Democracy for New Mexico

NM-01: Candidate Forum/Debate Schedule

Mark your calendars for these candidate forums and debates scheduled for our NM-01 Congressional candidate, Martin Heinrich, and his Repub challenger, Darren White. Click on the links for available info or contacts for the events.

Friday, August 22nd - 11:00AM
WIPP (Women Impacting Public Policy) Forum
Marriot Pyramid North, ABQ

Saturday, September 6th - 12:00PM
NARFE (National Active and Retired Federal Employees) Forum
Palo Duro Senior Center, 5221 Palo Duro NE, ABQ

Sunday, October 26th - 9:30AM
Congregation Albert Debate
Congregation Albert, 3800 Louisiana Boulevard NE, ABQ
Tickets that include brunch available in October
Debate open to public first come, first served

Sunday, October 26th - 4:00PM
KOAT / Albuquerque Journal Debate
KOAT Channel 7

Thursday: Rahm Emanuel in NM to Raise Funds for Congressional Candidates

Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel will be in New Mexico tomorrow, Thursday, August 7th, to help all three of our Dem Congressional candidates raise funds. Rep. Emanuel formerly chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and is the current Chair of the House Democratic Caucus. He'll be at fundraisers on Thursday for NM-01 candidate Martin Heinrich, NM-02 candidate Harry Teague and NM-03 candidate Ben Ray Luján.

In addition, Martin Heinrich will host a press conference in Albuquerque with Emanuel -- the fourth-highest ranking member of the House Democratic Leadership -- as well as members of New Mexico's law enforcement and first responders. Sheriff Greg Solano will be attending as well as representatives of Sheriffs John Paul Trujillo and Rene Rivera. The event will be held at 3:30 PM at Highland Park, located at Silver SE and Elm SE. Emanual and law enforcement will stand side-bys-side to support Heinrich.

In Santa Fe, Emanuel will host a fundraiser for Ben Ray Lujan at Gabriel's Restaurant on U.S. 84/285 north of town. Emanuel will also appear with Harry Teague on Thursday. Details are still pending on these.

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Friday: Gov. Richardson Wants to Hear Your Ideas for EXPO New Mexico

Governor Bill Richardson has announced he'll hold a community meeting at 1:30 PM on Friday, August 8, in the auditorium at the African American Performing Arts Center on the State Fairgrounds in Albuquerque. He wants to hear directly from New Mexicans who have ideas for redeveloping EXPO New Mexico (see aerial photo).

“I want to hear from the public, including the private sector and neighborhood associations, to explore every option for renovating the state fairgrounds,” said Governor Richardson.

The Governor will be accompanied by EXPO officials, Finance Secretary Katherine Miller and local legislators, who will be available to the public for questions and comments about the state fairgrounds. The event will be moderated by Tim Keller, Senator-Elect from District 17, where EXPO New Mexico (the fairgrounds) is located.

Governor Richardson is interested in ideas that may include replacing Tingley Coliseum and the Downs Racetrack with a world class EXPO New Mexico Exhibit Center. In effort to maximize the use of the space, the State is open to considering alternative uses for the property, including community green space, multi-use buildings and commercial or residential development.

EXPO New Mexico consists of 237 acres within the city of Albuquerque and contains approximately 1,000,000 square feet of buildings and 7,500 parking spaces.

The community meeting will be held on Friday, August 8, 2008 at 1:30 PM in the auditorium at the African American Performing Arts Center on the State Fairgrounds. This event is open to the media and the public. We urge those who would like to attend, to arrive prior to 1:30 PM.

For more info on the process set out to garner redevelopment ideas, see the website, this New Mexico Business Journal article and (pdf) on Ideas to Redevelop the Property at EXPO New Mexico.

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Griego and Keller Release Statements on Lawsuit by Incumbent Primary Losers; Robinson Talks Melodrama

Eric Griego tells it like it is:
"I thank voters once again for electing me as the Democratic nominee to the State Senate in District 14 with a wide margin, 62% to 38%. I am confident their vote for change in the June Primary will not be undermined by the unfortunate lawsuit filed Friday.

