Democracy for New Mexico

Five Years of Lies, Misery and Death

Five years ago today, the Senate voted in the dead of night to authorize the use of military force in Iraq by a vote of 77-23. Bush heralded the vote, stating, “America speaks with one voice.” Contending that the authorization was a “blank check,” Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) warned, “This is the Tonkin Gulf resolution all over again. Let us stop, look and listen. Let us not give this president or any president unchecked power. Remember the Constitution.” Here are the 23 Senators who courageously voted no:

NAYs ---23
Akaka (D-HI) BINGAMAN (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Byrd (D-WV) Chafee (R-RI) Conrad (D-ND) Corzine (D-NJ) Dayton (D-MN)	Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI) Graham (D-FL) Inouye (D-HI) Jeffords (I-VT) Kennedy (D-MA) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI)	Mikulski (D-MD) Murray (D-WA) Reed (D-RI) Sarbanes (D-MD) Stabenow (D-MI) Wellstone (D-MN) Wyden (D-OR)

(h/t Think Progress)

On the House side, H J RES 114 passed by a margin of 296-133 with 3 not voting. Rep. Tom Udall (D, NM-03) voted against it. Reps. Steve Pearce (R, NM-02) and Heather Wilson (R, NM-01) voted for it. And here we are five years later, stuck in a quagmire of chaos and blood with more than $500 billion gone from the treasury and a multitude of lives lost or shattered -- both military and civilian. As of this date, members of the U.S. Military have been killed in Iraq.

U.S. Casualties By Calendar Year

Year	US Deaths	US Wounded
2003	486	2,408
2004	849	8,003
2005	846	5,948
2006	822	6,398
2007	818	4,996
Total	3821	27753

Unbelievably, Bush-Cheney and their devotees are still urging us to stay the course for VICTORY. Equally unbelievably, most of the major Dem presidential candidates won't even commit to getting our troops out by 2013! Let's make sure we hold as many as we can accountable at the ballot box. Remember.

Who Is Michelle Lujan Grisham and Why Is She Running for Congress in NM-01?

Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham, former Secretary of the NM Department of Public Health, will officially announce her candidacy today for the NM-01 Congressional seat being vacated by Heather Wilson. This is Grisham's first run for public office.

Grisham was appointed to head the state's public health effort by Governor Bill Richardson in September 2004. She served in that role until June of 2007, when she was replaced by Dr. Alfredo Vigil. The press release announcing the change stated that Grisham was resigning to pursue an opportunity involving elected office. She later explained she planned to explore running for Heather Wilson's Congressional seat or another elected office and said "I'm going to need time to raise money."

Grisham's tenure at Public Heath was a rocky one. She endured public controversies over her firings of highly respected infectious disease specialist, Dr. Gary Simpson, and regional director of public health, Albert Esparsen, as well as her alleged mistreatment of the immunization program's Steve Nickell, who resigned. While some department staff apparently found her blunt management style refreshing, others accused her of being bureaucratic, abrasive, a micro-manager and prone to cronyism. Scandals related to life threatening conditions and poor nursing home care at Ft. Bayard Medical Center, as well as problems with client care, oversight and fiscal management at Los Lunas Community Programs, came to light on her watch.

Prior to her work at Health, Michelle was the director of the Agency on Aging, which became the Aging and Long-Term Services during her 14-year career there. A lawyer, Michelle also managed the Lawyer Referral for the Elderly Program with the state bar. Grisham's grandfather, Eugene David Lujan, served on the NM Supreme Court from 1945 to 1959, and was the first Hispanic appointee to New Mexico's top court.

The word is that former Democratic Party of New Mexico Chair John Wertheim will serve the campaign as a fundraising co-chair. By the way, Wertheim's wife, Bianca Ortiz-Wertheim, works in the administration of Mayor Marty Chavez, who's running for U.S. Senate. She was hired in June of this year as the city's legislative coordinator, a position created by Chavez. The job pays $79,000 a year and entails serving as a liason between the Mayor's Office and the City Council.

You can read more about Grisham in my previous post discussing her departure from the Public Health Department.

Our past posts about the NM-01 Congressional race are compiled here.

