Democracy for New Mexico

Welcome Kerry to ABQ on Sunday

John Kerry will be arriving Sunday to spend several days in Sante Fe preparing for the third and last debate in Tempe, AZ on Wednesday. From the Kerry campaign:

Please come and welcome the next President of the United States! Senator John Kerry will be arriving at the Albuquerque airport Sunday, October 10, 2004. Join us at Eclipse Aviation, 2503 Clark Carr Loop SE, for the arrival and a Champion's Welcome Rally! Gates will open at 6:45 PM. (Note time change.) Limited space available. Please be prompt and limit personal items -- no signs or banners.

Remote parking available – shuttle from Airport Parking, 1501 Aircraft Ave SE. Special Musical Guest: Felonious Groove Foundation

Tickets will be available Saturday and Sunday at the Campaign Headquarters, 3301 Central NE, 505-256-2570. You can pick them up when you visit HQ for canvassing or when you attend the meet and greet with Rep. Barney Frank and John Kerry's brother, Cam, at HQ on Sunday from 10 to 11:30 AM.

(Photo credit: Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc. from Sharon Farmer)

Kerry 2, Bush 0

Go to "Bush Flips Out" on this page and check out video of the most compelling moment of tonight's debate IMO.

Most pundits seem to be admitting that Bush was weak and Kerry bested him, but they seem to consistently add that Bush supporters will say he won and that Kerry supporters will say he won. No kidding. My take is that the president was yelling/whining thruout and using loud assertions instead of facts in his rebuttals. If I say it, it's true! If I repeat the same thing 5 times, it's truer! Again he failed to come up with any mistakes he's made in his term. Well, he did claim he made a couple of mistaken appointments. I would guess he means ex-Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill, and terrorism czar, Richard Clarke, who both wrote scathing books about his sleazy, blundering ways.

Bush's riff on the Dred Scott case was mesmerizing in an eerie way, and his joke about picking judges for the Supreme Court who would vote for him was a groaner, to say the least. I'm sure Al Gore was out there somewhere guffawing. Before he put his fist into the wall.

Bush quote of the night re importing drugs from Canada: "And my worry is is that, you know, it looks like it’s from Canada; it might be from a Third World."

Kerry quote of the night: "The military's job is to win the war. The president's job is to win the peace."

I thought Kerry again was sharp and "presidential," and remained unflustered despite Bush's tinpot tyrant act. He actually conveyed information and facts rather than vehement beliefs at top decibels. More light than heat. I can't see how Bush's braying would be appealing to anyone undecided or wavering, can you?

Wonkette's running commentary on the debate is pretty funny.

Click through to the continuation page for some early media commentary, nicely laid out by Daily Kos. Telling that even the Faux people couldn't muster much in the way of defending Bush's performance:

Mort Kondracke: "... I think Kerry won this debate as he won the first debate I don't think... I thought that Kerry was much more aggressive and the president was basically on the defense and didn't have new arguments didn't have...wasn't as facile as he should have been." [Fox News Channel, 10/8/04]
Bill Kristol: "I guess I think if you think the President was doing okay and didn't need a win in this debate, he did fine, but I think, if one thinks that Bush missed an awful lot of opportunities to go after Kerry in the first debate he had to make some of them up in this debate, I'm not sure he really succeeded in doing so." [Fox New Channel, 10/8/04]

Brit Hume: "Is it now fair to say that in each of these debates in terms of marshaling arguments, and remembering them and presenting them that this is something John Kerry has proved he is very good at. And that it doesn't play to the president's strong suit." [Fox News Channel, 10/8/04]

Mort Kondracke: "I thought [Kerry] was very effective. I thought that he was also on the attack a lot and frankly I thought that the President seemed to be on the defense a lot and trying to explain things and not explaining them all that well." [Fox News Channel, 10/8/04]

Tim Russert: "John Kerry, also, energetic, forceful." [NBC, 10/8/04]

Jonah Goldberg: "On the question of whether Bush did everything he needed to tonight, I don't think so. I think he helped himself, but Kerry leaves these debates energized." [National Review Online, 10/8/04]

