Democracy for New Mexico

BREAKING: Bill Clinton to Stump for Madrid Thursday in Albuquerque

UPDATE 11.1.06: Click for lastest info on this event.

Great News: I just learned that the Big Dawg himself, Bill Clinton, will be appearing at an Albuquerque rally for the Patricia Madrid campaign this coming Thursday evening, November 2. Stay tuned here for details, and please DO NOT call the campaign office as they have no more info at this time.

Last Minute Dustup: Kerry KOs Rove Repubs

Unable and unwilling to debate genuine issues in honest terms, the Rovian Repubs are now smearing Kerry for a joke he made during a speech at a junior college. Must watch: Here's video of Kerry calling a spade a spade and hitting back. Excerpts:

"If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they're crazy. This is the classic G.O.P. playbook. I'm sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks that always seem to come from those who never can be found to serve in war, but love to attack those who did.

I'm not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium, or doughy Rush Limbaugh, who no doubt today will take a break from belittling Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's disease to start lying about me just as they have lied about Iraq . It disgusts me that these Republican hacks, who have never worn the uniform of our country lie and distort so blatantly and carelessly about those who have.

The people who owe our troops an apology are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney who misled America into war and have given us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it. These Republicans are afraid to debate veterans who live and breathe the concerns of our troops, not the empty slogans of an Administration that sent our brave troops to war without body armor.

Bottom line, these Republicans want to debate straw men because they're afraid to debate real men. And this time it won't work because we're going to stay in their face with the truth and deny them even a sliver of light for their distortions. No Democrat will be bullied by an administration that has a cut and run policy in Afghanistan and a stand still and lose strategy in Iraq ."

From the New York Times - Think about this and how desperate to retain power Bush and Rove and Cheney and the rest must be right now:

President Bush said Monday that a Democratic triumph in the races for the House and Senate would amount to a victory for terrorists.

Here's what Kerry said to set off the rightwingnut echo chamber:

The senator, who was campaigning for the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Phil Angelides, opened with several one-liners, joking at one point that President Bush had lived in Texas but now “lives in a state of denial.”

Then, Mr. Kerry said: “You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”

How low will they go? How hard are you willing to work between now and election day to show them their dishonest smears won't work?

Cruising to Victory: Dem Rally in the Valley!

Click image for larger version. Click for flyer (PDF). Pass it on!

LCV: Last Chance to Send Heather Wilson Packing

From Maggie Toulouse, Southwest Campaign Manager, League of Conservation Voters: If LCV is going to be successful in our effort to help Heather "Wrong Way" Wilson retire from Congress, we can't do it without you. Won't you please dedicate a day, an afternoon or an hour to this cause? Please click on a volunteer opportunity below to sign up, or call Marshall Martinez at 244-1077 to get plugged into your favorite volunteer activity*:

* Unless otherwise noted, all activities below take place at LCV's New Mexico office located at 400 Gold SW, #110 - Southwest Corner of 4th St. and Gold Downtown.

Wednesday, November 1
- Phone banking to Get Out The Vote - 10 AM until 8 PM
- Canvass to persuade voters/Get Out The Vote - 3PM - 7:30 PM
- Data Entry - 10 AM until 8 PM
- Postcards - 10 AM until 8 PM

Thursday, November 2
- Phone banking to Get Out The Vote - 10 AM until 8 PM
- Canvass to persuade voters/Get Out The Vote - 3PM - 7:30 PM
- Data Entry - 10 AM until 8 PM

Friday, November 3
- Phone banking to Get Out The Vote - 10 AM until 8 PM
- Canvass to persuade voters/Get Out The Vote - 3PM - 7:30 PM
- Data Entry - 10 AM until 8 PM

Saturday, November 4
- Get Out The Vote Canvass - 10 AM - 1 PM; 1 PM to 4 PM
- Get Out The Vote Phone Bank - 10 AM - 8 PM
- Data Entry - 10 AM - 8 PM

Sunday, November 5
- Get Out The Vote Canvass - 10 AM - 1 PM; 1 PM - 4 PM
- Get Out The Vote Phone Bank - 10 AM - 8 PM

Monday, November 6
- Get Out The Vote Literature Drop (no talking involved) - 1 PM - 4 PM; 4 PM - 7 PM
    Location: AFSCME Local 118 - 1202 Pennsylvania NE (Pennsylvania between Lomas &    
    Indian School)
- Get Out The Vote Phone Bank - 10 AM - 8 PM at LCV

