Democracy for New Mexico

Two More Dem Events This Week

From Terri Holland , Executive Director, Democratic Party of Bernalillo County:

Support Our Democratic Candidates at the Following Events:

Hosts:  Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Armando and Dora Gutierrez, Joe and Daisy Kupfer and Patricia L. Chavez and Ray and Deb Baray Invite You to Attend a

Wine Tasting Reception and Fundraiser
in HONOR of Governor Bill Richardson
on Tuesday, Sept. 19th
@ Casa Rodena Winery, from 7:00-9:00 PM!
733 Chavez Road, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM
Turquoise Sponsors--$1,000.00
Silver Sponsors--$500.00
Individual Sponsors--$50.00

Personal and/or Business Checks Accepted and made payable to: "Richardson for Governor, Rita Jones, Treasurer." PLEASE RSVP: (505) 480-7164
******************************
Women Impacting Public Policy
Candidate Debate on Business Issues
Friday, September 22nd, 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Confirmed Candidates include:
For Lt Governor: Lt. Governor Diane Denish & NM Senator Sue Wilson Beffort
For Secretary of State: Mary Hererra & Vickie Perea

Location: Embassy Suites, 1000 Woodward Place, Albuquerque, NM
Registration is online at . 
Cost is $30/per person. Scroll down the page to the NM event.

Vote Today in APS Special Bond Election

In today's election, Albuquerque area voters are being asked to approve $351 million in bonds for school improvements for Albuquerque Public Schools. The polls are open from 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM for registered voters in the APS district. Visit the website of the Bernalillo County Clerk's Office to find your polling place. Because a number of precinct polling places are being consolidated for this election, please be sure to double check where you should be voting. To learn more about the bond question and what the funds would be used for, visit VoteAPS.com.

ACTION ALERT: Have Your Say on Contribution Limits and Public Financing of Elections

From Matt Brix, Executive Direction, Common Cause NM:
It's time again for the next ethics and campaign reform task force meeting! Please come, make a statement during public comment period, or just let members of the task force know the public is engaged in the process.

The next two meetings of the ethics and campaign reform task force will be Wednesday, September 20, 9:00 AM, and again on Thursday, September 21 at 9:00 AM.  Both meetings will be held in Santa Fe at the New Mexico Roundhouse, Room 307.  See here for a full agenda and minutes from past meetings.

The meetings this week are especially important because we will focus on the key issues of campaign contribution limits and public financing of campaigns. 

I will be giving the report on public financing and it would be great to have a lot of support from Common Cause members and friends.

This is really one of the last shots we have to push hard for a forceful final report to the governor.  We know how the public feels (Albuquerque Journal subscription required to view story) about these issues. A recent Journal poll showed 90% of respondents favored limits on campaign contributions. With a good report from the ethics task force, we will have a better chance of passing strong ethics and campaign reform legislation during the 2007 session. Please take this opportunity to speak out on the issues!

Thank you, I look forward to seeing you at the task force meetings on September 20 and 21!

More Madrid Quotes from Sunday's Debate

Attorney General Patricia Madrid

When you're done reading the closing statement of Dem challenger Patricia Madrid in yesterday's debate at Congregation Albert with Republican incumbent Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01), check out these debate zingers by A.G. Madrid courtesy of an article in today's Albuquerque Journal and the Madrid campaign website:

• "The Bush administration has been an unmitigated failure, and it is headed for historic disgrace. Heather Wilson has stood with George Bush every step of the way ... They have misled the American people."
• "It is time to have a plan, and 'staying the course' and 'resolve' is not a plan. What it is is paralysis ... I am not saying that it's going to be easy to get out of Iraq, or that it is not going to end up in chaos — but we've got to start now."

• "Ms. Wilson can complain about me all she wants, but she's very happy to take money from her cronies in Congress— one of whom is now sitting in federal prison."
• "Heather Wilson has been walking the halls of power with Cheney and Bush and DeLay too long — and doesn't know what's going on on the ground."
• "This is a race for the change of power in the House of Representatives. And that is why it is being so hard-fought."
• We can't change Washington until we change the people we send to Washington. It's time for a change."

I had to include one quote by Heather Wilson because it is so self-serving and dishonest on its face:

"I live my life based on an honor code that I learned at the United States Air Force Academy: We will not lie, steal or cheat— nor tolerate among us anyone who does."

Amazing, given Wilson's lock-step allegiance to Bush administration lies, distortions and illegalities, as well as the corruption of her fellow right-wing Republican members of Congress like the disgraced Duke Cunningham, Tom DeLay and Bob Ney.

For more in this vein, see the Madrid campaign's detailed comparison between Wilson's debate statements and reality. Convincing, indeed.

KUNM Tonight: Ralph Arrellanes Reports on National Latino Congreso

From Javier Benavidez:
Please tune in to KUNM 89.9 tonight, Monday, September 18th, at 8:00 PM for "Espejos de Aztlan," a weekly radio program highlighting the courage, strength and beauty of the Chicano/Latino community in New Mexico. Ralph Arrellanes, of the Hispano Round Table of New Mexico (HRTNM), will be interviewed about his representation of the HRTNM as a delegate to last weekend's National Latino Congreso in Downtown Los Angeles, an event coined as the first comprehensive gathering of Latino leaders, organizations and elected officials since 1977.

