Democracy for New Mexico

Bush Lies About Iraq War, Just Like Heather Wilson

Remember, according to Bush, his Iraq policy never consisted of "stay the course." And remember, according to Heather Wilson, we're "making great progress" in Iraq. These people will say anything to hold onto power. Why?

One reason: if Dems win back at least one House of Congress, we can revitalize the oversight the legislative branch was designed to extend over the executive branch and find out what's really going on in Iraq and Afghanistan. With the growing chaos in both of those areas, you can understand why Bush and Wilson, two peas in a pod, want to cling to their power even if they have to lie and lie and lie. Be a part of the solution: Be sure you vote, volunteer, get all your friends to vote. We need a change in America and this is our best chance to start getting it.

Sunday Bird Blogging: GOTV Edition

With only nine more days until the November 7th, 2006 election, even our birds are getting into the act. Bosco the peach-faced lovebird (above) has been doing lots of phone banking, working for a big turnout of all his Democratic avian and non-avian friends. Whenever he sees an image of Bush, Wilson or other Repub candidates he makes strange, gutteral sounds. I know how he feels.

Meanwhile, Sunny the sun conure is checking the Patricia Madrid for Congress website to sign up for GOTV volunteer work. They're organizing a big push for the 96 hours before the election, and Sunny will definitely be a part of it. In fact, he's taking off work from his seed splitting job on election day to work, work, work for a New Direction and Democratic wins up and down the ticket. How about you? (Click on photos for larger versions.)

Moe Maestas Fundraiser Set for Monday 10/30

From Moe Maestas for State Rep. Dist. 16:
Please join us for a small donation fundraiser for
ANTONIO "MOE" MAESTAS
Monday, October 30th, 2006, 5:30-7:00 PM
QBar, Hotel Albuquerque (formerly Old Town Sheraton)
Click for flyer.

"Antonio ‘Moe’ Maestas is a leader, an attorney and an activist who has dedicated his career to empowering others, fighting domestic violence, prosecuting DWI offenders, building coalitions and working to improve the quality of life for all New Mexicans.”

Make Checks Payable to: The Moe Family, P.O. Box 188, Albuquerque, NM 87103-1088. All contributions welcomed! ($25.00 suggested). To RSVP or for more information, please call 315-3596.

Sponsored by Ozawa Benishi Albert, James Aranda, Arturo Archuleta, Leticia Archuleta, Sonia Archuleta, Julian Baca, Javier Benavidez, Raul Candelaria, Francie Cordova, Carl Garcia, Moises Gonzales, Sarah Gonzales, Joaquin Griego, Meriah Heredia, Miguel Maestas, Maria Martinez, Joaquin Moya, Kenneth Casares Owens, Mariana Padilla, Adrian Pedroza, Gabe Rivera, Angela Speight, DeAnza Valencia, Valerie Valles, and Renee Villareal

2006 Election: Bernalillo County Sample Ballots, Voter Guides

The Bernalillo County Clerk's office has sample ballots for all districts within the county. Just enter your street address and the website will produce exactly the ballot that includes all the races in your area. As reported previously, early in-person voting started on October 21 and continues until November 4th in counties all over New Mexico. And you can still also vote by absentee (mail-in) ballot but you must request one from your county clerk.

Click below for November 2006 voter info that includes nonpartisan info on candidates, as well as constitutional amendments and bond issues:

Albuquerque Tribune Voter Guide

Albuquerque Journal Voter Guide

League of Women Voters of NM Voter Guide

Legislative Council Service Pros and Cons of Proposed Constitutional Amendments

Contact Info for all NM county clerks

VOTE! Scary Pumpkin Edition

The maker of this video sent me this link. I don't know who she is, but she certainly makes sense, don't you think? Let's be sure to V-O-T-E, or face the consequences of that missing punkin chunk. Pass it on. Pass it on. Pass it on.

