Democracy for New Mexico

Blogwitness News: Flying Star Obama Meets with Albuquerque Working Women

Obama enters the Flying Star Commissary

See the rest of the photos from Obama's event at Flickr and my later post with video clips.
Also go read NM FBIHOP's excellent (as usual) on this, as well as Udall blogger Bryan Barash's coverage.

Living in New Mexico during the 2008 election cycle can be a rather surreal experience at times. Like earlier today when Mary Ellen and I found ourselves joining the print and TV media and other local bloggers at Barack Obama's small and intimate meeting with working women at the Flying Star Commissary in Albuquerque.

Obama at the podium

Michael Isikoff of Newsweek, Kate Nash of the Santa Fe New Mexican, Stuart Dyson of KOB-4 News, Doug Fernandez of KOAT-7 News and, well, us -- part of the local unpaid blog and photo brigade. Many members of the paid media looked very bored, by the way. Years of doing these kinds of events evidently take their toll. But we were psyched with our press credentials safety-pinned to our shirts, and operatives and Secret Service all around.

Minglilng

The Commissary is where they roast all those coffee beans and bake all those desserts for the however many Flying Stars that are now open in the metro area. We hung out first in an area to the side of the main room where big wooden pallets piled high with sacks of coffee beans from around the world were interspersed with tables of lesser media lights, busy with their cell phones and laptops.

Speaking to working women

Eventually, Mary Ellen and Matt from New Mexico FBIHOP made it all the way to the center of the press camera riser that looked right down at Obama standing at a podium. When he finally arrived, Obama was tightly ringed by a few rows of seats where ordinary women, who work in various lower income jobs at Flying Star, listened to his speech and got to ask him questions. I thought he came across as grounded, open, laid-back, down to earth, yet charismatic.

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and NM First Lady Barbara Richardson greet crowd

Obama was introduced by Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, one of Hillary Clinton's most loyal backers. Our Governor's wife, Barbara Richardson, was also in attendence. We know her husband endorsed Obama but no word on who her favorite was during the primary season.

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish introduces Obama, next prez of the U.S.

The event was informal, serious and low key. No chants of "Yes We Can" or O-BA-MA. Barack gave a short and pointed speech (text and video), briefly tracing his younger days and discussing how the current troubled economy is particularly cruel on working women -- we're generally way behind the curve economically even in good times. He pledged to change this situation with initiatives ranging from strengthening the Small Business Association to lowering taxes, greatly expanding the Medical and Family Leave Act, indexing the minimum wage to the cost of living, offering more grants for college tuition and more.

Answering questions from the group

Then Obama took what he said were unscreened questions from the small group of women, abandoning the podium for a hand mic and moving among the participants.

Charms from his pocket

I thought the most interesting question asked why we should trust that Obama will stay true to himself if he wins the presidency. Barack explained we should first look at his life, and the constancy of his dedication to working to address the concerns of ordinary people. We should also consider the sacrifice he's making to be away from his family so much while running for office, and ask if it would be worth it to him if he didn't believe he could help bring real change.

Finally, Obama discussed how moving it is to realize how much people are investing their hopes in him. He reached into a pocket and dug out a big handful of good luck charms people have given him as he's traveled America -- tangible reminders of people's hopes for his campaign, for his leadership and for the chances we have for a positive future.

I'll be writing more about our experiences today, and hope to post some decent video clips later. In the meantime, check out this Flickr album to see more photos from today's event.

On the Scene: Udall peeps and Matt of NM FBIHOP (he's smiling!)

Matt Reichbach has more coverage at the NM Independent.

(Tip o' the hat to Steve Olson at the Udall campaign for the heads up on today's Obamarama.)

Click on photos for larger versions. All photos by M.E. Broderick.

Technorati Tags:

(Updated) Obama Invitation Only Event Monday in ABQ

UPDATE: The Obama campaign has publicly released info saying "Senator Obama will take a tour of a local business and have a discussion with working women" in Albuquerque tomorrow. The event is still by invitation only. They also released the location but stated it wasn't for publication. If you help me buy a new video cam for blogging use, I'll tell you where it is.*
**********
I'm not sure exactly what this means, but I bet I'm not on the invitation list. According to an email from Obama's campaign: United States Senator Barack Obama will return to New Mexico and Nevada next week as part of his “Change That Works for You” economic tour. Senator Obama will hold an event in the Albuquerque area on Monday, June 23rd and an event in Las Vegas on Tuesday, June 24th. Events are invitation only. More details will be announced as soon as they are available.

