Democracy for New Mexico

Mayor Chavez Openly Working Against Re-election of Councilor O'Malley

Current Albuquerque City Council President Debbie O'Malley is running her re-election campaign under the city's new Clean Election public funding option. In other words, if (and when) she wins another term, she won't be beholden to special interest donors. Instead, she'll be free to work for genuine progressive core values -- and for ordinary citizens and the common good -- something she's been doing for most of her life as a native New Mexican.

One of her opponents, Katherine Martinez, is taking another route, urged on by Mayor Marty Chavez. Martinez will depend on private donations, including a bunch that will no doubt be raised from among Marty's donor base that includes many members of the big developer and Republican communities. Martinez is currently the Director of Government/Community Affairs for the Home Builders Association of Central New Mexico and has only lived in the district for a little more than two years.

The mayor is hosting a fundraiser for Martinez on August 27th in Corrales, at the home of Steve Nakamura of Rachel Matthew Homes, Inc. We all know why. He's now publicly trying to unseat one of his main critics on the City Council, who repeatedly pushes for things Marty doesn't really value, and who insists on legitimate Council oversight of city actions. Democrat O'Malley has gone up against the Mayor's resistance to things like more affordable housing for our citizens, a raise in the city's minimum wage and a budget that puts the infrastructure and other basic resident needs first. O'Malley has also questioned the wisdom of spending for his expensive vanity projects like a panda from China, sister-city video screens on Civic Plaza and a Balloon Fiesta Park reflecting pool, all designed to enhance the Marty Chavez "brand."

Councilor O'Malley has been known to insist that the Mayor doesn't have the right to operate a virtual kingdom from the top floor of the City-County building -- that he has to come to the Council for approval on any number of intiatives he'd rather have the only say on. This irks Marty no end. It interferes with his efforts to unilaterally line up personal "achievements," no matter how substanceless, that he can trumpet in his planned campaign for the governorship in 2010.

For instance, after fighting tooth and nail any effort to shape and moderate development on Albuquerque's West Side, he's now touting himself as the greenest of the green in "sustainable" building and development. Sorry, Marty, that milk's already been spilt. Badly designed, energy hog sprawl developments have sprouted like ugly mushrooms on the city's Western horizon, many of them created and built by Marty donors. Many of these energy inefficient houses now sit empty, bought up as "investments" by people from places like California and Texas-- and unaffordable for many ordinary Albuquerqueans. The man who mounted one of the most single-minded campaigns to push a road through the Petroglyphs so more sprawl development could explode on the other side is now claiming to be into public transportation, green development and low energy use. Marty's nothing if not shameless in his boasts.

How We Can Help
What can we do to help keep Debbie O'Malley's voice of the people on the Council? We can help her walk precincts and volunteer for other mundane tasks that are essential to running a successful grassroots, publicly funded campaign. We can do this even if we don't live in her district. You can contact the campaign at debbie.omalley@usa.net.

If you need motivation, just think what the towering ambition of Marty Chavez will be unleashed to do if he gains a majority of supporters on the City Council. He's also working behind the scenes to push his preferred candidates in the other City Council districts that are in contention in this year's October municipal election. He means business, and given his record, it's obvious he works primarily to benefit big business concerns.

Other Races
We need to maintain a strong counterbalance to Chavez's power in the city, so now's the time to step up and help Debbie O'Malley in District 2, as well Rey Garduño in District 6, who's also running with Clean Elections funding against, among others, a Marty-backed candidate, Joanie Griffin. It should be noted that Joanie Griffin was a registered Republican until right before she declared as a City Council Candidate!

Marty's also rumored to be behind the effort to recall Councilor Don Harris, who often votes with O'Malley and others, in District 9, and the candidacy of Paulette de'Pascal, who's running against incumbent Brad Winter in District 4. Unless more progressive and reasonable forces keep control of the Albuquerque City Council, we can kiss the people's power goodbye for the next two years. You know what to do.

