Democracy for New Mexico

Spread the Word: Election Protection Launches Voting Hotlines, Outreach

Call the HOTLINE for help with ANY AND ALL registration and voting questions or problems:

1-866-OUR VOTE for English speakers
and 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA for Spanish speakers

Election Protection Website: www.866ourvote.org, features real time voter information and extensive instructions and advice on how voters can make sure their voices are heard. You can find information specifically about New Mexico here. Check out the New Mexico Voter Registration Guide created by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Click for flyers to help spread the word.

With early voting, registration and absentee deadlines looming, Election Protection has launched its 2008 general election efforts. The nation’s largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition, representing more than 100 organizations and the full spectrum of American citizens, will undertake the most comprehensive effort ever undertaken to empower voters to make sure their vote counts this November 4.

On a conference call for reporters and bloggers, leaders from major civil rights organizations including the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Rock the Vote, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials and the National Congress of American Indians unveiled an extensive voter outreach program.

“This historic election deserves a historic election protection effort,” said Barbara Arnwine, Executive Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “This major coalition will offer comprehensive resources with one simple goal --  to ensure all eligible voters are given the opportunity to exercise their rights.”

English and Spanish Hotlines
The centerpiece of those efforts are the free and nonpartisan hotlines (1-866-OUR VOTE for English speakers and 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA for Spanish speakers) which connect voters with questions or problems to legal experts that can offer impartial and confidential advice. Fully trained volunteers have already started answering voters’ calls and are helping resolve voting issues nationwide, now and through Election Day.

Radio Ads
In addition, Election Protection is announcing the launch of a campaign featuring radio ads with Hollywood star Tyler Perry, who urges voters to use the free, confidential and nonpartisan hotlines- – the ads will run in major states that have traditionally experience challenges with the election process.

Tens of Thousands of Volunteers
During the 2008 primaries, Election Protection found that many eligible voters across the country lost their right to vote because of inaccurate voter rolls, poorly trained poll workers and problems with voting machines. Now, Election Protection is mobilizing tens of thousands of volunteers, including 10,000 legal volunteers to monitor polling places, educate voters, facilitate a dialogue with local and state officials, provide legal support to poll monitors, and answer the 1-866-OUR-VOTE voter services hotline –- a monumental undertaking designed to ensure smooth voting in November.

Election Protection is the nation’s largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition, led by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Through its 1-866-OUR-VOTE hotline (1-866-687-8683) and dedicated team of legal experts and trained volunteers, Election Protection helps all American voters, including traditionally disenfranchised groups, gain access to the polls and overcome obstacles to voting, offering live assistance. The coalition has more than 100 partners at the national, state and local level and is providing live voter protection services now through Election Day for all 50 states.

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Help us get the word out about the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline to protect all Americans’ right to vote.

The time is now. Voting registration deadlines are looming. The deadline in New Mexico is less than 3 weeks away.

Today, Election Protection, the largest (non-partisan) voter protection effort ever undertaken, officially launched its general election hotline (866-OUR-VOTE) to assist ANY AND ALL registration and voting questions or problems (see attached press release).

Please consider blogging about our 866-OUR-VOTE hotline and 866OURVOTE.org website so voters will know where to turn if they experience problems registering or verifying their registration. Voting disenfranchisement during registration continues to be a serious problem (see this report from the NY Times about Virginia discouraging college student from voting).

The time is now. For more information, see the post today on TPM, visit 866OURVOTE.ORG, or call Alex Slater at 202-337-0808.

East Mountains for Obama: River, Baby, River

Read all about it in newmexicobear's diary on Daily Kos. (And don't miss the donkey.) River is an 11-year-old, homeschooled Obama activist from Edgewood NM. A rousing speech -- and a reminder that now's the time for ACTION.

New ARG NM Poll: Obama 51%, McCain 44%

A new American Research Group poll that surveyed 600 likely voters in New Mexico on September 14-16 shows Obama pulling away from McCain 51-44% with 5% undecided and a margin of error of plus or minus 4 points.

Obama was also ahead with Independent voters 50-41%, women voters by 61-35%, 18-29 year olds by 53-41% and those 50 and older 49-48%. McCain came out ahead only with men voters, 55-39%

Political Wire reports additional ARG poll results in these states showing tight races, many within the margin of error. Surprising numbers in Montana and West Virginia:

Colorado: McCain 46%, Obama 44%
Missouri: McCain 50%, Obama 45%
Montana: McCain 49%, Obama 47%
Nevada: McCain 49%, Obama 46%
North Carolina: McCain 52%, Obama 41%
Ohio: McCain 50%, Obama 44%
West Virginia: McCain 49%, Obama 45%

Meanwhile, today's Gallup Tracking Poll has Obama ahead for the first time since the GOP convention, 47-45%. Tight but trending our way ....