Mark Shields: "He just absolutely, I thought, demolished the President's claims about the coalition in Iraq." [PBS, 10/8/04]

James Fallows, Atlantic Monthly: [Kerry's best moment] "I think his best moment was at the series of new lines. Again like this Missouri line of saying that that I was able to do with some of my votes in the Senate what you have failed to do, which is balance the budget, so I think it was the general vividness of his approach." [CBS, 10/8/04]

Perry Bacon: "I actually was struck that Kerry was pretty strong, I thought, in the foreign policy section, actually, and sort of hit the president hard on that." [CNN, 10/8/04]

Debate Tonight, One Million Doors Canvass This Weekend!

Here's a handy debate "prebuttal" booklet to help guide your way through Bush's lies and distortions in the second presidential debate tonight in St. Louis. You can watch the debate in Albuquerque at a party at Kelley's across from Kerry HQ on Central starting at 6PM tonight. Rumors are that something valuable will be available there during the event. Come on out!

Tomorrow, to capitalize on what we know will be another powerhouse performance by John Kerry, the campaign kicks off a weekend of cavassing to reach one million households around the country. On Sunday, Albuquerqueans can combine a rally with Rep. Barney Frank at Kerry HQ from 10-11:30 AM with some afternoon canvassing and then finish off with some high-energy rallying with Michael Moore at The Pit. With only 24 days until the election, NOW IS THE TIME!

From the Kerry campaign:

You've amazed us before with your commitment to winning -- breaking fundraising records at every juncture. Now do it again, blast away all grassroots mobilization records and help us knock on one million doors. Each canvass is only a couple of hours but you'll make a big difference.

We've gotten some e-mails asking for more of an explanation of why these door-to-door visits are important. Canvass volunteers are visiting two kinds of voters: infrequent Democratic voters and undecided voters. Many studies have shown that face-to-face contact with a supporter makes it far more likely that an infrequent voter will make it to the polls. And, it is by far the best way to get information to undecided voters who can tip the balance.

This weekend, after the second debate, many undecided voters will be evaluating the candidates again. This is your chance to make a difference -- by talking to them while they're deciding. How do the state campaigns know who is undecided and who is an infrequent Democratic voter? The Democratic Party, thanks to the resources they have now, is doing very good targeting based on demographics and voter history from state voter files.

Even if you've never volunteered before, you can make a big difference. There will be training before you're sent out and this weekend is a great way to start volunteering -- and continue to make a big difference for the rest of the campaign.

Sincerely,
Mary Beth Cahill, Campaign Manager

Click here to sign up for a canvass and other events. Click through to the continuation page to see a summary of canvasses scheduled for Albuquerque, Los Lunas, Santa Fe, Sandoval County/Rio Rancho, Belen and Las Cruces this Saturday and Sunday. (Photo courtesy Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc.)

10/9 Saturday Canvass Santa Fe - Solana Shopping Center
"Training is 10:00-10:30. Door-to-door knocking starts at 10:30 and goes until 6:00 p.m. Democrats are trying to knock on ONE MILLION DOORS nationwide this weekend-- let's show how dedicated New Mexico is to getting our nation back on track! For more informtation, call (505) 982-5727. "

10/9 Las Cruces Canvass
"Join your fellow Kerry/Edwards supporters this Saturday as we Canvass Las Cruces. Meet at Headquarters at 10 AM on Saturday, hook up with your canvass team and help us send Bush back to Texas!"

10/9 Albuquerque Saturday Canvass - NM Victory 2004 HQ
"Come One - Come All! Bring a friend and join us for a few hours of canvassing in Nob Hill, University, and Near Heights areas. We will be meeting at Headquarters this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. for list distribution and then we will pair up and head out. Let's make sure NM does it's part to knock on one million doors nationwide this weekend!"