(Photo credit: Suzanne Prescott)

Progressive Women Offer Forum on Ethics Reform

From Progressive Women Issues Matter:
We welcome you to a forum for an important discussion:
“Ethics Reform”
Saturday, September 15, 2007
UNM Law School, Room 2401, ABQ
2:00 - 4:30 PM, No charge

Panelists:
Senator Michael Sanchez
Senator Dede Feldman
Representative Mimi Stewart
Stuart Bluestone, Attorney General’s Office
Matt Brix, Center for Civic Policy
Dr. Patricio Larragoite, Moderator

Opportunities for questions. For more information please call:
MarySue Gutierrez 899-4642
Zora Hesse 265-3031
Imogene Lindsay 299-7454

Early Bird Registration Ends Today for Workshop on Nonprofit Advocacy

Alliance for Justice Presents Worry-Free Advocacy: Understanding the Rules of Nonprofit Advocacy and Election-Related Activity, cosponsored by America Votes, Center for Civil Policy. Read my previous post for more info on this August 29th workshop at the AFSCME office in Albuquerque. By registering today, you'll save $20 on the already reasonable fee.

Cheney Predicted Iraq Invasion Would Produce Quagmire

The prediction is contained in a post-Gulf War interview from April 15, 1994 that's shown in the video above. The interview took place more than a year after Cheney left office as secretary of defense under President George Bush the First. Cheney explains why invading Baghdad, taking out Saddam Hussein and getting caught up in what would amount to an American occupation of Iraq would be a very bad idea. His arguments are convincing. Too bad he didn't heed his own counsel when contemplating starting a unilateral, unprovoked attack on Iraq in 2003, resulting in who knows how many years of quagmire.

As reported in a column earlier this year by Helen Thomas, Cheney offered similar reasoning in 1991:

After the first Persian Gulf War ended in March 1991, Cheney -- then serving as defense secretary in the first Bush administration -- was asked on ABC-TV why Operation Desert Storm had not gone all the way to remove Saddam Hussein from power.

He replied prophetically: "I think for us to get American military personnel involved in a civil war inside Iraq would literally be a quagmire. Once we got to Baghdad, what would we do? Who would we put in power? What kind of government? Would it be a Sunni government, a Shia government, a Kurdish government?

"Would it be secular, along the lines of the Baath party? Would it be fundamentalist Islamic?" he asked. "I do not think the United States wants to have U.S. military forces accept casualties and accept responsibility of trying to govern Iraq. It makes no sense at all."

Yet, according to Bob Woodward in his book, "Plan of Attack," Cheney was the most passionate advocate within the second Bush administration for an Iraq invasion in the run-up to the 2003 war:

Adding to the momentum, Woodward writes, was the pressure from advocates of war inside the administration. Vice President Cheney, whom Woodward describes as a "powerful, steamrolling force," led that group and had developed what some of his colleagues felt was a "fever" about removing Hussein by force.

... Cheney engaged in a bitter and eventually winning struggle over Iraq with [Gen. Colin] Powell, an opponent of war who believed Cheney was obsessively trying to establish a connection between Iraq and the al Qaeda terrorist network and treated ambiguous intelligence as fact.

Powell felt Cheney and his allies -- his chief aide, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby; Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz; and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas J. Feith and what Powell called Feith's "Gestapo" office -- had established what amounted to a separate government.

Ironic, isn't it, that Cheney castigated critics of invading Iraq in 2003 who made the very same arguments against the action that he had made in the era of the first Gulf War? Insulated in the neocon cocoon of the second Bush White House, Cheney became the main pusher of the nightmare scenario he had earlier argued so strongly against. Unfortunately, we'll all be paying for his delusions in a myriad of ways for decades to come. Meanwhile, the numbers of those killed, maimed or displaced by Cheney's madness continue to mount, and he's still stubbornly defending the continuation of the war and predicting our ultimate "victory." Sen. Pete Domenici, Rep. Heather Wilson and Rep. Steve Pearce are right there with him.

Important Drilling Santa Fe Meeting Coming 8.23.07

From Drilling Santa Fe: Important Drilling Santa Fe meeting at Cloud Cliff Café, 1805 2nd Street, at 6:30 PM on Thursday, August 23, 2007. Click for poster.

Drilling Santa Fe has currently documented more than 80,000 acres of mineral rights in Santa Fe County, New Mexico leased to oil and gas drillers. How is the County planning on regulating oil and gas drilling? The Drilling Santa Fe petition calls for a moratorium on drilling permits until the existing codes are strengthened. Will the County accept the petition? Are more minerals being leased? What is split-estate? What is pooling? Could I find a drilling rig in my backyard? What can I do? These and other questions will be addressed. For more information, please go to our website, where you can also sign up to be on our email list.

Please tune in to "The Journey Home" with Diego Mulligan for an interview with Drilling Santa Fe at 4:00 PM, Tuesday, August 21, 2007.