Over 2,000 delegates from throughout the country gathered at the event "to establish a long-term Latino agenda and action plan, to educate and train a wide range of Latino community leaders, elected officials and activists on critical issues, and to mobilize Latino community leaders, with a special emphasis on establishing opportunities for new and young leaders." For more information about the National Latino Congreso, please visit www.latinocongreso.org.

Espejos has been on-air since 1979 and is part of the Raices Colectiva which conducts programming on news, culture and music from a Latino perspective on KUNM 89.9.

Patricia Madrid's Powerful Closing Statement at Today's Debate

Here's the closing statement made by Democrat Patricia Madrid in this morning's debate at Albuquerque's Congregation Albert with incumbent Republican Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01), as transcribed by Tom Solomon, who sent me the text. Thanks for the timely transcription, Tom!

AG Patricia Madrid’s (NM-01) closing statement:

“As shown by the forum today you have a clear choice of candidates with different priorities and very different philosophies. It is time for a change. This administration and the Republican controlled Congress that supports it has failed in its responsibilities to lead. After 9/11, our country WAS united, and the world was with us. Over the past 5 years the Bush administration has squandered that good will. Our nation is divided. We have lost our credibility in the world. And the American public, the American people no longer trust their government. There is a lack of leadership in the White House AND in the Congress. Congress has FAILED to exercise their oversight role over this administration, and I’m tired of it. And that’s why I am running for congress.

AG Patricia Madrid’s (NM-01) closing statement (continued):

"I’m tired of being trapped in a no-exit war, with no one planning to move – that’s just exercising paralysis. When you send me to Washington, I will fight for a responsible exit plan, and I will fight to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, which I might add, my opponent voted AGAINST – unbelievable!

"When you send me to Congress, I will vote for responsible energy policies which are not dictated and formulated by the oil and gas Industry, and I will vote to DEAL with global warming. When you send me to Congress, I won’t let the pharmaceutical companies and the HMO’s dictate our medical policies and our health policies. I will work to overhaul Medicare D. If you are tired of a representative who votes in lock step with a Bush administration on ALL the important questions, then vote for change.

"I’d like to thank the Congregation Albert for hosting this event and I’d like to wish you all a happy and healthy Rosh Hashana. It’s a time for renewal in the Jewish Community and it will be time for a renewal for this country in November. Thank you.”

Listen to Replay of Madrid - Wilson Debate Monday at 9 AM

I just got back into town from my vacation in Colorado so I didn't get to witness this morning's debate at Congregation Albert between Dem challenger Patricia Madrid and Repub incumbent Heather Wilson (NM-01).

Fortunately, Johnny Mango at Duke City Fix was there and provides an excellent commentary on the event, including strong praise for Madrid's debating skills, as well as recaps of the main topics covered. Read it here and be sure to check out all the terrific photos as well. Great job Johnny! And great job A.G. Madrid, who apparently scored a clear win against Bush's rubber stamp!

If you missed the event like I did, you can hear a replay on the radio tomorrow morning. As Mango writes:

You can listen to the whole debate yourself tomorrow morning (Monday) at 9:00 on KANW, 89.1FM. Judge it for yourself. I only wish it was podcast somewhere; it was an unbelievable hour and a half.

P.S. I had no internet connection during my week up in Colorado so I had 1000 emails awaiting me at one account, effectively shutting it down, and more than 200 at my other account. You might say I'll be playing catch up for a good long while. Ain't technology grand?

Angela Chavez Selected for Women's Political Training Program

From Emerge NM:
Angela Chavez, of Socorro, has been selected to participate in the first Emerge New Mexico class - an intensive seven-month training program — co-chaired by Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and Attorney General Patricia Madrid — that teaches Democratic women how to successfully run for public office.

"Angela Chavez has demonstrated leadership throughout her career and will make a strong candidate for public office," said emerge New Mexico board member Anathea Chino in a news release.

"Emerge New Mexico is dedicated to finding women like Angela and giving them the tools they need to run a successful campaign for public office at any level."

The rigorous and comprehensive training program began July 8, and teaches participants critical campaign skills, including how to organize a campaign, create a message and raise money. The emerge program has a strong record of success in other states.

"I am excited to have the opportunity to sit down with other Democratic women and work together to learn the skills I'm going to need to serve my community," said Chavezin the news release. \

More information on emergeNewMexico is available at www.emergenm.org.

SAVE THE DATE:  Emerge New Mexico Social and Program Update, October 14, 2007; 6:30-9:00 PM, details to come later this month.

Have You Had Enough? and Open Thread

(mp3). Discuss amongst yourselves. Or discuss anything that's on your minds. Click "Comment" below.

UNM to Observe Constitution Day Sept. 18

From UNM Today:
The University of New Mexico will observe Constitution Day on Monday, Sept. 18, from 3:30 to 4:45 PM at the Student Union building, Lobo rooms A & B. The theme of this year's observance is judicial independence under the United States Constitution. Bruce Black, U.S. district court judge for the District of New Mexico, will be the keynote speaker.

The video "A Conversation on the Constitution: Judicial Independence" featuring Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer and Anthony Kennedy and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor will be shown. The three will share their thoughts on a need for an independent judiciary.

UNM Assistant Professor of History Andrew Sandoval-Strausz and UNM Associate Professor of Law Norman Bay are also scheduled to speak. Free copies of the constitution will be distributed. For more information, call 277-0080.