10/9 Sandoval County/Rio Rancho Canvass - Rio Rancho Veterans Memorial Park
Help New Mexico do its part as democrats knock on a million doors this weekend! We will also be urging people to return their absentee ballots which were sent out on Tuesday. Directions: from Rio Rancho Blvd. take Southern Blvd. 1/4 mile W. to Pine Tree Rd. and turn right. The park is behind the post office.

10/10 Las Cruces Canvass
"Join your fellow Kerry/Edwards supporters this Saturday as we Canvass Las Cruces. Meet at Headquarters at 10 AM on Saturday, hook up with your canvass team and help us send Bush back to Texas!"

10/10 Albuquerque Sunday Canvass - NM Victory 2004 HQ
"Come One - Come All! Bring a friend and join us for a few hours of canvassing in Nob Hill, University, and Near Heights areas. We will be meeting at Headquarters this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. for list distribution and then we will pair up and head out. Let's make sure NM does it's part to knock on one million doors nationwide this weekend!"

10/10 Santa Fe Sunday Canvass - Solana Shopping Center
Training is 2-2:30. Walking door-to-door starts at 2:30 and goes until 7:00. Democrats are trying to knock on ONE MILLION DOORS nationwide this weekend-- let's show how dedicated New Mexico is to getting our nation back on track! For more information call (505) 982-5727.

10/10 Los Lunas Canvassing - Sen. Michael Sanchez's Law Office
We are canvassing Los Lunas to get out support for Kerry-Edwards and Democrats across the ticket. Help New Mexico do its part as Democrats knock on one million doors nationwide this weekend!

10/10 Belen Canvassing - Democratic Party Headquarters
We are canvassing Belen to get out support for Kerry-Edwards and Democrats across the ticket. Help New Mexico do its part as Democrats knock on one million doors nationwide this weekend!

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

Lest we forget the level of propaganda and fearmongering we are up against (fat chance), here's an incredible video collection of the RNC convention's greatest hits. The only thing we have to fear is ... fearmongering for political gain. (Thanks to John McAndrew for the vid link.)

In contrast, here's an expanded version of the famous quote about fear and fear itself from Franklin Roosevelt's first inaugural address:

I AM certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our Nation impels. This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.

Bertrand Russell said:

Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.

Ain't it the truth.

(If you like the Bush fear image above, you can get it on a tshirthere.)

Soros Ad & Other News

I loved opening up today's Albuquerque Journal and seeing a huge, two-page ad by George Soros explaining "Why We Must Not Re-Elect President Bush." The ad goes into great detail outlining reasons why a vote for Bush is a vote for unending war and chaos. I hope moderate Republicans and those infamous swing voters will take the time to read it. Very persuasive! Imagine how different this election season would be without the generous support of Soros.

If you can't get today's Journal, you can see the ad in pdf format as it orginally appeared in the Wall Street Journal here. You can visit the Soros website that explains the negatives of another Bush term right here. The distinguished Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change support George Soros in his efforts to speak out. See a list of their members and other information here.

For all you Bush fans (or protestors) out there, the prez will be campaigning in Hobbs, NM on Monday. Click on the link in the right-hand sidebar under "Coming Events" for all the details.

Unfortunately, you may have already missed Jenna Bush's visit to Bush HQ in Albuquerque today. As usual with Bush events, this one is by invitation only, so fat chance that any dissenters, or even undecideds, would be admitted!

More to our liking, Kerry will be staying up in Santa Fe on Monday and Tuesday to prep for the third presidential debate that will take place next Wednesday in Tempe AZ. Three of CNN's major shows, "Inside Politics," "360" and "American Morning," will join him in Santa Fe. The pundits will be talking to voters, checking out polls and meeting with local reporters. The shows will no doubt include interviews with high-ranking state Democrats and Republicans. "Inside Politics" with Judy Woodruff will broadcast live from Santa Fe starting 1 PM Monday and Anderson Cooper's "360" will follow at 5 PM. Tuesday's "American Morning" with Bill Hemmer will broadcast at 5 AM. More details will be released later today.