My team and I ran a strong, ethical, issue-based, grassroots campaign that spoke to real concerns.  Along with over 100 volunteers, I knocked on over a thousand doors and spoke to hundreds of voters.  I raised almost $90 thousand from nearly 500 contributors, many of whom gave $50 or less, all of which was timely and thoroughly disclosed.

I was endorsed by numerous community organizations including: New Mexico Professional Firefighters Association; Albuquerque Area Firefighters Local 244; National Education Association, New Mexico; American Federation of Teachers; Albuquerque Teachers Federation; Sierra Club; Conservation Voters New Mexico; South Valley Regional Association of Acequias; Democracy for New Mexico; and, Hispano Round Table. 

The voters and their desire for change determined the outcome of the election.  I am confident the Court will not overturn the will of the majority of the voters. I look forward to representing District 14 in Santa Fe as state senator."

Tim Keller speaks truth to power as he did in his campaign:
Having recently lost the June Democratic Primary election in Senate District 17 by a two to one margin, Shannon Robinson filed on Friday, August 1, 2008  in District Court to contest the election results claiming that voters were defrauded and a new election should be held. Robinson is also representing defeated incumbent legislators Rep. Dan Silva and State Senator James Taylor.

"The substance of this case is baseless. We are prepared to let the legal system take its course. We expect the case will be dismissed and the will of voter's decision will be upheld," says Tim of the lawsuit. "Our campaign followed the rules and spirit of campaign finance."

"I received the support of respected leaders like Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino, City Councilor Rey Garduno, former Congressional candidate and State Senator Richard Romero; and longstanding pillars of the community like the Albuquerque Teachers Union, Albuquerque Fire Fighters Union, Albuquerque Journal and the Sierra Club.

"Each night my volunteers, family and I were on the doors, talking to voters about the policy issues affecting our district. I'm proud of the grassroots campaign I ran and honored to have received the support of elected and neighborhood leaders, donors and most importantly, an overwhelming number of voters in my district. I look forward to representing the people of Senate District 17 in Santa Fe."

On June 3, Tim Keller captured 66% of the vote in the Democratic Primary and defeated 20 year state senator Shannon Robinson in Senate District 17. More about Tim can be found at his website www.timkellerfornewmexico.com.

Paranoia Strikes Deep in Robinson
Primary loser Shannon Robinson, on the other hand, is still spreading his garbage in the blogsphere. Now he's claiming that some unnamed "insiders" from the alleged "conspiracy" to wrong him and fellow losers Dan Silva and James G. Taylor are "snitches" -- and he explains to Heath Haussamen that's how he got the basis for his frivolous suit. He insists it'll be the "snitches" who prove his case.

Even weirder, the suit claims that it's GEORGE SOROS and some mysterious others who funded the "conspiracy" to the tune of $1.5 million. I'm not kidding. A long-standing boogieman to the right-wingnuts, Soros has been accused of funding almost every liberal cause and candidate in the universe at one time or another. Now his eye just happened to be on three Democratic statehouse primaries in New Mexico. Amazing. With all the political causes and candidates seeking help in this election cycle, George chose three primary legislative races (and other unspecified contests) in the Land of Enchantment to be the beneficiaries of his secret largesse.

I knew that the defeated incumbents often voted like Republicans, but I didn't know they bought into the cliched conspiracy theories of the right about scary, scary Soros. I wonder if Robinson et al. are also awaiting The Rapture. Remember that late in the primary race Robinson put out the word that Tim Keller was actually a Republican, despite his many endorsements from prominent progressive politicos and organizations. Maybe Robinson was looking in the mirror when that strategy came into his head.

And don't forget THE ILLEGAL ALIENS! Yes, folks, the lawsuit also claims that non-citizens were rounded up, registered and "encouraged" to vote for the primary winners:

46. Contestants alllege that non-citizens were knowingly and recklessly registered by the non-profit defendants and their agents and Contestees and then encouraged those same non-citiizens to participate in the election and vote for Contestees.

Yes, the English is atrocious. Robinson must have been in a hurry. Or something. In fact, the lawsuit is rife with grammatical and factual errors. One big oopsie -- it falsely claims that Neri Holguin managed the campaigns of Griego, Keller and Eleanor Chavez. Chavez was never a client of Holguin. It also wrongly asserts that Holguin is the treasurer of Conservation Voters New Mexico. As Matt Brix of the Center for Civic Policy said to Haussamen, "There are so many completely outlandish allegations that we don't even know where to begin. Everything in the lawsuit is categorically untrue."

