Democracy for New Mexico

Tell the President New Mexico Deserves Better

From the League of Conservation Voters:
As you have probably heard by now, President Bush will be at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque this Monday, August 8, to sign the short-sighted Energy Bill into law. Of course, we couldn't let this event happen without having our say on the matter.

This Monday at 10 AM, about an hour before the bill is signed, we are coordinating a press event with local leaders who will talk about the missed opportunities in this Bill and how it harms New Mexico and our most precious resource - water.

Please join us as we show the President that New Mexicans want, and deserve better!

What: Local leaders and coalition of groups discuss Energy Bill's shortcomings
Where: City of Albuquerque Yale Pumping Station located at Central and Yale on the UNM Campus
When: Monday, August 8th. 10:00 AM.

Click here to attend.

For more information please contact our office in Albuquerque at 505-244-1077.

Thanks!
Maggie Toulouse
New Mexico Campaign Manager
League of Conservation Voters

DPBC Coming Events

From the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County:

THIRD THURSDAY MEETING, AUGUST 18, 6:00 PM, LAW SCHOOL, ROOM 2401

CAMPAIGN REFORM, PUBLIC FINANCING AND THE OPEN AND ETHICAL ELECTIONS CODE REFERENDUM

On the 35th anniversary of the founding of Common Cause, New Mexico Executive Director, Matt Brix, will present a brief history of Common Cause including a synopsis of the issues most often addressed. The principal topic will be campaign reform, specifically public financing for PRC elections and a judicial public financing bill from the 2005 legislative session. The talk will highlight Common Cause's work to pass the Open and Ethical Elections Code referendum scheduled for a vote in October's Albuquerque election.  If approved, voluntary limits on campaign spending coupled with voluntary public financing would go into effect.

Voter Registration Workshop

We will have another voter registration training on Monday, August 15th at the Law School Room 2401 at 6:30 PM.  It is crucial that as many of you attend as possible, things have changed and you must register in Santa Fe at the Secretary of State's Office as a registration agent to be eligible to assist people in filling out their form.  Please call the HQ if you have any questions.

For more information or to RSVP for these events call the Bernalillo County Democratic Party Office at 505.256.1855 or email Terri Holland, Executive Director, terri@bernalillodems.org.  Visit https://www.bernalillodems.org

Dickinson Campaign Hosts BBQ This Saturday

From the Marianne Dickinson for Albuquerque City Council campaign (District 7):

Come out to our BBQ this Saturday and celebrate…

Marianne and all her great volunteers made the signature quota and are officially on the ballot. We’ve won half the battle and want you all to come celebrate with us this Saturday at 2pm at Altura Park: https://tinyurl.com/88ct9 .

Thank you for your continued support!

Contact: Keegan King @ 385-8760 if you would like to bring a dish or to let us know if you’ll make it. keegan@mariannedickinson.com

Visit Marianne's website: https://www.mariannedickinson.com/

DFNM Endorses Griego for Mayor!

Councilor Wins Overwhelming Support from Albuquerque Members

Democracy for New Mexico on Thursday endorsed City Councilor Eric Griego in his campaign to be the next mayor of Albuquerque.

Following a recent mayoral poll of DFNM’s active Albuquerque members, in which Griego earned 86 percent of the vote, we made our endorsement official at our monthly DFA-DFNM Meetup Thursday. The next Mayor of Albuquerque (!) attended the meeting to express his appreciation to the group, answer questions and fire up our members to bring the grassroots power of DFNM to bear in the remaining two months before the October 4th election.

Our members are impressed with Councilor Griego’s common sense positions on planned growth strategies, a budget that serves the basic needs of our residents and neighborhoods, assuring a living wage for workers, youth outreach and engagement, reenergizing the ethical climate in city government and better protecting our environment. Perhaps most of all, we appreciate Griego’s courage and tenacity in going to bat for ordinary citizens.

DFNM’s endorsement process started with a mayoral candidate forum held in June and culminated in an email vote of our active Albuquerque members. Candidates were evaluated on their dedication to progressive social issues coupled with a fiscally responsible approach to governing and a commitment to grassroots campaigning.

“As a progressive Democrat, I am honored to have DFNM’s endorsement,” Griego said. “The members of Democracy for New Mexico know that real Democratic values – like raising the minimum wage and protecting our natural environment – are key to making our city even better. They also know that I will return these Democratic values to the mayor’s office.”

Griego also said that he agrees with DFNM in wanting better planning for Albuquerque’s growth and a balanced approach to public safety that would include treatment and prevention along with punishment.

Griego has already received endorsements from AFSCME, UFCW, Sierra Club and Conservation Voters New Mexico

Now's the time to contribute to or volunteer for Eric Griego's campaign by visiting his website:

https://ericgriego.com/

Let's follow through with strong support for his race!

