Democracy for New Mexico

Bush to Sign Energy Bill at Sandia Labs on 8/8

Soy Blue has the scoop.

Mess o' Petitions

Click for Albloggerque's critique of the petition process in Albuquerque, whether it's to get the living wage proposal or mayoral candidates on the ballot on October 4th.

Despite Sheriff Darren White's theatrics about a few hundred forged signatures on the living wage petitions, turns out the disqualification rate is running at about 35 to 40 percent on all the petition drives.

There are questions about the criteria being used to judge the validity of signatures, and mayoral candidate Judith Espinosa has now asked a district court judge to issue an injunction in the clerk's count of signatures on her petitions. Espinosa is challenging the practice of the city clerk, Judy Chavez, in rejecting signatures, claiming only the courts have the right to disqualify a voter from a petition list. Click for the story in the Albuquerque Tribune.

Ex-Albuquerque Mayor Jim Baca examines the history and fairness of Albuquerque's petition requirements on his new blog, Only in New Mexico. Well worth a read.

Donate to Common Cause's ABQ Effort to Get the Open and Ethical Elections Code Referendum Passed 10/4

Editor's Note: Max Brix, Executive Director of Common Cause New Mexico, will be the speaker at the next Third Thursday Meeting of the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County at 6:00 PM on August 18, 2005 in Room 2401 at UNM Law School -- an excellent opportunity to learn more about this effort and what we can do to help. Mr. Brix will also be addressing public financing for PRC elections and a judicial public financing bill from the 2005 legislative session.

From :
With the help of Common Cause New Mexico members and activists like you, we have successfully qualified the Open and Ethical Elections Code referendum for the October 4th citywide ballot in Albuquerque.¹ You know New Mexico's largest city no longer has limits on campaign spending.  You've read the recent stories about the skyrocketing costs of running a political campaign in Albuquerque.² We need to pass this referendum so that we can reverse this alarming trend, level the playing field to allow a greater number of candidates to run for office and restore power to the voters.    

That's why Common Cause New Mexico is working hard to take back Albuquerque by passing the Open and Ethical Elections Code referendum on October 4.  We've built a coalition, we are executing a campaign plan and we are putting our state and national resources into this campaign.  If the referendum passes in Albuquerque, we will have publicly financed elections for mayor and the City Council.  But, to make an aggressive push to take big money out of Duke City elections, we need your help!  In the next two weeks we need to raise $500 to design our campaign brochure and an additional $500 to print our first piece of campaign literature.  Help us raise $1,000 in the next two weeks so that we have the resources to get our message out to Albuquerque voters.

Your generous contribution will help fund the next step in this important battle to get big money out of Duke City elections.  Your contribution will also help us get the message out to potential coalition partners, activists, the media and to Albuquerque voters about leveling the playing field and giving ordinary citizens from diverse backgrounds a chance to run for office.

Our city officials are not elected to be responsive to special interest donors; they are elected to be responsive to their constituents.  We intend to make sure that is the case.  This aggressive campaign to take Albuquerque back is another step towards limiting the influence of money in New Mexico politics.  To be successful, we must actively engage voters with an effective piece of campaign literature.

Now is the time to level the playing field and restore power to Albuquerque voters!  Please support our effort with a contribution of $100, $50, $25, or more, or whatever you can afford to give.  Please help us raise our goal of $1,000 to get this campaign off to a good start.  Now is the time to support bringing elections back to the people of Albuquerque.

Thank you for all you do for democracy in New Mexico!

Sincerely,

Matt Brix, Executive Director
Common Cause New Mexico

¹ https://www.abqjournal.com/news/metro/373235metro07-20-05.htm

² https://www.abqtrib.com/albq/nw_local/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19858_3937654,00.html

Picture of the Week

Our brand spanking new Ambassador to the United Nations with his special benefactor. If you can't win a nomination in the Senate, resort to stealth appointments. I'm sure the circumstances of his appointment will only serve to burnish Bolton's image in the U.N. and around the globe.

Some reactions:

"At a time when we need to reassert our diplomatic power in the world, President Bush has decided to send a seriously flawed and weakened candidate to the United Nations. It's an unnecessary result, and the latest abuse of power by the Bush White House. ... Bolton arrives at the United Nations with a cloud hanging over his head." — Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

"The abuse of power and the cloak of secrecy from the White House continues. ... It's a devious maneuver that evades the constitutional requirement of Senate consent and only further darkens the cloud over Mr. Bolton's credibility at the U.N." — Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.

"Making this recess appointment is certainly the president's right, but it is not right for America. Appointing John Bolton to the United Nations sends a terrible message to our intelligence professionals. It is the wrong signal for our intelligence reform efforts. ... I believe it was wrong to appoint him to that position over the Senate's objection." — Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md.

"My doubts about his ability to protect and advance U.S. national security interests at the U.N. are simply too strong to support his nomination. John Bolton is the wrong person for the job and the decision to appoint him today will not serve American foreign policy well at all. ... His history of inflammatory statements about the U.N. will also make it difficult for him to effectively advance U.S. security interests in New York and bring about necessary reforms to that institution." — Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

"The president has the right to make this recess appointment, but it's the wrong decision. It only diminishes John Bolton's validity and leverage to secure America's goals at the U.N. John Bolton has been rejected twice by the Senate to serve as our Ambassador to the United Nations. This is not the way to fill our most important diplomatic jobs." — Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

"It's sad that even while the president preaches democracy around the world, he bends the rules and circumvents the will of Congress in appointing our representative to the United Nations." — Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J.

"In a truly arrogant move, President Bush abused his power by refusing to provide documents to answer legitimate questions about John Bolton and our national security, and his use of the recess appointment for one of the most important and sensitive posts in international diplomacy is troubling," said Dean. "Bolton is the next in a line of Bush nominees who have had their integrity called into question because of this President's continuing failure to fulfill his constitutional obligation to be honest and forthright with the Senate and the American people. By moving unilaterally to overrule the Senate and appoint a nominee who is being dogged by significant questions about his integrity on intelligence matters, Bush has reduced our nation's ability to cooperate with our allies on the war on terror." — Howard Dean, DNC Chair

ABQ Living Wage Update

From ACORN NM:
As of this past Monday, 7,300 petition signatures in support of an October ballot initiative that would to raise the minimum wage to $7.50 per hour have been approved by City Clerk's office. The petition needs the signatures of almost 14,000 registered city voters to get on the ballot. Supporters recently turned in more than 33,000 signatures.

As reported by local news outlets, there are allegations that a worker contracted by ACORN to collect petition signatures did so fraudulently. ACORN is not disputing the allegation. Henderson said Tuesday that he does not expect that the elimination of the signatures collected by that worker will effect the ability of the initiative to earn a spot on the October ballot.

The Campaign also announced it will hold a press conference at 11 AM on Monday, Aug. 1, on the northwest corner of Civic Plaza. If the signature count is completed and the petition is validated by Monday, the press conference will celebrate that victory. If the count is not done by then, the press conference will be used to defend the integrity of the petition process, which also involved churches, many individuals, and other organizations in support of the wage hike in addition to the approximately 75 persons hired by ACORN.

For more information call ACORN at  242-7411.

Right-Wing Squares

From Media Matters: Right-Wing Squares and the hate-filled invective they rode in on -- the video. (Thanks for the heads up from John McAndrews.)