As to the chances for success with the suit, Robinson told Haussamen, "We're going to do real well. All you have to do is follow the money" He added that the situation is "like playing cards when the other side has a marked deck. Eric Griego says he knocked on 1,000 doors. Good for him. Then why did he have to cheat?" Earth to Robinson -- he didn't. He beat James G. Taylor hands down because of his convincing and personal outreach to the voters -- something you haven't done in years -- and his impressive track record of integrity.

Message to Ringleader Shannon Robinson -- First, admit to yourself that you were beaten because you no longer care one iota about your constituents and haven't served them responsibly in years. They noticed. Then go play some rugby and cool down in some dark joint with the wall leaners and influence peddlers you've come to know and love. You can all commisserate together about the unfairness of elections where the voters know the score because they've actually met candidates dedicated to service to the comunity, and they support them.

Robinson's actions seem like something out of those old screen melodramas. The problem is, he's the villainous guy twirling a greasy mustache and trying to tie innocent people to the tracks. In the end, the bad guy always loses and virtue always triumphs in those sensational plot lines. Remember?

Read the complaint here and here (PDFs). To see our previous coverage of these (and other) legislative primary races, visit our archive.

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McCain Shows His True Colors: Thinks Cindy Should be Miss Buffalo Chip

The McCains at Sturgis, and shots from the "beauty contest"

The trad media loved Johnny and Cindy at the Sturgis SD biker rally:

As the senator made his way through a sea of motorcycle enthusiasts, shaking hands with the many veterans in attendance and accompanied by his wife Cindy and Sen. John Thune, he was surrounded by scores of beer drinking men and scantily clad women, many of whom were as thrilled to see the war hero candidate as they were to watch Kid Rock perform later in the evening.

... Indeed, McCain felt so comfortable at the event that he even volunteered his wife for the rally’s traditional beauty pageant, an infamously debauched event that’s been known to feature topless women. “I encouraged Cindy to compete,” McCain said to cheers. “I told her with a little luck she could be the only woman ever to serve as first lady and Miss Buffalo Chip.”

I guess Mr. and Mrs. Family Values don't know what really goes on in Sturgis during the annual biker gathering. Or maybe they do. Some of the debauchery so prevalent there has more than a little in common with the drunken, womanizing behavior of "Top Guns" like McCain back in the day -- the era so many right-wingers yearn for. I wonder what the "moral majority" types think about the McCains hanging with the nasty, damned sinners. I wonder what straightlaced (at least in public) GOP Senate candidate Steve Pearce and oh-so-holy NM-01 candidate Darren White think about it. Law and order! The hypocrisy on the right side is almost beyond contemplation at times, isn't it?

Was McCain's behavior surprising? No way. He has a long tradition of denigrating women. Remember his joking about how they like to be raped by animals, or his making misogynistic jokes about Chelsea Clinton and the US Attorney General or how he called his wife a trollop and a c@nt? He's a good ol' boy, ain't he? Oh those dad-gum 'Merican values! No wonder all those males who like to think of themselves as "socially conservative" like him so much. They hate the gays but they love the misogyny....

Personally, I have no problems with what happpens in Sturgis or bikers in general. To each his (or her) own as long as they don't bother me. We happened to be traveling through South Dakota one time when the bikers were riding to Sturgis, and it was a hoot seeing them. But McCain holds himself up as a paragon of morality and so do many in his party. How does this campaign stop and what he had to say there jibe with that?

Imagine how the entrenched media would handle a visit by Barack and Michelle to Burning Man. Gasp. But if they covered that the way they covered the McCains in bikeland, it might read something like this (must read).

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NM-02: Teague Announces Strong and Deep Support from Hispanics

Harry Teague, the Dems' NM-02 Congressional candidate, released the names of more than 50 prominent Hispanic leaders from across Southern New Mexico and the nation who have publicly endorsed his candidacy. The campaign reports that Congressman Joe Baca, who's a native of Belen, NM and serves as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, visited Las Cruces on Sunday to formally endorse Teague.

"I am flattered to receive the support of so many representatives of the Hispanic community," said Teague. "I am running for Congress to change Washington so that it works for working families in New Mexico, including the hundreds of thousands of hard working Hispanics in Southern New Mexico."

The list of endorsers includes notable Hispanic leaders from almost every county in the 2nd District -– from Governor Richardson, to county commissioners, to state senators and representatives, to school board members.

"Harry Teague understands the needs of Hispanics in Southern New Mexico," said Congressman Joe Baca. "Education and immigration are especially important issues to many Hispanics and I know Harry will fight hard to improve education and establish a workable immigration policy."

Partial list of Hispanic leaders who have endorsed Harry Teague for Congress:

• New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson
• New Mexico Speaker of the House of Representatives Ben Lujan, Sr.
• Congressman Joe Baca, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
• Congressman Xavier Becerra, California
• Congressman Silvestre Reyes, El Paso, Texas, Chair of the Intelligence Committee
• Congressman Solomo Ortiz, Corpus Christ, Texas
• Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, San Antonio, Texas
• Congressman Henry Cuellar, Laredo, Texas
• State Senator Howie Morales
• State Senator Mary Jane Garcia
• State Senator David Ulibarri
• State Representative Andy Nunez
• State Representative Antonio Lujan
• State Representative Joseph Cervantes
• State Representative Ken Martinez
• State Representative Rodolpho "Rudy" Martinez
• State Representative Mary Helen Garcia
• State Representative Elias Barela
• Dona Ana County Commissioner Oscar Vasquez-Butler
• Santa Fe County Commissioner Mike Anaya, President of the New Mexico Association of Counties
• Chaves County Commissioner Michael Trujillo
• Luna County Tax Assessor Patsy Leyba
• Luna County Treasurer-Elect Dora Madrid
• Deming City Councilor Joe "Butter" Milo
• Grant County Assessor Randy Villa
• Grant County Commissioner Henry Torres
• Grant County Commissioner & Bayard City Mayor Pro-tem Jovita Gonzales
• Grant County Clerk Robert Zamarripa
• Bayard City Councilman Armando Arzola
• Loving City Mayor Pete Estrada
• Santa Clara Mayor Imelda M. Lopez
• Socorro County Commission Chairman Jay Santillanes
• Socorro County Commissioner Charles Gallegos
• Socorro County Commissioner Phillip Anaya
• Socorro ISD Vice Chair Tommy Gonzales
• DeBaca County Commissioner Tommy Roybal
• Socorro City Councilor Mary Ann Chavez-Lopez
• Socorro County Clerk Audrey Jaramillo
• Socorro County Treasurer Genevie Baca
• Valencia County Democratic Party Chairman Moises Griego
• Valencia County Commission Chairman Pedro G. Rael
• Eddy County Commissioner Tony Hernandez
• Carlsbad ISD School Board Member Martin Dorado
• Belen City Mayor Ronnie Torres
• Former Cobre CISD School Board Member Gabriel Ramos
• Former Guadalupe County Magistrate Judge Arcenio Sanchez
• Dona Ana County Precinct Chair Mario Luna
• Luna County Democratic Party Treasurer Ed Apodaca
• City of Sunland Park Mayor Martin Resendiz
• City of Sunland Park Council Member Jessica Avila
• City of Sunland Park Council Member Daniel Salinas
• Former Socorro County Commissioner Laurel Armijo
• Former Socorro City Council Member Dan Armijo
• Hobbs Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Treasurer Monica Boyle
• Lea County Commissioner Hector Ramirez
• City of Hobbs Councilman Joe Calderon
• Grant County Treasurer Alfred Sedillo
• Hobbs "KLMA" Radio Owner/Community Leader Hermilo Ojeda
• Lordsburg City Councilor Manuel D.V. Saucedo
• Lordsburg City Councilor Art Talavera
• Vaughn City Mayor Paul Madrid
• Guadalupe County Commissioner James G. "Bozo" Cordova
• Guadalupe County Commissioner Glenn G. Gonzales

As an employer, Harry Teague has a strong record of offering good wages and benefits to his largely Hispanic workforce. About 80% of his company's employees are Hispanic and 8 of the 11 management positions are held by either Hispanics or women. Teague provides health care benefits and full college tuition to his employees and their dependents.

Harry Teague is a True Blue New Mexico candidate. Let's help Harry take the Second Congressional District seat for Democrats everywhere.

NM-Sen: Pearce's First TV Ad Shows Backward Thinking Extremism

I won't post a copy of the first TV ad being aired by the GOP's U.S. Senate candidate in New Mexico. Let him pay to get it shown using his meager campaign funds. No free rides here for the backward thinking right-wing extremist. I don't want Pearce to follow in the footsteps of John McCain, who makes small media buys and then has the media and blogs show his ad for free. Let 'em pay.

I will say that the ad attacks "far-left environmentalists" and ties them to Tom Udall. Far-left, to Pearce, apparently means anything other than drilling everywhere no matter the impact and putting a nuke plant in every town. Some in Pearce's party at least pretend to be interested in significantly increasing alternative energy production and getting in on the ground floor in terms of developing green economy jobs.

Not Pearce. He doesn't mention anything except drilling and nuke plants -- so I take it that those two items constitute his entire energy plan. In fact, the ad seems to imply (at least to me) that nuke power can solve all our problems, maybe even cure cancer! I know that even many environmentalists think that some additional nuclear power may be necessary in the short-term, but Pearce seems to view it as a cure-all. He doesn't mention where all the poisonous waste would go.

I know "conservatives" are all about preserving the status quo, but Pearce seems to be going even further in recommending a return to the energy policies of the 1950s. Of course, given his narrow-minded social views, he'd probably like to return us to that era in most ways. When everybody knew their place and few dared to raise any questions or challenge the power structure.

After all, this is a guy that voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act that recently passed in the House, as well as the 2007 Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Equal pay for equal work? Not in Pearce's world. A paradigm shift to alernative energy? Not in Pearce's world. New paradigms and progressive ideas seem to scare him. He's a clinger. To the past. To known entities. To the present corporate power structure. To things as they were, not things as they can be.

Actively support the candidate who looks to the future with excitement and hope -- and help make sure a narrow-minded throwback to the 1950s doesn't get anywhere near the U.S. Senate. Do what you can to help True Blue New Mexico candidate Tom Udall. If we don't do it, who will?

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Moderators for Prez & VP Debates Released

The Commission on Presidential Debates just the moderators for its three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate. The CPD had previously the dates and sites of the events. Unfortunately (and inexplicably), not one event will occur in the Mountain West or on the West Coast and no-one from ABC News will be participating:

First presidential debate:
Friday, September 26
University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS
Jim Lehrer, Executive Editor and Anchor, The NewsHour, PBS

Vice presidential debate:
Thursday, October 2
Washington University in St. Louis, MO
Gwen Ifill, Senior Correspondent, The NewsHour, and Moderator and Managing Editor, Washington Week, PBS

Second presidential debate (town meeting):
Tuesday, October 7
Belmont University, Nashville, TN
Tom Brokaw, Special Correspondent, NBC News

Third presidential debate:
Wednesday, October 15
Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY
Bob Schieffer, CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent, and Host, Face the Nation

Lehrer, Ifill and Schieffer all moderated debates in 2004, with ABC News' Charles Gibson also running one that year.

Centre College in Danville KY and Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem NC will serve as backup sites. The formats will be as follows:

• Each debate will have a single moderator and last for 90 minutes.

• In the first and third presidential debates and the vice presidential debate, the candidates will be seated with the moderator at a table.

• One presidential debate will focus primarily on domestic policy and one presidential debate will focus primarily on foreign policy. The second presidential debate will be held as a town meeting in which citizens will pose questions to the candidates. The vice presidential debate will cover both foreign and domestic topics.

• During the first and third presidential debates, and the vice presidential debate, the time will be divided into eight, ten-minute segments. The moderator will introduce each segment with an issue on which each candidate will comment, after which the moderator will facilitate further discussion of the issue, including direct exchange between the candidates for the balance of that segment.

