Democracy for New Mexico

Local Vet Calls McCain Memorial Day Event in ABQ a 'Republican Pep Rally"

More on that below, but first watch Santa Fe Reporter writer Dave Maass take MoveOn's Bush-McCain Challenge at the Plaza in Santa Fe. The Challenge is happening in locales all over America today, drawing attention to the similarities between John McCain and George Bush. Hard to tell 'em apart, eh Dave? Speaking of the Santa Fe Reporter, you might want to check out their guide to the June 3rd primary election, which includes endorsements for all the Santa Fe area races. One, in particular, is creating some controversy. Can you guess which one?

Onward. Have you seen this story? Quote:

As he spoke to a Memorial Day crowd of about 1,000, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was joined by New Mexico Republican Sen. Pete Domenici and Rep. Steve Pearce and Rep. Heather Wilson, who are running for Domenici's soon-to-be-vacant seat.

[Bruce] Clark, a former Marine whose son Bradley Clark is serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq, said he showed up at the event to protest what he called "this criminal war" and McCain's support of it.

But though it was a public event on public property, all signs of dissent were quashed by the heavy presence of APD officers and agents from the Secret Service, he said.

"We were very intimidated," he said.

Many of you may remember Bruce Clark's emotionally powerful and personal speech against the Iraq occupation and the shredding of the U.S. Constitution at last year's Iraq Summer town hall. He's still at it.

How very sad that the powers behind a supposedly public event -- not a campaign event -- refused to allow even veterans to exercise their constitutional rights to peaceable assembly and free speech. You'd think that McCain, who constantly proclaims how much he respects vets and what they fought for in terms of American freedoms, would be supportive of the constitution and free expression by veterans. Then again, how much is he really for the vets when push comes to shove?

McCain was absent when the Senate was voting on the New GI Bill that would expand veterans' benefits for college tuition. He was in California, at the home of San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos, attending a $25,000 a couple fundraiser for his presidential bid. Of course McCain doesn't support the New GI Bill anyway, preferring a bill he sponsored that would require members of the military to serve at least 12 years before getting the expanded benefits.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time McCain has voted against the interests of veterans:

As a veteran and former prisoner of war, Sen. McCain should know better than anyone the extent of difficulty our soldiers can face upon returning home after combat, she said.

Yet a study of Congressional voting records shows that, twice since the beginning of the Iraq War, McCain has voted against federal Veteran's Administration allocations that would raise benefits for veterans.

Go read the rest.

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Guest Blog: NM Governor Richardson Best USA Secretary of State/Ideal Democratic Dream Team

This is a guest blog by Stephen Fox of Santa Fe. You can also access this piece here.

My "dream team" would have Hillary as VP, Edwards as Attorney General, Richardson as Secretary of State, Dr. Dean as Secretary of Health or as FDA Commissioner, repairing damage done to USA international by Bush Neocons and eight years of corporate kleptocracy! We absolutely must demand such a dream team just to stay viable as a nation.... All above are proven, intelligent, practical, and vital leaders.

Concerning the Bushes/Neocons criticizing Obama's wanting to speak with the President of Iran as "appeasement," an absurd and hypocritical stance, please read this piece by Robert Parry. Also see Gov. Bill Richardson's article on Creating a U.S. Foreign Policy for a New Century from Harvard International Review. Another vital article by Bill Richardson appeared in Foreign Affairs.

Everyone recognizes the endangered perception of the USA in every international context. We are inviting ongoing trouble by allowing the most powerful USA corporations to entirely manipulate many branches of government like the Department of State, even if you don’t ascribe to a Hegelian or a Marxian view of economic and political history.

The FDA also is massively malfunctioning, and the next President must appoint a consumer protection advocate as FDA Commissioner, instead of the tools of Big Pharma who have occupied that position for most of the past twenty years, during both Republican and Democrat presidencies.

What could be of graver international concern for health than powerful corporations, both food manufacturers and drug manufacturers, adding to the destruction of health in hundreds of nations? Big Pharma corporations and Kellogg, Brown and Root, Halliburton, and Blackwater have manipulated to their satisfaction the functioning of the United States Department of State, to do their bidding in contracts, programs, and throughout the State Department and the Pentagon. (Some might say it is the other way around with the Pentagon, which always get what it wants from the US Congress).