Heather Wilson's Despedida: PAC505 Events Nov. 4-5

Saturday, November 4th, 7PM
Free Screening, Iraq for Sale
Lobo Theater, ABQ
Panel Discussion Afterwards, Fee
After Party at Monte Vista Fire Station
PAC505 and UNIT7DRAIN, 21+
RSVP for Movie and to Get Info on calling events listed below.

Saturday and Sunday, November 4-5
PAC505 Headquarters
1-4PM, Phone Progressive Voters to Get Out The Vote

Click for flyer (gif). Visit the PAC505 website.

Early Voting Tips: Bernalillo County

Guest post by Suzanne Prescott:
Early stories in the press and TV might worry some but if you play the odds, voting won't take that long. First - any registered voter who wants to vote early can vote at ANY of the early voting sites. According to Bernalillo count clerk, Mary Herrera, the sites with the shortest lines are at:

• BERNALILLO COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE City-County Government Building, One Civic Plaza
• RIO BRAVO SHOPPING CENTER 1698 Rio Bravo SW
• LOS VECINOS COMMUNITY CENTER Tijeras

So the best tip for many is to drive the extra few minutes to vote at one of those sites. (The heaviest voting yesterday took place at ACADEMY OFFICE PARK, 6739 Academy NE.)

Second - According to Herrera the least busy time is between 6 and 8 PM. Wait until after dinner and drive to an early voting location of your choice. Voting at a time when you don't have to be back at work is also bound to be less stressful.

Third -  take supplies with you.  Early voters could be seen with books, water bottles and magazines. We also suggest you might think about a folding camp chair and one of those TIVO or Dish mini screens (PVR or DVR) for a quick peek at your favorite show. Perhaps the most interesting activity would be to turn to others in the line and ask them what they think of the TV ads that have been playing, how many  voters they think rely on ads rather than more careful analysis of where candidates stand on the issues. That should make for lively discussion.

Lastly - think about this. Whenever a new system is introduced there is a learning curve and a period adjustment to work out the "bugs." Our old system was broken; it needed to be fixed in order for everyone to feel that the vote they had cast was being counted. Part of the reason voting is taking more than a couple of minutes is that the ballot itself is long. There are many races and a number of issues voters are asked to cast their ballot on. The ballot is printed in small type so we suggest that you take a magnifying glass if you have one, although magnifying glasses are available at the voting locations. You might also want to take a mini flashlight in case a brighter light makes the ballot easier to read. As always, any voter may request help with voting if needed. Use whatever help is there to get in and out as quickly as possible.

If you've voted early, what was your experience and how long did it take? What tips, if any, do you have to offer?

For your information early voting for the Nov. 7 general election is available at 13 locations throughout Bernalillo County:

• THE BERNALILLO COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE City-County Government Building, One Civic Plaza
• RIO BRAVO SHOPPING CENTER 1698 Rio Bravo SW
• LOS VECINOS COMMUNITY CENTER Tijeras
• SANDIA VISTA SHOPPING CENTER 11500 Menaul NE
• GLENRIO PLAZA 851 Coors NW
• ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS CITY CENTRE 6400 Uptown NE
• 5024 FOURTH NW
• INTEGRITY PLAZA 1500 Wyoming NE
• PARKLAND PLAZA 1118 San Mateo SE
• PLAZA LADERA 5300 Sequoia NW
• 900 FOURTH NW
• ACADEMY OFFICE PARK 6739 Academy NE
• LOS RANCHOS VILLA 6601 Fourth NW

Editor's Notes:
Voting Hours at the Bernalillo County sites listed above are:
Tuesday, October 24 thru Friday, October 27: Noon - 8:00 pm
Saturday, October 28: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Tuesday, October 31 thru Friday, November 3: Noon - 8:00 pm
Saturday, November 4: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

For info on early voting sites in other counties, contact your County Clerk. You can find contact information for them here.