*Just kidding! But I might as well come out and say it: We really could use donations for a video device better than the digital still camera we're using for video, not to mention what it will cost to stay in Denver to cover the DNC Convention in August as New Mexico's rep on the State Blogger Corps. Click on the orange DONATE button on the upper left-hand side of the page. The blog email address is dfnm_albq AT comcast.net. Show us some love.

Unacceptable: Call Obama on FISA and Telecom Immunity

That didn't take long. Our presumptive nominee is already apparently reneging on a promise he made to the electorate. Back in October 2007, Bill Burton of Obama's campaign TPM Election Central that Obama would filibuster any FISA bill with retroactive immunity for telecoms. The exact words:

"To be clear: Barack will support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies."

Fast-forward to last Friday and Obama's statement about the so-called "compromise" FISA bill passed by the House. He's says he's still against immunity:

[The bill] does, however, grant retroactive immunity, and I will work in the Senate to remove this provision so that we can seek full accountability for past offenses.

BUT, he also says he'll back the bill if retroactive immunity is still included:

It is not all that I would want. But given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as President, I will carefully monitor the program, review the report by the Inspectors General, and work with the Congress to take any additional steps I deem necessary to protect the lives – and the liberty – of the American people.

Call the Obama Campaign
Don't like what he's saying? If this is the kind of double talk we're going to get from a President Obama, heaven help us. Let him know what you think by calling the Obama campaign and communicating in no uncertain terms why his position on this bill is unacceptable. MoveOn .

Demand That Obama Live Up to His Promises
Many other parts of the "compromise" FISA bill are bad enough, but the inclusion of retroactive immunity is incredibly craven and unprincipled. It's just one more example of the willingness of too many Dems to cave to corporate pressure and cower in fear that Repubs might call them "soft on terror." I guess they don't care if we call them unwilling to uphold their oaths of office that require them to preserve and protect the U.S. Constitution -- including the Fourth Amendment.

It's hard enough to stomach the DINOs who consistently vote with Repubs on issues like this. Now we're expected to work passionately for a presidential nominee who's already backsliding into Repub-lite territory and falling into line with the same old same old -- give up your civil liberties because it's too dangerous to preserve our constitution while there are terrorists out there. Hint: There've always been terrorists out there and there always will be.

You really should read Glenn Greenwald's careful and persuasive analysis of the "compromise" bill and why Obama should be strongly taken to task for his wobbly, too cute by half statement on it. His links lead you to must-reads too. Excerpt:

It is absolutely false that the only unconstitutional and destructive provision of this "compromise" bill is the telecom amnesty part. It's true that most people working to defeat the Cheney/Rockefeller bill viewed opposition to telecom amnesty as the most politically potent way to defeat the bill, but the bill's expansion of warrantless eavesdropping powers vested in the President, and its evisceration of safeguards against abuses of those powers, is at least as long-lasting and destructive as the telecom amnesty provisions. The bill legalizes many of the warrantless eavesdropping activities George Bush secretly and illegally ordered in 2001. Those warrantless eavesdropping powers violate core Fourth Amendment protections. And Barack Obama now supports all of it, and will vote it into law. Those are just facts.

... This bill doesn't legalize every part of Bush's illegal warrantless eavesdropping program but it takes a large step beyond FISA towards what Bush did. There was absolutely no reason to destroy the FISA framework, which is already an extraordinarily pro-Executive instrument that vests vast eavesdropping powers in the President, in order to empower the President to spy on large parts of our international communications with no warrants at all. This was all done by invoking the scary spectre of Terrorism -- "you must give up your privacy and constitutional rights to us if you want us to keep you safe" -- and it is Obama's willingness to embrace that rancid framework, the defining mindset of the Bush years, that is most deserving of intense criticism here.

I'm a big Obama fan and I think he has unique and much-needed talents that are head and shoulders above most of our recent presidential candidates. But I know we can't let him get away with this spineless position on dangerous, unconstitutional and unnecessary provisions we've all been fighting to stop since at least last summer. I think we have to stand strong now and let him know we won't stand for more hypocritical business as usual -- especially from a candidate who's running on turning the page on fearmongering and fakery.

Tom Udall, our Senate candidate, voted against the House "compromise" FISA bill. Should Obama be allowed to get away with refusing to do what's right? He's our presidential nominee -- he should be leading the fight against the FISA sellout, not capitulating to it.

