Democracy for New Mexico

Holidaze

I have to admit that at our house the holidaze have taken a back seat this year. With all of our political activities and the emotional rollercoaster ride we've been on courtesy of Election 2004, we haven't gotten into what's called the "holiday spirit," if there is such a thing in American culture beyond shopping anymore.

Our Xmas was always more earthy than the one shown in tv ads, with more emphasis on real greens and mistletoe and flaming light to ward off the winter darkness and deadness. Less presents and tinsel, more hanging out by the fire and listening to olden holiday music while munching and sipping and reminiscing.

There was always a tall and brawny pine dominating the den, with a fire blazing in the fireplace and lots of candles and corny decorations from Christmases past scattered about the house. Ornaments that date back to the 70s, the schmaltzier the better. ALL of the candles would be lit at once on Xmas eve, and when they were almost burnt out, a viewing of some black and white Christmas movie from simpler times.

But this year is different, perhaps because our peace sign was stolen a few weeks back. We built it from hula hoops -- one large one for the outer ring and pieces cut up to form the interior legs. We wrapped all the parts in twinkling Christmas lights and hung it on the front of our house before Christmas last year. It's been there ever since, lighting our corner each evening, beaming the peace sign to all the drivers pausing at the stop sign. Aimed at reminding neighbors and passers-by that there was a war on. And a bad one. And that we needed to focus on peacemaking, not warmaking.

Well, a few weeks ago someone had the audacity to walk up the healthy rise to the front wall of our house, unplug the lights, grab the peace sign and disappear in the dead of night. We didn't hear a thing and didn't discover the theft until the next morning. What a creepy feeling to realize that some cowardly thug hated the thought of peace so much that they felt obligated, perhaps even justified, in sneaking right up to our house at night and pulling down the hula hoop symbol of peace.

Can't you imagine just what this thief was like? Standard issue right-wing bully, patterned on the brutish empty vessel that occupies the White House. I wonder if this slug felt a sense of "moral" superiority as they assailed our free speech rights and plowed onto our premises, intent on destroying an "unholy" visual challenge to their greedy warmongering ways.

We're building a new peace sign, bigger and brighter, to replace the one that was stolen. Rope lights instead of tiny twinklers. Attached much more securely. Up higher on the house. We're thinking of adding an adjacent blazing cross and a sign that says "Peace on Earth" just to rub in the Christmas message. But we don't know if we'll go that far. We don't want to tempt the bullies so flagrantly and risk the destruction of things more dear to us than a lit up symbol.

But I think the new peace sign, and some blue lights on the eaves, will be it for our holiday decorations this year. Hard to feel festive with democracy dying all around us and brutes on the move. Hard to justify spending money that enriches the sleazy purveyors of a corporate greed that have rendered the original meanings of Winter Solstice or Christmas or Hannuka pretty damn moot.

We'll still have a fire and burn the candles and watch old movies and sip cocoa. We'll buy some small gifts from small businesses and artists and outfits like the Heifer project. But we'll leave the frantic and materialistic schtick to those who truly enjoy consumerism at any price -- those who would take the peace out of earth, whatever it takes. --B.W. (and M.E.)

Update on Albuquerque Recount Observer Training - THIS SATURDAY

From Sonja Elison:

The New Mexico Recount should get underway next week.  By law, it can start no longer than Tuesday.  We think it will be at the warehouse on Broadway--South of Central.  However, the county clerk's office hasn't let us know for sure yet.  Stay posted, we'll get the information out as soon as we get it!

If you signed up on Moveon to help observe, please come to this training session:

This Saturday Dec. 11, 1:00 PM to 2:45 PM at the corner of Commance and San Mateo at the Palo Duro Senior Center. 

The number there is 888-8102  Volunteers are trying to call everyone who volunteered on the website to schedule times you can work.  If you'd like to schedule a particular time, you can also email selison22@comcast.net.  For more information you can call Steve Lucero  710-8946 or Sonja Elison at 271-0271 or Holly Jacobsen at 206 769 7185.