Around the Blogs

I hope many of you regularly travel down the left-hand sidebar on this page and click on our list of New Mexico's blogs that mostly feature politics. It's a community that's rapidly expanding and features a wide variety of excellent discussion.

For instance, today at Duke City Fix there's a discussion about mayoral candidate Judith Espinosa's win on obtaining an injunction to stop the Bernalillo County Clerk from disqualifying her ballot petition signatures. New Mexico Matters discusses the search for Democrats with integrity and responds to a recent post on Joe Monahan, while Soy Blue features posts over the last few days on everything from Hillary Clinton to the Albuquerque mayoral race to whether or not the NM Democratic Party website should include a blog. Truth, Rants and Ramblings dissects the Cheney Index, while m-pyre takes on the mainstream media.

Mayoral Endorsement Featured at Tonight's DFA-DFNM Meetup!

Tonight's DFA-DFNM Albuquerque Meetup will begin with an exciting announcement of our group's endorsement for Albuquerque mayor. The candidate selected by Albuquerque's active membership will be on hand to accept the endorsement and say a few words to attendees. Come on down!

DFA-DFNM Albuquerque Meetup
Thursday, August 4, 7:00 PM
First Unitarian Church Social Hall
Carlisle and Comanche

Click to RVSP or to join our Albuquerque Meetup group and get on our email list.

Our endorsement process began with a mayoral candidate forum in May and culminated in an email vote by our active Albuquerque Meetup members. Candidates were evaluated based on criteria that included their dedication to socially progressive, fiscally responsible positions, grassroots campaigning and core Democratic values.

DFNM will recommend that our national group, Democracy for America, founded by current DNC Chair Howard Dean, follow suit and add the candidate to their endorsements on the DFA-List Candidates for America. Democracy for New Mexico is loosely affiliated with DFA and supports its goals for grassroots organizing and electing socially progressive, fiscally responsible candidates at all levels of government. Click to learn more about DFA.

You're Invited: Sen. Bingaman to Speak on Medicaid 8/10

The Medicaid Coalition

PROUDLY PRESENTS

SENATOR JEFF BINGAMAN

SPEAKING ON

MEDICAID

Update: What is happening in Congress

WEDNESDAY, August 10, 11:30-1:30

First Unitarian Church
3701 Carlisle NE
(corner of Carlisle and Commanche)

Sponsored By: The MEDICAID COALITION

Local agencies who advocate for Medicaid services and clients

All are welcome – bring your friends
For more information call: Health Action NM at 314-0656

Get answers to your questions.

Senator Bingaman has introduced legislation (Senate Bill 1007) which would put a limit on Medicaid cuts. The administration is proposing $10 billion in cuts to Medicaid. This year NM will be losing $80 million dollars of federal funding.

REMINDER: Hiroshima 60 Years: Come to Los Alamos This Weekend

August 6th: Hiroshima 60 Years in Los Alamos, New Mexico
Sponsored by the Los Alamos Study Group and more than 150 endorsing organizations (including Democracy for New Mexico).

On August 6th, 1945, 140,000 people were killed by a single bomb at Hiroshima. Another 70,000 were killed three days later in Nagasaki. About 90,000 others died later in both cities. The bombs used then were built at Los Alamos.

This year, sixty years later, we will gather in Los Alamos at the Ashley Pond Park on August 6th to say "Never again!" This will be a historic event. Many of the 130 endorsing organizations, and more than 20 speakers, presenters and performers are participating.

Join activists and concerned citizens from New Mexico and throughout the U.S. at Los Alamos to oppose nuclear weapons research and production and to make a commitment to work for a political culture based on the dignity of the human person rather than the violent politics of fear, hate, greed, and war. The day's tone will be nonviolent in word and deed. Our aims are education, awareness, beauty and the display of nonviolent solidarity and power.

General Schedule:

8 AM: Traditional sackcloth-and-ashes witness organized by Pax Christi New Mexico.

10 AM: Welcome, music, morning keynote speakers, including Nuclear Age Peace Foundation President David Krieger, Father John Dear of Pax Christi, and president of the Global Resource Action Center for the Environment Alice Slater, and others.

12 PM: Pageant with thousands of sunflowers (the international emblem of nuclear disarmament), procession and delivery of sunflowers and international mayoral letters calling for nuclear disarmament to Los Alamos County officials, and aerial photograph of the sunflower display.

1 PM: Lunch/Local Speakers, poets, and music with afternoon speakers.

2 PM: Workshops in nearby buildings: "History of the Nuclear Era" and "Building a Post-nuclear Economy for New Mexico".

6 PM: Break for dinner.

8 PM: Music, poetry, and 3,000 floating candle lanterns, one for each hundred victims of the bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

All Day: Participating organizations will have information tables. There will be lots of time to network and learn.

Click for flyer. Click for brochure.

