Democracy for New Mexico

Madrid Picnic on Sunday: You're Invited

From the Madrid for Congress campaign:

You are officially invited to a BBQ with Patricia Madrid and special guest Representative Linda Sanchez (CA-39)

What: BBQ with Patricia Madrid and Rep. Linda Sanchez
Where: Columbus Park – 5301 Guadalupe Trail NW, ABQ
When: Sunday, August 27th, 12:00-1:30 PM

Click for map. RSVP with me, at cory@madridforcongress.com    

Denish, Madrid, King, Herrera Tell WalMart to WAKEUP

This is a guest blog by Suzanne Prescott:
If Democrats Diane Denish, Patricia Madrid, Gary King and Mary Herrera have anything to say about it, WalMart has gotten a loud wakeup call. Before a packed crowd last night at CNM's Smith Brasher Hall, all four speakers spoke about the moral failure of WalMart, their poor business practices and economic impact on the state of New Mexico.

Patricia Madrid. Photos by Suzanne Prescott

Here's the short list of WalMart sins. Keep in mind that Wal-Mart is the World’s largest employer with over $11 billion in annual profits?

Wal-Mart’s profits don’t make it to its workers.  Most workers make wages below the poverty line.  Wal-Mart’s health benefits are so poor, employees are forced to seek public assistance.  In addition, Wal-Mart does not offer domestic partner benefits.  Finally, Wal-Mart faces the largest gender discrimination case in U.S. history, involving 1.6 million women.  Lt Governor Denish  pointed out that WalMart's greedy practices have cost the state of New Mexico approximately 13 million dollars. She invited the audience to think what the state could have done with that 13 million dollars in terms of improving health and education. 

If you're still thinking that candidates are talking like candidates of 2000 and 2004, think again. All the speakers last night spoke forcefully and expertly about real change and the need to replace corporate greed with a national people oriented policy that values and protects workers. Apparently their words were the ones the audience have been waiting to hear.

Here are some quotes from last night:

Diane Denish, Lt. Governor:

"It's not about whether WalMart is right or whether Wakeup WalMart is right. It's about what's right for the country."

(Note: It it walks like A Governor and talks like a Governor, it could eventually be a Governor - after Bill of course. Denish spoke with confidence, authority, and was very well informed.)

Patricia Madrid, Attorney General, NM-01 Congressional Candidate:

"If you elect me I promise I will not vote for a raise in congressional wages unless there is a raise in the minimum wage."

(Note: Did you know that Patricia Madrid was a labor lawyer who has fought and negotiated for the rights of workers? Washington needs Patricia Madrid and more like her to correct the abuse of workers' rights that has gone on for several decades.)

Gary King, Candidate for Attorney General:

"If you take care of people, the country will take care of itself."

(Note: When King started his own business in the 70s, he started out paying them $7.50 an hour with health benefits. Hey Gary, would you by any chance be hiring now?)

Mary Herrera, Bernalillo County Clerk, Candidate for Secretary of State:

"It's time that WalMart takes care of its employees." "We needed to unionize and we did!"

(Note: Mary related the story of county workers efforts to unionize and the subsequent increase in pay, benefits and protections.  Did you know that when Mary started working she was paid $1.90 an hour. No wonder Mary is pro union. She also spoke at length about her current effort to force WalMart to change.)

For more information on Wakeup WalMArt go to https://www.wakeupwalmart.com/

Editor's Note: This post is from guest blogger Suzanne Prescott. If you'd like to submit a guest post, please contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand side of the main page.

National Blogs Front Page the NM-01 Patricia Madrid vs. Heather Wilson Race

Coverage of Democrat Patricia Madrid's challenge to incumbent Republican Rep. Heather Wilson is heating up both here and nationally. In the past 24 hours, two of the most popular Dem blogs have featured the NM-01 race on their front pages. See yesterday's post by Chris Bowers at MyDD and today's frontpager by kos. Both are of the opinion that we have an excellent chance for a Dem pickup here. Both have high praise for Madrid's latest ad that raises the issue of the Iraq occupation. We agree!

Watching Heather Wilson

Also check out the new WashingtonWilsonWatch.com, filled with info about the REAL Heather Wilson, not the sugary confection concocted by her strategists. Local blog New Mexico fbihop is also providing excellent coverage of this race. Check 'em out.

Breaking: New Madrid Ad Takes on Wilson's Unquestioning Support for Iraq War

Democrat Patricia Madrid calls out NM-01 Republican incumbent Rep. Heather Wilson for abdicating her responsibilities to hold President Bush accountable: Click. Now it begins.

UPDATE: Now you can also view the ad on YouTube :

Latest Poll: Dead Heat in Madrid-Wilson Race

Madrid (center) with supporters.