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The Party That Ruined America

Just read it: by James Howard Kunstler. Now repeat after me: "The Party That Ruined America." Say it again. Put it in every email, every blog comment, every diary, every post. Pass it on. Mention it to those you canvass and those you call. Tell it to your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues. It is the truth and we can use it to beat them, at last, as we must. And then we can see if that means anything. And it must. And it will, if we unite and make it so. (h/t to my fellow traveler in Ft. Worth)

Thursday: North Valley Candidate Forum

Candidates’ Forum
NM House District 15 & 17, NM Senate District 10
US Senate, US House of Representatives Dist. 1
Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008, 7 PM - 9 PM
Raymond G. Sanchez Community Center
9800 Fourth NW, Albuquerque
Sponsored by the Alameda North Valley Association

See agenda and participating candidates below.

AGENDA

7:00 – 8:00 PM: NM Legislature Candidates, Moderator, Debby Potter

7:00 PM: Announcement from Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office (poll workers needed)

7:05 PM: Introduction of NM Legislature Candidates:

Representative Edward Sandoval (incumbent), Ron Toya

Representative Teresa A. Zanetti (incumbent), Bill B. O’Neill

Senator John C. Ryan (incumbent), Victor Paul Raigoza

(Note: All the Candidates with the exception of Rep. Sandoval have confirmed they will attend the forum. Rep. Rick Miera will attend to represent Rep. Sandoval.)

7:10: Candidates’ Opening Remarks (2 minutes each), All Candidates

7:25: Question and answer session: 2-minute response per question. Prepared questions and select audience questions

7:50: Candidates’ Closing Remarks (1 minute each), All Candidates

8:00 – 9:00 PM: US Congressional Candidates

8:00: Introduction of US Congressional Candidates or their representatives

Congressman Tom Udall, Congressman Steve Pearce; Martin Heinrich, Sheriff Darren White

(Congressman Udall will be represented by Dr. Ray Powell, Congressman Pearce has not confirmed, Martin Heinrich will be attending, Sheriff White will not be attending nor will he be represented.)

8:05: Overview of Candidates’ Platform, All Campaigns, 15 minutes each

9:05: Adjourn

Note: If you have questions for the candidates please respond to this email. We will start the meeting on time so please try to be a little early. We invite you to attend this important meeting! Please share this information with your neighbor.

For additional information, please contact: Steve Wentworth – 505-897-3052 or Dr. Deborah Potter – 505-897-8621

Would You Buy a Used Economy From This Man?

Make no mistake about it. This is the Conservative-Bush-McCain-Gramm economy come to fruition, with even more nightmarish consequences lurking on the near horizon. What we're experiencing today is the creation of those who call themselves "conservatives" -- but the only things they seem to want to conserve are their own hides and their own riches. Now they're even failing at that. And we're supposed to want more of the same for the next four years? A used economy based on the failed policies of the tired and discredited, trickle down, deregulation mob that's been calling the shots in Washington for decades? Yeah, that's what I want when I think of "change."

Here's what this bunch believes:

--Government itself and government rulemaking that provides commonsense oversight over any aspect of the economy or any economic players are intrinsically bad.

--The "wisdom" of the markets will prevail if we just remove all meaningful rules and regulations that have been designed to protect consumers, taxpayers, transparency and fairness.

--Global trading and global capitalism should be allowed to run wild without governing rules or protections for workers, the environment or anything or anyone else.

--If you end up struggling in this economy, you deserve no help from the government. Only failing corporations run into the ground by reckless, fraudulent operators should get such help.

--Money will magically trickle down to ordinary folks if we give almost all of it to the very tip top of the investor class.

I could go on, but you get the picture. This anything goes value system, to use the term loosely, is what got us to this place. Even worse, now that all the sleazy maneuvers and underhanded dealings have produced a free fall in our economy and the world's, these greedy bastards are demanding that they all be bailed out by -- you guessed it -- the taxpayers. What a deal. They socialize all the risks and privatize all the profits, and when things go badly they blackmail the government by claiming if they don't get our cash, the entire economy will crumble.

