Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer, NM Style

There's a lot of crazy shakin' goin' on now that the dog daze of summer and their monsoonal bursts have arrived, bringing us ever closer to election day '06. Did you know that New Mexico's educators focus almost exclusively on teaching sexuality, self-esteem and socialism? That's what New Mexico's Republican gubernatorial candidate, John Dendahl, had to say during a recent radio appearance. Local blog FBIHop has some excellent commentary on this.

Dendahl continues to amuse in a sick sort of way, given the obvious comparisons between his political style and that of Joe McCarthy in the red baiting daze of yore. I guess Rove gave him and his Party-mates a crash course in Swiftboating during the BushCo fundraising visit to benefit one of their favorite rubber stamps, Heather Wilson. You can see Rove's fingerprints all over the Republican messaging in New Mexico this year. I guess Karl finally realized that the majority of Americans now see Bush as the main problem as they awaken from their Mission Accomplished dreams. And the same goes for anyone who still drinks the BushCo Kool-Aid, whether it's Joe Lieberman, Heather Wilson or John Dendahl. Voters are pissed and Bush enablers will suffer.

I guess if you've got nothing meaningful to say about your plans if you win, waxing hysterical is all that's left. You know the old Kristofferson saying, "freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." I guess Dicey Dendahl's "freedom" moment has arrived. Since there's no chance he can win his race for Governor, he feels "free" enough to voice ridiculous smears about whomever he lays his conciousness on at any given moment. Even the Republican Party of NM had to try and distance themselves from Johnny's latest remarks, claiming he was merely voicing his "personal" views. Uh-huh.

Pat Lyons' Sweetheart Deal
Next up we've got Republican incumbent candidate for Land Commissioner, Pat Lyons, caught in the act of serving up a no-bid contract from heaven to some of his cronies. The lease essentially names his pals as middle men who'll profit greatly when a large tract of land in Rio Rancho passes hands from the state to developers. The Land Commissioner wouldn't permit UNM to purchase a large section of the acreage for a West Side campus back when it was about $16,00 an acre. Instead, Lyons stalled, leased the whole shebang to John Black et al., and then held it until the value rose to about $32,000 an acre.

Who stands to rake in the windfall? The bunch that got the no-bid contract of course. Well, what can you expect from a candidate whose campaign has collected nearly a half a million dollars from oil, gas and land speculators? Be sure to check out Lyons' opponent in the land commissioner race, Jim Baca, on this boondoggle.

Harry Field and the Disappearing Letter
Also still rattling around the monsoon water cooler is that imaginary letter that was allegedly sent to AG Patricia Madrid by Harry Field urging a look at the NM Treasurer's office. Funny, there's no record within the Department of Finance Administration of their sending the letter and there's no record within the AG's office of their ever receiving the letter. But that isn't stopping the Heather backers from repeating the myth ad infinitum.

Again, if you've got nothing to say about how to solve the vexing problems we confront in this era, it's so comforting to fall back on political BS. And if you'd like to know how untarnished and reliable Harry Field is, check out the research on his past at New Mexico Matters. Oh what a cozy relationship he had/has with Gary Johnson and Big J Enterprises. Let's just say that credibility isn't his strong suit. Hazy, crazy, yes. Believable, no.

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
You'll wish that summer could always be here
-- Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer (Nat King Cole)