Above we see Mr Richardson laughing about the news one of his top campaign organizers is a wanted felon and former employee of a brothel.

Richardson was overheard chuckling, "Well at least he wasn't gay!"

Why doesn't the Political Ticker have threads in which we discuss the achievements of these candidates?

Instead its' like a tabloid on here. Anybody can say what they WOULD do as President and anybody can criticize other people, but why aren't we talking about what these candidates have already done that qualify them.

How about questions such as

List the qualifications of Barack Obama or

What has Gov. Romney accomplished that make him qualified for President.

or

Name three things Hillary Clinton did in the past five years that show Presidential level decision-making

When you interview someone for a job you ask then about their qualifications; you don't ask them to criticize the other job applicants .

Your headline is misleading and insulting to the citizens of Nevada. Being an employee, in any capacity, of a legal brothel in Nevada is neither a character flaw nor a reason to denigrate a campaign worker (or anyone else). The fact that Forland says "I oversaw the bookeeping only . . .never handled cash, I didn't deal with the girls per se" adds insult to injury. There would have been NOTHING wrong with handling cash or dealing with the WOMEN (they are adult professionals, not schoolgirls)who were legally employed in a legal profession. The entire brothel reference is irrelevant. On the other hand, passing bad checks is illegal and dishonest. THOSE are reasons to castigate a citizen who is working for a polital candidate and whose conduct should, therefore, be above reproach. Bringing up the brothel reference at all is nothing more than a shoddy attempt to polarize the fanatical Christian right wing against perfectly honest, law-abiding citizens and I am personally both insulted and disappointed that CNN chose to headline a legitimate story with this misleading title. Shame on you, CNN. I used to have a higher opinion of you.

I imagine that working at a Brothel isn’t much different than working with Politicians!
Everything is based upon CONNECTIONS!

THAT IS THE SAME PICTURE USED IN THE ARTICLE BELOW!
HOW CAN WE BELIEVE YOUR GAY BASHING COMMENT
JERK

Textbook Clinton cabinet member.

Running a brothel. NOW I see why Clinton liked this guy so much.

Yes indeed. I do believe this is the end for Mr. Richardson.

It is ironic that a guy with a history of bad checks also has a history as a bookkeeper.

Why does the headline comment on working for a legal entity instead of the outstanding arrest warrant?

Pimps, coke dealers– it could happen to any candidate's staff these days.

Well that would be an unfortunate statement.

However, my reason for commentiong is about the title. WHO CARES! THe article should be titled Nevada Democrat Is A Wanted Felon. Why is it even remotely relevant that he worked at a brothel… THEY ARE LEGAL HERE! For some folks it is just a job. The immorallity stick is equally irrelevant and pointless. Gambling is also immoral by most of the same standards and you don't see articles whenever a staffer was found to have worked at a casino do you?

Looks like Richardson is acting like a spoiled teenager whose aide was found to have worked for a brothel and is wanted on a felony charge and hopes no one notices. Sorry Mr. Richardson, I have noticed. When you cheap shot the President, you tell us more about yourself than about the President. That goes for all you Bush hating liberals out there.

Yet another Democrat criminal exposed.

America is mired in a war whose echos will be felt for generations, out economy is going to hell, we have more ethics scandals than we can keep track of, and we are worried about a staff member of Bill Richardson's being invovled in the sex trade? Give me a break and concentrate on a REAL issue.

[...] surprise. Another scandal for another Clinton administration member: One of Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson's top organizers in rural Nevada [...]

sounds like this guy has a promising future with the democratic party! he fits right in with Hillary and Teddy boy…and some of the rest of the outlaw squad…

Glad to see they handled this promptly and appropriately.

Why is anyone concerned about the whore house he worked in. It is legal in Nevada and I don't think Bill Richardson is running on a phony 'family values' platform.

[...] One of Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson's top organizers in Nevada resigned today after the campaign learned he had worked for a [...]

Geez, between both parties what's happened to the vetting process?

two words.

background check?

You will never see "Candidate" in the headlines at CNN instead of the actual name of the candidate when/if there is trouble in a republican candidate's camp. Another example of bias media.

Funny how others are focusing on working in a whorehouse; that could be poo-pooed away. Warrants in two states for bad check writing? I don't think so. How did that get past the campaign hiring manager?