McCain, Gramm and the Deregulators
So what does all this have to do with John McCain? For starters, he chaired the Senate Commerce Committee when a significant amount of this "deregulation" BS was injected into the economy. He loved it. He pushed it. He believed in it. He trumpeted it. As the ProPublica reported today,

This morning's New York Times probed the candidates' actual records. It concludes that McCain "has never departed in any major way from his party's embrace of deregulation." Indeed, the Times says, McCain "has no history prior to the presidential campaign of advocating steps to tighten standards on investment firms."

Now consider that McCain's best friend and ally has long been former Senator Phil Gramm -- you know, the moral misfit economy professor who claims that the recessiion we're having is only a "mental" aberration and that we're simply a nation of "whiners."

Gramm, the former Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, was one of the biggest cheerleaders and legislators of the "deregulation" movement, ever ready to do the bidding of those who make their "living" by sucking capital out of institutions, companies and markets using underhanded, pushing-the-envelope means. Gramm thinks all the money should go to the investor class with as little as possible "wasted" on those who actually work for a living. Workers are mere, replaceable widgets -- and the costs of their wages, benefits and working conditions need to be held down at any price to human dignity and fairness. He's quite a guy.

Gramm was McCain's top economic advisor until he made a fool of himself with the "whiners" remark, and he has long been touted as McCain's choice to serve as Treasury Secretary in a McCain administration. Even though he has officially withdrawn from the McCain campaign, he's clearly still providing advice and he's still the odds on favorite to head the Treasury Department if McCain manages to lie his way into the White House.

Read this excellent piece by Joe Conason about Gramm's history, which includes close connections with the savings and loan debacle, Enron and the huge deficits run up by Reagan's misguided tax cuts for the rich. And check out Gramm's parting shot:

Before he retired from the Senate in 2002, he wrote the Gramm-Bliley bill, an act broadly deregulating the financial industry -- and now blamed by many economists for the epidemic of speculation and fraud that has shaken the global economy.

... Over and over again, from the savings-and-loan fiasco to the Enron shock to the global banking meltdown, the golden promises of deregulation have turned to leaden ruin. Perhaps nobody cares about the lobbyists surrounding McCain, but someone should ask him why he would cherish the advice of a man whose devotion to ideology has already done us so much damage.

What Specific Changes is McCain Proposing?
It might also be useful to ask McCain exactly which policies he proposes that would mark him as a "reformer" or "maverick." He should be asked specifically how and why he would rock the boats of the vipers who have run Washington and our economy into the ground under his party's rule. And why, exactly, he's still loyal to one of the top honcho vipers who engineered the fall -- Phil Gramm.

McCain is a definitive part of the problem, which is why it's so awful (and dangerous) that he's willing to say anything now to try to sell himself as part of the solution. The operative words in McCain's campaign? Lie. Sell.

This is what we have to get across each and every time we knock on a door or make a phone call for Obama. Pass it on.

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NM-01: Heinrich Calls on White to Return Taxpayer Funding for Bush Fundraiser

The Heinrich for Congress campaign announced that Martin Heinrich hand-delivered a letter today to Darren White demanding he reimburse Bernalillo County for the expenses incurred when Darren hosted President Bush for a private fundraiser for his campaign for Congress in May. Four months later, Darren White has yet to reimburse the taxpayers for the $5,000 in expenses for a motorcade escort, traffic control, and security. In addition, taxpayers were also stuck with the bill for President Bush's fuel and expenses for Air Force One.

Here's the full text of Martin's letter to Darren White, dated September 16, 2008:

Mr. Darren White
Darren White for Congress
7208 Jefferson Street NE, Suite B
Albuquerque, NM 87109

VIA: Hand Delivery

Dear Darren,

It has come to my attention that your campaign owes the hardworking taxpayers of Bernalillo County nearly $5,000 for the fundraiser you threw with President George W. Bush on May 27th, 2008. While you sold your guests photos for $5,000, you stuck taxpayers with a $5,000 bill for your exclusive invitation-only party. I demand that you return every dollar immediately and apologize to all New Mexico taxpayers for burdening them with your tab.

But that's not all. How much did the private-party cost American taxpayers? Our struggling middle-class American taxpayers paid a whopping $113,036 for President Bush to idle his airplane at the Sunport while he wined and dined your top donors. Passing this bill off to our struggling working families is simply unacceptable.

With the price of gas nearing $4.00, healthcare and education costs skyrocketing, our middle-class New Mexicans are bearing the brunt of eight years of failed Bush Administration economic policies. As if the Bush administration hasn't already done enough to middle-class New Mexicans, now you and George Bush are sticking New Mexico taxpayers with another backhanded tax bill?

I hope that you'll now do the honorable thing and return every single dollar you owe taxpayers with an immediate apology -- middle-class families in Central New Mexico deserve nothing less.