Training Tomorrow for NM Recount Volunteers

From Leland Lehrman: The recount is happening !!!

Help America Recount Fund, working with the Audit the Vote Network on behalf of the David Cobb Presidential Campaign and the Michael Badnarik Presidential Campaign are going to court Friday AM to get the recount started -- if we don't get agreement from the Secretary of State to officially begin the recount on her own. State statute requires that she start it by next Tuesday.

We anticipate starting sometime next week. We're not sure of the day, so we're planning as if it will start on Monday.

The Santa Fe (and northern New Mexico) training for observers is tomorrow, Saturday, at 10AM at the Sweeney Center - Downtown Santa Fe. Sorry for the lateness of this message. Call phone numbers below to get current status.

Directions: The Sweeney Center is located at the corner of Grant and Marcy. coming into SF ... on St. Francis Drive ..... go east on Alameda, left on Sandoval, Sandoval turns to the right and becomes Palace, left on Grant one block, right on Marcy and into the parking lot.

The training will be over by 11:00 AM. We will provide coffee, juice, and maybe some goodies.

The Albuquerque training is Saturday at 1PM at the Palodoro Senior Center, on Palodoro Drive, behind the library on Commanche near San Mateo. This training will be over by 2PM.

Download and print the Recount Volunteer Form indicating the days you are available and other resources you can provide.

Any questions give Rick Lass (920-0540), Mitch Buszek, (204-0833) or Leland Lehrman (982-3609) a call.

We really need folks that can travel to far away interesting places ... like Farmington, Las Cruces, Tucumcari, Wagon Mound, Truth or Consequences ... so if you can travel ... let us know ...

The incident reports and data that we have collected are going to make this VERY interesting !!!!!

For those who can't make it on Saturday, we will have another training early next week.

Look forward to working with you, Mitch - Rick - Leland

Demand Bi-Partisan Investigation into 2004 Election

Progressive Democrats of America makes it easy for folks to demand a bi-partisan investigation into the 2004 Election . The Chairman of the House Administration Committee, Bob Ney (R-OH), stated publicly that he’ll hold bi-partisan hearings on the 2004 Election early next year. We need to tell the Committee to hold those hearings NOW, BEFORE the vote is certified in January.

to ask members of House Administration Committee to call an immediate hearing.

PDA also urges folks to pressure Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell to answer the questions raised by Rep. John Conyers and others about the irregularities in Ohio:

General Telephone Number (Toll Free): 1-877-767- 6446

General Telephone Number (Local): 1-614- 466-2655

Eric Griego First Entry In 2005 ABQ Mayoral Race

City Councilor Eric Griego's kickoff party for his entry into Albuquerque's 2005 mayoral race happens this Sunday afternoon from 3-5 PM at La Posada downtown. (See earlier DFNM blog post here for the details.)

According to an article in this morning's Albuquerque Journal, other possible mayoral candidates include County Commission Chairman Alan Armijo, Judith Espinosa, a former head of the state transportation and environment departments and Bob Schwartz, who finished second to current Mayor Martin Chavez in the 2001 mayoral race and is a crime policy advisor to Governor Bill Richardson. Mayor Chavez is expected to run again for the post. John Sanchez, who lost to Richardson in the 2002 race for governor, reportedly is being urged to run despite the fact he currently lives in Los Ranchos.

Griego, a first-term city councilor, is the favorite of many progressives and is known for tangling with Mayor Chavez. He brings experience with public policy research and analysis, and is a passionate supporter of planned-growth strategies to counter the sprawl of unrestrained development. He also took a strong stand against extending Paseo del Norte through the Petrolgyph National Monument on the West Side. Albuquerque voters approved the road extension in November.

Here's a TVI Times article that describes Griego's professional background and an Albuquerque Tribune article that details his experience as a stand-up comic.

Those who have reportedly decided not to run for mayor this time include Councilor Brad Winter, Council President Michael Cadigan, Richard Romero, who lost to Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) in November, State Sen. Linda Lopez (D-Albuquerque), Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White (R) and former city attorney David Campbell.