Sunday: Madrid Rally with Bingaman, Richardson, Denish, Chavez

From the Madrid for Congress campaign:
Madrid GOTV Rally!!! Special Guests: Senator Jeff Bingaman, Governor Bill Richardson, Lt. Governor Diane Denish, Mayor Martin Chavez

Sunday, October 29th, 11:30 AM  - 1:30 PM
Ladera Golf Course, Banquet Hall
3401 Ladera Dr. NW
(from I-40, exit Coors & head North, go West on Sequoia to corner of Ladera NW & Sequoia NW)

My Take on the 10/24 Madrid-Wilson Debate: Wilson Lies With Authority

Much has already been written about this week's KOB-TV debate between Dem challenger Patricia Madrid and Repub incumbent Rep. Heather Wilson. Most of it has been spin, and many claim it was a draw based on sometimes superficial analysis. In my opinion, much too much attention is being paid to style over substance. Yes, Madrid was nervous at times and made some rhetorical gaffs (as did Wilson). There were some pregnant pauses and stumbles over words. But are those really important factors when making a choice in a race with critical local and national implications?

Personally, I came away thinking Madrid made many strong points to bolster a case for a change in direction, a vote for a fresh approach to the problems we face. In contrast, I think Wilson mostly showed off her ability to lie with a straight face, to lie with authority. She relied heavily on a tactic many Republican Bush apologists are forced to use these days -- trying to cover up massive policy failures with rah rah rhetoric disconnected from reality. Is it really a point in Wilson's favor that she can be poised and aloof while regurgitating pre-packaged deceptions? My contrary analysis is a little long, but I hope you'll hang in there with me.

Wilson Defending Bush
Wilson peppered her responses with many oft-repeated Bush-Cheney-Rove talking points. She was good at it, as most robotic reciters of Repub spin are. This means nothing, except that Wilson is good at memorizing and recalling the points on which she'd been drilled by her handlers -- regardless of their truthfulness. Even worse, her main focus was on defending what has become essentially indefensible -- Bush's failed agenda, including his seriously flawed policies on the war, the Medicare drug program and tax cuts for our wealthiest citizens.

Oh, we are making "great progress" in Iraq, according to Wilson. She warned, ominously, that If you vote Democratic you are voting for "higher taxes and a weaker national defense." Only a vote for her would bring a "strong national defense and strong economic growth."

With more and more evidence emerging daily about the chaos and disfunction in Iraq, does anyone really believe we're making great progress? Does anyone really believe Dems want to raise taxes on everyone because we admit we need to pay for the trillions in war spending by cancelling the Bush tax breaks for our wealthiest elite? Does anyone really believe that a vote for a Democrat means a vote for the terrorists because Dems are uninterested in protecting us from future attacks? I guess Wilson forgot that the latest comprehensive intelligence analysis found that the war in Iraq is actually making us LESS safe, not safer. Getting us involved in a deadly quagmire is hurting us, not helping us. Illegal wiretapping, debased torture techniques and tossing our Constitution and the Writ of Habeas Corpus to the winds isn't something to brag about.

Trying to Turn the Tables, An Old Rovian Trick
Wilson also employed the now traditional Rovian tactic of trying to turn a competitor's strengths into his or her biggest liabilities. You saw it in action with the Swiftboating of Kerry and Max Cleland. For months now, campaign contribution data has been published that documents how much money Wilson has taken from those involved in one of the most notorious and blatant pay-for-play schemes ever uncovered. She's been the recipient of large donations from politicos and PACs enmeshed in the Abramoff scandal, including Duke Cunningham, Tom DeLay and others.

You can match her votes for massive subsidies for energy corporations and a flawed Medicare drug program that lavishes unnecessary millions on the big pharmaceutical companies with large campaign contributions from these interests. Wilson even received more than any other individual from the disgraced Mark Foley. So what does she do? Wilson accuses Madrid of the very kinds of transgressions that she herself has committed. Wilson actually had the nerve to state that "No one buys access in my office." Right, Heather. And the moon is made of green cheese.