Sincerely,

Martin Heinrich

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Palin's Record Abysmal on Native Rights and Tribal Sovereignty

Indian Country News published an today on Sarah Palin's hostile record on tribal issues in Alaska. The authors of the piece, Lloyd Miller and Heather Kendall Miller, each practice law in Anchorage, Alaska, representing Native American interests. Their article has also been published on several blogs to help spread the word. I thought it important to include it in its entirely here, so New Mexico's Native Americans and others can consider these points before voting in the presidential election:

Sarah Palin's Record on Alaska Native and Tribal Issues

1. Palin has attacked Alaska Native Subsistence Fishing

Perhaps no issue is of greater importance to Alaska Native peoples as the right to hunt and fish according to ancient customary and traditional practices, and to carry on the subsistence way of life for future generations.

Governor Sarah Palin has consistently opposed those rights.

Once in office, Governor Palin decided to continue litigation that seeks to overturn every subsistence fishing determination the federal government has ever made in Alaska. (State of Alaska v. Norton, 3:05-cv-0158-HRH (D. Ak).) In pressing this case, Palin decided against using the Attorney General (which usually handles State litigation) and instead continued contracting with Senator Ted Stevens’ brother-in-law’s law firm (Birch, Horton, Bittner & Cherot).

The goal of Palin’s law suit is to invalidate all the subsistence fishing regulations the federal government has issued to date to protect Native fishing, and to force the courts instead to take over the role of setting subsistence regulations. Palin’s law suit seeks to diminish subsistence fishing rights in order to expand sport and commercial fishing.

In May 2007, the federal court rejected the State’s main challenge, holding that Congress in 1980 had expressly granted the U.S. Interior and Agriculture Departments the authority to regulate and protect Native and rural subsistence fishing activities in Alaska. (Decision entered May 15, 2007 (Dkt. No. 110).)

Notwithstanding this ruling, Palin continues to argue in the litigation that the federal subsistence protections are too broad, and should be narrowed to exclude vast areas from subsistence fishing, in favor of sport and commercial fishing. Palin opposes subsistence protections in marine waters, on many of the lands that Natives selected under their 1971 land claims settlement with the state and federal governments, and in many of the rivers where Alaska Natives customarily fish. (Alaska Complaint at 15-18.) Palin also opposes subsistence fishing protections on Alaska Native federal allotments that were deeded to individuals purposely to foster Native subsistence activities. All these issues are now pending before the federal district court.

2. Palin has attacked Alaska Native Subsistence Hunting

Palin has also sought to invalidate critical determinations the Federal Subsistence Board has made regarding customary and traditional uses of game, specifically to take hunting opportunities away from Native subsistence villagers and thereby enhance sport hunting.

Palin’s attack here on subsistence has focused on the Ahtna Indian people in Chistochina.

Although the federal district court has rejected Palin’s challenge, she has carried on an appeal that was argued in August 2008. (State of Alaska v. Fleagle, No. 07-35723 (9th Cir.).)

In both hunting and fishing matters, Palin has continued uninterrupted the policies initiated by the former Governor Frank Murkowski Administration, challenging hunting and fishing protections that Native people depend upon for their subsistence way of life in order to enhance sport fishing and hunting opportunities. Palin’s lawsuits are a direct attack on the core way of life of Native Tribes in rural Alaska.

3. Palin has attacked Alaska Tribal Sovereignty

Governor Palin opposes Alaska tribal sovereignty.

Given past court rulings affirming the federally recognized tribal status of Alaska Native villages, Palin does not technically challenge that status. But Palin argues that Alaska Tribes have no authority to act as sovereigns, despite their recognition.

So extreme is Palin on tribal sovereignty issues that she has sought to block tribes from exercising any authority whatsoever even over the welfare of Native children, adhering to a 2004 legal opinion issued by the former Murkowski Administration that no such jurisdiction exist (except when a state court transfers a matter to a tribal court).

Both the state courts and the federal courts have struck down Palin’s policy of refusing to recognize the sovereign authority of Alaska Tribes to address issues involving Alaska Native children. Native Village of Tanana v. State of Alaska, 3AN-04-12194 CI (judgment entered Aug. 26, 2008) (Ak. Super. Ct.); Kaltag Tribal Council v. DHHS, No. 3:06-cv-00211-TMB (D. Ak.), pending on appeal No 08-35343 (9th Cir.)). Nonetheless, Palin’s policy of refusing to recognize Alaska tribal sovereignty remains unchanged.

