Democracy for New Mexico

Take It Easy and Vote by Mail

The easiest way to vote in the November 7th election is to vote by mail, or what is otherwise known as voting via absentee ballot. You don't have to be absent or away to vote by mail. All you have to do is request a mail-in ballot by filling out a form and sending the request in to your county clerk, who will then send you a ballot to complete at home and mail back.

You can get the application for a mail-in ballot by contacting your county clerk or either the Madrid or Richardson campaigns. Some other local campaigns or Dem Party offices can also provide you with the application form. Easy ways to get your application:

Madrid for Congress Campaign:
https://www.madridforcongress.com/action/votefromhome
Or call the Main Office at 505-242-6000 or the South Valley Office at 505-452-2006.

Richardson for Governor Campaign:

Or call 505-828-BILL

Find contact info on your county clerk:
https://www.sos.state.nm.us/main/elections/Clerks.htm

More NM Swiftboating: Bibb Tries to Smear Dem AG Candidate Gary King

With at least $150,000 in campaign contributions coming into New Mexico from Houston's Bob and Doylene Perry, the key funders of 2004's despicable Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, it's no wonder that the campaigns for many Republican candidates in New Mexico are resorting to disreputable tactics as we close in on election day. I examined some of this in a earlier post.

Now a post on The Plaza, Gov. Bill Richardson's blog, explains how Swiftboat tactics are being employed by Repub candidate Jim Bibb in his latest ad against his Dem rival, Gary King. It's clear that the long knives of the worst of the Republican Party have been drawn here in New Mexico. I've always thought the best response to irresponsible and dishonest campaigning is to donate time or money to the candidate who's getting Swiftboated. Click to visit and lend a hand. The Swiftboaters won't like it.

Native American Voters Alliance Hosts Candidate Forum This Saturday

From Sage Council, NAVA:
The Native American Voters Alliance (NAVA) is hosting a candidate forum this Saturday, October 14, at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (2401 12th Street NW) in Albuquerque from 6 to 8 PM. Speaking will be candidates from the 1st Congressional District race (Heather Wilson v. Patricia Madrid), the Attorney General race (Gary King v. Jim Bibb), the Secretary of State race (Vickie Perea v. Mary Herrera), the Land Commissioner race (Jim Baca v. Pat Lyons) and the State Treasurer race (James Lewis v. Demesia Padilla).

Swiftboating James B. Lewis: Is Repub Treasurer Candidate's Mailer Racist?

Controversy has erupted in the race for NM Treasurer, where Democrat James Lewis is running against Republican Demesia Padilla. The latest mailer by Padilla features this graphic:

(Click on image for larger version)

According to an Albuquerque Journal article,

State treasurer candidate James B. Lewis says a new campaign mailer by opponent Demesia Padilla is racially charged, while Padilla says it's not racist and is just a cartoon.

... "It's borderline ... (it) almost seemed racist. It's just bad they're going to the bottom of the barrel," said Lewis, the Democratic candidate.

... Richardson re-election campaign Chairman Dave Contarino called the caricature "racially tinged" and "trash politics."

... Lewis said a family member told him about the new Padilla mailer Wednesday evening. He described the relative as "livid."

"This image here reminds me of somebody hanging somebody, really," Lewis told the Journal Thursday. "It's in very poor taste."

You can send the Padilla campaign a message by voting in a poll at the Albuquerque Journal website that asks whether the image is objectionable or not. Scroll down on their main page to the poll on the right. If you'd like to contact the Padilla campaign, click here. Click to visit the James B. Lewis Campaign website and lend your support.

Repub Money from Swiftboating Supporters
Like almost every Repub campaign in NM this election season, Padilla's has moved into sleazy territory. In the September Journal polling in the race, Lewis led Padilla 40-26. I guess it's not surprising when two of the most generous contributors to NM Republicans this cycle were Bob Perry and Doylene Perry of Houston. As reported in the Santa Fe New Mexican,

Perry was a major contributor to the controversial Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, which in 2004 attacked Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's military record.

In fact, according to MSNBC.com, Perry was the CHIEF financial backer of the so-called Swifboat Veterans for Truth, who ran all those smear ads against Kerry during the 2004 election.

Contributions by the Perrys to state Repub candidates here include:

Republican State Treasurer candidate Demesia Padilla:
Her biggest donations were $25,000 each from Bob Perry and Doylene Perry of Houston

Republican Attorney General candidate Jim Bibb:
$25,000 from Houston businessman Bob Perry plus another $25,000 from Perry and his wife, Doylene

Republican Secretary of State Candidate Vickie Perea:
Her biggest contributors were Bob Perry and Doylene Perry of Houston, at $25,000 each

Click for the Wikipedia entry on Perry.

Open House with Sen. Bingaman Set for 10/16

Senator Bingaman as a Silver City Cub Scout, back in the day

From the Binagaman Campaign:
Join U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman for an open house:
Monday, October 16th from 4:30 to 6 PM
At the Bingaman Re-Election headquarters
5555 Montgomery NE, Suite 8
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Light refreshments and snacks will be provided.
Download the flyer (doc)

We hope that you will be able to join us! If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Anna Wadsworth at 505-881-0042 or anna.wadsworth@bingaman2006.com.

Democratic State Auditor candidate Hector Balderas (left) with Sen. Bingaman

BREAKING: New NM-01 Poll Shows Madrid Up 8 Points Over Wilson

Go read about it at NM FBIHOP !

The Rahm Emanuel Connection: Wilson Campaign Moves into Lala Land Territory

By almost all accounts, Repub incumbent Rep. Heather Wilson's campaign against Dem challenger Patricia Madrid in NM-01 has been mostly dismal, destructive and dysfunctional -- taking the big bucks from oil, gas and pharmaceutical companies, as well as PAC's and other funds controlled by the likes of the disgraced Tom DeLay, Mark Foley, Duke Cunningham and various other icons of Beltway crime -- and using it to carry out the dark and dirty strategies of Karl Rove and his ilk.

Poison Pieces in Our Mailboxes
For me personally, a new low was achieved with the recent mailings I got from the Wilson campaign (sent even to loyal Dems it seems). They suggest, in true Rovian fashion, that Patricia Madrid wants all child molesters and heroin addicts back on the street. Who knew? The paid rodents who created these postal attack pieces had to dig hard through Madrid's long career as an attorney, judge and attorney general to find a couple cases where, due to legalities and decisions beyond her control, a couple people received probation etc.

Oh, woooooooo! Look into the files of anyone long active in the justice or law enforcement fields and you'll find similar examples. If this is the best the Wilson campaign can do, I have to say I'm disappointed in the much touted wiles of Rove et al. After all, this is the man who pretty much created modern-era direct mail campaigning of the politically poisonous variety. When he and his imitators are grasping at straws like these, you know it's bad.

Rahm Emanuel on the Page Scandal Hot Seat?
But wait -- something even more smelly emerged today from the Wilson campaign. Turns out DCCC chair Rep. Rahm Emanuel was in Albuquerque yesterday meeting with the Madrid campaign and attending a private fundraiser. Big whoop, right? Especially since almost all fundraising visits from prominent Repubs for Wilson have been private affairs, including a recent visit from the sleaze man himself - Karl Rove. But noooooo. Wilson's staffers took this opportunity to claim that Emanuel didn't want to talk to the media because he didn't want to answer questions about Foley and the page scandal. Again, who knew? Quote from article in the Albuquerque Journal:

The no-press-invited luncheon from the head of the group responsible for anti-Republican attack ads around the country had the campaign of Republican Rep. Heather Wilson breathing fire: They suggested that Emanuel, a U.S. House member from Illinois, made no public appearances in order to dodge questions about the congressional page scandal and other issues.

Paging Heather Wilson
I have to admit Wilson's bunch has nerve, if not much else this campaign season. Think of the ironies: Wilson served on the Congressional Page Board from 2001-2004 and yet, to this day, she claims she had no idea that underage pages and ex-pages were being sexually pursued during that period by Rep. Mark Foley. This, despite Foley being a prominent member of the Republican caucus and the Republican leadership team, and the person who headed their child protection legislative efforts. Wilson has repeatedly claimed that the Page Board is nothing more than an informal group that deals only with trifles like scheduling and other minor administrative details. The reality? The House Page Board was created in 1982 "to ensure that the Page program is conducted in a manner that is consistent with the efficient functioning of the House and welfare of the Pages." Oops.

Rove, Rove, Go Away
Of course this tactic is right out of the Rove play book -- when you're tainted by something, accuse your opponents of that very thing. In the psych books they call that "projection," and it's been used over and over again by Rove and his minions to wrongfully smear Dems. Think about the Swiftboating of war hero John Kerry in response to revelations about the military service shortcomings of George and his boys. Think about the attack on the patriotism of ex-Sen. Max Cleland, who lost most of his limbs in Viet Nam, in response to the unprincipled and cowardly reputation of Saxby Chambliss. I'm sure you can think of your own examples.

And now this -- a Democrat being accused by Republicans of avoiding questions about the Foleygate scandal when right in our midst is the real thing -- Heather Wilson. The same Heather Wilson who served on the Page Board while the harrassment was ongoing and complaints were bubbling up all over. The same Heather Wilson who, mercy me, just had no idea anything out of the ordinary was going on!

Just how low will the Wilson campaign go in its quickening spiral into the depths of Lala Land? I'd guess it'll be pretty darned low as we tick down the hours to election day 2006. Be forewarned.

