Calling all REFORM Democrats

Joe Monahan discusses the potential fallout from the arrest and indictment of State Treasurer Robert Vigil and his predecessor in that office, Michael Montoya, both Democrats, for extortion to the tune of $650,000. As Monahan says:

Why was an alleged ten year kickback scheme not uncovered sooner? Where was the Legislative oversight, the state auditor, the state police, the attorney general, the press? All of whom had inklings of a problem. What about the State Investment Council? Where were those guys? The ugly mess points to an obvious need for much more scrutiny of state investment dollars.

We have a Governor, State Auditor and Attorney General who are Dems, and a Dem-dominated Legislature in NM. None of these people knew about this alleged graft or were prepared to do anything about it? I do note that the biggest contributor to Dem Domingo Martinez's successful 2004 campaign for State Auditor was a Richard Montoya. Any relation? I don't know.

Emily Esterson at New West also weighs in on this mess and the long history of kickbacks in NM politics.

Right on the heels of this story, we hear that Democratic Mayor Chavez's pick for City Council District 3, Diana Dorn-Jones, lied about her previous bankruptcy and tax lien when responding to questions by the Albuquerque Journal. And that in line with the Journal's support for Chavez and his deep pocket developer campaign base, the Journal accepted Dorn-Jones' lame excuses at face value.

And of course we have the ABQPAC and police evidence room scandals of Dem Mayor Marty Chavez himself. Note that Dem Attorney General Patricia Madrid found nothing to prosecute in the evidence room scandal, despite the Albuquerque police chief having to resign and more.

I ask you: Isn't it high time for every prominent (and rank and file) Democrat to step up and loudly condemn the crooks in the Party, whether they hold public office or hold sway within Party ranks? And to conduct a full-scale cleansing to remove those who operate in the shadows to bring ruin and shame to everything they touch? I'm not talking lip service here, but a real pursuit of corrupt, on the take Dems at all levels of the Party.

There's been an ongoing battle within the Dem Party between "progressive" Dems and "centrist" or "DLC" Dems, but isn't the REAL battle for the Party's soul pitting those who tolerate and even encourage crooks, kickbacks and shady big donors and those who want to REFORM the Party and rebuild it as a the Party of the People?

Of course there's corruption abundantly evident in both Parties. Certainly Bush's Republican neocons have exhibited massive levels of corruption and cronyism. Somehow, that's to be expected in a Party dedicated to maximizing the wealth of the few. But too many in today's Democratic Party seem more than willing to abandon the working and middle classes in order to build up personal political warchests, PACs and kickback kingdoms. As a life-long Dem, I find this especially craven and disgusting.

Perhaps it's time for a new Reform Party along the lines of Teddy Roosevelt's old Bull Moose Party or Robert La Follett's Progressive Party -- devoted to getting the big money corruption and crony capitalism out on both sides of the aisle and reshaping the government to serve ordinary people. Or maybe it's just time for honest Dems who believe in the Party's traditional core values to step up and demand ethics reform at every level of the Democratic Party -- no ifs, ands or buts allowed. Enough is enough.

UPDATE on the continuing fallout from the state treasurer scandal at Joe Monahan.