dona Ana County. Please add additional stories.

Anonymous said...

I take issue with rielmajr's comment indicating we are flaying the Gov for acts he has not done or committed. As a public figure in these good ole' United States he is open to criticism by his constituency. As a member of said body it is not only my/our privilege but our duty to see that those who represent us stay on the straight and narrow. Too often in this country we are willing to reap the good fortune, but unwilling to be diligent in our duty to ensure the laws apply to everyone. "To whom much is given, much is expected," still holds true...and as citizens of this country we have been given much. I would be interested in Dr Garcia's views on the relationship between the Gov and his Lt Gov-- (post Sec of Comm appoint). Is she just biding her time until he's out?

Jose Z. Garcia said...

I began writing an answer to the above question, and it got too long, so I thought perhaps it might be forgiven if I put it into the blog section, so if you want to see may answer, read the blog.