(Updated) Support True Blue New Mexico: Diss Rove and Cheney

UPDATE: We've posted a guest blog by Martin Heinrich about moving beyond the politics of Karl Rove, and in support of our True Blue New Mexico effort. Check it out.
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This is an effort organized by the New Mexico netroots including and this blog.

Have you heard? The Bush-Cheney-Rove machine is still going strong, working to maintain the far right's obstructive stranglehold on Congress and beyond. Turns out Karl Rove will appear at a fundraiser for the New Mexico GOP today in Artesia, NM. And in D.C. today, Dick Cheney will host a campaign fundraiser for Steve Pearce's Senate run. He's already done a similar event for Heather Wilson, the other Repub candidate for Senate here, with the same $5000/PAC and $2000/person price tag. Given how much Republican elites have gained financially during Bush's two terms, they have a lot of money to burn for the cause, don't they?

As usual, these Repub affairs will bring in big dinero for New Mexico's Bush cronies. What can we do about it? Fight back with True Blue New Mexico! We might not be able to match the big donations of BushCo, but we can certainly blunt some of their clout with hundreds of small donations from ordinary people.

We've set up a special fundraising page at Act Blue to support the campaigns of Senate candidate Tom Udall, Martin Heinrich (NM-01), Bill McCamley (NM-02) and whichever Dem wins the primary in NM-03. Every dollar you donate from now until next Wednesday will go towards helping turn New Mexico's Congressional Delegation True Blue -- and fight back on behalf of Democrats against the relentless BushCo money machine. How can you resist?

The True Blue New Mexico Candidates
True Blue New Mexico is supporting current NM-03 Rep Tom Udall for U.S. Senate. Having voted against such travesties as the invasion of Iraq and the Patriot Act, Rep. Udall is a True Blue New Mexico progressive. His environmental credentials are impeccable and New Mexicans from every corner of the state respect Tom for his integrity, honesty and passion for Democratic principles like fairness and working for the common good. Think about what it would mean to New Mexicans from all walks of life to replace the pinched perspective of Pete Domenici with the forward-looking vision of Tom Udall -- while keeping right-wing Bush rubberstamps like Steve Pearce and Heather Wilson out of the Senate chamber altogether.

In NM-01, True Blue New Mexico is backing former Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich, who's been working hard within the local conservation and environmental communities for many moons. He's been instrumental in raising the minimum wage for Albuquerque, promoting smart growth over sprawl. He's won award after award for his work to preserve and maintain New Mexico's stunning landscapes. Now he's calling for an Apollo-style program to achieve energy independence and cut greenhouse gases. Against the Iraq invasion from the start, Heinrich wants to end the occupation as soon as possible and start using the billions being spent there to benefit our pressing human, clean energy and infrastructure needs here at home. Think what it would mean to New Mexicans if we replace Heather Wilson's hypocrisies with someone who really does care about the people. Side benefit? We can keep likely Repub candidate Darren White -- who chaired the Bush-Cheney campaign in Bernalillo County -- out of the halls of Congress and away from the fray.

True Blue New Mexico believes the fresh, creative, passionate voice of Bill McCamley needs to be heard in the U.S. House representing NM-02. Running a truly grassroots operation fueled by the people power of small donations -- and face-fo-face dialogue with voters all over Southern New Mexico -- McCamley is known for working hard while other candidates are hardly working. McCamley was a breath of fresh air during his service on the Dona Ana County Commission, pushing to tamp down the destructive effects of down and dirty sprawl development and inject the process with ethical, reasonable safeguards. He's helped solve long-standing battles over water and improved health care financing. With a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, McCamley is smart, organized and effective in whatever he tackles. In a diverse district, McCamley uses effective negotiation skills, honesty and common sense to bring people together to solve problems. Think of replacing Steve Pearce with a Congressman dedicated to creating solutions -- not pushing rightwing ideologies at any cost.

Because there are several excellent candidates in NM-03, True Blue New Mexico decided to raise campaign funds for the eventual primary winner. Green builder Don Wiviott, PRC member Ben Ray Lujan and Jemez Pueblo member , among others in the crowded field up north, are running lively campaigns to get on the Dem primary ballot. Whoever wins, we hope the funds we raise for the eventual nominee in NM-03 will help them carry forward the progressive platform of current Congressman Tom Udall.

Many Small Donations = Big Mojo
The forces of the Bush-Cheney -Rove agenda may have the big donors and Beltway clout to try and have their way in New Mexico's Congressional districts. What they don't have is authentic grassroots-netroots people power -- the many coming together to support a common cause. If we all pull together and toss a few bucks into the effort right now, we can be instrumental in achieving a True Blue New Mexico. We can add a second Democrat to New Mexico's Senate roster and help transform our U.S. House delegation from 2 Repubs and 1 Democrat to all True Blue. Any donation, no matter how small, will help do the trick. We can't let Rove and Cheney go unanswered today, now can we?

For our previous coverage of these races, visit our archives:

• 2008 U.S. Senate Race
• NM-01 Congressional Race
• NM-02 Congressional Race
• NM-03 Congressional Race