The mayoral race is nonpartisan and Albuquerque's City Charter requires a run-off between the top two vote-getters if no candidate receives at leat 40 percent of the vote. The run-off requirement, having been declared in violation of the state constitution seven years ago, was reinstated when voters passed a state constitutional amendment to permit it in November.

Heads Up: Progressive vs. DLC Debate Tomorrow Morning

From Take Back America, OurFuture.org

We just learned that tomorrow morning -- Friday, December 10th at 8 AM MST -- C-SPAN will air a live debate between Campaign for America’s Future and the Democratic Leadership Council on the future of the Democratic party.

Tune in and watch Campaign for America’s Future’s own Robert Borosage debate the Democratic Leadership Council’s Al From on the choices the Democratic Party now faces for its future direction.  The program will be shown live from the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

https://www.cspan.org

Borosage argues that Bush's radical agenda is out of step with the American people and that Democrats will unite in opposition to that agenda. He believes the Democratic Party will succeed when it truly champions a progressive agenda that addresses the problems of working families. From and the Democratic Leadership Council represent the corporate wing of the Party and have urged Democrats to push away from their progressive base.

The debate will tell you a lot about why redoubling our focus on “kitchen table” issues will appeal to the Democratic base and the American public at large.  And why “kitchen table” issues will be the winning ticket for the future of the Democratic Party.

Election Reform Requirements

Yesterday, as Rep. John Conyers led a forum of Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee on voting problems and possible fraud, Progressive Democrats of America released a detailed list of electoral reforms that must be taken to restore democracy to America:

• A Constitutional amendment confirming the right to vote, as advocated by Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
• Required paper reports for all electronic and electronically tabulated voting systems.
• Same-day registration for all Americans.
• The creation of unified federal standards for national elections.
• Meaningful equal protection of voting rights by such means as equal voting systems, equal numbers of machines, and equal time to vote.
• An end to partisan oversight of the electoral process.
• Extended voting periods to allow all voters a meaningful opportunity to vote.
• Instant Run-off Voting and Proportional Representation.
• Publicly financed elections for federal offices.

PDA is supported by Democracy for America and DFNM, and is working to create progressive caucuses in all 50 states. To learn more, click on the link above.

Truthout has an excellent blog on the Conyer's hearing.

is another organization dedicated to achieving election reform nationally and here in NM, starting with the 90-day session of the NM Legislature that begins in January.

New Mexico Democratic Friends, a citizen action group created by Eric and Sonja Elison, are now working on plans to support election reform at the 2005 NM Legislative Session. You can read about this group's mission here, and download an information sheet here to fill out if you'd like to become a member. (Both of these are Word documents.) You can reach the Elisons at selison22@comcast.net.

Imagine how different the nation and the world would be today if these reasonable and fair recommendations had been adopted before the 2000 election. Can we let another election pass without these protections?

People, Not Money

THE YEAR IN REVIEW
It's about people, not just money
By Gov. Howard Dean M.D.

People ask me all the time about raising money online. In a 10-candidate field, my presidential campaign raised more than $27 million on the Web. And since the end of the campaign, the thriving online fundraising continued with our new organization, Democracy for America.

But the truth is that online success is about more than money. And it’s about more than technology. It’s about your commitment to the people who support you.

In a practical sense, using the Internet isn’t even about getting votes. Its strength is in building a richer democracy by bringing more people into the process.

We learned over the past two years that a campaign website can be more than a clearinghouse for basic information. It can become a hub for turning committed supporters into true stakeholders.

When approached the right way, the Web can help campaigns and other organizations accomplish two important things: mobilizing volunteers in new ways and communicating without the expense of television or the filter of the press.

Continue reading this article from .

Contact State Dem Leaders TODAY Re DNC Chair: MoveOn Makes It Easy

NO MORE INSIDERS. We can't afford four more years of Democratic leadership by elite Washington insiders with little vision and losing records. Contact your state Democratic Party leaders and ask them support a Democratic National Committee chair who will reconnect the party with the grassroots and lead us to victory. We'll deliver your comments on Saturday.