Technorati Tags:

Obama Launches First General Election Ad in New Mexico, 17 Other States

The ad, called "Country I Love," will start airing tomorrow in Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Virginia -- all considered battleground states this year. And yes, Obama's campaign apparently views Alaska as competitive.

The ad covers Obama's unique rise from child of a single mom to presidential candidate and stresses his love of America and American values. I think it serves as a strong rebuttal to attempts by the GOP to smear him as unpatriotic and out of the mainstream.

To see how Obama's doing, check out Chris Bowers' post on Open Left based on polling analysis that forecasts Obama with 272 Electoral College votes to McCain's 218, with 48 a toss-up at this point. And recent polling by Quinnipiac has Obama ahead in three important battleground states:

Obama is also doing well in two other tightly contested states, although Michigan may be tougher than anticipated for Barack. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal:

Recent statewide polls in Virginia and Wisconsin also offer good signs for Sen. Obama. Public Policy Polling results for Virginia showed the state split nearly evenly, with Sen. Obama carrying 47% of voters to Sen. McCain's 45%. A close race in Virginia is good news for Sen. Obama because the state hasn't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964. Sen. Obama made Virginia his first stop after Sen. Clinton conceded the nomination.

In Wisconsin, a SurveyUSA poll gave Sen. Obama a 52%-43% lead, although Sen. McCain was again slightly ahead among men.

The one significant red flag for Sen. Obama in recent state polling comes from Michigan. There, a Rasmussen survey taken last week showed Sen. Obama leading by just 45% to 42%, a tight race for a state plagued by a downtrodden economy that many thought would benefit Democrats this year. Other recent polls have shown Sen. McCain leading.

Here's the text transcript of Obama's new ad:

SCRIPT – "Country I Love"

OBAMA: I'm Barack Obama. 

America is a country of strong families and strong values.  My life's been blessed by both.

I was raised by a single mom and my grandparents. We didn't have much money, but they taught me values straight from the Kansas heartland where they grew up.  Accountability and self-reliance.  Love of country.  Working hard without making excuses. Treating your neighbor as you'd like to be treated.  It's what guided me as I worked my way up – taking jobs and loans to make it through college.

It's what led me to pass up Wall Street jobs and go to Chicago instead, helping neighborhoods devastated when steel plants closed.

That's why I passed laws moving people from welfare to work, cut taxes for working families and extended health care for wounded troops who'd been neglected.

I approved this message because I'll never forget those values, and if I have the honor of taking the oath of office as President, it will be with a deep and abiding faith in the country I love.

Barack Obama is a True Blue New Mexico candidate. Please give what you can. Every dollar helps.

Technorati Tags:

NM-03: Ben Ray Luján Endorses Barack Obama

Note: Ben Ray Luján is live-blogging today at 4:30 PM MDT at Daily Kos. Click to participate.

Welcome news from Ben Ray Luján, the Dem nominee in NM-03, that he has formally endorsed Barack Obama for President. Luján is expected to be a big help in marshaling support for Obama in Northern New Mexico and other areas of the state, as well as convincing former supporters of Hillary Clinton to unite behind Obama. Unity!

"Senator Barack Obama has inspired and invigorated Americans who want change in Washington," said Luján. "He's spoken honestly about how we can put people first and move past the failed policies of the Bush Administration. I am proud to endorse Barack Obama for President. At this pivotal moment in history, we need new leaders with vision, judgment and a commitment to change who will work on behalf of the American people."

"We must come together as Democrats to achieve our goals and stand up for the American people," said Luján. "Juntos podemos. We can end the War in Iraq. We can provide health care for all. We can make our economy work for the middle class. We can develop renewable energy to lower prices and create jobs. Sí, se puede. This is what New Mexico needs, and this is what America needs. I look forward to working with Sen. Obama and Rep. Tom Udall to stand up for the people of New Mexico and our great country. Juntos podemos."

"Senator Obama has the vision, judgment and experience to solve the problems facing our families and our country in the 21st century," said Luján. "He was right from the beginning on the Iraq War, and he knows from firsthand experience as a community organizer the importance of putting people first. Senator Obama is the leader who will change how Washington works and move past the failed policies of the Bush Administration to end the War in Iraq, fix our economy and expand renewable energy production."

Barack Obama and Ben Ray Luján are two of the candidates we are supporting in our True Blue New Mexico, which we launched Monday with New Mexico FBIHOP. Please visit the site and contribute so that our candidates have what they need to start the general election season with a bang. Even a single dollar contributed to each candidate will help if we all pitch in.