Also, to get some background of oil and gas exploration in Santa Fe County, please listen to "Living on the Edge" with David Bacon and Zubi Wilson, a forty minute interview with Drilling Santa Fe that originally aired on July 22, 2007. For the direct link to the interview, go to R3 Productions.

Link list:

• https://www.ksfr.org/
• https://drillingsantafe.blogspot.com/
• https://www.r3productions.net/local.htm

See you at Cloud Cliff,
Johnny Micou
drillingsantafe@earthlink.net

Domenici & Wilson: Do You Support a Draft to Sustain Bush's Endless War?

From Americans Against Escalation in Iraq: Just 14 days before ‘Take a Stand Day’ –- the town hall event in which New Mexicans will ask Senator Pete Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson to explain their war stance –- the Bush administration raised the stakes of the Iraq war even higher. Last week Lt. Gen. Doug Lute, President Bush’s “War Czar,” said he is considering reinstating a military draft. This bombshell announcement followed recent statements by General David Petraeus that U.S. forces should stay in Iraq for another 9 or 10 years. 

In the wake of these startling revelations, New Mexicans are asking Domenici and Wilson -– both of whom have obediently supported Bush’s reckless policy of endless war –- since you support Bush’s endless war, do you also support the draft needed to sustain it?

“Senator Domenici and Congresswoman Wilson make no apologies for their continued support of the President’s costly and reckless policy of endless war in Iraq, despite the fact that the vast majority of their constituents are adamantly opposed to keeping our troops stuck in the crosshairs of a religious civil war,” said Greg Richardson, Field Director for the New Mexico chapter of the Iraq Summer Campaign.  “The people of New Mexico deserve to know:  Do Senator Domenici and Rep. Wilson agree with General Petraeus’ assessment that the US will need to keep fighting in Iraq for the next 10 years?  If so, are they then willing to support a draft to maintain troop levels to support the Petraeus plan to stay in Iraq for another 10 years?”

“The Bush Administration’s reckless use of our military, National Guard and Reserves has strained our armed forces to the breaking point and has left us vulnerable here at home,” continued Richardson. “Senator Domenici and Rep. Wilson can no longer ignore the 800-pound gorilla in the room: Without a plan to get the US troops safely out of Iraq we could end up in situation where there is no choice but a draft.”

“If Domenici and Wilson don’t support the draft, then they must finally represent the majority of New Mexicans by voting to bring the war in Iraq to a safe and responsible end.  They have a choice to make: either stand with the people of New Mexico and vote to bring the troops home – or continue to enable the President’s reckless policy of U.S. troops refereeing an endless civil war in Iraq.”

Americans Against Escalation in Iraq has launched a new national television ad (video above) called “Draft” to denounce the Bush administration’s policy of endless war. With , the ad highlights an Iraq policy that is appallingly out of touch with American public opinion.

“New Mexicans won’t stand for a draft that would send even more men and women into a religious civil war,” warned Richardson. “If Sen. Domenici and Rep. Wilson truly want to ‘support’ our over-extended troops – they should bring them home.”

AAEI's "Iraq Summer" is a nationwide, 10-week long campaign with nearly 100 organizers in 15 states and 40 congressional districts to turn up the heat on members of Congress who have opposed setting a timeline to bring a safe and responsible end to the war in Iraq. The effort will culminate with a national "Take a Stand" day on August 28th, when Members of Congress will have the opportunity to explain their stance on the war to their constituents in a town hall setting.

If you want to join millions of Americans and volunteer to bring a safe end to the war in New Mexico contact NewMexicoFD@iraqsummer.org. You can also order a yard sign by contacting NewMexicoFD@iraqsummer.org. We'll keep you up to date on all the events and activities happening in New Mexico.

CDA, AAEI, and Iraq Summer is a coalition including a wide range of political and nonprofit organizations that are working against our current policy in Iraq. Coalition organizations that are tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the IRC have not endorsed or sponsored this statement or the advertisement referred to therein, and no funds provided were used in producing or distributing this statement or the advertisement.

(Updated) My Turn: Bill Richardson and GLBT Issues

UPDATE 8.15.07: Two of New Mexico's notable leaders in the GLBT rights effort, Linda Siegel and Liz Stefanics, have recorded a video describing Bill Richardson's long-time support of GLBT issues and people:

************
I'm gay, and I'm also a progressive Democrat. I write this blog and help coordinate a progressive grassroots group. I have both supported and been opposed to any number of Gov. Bill Richardson's actions and positions during his time in office here in New Mexico, whether related to health care, campaign funding, ethics, the environment, energy, education, budget matters or paper ballot voting (where election reform activists worked closely and sucessfully with Richardson and Dem legislators). I haven't decided on a presidential candidate and I'm keeping my options open. I have no axe to grind.

