By ALINA SELYUKH
(Credit: Getty Images)
Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., and Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., weren't frequently mentioned in the same breath until President Obama nominated first one and then the other to head the Department of Commerce. Both have served stints as governors, and they shared six years on the House floor in the '80s -- that about covers the similarities. So it raised some eyebrows that, after nearly a month with no Commerce nominee, Obama would choose Gregg for a position he'd previously envisioned Richardson filling.
During the announcement of Gregg's nomination, Obama acknowledged the seeming incongruity of his pick. "Clearly, Judd and I don't agree on every issue," he said, "most notably who should have won the election." In fact, Gregg's opinion of the very department he is now set to lead has differed sharply from his Democratic colleagues: He voted in 1995 for a budget resolution that would have eliminated the agency outright. Possibly the closest Gregg has come to sounding like a Democrat was when he helped George W. Bush prepare for the 2000 and 2004 presidential debates by playing Al Gore and John Kerry during Bush's pre-debate prep.
But even if Gregg tempers his conservatism to better fit the White House's policy agenda, how different an influence will he be at Obama's conference table than Richardson? The examination, based on the two nominees' previous statements and actions, is after the jump.
| Bill Richardson | Judd Gregg | |
The 61-year-old governor of New Mexico is considered one of the most
influential Latino politicians in the country. He's earned a reputation for
being a tough negotiator and mediator, especially on foreign policy issues.
|
Gregg, 61, is known for his budget experience and enjoys the
respect of the business sector. For Republicans, he is often the "go-to
lawmaker" when it comes to education, health and labor. Gregg is also the first
person in New Hampshire's history to serve as
the state's executive councilor, governor, congressman and U.S. senator -- never losing an election.
|
Energy
| As a member of the House Energy and Commerce committee, Richardson proposed an amendment to the Clean Air Act and supported promotion of electricity and other alternative automobile fuels. The plan was partially included in the Clean Air Act re-authorization. Richardson also served on the Natural Resources Committee. | Voted in support of the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008, approving tax incentives for investment in renewable energy, carbon capture and conservation. New Hampshire's Sierra Club named him a Champion of Clean Air. Yet Gregg later voted in favor of oil drilling in Alaska's wilderness. |
Civil Rights and the Workplace
| On his presidential campaign Web site, Richardson promised to "go farther than any other candidate to support women and their families. I am out front on women's workplace rights, health, and stopping violence." In 2007, he added sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of New Mexico's civil rights. | Gregg voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and against adding sexual orientation as a basis for hate crimes enforcement in 2002. Gregg also opposed a same-sex marriage ban in 2006 and spoke against legislation prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation, saying it would create "a lawsuit heaven." |
Science and Technology
| Richardson takes pride in the title of Environmental Leader of the Year received from the National Environmental Trust, the National Wildlife Federation and Vanity Fair. Richardson also promised to lift President Bush's stem cell research ban to give "our scientists the funding they need and restoring hope to millions." | Gregg sponsored and co-sponsored several bills strengthening the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other environmental and research agencies. He missed the vote on the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008, but in the early stages of debate called for reducing greenhouse gas "without passing the American taxpayers a bill which they cannot afford." He also favored expanding federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. |
No Child Left Behind
| Richardson supports eliminating the "punitive approach of No Child Left Behind and replacing it with a fairer, more comprehensive and more supportive system of measuring progress." | Gregg worked on compromising and drafting No Child Left Behind and introduced the NCLB Reauthorization Bill in 2007. |
Labor and Trade
| As a presidential candidate, Richardson proposed raising the minimum wage to $7.50/hour. His governor's Web site says he "consistently supported a balanced budget amendment." Richardson supported NAFTA and other free trade agreements, but told unions during his presidential bid that he wanted worker protections built into future trade deals. | Gregg filed an approval vote for a minimum wage increase to $7.25. He voted yes, as well, to renew the president's "fast track" trade authority in 1997. That year he also approved a resolution to propose a Constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget. Gregg supported NAFTA and other free trade agreements. |
Health Care
| Richardson wrote on his presidential campaign site that he has "Americans are tired of big pharmaceutical companies that rake in profits while they struggle to pay for basic, lifesaving medicines. The Federal government should negotiate prescription drug prices through Medicare." Richardson promotes the idea of universal health care -- "no matter who you are." | Gregg sought to limit the cost of the Medicare to $400 billion over 10 years -- the price tag predicted at the time of the legislation's passage. In 2006, he asked the Senate to strive for a "standard, vanilla budget" and to slow the growth of entitlements. In 2008, Gregg sponsored an amendment to create a reserve fund for legislation to "provide access, coverage, and choice for every American to quality and affordable care." He voted twice against an expansion to the Children's Health Insurance Program. "Rather than addressing the health care struggles of lower-income children," he said in a press release, "it expands the federal health insurance to the upper middle class, hides its true cost and is a step on the road to nationalizing our health care system." |
Immigration
| Richardson downplayed immigration during his presidential run, but as a governor of a border state, he has been an outspoken proponent of immigration reform and expanding government services to immigrants. On his campaign Web site, Richardson wrote that "building a fence will not increase security, just as attempting to deport 12 million illegal immigrants is not feasible or reasonable." | In 2006, Gregg voted in favor of building a fence along the Mexican border. He has also opposed illegal aliens' participation in Social Security and welfare programs. |
Candidate Obama
| Richardson's bid for presidency ended on Jan. 10, 2008, and despite deep-rooted ties with the Clintons, the governor endorsed Obama over Hillary Rodham Clinton. | Gregg was a part of a team that combed through Obama's campaign program proposals, estimating their pricetag at $300 billion annually and labeling the plan an "Obama spend-o-rama." |
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