Wilson Doesn't Lie, Except When She Lies
Wilson also fell back on one of her favorite lines: "I will not lie... cheat... or steal." She uses this all the time referring to the Air Force honor code, which she allegedly follows. Unfortunately, the record shows she lies all the time. For instance, even though she knew key pieces of pre-war intelligence were incorrect -- like the claim that aluminum tubes found in Iraq were meant for nuke processing -- she told the Albuquerque Journal in May 2003 that "no intelligence was incorrect." Depending on when she's been asked, Wilson has claimed she decided to vote for the Iraq invasion because of intelligence about Saddam's a) biological weapons, b) nuclear weapons capabilities, c) chemical weapons, d) not nuclear weapons but only biological weapons, e) other combinations of these factors. She just can't seem to make up her mind.

The Flying Smallpox Revelation
Perhaps the oddest claim made by Wilson in the debate was that there was a 50-50 chance that Saddam Hussein had smallpox he planned to deliver via drones, and that this was the "secret" reason she voted for the war. There have been numerous reasons cited by BushCo and their supporters to defend invading Iraq, but I've never heard this one, have you? Gee, I hope the national media is all over this revelation! Who knew?

Bottom Line
Voters in CD-01 have a real choice this election. They can either vote for someone who's cool as cucumber while lying about critical issues, or someone who's willing to confront the lies and failures and help move us in a new direction. Framed in these terms, it's not a hard decision, is it?

Some of my favorite Madrid debate zingers:

George Bush has been an unmitigated, abject failure, and Heather Wilson has been with him every step of the way.

My opponent ... bears particular responsibility for the failed intelligence on the run-up to the war [because Wilson served on the Armed Forces Committee]. For leading us into a war on failed manipulated intelligence, my opponent deserves to be fired.

I wish that George Bush and Heather Wilson would have relied on the military going in [to Iraq] because they were advising not to go in in the first place.

So far, we've lost 2,803 men and women in Iraq. And I checked that ... before I came. 'Stay the course' is not a plan. Paralysis is not a plan. 'Wait for the next president to deal with it' is not a plan.

Negative ads are really a reflection of what's at stake in this race— and what's at stake is power in this country, power in Washington. And the reason that my opponent is spending millions of dollars to ruin my reputation is because those people do not want to give up power.

We need to look at the profits insurance companies and HMOs are making in this country. They are sandwiched between the patient and the doctor and they are bleeding the system dry.

Get on the Bus with Gov. Richardson This Friday

From Richardson for Governor:
Governor Bill Richardson's Central and Western New Mexico Bus Tour, Friday, October 27th: Join Gov. Richardson on the GOTV Bus Tour at a stop near you. Meet the Governor and other Democratic elected officials and candidates, find out about and volunteer opportunities, and celebrate the upcoming Democratic victory in November's elections! See below for locations.

9:00 – 9:30 AM IDEAL NM
Location: Rio Rancho Cyber Academy, 421 Quantum Rd, Rio Rancho, NM

9:00 – 10:00 AM Democratic Bus Tour: Rio Rancho Stop
Location: 3900 Southern Blvd SE, Rio Rancho, NM

11:00 AM Democratic Bus Tour: Laguna Stop
Location: 101 Capital Drive, Laguna Tribal Building Laguna Pueblo

12:00 – 1:30PM Democratic Bus Tour: Laguna Acoma Rally
Location: Sky City Casino Parking Lot, Interstate 40, Exit 102 Acoma, NM

2:30 – 4:00 PM Democratic Bus Tour: Gallup
Location: Gallup/McKinley Civic Plaza, 207 West Hill Ave, Gallup, NM

The bus tour will be visiting other locations in New Mexico this weekend, including Taos, Santa Fe and Espanola. Click for .