Tuesday, November 7 - Take Election Day Off!
- Get Out The Vote Canvass - various locations - 9 AM to 12 PM; 1 PM - 4 PM; 4PM - 7 PM
- Get Out The Vote Phone Bank - various locations - 9 AM - 7 PM

More Showings of Stealing America: Vote by Vote Set for Santa Fe

The Center for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Santa Fe has added additional screenings of Stealing America: Vote by Vote on Thursday, November 2 at 1:30, and Saturday (11/4), Sunday (11/5), and Tuesday (11/7) at 2:30 PM. The show lasts about one hour. CCA is located behind the Armory for the Arts at 1050 Old Pecos Trail, just north of Cordova Road in Santa Fe. For more about this important documentary film, which includes interviews with New Mexico election reform activists, see our earlier post.

Gov. Richardson, Jim Baca Announce Package to Protect Access to Public Lands

Gov. Bill Richardson, Jim Baca, Sen. Jeff Bingaman at recent GOTV rally. Photo from Baca's blog Only in New Mexico, where you can see more

Land Commissioner Candidate Jim Baca yesterday joined Governor Bill Richardson to announce a series of proposals designed to protect access to New Mexico’s abundant and magnificent public lands for hunting, fishing, and recreation. The Governor outlined a comprehensive package of initiatives including several legislative proposals he plans to introduce in the 2007 legislative session.

“As State Land Commissioner and as Natural Resources Trustee, I have always fought to ensure access to public lands for hunting and fishing,” said Jim Baca. “The Governor shares my love of the land and the belief that New Mexicans have the right to use and enjoy these wonderful resources, and the package announced here today means continued access today and for generations to come.”

“Not only is it, in my opinion, the natural born right of our citizens to enjoy the magnificent public lands in our state, it’s also very good business. Hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation contribute over a billion dollars to the state’s economy each year,” said Governor Richardson. “Jim Baca and I support both the “Right to Hunt and Fish” policy on New Mexico’s public lands and the sound wildlife management and conservation principles administrated by our Department of Game and Fish. You can have both.”

The Governor announced a six-point plan:

·         One: Ensure access to our public lands.  The Governor’s package includes legislation that will require public access easements to be included in any deal to sell or trade public lands that could become landlocked.  In addition, it would create a review board for all sales or trades of public lands to ensure that access is maintained in the resulting deal.  This concept was introduced in a bill sponsored by Senator Carlos Cisneros last session but unfortunately it did not pass.

·         Two: Double the funding for state purchases of easements to provide access to public lands.  The state currently purchases public access easements on a modest level through a program that we are going to rename the “Open Gate- Hunting and Fishing Access Program”. There are some land owners who currently grant access through their property at no charge, and the hope is that other private land owners will follow their lead.  The Governor’s plan also includes hiring an “Access Specialist” within the Department of Game and Fish to run the Open Gate program and to support programs to get youth outdoors.

·         Three: Require the State Land Office to report annually on any public lands where access for hunting, fishing, or recreation has been lost.  The report should also include what land has been added to offset that loss of access.

·         Four: Issuing a number of new hunting and fishing authorizations.  The two new “Grand Slam” Hunt Authorizations for Habitat Enhancement and Conservation provide opportunities to hunt elk, deer, oryx, ibex, and pronghorn antelope. In addition, with the new Governor’s Wildlife Conservation Hunting and Fishing Authorizations, up to 12 big game and 12 game bird and trophy fish opportunities will be available annually. The funds generated will go to the Game Protection Fund and be used only for fish and wildlife conservation activities in New Mexico.

·         Five: The Department of Game & Fish will develop guidelines for oil & gas development on all state lands, including those owned by the State Land Office and the Game Commission. The department of Game and Fish will work with the Environment Department and  the Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department to implement the guidelines.

·         Six: Expand existing programs that teach our young people how to hunt and fish responsibly.   Hunting and fishing, as well as other outdoor recreation activities can are activities to be enjoyed for a lifetime. We should encourage our children to experience our wildlands from an early age both to teach them outdoor skills and to instill in them a working appreciation of the incredible natural land resources we have in this state. 

To support the Jim Baca for Land Commissioner campaign, visit his website. Baca is in an extremely tight race for Land Commissioner with Republican incumbent Patrick Lyons, who evidently believes our public lands should mostly be for the private use of corporate interests, and that it isn't important to preserve public access to our state-owned lands as one of our top priorities.

