Democracy for New Mexico

Beware the Ghost of Reagan

Air America's Rachel Maddow takes on the Ghost of Deficits and Iran-Contra Crimes Past. Yes, Repubs are ever so nostalgic about Reagan and his major accomplishments: ignoring the AIDS crisis, arming Saddam and Bin-Laden, illegally selling arms to Iran to illegally fund the Contras -- a right-wing terrorist organization in Nicaragua that ran cocaine into the U.S., running up one of the largest deficits in American history, pursuing a strategy that resulted in the deaths of 241 American servicemen in Lebanon and invading Grenada. Oh, there were a few other scandals too. What's not to like? He was such a NICE man, a FUNNY man and the Great Communicator too. Repub candidates reportedly evoked Reagan's name more than 40 times during their recent debate at the Reagan Presidential Library.

White bread all in a row...

If your recent role model choices are Daddy Bush, Ronnie or Bush The Commander Guy, it's easy to see why you'd pick Ray-gun. He was the best actor of the bunch and could light up the room with a smile while in the process of telling heinous lies. I guess the Repubs are looking for another Morning in America candidate who can pretend all is well in Oz while the country reels from the after-effects of 8 years of Bush Mania. If that doesn't work, they can always try to keep the conversation on battling the evil forces of science, evolution, green energy and gay people. And offer more tax breaks to the rich.

Click on image for larger version. See more Kirktoons.

Celebrate EmergeNM's 2007 Class

From EmergeNM: YOU ARE INVITED!! CELEBRATE  EMERGE NEW MEXICO'S 2007 CLASS!! Emerge is a political leadership training program for Democratic women in NM.

SATURDAY, MAY 19, AT 6:00 PM
Home of Randi McGinn and Charlie Daniels
(Call for directions)
Would YOU like to help EmergeNM get Women Democrats elected to public office?

SPONSORING THIS EVENT PROVIDES SCHOLARSHIPS!!
Call 505.920.6002
OR
$50 suggested donation at the event supports participants in this 7 month program that provides expert training and mentoring.

The Emerge mission is to identify, educate, and inspire Democratic women who want to pursue a career in politics at the local and state level in New Mexico. Emerge is dedicated to making a long-term investment in these future leaders by developing their political and media skills; expanding their knowledge of local issues; and connecting them with mentors.

www.emergenm.org
Julianna Koob
505.920.6002

Guest Blog: Albuquerque City Council Candidates to Test New Public Financing Option

This is a guest blog by Suzanne Prescott:

Maria Martinez (right), Democratic Chair of Albuquerque's precinct 162, says campaign finance reform is a good thing, and helps to insure that our elected officials represent their communities and not special interests. Listen:

Voluntary public campaign finance reform for Albuquerque municipal elections was passed by referendum in the fall election of 2005. This is the first time that the law is being put to the test. Candidates and their supporters will have to feel their way through what is at present an untested procedure set in motion by the referendum that was passed in 2005. To qualify for public campaign funding, the new law requires that a candidate for City Council get signatures and $5.00 from 1% of the registered voters in their district from May 1 to May 30  -- that's gives them less than a month.

For Debbie O'Malley, running for City Council from District #2, that means collecting 300 signatures.  A question worth raising is whether it's worth the effort to get the signatures if a candidate is running unopposed. At present O'Malley has no opposition, but that could change. Collecting the signatures now could be good insurance if an opposing candidate decides to enter the race at a later date. If O'Malley is unopposed and decides not to run a campaign, then the money that has been collected would have to be returned to the initial signators.

ith an official campaign organization just getting off the ground, and with no explanatory literature to hand out, it may not be easy to quickly gather the needed signatures. The first week of collecting signatures is already over -- close family members, and friends have been mined for their support.  Now the hard work begins of explaining the new law and reaching out to those less familiar with the candidate.

Some observers say that with the money in hand there would be at least two advantages to running a campaign: First, it would allow O'Malley to get her name and credentials before a larger audience. This could be useful later if O'Malley were to decide to run for another elected office and there seem to some available. Second, O'Malley's collection of 300 signatures is a good opportunity for supporters to actively engage registered voters in a discussion of public campaign financing and its merits. There are still voters who are not sure what public campaign financing entails and why it's important.