Nearby parking is limited, although there is plenty of legal parking in the Los Alamos community surrounding the park. Invite your friends to fill your car, arrive early and park legally.

Bring water, hats and sunscreen. For lunch and dinner bring your own food or grab a bite from the restaurants nearby (lists will be available).

To find out more about these events, to volunteer, or to help support this work, call 505-265-1200, email us at clong@lasg.org, or use the secure credit card portal at www.lasg.org.

Claire Long
Outreach Coordinator
Los Alamos Study Group
2901 Summit Place NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
(505)265-1200 (office)
(505)795-8025 (cell)
(505)265-1207 (fax)
clong@lasg.org
www.lasg.org

Editor's Note: If you can help harvest the sunflowers that will be used at the large display at this event, contact Claire (see above). This will happen in Corrales all day on Friday:

Help is needed to harvest sunflowers in Corrales on Friday, August 5

It's time to harvest the thousands of sunflowers now maturing in a field in Corrales and load them into a semi-trailer for shipment to Los Alamos.  Call us for the exact location of the field, and please join us on Friday (all day or evening) to help cut, bundle, put in buckets, and load the harvest of peace. 

The harvest will symbolically begin on Wednesday afternoon August 3. led by Mr. Koji Ueda (Hiroshima survivor, Assistant Secretary General at Tokyo Federation of A-bomb Sufferers Associations) and Mrs. Masako Hashida (Nagasaki survivor, board member of local survivors association).  The flowers will be at peak readiness on Friday and that's the day we really need a lot of people to help.  Bring gloves, hat, and if you can also some garden clippers (the small ones, not loppers) although we do have a some extra clippers.  Recruit your friends! 

Hackett Says Batter Up for DFA

Batter up for Hackett -- and Democracy in Ohio

by Tom Hughes

Wed Aug 3rd, 2005 at 08:11:33 PDT

Paul Hackett sent this out to the DFA email list earlier today. Paul ran a great campaign. And on election night next year -- when we take back Congress -- it will be noted that the tide turned on August 2, 2005 in the OH-2.

Thank you Paul.

And a huge "THANK YOU" to everyone who believe.

Yesterday, one of the reddest regions in America turned a whole lot bluer.

Tom Hughes
Executive Director, DFA

_______________

• Tom Hughes's diary :: ::

I ran in a special election to serve in the United States House of Representatives for the 2nd District of Ohio. I am a Marine recently returned from Iraq, a husband, a father, an attorney, and a Democrat.

When I won the Democratic primary for this contest, few people believed we had a shot at victory. But DFA put its faith in me—and went to work organizing on the ground and online. Your support helped build the greatest Democratic get-out-the-vote effort this district has ever known.

While we didn't pull out a victory yesterday—we came incredibly close. We got 48 percent of the vote. And in those results rests hope for the future.

It had been 15 years since a Democratic candidate for Congress received more than 30 percent of the vote in Ohio's 2nd District and 40 years since a Democrat held the seat. Your support helped me improve Democratic performance by nearly 20 percent. This is a victory for democracy. And if we can do this in Ohio—we can do it anywhere.

Join me, and help DFA elect Democrats in Ohio and across the country:

www.democracyforamerica.com/bat

We have the power to win back Congress. Yesterday proved it. And DFA is on the front lines of the fight—determined, hopeful and fearless.

I believe we can change this country. I believe we can win in every state—and I know that you do too. Please join me today:

www.democracyforamerica.com/bat

Thank you,
Paul Hackett

(As posted on Daily Kos.)

The Death Toll Continues: Bush Vacations

The horror continues in Iraq:

Fourteen Marines Killed in Bombing
CNN: Wednesday 03 August 2005

Fighting in northwest Iraq claims lives of 21 Marines in 3 days.
Baghdad - Fourteen Marines and a civilian interpreter were killed Wednesday when their amphibious assault vehicle struck an improvised explosive device about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) south of Haditha, Iraq, military officials said. A Marine was also injured. The Marines were assigned to the 2nd Marine Division.

Wednesday's attack follows the killings of six Marines Monday in Haditha, which is in northwest Iraq. Another Marine was killed in a suicide car bombing in nearby Hit on Monday, the Marine Corps said.

This week's Marine deaths brought the number of American troops killed in the Iraq war to more than 1,800, according to U.S. military reports.

Meanwhile, the Commander in Chief is on an almost 5-week vacation at his fake ranch. No doubt he'll do alot of brush clearing for the cameras and who knows what else:

The August getaway is Bush's 49th trip to his cherished ranch since taking office and the 319th day that Bush has spent, entirely or partially, in Crawford -- nearly 20 percent of his presidency to date, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS Radio reporter known for keeping better records of the president's travel than the White House itself. Weekends and holidays at Camp David or at his parents' compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, bump up the proportion of Bush's time away from Washington even further.