Great news in an announcement from the Patricia Madrid for Congress (NM-01) campaign. Despite weeks of sleazy negative advertising by Republican incumbent Heather Wilson, the latest polling results show the two locked in a statistical dead heat. The district-wide phone survey of 400 likely voters conducted by Lake Research Partners between August 17-20, 2006 shows Madrid at 44% and Wilson at 46% -- within the poll's margin of error.

It's a political rule of thumb that incumbent candidates are in deep trouble if their support is under 50%, as Wilson's is in this poll. No wonder the Wilson campaign is grasping at straws and using Rovian tactics to try and change the momentum away from a Madrid win. All the mojo is with Madrid, and it's apparent that likely voters are seeing through the deceptions that constitute the bulk of Wilson's campaign tactics so far.

Wilson's Job Approval Under 50%
Other results from the poll show more for Wilson to worry about. Only 47%  like the job Wilson's doing, with 50% registering a negative opinon. Meanwhile, 57% of independents, who just may determine the outcome of this race, said Wilson is doing "just a fair job" or a "poor job."

Bush Approval Ratings Also Poor
Heather Wilson's close association with President Bush can't be helping either. The CD1 survey showed that six of ten respondents, or 60%, aren't satisfied with the job Bush is doing. And with independent voters, two-thirds (or 67%) disapprove of Bush.  Such low job approval ratings for a president that Wilson has supported more than 90% of the time can't be creating any smiles at her campaign office.

Help Madrid Seal the Deal
Clearly, Wilson is being tarnished by her supportive relationship with the Bush administration and their misguided and failed agenda. The data show that the district's likely voters aren't buying Wilson's attempt to run away from Bush and claim she's a "moderate" and an "independent." They know better. And they seem ready to give Democrat Patricia Madrid a chance at representing the genuine concerns of New Mexico's first congressional district and working to solve the problems of ordinary people. Patricia Madrid can seal this deal, but she needs our help. You know what to do!

And if you're not yet registered to vote, do it now. To vote in the November 7th mid-term election, you must be registered at least 28 days before election day. The clock is ticking.

Madrid-Wilson Debate Set for 9/17

I just noticed notice of the first scheduled debate between NM-01 Dem challenger Patricia Madrid and Repub incumbent Heather Wilson. According to Kate Nash's blog, Roundhouse Report:

Heather Wilson and Patsy Madrid have confirmed: they will debate Sunday, Sept. 17 at 10 am Congregation Albert. The pair have agreed to speak at a breakfast at Albuquerque's oldest reform Jewish congregation. The audience can ask questions, so start up your mind. But get there early. Seating is first come, first serve and the forum is likely to be popular.

Congregation Albert is at 3800 Louisiana Blvd. NE. Tickets for the breakfast are $8.00 for congregation members and $11 for non-members. Call 505-883-1818, ext 3023 to make a reservation.

Help Democrats Take Back the House

Come Support NM Attorney General Patricia MadridDemocratic Candidate for CongressThursday, August 24, 20065:30 - 7:30 PM
~~~~~~"Rep. Heather Wilson ... faces her most difficult race yet in
[NM] State Attorney General Patricia Madrid"
-Washington Post
"Wilson ... a four term G.O.P Congresswomen, is in a
dead heat with Patricia Madrid"
-Time Magazine
"The district is so competitive that national dynamics
put the Republican at considerable risk"
-Rothenberg Political Report
~~~~~~At the Home of Linda Joyce, Albuquerque*
$50 - $100 - $250
RSVP to Trevor at (505) 242-6000
or Trevor@madridforcongress.com* See flyer (PDF) for Details

Packing Them In: Yesterday's Pelosi-Madrid Rally

www.flickr.com

House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi appeared at a packed, raucous, rowdy rally at the IBEW hall in Albuquerque yesterday with NM-01 Congressional candidate Patricia Madrid. They rocked the cheering crowd and skewered Heather Wilson's love affair with the oil companies, bigtime. (Click on photos for larger versions.)

Skyrocketing gas prices? Heather doesn't care. She voted to give oil companies massive tax cuts despite the unprecedented profits they're making off the unnaturally high price of oil.

Global warming? Heather doesn't care. She's against almost everything that would slow down the process.

The urgent need to develop alternative energy sources? Heather doesn't care. She helped Bush run up a humongous deficit caused by everything from unaffordable tax cuts for the wealthy to the incompetence and dishonesty that's on display in the Iraq War. We won't have many resources left to tackle these kinds of problems with the Iraq debacle sucking $250,000 a day out of our coffers.

Bottom line: Heather cares about the same things Bush cares about: heaping more money on our wealthiest citizens and our most unscrupulous corporations while ordinary Americans and the common good suffer.

Here's the lame response from the Wilson campaign to the rally:

"Nancy Pelosi is a liberal with a liberal agenda and she aggressively recruited Patricia Madrid to run so that they can advance their liberal agenda together," said Wilson's campaign manager, Enrique Carlos Knell.