Happy Halloween: Bush the Pumpkin Head

By the way, we hear that First Lady Laura Bush, mate of the Pumpkinhead, will be campaigning in Albuquerque (NM-01) for Heather Wilson this Friday.

Oh wait, she's really campaigning for the Repub Party, not for Wilson. Maybe that's because Wilson refused to answer Dem challenger Patricia Madrid's question to her at the last debate on whether Heather thinks George II is a good president. Secretive, isn't she? Yes, Wilson "ducked" the question several times!

Wilson has Laura Bush coming to NM to stump for her in a last ditch effort to hold onto her seat, yet can't seem to admit publicly whether she approves of George's reign or not. You'd think it would be a "no brainer," as Cheney characterized water boarding torture the other day, but in this race what's left unsaid is often as telling as the rightwing talking points that are repeated ad infinitum by Heather and the rest of the Bush team. Booooooooooo!

UPDATED: Herrera Agrees to Do Election Audit in Bernalillo County

UPDATE 10.31.06 from comments by Terry Riley:
We need to follow up on this more. I am trying to get a confirmation that Mary is going to do an audit that compares paper ballots to computer counts. An audit could just be a rereading of the machine counts. I sent Mary an e-mail and am waiting for her response. We have to have an observed audit of paper ballots and to compare those results to machine counts. She may be planning to do this, we need to make sure this is what she means. Please e-mail Mary at meherrera@bernco.gov

Original post from Terry Riley:
As Pat Leahan said Saturday evening at the KUNM fundraiser showing of the movie, "Stealing America, Vote by Vote," NEWS ITEM - NEWS FLASH - BREAKING NEWS!

Bernalillo County Clerk Mary Hererra said at a campaign stop in Las Vegas that she is going to do an audit of 2% of the Bernalillo County election. To follow up on this I sent an e-mail to Mary thanking her and I thanked her for not running a negative campaign. I received a response from her today saying that she is going to do the audit as a test and educational issue for the Bernalillo County election.

Congratulations Mary! Please e-mail Mary and thank her for this position.  Her e-mail is: meherrera@bernco.gov

Editor's Note: In an earlier post today we passed along the news that PRC District 4 candidate David Bacon is requesting that Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron agree to do an 2% audit statewide. To learn more about this, click here.

Bush Roast Challenge: Tip No. 2

From Suzanne Prescott: Still stumped in your search for the Bush Roast? Still interested in winning the $100 reward for your favorite Dem candidate? Here's another tip to guide you on your way:

TIP 2:
The ‘Bush Roast’ She saw
After she left the small crowd
Milling around at the entrance
Of a local restaurant.

PRC Candidate David Bacon Calls for Audit of 2006 NM Election

From David Bacon, Green Party candidate, PRC District 4:
David Bacon's campaign sent the following letter this morning, asking Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and county clerks to conduct a 2% random audit of machines used to tally the votes in this election. A law was passed requiring such audits, but the law does not take effect until next year.

"It is the primary duty of state and county elections officials to assure that elections are conducted transparently, and that votes are counted accurately," says David Bacon. "All we are asking for is a 2% random audit, to make sure the new scanners and tabulators are functioning properly. With the new paper ballots, a hand count will be simple enough to accomplish, and is a small price to pay to assure accurate results and to ascertain citizen confidence in our election system."

This letter was emailed to the Secretary of State and county clerks this morning, October 30:

Dear Secretary of State Vigil-Giron,

It has recently come to my attention that your office is not planning to conduct a random audit of the November General Election. While I understand that you may not be legally required to do so, I urge you to conduct random audits of 2% of the scanners and tabulators in every county.

The move to paper ballots is a great accomplishment in restoring voter confidence in our elections and our government, and I applaud your office’s hard work in being ready to conduct the 2006 election using the new ballots and machines.

But without the audit, we have no way of knowing that the new scanners and tabulators are any more reliable than the machines they are replacing. The law authorizing the switch to an all paper system is insufficient in itself to assure voters that their votes will be counted accurately. An audit is a necessary final step to demonstrate the reliability of the new system.

In the sea of national news stories about the potential problems of electronic voting, New Mexico stands out as an island of certainty with our verifiable paper ballots. Please don't miss this opportunity to ascertain that our vote count is accurate by requiring a random audit of this election.

Sincerely,
David Bacon

From more information on story contact David Bacon at 505-920-5707 or Rick Lass at 505-920-0540