Democracy for New Mexico

What Would Democrats Do?

Polling here and around the nation is demonstrating a strong trend toward Democrats winning elections, with chances improving every day for Democrats to take over the U.S. House and maybe even the Senate. What would this mean? What are Democrats planning to do if they succeed? Here's what's in the works, according to a Washington Post column by Harold Meyerson:

In the House, the Democrats have made clear that there's a first tier of legislation they mean to bring to a vote almost immediately after the new Congress convenes. It includes raising the minimum wage, repealing the Medicare legislation that forbids the government from negotiating with drug companies for lower prices, replenishing student loan programs, funding stem cell research and implementing those recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission that have thus far languished.

... Cognizant that they will owe their victory in part to the public's revulsion at the way Congress does (or avoids) business, the Democrats also plan to revise House rules to enable the opposition party to introduce amendments and to sit on conference committees, from which Republicans have routinely excluded them since Tom DeLay became majority leader. They also will ban members from accepting gifts and paid trips from lobbyists.

And doesn't this sound like a wonderful change?

By bringing such measures to a vote in the House, and conceivably in the Senate as well, the Democrats will be in the enviable position of doing both good and well: promoting long-overdue policy shifts that the public supports and putting their Republican colleagues in a pickle. Confronted with an up-or-down vote on raising the minimum wage or making medication for seniors more affordable, many Republicans will side with the Democrats. Should the Democrats win the Senate, Republicans will have to calculate the risks of filibustering such mom-and-apple-pie measures. These bills will also pose a conundrum for conservatives such as John McCain, whose presidential aspirations have not been clouded by having to vote on these issues.

How about the Iraq War?

The war in Iraq -- to which, if they win, they will owe their victory -- will surely prove the most nettlesome. If the Baker-Hamilton commission recommends a phased withdrawal, as some reports have speculated, the Democrats may be handed a relatively easy way out, whether or not the administration goes along with it. Should the administration persist in staying the course, Congress then could pass the kind of legislation it passed in the last years of the Vietnam War, stipulating the kinds of uses to which our military spending could -- and could not -- be put.

And on the environment and energy:

In the course of this year's campaign, Democrats have been pleasantly surprised by the support their proposals for greater energy independence have won in all regions and sectors of the country. They will surely boost funding for alternative energy projects, which they see as a way not just to reduce greenhouse gases but to generate jobs as well. Many congressional Democrats also want to mandate stricter fuel efficiency standards ...

These are just some of the positive developments we can expect if Dems win at least one House of Congress. By healthy margins, recent polling has shown that most Americans want change in Washington and they strongly support Democratic positions on many important fronts. Also, don't forget that core Dems will head most House and Senate committees if we take over, and provide opportunities for much-needed, serious probes into many of the corrupt, misbegotten or stealth actions permitted by the Republican rubber stamp Congress during Bush's presidency.

Can't you imagine all the cockroaches scattering as the light of day penetrates the darkness of one-party rule? Makes you want to go out and phone bank or canvass for a Dem candidate, doesn't it? We'd better. Here's what we're up against in terms of the surging Republican get out the vote (GOTV) effort.

Unofficial Transcript of TV News Story on Heather Wilson Removing CFYD File About Her Husband

In the last day or so, Albuquerque's KOAT-7 News apparently had YouTube remove a video of their 1995 1996 investigative TV news report on Republican Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01) due to "copyright infringement." At least, that's what YouTube says on its site at the link where the clip had been present for some time. In the TV news story, Wilson is caught lying to the camera about removing a file on her husband, Jay Hone, from the central filing system of the NM Children, Youth and Families Department (see posts below from earlier today).

Given KOAT's action, I can't include an actual video of the story here for those who haven't seen it. But what I can do is provide an unofficial transcript of the video, which was emailed to me this evening from someone who watched the video closely. You can make your own judgments about whether or not the story has relevance in the current election cycle, and if the story should be reexamined by local print or TV news media in light of current events:

Unofficial Transcript:
KOAT 7 Target 7 TV Report on Secretary Wilson, in 1995 1996

(Scene of the KOAT 7 newsroom, with anchors Diane Anderson and Nelson Martinez)

“Children Youth and Families Secretary Heather Wilson hastily calls a news conference to discredit a Target 7 report she had not even seen. But it’s a story you’ll see in just a moment.

"Good evening, I’m Nelson Martinez. And I’m Diane Anderson. Where is a sensitive case file relating to Wilson’s husband?

"Our Target 7 team has learned that it was moved, on orders of the Cabinet Secretary herself. And one Law Enforcement official calls the incident, ‘highly inappropriate’.”

Anderson, “Target 7 investigative reporter Larry Barker has the exclusive story that prompted Secretary Wilson to go on the offensive.”

(cut to reporter Larry Barker)

Barker, “One of Governor Johnson’s (R-NM) first appointments was Heather Wilson, to head up Children, Youth and Families. And one of Heather Wilson’s first acts was to have a confidential case file, on her husband, removed from the Department’s Central Records.

"Believed to be in the file is a March 1993 Albuquerque Police incident report containing potentially embarrasing allegations against Wilson’s husband, Jay Hone. (shows picture of the police report).

"Now charges were never pressed, but the allegation was referred to State Authorities for investigation by Children Youth and Familes, where the agency had a routine file on Jay Hone. Secretary Wilson took office on January 1st last year (1995). Target 7 has learned that just 3 days later, the Secretary ordered her husband’s file removed from the Department’s Central Records room here in Albuqueque and delivered to the Deparment’s attorney, in her Santa Fe office.”

“The action was documented on this index card copy (shows the card), the original of which is now apparently missing.  Also missing is a letter, showing the file’s current location (shows similar letter with overlay quote “…wrongfully removed”). Children, Youth and Families administrators suggest that the letter may have been, quote, wrongfully removed. The Jay Hone file was taken from the Children Youth and Families Albuquerque office, which puts this incident under the jurisdiction of District Attorney, Bob Schwartz."

(Cut to video of Barker’s interview with Bob Schwartz):

Barker, “If she removed this file, relating to her husband from the file room or wherever they keep files, to the office of the Secretary – is that appropriate?"

Schwartz, “It is absolutely inappropriate. At minimum, the Secretary has an obvious conflict of interest. And being a Cabinet Secretary, what she should have done, is gone to a court, under seal, and at least asked a court to authorize this kind of removal. Because obviously she is a little too close.”

Barker’s report continues – cut to Barker interrupting Wilson in a conference room ...

Barker, “Secretary Wilson refused to discuss this matter with me, so we caught up with her at Children Youth and Families’ Albuquerque office.

Barker interviews Wilson ...

Barker, “And this is, purports to be the card, referencing your husband, right?"

Wilson, “Yes.”

Barker, “OK. And there is a notation here, that the record was removed, by your order, on this date.”

Wilson gives him a blank look.

Barker, “Does that have any meaning for you, or not?”

Wilson, “I will assume, for the purposes, that this is some kind of a copy of a record of this Department. Now where we locate files, in this Department, is none of your business.”

Barker, “Well did you order, this ... a record ... removed?"

Wilson, “No.”

Barker, “So this is totally inaccurate?"

Wilson, “Yes."

Barker, “But confidential sources claim Secretary Wilson did indeed move her husband’s case file. And that’s not the only thing she removed. Watch closely. That’s OUR investigative file (Wilson walks off with Barker’s manilla file folder). That’s right, Secretary Wilson made off with OUR Target 7 file. Now we recovered our documents moments later. Meanwhile DA Schwartz says he will demand the Jay Hone file, be returned."

Schwartz again, “These records do not belong to Secretary Wilson. These records belong to the Department and they are under the strict regulation of the law. If this file is in Secretary Wilson’s desk, then she shouldn’t be behind this desk any more, she should resign.”

Barker, signing off, “The Department confirms the Hone files does exist, but they won’t say ... where it is. Larry Barker, for Target 7.”

(cut back to the KOAT-7 studio)

Diane Anderson, “When Secretary Wilson learned that KOAT 7 planned to run the story tonight, she summoned reporters to her Santa Fe office this afternoon.”

Nelson Martinez, “There, for the first time, she publicly acknowledged having her husband’s file moved.”

Open Letter to KOAT-TV News and Larry Barker

As reported in an earlier post today, the Raw Story blog broke a story on Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01) today that included scans of a police report about her husband, Jay Scone, that was filed with APD. As I said, I had done a post here on October 3, 2006 based on a video of a KOAT-TV news story by investigative reporter Larry Barker that I had found uploaded at YouTube. It details how Heather Wilson removed a file on her husband from the general file system of the NM Department of Children, Youth and Families three days after she took office as the agency's Secretary. Wilson lies on camera to Larry Barker, denying she took the file. Later, when she learned the story would be aired, she admitted she took the file.

It appears that the video was removed from YouTube around the time the Raw Story post went up. YouTube put up a statement saying it was removed due to "copyright infringement."

I'm asking KOAT-TV News: Why did you demand that the video be removed by YouTube, if it was in fact done by you?

I think the voters should have access to legitimate, broadcast news stories having to do with Heather Wilson's credibility. Why ask that the video be taken down now? And why has this story not been mentioned by you in this election cycle, especially given the tainted accusations being made by the Wilson campaign and the Republican Party of NM against Dem challenger Patricia Madrid?

Just in the last couple days I have received four color mailers from the State Republican Party that accuse Madrid of, among other things, stinking like used baby diapers. I'm not kidding, they've devolved that much. Isn't it the role of the media to provide as complete a picture as possible of the credibility of candidates? While local TV and print media have been more than willing to mention empty and very personally negative accusations made by Wilson and the Republicans about Madrid, this story of Wilson's dishonesty has been completely neglected. And now now it's apparently being kept from further public scrutiny under the guise of "copyright infringement." What gives?

Editor's Note: If readers out there would like to contact KOAT-TV about their actions, visit their website for contact info.

BREAKING: RAW STORY Finds Police Report on Heather Wilson's Husband

UPDATE: A post on this by FBIHOP is now on the front page of Daily Kos, along with a link to my original story on DFNM. (The permanent link to FBIHOP's post is here.)

The website RAW STORY today posted a story (now on it's front page) about Republican Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01) entitled, "Congresswoman on Page Board Buried File on Husband's Child Abuse Alegation." The post includes scans of the Albuquerque Police report on Rep. Heather Wilson's husband, Jay Hone, that allegedly is contained in a file Wilson eventually admitted she removed from the general file system of the NM Department of Children, Youth and Families within days of assuming her new job as the agency's Secretary. Excerpt:

... RAW STORY has uncovered and confirmed the authenticity of the police incident report believed to be contained in the missing dossier. Filed as a case of child abuse in 1993, it contends that Wilson's husband Jay Hone, an Albuquerque attorney, touched a then-16 year old boy "in a manner that was not welcome."

I had previously posted about this incident, and included a link to a YouTube video I had found there that shows a report by KOAT-TV's investigative reporter, Larry Barker, on the missing file. I learned today, however, that the video had been removed by YouTube, allegedly due to copyright problems. Anyone else find it an odd coincidence that the YouTube video disappeared at the same time Raw Story released copies of the police report that prompted CYFD to open the file? It's my understanding the video had been on the site for months.

The video of the news report showed Barker speaking with Heather Wilson about the file. On camera, she denied taking it, despite Barker showing her a card that indicated she had done so. The news team reported that when they contacted Wilson to inform her they would be running the story, she suddenly admitted she had, indeed, removed the file and taken it to another location. So Heather Wilson lied on camera about taking a file containing what was alleged to be embarrassing information based on a police report about her husband.

As I also reported previously, Heather Wilson was a member of the congressional Page Board during the years 2001-2004. She has denied knowing anything at that time about Rep. Mark Foley's inappropriate behavior. She's also a member of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, which also counted Mark Foley as a member.

She was also the top recipient of campaign contributions from Foley:

The top individual recipient of Foley’s money is Rep. Heather Wilson, who is in a tight race this year in New Mexico. She has received $8,000 from Foley. The #2 recipient is Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), who is leaving Congress after admitting to taking bribes from lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his associates. Ney received $6,000 from Foley.

Valley Festa Italiana to Benefit Denish Campaign

From the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County:
Valley Festa Italiana for Lt. Gov. Diane Denish
Join us to roll out the ravioli, grill salsicce and mangia cannoli
Sunday, October 22, 2006, 1–3 PM
Suggested donation $50, Private Home
Call 1-877-DENISH-06 for more info.

Hector Balderas: Dem Candidate for NM State Auditor

Hector Balderas, the Democratic candidate for State Auditor, now has a campaign website at https://www.hectorbalderas.com/. Above is a recent interview of Balderas by KRQE News 13's Dick Knipfing, where he describes his experience and how it matches the demands of the job.

Balderas has pledged to refuse campaign contributions from anyone who does business with the State Auditor's office:

From Hector Balderas for State Auditor:
ALBUQUERQUE–State Representative Hector Balderas (D-District 68) this week announced that he will refuse all political contributions to his campaign for State Auditor from any firm or individual who does business with the Auditor’s office.

“The integrity of the Auditor’s Office is more important that any financial contribution,” said Balderas. “I must ensure the public has faith in the work being done in the Auditor’s office. The first step toward this goal is to avoid any wrongdoing or even the slightest appearance of impropriety between my campaign and the entities that do work with the Auditor’s office.”

As State Auditor, Balderas will establish a Taxpayer Protection Initiative to improve government accountability by investigating fraud and illegal acts that affect government resources. Through this initiative, the State Auditor’s Office will assist in the prosecution of cases related to the improper use of public funds.

Currently, Balderas serves thirty-three Northern New Mexico communities in the New Mexico House of Representatives, which includes his membership on the House Ethics Committee. He has led the fight against price gouging, and advocated for ethics reform and the development and implementation of renewable energy.

Balderas challenges his opponent in the State Auditor’s race to also refuse such contributions.

Quote of the Day: If We Lose Heather Wilson ...

Reported by Kevin Drum at Political Animal:
GOP MELTDOWN WATCH ... From conservative Kate O'Beirne at The Corner:

A well-connected Republican source who was running through the most competitive House races this morning said, "If we lose Heather Wilson, we lose the House." The explanation was that Wilson has faced tough reelection races in the past and so knows what she's up against. She's aggressive, knows how to fight for her seat, and raises plenty of money. The reasoning is that if she is knocked off this year, there is little hope for incumbents facing their first real challenge. At the end of September, polls had Wilson tied with New Mexico's attorney general Patricia Madrid. Recent polls give Madrid an edge of about 8 points.

(Tip o' the hat to KathyF, Democrat Abroad, who blogs at What Do I Know?)

Great News: Madrid 53% - Wilson 45% in Latest SUSA-KOB-TV Poll

In the lastest Survey USA-KOB-TV poll, Madrid tops Wilson by 8 points:

Democrat Patricia Madrid 53%
Republican Heather Wilson 45%
Undecided 3%
M.O.E. plus or minus 4.6%
Survey taken 10/13-10/15/06
800 adults, including 687 registered voters and 470 likely voters

Here's SUSA's analysis, their pie chart showing the results and the survey's cross-tabs. Some telling points made by SUSA:

• In the past 4 weeks, the composition of likely voters in NM1 has changed from a 5-point Democrat[ic] advantage to a 16-point Democrat[ic] advantage
• Madrid leads by 16 points among women. The race is tied among men.
• Wilson gets 85% of Republican votes. Madrid gets 79% of Democrat[ic] votes.
• Independents favor Madrid 55% to 42%.

(Editor's Note: In the quote from SUSA analysis above, I changed the word "Democrat" to "Democratic" because that's its proper form when being used as an adjective.) You may recall that the previous poll by SUSA-KOB-TV had Wilson up 51 to 46 over Madrid, so the race swung 13 points in Madrid's favor in this SUSA survey compared with an identical poll they conducted on 9/18-9/20/06.

Although SUSA's automated phone methodology has its critics, their latest results are in line with those of two other recent polls -- by Constituent Dynamics (Madrid 52, Wilson 44) and Zogby-Reuters (Madrid 50, Wilson 40). The latest Albuquerque Journal poll had the race at a dead heat at 44% each. Taken together, poll results in New Mexico's first congressional district show a strong trend towards Madrid as we move closer to election day, something shared by Dems all over the nation in tight congressional races.

Check out local blog New Mexico FBIHOP for some additional analysis of the polling data.

Of course, the only results that really count are those provided by voters in the election. Anything can happen in the last few weeks before an election. RUMORS are that heavy hitters will be traveling to New Mexico to try and affect the outcome, and may include Bill Clinton for Madrid, Rudy Giuliani for Wilson.

If we want to keep the Big Mo moving in Madrid's direction, we have to GET OUT THE VOTE and make sure our fellow Democrats vote absentee (mail-in), early or on election day. Call the Madrid campaign to volunteer for phone banking or canvassing on election day or anytime between now and then:

Main Office
Phone: 505-242-6000
200 Oak St. NE #4
Albuquerque, NM 87106

South Valley Office
Phone: 505-452-2006
1220 Isleta Blvd. SW
Albuquerque, NM 87105

Bush and Wilson: Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them

---------We Need Change in Washington: Watch Madrid's latest ad

It's no wonder that George W. Bush and Heather Wilson are viewed as bosom buddies -- they both lie like rugs, on many of the same topics. There are reams of documentation about Bush administration lies on a myriad of issues, including the whoppers they've spewed since they first decided to invade Iraq. Some of the latest revelations are in Bob Woodword's new book, State of Denial, and the leaked intelligence report that states the Iraq occupation is creating more terrorism, not making us safer.

Wilson, the Repub incumbent who's running against Dem challenger Patricia Madrid in NM-01, can surely be seen as a kind of co-conspirator in these lies. After all, she a longstanding member of the House Subcomittee on Intelligence Policy and raised nary a peep to challenge the distortions churned out by the Bushies, even though she now claims she did. Wilson continues to lie about what she did to help "sell" Bush's Iraq invasion. And her story's getting just a might muddled.

Which Is It, Heather?
According to a Saturday Albuquerque Journal article,

"The intelligence that caused me to vote in favor of authorizing the use of force was not Saddam's nuclear program, but his biological program," Wilson said in the written statement this week.

However, back on March 8, 2003, just before the Iraq War started, Wilson told the Albuquerque Tribune that it wasn't just biological weapons - that it was also Saddam's chemical weapons and his desire to obtain nuclear weapons that caused her to vote for the war:

"For me," (Wilson) said, "the action against Iraq has to do with chemical and biological weapons and Saddam Hussein's desire to get nuclear weapons. We can't let him have those weapons."

This dishonesty follows on the heels of a similar factual foul-up just a few weeks ago. In that case Wilson told the Albuquerque Tribune she'd questioned how accurate the intelligence was, but still voted for the war. Oops -- three years earlier she told the Journal that there was no incorrect intelligence used to hype the war, period.  Again, which is it, Heather?

Had enough? Call the Madrid Campaign at 505-242-6000 and volunteer and/or click to make a campaign donation. We need change in Washington and it needs to start right here.

Meet Gov. Richardson at 10/23 Open House

Governor Bill Richardson
Invites You
To An Open House On
Monday, October 23,2006, 4-6:00 PM
at the Richardson for Governor Headquarters
111 Lomas NW, Suite 120, Albuquerque