Dear MoveOn member,

Who will lead the Democratic Party? The answer may come as soon as this weekend, when the state Democratic Party leaders gather to discuss who should chair the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for the next four years.¹ The election for chair is rarely competitive. But this year, with the race wide open, we have the chance to elect a leader who will reconnect the Democratic Party with its constituents -- us.

We've made it easy to contact your state Party leaders and ask them support a chair who will represent all of us OUTSIDE of the Washington beltway and engage us in a fight for a bold Democratic vision. If we get enough signatures today, we'll deliver your comments to their meeting this weekend, so please click below NOW to make your voice heard:

https://www.moveonpac.org/dncchair/

MoveOn includes Republicans, Greens, and independents. But all of us who are struggling for health care, clean air, decent jobs, and a sane foreign policy can agree on one thing: we're better off with a vibrant, populist Democratic Party that's strong enough to challenge the extreme-right Republican leadership.

Why haven't we had one? Under outgoing DNC chair Terry McAuliffe, the Party cozied up to many of the same corporate donors that fund the Republicans -- drug companies, HMO's, media conglomerates, big banks, polluting industries. The result was watered down, play-it-safe politics that kept the money flowing but alienated traditional Democrats as well as reform-minded independents in search of vision and integrity. And so the Party lost ground.

But in 2004, something incredible happened: hundreds of thousands of small contributors gave millions and millions of dollars and changed the way politics works forever. New we have an opportunity to birth a new Democratic Party -- a Party of the people that's funded by the people and that fights for the people. Tell your state Party leaders that you want a DNC chair who will use this new grassroots energy to catapult us to victory at:

https://www.moveonpac.org/dncchair/

The Democratic National Committee is the national backbone of the Democratic Party, and it matters who ends up as the new chair. With Democrats out of power in Washington, the new chair will play an unprecedented role as the voice of the Party. And no one will be in a better position to orchestrate a Democratic revival.

The state Party leaders -- who play a pivotal role within the DNC -- understand the importance of the DNC Chair. They have helped to make the election process more transparent, by inviting candidates for Chair to a public forum at their meeting. And for the first time, they are considering endorsing a candidate en masse. If they vote as a bloc, they could determine the next Chair. They represent all of us who knocked on doors, who gave money, who made phone calls -- and it's time for us to weigh in.

The movement for change that we built during the last election is still gathering strength. We need leadership that will break the chains of corporate funding so we can fight -- really fight -- for a better America.

Thank you for all that you do,

--Eli Pariser, Justin Ruben, and the whole MoveOn PAC team
  December 9, 2004

¹ The Democratic National Committee is the organizational structure of the national Democratic Party. The chair is elected by the approximately 440 voting members of the DNC, who include state Party officials, elected Democrats from all levels of government, and representatives of Party caucuses like the Young Democrats of America and the National Federation of Democratic Women. The election for DNC chair will take place in February, and state Party officials control between one-quarter and one-third of the votes that are likely to be cast. This weekend, they are meeting to hear from a number of candidates for Chair. They may or may not make an endorsement at their meeting, but they have announced plans to do so at some point.

² "The Next DNC Chair: Why You Should Care," syndicated column by Arianna Huffington, December 8, 2004. Online at:
https://www.ariannaonline.com/columns/column.php?id=748

PAID FOR BY MOVEON PAC www.moveonpac.org
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

---

For years, the Party has been lead by elite Washington insiders who are closer to corporate lobbyists than they are to the Democratic base. But we can't afford four more years of leadership by a consulting class of professional election losers. In the last year, grassroots contributors like us gave more than $300 million to the Kerry campaign and the DNC, and proved that the Party doesn't need corporate cash to be competitive.² Now it's our Party: we bought it, we own it, and we're going to take it back.

Transcript of Dean Speech

Update: Here's a link to a REAL audio version.

From :