The Freshly Minted "Independent": Sheriff Darren White Enters NM-01 Race

Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White announced his entry into the NM-01 Congressional race on the Republican side yesterday afternoon at a news conference in Albuquerque. His spinning began immediately. This is the man who headed up the county's 2004 Bush-Cheney reelection campaign and has been one of the most vociferous defenders of all things Bush. Suddenly he's seen the light or at least decided it's politically expedient to portray himself as an "independent voice" more dedicated to doing what's right than toeing any party line. In an Albuquerque Journal article entitled "Sheriff Stresses Independence," White is quoted as saying

"Sadly, some politicians in Washington from both parties have broken the public's trust ... I will continue to call things the way I see them and (I will be) criticizing mistakes, no matter which party makes them."

What a turnaround. Here's what Democratic Party of New Mexico Chairman Brian S. Colón had to say in response to White's entry into the race:

"Darren White served as the 2004 Bernalillo County Chairman for the Bush-Cheney reelection Campaign. In serving as George W. Bush's figurehead in Bernalillo County, Darren White carried water for an administration that has spent half-a-trillion dollars fighting an endless civil war in Iraq that has led to the deaths of 3,800 brave American soldiers. Darren White defended an administration who has created the largest deficits in American history - deficits that our children and grandchildren will be forced to repay.  And he stood up for an administration that has refused to expand health care to an additional 27,900 New Mexican children whose parents cannot afford it.

"The people of New Mexico have had enough of the failures of the Bush-Cheney Administration and will reject this Bush-Cheney insider from going to Washington.  Anyone who occupied such a position as Darren White did with the campaign of the failed Bush-Cheney Administration is simply too extreme for the people of New Mexico."

Independent?
Of course hiding behind a fake "independent" mask is also a trademark of Heather Wilson, NM-01's current Rep who's running for Senate. Despite voting in support of the Bush-Cheney agenda almost every time, Wilson has long sought to portray herself as a "moderate" motiviated by doing what's right, not doing what the GOP bosses in the White House want. Clearly, White is now trying to assume that mantle. I think it's gonna be a hard sell, don't you?

As I reported in a previous post, White received the honor of being one of a handful of delegates to the 2004 GOP convention selected to officially inform President Bush of his selection as the official Republican nominee for President. Think about that. Of all the Repubs heading up Bush-Cheney reelection campaigns in the many states and counties across the country, Darren White was among the few chosen to personally inform George II that he'd secured the nomination for his second term. He's been that loyal to the Bush-Cheney agenda and the neo-con power structure.

Victory in Iraq!
White has apparently experienced a eureka moment on the Iraq occupation as well:

On the subject of the Iraq war, he said, "mistakes have been made by those in Washington." In a question-and-answer session with reporters, he added, "I'm for a course of action that brings our troops home as quickly as possible, but stays true to that mission— which is wiping out the terrorists in Iraq, and most importantly, keeping Americans safe.

Then again, you can watch him say in this KOB-TV News video that,

"We all want to bring the troops home and I will do just that but our troops must return in VICTORY!"

Darren White -- still buying into the Bush machine myths that the Iraq occupation is keeping Americans safe, that the administration has defined a clear mission there and that "victory" is possible, whatever that means. I guess his fancy new independent voice has gone missing already. Not surprising considering that White has spent many years being a vocal apologist for and booster of All Things Bush.

For previous posts about the NM-01 Congressional race, check our archive.

(Updated) Get Your Scorecard: U.S. Senate and House Races in New Mexico

Have you ever felt such powerful, crackling, constantly changing political lightning flashing all over New Mexico? To say the situation has been fast-paced and fluid since Sen. Domenici announced his retirement would be a huge understatement. The phone companies must be making a bundle on the traffic being generated by all the speculating, negotiating, analyzing, strategizing, gossiping and bitching that been going on every political level in all parts of the state. So where do we stand right now? Here's a basic scorecard (UPDATED 10.12.07):

U.S. SENATE RACE

DEMOCRATS:

IN: Santa Fe sustainable developer Don Wiviott; Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chavez; Santa Fe Community Housing Trust Finance Director Jim Hannan; Santa Fe publisher Leland Lehrman

OUT: Gov. Bill Richardson; Rep. Tom Udall (NM-03)

STILL PONDERING: Lt. Gov. Diane Denish; former Attorney General Patricia Madrid

REPUBLICANS:

IN: Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01); Roswell oilman Spiro Vassilopoulos

LAUNCHED EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE: Rep. Steve Pearce (NM-02)

STILL PONDERING: NM Land Commissioner Pat Lyons

U.S. HOUSE NM-01

DEMOCRATS:

IN: Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich; Attorney Jon Adams; former Secretary of NM Department of Public Health Michelle Lujan Grisham

OUT: State Rep. Al Park; State Treasurer James Lewis; former Attorney General Patricia Madrid

STILL PONDERING: ?