Technorati Tags:

Sprouts for Change: Obamarama T-Shirt Art Show July 6 in Santa Fe

My problem with this creative project is that there are too many outstanding designs to choose from, produced by some of our treasured artists to just folks. I''ll have to buy at least two ....

More than 50 T-shirts inspired by Barack Obama and designed by a diverse cross section of people young and old, ranging in age from seven to ninety, will be exhibited at Obamarama, an art event at Hahn Ross Gallery, 409 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Obamarama will take place July 6, from 4:00-7:00 PM, and is sponsored by Sprouts for Change and members of Santa Fe Grassroots for Obama.

Can't Make It to Art Show? Buy Online
T-shirts will be given to New Mexico delegates to wear at the Democratic Convention in August. The T-shirts can be purchased at the event or online. Proceeds will benefit Meds and Food for Kids. In addition to being displayed on the Sprouts for Challenge virtual gallery, the exhibit of 50 T-shirts will be made available to other art galleries nationally.

Technorati Tags:

Obama Quote of the Day: McCain's Flip-Flop on Offshore Oil Drilling

"John McCain's support of the moratorium on offshore drilling during his first presidential campaign was certainly laudable, but his decision to completely change his position and tell a group of Houston oil executives exactly what they wanted to hear today was the same Washington politics that has prevented us from achieving energy independence for decades. 

"Much like his gas tax gimmick that would leave consumers with pennies in savings, opening our coastlines to offshore drilling would take at least a decade to produce any oil at all, and the effect on gasoline prices would be negligible at best since America only has 3% of the world's oil. It's another example of short-term political posturing from Washington, not the long-term leadership we need to solve our dependence on oil.

"Instead of giving oil executives another way to boost their record profits, I believe we should put in place a windfall profits tax that will help to ease the burden of higher energy costs on working families, and we should invest in the affordable, renewable sources of energy that Senator McCain has opposed in the past," said Barack Obama.

Pearce = McCain = Bush
It should be noted that Repub Steve Pearce, who's running against Rep. Tom Udall for the U.S. Senate seat in New Mexico, also strongly supports offshore drilling. Not surprising given that Pearce backs the Bush-McCain agenda on pretty much every issue.

Visit Obama '08 to sign up with his campaign. And consider donating to the campaigns of Obama, Udall and others at True Blue New Mexico -- organized by the progressive New Mexico netroots, including New Mexico FBIHOP and the Democracy for New Mexico blog.

Technorati Tags:

NM Dem Party Demands That Pearce Return Tainted Money; GOP Going Off the Tracks?

CALLING STEVE PEARCE: Return the money from discredited Texan Clayton Williams, and repudiate his repulsive remarks about rape.

John McCain was forced to cancel a Texas fundraiser this past weekend hosted by oil man Clayton Williams after he was confronted with sexist quotes made by the monied GOP donor but has so far refused to return more than $300,000 his campaign Williams has raised for McCain. The most egregious prounouncement by Williams equated rape with the weather, saying "as long as it's inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it."

As I previously posted, Steve Pearce, the GOP's candidate for U.S. Senate in New Mexico, has gotten $4,000 from Williams going back to his 2006 campaign for Congress -- plus who knows how much more from donors "bundled" by Williams. The Democratic Party of New Mexico is now demanding that Pearce return the money.

"Steve Pearce and John McCain need to do the right thing and return every dollar they have gotten from their sexist and misguided friend, Clayton Williams," said Conchita Cruz, Press Secretary for the Democratic Party of New Mexico. "Pearce's silence on the matter is unacceptable, as Williams' words are disturbing and out of step with New Mexico values."

Ironically, one of the major mantras of Pearce's campaign is that he "represents New Mexico values." Guess not, at least when it comes to taking campaign contributions. No wonder Sen. John Ensign, who heads the GOP's Senate campaign committee, was quoted as saying that putting money into races Repubs can't win, like the one in New Mexico, would be a waste.

GOP Woes
It appears that GOP candidates -- as well as the Republican Party itself -- are in big trouble this election cycle. And the tension and bad blood within the Party are growing. Check out Peter St. Cyr's post (and extensive audio) reporting on the New Mexico GOP's convention in Las Cruces last Saturday. One controversy at the event resulted in Albuquerque delegate Patrick Marron being tossed out for trying to ask a question about the ban on taking photos or recording the event. State Party Chair Allen Weh defended the move:

“Other state’s run their conventions by Robert’s Rules,” said Chairman Allen Weh. “Not ours. This convention was run by the chairman’s gavel. ... “It’s my bat, my ball, and he [Marron] struck out.”

