Cheney Rakes in $110,000 for Heather Wilson's Senate Campaign

Dick Cheney appeared at an exclusive fundraiser for NM-01 Rep. Heather Wilson's U.S. Senate campaign at the private Capitol Club on Capitol Hill in Washington DC last night. Tickets were $1000 each. A photo with Dick cost $2,300. The night's haul was $110,000 for Wilson, and both retiring Sen. Pete Domenici and his Chief of Staff, Steve Bell, were in attendance. So far, the only other Repub in the primary race is Rep. Steve Pearce (NM-02). Cheney has reportedly agreed to appear at a fundraiser for Pearce's campaign in January.

The Wilson fundraiser, featuring one of the most unpopular and anti-Constitutional Vice Presidents in history, showed how closely Wilson is aligned with the Bush-Cheney neocon ideologues. She may promote herself as a "moderate," as she always has, but campaign cash is campaign cash. Money talks. The kinds of donors who are attracted to big ticket fundraisers in DC by the presence of Cheney generally don't make contributions out of the goodness of their hearts. They're part of the right-wing machine that's working day and night to keep us mired in Iraq while concocting a way to attack Iran.

In September, Wilson was ranked as one of the "22 Most Corrupt Members of Congress" by the non-partisan Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (along with Pearce). She's been a loyal rubber stamp of the failed Bush-Cheney policies regarding the Iraq occupation and has repeatedly voted in support of the Bush-Cheney agenda, which will place serious financial hardships on future generations. Iraq war spending coupled with fiscally irresponsible policies in other areas has resulted in the U.S. borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars from other nations -- and the largest budget deficits in our history.

Tragically, the Bush-Cheney war of choice has caused the deaths of more than 3,800 American troops and untold thousands of Iraq civilians. Latest estimates are that the U.S. will end up spending more than a half-trillion dollars to keep our soldiers locked in an endless civil war and cover the costs of the aftermath -- funds that could have been spent on our numerous neglected domestic priorities, from health care to education to infrastructure repair to renewable energy research.

Democratic Party of New Mexico Chairman Brian S. Colón weighs in:

Dick Cheney's values are far removed from the values of New Mexicans. He has been the source of much of the deception and disinformation perpetuated by the Bush Administration. Dick Cheney has said that 'deficits don't matter,' he has predicted that our forces would be 'greeted as liberators' in Iraq, and has falsely stated that Saddam Hussein 'had an established relationship with al Qaeda.'  Dick Cheney clearly represents the opposite of what New Mexicans want from Washington.

By standing side-by-side with Cheney last night for money, the voters of New Mexico were reminded that Heather Wilson has been more loyal to the Bush-Cheney Administration than to the priorities of the families of New Mexico. New Mexicans deserve better representation in Washington.

This is another reason why next year New Mexicans will elect a U.S. Senator who is a Democrat -- because they crave leadership that will stand up for the values of the working families of New Mexico, instead of the ideology of a failed Administration.