This brothel thing is a monsoon in a crock pot. If this is how we are going to choose the next president - and it probably is - then we're going to end up with the wrong man in the White House once again.

If we eliminate from politics everyone who has had a minor brush with the law, who has tried smoking pot (42% of twelfth graders), who has bounced a check, who has failed to pay a traffic ticket in a timely way, who has fudged on a tax return, who has driven after having a few drinks, who has used someone else's prescription medicine, or who has worked for a company that engages in a business we disapprove of, then we have certainly eliminated most men. If we go on to eliminate people who have hired a hooker or visited a strip club, then that would eliminate the rest of the males, including many evangelist ministers.

Only women are now left to run the country.

Then, in our zeal to discover other disreputable behavior and enjoy the resulting scandal, we could go on to eliminate any woman who has ever posed nude for a photograph (this would eliminate all of the women I've ever been close to), who has ever left a child untended for a few minutes, who has ever employed an illegal alien to rake leaves or mop floors, who has ever shoplifted, who has ever given one of her prescription tranquilizers to her daughter, who drank a glass of wine while pregnant, or who has ever had an abortion, Then we would have eliminated everyone but a few nuns. IF we eliminate the nuns who know of a priest who has done something funny with an altar boy and not reported it, we'll eliminate a few of them too.

There would, I suppose, be a few nuns left who would have to run the country for us. Come to think of it, that might not be bad for the country at all.

I can see the arrests for writing bad checks being an issue. But brothels are LEGAL in most of Nevada!

with the way politics unfold, during presidential elections especially, it's surprising that background checks are not done on the key people working for a campaign. how hard could it have been to discover that this guy had felony warrants out for him? bill richardson is running for president and he doesn't even know that a key person working for him is a wanted man? how does that instill any inkling of faith in his ability to surround himself with good advisors?

This was stupid. No one cares. I don't think the media trust the people to entirely think through everything.

This warrants no attention and I'm a Republican.

James in CA wrote: When you cheap shot the President, you tell us more about yourself than about the President. That goes for all you Bush hating liberals out there.
—–
I couldn't agree more, to those of us who love our country and wish it to be a better place, well, we will keep fighting to demand more from America's leaders. You may want to analyze "Bush hating liberals"… I'm pretty sure the low approval rating illustrates some conservative and liberal hating of this President's policies. Also, as one pretty wise person once said: “To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”

Wonder the reasons why? Has anyone taken a trip to Elko, Nevada lately? Sounds like more of a bad rap on Las Vegas and the State of Nevada. Keep the Dumbocrats and all these ignorant issues in Richardson’s home state and just the same for all you left wing liberals. CNN you just do not get it do you. Americans do not care about unimportant issues. We are concerned about real issues’ that effect our live directly and immediately into our future. I truly believe the American people are concerned with the following top ten as listed. I also believe we are able and willing to help.

1. Our wars
2. Our families
3. Our health
4. Our economy
5. Our fuel
6. Our agricultural
7. Our Immigrants
8. Our Taxes
9. Our social security
10. Our Governments

"worked for a brothel and was wanted on a felony arrest warrant "

Problem, what problem?? Thanks to Bill, this is whats expected from the Democratic party.

Terry don't be so naieve, this isn't the 50's and Texas isn't back in the stoneage still. Women are no better then men and being a nun doesn't make you a better person. There are plenty of level headed people out there across the board who aren't convicted felons or closet pedophiles. You also left out the fact that those nuns belong to a church who has no problems encouraging Catholics to break the law when it comes to illegal immigration.
Not to mention the fact that you assume everyone has tried or done what you have. You do know what happens when you ass-u-me.

Anyways Richardson's people should pay attention to who they are recruiting to help them out. Background checks aren't that expensive so there is no excuse to not know about an arrest warrant. But then again a lot of politicians think they are above the law, especially when it comes to leaking classified materials. If I did that I would lose my job, while on the other hand a politician would get a thank you card from the media and all the loonie toon campaigns accussing our soliders of being killers and rapists.

Ali in Fort Worth is dead on, this is a non issue. CNN, how about starting a ticker on this:

Yesterday we learned that the much-anticipated September report from General Petraeus, which was supposed to accurately describe the results of Bush's escalation in Iraq, will actually be written by the Bush White House.

We're being treated like mushrooms, kept in the dark and fed s#*!.