Ooooh, how autocratic! Weh and his pals probably think Robert's Rules are un-American. Order before democracy! And I wonder why they're so paranoid about people taking pics or taping the proceedings.

According to St. Cyr, Jeff Wright, state field director of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul's presidential campaign, was also closed out of the meeting (at least the SCC meeting portion):

"What we want is the beginning of a recognition that the Republican Party has gone far afield," said Wright ... It's not about the man, it's the message. The Republican Party is damn near about to go off the tracks."

Technorati Tags:

(Updated) Gore to Endorse Obama Tonight: Watch It Live

Update: You can see a video of Gore's endorsement of Obama here.
************
At long last. Al Gore has sent out an email to supporters (see below the fold) announcing that he will endorse Barack Obama for President tonight at 6:30 PM MDT at an Obama rally in Detroit. You can watch a live-stream of the announcement at BarackObama.com.

Dear Friend,
A few hours from now I will step on stage in Detroit, Michigan to announce my support for Senator Barack Obama. From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected President of the United States.

Over the next four years, we are going to face many difficult challenges -- including bringing our troops home from Iraq, fixing our economy, and solving the climate crisis. Barack Obama is clearly the candidate best able to solve these problems and bring change to America.

This moment and this election are too important to let pass without taking action.

That's why I am asking you to join me in showing your support by making a contribution to this campaign today:

Over the past 18 months, Barack Obama has united a movement. He knows change does not come from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or Capitol Hill. It begins when people stand up and take action.

With the help of millions of supporters like you, Barack Obama will bring the change we so desperately need in order to solve our country's most pressing problems.

If you've already contributed to this campaign, I ask that you consider making another contribution right now. If you haven't, please take the next step and own a piece of this campaign today:

On the issues that matter most, Barack Obama is clearly the right choice to lead our nation.

We have a lot of work to do in the next few months to elect Barack Obama president, and it begins by making a contribution to this campaign today.

Thank you for joining me,
Al Gore

LIVE TONIGHT -- 6:30 p.m. MDT: Watch streaming video of Al Gore and Barack Obama at a rally in Detroit, Michigan:

https://www.BarackObama.com

Technorati Tags:

Pitch In to Create a True Blue New Mexico

New Mexico FBIHOP and the Democracy for New Mexico blog are re-launching the True Blue New Mexico campaign today -- this time with the Democratic candidates for all the federal races.

You can donate at the True Blue New Mexico ActBlue fundraising page, where you'll find the full slate of Democratic candidates New Mexicans can vote for come November.

This year, voters around New Mexico and across the country have voted for change in record numbers, and not just for presidential candidate Barack Obama but for more local races as well. Progressive candidates already shocked incumbents in state Senate and House primaries earlier this month.

This Is Our Moment
In 2008, New Mexicans have a chance for a true change -- a golden opportunity to make a True Blue New Mexico. There are more Democrats than Republicans registered in the state, and Democrats control both the state Senate and House. Yet in federal offices, Republicans hold a 3-2 advantage, including a 2-1 advantage in the House. This year, that can change -- and change dramatically.

When Sen. Pete Domenici decided to retire due to medical problems, it created a scramble for his seat that eventually enveloped the entire House delegation. All three representatives decided to run for the Senate seat. Candidates for their now-open House seats popped up everywhere.

After the dust settled, Democrats were left with five great candidates for federal office: Sen. Barack Obama in the Presidential race, Rep. Tom Udall in the Senate race, Martin Heinrich in the 1st Congressional District, Harry Teague in the 2nd Congressional District and Ben Ray Lujan in the 3rd Congressional District.

Watch for Candidate Guest Posts This Week
Throughout week, these candidates (except Obama) will be letting you know on both Democracy for New Mexico and New Mexico FBIHOP why they deserve your vote and your donations. Tuesday, Martin Heinrich will write on both blogs, followed by Harry Teague on Wednesday, Ben Ray Lujan on Thursday and culminating with Tom Udall on Friday.

Why Now?
But why now? The simple answer is EMILY -- Early Money is Like Yeast, and as the old saying goes, it helps to raise the dough. Please donate now. Every early dollar helps. Money donated on October 20th, just a couple weeks before the election, is not as valuable as money sent now. Money sent now can be used to hire staffers, it can be used to raise more money -- it is incredibly valuable to candidates.

Some of these candidates will be in extremely close races -- but with your help, they can make a True Blue New Mexico for years to come.

Technorati Tags: