When New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson pledged his support for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nominee to Barack Obama, James Carville was not pleased in the least. He expressed that fact by likening the governor to Judas. You remember Judas? He's the guy that sold out Jesus for some silver, an action that ended up getting the son of the Christian God nailed to a cross (according, of course, to the text of the Bible).
You remember Judas?A bit of context: Richardson served as both United States Ambassador to the United Nations and United States Secretary of Energy under President Bill Clinton, and it was speculated that he would either give his support to Hillary Clinton, or not make an endorsement for the 2008 nominee at all. Carville is the man credited as a crucial engineer for Mr. Clinton's successful 1992 run for the presidency, and is currently working as an adviser for Hillary Clinton.
In part, I understand why Carville would be upset with Richardson for the endorsement. On the other hand, there are two important reasons why Carville's statement makes him out to be an idiot of a monumental degree.
1. Comparing Bill Richardson to Judas? Within days of the “celebration” that marks the downfall of the son of the Christian God due to Judas selling him out? That's a horrible political move, especially if Carville was hoping such a statement would help Hillary Clinton's campaign. Maybe characterizing Bill Richardson as a “Benedict Arnold” would have struck a less contentious chord (but would still have been ridiculous—see number 2 below), but comparing Richardson to the man who betrayed Jesus Christ was a bad move in general, and in specific because of the close proximity to Easter.
...while this would have been a good place for a joke about working under Bill Clinton, I decided that would be immature and inappropriate...2. Carville's statement implies that Richardson had some kind of required loyalty to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign just because he worked under her husband (NOTE: while this would have been a good place for a joke about working under Bill Clinton, I decided that would be immature and inappropriate, marking the first time I've ever given consideration to such things when it comes to making jokes about Monica Lewinsky). Did Carville forget that Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Richardson were RIVALS less than six months ago? They were running against each other. Was Richardson a Judas back then for a move that could (and possibly did) undermine Clinton's campaign for the nomination?
People who claim that Carville's statements compare Clinton to Jesus Christ are idiots as well and are paying attention to the wrong things. Carville was using metaphor and hyperbole to express his feelings, and nothing is wrong with that. But it was a poorly chosen comparison to make. Not only was the comparison to Judas made at a time when Carville should have known it would reflect poorly on the Clinton campaign, his assertion that Richardson is a traitor because he supports someone besides his former coworker's wife contains no logic whatsoever.
Bill Richardson is entitled to support whomever he wishes for the Democratic nominee, and it might be time for James Carville to step out of this election campaign. Carville may have a familiar face and a great history with the Clintons, but it's possible he's starting to do more damage to Hillary's campaign than good. [AP, Wikipedia] Branden Hart, a TheSequitur.com assistant managing editor, works as an editor in San Antonio.
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