Democracy for New Mexico

League of Independent Voters Presents 'Heather Wilson Is a Joke!'

Borrowed from m-pyre:
Join the League of Independent Voters for a hillarious night of comedy, as we poke fun at our "favorite" NM District 1 Congresswoman (Heather Wilson). All proceeds of this fundraiser event will work towards building community power through local politics. Oh, and the evening's host will be none other than "Pleather Wilson" him-uh, i mean herself...

Saturday October 7th 2006, 8:00-9:30 PM
Gorilla Tango Comedy Theatre
519 Central (Downtown Abq, NM)
$20 Presales available now! Buy online- www.gorillatango.com.
See flyer below the fold.

(Click on image for larger version.)

Madrid Up 10 Points Over Wilson in Reuters Poll

Wow. According to the latest Zogby/Reuters poll:

NEW MEXICO 1 - Five-term Republican Rep. Heather Wilson trails Democrat Patricia Madrid 50-40 percent in this Albuquerque-based swing district.

...Democrats lead Republicans in 11 of 15 crucial races in the November 7 election to decide which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives. President George W. Bush's Republicans now hold a 15-seat advantage over Democrats. The polls of at least 500 likely voters in each district have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

The question: Is this an outlier poll or have the numbers of those who will vote for Madrid really jumped that much?

The polling was done during the period of Sept. 25 to Oct. 2, which included three days of the unfolding Mark Foley scandal and the release of Bob Woodward's new book, State of Denial, which is highly critical of the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq occupation. Whatever the accuracy of these results, there does seem to be a strong trend toward Democratic candidates as we move closer to election day:

"This is a dismal showing for Republicans," pollster John Zogby said. "Republicans ought to be very, very nervous."

... "It's not just Mark Foley, but also what did the speaker know and when did he know it, and the House leadership, what did they know?" Zogby said. "This could turn into a freefall for Republicans."

I tend to think the the lastest local Journal poll showing a dead even race is probably more accurate, given Brian Sanderoff's experience in the district, but this jump may well be indicative of a trend upward for Madrid and other Dem candidates as the Republicans suffer from an onslaught of negative news on almost every front, from the Iraq war to FoleyGate.

Speaking of NM-01 polling this year and what it's telling us, be sure to check out this excellent analysis provided at local blog NM FBIHOP.

Gov. Richardson & Lt. Gov. Denish Host Santa Fe Benefit for Jim Baca

Governor Bill Richardson And Lt. Governor Diane Denish
Cordially Invite You To a Party
For Jim Baca
Friday, October 6, 2006
6:00 to 7:30 PM
At The Lodge at Santa Fe
750 North St. Francis Drive
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Suggested Contribution $100
Please RSVP TO: 404—0556
Jim Baca for Land Commissioner

Progressive Voter Alliance of Las Cruces Hosts Successful Campaign Fair

This is a guest post by Ed Fulmer a renewable energy advocate who blogs at Alternative Comment:

MAKING A DIFFERENCE 2006, A CAMPAIGN FAIR: The Progressive Voter Alliance was organized in Las Cruces to continue the volunteer momentum of the 2004 election. PVA is the focal point for candidates, activists and voters who support a variety of progressive issues.

Organizations such as MoveOn and Protect the Vote were arrayed along with local candidates around the room at tables accessible to interested individuals. Candidate presentations included Jeff Steinborn, Nate Cote, Antonio Lujan’s spokes person, Cathilia Flores and Karen Perez.

Jeff Steinborn is running for the open seat in State House District 37. He gave a status report on the curb side recycling effort, vowing not to let the issue die. Jeff expects to be targeted by the oil and gas industry because his work with New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. He pledged his support for increased access to health care, a living wage and conservation.

Nate Cote is running for State House District 53. This district has been represented for 12 years by an Almagordo Republican, but 3/4 of the population and 8 of 10 precincts are in Dona Ana County.  Cote supports developing solar and geothermal energy in the East Mesa. District 35 Representative Antonio Lujan's spokes person, Cathilia Flores pointed out Lujan’s support for a living wage, union rights and environmental issues. She was enthusiastic about renewable energy legislation for the coming session. 

The Dona Ana County County Commission races will determine which party has marjority vote. If candidates Karen Perez, District 3 and Oscar Butler, District 1 win, they will join Democrat Bill McCamley, District 5 to move the county forward on key issues. Karen Perez, a civil engineer, supports comprehensive planning, work force development, water management and infrastucture improvements.

Implementing Renewable Energy policy is dependent upon electing supportive local and state officials. There are 35 days left until the elections. VOTE SOLAR.

This is a guest blog by Ed Fulmer. If you'd like to submit a piece for possible publication as a guest blog, please contact me by clicking on the Email Me link at the upper left-hand corner of DFNM's main page.

ABQ Police, Firefighter Unions & Mayor Chavez to Hold Public Endorsement Event for Madrid

Patricia Madrid speaks with law enforcement personnel

The local unions for the Firefighters (IAFF: International Association of Firefighters) and Police (APOA: Albuquerque Police Officers Association) will appear at an event joined by Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez to publicly endorse the campaign of Democratic challenger Patricia Madrid (NM-01). AG Madrid will also attend and discussion will focus on law enforcement and safety issues. In the past, these unions have endorsed Republican incumbent Rep. Heather Wilson. This year, they see the need for a change.

The event will take place on Wednesday, October 4th, at 10:15 AM, at the Northwest corner of Albuquerque's Civic Plaza at 4th and Marquette, next to the amphitheater.

Foley Case: Not the First Time Heather Wilson Tied to Youth Scandal Questions

UPDATE 10.20.06: In the past couple of days KOAT successfully convinced YouTube to remove the video linked above due to copyright issues. For those who didn't get a chance to view the video when it was available (for weeks if not months), read this unofficial transcript provided by someone who watched it carefully.
************
Reminiscent of the still-unfolding scandal involving Rep. Mark Foley -- and what many, even on the right, see as a Republican cover-up -- is an earlier scandal involving Republican Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01) and her husband, Jay Hone. The video above shows a KOAT-TV7 (Albuquerque) news story prompted by one of Wilson's first actions when she was appointed to head the NM Department of Children, Youth and Families. Wilson served as Department Secretary from 1995-1998. On her third day in office, she removed a sensitive department case file, which had been opened on her husband, from the agency's central records repository in Albuquerque. Although Wilson initially denied doing so, she later changed her story and admitted removing the file. In other words, she lied.

The file was opened in response to an Albuquerque police report filed in March 1993 that reportedly contained potentially damaging allegations against her husband. The file is rumored to contain information about an accusation against Hone that has to do with inappropriate contact on his part with a babysitter. Most files opened by the department in this manner are generally based on claims of sexually inappropriate contact or abuse involving minors.

In the news report, investigative journalist Larry Barker tracks down Wilson and asks her about the file. On camera, Heather denies she removed the file from the Department's central filing system and transferred it to the custody of the Department attorney who shared her Santa Fe offices. The news team reports that when Wilson learned they were going to run the story she summoned reporters to her office and finally admitted she did, in fact, remove the file to her Secretary's office in Santa Fe.

The Bernalillo County District Attorney at the time, Bob Schwartz, stated that the removal was a "highly inappropriate" act on the part of Wilson and that she should at least have filed a request under seal to a judge to get permission to move the file. Schwartz claimed Wilson had a clear conflict of interest in the matter and stated that if she had, indeed removed it, she should resign. Strangely, I can't find any evidence that the matter was pursued. At the time, Republican Gary Johnson was Governor of NM, and the matter just faded from public view. The file has evidently never been returned to the central records of the Department.

Here we have a clear case of Heather Wilson acting to hide the facts about allegations about her husband's possibly improper behavior with a minor -- no doubt to ensure they never see the light of day.

Now move forward in time to 2001, when Wilson is serving on the Page Board, which oversees the Congressional page program. Even though a page has come forward to say that Republican-appointed pages were warned that year not to respond to Rep. Foley's "friendly" overtures, Wilson claims she knew nothing about it. She served on the board from 2001 through 2004, when Foley's inappropriate emails and IMs were being sent, yet she claims she knew nothing about them. Heather Wilson was on the board charged with supervising the page program during a time when rumors were apparently making the rounds about Foley's suspect interest in the youths, but she heard none of it.

A coincidence or a pattern? You decide. But I have to ask, can Rep. Heather Wilson be trusted in matters like this after lying on camera about a similar matter in the past?

Foley Scandal: What Did Heather Wilson Know and When Did She Know It?

Things haven't been going well for Republican incumbent Rep. Heather Wilson's campaign (NM-01). The lastest polling shows Dem challenger Patricia Madrid tied at 44% with Wilson, and the new Madrid ad calls Wilson out in no uncertain terms on lying for Bush about the disasterous Iraq War. Now the scandal that's exposed Rep. Mark Foley's sexual targeting of underage House pages may well be the nail in the coffin for the Wilson campaign. Political analysts are suggesting that other tight congressional races may also tip in the Democrats' favor as a result of this unfolding story about what Foley did and what Republicans did or didn't do when they found out about it.

