Democracy for New Mexico

Guest Blog: Richardson Running for President a Breath of Fresh Air

This is a Guest Blog submitted by Stephen Fox of Santa Fe:
What wonderful news. Sorry to say, but Hillary, Obama, John Edwards, et alia., seem like recycled hacks to me, and the alternative with Bill Richardson is much more interesting. My focus is international, almost entirely international, and Richardson and his lengthy international resume is a breath of fresh air, after the inanities and ghastly absurdities evidenced thus far by Bush/Cheney/Halliburton/Rumsfeld and the reign of plutocrats.

Let's face it: we are going to need an internationalist Democrat, if there will ever be any hope of rebuilding the USA's image internationally! Can the USA ever really recover from them and what they have perpetrated nationally and internationally? Gouging the USA's expenditures into weapons and deployment and grudge matches and another $160 billion to waste in Iraq and in Afghanistan, regardless of the loss of markets and esteem for the USA in Africa, Europe, Asia, and South America due to these depravities and depradations?

Bill Richardson could lead such a recovery, even through the course of the candidates' dialogue, if given the chance he will get as a viable presidential candidate. I welcome his presence in the ostensibly crowded field of Democratic candidates. He won't be one to perpetuate the kind of international idiocy and unavoidable resultant decline, both internally and internationally, from which we have suffered from during the past 6 years.

Let us New Mexicans help him win by talking with our friends, family, and colleagues in other states.

Podemos esperar, que non?

Guest Blogger Stephen Fox is an art dealer from Santa Fe, founder of New Millennium Fine Art, an eclectic Santa Fe gallery since 1980. Active in international and Legislature Democratic politics, he is working towards a ban on Aspartame and the establishment of a New Mexico Nutrition Council, with powers to question and even challenge the FDA. He was a "snowball-in-hell" candidate for the US Senate in 1978, and has been deemed by a Taos newspaper as a "professional idealist," from the M.K. Gandhi/Eleanor Roosevelt wing of the Democratic party. Beyond the Legislative Session, Fox is focusing hope that the World Peace Conference May 16-17 in the Capitol will turn into an eventual Peace University in Santa Fe.

Editor's Note: We periodically publish Guest Blogs submitted by readers. If you'd like to submit a Guest Blog for possible posting here, contact me by clicking on the Email Me button on the upper left-hand corner of DFNM's main page. Guest Blogs specifically represent the views of the writer of the post and do not necessarily express the views of DFNM or others who write here.

Sen. Webb Made My Day

I thought Sen. JIm Webb's response on behalf of Dems to Bush's mushy State of the Union retread was as perfect as a such speech could be. Articulate, tough, precise, powerful. What do you think? CNN has the text version. Excerpt:

On both of these vital issues, our economy and our national security, it falls upon those of us in elected office to take action.

Regarding the economic imbalance in our country, I am reminded of the situation President Theodore Roosevelt faced in the early days of the 20th century. America was then, as now, drifting apart along class lines. The so-called robber barons were unapologetically raking in a huge percentage of the national wealth. The dispossessed workers at the bottom were threatening revolt.

Roosevelt spoke strongly against these divisions. He told his fellow Republicans that they must set themselves as resolutely against improper corporate influence on the one hand as against demagogy and mob rule on the other. And he did something about it.

As I look at Iraq, I recall the words of former general and soon-to-be President Dwight Eisenhower during the dark days of the Korean War, which had fallen into a bloody stalemate. "When comes the end?" asked the general who had commanded our forces in Europe during World War II. And as soon as he became president, he brought the Korean War to an end.

These presidents took the right kind of action, for the benefit of the American people and for the health of our relations around the world. Tonight we are calling on this president to take similar action, in both areas. If he does, we will join him. If he does not, we will be showing him the way.

Jonathan Alter at MSNBC heaps praise on Webb's speech saying, "For the first time ever, the response to the State of the Union Message overshadowed the president's big speech.

Latest on NM Impeachment Effort

The effort to pass a resolution of impeachment against Bush and Cheney in the NM Legislature got front page coverage in the Albuquerque Journal this morning in this article. Quotes:

"Everyone says, 'This is symbolic.' So was dumping tea in Boston Harbor," Grubesic said. "We need to send a clear message to the rest of the world that we're not as insane as our administration is."

... It has been a hot-potato issue within the New Mexico Democratic Party: The party during its convention of more than 1,200 delegates last spring added a call for impeachment of Bush to its platform. But top-tier Democratic politicians, including Gov. Bill Richardson, were quick to distance themselves from that position.

...Both senators said they expect to take some heat for the proposed resolution but believe it can pass the Senate. "Politicians seem to last longer the less controversial they are— don't take on the tough issues; don't take a stand," Grubesic said. "With something important as this, I don't think you can just sit on your hands."

Also, the time of the press conference on the NM Impeachment Resolution has been changed:

From Gerald.Gonzalez@nmlegis.gov:
This Tuesday, January 23rd, at 2PM (not 1PM as previously stated), Senators Gerald Ortiz y Pino (D-ABQ) and John T. L. Grubesic (D-Santa Fe) will introduce their resolution to impeach President George Bush and Vice-President Richard Cheney. Eight Senators in total have signed the Resolution including the Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Cisco McSorley, and the Chair of the Rules Committee Linda Lopez. Based on a resolution crafted by Phil Burk of impeachbush.tv and the national impeachment movement, the resolution makes four charges, three of which are violations of the US Constitution.

The press Conference will directly follow the introduction of the excellent Joint Memorial opposing the creation of a National ID Card in New Mexico sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez and House Majority Leader Ken Martinez.

Who: Mother Media and Citizens from all over New Mexico
Where: The Capitol Building Rotunda
When: Tuesday, January 23rd, 2PM to 3PM
What: Senators Gerald Ortiz y Pino and John T. L. Grubesic to Introduce Impeachment Resolution in the New Mexico Senate

The charges in full:

WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney conspired with others to defraud the United States of America by intentionally misleading congress and the public regarding the threat from Iraq in order to justify a war in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 371; and 

WHEREAS, George W. Bush has admitted to ordering the national security agency to conduct electronic surveillance of American civilians without seeking warrants from the foreign intelligence surveillance court of review, duly constituted by congress in 1978, in violation of Title 50 United States Code, Section 1805; and

WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney conspired to commit the torture of prisoners in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Chapter 113C, the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Geneva Conventions, which under Article VI of the United States constitution are part of the "supreme Law of the Land"; and

WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney acted to strip American citizens of their constitutional rights by ordering indefinite detention without access to legal counsel, without charge and without the opportunity to appear before a civil judicial officer to challenge the detention, based solely on the discretionary designation by the president of a United States citizen as an "enemy combatant", all in subversion of law.

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More info on Impeachment
https://impeachpac.org
https://impeachbush.tv
https://articlesofimpeachment.net

Get Involved: Dem Precinct and Ward Chair Candidates Needed

From Bruce Barnaby:
It is 2007 and New Mexico Democrats will soon begin the process of selecting officers for Precincts, Wards, Counties and the State to lead the party for the 2008 Election Year.

We need to start by looking for good Democrats to become Precinct and Ward Chairs. A workshop will be held on Saturday, January 20, at 10 AM at State Party Headquarters, 1301 San Pedro NE, to prepare a list of candidates for Precinct and Ward officers and assign volunteers to contact them. All those volunteers who worked hard for the candidates need to know that they should continue to build the party in preparation for 2008. This is important. All Democrats are welcome! Learn more about the process and how to get involved.

New Mexico will have its Presidential Preference Caucus on February 5, 2008.  We have a year to get ready. Now is the time to start.

BREAKING: Dems Choose Denver for 2008 Convention

Great News: After much ado, the Democratic National Committee selected Denver to host the 2008 Democratic Convention set for August 25-28, 2008. The only other city that made it to the finals was New York. Denver overcame many logistical and labor problems to win the bid. More info at Yahoo.

Dems on Iraq Escalation: Real Action or Empty Symbolism? TAKE ACTION NOW

The Democrats we elected to Congress have a clear-cut choice in how they represent us in response to Bush's misbegotten plan to escalate the Iraq War by adding more than 20,000 troops to the bloody mix. Given their unfortunate recent history of spineless equivocating and empty gestures on Iraq, we shouldn't be surprised that most of them seem to be partial to passing a nonbinding resolution offered by Sen. Joe Biden urging Bush not to increase troops in Iraq -- meaningless symbolism at its most cowardly.

Many Dems are claiming that passing anything that actually would preclude Bush from acting or legally shape how he proceeds would be unconstitutional or beyond their powers. This would include Sen. Ted Kennedy's proposal (video above) to require that "no additional troops can be sent and no additional dollars can be spent on such an escalation unless and until Congress approves the president's plan." Also read Sen. Kennedy's Daily Kos diary about his bill.

Golly gee, I guess we should give the Dems a break because Rove et al. would label them "cut and run" or "weak on defense" if they took any genuine action against Bush's latest Iraq wet dream. Why take that risk when you can sit back and let the troops caught in a chaotic civil war take all the risks? Mere life and limb are at stake for the troops. Certainly we can't blame the hapless Dems for ignoring that and thinking only of themselves and political spin. Do we really have the nerve to stop them from refusing to take any responsibility in the real world for what goes on over there?

What Bingaman and Udall Have to Say
Our own Sen. Jeff Bingaman and Rep. Udall are apparently in the better to refuse to act than do the right thing camp, as reported in an article in this morning's Albuquerque Journal:

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., said members of Congress who oppose a U.S. troop surge, including himself, should make the case to Bush as clearly as possible, but he doubted the Kennedy bill would work.

"As a matter of constitutional law it's very hard to make the case that the president cannot add troops to the troops already there," Bingaman said in a weekly phone talk with radio reporters. "As commander-in-chief he has that authority."

... Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., said he "likes capping the number of troops" sent to Iraq, but wasn't sure if the House Democratic caucus would coalesce around such a proposal. He also pointed out that Bush could simply veto the Kennedy legislation if Congress passed it.

Yes, Rep. Udall, but that's beside the point. We at least would have The Decider on record bucking the duly passed legislation on this war right in front of a citizenry where only about 11% support his boosting the troop level. If nothing else, it would give those voting for stopping Bush in his tracks credibility and respect on the world stage and here at home.

Excuses Without Merit
Are the naysayers really too young to remember the Viet Nam War or even Reagan's fiasco in Lebanon? In both cases the Congress effectively passed limitations on troop funding and other aspects of the operations. What's different now? Only that the more courageous Dems of those eras have been replaced by the blow-dried blowhard variety so characteristic of today's irresponsible and still out of touch Congress.

Congress didn't even declare war in this instance, opting instead to grant Bush war powers constitutionally reserved for the Congress. However, as Kennedy and others are pointing out, the Iraq War resolution transferred these war powers on the basis of very narrow circumstances and goals: to get rid of Saddam because of the threat of his WMDs. The resolution in no way should be construed to mean that Bush should also have free rein in sending 20,000+ troops into a raging civil war despite Saddam's being hanged and the WMD never materializing.

Join the Fight
Many activist and grassroots groups are joining together to convince Dems and others to say no to Bush, including Democracy for America, CodePINK, NOW, Working Assets, MoveOn, TrueMajority , Sojourners and many others. Visit AmericaSaysNo.org, sign the petition and register for one of the protest events scheduled for locations all over the nation tomorrow.

Albuquerque's event will be held at the downtown office of Sen. Pete Domenici at 201 Third St. NW at Noon on Thursday, January 11. If you don't see an event for your area, you can also organize one of your own at the website.

To contact members of Congress directly, visit Congress.org.

It's a Start

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have sent a letter to President Bush saying "surging forces" in Iraq is a failed strategy and calling for phased redeployment instead. -- Headline at CNN.com at 11:31 AM....

Reuters has this to say:

"Adding more combat troops will only endanger more Americans and stretch our military to the breaking point for no strategic gain," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote in a letter to Bush as he prepares to outline a new Iraq strategy.

"Rather than deploy additional forces to Iraq, we believe the way forward is to begin the phased redeployment of our forces in the next four to six months, while shifting the principal mission of our forces there from combat to training, logistics, force protection and counter-terror," Reid and Pelosi wrote."

The new website for Speaker Pelosi (ain't it grand to say that) has the complete text of the letter.

Here's the latest CBS News poll that shows where Americans stand on Bush's folly and the new Dem Congress:

BUSH'S JOB APPROVAL RATING:
Approve: 30
Disapprove: 63

BUSH'S JOB HANDLING IRAQ :
Approve: 23
Disapprove: 72

FEELINGS ABOUT NEW CONGRESS:
Optimistic: 68
Pessimistic: 25

WANT NEW CONGRESS TO CONCENTRATE ON:
War in Iraq: 45
Economy/Jobs: 7
Health Care: 7
Immigration: 6

ON IRAQ, EXPECT DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS TO:
Increase U.S. troops: 12%
Keep same number of troops: 8
Decrease U.S. troops: 35
Remove all U.S. troops: 36

Today in Local News

On the radar screen today:

Rep. Ben Lujan (D-Nambe) won the secret vote to retain his role as NM House Speaker over challenger, Rep. Ken Martinez (D-Grants), at yesterday's closed door caucus of House Dems. Martinez will keep his Majority Leader post. Both candidates for Speaker had claimed they would have enough votes to win, and the margin between them was reportedly tight. Sheryl Williams Stapleton (D-ABQ) was re-elected as whip and Rep. John Heaton (D-Carlsbad) will again serve as caucus chair.

In a 5-4 vote, the Albuquerque City Council rejected the adoption of interim design rules for big box stores, a measure introduced by City Council President Debbie O'Malley. However, her permanent rules for big box development will be sent to the Environmental Planning Commission. Their recommendations to the Council on the proposal will be due in about four months. The decision is a loss for the folks trying to stop the "super" Wal-Mart at Osuna and Vista del Norte, but offers some hope for future improvements in the ugly big boxes springing up all over town. Voting to reject the temporary rules were Sally Mayer, Ken Sanchez, Brad Winter, Craig Loy and Don Harris. Ike Benton, Michael Cadigan and Martin Heinrich voted for approval.

The Council also approved special tax increment development districts for Mesa Del Sol. However, they delayed until January 10th any decision on the percentage of future district tax revenues the developer will be allowed borrow against to pay for infrastructure. For the financing plan to work for developer Forest City Covington, they'll have to get the city to sign off on all the details, then get the approval of Bernalillo County and the legislature. See my earlier post for more on this issue.

Albuquerque's Mayor Chavez announced a $10 million, two year plan to landscape 100 acres of land around the Big I. Five thousand dollars will come from the city's coffers and an equal amount from the state. Chavez bragged that the addition of thousands of trees, shrubs, cactuses and grasses would transform Albuquerque. "It's got a lot of 'wow' factor in it," he said. Wow, wow, wow. The new plantings, to be bid in phases, will eventually enhance the area along I-25 and I-40 from Menaul to Indian School and Edith to Universtiy.

Our current U.S. Attorney David Iglesias, a Republican who lost the Attorney General race in 1998 to Patricia Madrid, announced he'll be leaving his post two years early. It's rumored the FBI and other DC bigwigs are displeased with his handling of the state treasurer scandal and, perhaps, the brewing case related to possible corruption in the construction of the Metro and District courthouses in Albuquerque. Hey, maybe Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff can offer him a job at the sprawling agency that provides refuge for hordes of pompously incompetent operatives like Brownie.

Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley visited the campsite of about 50 tribal members who are protesting the construction of the coal-fired Desert Rock Power Plant on Navajo land in the Four Corners. See our earlier post for background on this issue.

Richardson: McCain is Dead Wrong; Must Get Troops Out in 2007

According to The Hotline, Gov. Bill Richardson had this to say today in New Hampshire about Iraq and McCain:

“The leading advocate for escalating the war is Senator John McCain. I have served with John in Congress and I respect him. But John McCain is wrong, dead wrong to think that we can solve Iraq’s political crisis through military escalation.”

“There are no quick or easy answers to the crisis in Iraq. Our choices are between bad options and worse ones. Some prefer military escalation. Some choose staying the course. These options are illusions. The only realistic choice we have is to stand down militarily and let the Iraqis stand up and face the political crisis which only they can resolve.”

“I’ve been to Iraq and Afghanistan. I worked in this region...we should harbor no illusions. This withdrawal will not be pretty. People will die. But fewer will die than if we stay. There are no guarantees that our departure will end the civil war, but it is sure to continue so long as we stay. The Iraqis might, or might not, resolve their political crisis. It is up to them. They distrust and fear one another, and this makes it very tough. But they share one goal – they don’t want to destroy their own country. To save it, they need to stop killing each other and start compromising. And we need to get out of the way.”

The Boston Globe has more, including:

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Saturday that the administration should set a date to withdraw American troops from Iraq in 2007 and criticized Sen. John McCain's call for boosting troop levels there.

"This is not cut and run," he said. "What I'm proposing is something that I believe will work. A fixed withdrawal date. You redeploy those troops."

A withdrawal should be coupled with a political solution and a reconciliation conference with ethnic groups in Iraq, he said. He said it would allow the Pentagon to redeploy forces to Afghanistan and bolster efforts to combat international terrorism.

Bayh Out, Edwards In
In other news in the race to be the 2008 Dem presidential candidate, Evan Bayh won't run (phew). And John Edwards will soon make his announcement to run while standing in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, which I find very cool given his emphasis on poverty. The only officially declared Dem candidate is Iowa's Tom Vilsack, not exactly a charisma machine.

Congrats to Our New U.S House Appropriations Committee Member Rep. Tom Udall!

Congressman Tom Udall (R), his wife Jill Cooper Udall (L), and Tom's father former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall (C) voting by paper ballot on election day

Big round of applause! New Mexico's popular and progressive Dem congressman from Northern New Mexico's 3rd congressional district, Rep. Tom Udall, just got appointed to the powerful U.S. House Appropriations Committee. Apparently the move is part of incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's strategy to empower younger Dems who may have less seniority but who possess the spirit, energy and ethics needed to reinvigorate Dem initiatives in the House. This appointment will allow Udall to finally show his stuff. Until now, his time in the House has been dogged by tight Republican rule that made effective Dem participation almost impossible.

An Albuquerque Journal article quoted Rep. Udall, who just won his fifth 2-year term in the U.S. House with 75% of the vote, on his new clout:

This is a powerful, exclusive committee, and I have a much better opportunity to do good things in the state ... Udall said he will push for more money for veterans, health care, affordable education and protection of natural resources in his new role.

Rep. Udall's on a roll these days, with President Bush yesterday signing his bill protecting Northern New Mexico's Valle Vidal from oil and gas drilling. Like other members of his illustrious political family, Tom Udall has been a mighty supporter of all things environmental during his entire career in public service.

The House Appropriations Committee has been a controversial and often unethical "pork" producer in recent years. Vastly increased numbers of often secretive and questionable earmarks were passed out like candy by Repubs in order to bolster the lock-step Party discipline imposed by ex-Rep. Tom DeLay in his role as Majority Leader. However, Rep. Udall says the Dem-dominated 110th Congress will be different. According to an Albuquerque Tribune article:

Udall said he supports the decision of the new House Democratic leadership to leave earmarks - special projects included by lawmakers - off 2007 spending bills while they come up with a way to reform the out-of-control process of earmarking.

"It was a disaster the way the Republicans handled this. It's going to be difficult for everybody, but it's a new day, and we're moving in a new direction," said Udall. "This is going to be viewed very positively. We're reformers."

House rules require that Udall relinquish his Committee memberships on Veterans' Affairs and Small Business and Resources (where he was scheduled to chair a subcommittee) in order to serve on Appropriations. Again quoting the Tribune article:

I think I can do more for New Mexico and the state on the Appropriations Committee. I'm going to continue to fight for priorities I've been fighting for," Udall said. One of those is the national parks system, which has never received the money to eliminate a backlog of maintenance that the Bush administration promised, said Udall.

After Dem victories in November, Udall was also named to the Steering and Outreach Committee of the Democratic Caucus, which deals with committee assignments and other Party business. Looks like it may have given him a well-deserved leg up.

Pelosi's other appointments to Appropriations include Rep.-elect Ciro Rodriguez (Texas) who just won a runoff against Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-Texas), Reps. Ben Chandler (Ky.), Michael Honda (Calif.), Barbara Lee (Calif.), Betty McCollum (Minn.), Tim Ryan (Ohio), C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger (Md.), Adam Schiff (Calif.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.).  The Committee will be chaired by Rep. David Obey (D-Wisconsin).

New Mexico's one and only member of the potent House Appropriations Committee was the late Joe Skeen, a Repub who represented NM-02 from 1981 through 2003, when he passed away. On the Senate side, Repub Sen. Pete Domenici has long been a powerhouse on the Senate Appropriations Committee, although with Dems taking over he'll lose his chairmanship of the Committee's Energy & Water Development Subcommittee.