‘Meet the Press’ transcript for May 27, 2007

GOV. RICHARDSON:  It hasn’t worked.  What has worked is more border patrols. What has worked is some National Guardsmen.  What has worked is some technology.  It’s made the program better.  But, Tim, we got to talk to Mexico, our friend, get them to do more.  In fact, get them to stop giving max—maps to illegal workers on the most porous areas to court.  And we also need to raise the legal immigration limits, the backlogs of workers that we need—Europeans, others that—Indians, H1B visas for job competitiveness skills.

MR. RUSSERT:  I’m going to ask you in a second about a comment made by Brian Sanderoff who analyzes public opinion in, in New Mexico.  But listening to you, you declared a border emergency, and yet you’re against the fence.  You were for illegal immigrants obtaining driver’s licenses, and you were for legislation that would permit illegal immigrants’ children to get college scholarships.  It seems as, as if you’re on both sides of the issue.  This is what Brian Sanderoff said:  “That’s Bill.  He’s hard to pigeonhole as being definitely anti-immigration or pro-immigration.  He’s going to take a middle stance where he’ll seem to have positions on both sides of the fence.”

GOV. RICHARDSON:  I’m a governor.  I have to deal with this issue every day. Driver’s licenses, law enforcement said to me we’ve got concerns about leaving the scene of a crime.  If you want to find a way to keep illegal immigrants, you know where they are, you give them a driver’s license.  It helps with—they all get insured, it helps with traffic safety.  I believe education is the key.  Yeah, I was for kids of illegal immigrants, if they fulfill the same academic requirements as New Mexico kids, to be eligible for a scholarship.  Tim, I believe we have to bring the 12 million undocumented workers out of the shadows, set up a standard where they speak English, if they pass background checks, pay back taxes, obey the laws, embrace American values, give them a chance, a path to citizenship, not amnesty.

MR. RUSSERT:  That is amnesty.

GOV. RICHARDSON:  That—no, it isn’t amnesty.

MR. RUSSERT:  Would you send them back?

GOV. RICHARDSON:  They have to go back, under the law, to reapply.

MR. RUSSERT:  The whole—all the families, entire families?

GOV. RICHARDSON:  No, just the head of household, under this bill.  Under this...

MR. RUSSERT:  You would—would you support that?

GOV. RICHARDSON:  If it’s the head of household, and there’s a visa requirement that they can come back, I think that’s, that’s all right.  Look, this bill that Congress has made with the president, a good start.  I acknowledge that.  It has the basic elements.  But the key problem with the bill now is it separates families.  There are children of illegal immigrants that are American citizens because they’re born here.  That’s the Constitution.  What we need is a practical solution that involves foreign policy, saying to Mexico also, “Hey, you guys have to, you know, work to give your folks jobs...

MR. RUSSERT:  But bottom line, you would want people who came here illegally to be able to stay here with their legally-born children?

GOV. RICHARDSON:  Yes.  If they fulfill...

MR. RUSSERT:  And become—and become U.S. citizens?

GOV. RICHARDSON:  Eventually, over a 12-year period, following those benchmarks that I mentioned.

MR. RUSSERT:  Is that rewarding breaking the law?

GOV. RICHARDSON:  They have to pay a fine for breaking, for breaking the law. They have to do that.

MR. RUSSERT:  But a couple thousand dollars isn’t...

GOV. RICHARDSON:  No, well no, it’s—I think one of the bills has close to 10.  I—you know, this is a 400-page bill.  I’m—look, this is not an excuse, I’m out on the campaign trail, I’m going one—every day, a different state. And—but I do believe that the Congress needs to fix this.  Until then, I’m going to oppose it, because it’s not right, Tim.

MR. RUSSERT:  Let me show you a commercial you have seen quite a bit, but this is running on your behalf in some key states across the country, an ad paid for by the Richardson for President Committee.  Let’s watch.

(Videotape, TV commercial)

Unidentified Man:  (To Richardson) Mm-hmm.  Huh.  OK, 14 years in Congress; U.N. ambassador; secretary of energy; governor of New Mexico; negotiated with dictators in Iraq, North Korea, Cuba, Zaire, Nigeria, Yugoslavia, Kenya; got a cease-fire in Darfur; nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize four times.  So what makes you think you can be president?

GOV. RICHARDSON:  I’m Bill Richardson, and I approved this message.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT:  You’re running on your resume.

GOV. RICHARDSON:  I’m running on my record.  And the reason for that ad, Tim, is look, I’m an insurgent candidate.  You’ve got to do things differently. I’m also positive.  You know, politicians take themselves too seriously.  I’ve had—I’ve had ads that poked fun at myself, like this one.  I was trying to make the case that I’m the best candidate to be president.  I have the record. I’ve been a U.N. ambassador, I have foreign policy experience.  I have energy experience, I know how to make us energy independent.  I’ve been a governor, I’ve created 80,000 jobs, insured kids under five.  New Mexico’s economy is in good shape, because some of the policies we’ve taken.  Our schools are better. I am trying to get over the fact that this should be an election not necessarily based on celebrity, not necessarily based on who has the most money, which I don’t.  But I am competitive.  I’ll have enough to get my message over.  But that the American people need somebody that can bring this country together.  And all my life I’ve done that, as, as a diplomat, as a, as a diplomatic troubleshooter, bringing hostages back.  As a governor, as a congressman of 15 years.  So yeah, I’m trying to draw attention not just to my, to my record, but the fact that I can bring people together.  The country is bitterly divided.  We need to regain our luster internationally.  We need to regain our international moral authority, which we have lost after these six years.  I believe I know how to bring America back internationally, be a president for the middle class, improve our schools, universal health care. That was what I’m trying to get through in that message.

MR. RUSSERT:  But let’s go through the resume a little bit.  First, there’s governor of New Mexico.  As you well know, they rank states in a whole variety of categories from one being the best, 50^th being the worst.  This is New Mexico’s scorecard, and you are the governor.  Percent of people living below the poverty line, you’re 48.  Percent of children below, 48.  Median family income, 47.  People without health insurance, 49.  Children without health insurance, 46.  Teen high school dropouts, 47.  Death rate due to firearms, 48.  Violent crime rate, 46.  You’re the very bottom of all those statistics of all 50 states, and you’re the governor for five years.

GOV. RICHARDSON:  Well, Tim, let me just say that we’ve made enormous progress in all of those areas.  Let me, let me talk to you about child poverty.  I followed eight years of a Republican administration that did not invest in health care.  What I have done as governor is I’ve insured every child under five.  Secondly, I’ve gotten rid of junk food in schools.  Through my wife Barbara’s efforts, we’ve increased immunization rates.  We have expanded health care access to working families.  As president, I would be a president for the middle class.  I would deal with these poverty issues.  What would I do as president?  One, unionizing.  That is critically important. Only 8 percent of our people are unionized.  I think a union gives a family an opportunity for health care.  I’d expand the child care tax credit.  I would expand the earned income tax credit.  I have cut taxes for the middle class in New Mexico.  I have cut taxes for working moms.  For working families I’ve cut taxes.  We have significantly improved in the poverty area.  I could give you similar statistics in health care and education, the...

MR. RUSSERT:  But these rankings are troubling.

GOV. RICHARDSON:  Well, we’re a poor state, Tim, but the fact is that we have been moving forward.  And I was re-elected with 69 percent of the vote, 40 percent Republican.  I have been given very strong rankings as a, as a governor.  Governors deal with problems directly, Tim.  This is why I believe historically this nation has elected governors.  I balanced budgets five times.  At the same time that I balance budgets, we’ve given tax cuts to every New Mexican.  We’ve increased spending on education and health care to attack some of those problems that you’ve seen.

MR. RUSSERT:  We’re going to take a quick break and come back and talk more about your resume and about your position on the issues.

GOV. RICHARDSON:  Sure.

MR. RUSSERT:  Bill Richardson is our guest, Meet the Candidates 2008 series. He’s running for the Democratic presidential nomination.  We’ll be right back.

(Announcements)

MR. RUSSERT:  More of Meet the Candidates 2008, Democrat Bill Richardson. He’s running for president, and he’s the governor of New Mexico.  After this station break.

(Announcements)

MR. RUSSERT:  We’re back with Democratic candidate for president, Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico.  We’re talking about his background, his positions.

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