This has the cumulative effect of alienating all of the Islamic nations with their 1.2 billion inhabitants, and further besmirches the USA entrepreneurially in South America and in Africa. I am reminded of the policies of the USA expanding in the second half of the 19th Century by destroying millions of Native Americans, with a genocidal intent inherent in that policy of “Manifest Destiny.” I see massive similarities between the way LBJ floundered in Vietnam and the dealings of the Bush administration in Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. As a nation, we err terribly by tolerating and continuing such destruction.

The next President must move to repair this obviously dangerous malaise by appointing an international healer as US Secretary of State. I see no better person than New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson for this job, not even Richard Holbrooke. More important as qualifications were Richardson’s elevation of the international political dialogue amongst the candidates, his early strident support for unequivocally ending the Iraq War, on top of his history as Secretary of Energy and as UN Ambassador.

He would be a better Secretary of State than Condi, Colin, Madeleine, and Warren Christopher all rolled together. Even the corporations will recognize by the decline of their profits, in a strictly Hegelian sense, that they need a Secretary of State who might sow the seeds of international dialogue and conflict resolution, close Guantanamo, reduce the US military presence and its ancillary costs by 40%, reshape a 21st Century Peace Corps, and rapidly return America to a new level of international sanity.

After eight years of Halliburton running the State Department, military contractors running the Pentagon, energy corporations running the Department of industry and writing the legislation, and Big Pharma running the Food and Drug Administration: what choice is there?

In his commencement address to the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Richardson challenged graduates to combine their new skills with passion, reason and courage, to work in the public interest. Richardson outlined America's past experience and current need for courageous leadership, and laid out initial steps for renewing America's relationship with the world by returning to its traditional support for human rights, the rule of law, and international law. He called on the United States to lead an international effort to protect people trapped in situations like Myanmar and Darfur, when their governments fail to protect their own people. Excerpt:

"When in Philadelphia, it's customary to quote Ben Franklin. And he was right when he said, "An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest." (Of course, Ben probably didn't have to pay the interest on student loans.) But your investment has been more than just money and years. Whether you wanted to or not, you've invested part of yourself in this place. And it has returned the investment.

"America needs to be impeccable in our own human rights behavior -- and that should begin with immediately closing Guantanamo prison and all secret detention facilities, and providing all prisoners everywhere with access to legal counsel. If the US expects others to take us seriously, we need to take ourselves seriously by honoring our own values and all international treaties, including the Geneva Conventions. Once we have re-established ourselves as a nation that honors human dignity, we can begin once again to promote it worldwide. We must join and support enthusiastically the International Criminal Court, so that leaders who engage in or allow crimes against humanity know they will be held accountable. We should reward countries that respect the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and negotiate, constructively but firmly, with those who do not.

"America must also renew its commitment to the rule of law and to multilateral cooperation. We must put aside the failed unilateralism of the Bush administration and re-engage our leadership role in institutions like the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Organization of American States.

"As a diplomat and a public servant, I look at past presidents who had the courage to buck their party line and go against the conventional wisdom to make great gains for our country. It took courage for Truman to reinvest into post-war Europe-including Germany -- with the Marshall Plan. It took courage for the anti-communist Nixon to open China. It took courage for Carter to do what he did at Camp David. It took courage for Reagan to meet with Gorbachev at Reykjavik.

"It will take courage to renew America's relationship with the world .... a good place for us to start would be to lead an international effort to protect people trapped in situations like Myanmar and Darfur, where their governments fail to protect their own people. The 'responsibility to protect' is a principle that has been unanimously endorsed by 150 heads of state at the 2005 UN World Summit. Such a norm would first demand action to prevent crimes against humanity. But should prevention fail, then the right to protect requires economic, political, diplomatic, legal, security and -- in the last resort -- a multi-lateral, UN sanctioned military intervention to stop an atrocity from occurring.