That's right, Enrique. We're Democrats. We're "liberal" because we're dissatisfied with the failures that make up the current status quo of the Bush team (including Heather). After all, "liberal" is defined as:

• Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
• Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.

Some synonyms for "liberal" include: advanced, avant-garde, big, broad, broad-minded, enlightened, flexible, free, high-minded, humanistic, humanitarian, impartial, interested, magnanimous, rational, reasonable, receptive, reformist, tolerant, unbiased, unbigoted, unconventional, understanding, unorthodox, unprejudiced. Not a bad bunch of adjectives, are they?

Basically, the word "liberal" refers to an open-minded problem solver. And Madrid certainly is that, as evidenced by her long public service career. If you can relate, go help her beat the Heather-Bush-Rove cabal: https://madridforcongress.org/. Help steer our nation in a Democratic New Direction, where open-minded problem solving returns as the defining American M.O.

Heather Wilson "On Vacation" When Cheney Visits

Heather Wilson welcoming Bush to Albuquerque for a fundraiser in June. With the administration's approval ratings in the toilet, Wilson was nowhere to be seen during Cheney's Roswell visit yesterday.

I searched for photos of yesterday's fundraising visit to Roswell by Dick Cheney, but couldn't find anything. After all, stealth is Cheney's M.O. and he used it to allow Republican incumbent Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01) to have her cake and eat it too. No reporters were allowed at the event, despite taxpayers having to foot the bill for all that security that travels with Cheney, as well as the participation of local law enforcement. Rove no doubt had a hand in making sure that Heather would get some cash indirectly, via the State Repub Party's GOTV project, but that she wouldn't have to be seen with Cheney. Telling, isn't it?

I read in today's Albuquerque Journal that Wilson was, conveniently, "on vacation" during the Veep's latest visit to New Mexico. And although CD2 Rep. Steve Pearce and Sen. Pete Domenci were there, I can't find any photos to document that. Of course there are good reasons for that, as explained in this news item (emphasis mine):

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 /U.S. Newswire/ -- New Mexico Republicans are joining the growing list of candidates willing to take the special interest cash that President Bush and Vice President Cheney can raise, but unwilling to be seen in public with them. Today, the Vice President will attend a closed press special interest fundraiser in Roswell, NM for the New Mexico Republican Party's get out the vote effort.

Vice President Cheney is raising money for New Mexico's Republican candidates despite the fact that the Bush Administration and Bush Republicans in Congress have refused to stand up for New Mexico's working families. President Bush's budget cuts have meant that 31,569 children in New Mexico will go without promised help in reading and math, while programs to help children with disabilities in New Mexico have been shortchanged by $50.2 million. (Senate Appropriations Committee, Democratic Staff, 2/06)

These misplaced priorities help explain why President Bush's approval rating in New Mexico has plummeted to 37 percent, down 13 points in the last year alone. (SurveyUSA, 7/17/06)

"When Vice President Cheney swoops into New Mexico tonight, he'll be visiting some of Roswell's newest UFOs-the 'unidentified fundraising objects' who want the benefits of the Vice President's special interest campaign cash, but refuse to be seen in public with him," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Damien LaVera. "New Mexico Republicans can keep the cameras away, but they can't hide the fact that Bush Republicans like Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce have been terrible for New Mexico's working families.

"New Mexicans want change in Washington, not more of the same failed leadership and misplaced priorities from the Bush Congress. That's why New Mexico Democrats are offering a new direction for America, one that puts working families first by fighting to create good jobs that will stay in New Mexico, providing a health care system that works for everyone, and ensuring a quality education that provides opportunity for all."

The Roswell Daily Record reports that local Dems held a counter-rally:

The Democratic Parties of New Mexico and Chaves County held a rally at Pioneer Plaza in response to Cheney’s visit. Al Kissling, the Democratic candidate for the 2nd Congressional District seat, said Cheney’s visit was an insult to Roswell.

“The Republican party is out of touch with the people they represent,” Kissling said. “To spend tax dollars to fly out here and hold a private function is not the Democratic way.”

If we want to defeat the forces of Bush, Cheney and Rove, we need to start by defeating Heather Wilson on November 7th. Visit the Patricia Madrid for Congress website to volunteer a few hours of your time and donate some bucks to counteract the big donor money machine that owns the Republican Party. We need a member of Congress in NM-01 who represents the people, not just the donors.

Nancy Pelosi to Stump for Madrid Thursday

From Madrid for Congress:
This Thursday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Attorney General Patricia Madrid will be at the local IBEW Headquarters in Albuquerque for a press conference and rally. We hope to see you there! Please give me a call if you have any questions.

When: Thursday, August 17th at 10:30 AM

Where: IBEW Headquarters, 4921 Alexander Boulevard NE, West of I-25 and off of Montano, by Costco. Click for map.

Thank you,
Jacque Belding, Field Organizer
Madrid for Congress
(505) 242-6000
Jacque.belding@madridforcongress.com