Federico Pena, who worked as an advisor to Bill Clinton's 1992 Presidential bid and later served in the Clinton Cabinet as Secretary of Transportation, has decided to join Barack Obama's campaign as a Co-Chair. Prior to joining the Clinton team, Pena served as the Democratic Minority Leader in the Colorado state Legislature and went on to become the first Hispanic to be elected as Mayor of Denver in 1983.
Of his decision to join the Obama campaign, Mr. Pena noted:
Pena said he has many friends in the primary race and the easy thing would have been to stay out of it. But he said he is too concerned about the direction of the country and decided Obama has the best skills to unify the nation and "the ability to look at both domestic and world problems from a very creative perspective unencumbered by any past political ideology."
He said he's aware of the criticisms that Obama doesn't have the experience to run the country after just 2 1/2 years in the Senate. But he said the Bush administration has been experienced but also has been one of the most incompetent in many decades.
"I have come to conclude that Barack Obama has the depth of judgment that our country needs to usher in a new era of global leadership," Pena said. "For me, judgment and wisdom are far more important than experience."
Pena's joining the Obama campaign comes at a great time for Senator Obama, as all of the candidates work to reach out to Hispanic voters prior to the upcoming Univision debate. Pena is well-liked in his home state of Colorado, which has a significant and increasing Latino popluation. Of Mr. Pena's decision to help with his Presidential campaign, Senator Obama states:
"I look forward to working with Federico to bring about the transformation this country desperately needs," Obama said in a press release. "His vision for change as mayor of Denver and his strong record on energy and transportation issues brings invaluable experience to our team."
Great score by the Obama team!