4. Palin has attacked Alaska Native Languages

Palin has refused to accord proper respect to Alaska Native languages and voters by refusing to provide language assistance to Yup’ik speaking Alaska Native voters. As a result, Palin was just ordered by a special three-judge panel of federal judges to provide various forms of voter assistance to Yup’ik voters residing in southwest Alaska. Nick v. Bethel, No. 3:07-cv-0098-TMB (D. Ak.) (Order entered July 30, 2008). Citing years of State neglect, Palin was ordered to provide trained poll workers who are bilingual in English and Yup’ik; sample ballots in written Yup’ik; a written Yup’ik glossary of election terms; consultation with local Tribes to ensure the accuracy of Yup’ik translations; a Yup’ik language coordinator; and pre-election and post-election reports to the court to track the State’s efforts.

In sum, measured against some the rights that are most fundamental to Alaska Native Tribes - the subsistence way of life, tribal sovereignty and voting rights – Palin’s record is a failure.

Kaltag:
https://ecf.akd.uscourts.gov/doc1/0231295649

Fleagle:
https://ecf.akd.uscourts.gov/doc1/0231254875

State v. Norton opinion:
https://ecf.akd.uscourts.gov/doc1/023086165

State v. Norton complaint:
https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/doc1/0451584225

Tanana:
[Alaska court system is not electronic]

Nick v. State
https://ecf.akd.uscourts.gov/doc1/0231352147

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For more background on this issue:

An Alaska Native Speaks Out on Palin, Oil, and Alaska, Environmental News Network

Todd Palin No Poster Boy for Yup’ik Eskimos or other Native Alaskans, The Hutchinson Political Report

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2008: Register to Vote, Request to Vote by Mail, or Find Your Polling Location

It's all here, right at your fingertips:

https://voteforchange.com/

To vote in the general election this Fall, you must be registered to vote by October 7, 2008.

If you use the Vote for Change tool, you can find out if you are, indeed, registered. And if you're not, you can fix that. You can also sign up to vote by mail or locate the polling place where you can vote in person on November 4th, Election Day.

Early voting in person at your county clerk's office and via mail-in ballot starts on October 7, 2008.

Early voting at additional satellite locations begins on October 18th. When in doubt, call your county clerk, and don't wait until the day before the election to do it. Get informed now.

Other sources of election and voting information:

NM Secretary of State

Statewide Early Voting Info (Does not have working link to Bernalillo County info)

League of Women Voters NM

Tom Udall for Senate Voter Information

Martin Heinrich for Congress Vote Center (NM-01)

Harry Teague for Congress Voter Information (NM-02)

(NM-03)

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Obama on Financial Meltdown vs. McCain's Head in the Sand

SEIU is spending $2 million+ to air this ad in 6 battleground states – NM, OH, PA, MI, WI, IA

In response to the recent tumultuous events in the mortgage banking industry and the financial markets, Barack Obama issued a statement taking the GOP's economic policies to task. Excerpt:

The challenges facing our financial system today are more evidence that too many folks in Washington and on Wall Street weren’t minding the store. Eight years of policies that have shredded consumer protections, loosened oversight and regulation, and encouraged outsized bonuses to CEOs while ignoring middle-class Americans have brought us to the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression.

I certainly don’t fault Senator McCain for these problems, but I do fault the economic philosophy he subscribes to. It’s a philosophy we’ve had for the last eight years – one that says we should give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. It’s a philosophy that says even common-sense regulations are unnecessary and unwise, and one that says we should just stick our heads in the sand and ignore economic problems until they spiral into crises.

Well now, instead of prosperity trickling down, the pain has trickled up – from the struggles of hardworking Americans on Main Street to the largest firms of Wall Street.

Meanwhile, it's evident that John McCain still has his head in the sand:

You know, that there's been tremendous turmoil in our financial markets and Wall Street and it is -- people are frightened by these events. Our economy, I think, still the fundamentals of our economy are strong. But these are very, very difficult times.

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan begs to differ, seeing our current situation as the worst economy he's ever seen, by far.

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton had this to say: "Today of all days, John McCain's stubborn insistence that the 'fundamentals of the economy are strong' shows that he is disturbingly out of touch with what's going in the lives of ordinary Americans ... apparently his 26 years in Washington have left him incapable of understanding that the policies he supports have created an historic economic crisis."

As we go forward, it will only become more apparent to everyone that McCain still believes in the deregulated, trickle down economics that have resulted in this worldwide meltdown. His campaign offers nothing to address and fix the problems that are causing havoc. McCain offers only more of the same. Like it or lump it.

We need to get this message to voters. You can help. Click.