• The participants in the town meeting will pose their questions to the candidates after reviewing their questions with the moderator for the sole purpose of avoiding duplication. The participants will be chosen by the Gallup Organization and will be undecided voters from the Nashville, Tenn. standard metropolitan statistical area. During the town meeting, the moderator has discretion to use questions submitted by Internet.

• Time at the end of the final presidential debate will be reserved for closing statements.

Looks like Independent Ralph Nader, Libertarian Bob Barr, Green Cynthia McKinney will face difficulties in being included in the events. And don't even mention Ron Paul and his Campaign for Liberty.

The CPD site provides the that will be used to determine which candidates can participate in the debates. In a nutshell, each participating candidate must be constitutionally eligible, appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to have a mathematical chance of winning a majority vote of the electoral college and have 15% support in national polls before the debates.

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NM-01: Heinrich Talks About Issues Important to Working People

Martin Heinrich, NM-01's Dem candidate for Congress, talks about the Employee Free Choice Act, health care and his work with the labor movement in a video from the AFL-CIO posted on . Numerous labor unions have endorsed Heinrich. An on the NM Labor 2008 site has this to say about Martin as part of a series called Meet Our Endorsed Candidates:

Martin’s past work with the labor movement includes leading the fight to raise the minimum wage in Albuquerque. Thanks to hard work from Martin, AFSCME, CWA, OPCM, UFCW, and the Building Trades unions, Albuquerque is one of only three cities in the U.S. in which the minimum wage is higher than both the federal and state minimum wages.

Martin also believes in affordable health care for all working families. “We need to make sure that health care is portable, that people don’t loose health care when they loose their jobs, that pre-existing conditions don’t keep people from having health care, and we should require the federal government to negotiate lower drug prices for our seniors,” says Martin.

“One of the most influential things that union members can do to support pro-working family candidates in this election is to phone bank, canvass, pass out worksite leaflets, and talk to friends and co-workers about why they are voting,” says Martin. “It is also crucial to vote early and to vote by mail.”

Martin Heinrich is a True Blue New Mexico candidate. Please do what you can to help him get elected. His campaign needs volunteers and financial support to defeat his backward-leaning GOP competitor Darren White. We don't need a Repub representative in NM-01 who wants to extend the horribly damaging Bush agenda into the coming years. The complex problems we're facing need to be addressed by someone who understands the issues and will represent the people, not the special interests. Don't just nod your head in agreement -- sign up to volunteer for Heinrich's campaign and donate to the cause.

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NM-02: Sign Petition to Tell Tinsley to Support NM Families

Harry Teague, our Congressional candidate in NM-02, wants you to sign a petition urging his Republican opponent to wise up on what's important to New Mexico's hardworking families. Tinsley, hanging out at his high-priced digs in Santa Fe's exclusive Las Companas development or his prime real estate in Capitan, is clearly out of touch with the pressing needs of ordinary working people in Central and Southern New Mexico. Ed Tinsley doesn't get it. Harry Teague gets it.

From a campaign email: Recently the minimum wage increased to $6.55 an hour. But Santa Fe's own Ed Tinsley, our opponent and a Washington, DC lobbyist for the National Restaurant Association, thinks that workers deserve less than the minimum wage. In his words: "The people who want to raise the minimum wage must have never written a check to cover labor." [Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, 9/14/2000]

Harry Teague disagrees. Harry provides his employees with good wages, health care and free college tuition for their children. Southern New Mexico needs a Congressman who will stand up for working families, not look down on them. Will you stand with us and tell Ed Tinsley to support working families? Sign our petition here!

As gas and food prices are spiraling upward, not only does Ed Tinsley think that hard working families in New Mexico don't deserve a raise, he thinks that they don't know how to spend their own money.  In his words:  "I feel that teaching them how to create a savings plan ... is very important... Understand that the educational level of a lot of our workforce is on the lower side." [New Mexico FBIHOP, 6/27/2008]

Tell Ed Tinsley to treat our working families right.

Harry wants to change Washington so that it fights for our working families. You don’t have to wait until November to tell Ed Tinsley that workers deserve respect.  Go to our new website today and stand up with Harry for Southern New Mexico. Together, we can make sure that our Southern New Mexico values are represented in Congress. 

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