Concerning Governor Richardson:

Anyone who doesn't have cement for brains knows that Richardson is the best candidate for VP regardless of who the P is.

It may shock some, but having an experienced diplomat in that position just might be good for America, as well as, the rest of the world. Alas, some of you spirited ideological bloggers might want to consider lightening up a little!

Hmmm . . . how does the present guy do in that position?

Rock oN!

"HOW CAN WE BELIEVE YOUR GAY BASHING COMMENT. JERK" Posted By Myron, Honolulu, HI : August 16, 2007 9:25 pm

A little civility in our discussion would be more productive than just throwing verbal fingers at other posters.

If I had been in Richardson's position, I might have made that comment: "At least he wasn't gay."

Let's all remember that we really don't know if Richardson really was overheard making this comment. If he did, it seems like a reasonable thing to say. We all know that the scandal would be worse if the campaign worker were discovered to be gay. Christian fundamentalists in this country would increase their criticism of Richardson. Those people love the opportunity to play the American version of the Taliban, pointing at everyone outside their little group and declaring that we are not sufficiently pious and certainly not as holy as they are. This is very properly done in their view though perhaps not in ours, and they are to the Taliban what light beer is to dark ale.

The discovery that a public person is gay or associates with gay people is considered scandalous by many Americans. This is because the book of Deuteronomy condemns male-male sex (though not lesbianism). (The Bible also condemns the eating eating of pork as an even greater sin.)

That is why so many gay guys and lesbians stay in the closet. Sometimes even their parents reject them, as we all know. This happened to a young lesbian that is distantly related to me and it has happened in many of our families.

Richardson's use of humor, if he was correctly quoted, is a healthy way of dealing with stress, according to psychiatrists (or so mine told me).

Think, people. Think.

The decision we're making here about the presidency is very important. On so many issues America is right at the point of no return, and only swift, bold action will save us from a dramatic deterioration in our lives. Our new president will have to lead us into uncharted waters of human history. Picking him or her based on gossip and finger pointing is just going to send us back down that same old path and we'll end up with another dysfunctional presidency.

Okay, here's a news flash for "Ringo" who posted about the "Bush hating liberals"~~
I am NOT a liberal.
I used to be a dedicated hard working get the vote out Republican.
I AM a native Texan.
I CAN NOT stand George W. Bush.
He was a failure as Governor of Texas and he's an even bigger failure as President. He has done more damage to this country and to our standing around the world than all other Presidents combined. His cronies– Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove, etc.– have been sneaky liars who think their —- don't stink & that the American public doesn't have a brain. Unfortunately, we've all let them get away with it, so maybe we need to take a long look at what lemmings the public has become. The day Bush leaves office will be a step in the right direction. Hopefully we (the voters) won't put another Republican in there who will continue the failed Bush policies.

To "Terry from El Paso":
If that's the kind of people you associate with, then you really need to step back and find some new friends! Most all of those things you mentioned, my husband has never done and I have never done. Believe it or not, there are some honest moral people out there. And guess what?? I'm a Democrat!!!

xtina chicago IL writes:
“Why doesn't the Political Ticker have threads in which we discuss the achievements of these candidates? “

xtina and I are on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but in this case I agree with her completely. This blog could be a vehicle for a mainstream national debate on the issues if CNN would give us the opportunity to debate things that matter to Americans.

This story doesn’t reflect on Gov. Richardson’s positions or record of public service in any way. All it does is invite lascivious comments. Ticker is clogged with irrelevant fluff to the exclusion of urgent American crises.

A daily front-page debate on a major issue would be a service to the nation.

So thanks, xtina. I hope the other regular contributors to this blog (of ALL ideologies) will join us in pressuring CNN to elevate the debate.

Lizabeth in Dallas… think you are misinterpreting my post. James in CA wrote that it says a lot about a person who criticizes the President. I agree. I get the feeling that he may feel it is unpatriotic to do so, but I tend to side with FDR on this one . As far as "Bush hating liberals", I was quoting someone else. To me, that is just another meaningless categorization that people use to put others in neat, tidy compartments.

Ringo,
Sorry, you're right. I misread your post & thought YOU made the comment. I see now you were referring to James' comment. Apologies.
Everything else in my posts still stands though.

Well, at least it came to light now, instead of January '08. Apparently background checks are laborious.