Sometimes I've applauded what Gov. Richardson has accomplished. At times I've been highly critical of him. Sometimes I've lacked trust in what he's saying. But one thing I've learned to trust him on over time is his strong support on issues of importance to the GLBT community -- because I've watched him push through a number of pro-equality initiatives, even when it's been difficult to do so in a state that's conservative in many respects. And I've witnessed him keep trying when a measure like a domestic partnership bill is being bashed by legislators on both sides of the aisle. (During our last legislative sesssion, such a bill lost by one vote.) And as far as I know, he has always interacted with members of the GLBT community with real ease and compassion, whether at pride events, or at a GLBT retirement community ribbon cutting or in other settings.

Do I wish Richardson and every other Democratic politician would just be done with it and proclaim their unequivocal support for gay civil marriage? Of course. I strongly believe that anyone who says they support equal rights for all under the law should have no qualms about doing that. Unfortunately, we're not there yet. I have confidence we will be someday soon, but in the meantime I applaud Democrats for taking positions in support of the fullest domestic partnerships and civil unions that might be achievable legislatively right now. Richardson is one of those Dems.

In other words, despite all the negative punditry about Bill Richardson's performance at last week's GLBT presidential forum on LOGO, I have no fears that he is a bigot in terms of GLBT folks. None whatsoever. We all know that at times he can be verbally clumsy, inarticulate or unclear, especially when he's harried or tired, and I think this was what caused the snafu at last week's GLBT presidential forum on LOGO. I just wanted to get that said publicly so primary voters will make their decisions pro or con based on analyzing other facets of Richardson's character and positions -- but not on any misperception that he's biased against members of the GLBT community.

I think the media and others are giving him a real hard time on this, and I just wanted to say my piece. Bill Richardson is many things, but in no way is he an enemy of the GLBT community -- just the opposite in fact.

More Info: For video clips of the LOGO forum and a view of Richardson and the GLBT presidential forum that differs from that of many of critics, read this. Here's an Advocate article reporting on an interview with Richardson he requested to clarify his positions.

The End (and Beginning) of Rove

Watch till the end to see the future "brain of Bush" working at Nixon's Committee to Re-Elect the President in 1972.

Ah, sweet sorrow, as reported in the Washington Post:

Rove's voice and face betrayed emotion as he then offered his farewell. "I'm grateful to have been a witness to history," he said. "It has been the joy and the honor of a lifetime." Rove added that when he leaves, he will become one of those "ordinary Americans who tell you they are praying for you."

... Rove, 56, who escaped indictment in the CIA leak case, has been under scrutiny by the new Democratic Congress for his role in the firings of U.S. attorneys and in a series of political briefings provided to various agencies across government. Citing executive privilege, he defied a subpoena and refused to show up for a congressional hearing just two weeks ago on the allegedly improper use by White House aides of Republican National Committee e-mail accounts. Fellow Bush advisers have said they believe the congressional probes have been aimed in part at driving Rove out.

But, but, "The White House said Rove's departure was unrelated to the investigations." Right.

Here's what Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy had to say in a statement today:

“Earlier this month, Karl Rove failed to comply with the Judiciary Committee’s subpoena to testify about the mass firings of United States Attorneys. Despite evidence that he played a central role in these firings, just as he did in the Libby case involving the outing of an undercover CIA agent and improper political briefings at over 20 government agencies, Mr. Rove acted as if he was above the law. That is wrong. Now that he is leaving the White House while under subpoena, I continue to ask what Mr. Rove and others at the White House are so desperate to hide. Mr. Rove’s apparent attempts to manipulate elections and push out prosecutors citing bogus claims of voter fraud shows corruption of federal law enforcement for partisan political purposes, and the Senate Judiciary Committee will continue its investigation into this serious issue.

“The list of senior White House and Justice Department officials who have resigned during the course of these congressional investigations continues to grow, and today, Mr. Rove added his name to that list. There is a cloud over this White House, and a gathering storm. A similar cloud envelopes Mr. Rove, even as he leaves the White House.” [emphasis mine]

The plot thickens ....

Bush, Los Ranchos, Domenici, Wiviott

You probably already know about this but I thought I'd post on it anyway as I'm still catching up after 10 days in Chicago for Yearly Kos and a Chicagoland vacation.

Bush in Los Ranchos for Pete
The Decider will appear at a private, big-dollar fundraiser on Monday, August 27, to benefit Sen. Pete Domenici's campaign to retain his Senate seat. It'll cost a mere $1000 just to get in the door, and $5000 to have your picture taken with Bush. The gathering of Republican Bush-Domenici supporters will be hosted by Los Ranchos Mayor Larry Abraham, a registered Independent, at his home in the North Valley outside Albuquerque. Abraham is also the Vice-Chair of the board of directors of the Mid-Region Council of Governments (MRCOG) and Chairs their Metropolitan Transportation Board (MTB).

Surely, Abraham's "independent" cover has been damaged beyond repair by his enthusiasm to host Bush and support the campaign of one of the administration's primary rubberstamps. According to an Albuquerque Tribune article, Mayor Abraham deemed the event "a historic moment for the entire village and our family." I guess so, if you consider a stealthy visit from one of the most unpopular, unethical and incompetent presidents to be a positive thing.

Mayor Abraham also stated that, "We're honored to help Pete. He's an asset to the whole state of New Mexico." Others might argue that an aging, increasingly out of touch Senator who's accused of injecting politics into prosecutions by our U.S. Attorney, and who consistently supports tax cuts for the elite, huge subsidies for oil, gas and nuke corporations, a failed foreign policy in Iraq and continued destruction of our civil liberties is hurting most constituents rather than helping them.

Ready for a change? Check out the campaign of , a Democrat who's running for a chance to challenge Domenici for his Senate seat. Wiviott, a green developer from Santa Fe who's making clean energy, the environment and getting out of Iraq his core issues, was one of the candidates featured at a packed netroots candidate celebration at the Yearly Kos convention in Chicago last week. It was great to see a New Mexico Democrat up there on the stage with other strong netroots favorites like Eric Massa of New York, Darcy Burner of Washington State and Steve Kagen of Wisconsin. Even Al Franken, who's campaigning to take on Repub incumbent Norm Coleman in Minnesota, appeared at the candidate event via a live video feed. The candidates honored at the event are featured on a special Act Blue page where you can learn more and donate to one or all of them.

Don Wiviott (left) speaks to crowd at Yearly Kos Netroots Candidate Celebration

Wiviott was much in evidence all over the convention and was clearly concentrating on listening, learning and networking with activists. We had a chance to share a dinner with Don and hang out with him at a couple events. We came away very impressed with his intelligence, honesty, passion for progressive change and practical approach to fiscally responsible problem-solving. He's sincerely reaching out to the grassroots-netroots for support and he got a bunch of it at the YK candidate event. We look forward to hearing more from him as his campaign swings into gear.

Wiviott (bottom left), YK Netroots Candidate Class of '08 (Click on photos for larger versions.)

August 13, 2007 at 12:17 PM in 2008 NM Senate Race, Candidates & Races, Democratic Party, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (15)

Dem Women of Sandoval County to Host Celebration Picnic

From the Democratic Women of Sandoval County:
Celebration Picnic
Coronado Campground, 106 Monument Road, Bernalillo
Sunday, August 19, 2007 Noon until 3 PM

Join us as we celebrate our second anniversary as Democratic Women of Sandoval County! We will meet for a picnic in the pavilion at the Coronado Campground (turn right into the campground immediately after you turn off the highway) on Highway 550 in Bernalillo.

This is a free public event. Everyone is welcome. The more the merrier. Bring your relatives, your friends, your neighbors, and anyone else who wants to have fun. Come meet the newly announced candidates and potential candidates. Greet your friends and neighbors and make new friends. There will be good food, music, and balloons for the kids, and information about local organizations. The pavilion is a short hike from the river and a short drive to the monument. Admission to the monument is free on Sundays.

Please help us spread the word to local community service and non-profit organizations  that they are welcome to set up their own table at this event. Let your favorite cause know about our celebration. We’d welcome their participation. If you have questions call Janice Saxton at 867-1139 or email jnjsaxton@msn.com.

Editor's Note: The Democratic Women of Sandoval County list their events on the Democratic Party of Sandoval County website.

August 13, 2007 at 11:11 AM in Democratic Party, Local Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

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