Democracy for New Mexico

Home, Sweet, Affordable Home: What You Can Do

From New Mexico Voices for Children E-Voices:
Owning a home can have a positive impact on every aspect of a family’s life – home-owning gives a family more stability and safety, and makes them invested members of their community. Children are healthier and do better in school when their parents own a home. But for too many families, the great American Dream of owning a home is just that – a dream.

To help address this issue, Albuquerque City Councilors Debbie O’Malley and Isaac Benton have cosponsored the Workforce Housing Opportunities Act. The Act would provide much-needed resources for nonprofit and for-profit developers to build high-quality, mixed-income housing projects that would include new and rehabilitated homes. The new homes would be built as infill in areas that are already experiencing revitalization, are along public transit corridors, and have existing infrastructure such as schools.

The plan would free families from what’s called “rent burden,” promote diversity, and improve older neighborhoods while stemming gentrification. Not only do too many rent-burdened families spend up to half of their income on rent, they also never build equity.

The Act specifies that the public dollars be used in a way that preserves affordability for future working families – which is the same philosophy embraced by Habitat for Humanity.

What You Can Do:

• Call or email your city councilor and the mayor and ask them to support the Workforce Housing Opportunities Act. Call 768-3100, click here for links to each councilor’s email address https://www.cabq.gov/council/ccmeet.html, or send a group email to citycouncil@cabq.gov. Reach the mayor’s office at 768-3019 or email mayor@cabq.gov.
• Attend the City Council meeting on Monday, August 21^st when this bill is expected to be brought up again. City Council meetings are held in the basement of City Hall (at 5^th St. and Marquette NW) and usually begin after 5pm. Show up early if you want to sign up to comment.
• Read up on the act by visiting the website of 1000 Friends of New Mexico, the group that’s behind the push to get this legislation passed: https://www.1000friends-nm.org/WorkforceHousing06.htm
• Read an op-ed written by Councilor O’Malley that was published in the Albuquerque Tribune: .com/albq/op_commentaries/article/0,2565,ALBQ_19866_4871585,00.html

Nancy Pelosi to Stump for Madrid Thursday

From Madrid for Congress:
This Thursday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Attorney General Patricia Madrid will be at the local IBEW Headquarters in Albuquerque for a press conference and rally. We hope to see you there! Please give me a call if you have any questions.

When: Thursday, August 17th at 10:30 AM

Where: IBEW Headquarters, 4921 Alexander Boulevard NE, West of I-25 and off of Montano, by Costco. Click for map.

Thank you,
Jacque Belding, Field Organizer
Madrid for Congress
(505) 242-6000
Jacque.belding@madridforcongress.com

Undiluted Liberal Rage!

Click on image for larger version.

Sunday Morning Glory Blogging

No birds today, just morning glories. This flowering vine produces blooms that open each morning and close when the sun gets hot. Each flower lasts only part of one day and then shrivels and falls off the vine.

Thankfully, more blooms are produced each day to replace those that have come and gone so quickly. I like to contemplate morning glories. I think they demonstrate the dearness and fleeting nature of life.

Although human lives are much longer than those of morning glories, they are nothing but a short blip in a very ancient yet still expanding timeline in geologic or universal terms. The trick is to live fully and vibrantly in the time we have, whatever time actually is. Morning glories show the way.

Saturday Music Hall: Broken English

Any Marianne Faithfull fans out there? Not the As Tears Go By Marianne, but the Working Class Hero, Eyes of Lucy Jordan version -- the smoky-voiced chanteuse, world-wearily commenting on the human condition. Above, she does Broken English, with a video backdrop of warring war and protest images. Timely, indeed.

I know that Faithful can be an acquired taste, but I've always liked the in-your-face attitude and gritty tones of her post-60s-era persona. I only got to see her perform live once, at a small club in Boston in the early 90s. She charmed and challenged the sweating, clamorous crowd, puffing on a long, elegant cigarette holder like some modern-day Marlene Dietrich, growling out melancholy or dryly humorous anecdotes between songs. People brought her lots of bouquets. She bowed and bantered, with intelligence and wit. She brought the house down.

Official website.

Patricia Madrid's New Ad: Hard-Working New Mexicans More Important Than Oil Companies

Yes, Heather Wilson has taken $400,000 and counting from big oil companies, and her voting record shows it. That's the thing about too many Bush-era Republicans -- serving ordinary Americans isn't priority number one. They get so much money from oil companies, multinational corporations and wealthy right-wing interests that they forget who they're supposed to be representing. Plus, with the right-wing Republican leadership operating with maximum power and control -- and bought off by special interests and monied tax evaders -- most Republicans aren't strong enough to buck the trend. Heather Wilson follows the leaders, and the Republican leaders are people like Karl Rove, the now discredited Tom DeLay, Dennis Hastert, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and Bush himself.