Get Involved
Signatures are already being collected. Registered voters in District  #2 who support Debbie O'Malley can sign a form by calling 304-3960 or emailing . Anyone who is not a registered voter in District #2 and who would like to become one of the 300 signators must register to vote by the end of the month and also sign the form and submit the $5.00. Use the contact information above to become a registered voter. You don't have to live in District #2 to help O'Malley round up signators who will donate $5.

Those who qualify would receive $1 for every registered voter in their District that would be used to finance their campaign. Click for a copy of the issued by the Albuquerque City Clerk.

Editor's Note: Albuquerque will be electing City Councilors from Districts 2, 4, 6 and 8 in November, 2007. :

District 2: Debbie O'Malley is running as an incumbent. No other candidates have announced.

District 4: Brad Winter running as an incumbent. No other candidates have announced.

District 6: Incumbent Martin Heinrich will not run again so that he can enter the Congressional race for CD1. One candidate who has announced he will enter this race is Rey Garduno, who has said he will pursue qualifying for public financing. A subsequent post will provide more information on his campaign.

District 8: It's not known if incumbent Craig Loy is planning to run again for his seat.

This is a guest blog by Suzanne Prescott. Guest blogs provide an opportunity for readers and others to express their views on issues of political interest to DFNM. If you'd like to submit a post for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand corner of the main page.

Why Are You a Democrat?

We've started pointing our digital camera at Democrats and asking them to give a short explanation of why they support the Democratic Party. We intend to make this an ongoing project that we'll conduct in various places around Albuquerque and beyond as election season heats up. Here are our initial results, taken immediately after last week's DFA-DFNM Meetup in Albuquerque. The footage is rather primitive, taken with our digital still camera's video function, but we think the messages come out loud and clear:

Ana Canales, Chair, Democratic Party of Bernalillo County

Cheryl Harris, Vice Chair, Democratic Party of Bernalillo County

Don Schiff, Ward Chair, 18B

Attend or Volunteer for a Defenders of Wildlife Event

From Lisa Hummond, Defenders of Wildlife NM:
I am very excited to announce that Defenders is organizing our first ever lobby trip to DC! I am leaving on Sunday with three fellow New Mexicans to lobby our Congressional members on a variety of issues including the Farm Bill, climate change, funding for conservation, and the Mexican wolf reintroduction program. Wish us luck!

Below is a list of activities Defenders is participating in for the rest of May. I've noted those events for which I am looking for volunteers. And of course, you are more than welcome to just come check out any of the events.

Thursday, May 17
An Inconvenient Truth Presentation
Sponsored by Eco RealEstate
Location: The Source, Carlisle and Anderson, Abq
Time: 7:00 PM

Friday, May 18
An Inconvenient Truth Presentation
Sponsored by NM Green Building Council
Location: UNM theater, Student Union Bldg, Abq
Time: TBA

Saturday, May 19
Earth Day Celebration
Location: Sandia Pueblo lakes (near Los Amigos Roundup)
Time: 9:00 AM -- 2:00 PM
Details: We will have a table at this event.
**volunteers**

Saturday, May 19
Habitat Planting and Open House
Location: Dragon Farm, South Valley Academy, Abq
Time: 2:00 -- 5:00 PM We'll be planting native vegetation to increase the wildlife value on the farm. Should be fun!
**volunteers**

Wednesday, May 30
Presentation on the Mexican wolf reintroduction program
Location: Las Colinas Retirement Village, Abq
Time: 10:30 AM
Details: This presentation isn't really open to the public, but let me know if you'd like to attend.

Many thanks!  Hope to see you at one or more of these events!

Lisa Hummon
New Mexico Outreach Representative
Defenders of Wildlife
824 Gold SW
Albuquerque, NM  87102
Phone: (505) 248-0118 x5
Fax: (505) 248-0187

www.defenders.org, www.biodiversitypartners.org

Two More Hats in the Ring?