Rep. Barney Frank at ABQ Kerry HQ Sunday

The New Mexico Kerry-Edwards campaign invites you to join members of the GLBT and allied community and friends at the New Mexico Victory 2004 Headquarters in Albuquerque - 3301 Central Avenue NE - to welcome Congressman Barney Frank to New Mexico!

Date: This Sunday, October 10, 2004
Time: 10:00 - 11:30 AM

Barney Frank has been in Congress since 1981. He is the Senior Democrat on the Financial Services Committee and is also a member of the Select Committee on Homeland Security. Previously he was a Massachusetts State Representative and an assistant to the Mayor of Boston. He has also taught at several Boston area universities.

For further information, to RSVP, or to sign-up as a Kerry-Edwards volunteer, please contact Raul Alvillar at raul@nmvictory2004.com.

New Mexico Victory 2004
3301 Central Avenue NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
(505) 256-2570

John Cusack Stumps for Kerry in ABQ and Las Cruces on Friday

John Cusack and friends will hold rallies in Las Cruces and Albuquerque to support John Kerry and John Edwards on Friday, October 8th.

John Cusack and friends will be in Las Cruces at 10:00 AM
Where: NMSU: Corbett Outdoor Stage
When: Friday, October 8th - 10:00 AM
For ticket information call: (505) 525-1225
This event is sponsored by NMSU College Democrats and Students for Kerry

John Cusack and friends will be in Albuquerque at 1:30 PM
with musical guest FELONIOUS GROOVE FOUNDATION
Where: UNM: SUB Ballroom
When: Friday, October 8th - 1:30 PM
For ticket information call: (505) 256-2570

To learn more about John Cusack's acting career and bio, go here.

DFA/DFNM Meetups Today

The last Meetups before the election are scheduled for tonight at 7PM. Click here to get more information or to RSVP. Only 26 days until the election!

At Albuquerque's Page One Bookstore, we'll be hearing a report on how Democrats can be effective against the right-wing Republicans and discussing opportunities for volunteering at local groups and campaigns. We'll also hear about an event hosted by the NM Alliance for the International Criminal Court on October 18th at UNM where DFNM will be tabling. We believe the Meetup will be relatively short and we plan to gather afterwards at the nearby Flying Star to share some desserts and generally chew the fat, political or not.

Mona Blaber reports that the Democracy for Santa Fe Meetup will be short, sweet and action-oriented:

• Write letters to New Mexicans who are undecided about their choice in the presidential election
  
• Distribute some key facts about voter identification and other voting issues
  
• Plan for Election Day and Election Weekend
  
• Offer a variety of opportunities to put our noses to the grindstone over the next month to elect a new president!
  

There's been a venue change from the St. Francis Hotel to the back room of the Kerry-Edwards/County Dems headquarters, 947 W. Alameda in the Solana Center.

I see at the Meetup page for NM that there are also DFA groups in Farmington, Roswell, Las Cruces and Carlsbad, but I don't know how active they are. If anyone out there is a member of these groups or any other DFA Meetup in New Mexico, please let us know you're out there by posting a comment here!

Where's the Bunker When You Need It?

Clearly, Cheney lied on many issues but this one is for LOL:

In the debate, Cheney claimed he was meeting Edwards for the first time. I wonder if this was Cheney's double at the event shown in the photo.

Quote of the night:

Boy was I ever wrong. If last Thursday night's debate was an assisted suicide for president Bush, this debate - just concluded - was a car wreck. And Cheney was road-kill. There were times when it was so overwhelming a debate victory for Edwards that I had to look away. -- Andrew Sullivan

Reported on Daily Kos:

CBS News tracked the reactions to tonight's vice-presidential debate of a nationwide panel of 169 uncommitted voters - voters who could change their minds before Election Day. Here are the initial results. This scientific poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 7 percentage points:
By 41% to 29%, uncommitted debate watchers say Edwards won the debate tonight.