"The US has a special role to play in stopping genocide, especially in Africa where the two most horrendous recent human rights abuses have taken place, in Rwanda and now Darfur. History teaches that if the US does not take the lead on ending these abuses, no one else will. We just need to courage to do the right thing. We need to work with our international partners and the United Nations to devise practical mechanisms that will enable the world community to respond quickly, legally, multilaterally and effectively to stop genocide and other great human rights abuses. The norm of national sovereignty is important, and should be preserved, but it is moot when governments fail to protect their own citizens from great suffering."

This is a guest blog by Stephen Fox, an art dealer from Santa Fe and the founder of New Millennium Fine Art in Santa Fe since 1980. Active in international politics, he is working towards banning Aspartame and the establishment of a New Mexico Nutrition Council, with powers to question and even challenge the FDA. He was a "snowball-in-hell" candidate for the US Senate in 1978 and is presently the Managing Editor of the Santa Fe Sun News, a very alternative twice monthly newspaper based in Land of Enchantment's capitol.

Guest blogs provide an opportunity for our readers to express themselves on topics of interest to the political discourse here, and may or may not express the views of the DFNM blog. 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 corner of the page.

Michelle Obama, George Bush, John McCain Heading to New Mexico

Get ready for the general election onslaught -- even though we're technically not yet out of primary season. Bush, McSame and Michelle Obama will all be at events in New Mexico next week -- the start of what will no doubt be an unprecedented torrent of A-list politicos, surrogates galore and 24/7 campaign ads blanketing our political landscape. With three open Congressional seats and one Senate seat up for grabs, and with New Mexico expected once again to be a much sought after swing state in the prez race, this should be a doozy of a general election cycle in Enchantment Land.

The Failed President
Bush himself will be here next Tuesday, March 27, at a $1000 per person fundraiser for Senate candidate Darren White and the New Mexico Repub Party. It looks like the event will be held at a private residence in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. Could it be that the GOP bigwigs will gather once again at the home of Los Ranchos Mayor Larry Abraham? Bush appeared at a fundraiser there for Pete Domenici back on August 27, 2007, when Domenici still claimed he was running for another Senate term.

If so, it would be ironic given that the ACLU has filed suit against Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White and others for their actions during Bush's August '07 visit. The suite complains that law enforcement officials kept protestors out of sight, more than 150 yards away, while a group of people holding a banner reading “God Bless George Bush! We Pray for You!” were allowed within feet of Abraham's house.

Michelle Obama Fundraisers
Also scheduled for next Tuesday, May 27, are two fundraisers with Michelle Obama -- one in Santa Fe and one in Albuquerque, according to the AP. A $500 per guest - $2300 per co-host reception and luncheon with Gov. Bill Richardson and Michelle Obama will be held at Yanni's Mediterranean Bar and Grill in Albuquerque. A $1000 per person fundraiser with Michelle will take place later that day at the home of former AG Paul Bardacke in Santa Fe. These events are a little rich for my taste. Sure would be nice if Michelle squeezed in a low dollar event for People Like Us, or we're out of luck catching Michelle this time around.

The Man Who Would Be Bush II
John McCain will be in Albuquerque on Monday, May 26th, to speak at a Memorial Day tribute to veterans that's open to the public. It will take place from 10 AM to Noon at the New Mexico Veterans' Memorial at 1100 Louisiana SE. McCain will attend another event in Albuquerque that day, but details haven't yet been released.

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Tonight: Kickoff for Santa Fe Grassroots for Obama

From Santa Fe Grassroots for Obama: JOIN US on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of May and June, starting TONIGHT:

May 19, June 2, June 16: 6:00 to 7:00 PM
Santa Fe Main Library, Community Room

The May 19th agenda will include making plans for a Santa Fe Voter Registration drive scheduled for June 28th. Please invite other Obama enthusiasts to join you. And be sure tell anyone who admires your Obama button or bumper sticker that they can get involved, too, by coming to our meetings. Click to RSVP. You can find other local Obama events and join groups at the New Mexico for Obama page on Obama's campaign website.

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Get Involved with Obama Campaign in NM; Meeting Tonight

As I reported previously, post-primary action kicked off in New Mexico and across the nation this past Saturday with the Obama campaign's Vote for Change effort to register and mobilize voters. The Obama '08 campaign is teaming with lots of partners to bring thousands of new voters into the process nationwide and to help mobilize them for the November election.

Getting trained as voter registrars in ABQ; registering a voter

In Albuquerque, more than 60 people at the IBEW Hall to receive voter registrar training and hit the streets in the first phase of what will be a continuing effort until election day in November.

Tom Solomon offers voter registration to motorcycle fans

Obama Meeting Tonight in ABQ
Obama for New Mexico meets every Tuesday, including TONIGHT, at 7:00 PM at the Democratic Party of New Mexico headquaters located at 1301 San Pedro NE in Albuquerque. Click to RSVP. Also be sure to check out the New Mexico page on the Obama '08 website, where you can learn about upcoming events, create your own or join a local group (scroll down).

Click on photos for larger versions. All photos by Tom Solomon, a participant in last Saturday's Vote for Change event in Albuquerque.

Technorati Tags:Barack Obama, Obama for President, voter registration, Democratic Party of New Mexico, Vote for Change, Albuquerque, New Mexico

82% Now Believe Country on Wrong Track; 31% Approve of Bush

The GOP and its candidates at every level have a lot to worry about in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, especially with a presidential candidate whose positions on most major issues mirror Bush's in almost every detail:

Eighty-two percent of Americans now say the country's seriously off on the wrong track, up 10 points in the last year to a point from its record high in polls since 1973. And 31 percent approve of Bush's job performance overall, while 66 percent disapprove.

The country’s mood – and the president’s ratings – are suffering from the double whammy of an unpopular war and a faltering economy. Consistently for the past year, nearly two-thirds of Americans have said the war in Iraq was not worth fighting. And consumer confidence is near its lowest in weekly ABC News polls since late 1985.

... Bush now has gone 40 months without majority approval, beating Truman's record (also during economic discontent and an unpopular war) of 38 months from 1949-52.

Prez Candidates to Focus on Independents, Hispanics, New Mexico

Must read: This article in today's New York Times lays out the strategies that will likely be employed by the McCain and Obama presidential campaigns in the general election. Get ready for a big onslaught by the prez campaigns in the Land of Enchantment. Both campaigns will be heavily targeting Western swing states, including New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada:

Both sides say the states clearly in play now include Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Post-primary action kicked off in New Mexico and across the nation this Saturday with the Obama campaign's Vote for Change effort to register and mobilize voters. In Albuquerque, more than 60 people at the IBEW Hall to receive voter registrar training and hit the streets in the first phase of what will be a continuing effort until election day in November.

It looks like Gov. Richardson will be active in Obama's efforts:

Mr. Obama’s aides said the endorsement by Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, one of the nation’s most prominent Hispanic leaders, could prove more critical in the general election than in the primary.

Now this is exciting:

In a sign of what could be an extremely unusual fall campaign, the two sides said Saturday that they would be open to holding joint forums or unmoderated debates across the country in front of voters through the summer. Mr. Obama, campaigning in Oregon, said that the proposal, floated by Mr. McCain’s advisers, was “a great idea.”

On the money game:

Mr. Obama has a clear financial advantage. By March 31, Mr. McCain had raised about $80 million and reported about $11 million in cash on hand. Mr. Obama had raised three times as much — about $240 million — and had more than four times as much in the bank.

But the Republican National Committee, which is permitted to spend money on Mr. McCain’s behalf, has raised $31 million, compared with just $6 million by the Democratic National Committee. And Republican officials said they were not concerned about being outspent between now and the conventions.

Another very positive development is that the Obama campaign already has functional organizations in most states due to the campaign's efforts during the primary season:

Mr. Obama’s advisers said that as a result of the five-month series of primaries and caucuses, he had a nearly national campaign apparatus in place and had identified and registered thousands of new voters. That said, they acknowledged that they were at a disadvantage in two important states — Florida and Michigan — because those states had early primaries in defiance of the Democratic National Committee, and the candidates agreed not to campaign there.

“Organizationally, we have now built very powerful organizations in every state but Michigan and Florida,” Mr. Plouffe said. “That is one huge silver lining to how long this nomination fight has gone on.”

Technorati Tags:Barack Obama, John McCain, campaign strategies, New York Times, Bill Richardson, New Mexico, Western states, DNC