Democracy for New Mexico

Morals vs. Class

As we know, one can often find more careful and truthful political analysis on certain blogs than one can in the mainstream media. Political scientist Philip Klinkner, with a number of excellent books in print that analyze election and demographic data, offers a fresh and compelling analysis of the presidential election results on the blog Polysigh. He points to an increase in support for Bush from monied classes, rather than from churchgoers, as a primary reason for his win:

I've been reviewing the results and exit polls for 2000 and 2004 and I'm not convinced that Bush's victory was due to his turning out religious conservatives in great numbers.

1. Bush's gains were not concentrated in any particular geographic region. He improved a bit more in the South than in other regions, but his swing in the vote was pretty consistent around the country. Among the top 10 states with the biggest swing toward Bush were Hawaii (+7.3), Rhode Island (+6.9), New York (+5.5), New Jersey (+5.5), Connecticut (+5.10). These states are hardly a part of the Bible Belt. These shifts might reflect the influence of Catholic voters, who did shift to Bush, but I'll have to look at the county-level data.
[. . .]
3. Turnout and support for Bush among those who attend church weekly or more did not change since 2000. In 2000, those attending church weekly or more were 42 % of the electorate and gave Bush 59% of their votes, for a Bush performance of 25% (performance = % of electorate X % of support for Bush). In 2004, these voters were 41% of the electorate and gave Bush 61% of their votes, for a Bush performance of 25%--no change from 2004.

4. Bush picked up votes among city dwellers. He was up 10 points among those in urban areas, but only up 3 points with suburbanites. Bush actually fell two points among rural voters.

5. In contrast to the lack of change along religious lines, there was change along class lines. In 2000, those making more than $50,000 made up 53% of the electorate and gave 52% of their votes to Bush, for a Bush performance of 25%. In 2004, those making over $50,000 made up 55% of the electorate and gave 56% of their votes to Bush, for a Bush performance of 31%. Also, these shifts were concentrated in the highest end of the income spectrum. Those making more than $100,000 went from 15 % of the electorate in 2000 to 18% in 2004, and Bush' support in this group went from 54 to 58 percent, causing Bush's performance to increase from 8% to 10%. In fact, this jump of 2% points performance was what allowed George W. Bush best John Kerry.

Read the entire blog entry for more, including a chart of results analyzed according to these categories.

Only the Faithful Allowed to View the Master

I know this is a little late, since Bushbomb has already achieved his Pyhrric victory and all, but I thought it was still worth sharing just to emphasize the environment of repression we will be confronting at the dawn of the Moralitygate administration.

You may recall Leanne Potts from her days as an entertainingly snide reporter and sometime concert critic at the Republican talking point disseminator that passes as our morning newspaper, the Albuquerque Journal.  She recently fled the Journal and now has a local blog, and is pursuing freelance writing gigs. I came across this post by her today and think it speaks volumes about the fear-driven people who now control so much about our world.

Read all about how the Secret Service and RNC teamed up to make sure no Democratic sympathizers were allowed into the seats reserved for Albuquerque's Journal Pavilion workers and their families during Bush's last-minute rally there on the eve of the election. Venue workers and families who could prove their Republicanism were treated royally with close-up seat sfor Bush's speech, while venue workers and families who were discovered to be sinful Democrats were barred from the event, including a four-and-a-half month-old baby. Also note that the "massive crowd" reported to be more than 10,000 people was really only in the 6,000 range. But then again, facts just get in the way of the Republican faith-based, blind-leading-the-blind assault on reality.

Click here for the story.

Well . . .

What is there to say? Yes, there are still legal challenges and uncounted provisional and other ballots in Ohio, Florida and elsewhere. But regardless of the outcome, and I'm still holding out for a Kerry win, the fact remains that about half of our nation hates everything we believe in and would rather embrace fascism, economic terrorism and environmental murder than allow more enlightened minds to prevail. This is not America. It is every true American's, and every true citizen of the planet's, nightmare. I think too many people actually want Armageddon, even if they have to create it themselves by crucifying everything creative, thoughtful, intelligent, gentle, reasoned and natural in the world. This is what happens when blind faith replaces critical thinking, every time.

Are you ready for the country? Because it's time to go. To some country. Somewhere.

RECAP: Voting Places, Sample Ballot

(Photo courtesy Kerry Blog.)

NOTE: This post contains voting info for the 2004 presidential election. For info on the 2008 election, see this post.
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ELECTION DAY VOTING: Polling places around the state will be open from 7AM until 7PM. If you are in line by 7PM, you must be allowed to vote. To find the polling place for any precinct in New Mexico, click here for the Democratic National Committee's site and enter your zip code.

In Bernalillo County you can also go to the county clerk's office site for a listing of precinct polling places. In Sandoval County click here. In Santa Fe County click .

The NM Secretary of State's Office lists every polling place in the state by county and precinct. Your precinct is listed on your voter identification card. You can also call your county clerk's office to find out which precinct you are in. The Eager Voter Project page provides contact information for every county in the state.

RIGHT TO A PROVISIONAL BALLOT: If you know you are registered to vote but your name doesn't show up on the precinct list when you go to vote on election day, you can insist on filling out a Provisional Ballot at your polling place. It will be determined later when the provisional ballots are counted whether you are actually a registered voter or not.

VOTER PROTECTION: A coalition of many civil rights organizations and People for the American Way provides a NM Voters' Bill of Rights. If you encounter problems voting you can call their toll-free hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

Hispanic Americans who have questions about how to vote or about their voting rights can call a toll-free, bilingual, nonpartisan hotline at 1-888-839-8682 that's operated by The National Association of Latin American Elected Officials, Univision and the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund.

SAMPLE BALLOT AND INFO ON ISSUES, BALLOT QUESTIONS: The League of Women's Voters of New Mexico produces excellent, detailed voting guides and sample ballots each election for various counties. You can get a copy of their Guide in various locations around the state, or you can click here for an online version for your county as well as links to information on candidates and positions.

Last Minute Voting Info

From NMPIRG: Perhaps you've already tuned out all the news coverage and campaign commercials, but with the election here tomorrow, here's one message you shouldn't miss: VOTE ON NOVEMBER 2!

To help make the process easy and hassle free, here is some need-to-know information:

1. Where to vote - call the Secretary of State's office at 1.800.477.3632 or your County Clerk's.

You can also find your County Clerk's number on: https://www.sos.state.nm.us/

2. When to vote - Polling places are open from 7 AM to 7 PM. If you are in line to vote by 7 PM, you must be allowed to vote.

If you are worried about long lines, try going to the polls during off hours, 10 AM to 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM.

3. What to take - Some ID and this number: 1.866.OUR.VOTE

If this is your first time voting and you registered by mail, you will need ID when you head to the polls. Take your driver's license or other picture ID. If the address doesn't match the place where you are registered, bring a paycheck, utility bill or government document that does.

1.866.OUR.VOTE is the number to call if you have any problems on Election Day. If you need advice on how to deal with any issues you're having at your polling place, call that number and you'll get to talk to a lawyer or trained staff person who will talk you through your problem.

Happy Voting! Forward this email on to your family and friends and remind them to also make their voices heard!

Sincerely,

Jeanne Bassett
NMPIRG Executive Director
JeanneB@nmpirg.org
https://www.NMPIRG.org

PS: Here's the link for DFNM's Recap on Voting information which includes many useful links, including one for the League of Women Voters' sample ballots.

Clinton Barnstorms Albuquerque

The official Kerry-Edwards Blog has a featured post on Clinton's visit to the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque yesterday, and provided us with the photo of the crowd above. And if you missed the rollicking Clinton rally on the Santa Fe Plaza on Saturday, you can view a video of it at CSPAN.

Two-Day Wesley Clark Tour of NM Starts Today

From the DPNM: On Sunday, October 31, General Wes Clark will begin a two-day tour of New Mexico to urge voters to cast their ballots for the Kerry-Edwards ticket.

Clark, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy who later became a four star general, will highlight the reasons why John Kerry will make a better commander-in-chief than George W. Bush.

SUNDAY 10/31:
2 PM: WES CLARK HOSTS A GOTV RALLY -- ROSWELL
VFW Post 2575, 327 North Main

4:30 PM: WES CLARK HOSTS A GOTV RALLY -- LAS CRUCES
Conference Center Best Western Mesilla Valley Inn, 901 Avenida de Mesilla

MONDAY 11/1:
10:45 AM: CLARK HOSTS GOTV RALLY -- HOBBS
Hobbs Airport

1:45 PM: U.S. SEN. BINGMAN JOINS CLARK FOR GOTV RALLY -- ALBUQUERQUE
Kerry-Edwards Coordinated Campaign HQ
3301 Central Ave. NE

Rock the Plaza, Rock the Plaza

Bill Clinton and Teresa Heinz Kerry packed the Santa Fe Plaza today. To the rafters, if the Plaza had rafters. To the windowsills. And the Plaza does have buildings with windowsills apparently wide enough to serve as viewing platforms. They don't call this the Land of Enchantment for nothing. The evidence:

(AP Photos/Jake Schoellkopf)

Ann Richards Added to ABQ Moms for Kerry Rally Today

Ex-Texas Governor Ann Richards has been added to the speakers at this afternoon's Moms for Kerry Rally. For information on the rally, check out our original post on this event. It will take place at 1:00 PM, Saturday, October 30th, at Tiguex Park at Mountain Road and Rio Grande, across from the Natural History Museum in Albuquerque.

Check out the Moms for Kerry website here. To sign up for this event, click here.

Photo of the Day

Wow, look at that crowd of 80,000+ in Madison, Wisconsin yesterday for The Boss's rally with Kerry! Daily Kos has a diary about the event, with this and even more terrific photos of Bruce Springsteen, Kerry and the massive crowd. Bruce liked the rush so much, he's continuing on to Florida with Kerry.

You can read what Bruce had to say at the rallies about the choices we face in a poignant article by John Nichols in The Nation online. One quote:

"Paul Wellstone," the singer repeated, as the tension broke and the crowd began cheering. "He said the future is for the passionate and those who are willing to fight and work hard for it. Well, the future is now. And it's time to let your passions loose." Now, the applause was swelling. "Let's roll up our sleeves," Springsteen shouted above the roar of approval. "That's why I'm here today -- to stand alongside Senator Kerry and to tell you that the country we carry in our hearts is waiting, and together we can move America towards her deepest ideals.

We are gonna win this thing. All the good mojo, all the positive passion, all the hard-working unity is on our side. The truth is on our side.

(Here's a video of Springsteen at the Madison rally.)