Media reviews compiled on the Kerry blog:

Fred Barnes: "Now the second half, on domestic policy, I though Edwards did very well and he probably won that part." [Fox News, 10/5/04, 10: 40]

Bill Krystol: "I think Edwards won the second half on domestic policy." [Fox News, 10/5/04 10:42pm]

Mark Shields: "John Edwards first one-on-one debate, had been billed that way, absolutely no nervousness, came out right from the start. And, and was aggressive. And Dick Cheney, I think, the vice president was really knocked back on his heels." [PBS, 10/5/04, 10:41pm]

George Will: "Mr. Edwards gave just as good as he got." [ABC, 10/5/04, 10:41pm]

Bob Schieffer: “The administration has got to find another way to argue and justify this war. The arguments that Vice-President Cheney was making tonight clearly did not take.” [CBS]

Carlos Watson: "… I think Edwards probably did a better job with persuadable voters." [CNN, 10/5/04]

Kit Seelye: "Edwards was the more engaging debater and personality. He laid out his arguments with the precision and logic that you would expect from a star litigator but also managed to smile and appear less rehearsed." [New York Times Online, 10/5/04]

Candy Crowley: “Probably for John Edwards the best moment was when he turned to Cheney and said, you know Mr. Cheney, I don’t—Mr. Vice President, I don’t think Americans can take another four years of this administration. Sort of a rendition of Ronald Reagan’s famous line of are you better off. That clearly was one that he had been waiting to deliver. Obviously an effective line.” (CNN, 10:51)

Peter Jennings: “Anybody who thought that Senator Edwards was going to be rolled by the experienced Vice President I think will have a second thought.” [10:40, ABC]

**********
I thought Edwards more than held his own and that Cheney looked grumpy and tired. He was obviously out of breath at times, and couldn't get much air up to push his words to a good volume. He also ignored many questions and kept looking at the desk instead of the camera. He lied several times about his never claiming 9-11 and Saddam were linked. I thought Edwards' answers were mostly clear and on message. All Edwards had to do was avoid commiting a big mistake. I think he did much better than that and defended Kerry quite well. It was amazing how few times Cheney mentioned Bush's name. I guess he really does think he's the real prez! What do you think?

What Are You Doing AFTER the Debate?

From the DNC: Tonight, John Edwards and Dick Cheney will meet for the only vice presidential debate of the campaign. Once again, we need you to take action the moment they leave the stage. There are four critical things you can do to help beat the Republican spin machine.

• Forward this email to family, coworkers, and friends.
  
• Vote in online polls.
  
• Write a letter to the editor.
  
• Call radio and television stations.
  

Your 10 minutes of activism following the debate can make the difference. It is important that we double our efforts from the last debate, because the Republicans are now copying our strategy.

Vote in Online Polls: National and local news organizations will be conducting online polls during and after the debate asking for readers' opinions. Look for online polls at these news websites, and make sure to vote in every one of them:

CNN: https://www.cnn.com/
MSNBC: https://www.msnbc.msn.com/
Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/
LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune: https://www.startribune.com/
Orlando Sentinel: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/
Philadelphia Inquirer: https://www.philly.com/
South Florida Sun-Sentinel: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/

Make sure swing voters know why you support John Kerry by sharing your thoughts on message boards in target states. Visit our 2004 Debate Center after the debate for a list of message boards where you can fight the Republican spin. If you visit chat rooms on AOL, MSN, Yahoo, or other websites, be sure to let people know what you thought of the debate.

And be sure to check the websites of your local newspapers and TV stations for online polls. It is crucial that you do this in the minutes immediately following the debate. Click through to the continuation page for a list of local media sites. (Photo, Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc. from Dave Scull)

KOB-TV: https://www.kobtv.com/
KOAT-TV: https://www.thenewmexicochannel.com/index.html
KRQE-TV: https://www.krqe.com/
Albuquerque Tribune: https://www.abqtrib.com/
Albuquerque Journal: https://www.abqjournal.com/
Santa Fe Reporter: https://www.sfreporter.com/
Santa Fe New Mexican: https://www.santafenewmexican.com/
Crosswinds:
Weekly Alibi: https://www.alibi.com/editorial/toc.php
Kirtland AFB Newspaper: