Democracy for New Mexico

WaPo: Bill Richardson, at Peace In the Political Desert

Gov. Richardson in his Santa Fe office

The Washington Post today features a longish story on Governor Bill Richardson based on an interview conducted recently in Santa Fe that examines Richardson's response to being "politically exiled" from service in the nation's capitol. It also includes some audio sound bites and a couple photos, including the one above. The piece starts out:

If all had gone according to plan, Bill Richardson would be at center stage in Washington, wheeling, dealing and glad-handing around the globe -- as president, or at least as secretary of state.

But Richardson remains the Democratic governor of New Mexico, barreling across the vast high desert here, the wind howling and the sand flying as he races to build a legacy and rebuild his career. The nation's most prominent Latino politician is stuck in virtual exile, term-limited from office in two years with no easy next step.

The Governor expresses his acceptance of the situation,

"The end-all, be-all for many in politics is Washington," Richardson, 61, said last week over breakfast at the adobe-walled governor's mansion here, in his first extensive interview since withdrawing as President Obama's nominee for commerce secretary.

"I've been there, I've done service in the Congress, Cabinet, the U.N.," he continued, adding: "I don't miss it one bit. I really don't. I wish them well. I'm satisfied with what they're doing. I don't have to be part of it to feel satisfied. I really don't. This is hard convincing people because they know me, but I've found the ultimate job in being governor. I really have."

As to the ongoing federal grand jury investigation into how campaign donor CDR won state contracts:

The governor said he is "very confident that we did nothing wrong," but he complained that the inquiry "just drags on."

As to his life now:

Richardson acknowledges having been "disappointed" about withdrawing. But here in Santa Fe, he enjoys what many might consider an idyllic life. He wakes up in a sprawling house in the desert hills with stunning views of this old Spanish colony. He works out, plays tennis and shoots skeet. Riding his horse, named Toby (after the country singer Toby Keith), has become his passion. "It's kind of a sense of solitude," he said. "It's the one time I can get away from BlackBerrys and cells."

On Bill and Hillary Clinton:

Questioned about his relationship with Bill Clinton, Richardson let out a deep belly laugh and nearly spit out his breakfast.

"Nonexistent. He's ticked off with me," he said. "I still have his picture here. I still enjoy my service with him. I don't bear grudges, but he apparently does, but that's okay. That's politics."

But the man who says he is at peace outside Washington still talks regularly with Hillary Clinton about foreign policy. He held two fundraisers for her to help retire her campaign debt and counseled her before her visit to Mexico City last month. Richardson also continues to serve as a kind of ad hoc diplomat with difficult governments.

Describing his still-frenzied pace:

Richardson does not like to waste time. On this day, he made the 67-mile trek between Santa Fe and Albuquerque four times, racing to build his legacy. He signed energy bills offering tax credits for renewable energy, as well as legislation that creates stricter accountability measures in public schools. He attended the home opener of the Albuquerque Isotopes, the minor-league baseball team ... Richardson also visited the Albuquerque soundstage where a crew was filming the movie "The Book of Eli."

On his future:

Soon, back on the road, Richardson pondered his future. He has been knocked down, but he knows it is possible to return in a blaze of glory. "You know, I've got years ahead of me," he said. "I'm not a long-range planner."

The entire piece is well worth a read. It includes quotes from pollster Brian Sanderoff and former State Senator John Grubesic, as well as mentions of the Governor's bolo tie and his Mickey Mantle commemorative cuff links.

(Photo By Craig Fritz For The Washington Post)

The Pleasures of Peeps Shows

(Click on images for larger versions)

For your holiday viewing pleasure, here are the top 40 entries in Peeps Show III, the 2009 Peeps diorama competition. Haven't had enough? You can still view the 2008 and 2007 Peeps Shows hosted by the Washington Post. Not Peeps, but couldn't resist:

I Don't Care About ...

• What the alligators and Joe are pushing.
• What Val Kilmer is saying and doing and may or may not do.
• What Bob Dylan has to say about Obama and politics.
• What the latest MSM articles say about social media or Twitter.
• Boring, self-reverential and mundane Twitter tweets.
• People who constantly update their status on FaceBook but don't respond to what anyone else puts up.
• What Michelle Obama is wearing.
• Anything about the Queen of England.
• What Sheriff Darren White is doing to try to keep his political future alive by pushing for a repeal of the repeal of the death penalty.
• What Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck have to say about any topic at all.
• Any article that tries to pump up the power of the Blue Dogs.
• What the Pope is doing or saying.
• What the Catholic Church has to say about civil law issues in the modern world.
• Excuses offered by Dems about why they can't vote for what they claim to believe in.
• Anyone who deems cowardly corporatist behavior on the part of politicos to be "moderate" or "centrist."
• What plans Marty Chavez has to bring back Tingley Beach.
• Anything to do with domestic partnerships in New Mexico -- marriage equality is the new domestic partnership.
• How many Europeans turned out to see the Obamas.
• Politicos who call themselves Democrats but who won't advocate on behalf of marriage equality, ethics reform and transparent government.
• Rich elites who don't believe they should pay their fair share of taxes.
• Democratic Attorneys General who clumsily go after the free speech of nonprofits.
• Legislators who waste everyone's time with off-topic, meaningless, embarrassingly flaky yarns.
• Congressmen who host big dollar events with promises of special access for big-wig donors.
• Long lists like this.

And you?

Edward Grothus 1923-2009

Ed Grothus at The Black Hole August 2005

Many of you know political activist and artist Barbara Grothus, and folks all over the world knew her illustrious dad Ed Grothus, who passed away this week. We were lucky enough to have gotten a meandering tour with Ed of his famous "Black Hole" in Los Alamos several years back while we were in Los Alamos for peace events commemorating the 60th anniversary of the atomic bomb blast in Hiroshima. Our visit with Ed was fascinating and moving. "Atomic Ed" will be missed by many, but his peaceful legacy will definitely live on. Here's a reminiscence of a life well lived that was put together by the Grothus family. Our condolences to all of Ed's friends and family.

Edward Bernard Grothus, of Los Alamos, died of cancer at home, at peace and surrounded by love on February 12, 2009. He was born June 28, 1923 in Clinton, Iowa. His family moved permanently to Davenport, Iowa in 1930.

Ed Grothus with "stuff" outside The Black Hole

Following graduation from high school, he traveled extensively by ship and motorcycle. He attended the University of Iowa where he (most importantly) learned to play bridge and made lifelong friends. He eventually followed his father’s trade as a machinist, the trade that brought him to Los Alamos in 1949. “Working at the Lab,” he said, “gave me an education that I could get nowhere else.” He met Margaret Jane Turnquist playing bridge in Los Alamos. They were married in 1951. In 1952 he began working at the Lab’s R-Site where he was a link in the process for making "better" atomic bombs. By 1968, he had become an antiwar activist and was an alternate delegate for candidate Eugene McCarthy at the notorious Democratic Convention in Chicago. He left LASL in 1969 when his conscience could no longer tolerate his role in nuclear bomb development. Since then, because of his singularity in speaking out against the nuclear mission of the Laboratory, he became the most interviewed and photographed person in Los Alamos.

Ed Grothus dressed as Peace Cardinal at Los Alamos Peace Rally

Ed was a hardworking and successful entrepreneur who invested in “things.” A child of the depression who extolled thrift and hated waste, he established the Los Alamos Sales Company in 1951 to buy and resell things -- mainly surplus equipment from the Los Alamos Laboratory. For many years the company operated as a catalog business, selling to universities world-wide. He typed and mimeographed pages that were assembled into catalogs by his children who also assisted with mailing, packing, and shipping.

Ed in front of Black Hole surplus-store-museum-studio-peace-shrine

Ed took an active interest in the community. When the government began to plan a subdivision for individual owners to develop, Ed got involved. He helped name the streets on Barranca Mesa and purchased the lot on which he built the first adobe home in Los Alamos. He took great pride in his plans and designs for the house, seeking to make it as durable, functional and maintenance free as possible. Nearly 60 years later, the house remains a testament to his attention to detail. Ed was a founding member of the do-it-yourself home builders association known as “The Nailbenders.” Later, in a new area known as Pajarito Acres, he was the first to build a home with the intention that it would be a rental property. When government houses came onto the market, he bought and sold those too, and upon his exit from the Laboratory, he and Margaret used proceeds to purchase The Shalako Shop which they operated for thirty years.

Ed's Omega Peace Institute in Los Alamos

In 1973, he purchased the Grace Lutheran Church property which he first called “The Omega Peace Institute” and later named “The First Church of High Technology.” In 1976, he acquired the adjacent “Mesa Market” property, which remained a grocery store for two years. When the grocery operation ceased, the Los Alamos Sales Company began moving things into the building. In recent years, the operation became known as “The Black Hole,” because “everything went in, and not even light could get out.” The business is well-known to set-decorators, artists, inventors and tinkerers, and tourists from around the world. He worked at the business six days a week until his illness forced him to slow down in late 2008. He never stopped thinking about the business despite his physical absence from it.

Sunflower peace display, 60th Hiroshima anniversary, Los Alamos

Ed refused to abandon The Black Hole during the forced evacuation of Los Alamos in 2000 when the government-set fire devastated the mountain landscape and burned more than 400 residences. The fire burned up to the foundation of the Black Hole, but Ed’s vigilance kept the fire from consuming it. He was arrested after the fire passed and was sentenced to community service for “refusing to obey a police order.” He had predicted such a disastrous immolation and had encouraged the County to build a perimeter road as a fire barrier. He strongly fought the use of salt on snowy streets because of its killing effect on trees and the subsequent erosion of soil and further environmental degradation.

Grothus was most known for his antiwar and antinuclear activism. He was a frequent writer of “Letters to the Editor” and in 1966 wrote “An Ode to a Leader, Misleading,” dedicated to President Johnson. In it he wrote “. . .search and destroy, ignoble duty . . .” His motto became “Semper Fabricate, Numquam Consumite" or “Always Build, Never Destroy.” As an early Obama supporter, Ed was pleased to note in his inaugural address that President Obama said, “. . . people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.” Despite his antiwar and antinuclear stance, he never called for the closure of the Laboratory. He said the Lab should stop making things useful only for killing, but he supported a mission for scientists to more efficiently harvest the energy of the sun, the infinite power source.

Preparing and launching peace lanterns, Ashley Pond, Los Alamos

Grothus designed and commissioned two granite obelisks to mark the explosion of the first atomic bomb. The obelisks were quarried and carved in China, then shipped to Los Alamos in December 2007. The obelisks are white granite and are designed to sit on black bases, “doomsday stones,” engraved with text in 15 languages that describe the “most significant man-made event in human history.” Important to him among the messages engraved in the stone was, “No one is secure unless everyone is secure.” When erected, each monument will weigh over 39 tons and stand nearly 40 feet tall. At the time of his death, Grothus remained optimistic that the obelisks would find a home.

He was featured in numerous international magazine and newspaper articles and stories on national radio and television. He has appeared in various historical books, as a character in novels and, thanks to a variety of international artists, in theaters, galleries and music productions. He also has a significant presence on the internet. He was the subject of two documentaries including “Atomic Ed and the Black Hole,” by filmmaker, Ellen Spiro, broadcast on HBO. He was also the subject of investigations by the FBI and Secret Service on several occasions.

Near Los Alamos, NM

In 2006 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Indigenous World Uranium Summit for his work to promote a Nuclear-Free Future. In 2007, he was humbled to be the first non-Native American to receive the prestigious Alan Houser Memorial Award from the Houser family at the annual Governor’s Awards in the Arts for the State of New Mexico.

He was proud of his family with whom he enjoyed traveling, working, exchanging thoughts and opinions and sharing challenges and successes. Ed’s deafness, “my only problem,” was a cruel burden, not just for him. A voracious reader and life-long learner, his intellectual curiosity and interest in ideas, “things” and world events remained strong even as cancer consumed all his energy. “Dying,” he said, “is not very exciting.”

Los Alamos sky

The eldest of eight, he was predeceased by his parents, Edward Theodore Grothus and Regina Hebinck Grothus, his son Theodore, his grandson Preston Edward Burns, and his brother Joseph Grothus. He is survived by Margaret, his wife of 57 years, his children Barbara Grothus of Albuquerque, NM; Tom Grothus (Wendy Slotboom) of Seattle, WA; Susan Burns of Albuquerque, NM; and Mike Grothus (Heidi) and their children, Casey and Michelle Grothus of Niwot, CO. He is also survived by three sisters, three brothers, and their extended families. Loved and admired by many, despised by a few, he will not soon be forgotten.

Ed Grothus and one of his ever-present bolos, 2006

Friends are visiting DeVargas Funeral Home at 623 N. Railroad Avenue in Espanola, NM from 1:00 to 5:00 on Sunday, February 15. There will be a private interment at Guaje Pines Cemetery. A public memorial service will be scheduled soon.

Peace begins in the heart. Life is short. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you remember Ed by spending precious time with your loved ones.

Here's a video of Ed from last year that includes footage of his obelisks. And here's an article memorializing Ed from the Los Alamos Monitor.

Click on photos for larger images. Last photo by Telstar Logisitics. Check out more of their excellent photos of Ed and The Black Hole here. All other photos by M.E. Broderick, taken the weekend of August 6, 2005 during peace events in Los Alamos commemorating the 60th anniversary of the atomic bomb blast at Hiroshima. See her set here.

Technorati tags:

Tonight: Inaugurate Yourself with Sander Hicks

Inaugurate Yourself, the Nationwide Caravan of Peace and Truth, will be stopping at the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice tonight. Join a discussion with Sander Hicks, the provocative activist, author and founder of Vox Pop, from New York City.

WHAT CAN WE DEMAND?
Nonviolence. Green venture capital. 9/11 truth.
Are we inaugurating real change, or just lip service?
LET’S RAISE THE STAKES, TOGETHER.
8:30 PM, TUESDAY, JANUARY 13
Albuquerque Peace Center for Peace and Justice
202 Harvard SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106 FREE
Click for FLYER (pdf)
See below for more about this event.

How will the American people set an agenda in Washington that guarantees deep change? How can we aim high, and demand the impossible?

How can we guarantee Barack Obama will fulfill the hope and promise he has represented? (And how deep will the change really be, when you've put together a centrist cabinet?)

Inaugurate Yourself! will gather fellow rebels and radicals, spiritual people and political instigators, people who want to speak out and support Sander Hicks' "Three New Imperatives:"

1. We can visualize the US Government renouncing violence within our lifetime. If the Democratic Party won't embrace the radical call to peace and nonviolence of Gandhi, King, Jesus of Nazareth, Dorothy Day, and others, then it's up to us. The US can really lead the world for the first time, not with the strength of its right arm, but with a new ideal of peaceful conflict resolution. It's time for us to evolve. This is a natural next step.

2. We call on the US to start an innovative green venture capital program, to rejuvenate the economy, and change the whole paradigm of "dog eat dog" capitalism. Capitalism, too, must evolve. The government could have a role, not as a bumbling huge bureaucracy, but as a creative instigator and funder of conscious, sustainable new companies that act in the public interest, produce important new goods and services, and use the public markets to create a robust return for their original investors.

Want more? Sander Hicks JUST published a hot new piece on this at AlterNet.

3. In this "information age" the American people deserve a 1000% change in the flow of information about what the US Government actually does. We demand a full accounting, and total transparency. We demand an end to missing billions in the Pentagon budget. We demand an opening of files on the assassinations of King, the Kennedys, Malcolm X, full disclosure on the CIA and Pentagon's role in the 9/11 attacks, and a full accounting of the US's protection of the "9/11 terrorists" before 9/11.

This is the people's US National Speaking Tour, winding across the US and ending January 20 at the Inauguration of President Barrack Obama. It's instigated by Sander Hicks, and co-hosted by writer Chic Migeot (author of "The Talk.")

We're bringing the noise by bringing up the forgotten Louisiana 9/11 researcher murdered by the FBI. We're bringing memories from Waco from the time of the last big Democrat. We stand with the ghosts of New Orleans. We answer to a higher moral calling. We have a vision: it's time for the USA to lead the world, and renounce the use of violence.

Inaugurate Yourself!

Beep, Beep: See Peter's Sneak Peak of New Mexico's Rose Parade Float

Peter St. Cyr has the scoop and a Pasadena slide show at his What's the Word blog. Go see Wile E. Coyote, his trusty A.C.M.E. rocket and the Road Runner -- and say hi and get well soon to Peter, who's been feeling more than a little under the weather. Could the timing be worse? Hope you feel better, Peter!

The Tournament of Roses Parade will air in Albuquerque starting at 9:00 AM on New Year's Day on KOB-TV 4, according to TV Guide.

In the Coming Year, Remember

The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

(h/t to Mr. TH)

10, 9, 8, 7, . . .
Happy New Year from Barb and Mary Ellen!

A New Beginning: 2009 Here We Come

Look Southwest Tonight (Click on image for larger version)

Tonight, just after sunset, a grand celestial show will commence. It will look like the sky map above:

A delightful display of planets and the moon will occur on New Year's Eve for anyone wishing to step outside and look up just after sunset.

Venus, brighter than all other planets and stars, will dangle just below the thin crescent moon in the southwestern sky. It'll be visible -- impossible to miss, in fact -- just as the sun goes down, assuming skies are cloud-free.

Soon thereafter, Mercury and Jupiter will show up hugging the south-southwestern horizon (just above where the sun went down) and extremely close to each other. Jupiter is very bright and easy to spot; Mercury is faint and harder to see, but it'll be apparent by its location just to the left of Jupiter.

Jupiter and Mercury will set less than an hour after the sun, so timing your viewing just after sunset is crucial. You'll also need a location with a clear view of the western horizon, unobstructed by buildings, trees or mountains.

If you're pondering our place in the universe and what's at stake as we move into the future, check out this post from the blog Restoring Mayberry for some exquisitely written thoughts to consider as we release 2008 and embrace 2009. (h/t to Maya at Suburban Guerilla)

I don't read much in the way of horoscopes any more, but the New Year often lures me back for a peek. The insights and predictions provided by an outfit called PlanetWaves are compelling, whether you're a believer in the Earthly impacts of celestial energies or not. I like their intro to the coming year, with its excitement about bursting through to the new, rather than fear about losing what was:

HAVE YOU NOTICED how dense it can be on this planet? The weighty energetic quality comes in several forms: the unwieldy nature of physical reality; the often foggy, sleepy quality of human consciousness; our obsession with the past; our burning need to conform to what others think we should do; and the peculiar way something done twice turns into a habit and anything said twice turns into the truth.

Then all of a sudden that heavy quality can vanish. Patterns that resisted change for years or decades yield to some mysterious force. Doorways open, opportunities emerge, synchronicity begins to dance and, by no conscious act of will, we can find ourselves living in a different reality.

With all things Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces coming under the microscope in 2009 and well beyond, we are going to see change of a kind that Barack Obama's campaign writers could not even imagine.

The horoscopes they provide for sun and rising signs are aimed at helping us come out of hiding -- and abandon our no longer useful, hidebound habits -- so we can make the most of being alive right now. I like that. I think an attitude of openness and bravado will be much in demand as we confront the challenges of the coming upheavals and realignments that will bring either increased chaos or an alluring new balance to our affairs. Or both.

Happy New Year y'all. Progress, not perfection.

PS: What's the proper expression for the first decade of the 21st century? The zeros? The 00s? It's still hard for me to believe that we're moving rapidly towards the SECOND decade of the new millennium. Sometimes cliches have it just right: time flies.

Lt. Gov. Denish Discusses Children's Cabinet as National Model at NC Policy Retreat

Lt. Governor Denish seems to be everywhere of late, and today is no exception. She's making a presentation at North Carolina’s 6th Annual Legislators Retreat hosted by the Hunt Institute. Lt. Gov. Denish was invited to discuss New Mexico's Children's Cabinet as a premier national model of interagency collaboration and coordination for children, youth, and families. National and international experts on education reform and policy are making presentations at the Retreat to nearly 75 North Carolina legislators.

In a prepared statement, Denish said, “We’ve worked hard to earn national recognition for efforts to collaborate, coordinate, and leverage resources to ensure that our investments and programs are most effective. The New Mexico Children’s Cabinet aligns and integrates initiatives across government to strengthen the workforce of today and tomorrow. Collectively, and with our public-private partnerships, we are better able to fight the impacts of childhood poverty on our economy.”

Governor Jim Hunt said, “Lt. Governor Denish has had remarkable success and made tremendous impact with the New Mexico’s Children’s Cabinet. The Hunt Institute thought it was very important for her to speak directly with North Carolina legislators about the need for integrated services for our at-risk students and the best way to collaborate to generate positive outcomes. New Mexico was one of the first states to implement the Children’s Cabinet, and it has translated its success into a model of effective integrated services. Lt. Governor Denish’s active leadership has enabled state and community leaders to rally behind this very important initiative.”

The Hunt Institute was created by the University of North Carolina, Board of Governors in 2001. The James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy works with leaders to secure America’s future through quality education. Working at the intersection of policy and politics, the Hunt Institute connects leaders with the best strategies for developing and implementing policies and programs to improve public education.

Behold the Poetic Justice

If you're anything like me -- and I think many of you are -- it's easy to get really down in the dumps about the giant cluster-you-know-what that's evident at virtually every level of society and in virtually every realm of endeavor on the planet these days. Yes, we cling to hope, but we keep seeing harbingers of cataclysmic doom clouding the horizon as we lift up our eyes and try to discern what's coming.

At such times, it can be helpful to consult San Francisco Chronicle columnist Mark Morford. If nothing else, Morford is sardonic enough to reach the most cynical reaches of our souls and, ironically, bring some healing laughter there by changing the angle of our perceptions. Check out his latest column to see what I mean. There, don't you feel better now, widening your lens? (h/t to TH)

Unique Features: George W. Bush Presidential Library

Check out more ideas for a W Library in video and here

The George W. Bush Presidential Library is now in the planning stages and accepting donations. The Library will include:

• The Hurricane Katrina Room, which is still under construction
• The Alberto Gonzales Room, where you won’t be able to remember anything
• The Texas Air National Guard Room, where you don’t even have to show up
• The Walter Reed Hospital Room, where they don’t let you in
• The Guantanamo Bay Room, where they don’t let you out
• The Weapons of Mass Destruction Room, which no one has been able to find
• The National Debt Room, which is huge and has no ceiling
• The Tax Cut Room, with entry only to the wealthy
• The Economy Room, which is in the toilet

• The Iraq War Room. (After you complete your first visit, they make you to go back for a second, third, fourth, and sometimes fifth visit.)
• The Dick Cheney Room, in the famous undisclosed location, complete with shotgun gallery
• The Environmental Conservation Room, still empty
• The Supreme Gift Shop, where you can buy an election
• The Airport Men’s Room, where you can meet some of your favorite Republican Senators
• The Decider Room, complete with dart board, magic 8-ball, Ouija board, dice, coins, and straws

Note: The library will feature an electron microscope to help you locate and view the President’s accomplishments.

The library will also include many famous quotes by George W. Bush:

• ‘The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country.’
• ‘If we don’t succeed, we run the risk of failure.’
• ‘Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child.’
• ‘No senior citizen should ever have to choose between prescription drugs and medicine.’
• ‘I believe we are on an irreversible trend toward more freedom and democracy - but that could change.’
• ‘One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one word is ‘to be prepared’.’
• ‘Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things.’
• ‘I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future.’
• ‘The future will be better tomorrow.’
• ‘We’re going to have the best educated American people in the world.’
• ‘One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures.’ (during an education photo-op).
• ‘Illegitimacy is something we should talk about in terms of not having it.’
• ‘We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur.’
• ‘It isn’t pollution that’s harming the environment. It’s the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.’
• ‘I stand by all the misstatements that I’ve made.’

PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY!
Sincerely, Jack Abramoff,
Co-Chairman, G.W. Bush Library Board of Directors

(Updates x 4) Local Responses to Nomination of Richardson as Commerce Secretary

I'll be collecting and sharing the responses of prominent local politicos to Gov. Bill Richardson's nomination to serve as Commerce Secretary by Barack Obama. This task is harder to accomplish than it should be because once campaigns ended, some press operations stopped sending their releases to mere blogs. And despite my repeated requests to be added to a number of the release lists for successful candidates and those already in office, like that of Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, I'm still not getting their press releases. Let's hope that improves ASAP.

First off, here's the Governor Richardson today about his nomination. Excerpt:

“This is by no means an easy decision and brings with it a mix of emotions. I am proud of what we have accomplished in New Mexico during the past six years and we’re not done yet. I will be here to deliver the State of the State address when the Legislature convenes on January 20. I will present an aggressive, responsible and balanced budget plan as well as a full slate of important initiatives. I will not resign as Governor until I am confirmed by the United States Senate, and until then I will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of all New Mexicans.

And the press person for Rep. Tom Udall, New Mexico's Senator-Elect, did send a statement to bloggers:

"Bill Richardson will be an asset to the Obama-Biden Administration as Secretary of Commerce. His qualifications as Congressman, UN Ambassador, Secretary of Energy and Governor of New Mexico are unparalleled and will add enormous strength to the Obama Cabinet.

"Governor Richardson has made sure that New Mexico remains economically competitive, even during these difficult times, by growing businesses big and small, promoting job growth and cutting taxes. He is the ideal pro-growth Democrat for the post and I am confident he will serve our nation with the same foresight as he has served our state."

Democratic Party of New Mexico Chairman Brian Colón:

"New Mexico's loss is the nation's gain. New Mexico has moved forward under Governor Richardson's leadership. Bill Richardson will be an outstanding Commerce Secretary and his experience will be crucial in turning our economy around as he works with world leaders to build a stronger global economy. Bill Richardson served with distinction as Energy Secretary and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in addition to serving New Mexicans both in Congress and as Governor. He will be missed by countless New Mexicans who have come to appreciate his vision for our State and his tireless efforts on our behalf.

"Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish has built an exemplary record while serving as Lieutenant Governor and she will in no doubt be ready to be our next Governor."

NM-03 Representative-Elect Ben Ray Luján:

"Governor Richardson is a wise choice for Commerce Secretary. His record of job creation in New Mexico and his experience building global relationships as Energy Secretary and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations will be a strong asset in President Obama's Cabinet. As the Governor of New Mexico, Gov. Richardson brought new business into the state and helped to build existing businesses. Under his leadership, our state saw unprecedented job creation and economic development.

While on the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, I am proud to have worked with Gov. Richardson on a number of initiatives that have improved the quality of life for the people of New Mexico. I look forward to working with Gov. Richardson in his new role as Commerce Secretary to get our economy back on track and to create new jobs in the United States. His selection as Commerce Secretary shows President Obama's commitment to turning our economy around and his ability to bring in a diverse team of leaders with exceptional talents and backgrounds."

NM-01 Representative-Elect Martin Heinrich:

"It is of little surprise that a person as talented and intelligent as Governor Bill Richardson has been tapped to lead one of the most influential and important departments in President Obama's cabinet. The breadth and depth of his vast experience in New Mexico, in Washington and around the world, his keen intellect, and his ability to provide innovative solutions to complex problems will all be needed and utilized as he, President Obama, and the new Congress look to fix our ailing economy and restore the promise of the American dream to folks in New Mexico and around the county. I congratulate my friend and wish him the best of luck when he takes the reins in January."

Technorati tags: