Democracy for New Mexico

(Updated) Obama Releases Reform Plan for Financial Crisis

Update: The Sunlight Foundation has the two primary, competing bills regarding the bailout and is providing an opportunity for you to comment on the proposals. Go ahead, weigh in.
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From the Obama-Biden campaign: Earlier today Barack delivered a major policy address in Green Bay, WI on reforming our politics, our government and our regulatory system during this financial crisis. He also unveiled his plan to reform the greed and excesses of Washington. His plan includes curbing the influence of lobbyists and special interests, spending taxpayer money wisely and modernizing financial regulation.

Curb Influence of Lobbyists and Special Interests
• End the practice of writing legislation behind closed doors
• Shine a light on government spending and special interest tax breaks
• Enforce ethics rules in the Executive Branch
• Stop the revolving door between federal procurement officials and the contractors they supervise

Spend Taxpayer Money Wisely
• Create a high-performance government
• Eliminate ineffective government programs
• Reform government contracting

Modernize Financial Regulation
• Give the Federal Reserve greater supervisory authority
• Strengthen capital, liquidity and disclosure requirements
• Streamline overlapping and competing regulatory agencies
• Crack down on market manipulation

You can read the entire plan below the fold. What do you think?

The Change We Need in Washington - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: The Change We Need in Washington

PPP: Obama Opens Up Double Digit Lead in New Mexico; Udall Up by 20 Over Pearce

The upward trends for Democrats keep on coming. According to a Public Policy Polling phone survey, Barack Obama has jumped to an 11 point lead over John McCain in New Mexico at 53-42%, with 5% undecided. A total of 93% said they were "firmly committed" to their choices.

Meanwhile, Tom Udall is whomping Steve Pearce in the race for U.S. Senate by a margin of 57-37%, with 6% undecided. In this poll, he's winning women voters by a huge margin of 62-32% and men voters by 51-43%. He's beating Pearce with Hispanic voters 61-33% and with white voters 51-43%.

PPP conducted their survey of 1,037 likely voters from September 17th to 19th, and it has a margin of error of +/-3.0%. According to PPP:

Key to Obama’s performance is that he is only running behind 49-47 to McCain among white voters. In a state with a significant Hispanic population that level of competitiveness with whites will seal a win. He leads 59-35 with Hispanics.

And overall, Obama has a 16 point advantage with independents. Now that's impressive And he's 20 points up with white women voters and 1 point ahead with male voters.

Sarah Palin isn't helping. Only 38% said her selection made them more likely to vote for McCain, while 46% said it made them less likely to support him.

Even worse, 47% of independent voters said her place on the ticket made them less likely to vote Republican. As to Joe Biden, 35% say his choice makes them more likely to vote for Obama versus 32% who say it makes it less likely.

... “New Mexico is probably the state Bush took in 2004 that Barack Obama will have the easiest time winning this time around,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “Part of this large lead may be a product of last week’s economic crisis but even if things return to normal this is a place where the Democrats are going to have a significant advantage.”

None of this, of course, means we can let up even a fraction in our efforts. Things can turn on a dime in a volatile election cycle like this one. Keep on keepin' on with volunteering and donating for all our candidates from the top of the ticket on down. There are NO guarantees.

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CANCELLED: Wednesday Afternoon: Free Screening of 'Third Term' at Guild

Please Note: I've just been informed that this event had to be CANCELLED due to unforeseen circumstance beyond the control of DFNM. Please help get the word out so folks don't show up on Wednesday. Thanks.
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Trailer for Third Term

The Democracy for New Mexico Meetup group is hosting a free screening of the new documentary Third Term: How John McCain Promises to Continue George Bush's Failed Policies this Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 1:30 PM at The Guild Cinema in Albuquerque's Nob Hill. Afterwards, local activist Mark Rudd will lead a short discussion on the film and the issues it raises. If you attend, all we ask in return is that you make a donation you can afford to your favorite cause. Can't beat that.

Third Term, a 72-minute documentary narrated by Paul Begala, was produced by the Media Matters Action Network and the Center for American Progress Action Fund, through their joint project Progressive Accountability. According to Eddie Vale, a spokesman for Progressive Accountability, the goal of the project is "to counter the millions conservatives will invest in books, ads and movies this year to vilify progressive leaders and policies."

