Democracy for New Mexico

The Ties That Bind: Wilson & Abramoff & Safavian & Cunningham & DeLay

More evidence of Rep. Heather Wilson's ties to the Jack Abramoff scandal emerged this week. On Tuesday, David Safavian (right), an Abramoff crony and former member of the Bush administration, was convicted for obstruction of justice as part of the wide-ranging Abramoff investigation. Wilson's campaign has accepted money from both Safavian and Abramoff, as well as the now jailed former California Congressman, Duke Cunningham, and the indicted and disgraced former House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay. Peas in a pod?

According to campaign reports, Wilson got these amounts from Republican members of the culture of corruption:

• David Safavian: $500
• Tom DeLay: $46,959
• Duke Cunningham: $5,000
• Jack Abramoff: $1,000

Safavian was Bush's top federal procurement official in the White House Office of Management and Budget, where he was responsible for setting purchasing policy for the entire government. Previously, he was chief of staff for the General Services Administration (GSA). Wikipedia provides an excellent summary of his career, his ties to Abramoff and others and the charges for which he was convicted. Excerpt:

On June 20, 2006, Safavian was found guilty by a jury in federal court on four of five felony charges. He was found guilty of lying to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, lying to a GSA ethics official, lying to the GSA's Office of Inspector General, and obstructing the work of the GSA inspector general. Safavian was cleared of of obstructing the committee's investigation.

If you accept money from the sleazy Abramoff pay-for-play A-team, does that make you a part of the scheme? I think it does. The corrupt, influence-buying methods of the Abramoff-DeLay cabal were an open secret in Washington and beyond for years. Could Wilson have been naive about what they were doing? Hardly. And yet she took the tainted money and kept almost all of it. To date, she's reported returned only $10,000 of the money from DeLay. The rest remains in her coffers.

What Abramoff, Safavian, DeLay and others constructed was a massive web of corruption and payoffs with strands stretching far and wide -- including into the Heather Wilson campaign. By all accounts the conviction of Safavian is only the tip of the iceberg, the first of many anticipated indictments and convictions against the Republican corruption machine. More will undoubtedly be revealed.

(Safavian photo credit: Melina Mara/twp - The Washington Post)

Dendahl's Follies

John Dendahl. Photo credit: Rio Grande Foundation

Lots of talk and reporting these days about the new Republican candidate for governor, John Dendahl. Dendahl reportedly was inserted into the race by 100 members of the Republican Central Committee after J. R. Damron left the race because of what were termed family considerations. I bet. Unable to mount a real candidate running a genuine campaign, NM Repubs have resorted to nominating New Mexico's version of Rush Limbaugh, only slightly smarter, to carry the GOP banner in the governor's race. Spewing all the way. Today, Joe Monahan claims he's been informed that it was Sen. Pete Domenici who "encouraged" the switch to Dendahl for a variety of reasons.

What Dendahl will bring to the race is often well-spoken but ultimately juvenile and mean-spirited pronouncements meant to irritate rather than enlighten. I see the poisonous presence of Karl Rove seeping into New Mexico to ensure a Swiftboat tone to the political dialogue, with the races for governor and CD1 rep garnering national attention.

This is the guy who offered $100,000 to the NM Green Party if they fielded candidates in two Congressional races in 2004. According to an article in the New York Times, "Mr. Dendahl described the money as a political contribution from someone in Washington. He did not identify the donor, but said he was not an elected official or affiliated with the National Republican Committee." Maybe it was Rove himself.

Known for his taunting and name calling, Dendahl was eventually too much for even NM Repubs. He was a primary player in a devisive fight within the Party in late 2003 and early 2004. The battle pitted the forces of Ramsay Gorham against the Dendahl faction that had dominated the Party for about 8 years, with Dendahl as state chair. He was ousted by the Gorham supporters in a heated and nasty internecine fight.

Since then he's been holding forth in gadfly fashion as a weekly opinion page columnist at the Albuquerque Journal, as well as a regular panel member on KNME's Friday night show, 'The Line.' I guess he'll have to give up both those gigs to make time for his Rovian duties in the governor's race. His pet rant topics included anything to do with Bill Richardson, tribal sovereignty, building a huge wall on the Mexican border, English as the official U.S. language and labeling anything done for the common good by government as a communist - Marxian - socialist (take your pick) plot.

Some of Dendahl's rightwingo positions:

Dendahl labels anyone who doesn't agree with him as a communist or socialist. This includes anyone who supports such things as the provision of pre-kindergarten education by the state, establishment of a commuter rail line or maintaining the estate tax.

He's against the Endangered Species Act, minimum or living wage increases, honoring our state's Hispanic and Native American languages, tribal sovereignty, protection of indigenous sacred sites and universal healthcare.

He's for the legalization of marijuana and some other drugs. This is the only case where he and I see eye to eye. However, Sen. Pete Domenici and others in his Party were incredibly riled by this stand, and demanded he resign as State Chair when he publicly sided with ex-Gov. Gary Johnson on the issue. Reports are that Domenici has reconciled with Dendahl because he cares more about battering Richardson than past Party battles.

Dendahl is also reportedly for more tax cuts for the rich, the abolishment of Affirmative Action, completely deregulating capitalism, drilling in the Valle Vidal and on Otero Mesa and nuclear power. Not that any of these positions really matter. It's obvious he isn't in the race to win or put forth a positive agenda, but merely to be the vocal carrier of insults and rants on behalf of BushCo, Domenici and their cronies. What can moderate Republicans around the state be thinking about this coup? Only time will tell.

James Lewis Campaign Event This Thursday

From James B. Lewis for State Treasurer:

The Hon. Hector Balderas, Chris Berkheimer, John Blair,
Dr. Louis Bush, Mo Chavez, Brian S. Colon,
Chad D. Cooper, Ursula McLean, S. Carolyn Ramos,
DeAnza Valencia, Delvin Celeste Ward, Vince Ward
Cordially invite you to attend a reception
in honor of New Mexico's next State Treasurer,
James B. Lewis
Thursday, June 22, 20065:30 - 7:00 PM at Gulp!
3124 Central Ave SE, Albq.
(Next door to Graze by Jennifer James in Nob Hill)

Suggested Contribution: $50 Per Person. Personal or Business Checks Accepted. Please RSVP to (505) 688-4726 or chad.cooper@prudential.com.

ABQ Civic Plaza Today: Heather = Bush

(Click on image for larger version.)

It's bad enough that Republican Rep. Heather Wilson votes with Bush almost all the time, rubberstamping many of the worst of his initiatives, like the Iraq War, neverending tax cuts for our wealthiest citizens and subsidies to oil companies that are making windfall profits. Now she's been named to the League of Conservation Voters' Dirty Dozen According to LCV:

Rep. Wilson treats oil companies like royalty. Representative Wilson recently voted against an amendment to limit royalty relief — code for “taxpayer rip-off” for companies wanting to drill off our shores. In 2005, the world’s biggest oil companies recorded more than $111 billion in combined profits – they don’t need another government handout to help them destroy our environment.

If you wonder why, consider that Wilson has collected $396,370 from oil and gas contributions over the course of her career. During that time, she's voted according to LCV's environmental recommendations only 16% percent of the time. Read the Dirty Dozen report for more on why Wilson is ranked as one of the top twelve anti-environmental members of Congress in the nation. She's right up there with the likes of Sen. Rick Santorum (PA), Rep. Katherine Harris (FL) and Rep. Bob Ney (OH). Dirty indeed.

But now we have an alternative to Heather -- visit the Patricia Madrid for Congress website and learn how you can help AG Madrid beat Wilson this Fall and get rid of Heather's dirty dealing once and for all. While President Bush and Heather Wilson enjoy $1,000-a-plate lunches, why don't you take $10 and contribute it to Madrid's campaign?  See you on the Civic Plaza starting at 2:00 PM this afternoon!

Petition Signatures Being Gathered for Recall of Sally Mayer

Four faces of Sally. All photos courtesy M. G. Bralley

There's an effort underway to gather signatures for a petition to require a referendum on recalling Sally Mayer. Mayer is the Republican City Councilor from Albuquerque's who's been such a pal to faux-Democratic Mayor Marty Chavez. You may remember that Chavez supported Mayer in her Fall reelection bid against Democrat Marianne Dickinson and two others.

Sally has also been joined at the hip to Chavez in his neverending struggle to grant corporate developers unfettered freedom, and award contracts to any and all comers who "contribute" large dollar amounts to his campaign fund. She worked with Chavez's cronies in helping to kill the referendum to raise Albuquerque's minimum wage last Fall as well. She also voted against the Council's more recent and successful measure to raise the minimum wage.

Recall that both Marty Chavez and Sally Mayer are charter members of our Ethics Hall of Shame, along with City Councilors Ken Sanchez and Craig Loy, for successfully killing Councilor Brad Winter's ethics and campaign finance reform package.

The recall petition effort is being led by attorney Penni Adrian and has until July 14 to gather the required 3,055 signatures from registered voters in District 7. If the effort is successful, the city must hold an election within 90 days. A website will be up soon at www.recallsallymayer.org and other measures are being taken to support the effort.

Volunteers will be walking the District 7 precincts during the next three weekends to gather signatures. If you're interested in helping, email penni@adrian-law.

As to the long, strange saga of Mayer's misbehavior, rudeness, ignorance of the law and shenanigans while serving on Albuquerque's City Council, there's a detailed story accompanied by illuminating photographs by local blogger M.G. Bralley on What's Wrong With This Picture. Bralley thinks Sally is Albuquerque's second worst City Councilor in history, outdone only by Tina Cummins, who's a fellow realtor. Coming in third is Cummins' brother, Tim. Quite a trio.

Sound Off: Perfection?

This Sound Off was submitted by Terry Riley:
Are you perfect?  I don't think so. I don't think that I am either. I am hearing people complaining that a political candidate is not perfect. I am concerned because I am hearing that so much lately.  We all read the news, so we know that no incumbent is perfect. Did we think that they were perfect when we originally voted for them? Would you like to learn how to make them better?

Attend meetings and rallies that feature the candidates and listen to their presentations. Take some time and wait around after their presentation so that you can speak with them individually. Tell the candidates what you really feel, what is important to you, and then listen to how they respond to you. If their response is not what you want, but they acknowledge your argument, then this is a good candidate. If this issue is very important to you, yet you did not convince them to support it, then you need to work on a better presentation so you can convince the candidate to think and work in the direction that you believe is best.

Once you understand your issue and where your candidate stands, you have to decide how you want to influence them.  Present your issue with supporting documentation and endorsements. This will get your candidate to better consider your side. If you support candidates who support your issues you have the best chance of getting your problems or issues taken care of after they get elected. The candidates NEED your vote on election day so be sure to tell them what issues are important to you and how they can earn your vote.  If you have others who stand with you when you present your ideas or issues the candidate immediately recognizes the importance to them of responding to you. 

If a candidate still does not agree on the issue that you are working on, then you have to evaluate their other positions on other issues to see if you can support their candidacy at all or if you need to support their opposition. Choosing to give up and not support or vote for either candidate completely invalidates your opinions and your rights. Things that are important to you will not be dealt with if you never stand up and ask for the support.

Candidates rely on rallies or town hall meetings to build their voting base. If you stand up and present your issue or question respectfully the rest of the people there will be interested to hear the candidate’s response. Present yourself well enough and the response of the other people at the event will convince the candidate that your position on your issue is going to help them get elected.  This is how you can help a candidate become your perfect candidate!

Now, let’s go back to the beginning of this. You want the perfect candidate. How much are you willing to do to get this perfect candidate and is perfection realistic?  You have to attend many events. You have to write out your views and deliver them to your candidate and their campaign staff. You have to find many people who support your views and have them accompany you on a visit to your candidate so the candidate can see what support your issue has.

After you have convinced the candidate that your side of the issues that you feel strongly about deserves their commitment, you then have an obligation to work to make sure that this candidate gets elected. You need to learn the rest of the issues that this candidate supports and meet with people on behalf of YOUR candidate. Convince as many people as you can to vote for your candidate.  Getting what you want is not easy. 

Griping about stupid politicians or dumb laws or government excesses is useless. Standing up for what you believe in and supporting candidates who understand and agree with you on your issues is how Democracy works. Please join me in reviving our Democracy, finding and improving on those almost perfect candidates, and in rebuilding the political parties. Put real ethics, work ethics and ethical standards back at the forefront of politics in America.

Terry Riley
Democracy for New Mexico, Democratic Party of New Mexico, Veterans for Peace, Military Families Speak Out, etc.

Sound Off is a regular feature of the blog that provides an opportunity for readers to communicate their views on a variety of topics. If you'd like to submit a post, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand side of the main page.

Vote for Madrid for DFA-List Endorsement

 
Patricia Madrid with Joe Wilson (L), John Edwards (R)

From Democracy for America:
This month, Democracy for America is hosting an online vote to determine which Congressional candidate will receive our next DFA-List endorsement. All of the candidates in the competition are running for either a Republican-held seat or an open seat.

Results are updated hourly and can be seen at . Voting for the first round began on Wednesday, June 7 and will close on Friday, June 16 at 3:00 PM Mountain Time. The top five candidates will advance to an instant run-off round starting on June 19 to determine DFA's next DFA-List candidate.

Editor's Note: Patricia Madrid, New Mexico's Democratic candidate for CD1 running against Bush rubberstamp Heather Wilson, is one of the nominees. Visit the DFA Grassroots Allstar page to vote for her today!

Updated NM Primary Election Results

UPDATE: I've updated the totals on the Democratic competitive races according to the unofficial results up on the Secretary of State's website. Unofficial winners are in red. Very sadly, statewide voter turnout is expected to be about 15% of all registered voters, with about a 14% turnout in Bernalillo County. Abysmal. The latest results are:
********************

Just got back from the Dem gathering at the Albuquerque Hilton and here's what I know at this hour:

ATTORNEY GENERAL: Gary King, Geno Zamora, Lem Martinez in that order. King claimed victory with a speech and the others joined him on stage in what amounted to their concessions. He was ahead by more than 10 percentage points.

UPDATE:
Geno Zamora  31.9%
Lem Martinez  21.9%
Gary King  46.2%

SECRETARY OF STATE: Last I heard, Mary Herrera was ahead with Stephanie Gonzales about 9 points down, followed by Shirley Hooper and Letitia Montoya in that order. This could change.

UPDATE:
Mary Herrera  39.6%
Stephanie Gonzales  28.9%
Shirley Hooper  19.5%
Letitia Montoya  12.1%

LAND COMMISSIONER: Jim Baca led by about 3,000 votes over Ray Powell. Baca had been trailing until the results from Northern NM precincts rolled in.

UPDATE:
Ray Powell  49.1%
Jim Baca 50.9%

STATE AUDITOR: It appears that Jeff Armijo won, with a large lead developing versus Thomas Buckner.

UPDATE:
Jeff Armijo  62.0%
Tom Buckner  38.0%

STATE REP. DISTRICT 16: Big win for progressive favorite Moe Maestas looks like a winner at this stage of the game in the 4-way race with Dominic Aragon, Pat Baca, Jr. and Dan Serrano.

UPDATE:
Pat Baca Jr.  27.0%
Moe Maestas  34.1%
Dominic Aragon  18.6%
Dan Serrano  20.2%

Other races per Bernalillo County Clerk's website:

BERNALILLO COUNTY COMMISSIONER (DIST. 1)
Loretta A. Naranjo  47.28%
Alan B. Armijo  52.72%

BERNALILLO COUNTY ASSESSOR
Moises Gonzales  36.93%
Karen Montoya  41.31%
Dolores Maestas  21.76%

The results being reported on the NM Secretary of State's website were coming in slowly, but by the time you read this they may be more complete. And here's the link to results at the .

Where Do I Vote Tomorrow?

If you happen to be one of the lucky ones who received a voting card from the NM Secretary of State with information provided by your County Clerk, check it out for info on your precinct and voting location. I personally haven't received one yet, even though I've been living at the same address for 8+ years and serve as a precinct chair. Thank you Mary Herrera. Not.