REPUBLICANS:

IN: Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White

STILL PONDERING: State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones; State Sen. Mark Boitano; State Sen. John Ryan; State Senator Joe Carraro

U.S HOUSE NM-02

DEMOCRATS:

IN: Dona Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley; Minister Al Kissling

STILL PONDERING: State Rep. Joseph Cervantes

REPUBLICANS:

UNKNOWN: Current Rep. Steve Pearce (may run for U.S. Senate)

MAY BE PONDERING: K-Bob's Steakhouse owner Ed Tinsley; Roswell State Rep. Dan Foley

U.S. HOUSE NM-03

DEMOCRATS:

IN: Current Rep. Tom Udall (considered a shoe-in)

REPUBLICANS:

IN: No names being floated yet

Check our archives for previous posts on these races:

• Senate
• NM-01
• NM-02
• NM-03

500+ Turn Out for Kucinich in Albuquerque

Dennis Kucinich campaigned for president in Albuquerque last night, drawing a crowd at Smith-Brasher Hall on the CNM campus that numbered more than 500 according to the AP. An Albuquerque Journal article, not surprisingly, downsized that number to 300, although the article admitted the hall was overflowing. Some Kucinich quotes:

"Go into your own hearts for a second ... This war has been responsible for the deaths of over a million innocent Iraqi people ... It's all been based on a lie; it's being done in our name ... Somehow, war and strength became equated. But now, war and stupidity are being equated."

Kucinich said it was "astonishing" that Hillary, Obama and Edwards refused to promise to bring all the troops home from Iraq by 2013 in a recent Dem debate, especially since the Dem Party's main message during the 2006 election was ending the war. "With a message of 'Vote Democratic: We'll keep you in Iraq till 2013,' I don't think we would have won, frankly."

Kucinich also said he differs from Bill Richardson on Iraq because, "I'm five years ahead of him. There's only one person running for president who saw five years ago what a disaster this was and spoke out loudly. People, I think, want presidents who have vision and clarity."

Kucinich wore a small red chile pepper pin on the lapel of his brown sport coat during his Tuesday-night speech. "That's out of respect for the state vegetable. I'm a vegan. And you know the real question in this election is, 'Red or green?' ''

Dennis' wife Elizabeth will be campaigning for him in New Mexico for the next few days, including an appearance tonight in Albuquerque at Plumbers and Pipefitters Hall at Zuni and San Pedro at  6:30 PM. On Thursday, October 11, she'll be attending events in Taos and Las Vegas. More info here.

Shout Out: I couldn't attend last night's rally because I was at another event. If you were there and have some photos, video or feedback you'd like to share, let me know in the comments and I'll post it.

(Updated) Martin Heinrich: A Powerhouse on Conservation and the Environment

Martin and son at White Sands, NM

UPDATE: Dem Rep. Al Park has decided not to enter the NM-01 race. Sheriff Darren White is expected to announce his candidacy for the seat on the Repub side sometime today.
***************
Dem Martin Heinrich, running for Congress in NM-01, has a long and strong environmental record of achievement, and his positions on related issues are informed and personally passionate ones. See page 14 of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance's Spring 2007 magazine (pdf) for an article about Heinrich's experience and accomplishments. It's written by Stephen Capra, Executive Director of the NM Wilderness Alliance.

As Capra writes,

Before running for office [on the Albuquerque City Council], Heinrich served on the Board of Directors for the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, including some time as President. He is also the former Executive Director of the Cottonwood Gulch Foundation, a non-profit organization providing experiential outdoor and environmental education. During those days, Martin's hair was a little longer and his tan a bit darker, thanks to time spent outdoors exposing young people to the history, art, science and cultures of the southwest.

... He used his burgeoning political instincts as the primary organizer in the successful campaign to protect the Ojito Wilderness Area. His tireless efforts were crucial in gaining the necessary support of our congressional delegation and overcoming earlier opposition by local ranchers. Ojito became the first new wilderness in our state in over 18 years.

.. Many politicians like to “talk green,” far fewer actually make the environment part of their core agenda.

To learn more about Heinrich's achievements, read the entire article. We've got the real deal here at a time when so much is at stake in terms of the crises we face related to global warming, energy and water use, habitat preservation and so much more.