The documentary details what Senator John McCain's right-wing policies would mean for America. The film examines how on every major issue this year, from the war in Iraq, to the economy, to health care, to our energy crisis, Senator McCain has been on the wrong side, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with President George W. Bush. Using footage of his own words, interviews and expert analysis, Third Term exposes McCain's radical policy agenda.

Third Term features interviews with experts like: Rand Beers of the National Security Network; Ellen Malcolm of Emily's List; Paul Waldman of the Media Matters Action Network; Larry Korb of the Center for America Progress Action Fund; Thea Lee of the AFL-CIO; Ezra Klein of the American Prospect; and Steve Clemons of the New America Foundation. The documentary has been scored by Grammy-award winning producer/composer Art Hodge.

Come on down and see the free film yourself, and tell your friends and colleagues -- especially those who might not realize how damaging a McCain presidency would be.

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NM-01: Democracy for America Endorses Heinrich

DFA's Jim Dean and Heinrich at 2008 Netroots Nation

More great news. DemocracyForAmerica.com, our nation's largest progressive political action community, has endorsed Martin Heinrich's campaign to represent New Mexico's 1st Congressional District.

"Martin Heinrich has been fighting for working men and women his whole life and he's ready to take his progressive message of hard work and opportunity to Washington," said Jim Dean, Chair of DFA. "Whether it was as an engineer, president of the Albuquerque City Council, or working with Rep. Tom Udall to preserve New Mexico's natural treasures, Martin Heinrich has the skills, judgment, and experience to get the results that make a difference in people's lives."

"Democracy in our nation is based on the voices of every American, standing up and taking part in the political process. I'm honored to have the endorsement of Democracy for America, not only because of what it stands for, but also for the people it represents," said Martin Heinrich. "This is a grassroots, boots-on-the-ground organization that gets Americans involved because like me they know that our nation has to start heading in the right direction, and we are the ones who have to make it happen."

Dean and Heinrich at DFA campaign training in ABQ

Martin Heinrich grew up in a middle class family that worked hard to make sure their children had the opportunity to succeed. His parents taught him to work hard, play by the rules, and to always lend a helping hand. As the executive director of an educational foundation, Martin was dedicated to providing young people with natural science and environmental education experiences through wilderness expeditions. As Executive Director of the Cottonwood Gulch Foundation, Martin Heinrich tripled the enrollment, acquired more land for the Foundation, and set up a permanent endowment for funding.

Martin Heinrich served as President of the Albuquerque City Council; his tenure as president has been called one of the most productive periods in Council history. While on the City Council, Martin balanced the city budget every year and led the two year struggle to raise Albuquerque's minimum wage, after bringing together both business and labor leaders together to find common ground. Because of this, Albuquerque is one of four cities in the entire nation with a minimum wage above the state or federal level.

Democracy for America is a key endorsement in this race, bringing donations from progressives and providing volunteers to participate in door-to-door, grassroots outreach. DFA has helped elect over 550 progressives to office from Governor Deval Patrick in Massachusetts to Rep. Jerry McNerney in California's 11th Congressional District.

"Hardworking New Mexicans have been left behind by seven years of misguided and misdirected Republican polices; that is why Martin Heinrich supports a permanent middle class tax cut and a return to a fiscally responsible balanced budget," said Arshad Hasan, Executive Director of DFA. "New Mexicans need a leader like Martin Heinrich to stand up for their concerns and values. He will fight for a comprehensive energy policy that breaks our dependence on foreign oil while working to bring our brave men and women home from the War in Iraq."

Click to see a complete listing of DFA's current endorsements, where you can donate or volunteer for the candidates, including Martin. DFA has also endorsed Ben Ray Lujan in NM-03. Democracy for America is based in Burlington, VT. The Albuquerque DFA-DFNM Meetup group is an independent grassroots organization that is loosely affiliated with DFA as a coalition partner.

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Guest Blog: Treasury Secretary Paulsen Proposes a "Nation of Racinos"

This is a guest blog by the irrepressible Scot Key of Burque Babble whose real job is teaching Humanities and Film at an Albuquerque middle school. We need some chuckles this morning, don't we?

Earlier this week, U.S. Government officials announced a proposed $700 billion bailout of a banking system run amuck. Now it has been learned that Treasury Secretary Paulsen, working with State of New Mexico officials, has come up with another audacious plan to prop up the economy. Paulsen will urge, in fact demand, that Congress and President Bush authorize construction of a "Racino" on every street corner in America.

"I was at Yonkers Raceway trying to calm my nerves after a crazy week when it hit me," Secretary Paulsen explained at yet another hastily called press conference Sunday morning. "I looked around the track and video gaming casino areas and noticed that people were betting like crazy. They didn't care that the entire U.S. banking and credit systems were about three seconds from collapse. They just wanted the number seven horse to win in the second race. And then my Harvard-trained M.B.A. mind starting whirring, just like those wheels on the video poker machines I love so much.

"Trust me, my brain works way too fast to explain here, but in simple terms what crossed my mind was that without a completely unregulated banking system in this country, thousands and thousands and thousands of soon-to-be-unemployed credit/security market M.B.A.s won't be able to basically gamble with the American economy. Myriad billions of dollars will no longer be up for capitalistic grabs on a daily basis by stiff white-shirted brainiacs. What are these soon-to-be bailed out, unemployed traders to do with all the taxpayer money we give them along with a pink slip not allowing them to short stock, straddle options and execute questionable loans? And what is credit/security trading if not gambling?"

The Secretary scanned the room, noting that several reporters had fallen asleep. "Huh? Huh? Hey sleepy press, did you hear my questions? Are you even paying attention? What's the difference between unregulated banking and betting exactas at a harness track. Nothing, I tell ya, nothing!

"Then I get home yesterday from playing video poker and do some Googling. I see this story in a New Mexico newspaper about some beautifully monopolistic deal where the State of New Mexico offered up damn few "Racino" licenses to investors from all over the place. I didn't even know what a "Racino" was until I read that story, but it got me to thinking. And when I start thinking, you know what that means.

"You got a large population of poorer people who will do anything to get their minds off the fact they're probably gonna lose their job in about a month, can't pay their mortgage or sell their place in this burst bubble housing market, and will do anything, including throwing money on the seven horse in the second race at Yonkers. Then you got all these bailed out M.B.A.s who just love thinking up ways to make money in deregulated markets. Hey lazy reporters...put two and two together (no calculators you lazy swine) and what do you get?"

A fairly lengthy tense silence ensued before a reporter finally, haltingly answered: "You build Racinos all over the country, staff them with ex-banking and credit market professionals and provide diversionary entertainment to the poor, jobs to the criminally entrepreneurial, and tax money to a government who just went "all-in" on the banking bailout?"

Secretary Paulsen then motioned for one of his Treasury Department to offer the reporter a job running one of the new Racinos. The reporter gleefully threw his press notebook into the air, dancing a crazed jig, while other reporters looked on enviously. The now suddenly alert press instinctively started throwing their hands into the air, some to ask questions about the Racino proposal, but most to ask if, they too, could find employment at the Racinos.

"Now you pay attention! You people are pathetic," Paulsen said trailing off. As the commotion in the press room died down Secretary Paulsen added, "licenses for the new Racinos will be auctioned off on a special Treasure Department EBay web portal called 'Gamble For America'. Racino site locations are hurriedly being picked out right this second by Treasury staff on Google Earth. If we see any unused land on any street, anywhere, we're throwing eminent domain on it pronto. Hell, in this depressed real estate market we can buy 50,000 large empty lots for less than $700 billion! Maybe 100,000. Just think of the ancillary improvement that will have on property values, and now all those illegals in the construction trades will have something to do instead of going back home.

"I tell you, it's beautiful man, beautiful. Am I the smartest guy in the room, or what?"

This is a guest blog by Scot Key. 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 side of the page.

(Updated) If This Isn't Enough to Make You Sick ...

Update: Sen. Chris Dodd, the Dem who heads the Banking Committee, has proposed some improvements to the We Love Wall Street Giveaway Bill, but I'd hardly call them "populist" as the Politico article does. More like very basic, bare minimums to give this fiasco just a wee bit of fairness and make the power of the Treasury Secretary a wee bit less absolute. We'll see how tough the Dems are prepared to be to get even these changes included in the deal. Any bets?
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If this isn't enough to make you sick, I don't know what will: .

How about we push for mortgage and credit card debt to be wiped out for those who make under a certain threshold? Or even a lowering of credit card interest rates to the teens when so many are paying "late fee" punishment rates of 25-35%. No, we don't need that. We've got Nancy Pelosi pushing for an increase in unemployment benefits and more spending on infrastructure. Go get 'em Nancy. My favorite is Chuck Schumer, who doesn't want to muddy up the current horror of a bill with add ons for the people. Maybe some side bill can help people getting thrown out onto the street. Don't hold your breath. Also get the new plan to use U.S. taxpayer money to bail out FOREIGN-OWNED banks too. Oh, the largesse for The Monsters is neverending.

Caving Economy: How Did We Get Here?

I'm sure you'll agree that the complexities of how we ended up with a teetering world economy are difficult to absorb, even if one finds a source that presents factual analyses. I've been poking around trying to find understandable material and ran into this diary on Kos by Devilstower. I think it provides an excellent rundown, starting in 1982, of the major "deregulation" spurts concocted by Reagan, lobbyists, former Sen. Phil Gramm, Alan Greenspan and John McCain, among others. These efforts resulted in the savings and loan fiasco, the Keating Five scandal, the Enron debacle, massive bank consolidation, insane speculation, the current mortgage crisis and many other horrors that helped bring us to this place.

Of course there have been a myriad of other factors in play here, but the diary explains how legislation pushed by certain "conservatives" purposefully opened the floodgates to rampant thievery, fraud, damaging speculation and nefarious money grubbing. It details the major milestones that helped to create the immoral economic landscape we've experienced since the "magic hand of the market" was decoupled from common sense rules and oversight.

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Treasury Secretary to Get Absolute Power?

Think about this:

Fascism always wraps itself in the flag, always seeks absolute power, always brands opponents as traitors, always relies heavily on propaganda for dissemination of its ideas, always invokes subversive enemies (at home and abroad), always embraces militarism and permanent war, always favors politicizing of police functions (and expanding them and the surveillance state), always scorns intellectuals, artists, and bourgeois democratic values, always is hostile to leftist and labor movements, and is obsessed with idealized images of a mythic "better time" of the past (while at the same time destroying that past, and the nation as a whole).

David Neiwert / Orcinus, The Rise of Pseudo Fascism

And then consider this. From NPR's Money Blog about The Monsters' proposal for "bailout" of The Monsters:

The Treasury Secretary can buy broadly defined assets, on any terms he wants, he can hire anyone he wants to do it and can appoint private sector companies as financial deputies of the US government. And he can write whatever regulation he thinks are needed.

I understand that they wanted freedom to respond and an ability to move quickly, but to designate the Treasury Secretary full power to oversee the, uh, Treasury Secretary's decisions seems unusual. Especially given that Congress only gets a report twice a year ...

This graph really stands out:

"Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency."

Whoa. So, for the next three months, and then an additional six months after that, the Treasury Secretary can do anything he deems appropriate without anybody anywhere looking it over. That seems like an awful lot of absolute power. Am I wrong? Is this typical bureaucratic langauge? Or is this as strange as it seems?

What will the Democrats in Congress do? What can we do?

Heinrich to White: Oust Bernalillo County Republican Chair for Racist Remarks; Also, Info on C de Baca's Past

The crude, racists remarks made by Ferdinand C de Baca, the GOP's Bernalillo County Chair, are prompting outrage and on the national scene. As I posted yesterday, the comments by C de Baca were included in an by a BBC reporter who spoke with him on Thursday, at the New Mexico State Fair in Albuquerque:

"The truth is that Hispanics came here as conquerors," he said. "African-Americans came here as slaves. Hispanics consider themselves above blacks. They won't vote for a black president."

Today Martin Heinrich, the Dem candidate for Congress in NM-01, issued a statement calling on his opponent Darren White to join with him and demand Chairman Fernando C de Baca be immediately ousted from his chairmanship of the Republican Party of Bernalillo County following his racist comments reported by the BBC yesterday.

"I find GOP Chairman de Baca's comments offensive, short-sighted, and horribly racist. Spewing such bigotry proves once again that the GOP leadership of Bernalillo County is far too out of touch with New Mexican voters, who --“ regardless of political party --“ are a proud people who celebrate our cultural and ethnic diversity. GOP Chairman de Baca should step down and apologize to all New Mexicans for his disgusting display of intolerance. And if he fails to do so voluntarily, then I would hope that Darren White and the rest of the Bernalillo County GOP party leadership oust him immediately."

GOP Response
A local McCain campaign spokesperson and a statement from Darren White's campaign today denounced C de Baca's statements, but Fernando himself has been incommunicado on the matter, as have Steve Pearce, Pete Domenici, Ed Tinsley, the Republican Party of New Mexico and other GOP candidates and members, at least as far as I know.

Criticism is not enough. How can the MCain campaign and the Republican Party allow de Baca to continue in a public leadership role? Doesn't that add up to sanctioning his remarks in a way, or at least tolerating naked bigotry within the GOP's official party structure?

C de Baca Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging
By the way, this isn't the first time that Ferdinand C de Baca has created controversy. Ferdinand once plead guilty to bid rigging, as noted in this post by NM Repub blogger Mario Burgos:

Here'€™s what the Albuquerque Tribune (7/24/96) reported about C de Baca'€™s 1996 bid-rigging conviction in California:

Fernando C de Baca, 58, of Albuquerque pleaded guilty Tuesday in San Diego County District Court to conspiring to inflate bids for asbestos removal at two malls owned by the Hahn Co. of San Diego. One of them was Coronado Center in Albuquerque.

C de Baca and his co-defendant, Thomas Sytko . . . agreed to pay a $600,000 fine. C de Baca’s share was $150,000 . . .

Robert Fellmeth, a former prosecutor and the founder of the Center for Public Interest Law at the University of San Diego School of Law, called the fines the largest he can recall for criminal antitrust violations in California.

C de Baca won the contracts in return for kickbacks to Sytko. The scheme netted the two men about $310,000.

C de Baca barely avoided a three-year prison sentence. In addition to the California fine, C de Baca also paid a $25,000 fine in a settlement with New Mexico prosecutors.

When he ran for the State Senate last year, this is how C de Baca characterized the bid-rigging/kickback episode when the Albuquerque Tribune inquired about his criminal record:

In 1996 I was convicted of an anti-trust violation in California and paid a fine. My case was reviewed by the Superior Court of California in early 2004. The charge was dismissed and expunged.

C de Baca is perceived as a member of the far right bloc in the GOP here, the same wing of the party that supports Rep. Steve Pearce, who's running against Tom Udall for U.S. Senate here.

If you read Burgos' entire post, you'll understand why Mario wanted to get this info out about C de Baca. Turns out that Fernando had pulled some shenanigans within the County and State GOP that were less than stellar in trying to promote the far-right power bloc he supports within the Party.

And think about this -- C de Baca is perceived to be aligned with the GOP forces that back Steve Pearce, the extreme rightwinger who's running against Dem Tom Udall for U.S. Senate here. I wonder if Steve Pearce agrees with C de Baca's comments. We'll have to wait and see.

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Green Jobs: ABQ Green Solutions Fair 9/27/08

The ABQ Green Solutions Fair, part of national day of action

From NMYO: New Mexico Youth Organized (NMYO), in collaboration with Green for All and several other national climate change campaigns, NMYO is pushing for green jobs in New Mexico as a pathway out of poverty for young people and as a solution to global warming. NMYO and 1Sky New Mexico, along with many other environmental and community groups, will be hosting a solutions fair that will highlight energy saving solutions, environmental education, community gardening, green businesses, and the Albuquerque Green Job initiative.

“This is going to be a fun, community event that will highlight the ongoing work towards cleaning up our environment, building pathways out of poverty via green jobs, and uplifting our environment and our people.” NMYO Organizer – Juan Reynosa

Albuquerque Green: An Environmental Solutions Fair
September 27, Noon – 3:00 PM
8th and Central, Robinson Park
Live Solar Powered Music, Free Food, Good Times

We will also have a couple people on hand to help anyone who needs minor bike repairs done to their bicycle. Subject matter will range from protecting the wilderness, to green jobs, to bio-diesel, to sustainable transportation, and everything in between.

“We have a golden opportunity to invest in the economies of the future that provide jobs locally and at the same time save the environment.” said Juan Reynosa, organizer with NMYO. “NMYO’s Greencollar Jobs campaign will bring desperately needed jobs to New Mexico and help move our antiquated energy policy to one built on a clean, renewable economy.”

For more information, contact Juan Reynosa, 1Sky Organizer at (505) 242-4036, joowan1@gmail.com.

New Mexico Youth Organized (NMYO) is a community based organization devoted to improving the lives of working families in our state. Through engaging 17-34 year olds in the civic process our mission is to inspire the next generation of leaders in New Mexico.

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