A little birdie (and it wasn't Bosco, Sunny or our seven parakeets) told me that . . . Javier Gonzales and Don Wiviott are two more Democrats considering entering the U.S. Senate Race to run against Domenici. Again, these are essentially rumors, but ...

In 1994, at only 27 years of age, Javier Gonzales was elected to the Santa Fe County Commissioner, where he served two four-year terms. According to the New Mexico Highlands University website, Gonzales works as a consultant at the global management firm, Accenture, and serves as the President of the NMHU Board of Regents:

Javier Gonzales is an Associate Partner in the Accenture Government Practice. His primary responsibility is to serve as the National Business Development Director for Local Government. Prior to joining Accenture, Javier served eight years as a Santa Fe County Commissioner. During his term as County Commissioner, Javier was elected to serve as the President of the National Association of Counties (NACo). Javier was the first Hispanic to serve as President in the organizations 66 year history as well as the youngest. Javier is a co-owner in his family business KSWV-AM 81 Radio Que Suave. It is Northern New Mexico's largest privately owned radio station.

His father, George Gonzales, was Mayor of Santa Fe from 1968 to 1972 and a County Commissioner before that. While on the County Commission, Javier is reportedly credited with helping to initiate Santa Fe County’s open space program, pass the County's first economic development plan and create the position of Health Policy Commissioner, among other things. Javier has also served on the Board of the National Hispanic Cultural Center and, according to this, he's also on the New Mexico First Board. Last month, Gov. Richardson appointed Gonzales to head a Higher Education Campus Safety Task Force in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy.

At last weekend's Dem meeting in Las Cruces, Gonzales hosted a packed event at the Double Eagle, where he treated the crowd to prime rib and more.

Don Wiviott is the developer of The Lofts, The Lofts at Marquez Place, and the Railyard, which are all innovative live-work unit projects in Santa Fe. He's also chaired the Santa Fe Development Review Committee.

Anyone out there know any other back stories on these two?

See our earlier Hats in the Ring post.

Heinrich's Letter on Entering the CD1 Race

Martin Heinrich at Dem SCC Meeting in Las Cruces
Photo by Tom Solomon

A reader sent me this letter from Martin Heinrich announcing his plans to run for the CD1 House seat currently held by Heather Wilson and outlining his platform. It was distributed at the DPNM State Central Committee meeting in Las Cruces last Saturday, so Heinrich's entry into the race looks pretty official to me. Even though I'm an SCC member, I didn't see this letter until today. Sometimes life is like that.  A business card from Heinrich's campaign manager with this info accompanied the letter:

POLITICAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
WINNING CAMPAIGNS WITH INNOVATION
PHILIP MULLER
2118 Central Ave., SE #133
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106
505-366-8919, evoter@aol.com
www.PoliticalTechnologies.com

37 Years

And still the war against the people rumbles on. Only the weapons and buzzwords have changed. And they've learned it's better to have only paid soldiers instead of a draft. And now it's all about the War on Terrorism rather than the Communist Threat.

This video has incredibly chilling footage of the events from German TV. Apparently, NBC, ABC and CBS have "lost" much of the footage they filmed that day.

In this one, Nixon explains how he's expanding the war into Cambodia in order to end the war:

We take this action not for the purpose of expanding the war into Cambodia but for the purpose of ending the war in Vietnam and winning the just peace we all desire.

We were, as now, seeking "peace with honor" from a dishonorable war. This was, after all, another era when we were destroying villages in order to save them. And killing students to protect the universities. As Nixon says, foreshadowing this era of "Homeland Security":

My fellow Americans, we live in an age of anarchy, both abroad and at home. We see mindless attacks on all the great institutions which have been created by free civilizations in the last 500 years. Even here in the United States, great universities are being systematically destroyed....

If, when the chips are down, the world's most powerful nation, the United States of America, acts like a pitiful, helpless giant, the forces of totalitarianism and anarchy will threaten free nations and free institutions throughout the world.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? It should. The arms merchants and war contractors are still raking it in. And protecting "freedom" continues to justify vile acts engineered by the worst of us. Same shit. Different decade. But this time the campuses are mostly silent.

Past posts on the Kent State anniversary from 2005 and 2006.

Mark Your Calendars for WildFest 2007

From the NM Wilderness Alliance:
WildFest 2007 Wilderness Festival & Summer Equipment Swap: The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance presents the 1st annual WildFest to be held Saturday and Sunday May 19th and 20th at our new office at 142 Truman NE in Albuquerque. There will be booths by vendors to promote sustainable Wilderness entertainment. A Summer Gear Swap, clean out the garage and sell the old equipment so you can buy new. Live music, speakers, and contests. How-to seminars on leaving no trace, packing light, intro to map reading and wilderness first aid among others. Mark your calendars and plan to attend, for more info check out the website. Click to join our email list.

New Mexico: Hats in the Ring

Lots of rumors, articles and blog entries around town about who's gonna run for what in the New Mexico Dem 2008 Congressional election cycle. Let's look at some of the names being bandied about.

1st CD House Seat Held by Rep. Heather Wilson:

Martin Heinrich: So far, current Albuquerque City Councilor Heinrich is the first to unofficially enter the race. He's got support leaked by the Governor's camp, a campaign exploratory office and strong support from the environmental community and other sectors of the Dem grassroots in CD1. He's taken an unpaid leave of absence from his job as New Mexico Resource Trustee. He's clean as a whistle in the ethics department, is strongly against the Iraq war, yet is a staunch supporter of Second Amendment gun rights, and he's known as a fair and practical negotiator across the aisle. Heinrich is smart, articulate and personable. He attended this past Saturday's Dem SCC meeting talking up his chances.

Heinrich's downsides: He's untested in terms of going up against a strong opponent. It's unknown whether he has the grit, toughness and scrappiness to stand up to the kind of assaults that come with the territory in CD1, given Heather's tradition of using Rovian tactics to tear down opponents. We've never seen him debate a formidable competitor. We've never witnessed how he would respond to withering media attention. He's not Hispanic in a district where non-Hispanics haven't generated support adequate to win in the past.

Eric Griego: Now working as an assistant secretary at the NM Economic Development Department, Griego is a veteran of Albuquerque's often bruising municipal political scene. Eric led a number of mini-insurrections against the policies of Mayor Martin Chavez when he was on the City Council, and ran a proactive, populist, muscular campaign against Chavez in the last mayoral election. There's no doubt that he's a smart, scrappy, tough-minded, ethical candidate who can hold his own in debates and under the withering eye of heavy media attention. He has a robust following in the grassroots and has maintained a public presence via his previous column in the Alibi and his current one in the Albuquerque Tribune, as well as a 10-week stint hosting , a political radio talk show, during the last Legislative Session. Though he has expressed some interest in running for this seat, he hasn't yet done anything to actively build support.

Griego's downsides: He may be perceived as too "progressive" for the district. He made a fair amount of "enemies" by taking on Mayor Chavez so passionately. It's unknown how he would do in the fundraising department or in reaching out to more moderate elements of the Party.

Louis Caldera: The former UNM President, reportedly forced out by the Board of Regents last January, is being mentioned of late as a more "centrist" possibility for CD1. He expressed his interest in a run in a recent Albuquerque Tribune article and was making the rounds at last Saturday's Dem State Party meeting in Las Cruces. He currently is a law professor at UNM. Caldera is the son of Mexican immigrants and earned degrees from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Harvard Law School. He also served as secretary of the Army under Clinton. His military-related background might give him a leg up in running against Wilson, who graduated from the Air Force Academy. He's a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former member of the California General Assembly. His resume is varied and extensive.

Caldera's downsides: He's never run for public office in New Mexico. He's not a native New Mexican and his relationships with some segments of the local community have reportedly been less than satisfying. It's unknown how he would handle himself in a combative race under pressure and much public scrutiny. He's fairly new to the state and hasn't established a significant core of political supporters. His past experience is mostly bureaucratic in nature. He's built no credibility with the Democratic grassroots.

Others: NM Reps Gerald Ortiz y Pino and Al Park, City Councilors Debbie O'Malley and Michael Cadigan, Bingaman staffer Terry Brunner and even Mayor Chavez have been mentioned as possible candidates in this race. However, none of them has gone on the record as being serious about about a run. Still, one or more of them could decide to enter the race if the others more actively pursuing a candidacy come up empty handed.

Note: New Mexico FBIHOP has a poll up asking your preference on the CD1 race. .

2nd CD House Seat Held by Rep. Steve Pearce:

Al Kissling: Kissling has announced he'll do a repeat of his run against Pearce in the 2006 race, where he got about 40% of the vote against the ultra-rightwing Pearce. A political newcomer in '06, the liberal Rev. Kissling has a varied and compelling background, and worked very hard to gain traction in the 3rd CD without much in the way of campaign funds or Party support. His strengths include his honesty, passion for the issues and endurance in grassroots campaigning.

Kissling's downsides: He's already lost once in the district. He hasn't shown any taste for raising the funds needed to run a serious race.

Bill McCamley: Just 29, McCamley is an ambitious up and comer on the Dem scene. He won his first time out as a candidate for Dona Ana County Commissioner, and also serves as the Executive Director of the New Mexico Rural Development Response Council. He has a strong interest in "smart growth." An energetic fresh face, McCamley has declared his candidacy early and can be expected to run a hard primary race against Kissling. He has appeal with younger voters and those concerned about how Dona Ana County grows.

McCamley's downsides: He's inexperienced and may be considered to be too young by older voters. It's unknown how he would handle media pressure and how much money he could raise for the race.

U. S. Senate Seat Held by Pete Domenici:

Most prominent Dems are waiting to move on this race until the fallout from the U.S. Attorney firing scandal becomes more defined, and questions about Domenici's health and mental status are resolved. In the meantime, two grassroots candidates viewed as outsiders have declared they'll be running in the Dem primary for this seat. A recent Albuquerque Tribune article reports on the backgrounds of announced contenders Leland Lehrman and Jim Hannan, both Santa Fe-area residents. The pair were courting Dems at Saturday's SCC meeting in Las Cruces. Lehrman is running on a hard left platform, while Hannan is focusing on such issues as preserving Social Security, securing universal healthcare and improving auto mileage standards. It's unclear how much support either could get from Party regulars at a preprimary convention or a primary election. The article also quotes attorney Geno Zamora as interested in a possible run. Zamora ran an unsuccessful but generally well received campaign for the Dem Attorney General slot against Gary King, who went on to win in the general. He recently launched a consulting firm, Zamora Strategic Advisors.

Perhaps most intriguing is the idea of State Auditor Hector Balderas running for this Senate seat. Although Balderas hasn't said anything about a run, his name was on the lips of many Dems last weekend in Las Cruces, as a potential candidate for either the Senate or the CD1 Congressional seat. Over the course of his relatively short political career, first as a NM Rep from Wagon Mound, and now as State Auditor, Balderas has built a big buzz among Dems as being the Real Thing in terms of smarts, credibility, poise and top-notch ethics. He's very well liked and respected among Dems in many sectors of the Party, and his future in politics is viewed as bright indeed.

Balderas gave a well-received speech at Saturday's SCC meeting that touched on a number of foreign policy issues, using his recent trip to Pakistan as a jumping off point. He came off as mature, serious and seasoned beyond his years. Hector is definitely one to watch, if not for this election cycle, then certainly for future contests.

Bottom line on the Senate race -- still too early to know how the field will shake out. What we do know is that Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez most likely won't be a part of it. He came out early as supporting another run by Domenici, stating that Pete has his vote -- not a good way to garner rank and file Dem support for future political ambitions. Of course Chavez could conceivably enter the race if Domenici pulls out, but I think his very public support for Pete would be a definite downer for most Dem primary voters.

My guess is he'll stick with a primary run for Governor against , as he's also expressed his distaste for running for Congress. He's already busy raising money under an exploratory committee called Marty Chavez for New Mexico. Again, I think his past alliances with Republicans will make a win against Denish difficult at best. If there's anyone who has strong support across the board in core Dem political circles, it's Diane Denish.