DLC No, Heinrich Yes
It's so important to show our support for Heinrich NOW if we want him to be our nominee. With Repub Heather Wilson vacating the race to run for Senate, more Dem candidates may be tempted to run in NM-01. In my opinion, the names being mentioned can't hold a candle to Heinrich on any number of issues, including the environment.

DLC Dems like State Rep. Al Park and others are good guys in many ways, but I don't think their "centrist" views measure up to the principled stands Heinrich takes. For instance, note that Al Park was selected for special notice by the conservative, business-oriented DLC (see here and here). In my book we need more DLC Dems in the Congress like we need a hole in the head. What we do need are more candidates like Heinrich, who hail from the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party.

In my view, potential candidates like Park are more about clinging to a business as usual model than creatively envisioning a future shaped by our growing awareness of the kind of change we'll need to make to ensure the planet's survival -- and ours.

Just Do It
If you agree, let's help clear the field for Martin. Donate a few bucks at the DFNM Netroots for Heinrich page at Act Blue, visit Martin's revamped website and blog and officially endorse his candidacy.

For our previous posts on the 2008 Congressional race in NM-01, visit our archive.

Wiviott Committed to Winning Senate Race in New Mexico

In response to Mayor Martin Chavez's announcement this morning that he'll be entering the race for U.S. Senate in New Mexico, Don Wiviott had this to say:

“I welcome Marty Chavez to the campaign. I got in this race early because I believe there are serious issues facing this country, such as bringing our troops home from Iraq, creating jobs, and protecting our planet, that are more important than partisan or personal politics. I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been doing since I announced my candidacy in late June: introduce myself to the people of New Mexico and explain why we need a strong, progressive voice in Washington. I’m committed to winning this race."

Wiviott got into the race months before Pete Domenici announced his retirement and Marty Chavez decided to take the plunge. Clearly, he's in the race to stay.

Video: Marty Chavez Announces U.S. Senate Run in New Mexico

Over at New Mexico's KOB News, unedited. From this morning at Eclipse Aviation in Albuquerque. He announced the presence a the event of former NM First Lady Clara Apodaca, District Attorney Kari Brandenburg, Santa Fe County Clerk Valerie Espinoza, former Ambassador to Spain Ed Romero, City Councilor Ken Sanchez and lobbyist Linda Siegel, among others. Here's his new campaign website.

See our previous posts on the 2008 U.S. Senate race in New Mexico.

Two Repubs Mull Run for Heather Wilson's Seat

Two Republican names are consistently being mentioned as possible candidates for the Congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01), who's running for Pete Domenici's Senate seat in 2008: Sheriff Darren White and State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones.

On the strongly conservative side, there's current Bernalillo County Sheriff , who headed up the Bush-Cheney campaign in Bernalillo County last time out. This election cycle, he's been working for Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign in the county. Sheriff White will fly to DC this week to confer with GOP bigwigs. He's known to have connections with the same folks who brought us the bogus GOP "voter fraud" strategy and were go-betweens in the political firing of US Attorney David Iglesias: lawyer-lobbyist Mickey Barnett and attorney Pat Rogers.

White began his second four-year term as the Sheriff of Bernalillo County on January 1, 2007. He was a Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Department of Public Safety from 1995-99 during Gov. Gary Johnson's administration. Previously, he served as an officer in both the Houston and Albuquerque police departments. He's an Army vet, having served with the 82nd Airborne. White has a Bachelor's in management from the University of Phoenix.

Fear and Loathing in New Mexico
Sheriff White can be expected to run as a "law and order" and "homeland security" candidate. Some of his major issues as Sheriff have been tougher enforcement on DWI, methamphetmine and sex offenses. Add illegal immigration and "border security" to the mix and, voila, you've got the typical right-wing platform based on fear, "cracking down" on crime and being ever vigilant against "terrorists."

The idea is to scare people by exaggerating threats as much as possible, and then to sell yourself as the hero who will keep them safe. We've seen this strategy over and over during the Bush II era. It's usually accompanied by a thousand TV ads that attempt to smear opponents as less than patriotic, as well as soft on crime, terrorism and illegal immigration. It can be seen as the Big Daddy Will Protect You strategy. White seems tailor made for it. This setup has been employed by the GOP for decades in one form or another. Remember when every Dem who dared to voice an opinion was labeled a Pinko-Commie or someone who "coddles" criminals?

State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones (R-Albuquerque), a more moderate Repub, is also mulling tossing her hat in the ring in NM-01 and has said she's checking out the fundraising situation before going forward. Arnold-Jones was first elected to the NM House in 2002. During the 2007 Legislative Session she served on the House Taxation and Revenue Committee (and the Capital Outlay Subcommittee) and the House Voters and Elections Committee. She has a BA in Speech Communication from UNM. Here's her bio.

Powerful right-wing GOP operatives can be expected to encourage her not to enter the race as she's not a good match for their usual Big Daddy approach to campaigning.

Background: Sheriff White and "Voter Fraud"
Here's more background about Sheriff Darren White's involvement in the GOP's "voter fraud" scam that later became a pivotal issue in the firing of U.S. Attorney David Iglesias:

From an indepth look at the GOP's pursuit of bogus "voter fraud" in New Mexico, in the magazine of the National Housing Institute:

By the fall of 2004, the presidential contest between George W. Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry had tightened, and by all accounts, ACORN was signing up new voters statewide. By August 2004, ACORN and its allies registered 65,000 people-about a 10-percent increase over 2000-in Bernalillo County, home to Albuquerque. The Republicans' vendetta against ACORN in New Mexico was about to begin.

It started in early August when a group of Republicans led by County Sheriff Darren White marched into the Bernalillo County clerk's office and asked if there were any "problem" registrations. County Clerk Mary Herrera said yes: some 3,000 incomplete or error-ridden forms were missing Social Security numbers, post office box addresses, or signatures.

That was enough for White, one of the state's highest-profile Republicans and chair of the county Bush-Cheney campaign. "When they brought me on, it was plain and simple: They said, 'We need to win Bernalillo County,' " White told the Albuquerque Journal.

On August 5, he dashed off a letter to New Mexico's U.S. attorney, David C. Iglesias, asking him to investigate voter-registration cards that might be fraudulent. A series of "suspect" forms had been submitted in recent weeks, he said in his letter.

As we all know by now, and as the article explains, no "voter fraud" was found by U.S. Attorney Iglesias and a task force he created. Instead, the investigation turned up the usual kinds of mistakes and errors found in voter registration applications.

From a summary of the conduct of the 2004 election in New Mexico:

Two months before the election, Republican U.S. Attorney David Iglesias formed a task force — involving the criminal division of the U.S. Justice Department, the FBI, the New Mexico Department of Public Safety and the secretary of state's office — to investigate and prosecute suspected cases of election fraud. "The New Mexico probe was launched in part at the request of Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White, who chairs the county's Bush-Cheney campaign."

"When they brought me on, it was plain and simple: They said, `We need to win Bernalillo County,'" said Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White, who is helping coordinate Bush's campaign here. In April 2004, Sheriff White was added to the National Bush-Cheney '04 First Responders Leadership Team. "The Bush-Cheney '04 National First Responders Leadership Team will help build a nationwide network of grassroots support for the President and help communicate his commitment to homeland security and his record of achievement for America's first responders."

Sheriff White also attended the 2004 Republican National Convention as a GOP delegate. While in New York City, the delegates took in a Broadway show and a tour of the Fox News studios. Sheriff White also received the honor of being one of the 10 delegates selected to officially inform President Bush of his selection as the official Republican nominee for President.

Click for previous posts about the NM-01 Congressional race and the U.S. Attorney firing scandal.

Enchilada Dinner & Presentation on Environmental Impact of Sandia Labs Nuke Project

From CARD/Citizens for Alternatives to Radioactive Dumping: Attention nosy neighbors! Neighbors and citizens concerned about harmful environmental effects caused by nuclear projects at Sandia National Labs, are invited to attend an informational presentation and enchilada dinner: Thursday, October 11, 2007 from 6:00-8:30 PM at the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice, 202 Harvard SE. This informative community event is sponsored by Citizens for Alternatives to Radioactive Dumping (CARD), Citizens Action and Southwest Information Research Institute.

Local experts and scientists will give updates on the recent environmental issues and concerns in reference to Sandia Labs. A complete enchilada dinner, rice beans and salad will be served. Please come hungry for food and information on environmental issues. Donations will be gratefully accepted.

Contact: Lucille Cordova or Janet Greenwald/CARD-Citizens for Alternatives to Radioactive Dumping at 505-266-2663. Click for a flyer (doc) designed by Marlene Quintana a student at CNM and CARD's Youth Coordinator