If you, too, haven't received your card, your best bet is to contact your county clerk or visit his or her website to find out the location of your polling place. If you're in Bernalillo County, type in your address at the website of the Bernalillo County Clerk. If you live in Sandoval County, call your County Clerk at 867-7572. The Secretary of State's website provides contact information for all NM county clerks.

Only those registered to vote as Democrats can vote in the Democratic Primary on June 6th. The polls are open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

You don't have to provide your voter card when you go to the polls, but you will need to provide one of these to indentify yourself:

• (1) an original or copy of a current and valid photo identification with or without an address, which address is not required to match the voter's certificate of registration or a voter identification card:
• or (2) an original or copy of a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, student identification card or other government document, including identification issued by an Indian nation, tribe or pueblo, that shows the name and address of the person, the address of which is not required to match the voter's certificate of registration;
• or (B) a verbal or written statement by the voter of the voter's name, year of birth and unique identifier [like the last four digits of your Social Security number]; provided, however, that the statement of the voter's name need not contain the voter's middle initial or suffix.

For information on candidates who are running in the primary, check out our earlier post.

Dems Sparked by Feingold & Warner at NH Dem Convention

Warner and Feingold. AP photo.

I watched Senator Russ Feingold and ex-Virginia Governor Mark Warner give their stump speeches at the New Hampshire Democratic convention yesterday on CSPAN. You can too -- scroll down a ways on the CSPAN page. Walter Shapiro at Salon thought the speeches might be the "big political story of the weekend."

Feingold electrified the crowd (and me) with his fiery speech and no-weasling pronouncements on what Democrats should stand for and why Bush should be censured to preserve our constitution's checks and balances. He got six standing ovations and was interrupted by applause at least 20 times during the speech. The loyal opposition indeed:

"Why are so many Democrats too timid to say what everyone in America knows? It's time to redeploy the troops. It's time to bring the troops out of Iraq. I say bring them home by the end of the year."

Addressing the opportunity that may present itself should Dems win back either or both Houses of Congress, Feingold said,

I just remind everybody. Democrats were in the majority in the United States Senate when we voted for the Iraq war and we passed the USA Patriot Act. It's not enough to be just in the majority. You have to stand for something."

We're reminded. And we'll be remembering and pressuring for Dems to exhibit backbone every step of the way. Feingold stands for such things as cleaning up politics and campaign finance, and expects the Executive Branch to comply with the rule of law as defined by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Unfortunately, these positions are considered "radical" by some in the Democratic Party who seem more interested in pleasing their big-dollar donors and hiding behind blandness than they are in confronting our constitutional and ethical crises and finding solutions.

New Hampshire's had this say:

Feingold left no one guessing about what he doesn't believe in: No Child Left Behind, the North American Free Trade Agreement, the war in Iraq. As for what he does believe in: health care for all Americans, alternative energy and publicly financed political campaigns. And, of course, rabble-rousing (which Feingold makes sure you know separates him from many other Democratic leaders).

Some members of the Democratic Party say, "Let's not rock the boat," he said. "But I think that's exactly how we lost in 2002 and 2004. We won't win by default. We won't win by just running out the clock."

As for the pragmatic Warner, I finally saw some evidence in this speech to support the positive response he has garnered from many in the netroots. I had watched several of his previous speeches on TV, but came away unimpressed and confused about what people were seeing in him, despite the 80% approval rating he received during his term as Governor. This time, however, I could see the appeal of his positive, forward-looking, problem-solving, consensus-building approach. He came off as someone who just might be able to bring a majority of Americans together to forge creative solutions to the many serious problems we face. A tidbit:

"We need an administration that doesn't have an on and off switch when it comes to following the law," Warner declaimed. And more money should go to research into renewable energy: "Of course, that would require an administration that believes in science."

I still have my qualms about Warner's views on trade, outsourcing and health care, but at least I could see his appeal and admire the creativity and openness he brings to the table. To my mind, either one of these guys would be a much more exciting, attractive and honestly passionate presidential candidate than Hillary Clinton and her purely expedient and poll-driven positions. Maybe one or both of them can head her off at the pass. Neither one panders -- they attempt to persuade, challenge people to think and energetically say what they believe. An impressive duo. Even if my heart, of course, is with Feingold.