Wilson was forced to donate the $8000 she got from Foley's PACs to charity, and she's joining other Repubs in tight races in suddenly stating concern about the situation -- trying to distance themselves from Hastert and others. It's now clear that the Repub leadership and at least some Repub members of the board that manages the House page operation (which has only one Democratic member) had knowledge of Foley's problems with minors for months, if not years. Yet they did nothing. According to a New York Times article:

Top House Republicans knew for months about e-mail traffic between Representative Mark Foley and a former teenage page, but kept the matter secret and allowed Mr. Foley to remain head of a Congressional caucus on children’s issues, Republican lawmakers said Saturday.

... Besides the leaders, other lawmakers and Congressional officers who served on the board that oversaw the page program were aware of the e-mail messages, though the Democratic lawmaker who serves on the board, Representative Dale E. Kildee of Michigan, said Saturday that he had never been informed.

Hmmm. Heather Wilson was a member of the House board that oversees the page program in 2001-3004, when pages were reportedly already being warned about Foley. What did she know about Foley's penchant for sending sexual emails and IMs to young, male pages and his "overly friendly" attitudes towards the 16 and 17 year olds? And if she knew about Foley's tendencies, as a number of Republican leaders did, why didn't she or anyone else do anything meaningful about it?

Rep. Wilson: See no evil?

As reported in the Bloomberg article also linked above:

"Toleration of inappropriate behavior is almost as bad as the behavior itself,'' said Representative Heather Wilson, a Republican from New Mexico who faces a difficult race in November.

I wonder if Wilson includes herself in those Republicans who tolerated the inappropriate behavior. It's hard to believe she hadn't heard anything about the warnings about Foley given her membership on the page management board that oversees the program and its young interns.

What we do know is that the Republican House leadership apparently lacks the capacity and/or curiosity to investigate questionable activities, whether they involve members of their own caucus or the war in Iraq. Always number one on their agendas? Protecting their own and winning at almost any cost. Family values party, my eye.

ThinkProgress has a timeline of what is known so far in the Foley controversy.

Enjoy Home-Cooked Enchiladas and Support Shay Rose for State Rep.

From the Shay Rose for State Rep. Campaign:

SHAY ROSE FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE (District 28)
FUNDRAISER
at
United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Hall
510 San Pedro SE
SE Corner of Zuni and San Pedro
SATURDAY OCTOBER 7, 2006, 4:00 to 6:30 PM
$30 SUGGESTED DONATION
RSVP CONTACT MIKE ROSE @ 505-610-9563 (c)
Click for flyer (doc).

Dear Friends,
Your support is invaluable to my campaign. Your contributions will continue to provide the tools necessary to win this House District in these final weeks.

The Republicans have not had an opponent in this House District in 20 years; They are now at a loss to stop our momentum! I need your support to keep this momentum rolling and ensure a Democratic win in this District.

I’d love to see all of you and have a chance to visit with you. Come enjoy some great home-cooked enchiladas, posole, beans and rice!

Visit my website: https://www.shayrose.org/.

Thanks for your support! Shay 

ABQ Bar Association Presents AG Candidate Debate

A debate between Democrat and Republican Jim Bibb, candidates for NM Attorney General, will be held at the Albuquerque Bar Association Luncheon on Tuesday, October 3, at Noon, at the Albuquerque Petroleum Club. The debate will be moderated by Dick Knipfing. The luncheon costs $20 for members and $25 for others. Please RSVP by emailing abqbar@abqbar.com or by calling 842-1151 or 243-2615.

PRC Candidate Sandy Jones Hosts Town Hall Meeting in Las Cruces 10/10

From Sandy Jones for PRC:
You are invited to a TOWN HALL MEETING with Sandy Jones
Candidate for Public Regulation Commission, Dist. 5
Hosted by Jose V. Frietze, City Council, District 1

Share your ideas, concerns and suggestions regarding issues related to the Public Regulation Commission and the industries they regulate such as

• Utilities
• Telecommunications
• Renewable energy
• and others

Tuesday, October 10th, 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Mesilla Valley Best Western
Santa Maria Room, Conference Center
901 Avenida de Mesilla, Las Cruces
Free of charge - Snacks provided
Come meet the candidate, share your ideas and concerns and hear his as well. We welcome you and your guests and friends.  Hope to see you there. For information contact Ed Avalos at 642-6942