In contrast, Madrid is a home-grown candidate of the people, born and raised right here. She's a member of a family with deep roots in the unique cultural mix that is New Mexico. I believe her first priority is and always will be to represent hard-working New Mexicans, for these are her neighbors, her family members, her friends, her co-workers, her culture.

What are the issues that concern Patricia Madrid? The environment. Global warming. Alternative energy sources. Health care for all. Real education improvements. A raise in the minimum wage. Fair trade agreements that put American workers on a level playing field. Preserving and strengthening Social Security. Cutting Big Pharma down to size so Medicare operates efficiently. Ending the Iraq War and reestablishing our diplomatic network and credibility in the world.

Wilson sometimes pays lip service to these issues, but votes overwhelmingly with her Party's most radically conservative members and against the interests of the common good, the common person. On the other hand, Madrid's long track record of public service in New Mexico demonstrates clearly that she'll be looking out for OUR interests, not only those of the richest members of the investor class. Like all core Democrats, she believes government can do amazing things if elected officials put the real needs of all our people first.

The Rovian, Swift-Boating Republican spin machine can try to convince people that it's Heather Wilson who's on the side of the people, that she's a kind and honest problem solver rather than an apologist for the Bush failures and fiascos, but we know better. We've seen what the Bush machine has done to America, to Americans and to our standing in the world. Don't let them fool you into thinking that Wilson isn't a full-fledged cog in that destructive machine. It's agreeable cogs like her that allow the right-wing machine to run America into the ground, domestically and abroad, day in and day out.

What is the central Democratic value? I think it's fairness and justice for all. An even break. A leg up for those who have run into problems. A seat at the table for all our citizens. An openminded, progressive approach to solving problems so we can create a better future for all, not just for a handful of winners already at the top of the financial heap.

Think of it. If we help get Madrid elected now, we'll be that much farther along the road to our goal of taking back the government so it serves the people again and not the other way around. Can you imagine how different things would be for us today if that were the case? Imagine, and then pledge to help Patricia Madrid take back this House seat for all New Mexicans, so the pressing issues of the day that affect us all can once again get the attention they deserve. Click here to contribute a few bucks or some hours of your time to help Madrid beat Heather. The clock is ticking.

We need the real thing, not a rep like Heather Wilson who pretends to care about all the people, but votes in tandem with those who think it's every man (or woman) for themselves. Enough already. We need a change.

Study: Santa Fe Minimum-Wage Law Hasn't Hurt Job Growth

An article in the Santa fe New Mexican reports on a UNM study showing that Santa Fe's "living wage" has not resulted in overall job losses. Quote:

``The analysis shows that overall employment levels have been unaffected by the living wage ordinance,'' says the report, which The New Mexican obtained through a public-records request.

... Carol Oppenheimer of the Santa Fe Living Wage Network, which helped push for the ordinance and has monitored its enforcement, said of the latest study, ``This says we should be proud of what we've done because it was the right thing to, and it was the moral and ethical thing to do.''

Strike three for the chamber of commerce types who eternally claim raising the minimum wage will cause a massive flight of businesses out of any area that dares to enact such a change. However, I imagine these forces that seem bent on preserving poverty will ignore the study's findings and continue peddling their myths. After all, no reputable study has ever shown the negative results repeatedly predicted by anti-living wage proponents. Facts just get in the way of their arguments so they ignore them.

So Who's Supporting Lieberman?

Not Hillary Clinton (who rushed a $5000 check to Lamon). Not Chuck Schumer. Not Chris Dodd. Not Harry Reid. Not Rahm Emanuel. Not Barbara Boxer (who will stump for Lamont). Not Tom Udall. Not Russ Feingold. Not Ted Kennedy. Not the rest of the Dems running for office in CT. Not the DNC or DSCC. John Edwards was the first national figure to call and congratulate Lamont after his win. Wes Clark has started a petition drive on his PAC website to urge Lieberman to withdraw and had this to say:

"You see, despite what Joe Lieberman believes, invading Iraq and diverting our attention away from Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden is not being strong on national security. Blind allegiance to George W. Bush and his failed "stay the course" strategy is not being strong on national security. And no, Senator Lieberman, no matter how you demonize your opponents, there is no "antisecurity wing" of the Democratic Party."

I'm glad to see that Gov. Bill Richardson isssued this statement today:

“Joe Lieberman is a good friend of mine, a true public servant who has served his constituents and the Democratic Party well. However, after a hard-fought race Connecticut's Democratic voters chose Ned Lamont as their candidate for US Senate. I look forward to supporting Ned as he fights to help Democrats take back the Senate, and I call on Joe Lieberman to respect the will of the voters and step aside.”

According to a CNN article, Richardson is the first prominent national Dem to urge Lieberman to step aside and abandon his "independent" bid. The netroots salutes you, Governor!

However, Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar says he IS supporting Joementum because Ken "isn't into political parties." Right. I hope Democrats remember that when Salazar runs for reelection up there. What the hell does political party matter when all you have to do these days to consider yourself "successful" in Congress is kiss the asses of the big corporate donors and vote as instructed by their lobbyists? Lowly party members, activists and ordinary voters? Mere pests. I hope the Dems never give Salazar a cent again out of party coffers.

If you've read the comments on recent posts, you know that callers to Sen. Bingaman's office got only his stock answer of "the Senator hasn't taken a position on that yet," which is the same answer people get when asking about his support for net neturality or other issues of import to, you know, the Democratic rank and file. I wonder if that's the answer his people give big donors when they call.

On the other hand, many right-wing Repubs are supporting Lieberman. They think his "independent" run is a gift from the beyond after being alarmed when polling showed that Lamont won primarily because people are fed up with Bush and his dangerous policies. The spin is flying fast and furious that the defeat of Lieberman means that Dems are "weak" on dealing with the terrorism threat . This approach obviously worked for several election cycles, but how many times can you beat a dead horse?  Most Americans have, after all, noticed that almost everything Bush touches in the area of foreign affairs turns into a chaotic, deadly, stubborn mess. As Howard Dean said of the Repub responses,

“It’s right-wing propaganda. “They are beginning to look ridiculous: A majority of Americans now believe that going to Iraq was the wrong thing to do. I think this shows how far out of touch the Republicans are. What you are seeing is the beginning of the end of the Republicans, because a lot of this was a referendum on George Bush’s policies. George Bush is going to take a big hit and a lot of people are going down with him, including Ken Mehlman.”

George Stephanopolis of ABC News reported that "according to a close Lieberman adviser" the Big Snout himself, Karl Rove, "has reached out to the Lieberman camp with a message straight from the Oval Office: "The boss wants to help. Whatever we can do, we will do." Another Lieberman staffer denies it, but it sounds just right to me.

We've even got White House press secretary, Tony Snow, riffing on how the "extreme left" is running amok:

"I know a lot of people have tried to make this a referendum on the president and I would flip it," White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said today. "I think instead it's a defining moment for the Democratic Party, whose national leaders now have made it clear that if you disagree with the extreme left in their party they're going to come after you."

Since when do presidential press secretaries discuss party politics at White House press briefings? I guess anything goes ever since Rove -- a purely political partisan operative -- was situated in the West Wing, cheek to jowl with all the real government employees. Policy is politics, and politics is policy with this bunch. There is nothing BUT politics behind most of their strategies. We're all paying for that in ways too numerous to count. And now Lieberman's selfish revenge drama plays right into their spin machine. Shame on him and all who continue to support him.

Finally, since we all need some gallows humor these days, click to watch Jon Stewart eviscerate Lieberman on the Daily show the night after the election. Wow.

Get Trained to Register Voters

From the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County:
We are having a major campaign to register new voters in our county. You must take a class taught by the County Clerk's office to become a Voter Registration Agent. We have made arrangements with the clerk's office to hold two trainings this month. Our goal is to have at least one voter registration agent in each precinct.

Voter Registration Agent Training

1. Thursday, August 17th, UNM Law School, Room 2401 at 1117 Stanford NE, 6:00 PM - this will replace our usual Third Thursday meeting
2. Saturday, August 19th, UNM Law School, Room 2401 at 1117 Stanford NE, 10:00 AM

Please RSVP to the County office (256-1855 or terri@bernalillodems.org at least 24 hours ahead of each class so that the clerk's office will have enough forms to hand out.

If you cannot attend one of those classes, the clerk holds classes each Tuesday and Thursday, call 768-4085 for exact times and locations.

I am hoping to hear from all of you. This election is crucial. We must elect Patricia Madrid to Congress! The only way we unseat Heather Wilson is by turning out Democrats to vote in large numbers. Please, do you part, register new voters, we will help you make sure they vote! This is bigger than our Congressional District - it is the one thing that we can each do to help our county come back from the mess we are currently experiencing!  Please call or email today!

Terri Holland, Executive Director
Democratic Party of Bernalillo County

Learn About Election Day Registration Friday in ABQ

From Common Cause NM:
At Common Cause, increasing voter turnout and making it easier for citizens to express their views are high priorities. That's why we're sponsoring an educational presentation about Election Day Registration (sometimes referred to as "same day voter registration") this Friday, August 11, in Albuquerque. The presentation is open to the public, so please join me!

Lary Ghan, the County Commissioner from Bannock County, Idaho will explain Election Day Registration (EDR) to the Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee. Idaho is one of six states that use Election Day Registration systems. Mr. Ghan served for over 20 years as a county clerk in Idaho and he has participated in the transition to EDR in that state.  His presentation and dialogue with committee members will provide an excellent opportunity to learn more about EDR.

Here are the details for the event:

Date/Time: Friday, August 11, beginning at 9:00 AM

Location: The University of New Mexico Student Union Building in Ballroom C. Please see this link for a map of the University of New Mexico. The Student Union Building is number "60" on the map, and the parking structure is number "198".

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you at the EDR presentation on the morning of August 11!

Sincerely,
Matt Brix, Executive Director
Common Cause New Mexico