Radio Debate and New Radio Ad for NM Land Commissioner Candidate Jim Baca

Jim Baca at a DFA-DFNM Meetup earlier this year

Democratic challenger Jim Baca will debate with Republican incumbent Land Commissioner Pat Lyons live on radio KKOB-77AM's Jim Villanuci show on Monday, October 16, from 4-5:30 PM. You can also listen to a live stream at the KKOB website at that time.

Baca is locked in a tight race with Lyons, whose campaign contributions have come almost entirely from big oil and gas interests to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Lyons is also getting strong support from Republicans at the national level. He's set to launch a massive TV-ad campaign filled with the kinds of personally destructive attacks peppered with disinformation that have characterized the approach of Republicans in NM this election season.

Meanwhile the Baca campaign has launched a new radio ad calling attention to several recent financially questionable boondoggles by Lyons while serving his current term. Click to listen to the ad (mp3). You can help keep it on the air by donating what you can to the Jim Baca Campaign. If we want to elect a candidate who will work for all New Mexicans rather than just for oil and gas interests, now's the time to donate a few bucks and help Jim get his message out.

In the lastest Journal poll, Baca leads Lyons 43% to 39%, with 18% undecided. The outcome of the election may well turn on convincing those 18 percent, and the Baca campaign needs your help to accomplish that. Here's Jim Baca's response to the poll results:

New Mexico voters are rejecting Lyons’ negative advertising and looking instead to the important issue of who best will provide the proper balance of protecting our environment while generating revenue from state land from oil and gas leasing and development.

It is a very tight race, and that may be a result of Lyons’ significant war chest that has been spent on advertising that is paid by contributions from the oil and gas industry.  It’s a simple fact that the oil and gas industry wants someone in office who will do their bidding, and they’re willing to pay for it.

I’m certainly not against oil and gas production in our state, but I’m also very supportive of renewable energy development, and coordinated development on state lands. We must protect our valuable hunting and fishing areas for sportsmen. We must protect valuable water supplies and wilderness areas. Development and protection can go hand-in-hand if we balance competing interests.

We just can’t give it all away to the oil and gas industry. New Mexico voters understand the need for a balanced approach, and that may be the reason why despite heavy spending by my opponent, I remain the leader in this race.

NRCC Drops More Money for Phone Work in NM-01

Repub losers: Brownie, Dubyee and Foley

We previously reported on the National Republican Congressional Committee's releasing more than $6,000 to pay a notoriously dirty campaign outfit to make what will no doubt be nasty phone calls in NM-01 against Dem challenger Patricia Madrid's campaign. Today's check of FEC records shows another big buy with the same Rove-connected outfit, this time to the tune of $2,820 in New Mexico and many thousands more in hot Congressional races nationwide. That totals almost $9,000 that's been transferred over the past several days to the infamous firm of Larson & Synhorst DCI for use against Madrid.

Also recall that the despicable ex-Rep. Mark Foley donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the NRCC, and that the NRCC also has designs on seizing Foley's own sizeable campaign war chest. (See this post on local blog Live From Silver City.) I guess Repub incumbent Rep. Heather Wilson has no qualms accept this kind of help from the NRCC even though significant amounts of their funds are tainted by a Mark Foley connection. Have you heard Wilson urging the NRCC to refuse to use any dollars they get via the Foley connection? Neither have I.

Richardson Campaign Seeks Website Intern

From the Bill Richardson for Governor Campaign:
The campaign needs someone who wants to volunteer on the campaign and help with the website. See below for more information, including a job descripion and how to apply. Time is of the essence so if you're interested in this opportunity, submit the required info ASAP:

As a Website intern you will ensure the Bill Richardson 2006 Campaign website has up-to-the-minute information on issues by:

-Updating our "News" page with the latest news articles or press releases.

-Write campaign updates on the Plaza Blog.

-Formulating and implement creative website and online organizing ideas, and Facebook and My Space outreach strategies.

Job Description: The Intern will gain hands-on experience in the management of the technical side of a major statewide campaign operation, including web design, technical support, and online organizing.

Work atmosphere: Young, Fun and Gung-Ho!

Volunteer/Intern Requirements: The qualified applicant should possess the following qualities:

1 . Enjoy working in a team environment and know how to have fun on and off work;

2 . Be responsible, including being on time;

3 . HTML & XML proficiency, Java, Flash and web design skills desired.

Minimum Internship Commitment: At least 4 weeks (any bloc of time between now through November). Although Website and Online Networking internships are unpaid, students may receive academic credit from their college or university. This is also one of the best opportunities for getting into a democratic political campaign.

Location: Website Internships are located in our Albuquerque HQ.

How to Apply: Interested students should email a cover letter, resume, and short (1-2 page) writing sample to:

Joaquin H. Guerra
Director of Internet Operations
Bill Richardson for Governor 2006
jguerra@billrichardson2006.com

Campaign Website https://billrichardson2006.com/
Campaign Blog https://blog.billrichardson2006.com/