Democracy for New Mexico

Contest: Define the Liberal Agenda

From Tapped, the blog of The American Prospect online:

DEFINING THE LIBERAL AGENDA. With George W. Bush back on the steps of the Capitol for a second term, many liberals have decided that there's something we're fundamentally just not getting. Maybe it's something about our politics; maybe it's something about the way we communicate them. Either way, we often find ourselves incapable of expressing what we believe in a simple, accessible fashion.

So we want it brought back to the basics. The Prospect is hosting a contest to define the liberal ideology. Make it simple: In no more than 30 words, tell us what liberalism stands for. There's a reason you care about politics and a reason you read The American Prospect; what do you want to see accomplished in and by this great country? It may seem like a lot to fit into 30 words -- or it may be more straightforward than you think.

More details about the contest can be found here, and you can enter by emailing us. We'll post some of the best responses we receive over the next few weeks, and pick a winner in February (who will receive exciting prizes!). Enter early and, heck, if you've got a lot to say -- enter often.

ACTIVATE! Info On Democratic Party of Bernalillo County

Michael Schneider has put together a page with information on the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County that includes an unofficial list of precincts matched to wards, who to contact to find out who your ward and precinct chair are, and other very helpful stuff:

He'll be adding more information as he gets it, so check back. If you have any information he can use, send it along to Mike.

I'm adding a link to Mike's page to our Democractic Party links on the left-hand sidebar on this site. You can find out what Bernalillo County precinct you're in by visiting the and entering your address.

Remember, the time to step up and become more active in the Democratic Party is now if we want to make sure that progressive candidates and issues get their due. You are urged to attend the Precinct Activation Meeting on Saturday, February 5th at 11:00 AM at the IBEW Hall, 4921 Alexander Blvd. NE in Albuquerque.  This will be a hands-on training session about how you can activate your precinct, run for precinct or ward chair, and more. It's coordinated by the Democratic Party of New Mexico. For more information, call Terri Holland, Director of Party Affairs, at 505-830-3650, ext. 11, or email her a terribk7@aol.com.

As noted in our list of Coming Events in the right-hand sidebar on this page, the Bernalillo County ward meetings, where ward and precinct chairs will be elected, are tentatively set for March 3rd. The meeting of the Bernalillo County Central Committee is tentatively scheduled for March 12th, while the meeting of the State Central Committee is tentatively planned for April 23rd. Times and locations for these meetings have not yet been finalized.

Lastest News From the DPBC

The lasted e-news from the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County had several important items, included below. If you know any registered Democrat that would like to be added to the e-news, please send their name, e-mail address and County to dpbc@att.net.

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2005 legislative session will be from January 18 – March 17, 2005.  Last day for the Governor to pocket veto legislation is April 8
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THIRD THURSDAY MEETING, JANUARY 20, 6 PM, LAW SCHOOL, ROOM 2401
The Third Thursday meeting, January 20, will be held at the Law School, Room 2401, 6 PM.  The agenda will include a presentation by Resolutions Chair Mel O'Reilly on political discourse in the party as reflected in resolutions developed at the ward/precinct level for consideration by the State Central Committee and state conventions.  Discussed will be procedures (ward/precinct --> county --> state), range of issues, development of a platform when needed, proper submission format and placement in meeting and convention agendas to allow serious consideration.  Other issues of party organization such as active participation of elected officials at all levels and fund raising to sustain our activities will be discussed and suggestions solicited.
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MEETINGS CALENDAR
Most likely schedule (check with state and county HQs for possible changes - locations to be announced) - DPNM: 830-3650, DPBC: 256-1855 & 1856:

Bernalillo County wards & precincts, Thurs. March 3
Bernalillo County Central Committee, Sat. March 12
State Central Committee, Saturday, April 23

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PRECINCT ACTIVATION MEETING, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 11 AM, IBEW HALL
All Democrats are urged to attend: IBEW hall, 4921 Alexander Blvd., NE, Saturday, February 5, 11 AM (north of Renaissance Blvd. opposite Costco and Home Depot).  Bring a sack lunch - the meeting could run a few hours.  Call Terri Holland for information: 830-3650 x11.

Marvin Moss, First Vice Chair
DPBC
marvmoss@msn.com

Zephyr Teachout: Wings on the Donkey

Old Deaners will no doubt remember the infamous Zephyr Teachout, who made the DFA blog a fun place back in the primary days as his Internet Outreach Director. And what a name! She also visited DFA folks here in Albuquerque during her cross-country trip to meet the roots, starting out in a very used Airstream trailer that experienced so many mechanical problems she finally had to abandon it mid-stream (no pun intended).

After Dean lost in the primaries, she went on to ply her trade at America Coming Together. Today, she's back at school and endorsing Dean for DNC Chair. Excerpts:

This moment in the history of our country is so much bigger than unanswerable speculation about who will hire the best ad company. Its our first act, collectively, as democrats to say what we believe in after last November's election.

We must choose a person that represents our strongly held, unambiguous beliefs about the rights and responsibilities of American citizens. We must elect someone who we can all look to articulate some of our hopes at a time we can feel strangled.
[. . .]
We use political parties to aggregate our hopes and dreams. The point of the Democratic party is not to win for its own sake, but to win because we represent some of the best traditions of civic life in human history. One of my hopes is to always be courageous in political life.  As a party, we need courage at the core - and the ability to inspire it in others. Just today I got an email from someone whose uncle decided to run for a rural texas local board spot because he got the email from Dean today.

Dean speaks in a blunt, straight way - he's funny, and he has a remarkable ability to listen, directly, to the people speaking to him. He's absolutely clearheaded about the fact that no political act has no cost. Every funding decision we make means there's another we can't - every choice is tied to every other choice. He's also very clearheaded about the difference between being a leader and demanding absolute fealty. He's happy to welcome right to lifers into the party, but that doesn't mean he's about to tone down his own strong views on family planning and a woman's freedom.
[. . .]
Lets get some wings on that donkey.

Dean's Officially Running for DNC Chair

Read all about it:

Dr. Dean has been quoted as saying he wouldn't officially enter this contest unless he had talked to every voting member of the Democratic Party and had determined he had a good chance to win. So we know what this means!

What's your reaction to this news?

UPDATE: There's Dean for DNC Chair gear for sale at CafePress already, or you can download and print your own bumperstickers and signs. If you prefer, there are always the old faithful I'm a Dean Democrat items.

Dean to Announce Formal Entry Into Race for DNC Chair?

That's 1:00 PM Eastern, or 11:00 AM Mountain.

Click https://blogforamerica.com/

Important Meetings on Precinct Building

As announced at this weeks' DFA-DFNM Albuquerque Meetup, Terri Holland, Director of Party Affairs at the Democratic Party of New Mexico, will be hosting a planning meeting on Thursday, January 13th from 4:30 to 6:00 PM at the DPNM Office at 1301 San Pedro NE. We'll be brainstorming and developing plans to strengthen the Party's precinct structure and get more people involved. UPDATE: PLEASE ATTEND THIS MEETING ONLY IF YOU ARE SPECIFICALLY INTERESTED IN PLANNING THE 2/5 EVENT. OTHERWISE, PLEASE ATTEND THE GENERAL PRECINCT BUILDING MEETING DESCRIBED BELOW.

This planning will culminate in a precinct organizing event on Saturday, February 5th at 11:00 AM at the IBEW Hall at 4921 Alexander Blvd. NE FOR EVERYONE INTERESTED IN PRECINCT BUILDING. This will feature practical information on organizing to walk/call precincts to broaden the Democratic Party base and team building by ward.

Ward and precinct elections will be held sometime between March 3rd and March 17th of this year, so now is the time to get involved. DFNM is encouraging as many members as possible to become precinct and ward chairs, as well as to fill other Party slots, so please consider coming to the planning meeting next Thursday.

NM DNC Members Who Will Vote for Chair

If you'd like to write a letter of support for Howard Dean as DNC Chair here's the contact information you'll need. The DNC Southern Regional Caucus is meeting this weekend in Atlanta, and all the candidates for DNC Chair, official or not, will be making presentations. Dean is expected to make an announcement next week about whether he will officially pursue the job.

From John McAndrews:
Here are the names and addresses  of the voting members of the DNC who live in New Mexico.  Now is the time to make known your choice for DNC Chair.

Please be courteous  when addressing these folks. It would not be appropriate to take out on them any anger or frustrations  you may have with the party. We want to encourage, not alienate, them.

Mary Gail Gwaltney
1910 W. Alameda
Las Cruces, NM 88005

Gloria Nieto
1451 Santa Cruz
Santa Fe, NM 87505

John Wertheim
c/o Democratic Headquarters
1301 San Pedro NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110

Raymond Sanchez
PO Box 1966
Albuquerque, NM 87103

Annadelle Sanchez
920 Denton Street
Espanola, NM 87532
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Here are some recent stories about the race for the DNC. MyDD has been doing an excellent job of reporting on this.

DNC Chatter: Jerome Armstrong, MyDD

Tim Roemer, Republican Noise Machine Lackey: Chris Bowers, MyDD

Bad Idea Jeans (McAuliffe): Chris Bowers, MyDD

DNC Chair CattleCall: New Year Edition: Jerome Armstrong, MyDD

Sign the Petition to Urge Dems to Elect a Reform DNC Chair

From the 21st Century Democrats:
In February, the 447 members of the Democratic National Committee will elect a new Chair. In ordinary times, only Beltway insiders concern themselves with such matters.

But these are not ordinary times. Click here to sign our petition to demand a DNC Chair who will reform the infrastructure of our party.

The grassroots of our party has never been stronger, but the infrastructure has never been more in need of reform. Here’s what we need.

A Commitment to Principle. To win, Democrats need to speak up for our values, not compromise them. We need a DNC Chair who will use this national platform to help coordinate a strong Democratic message based on progressive values.

A Fifty State Strategy. Democrats simply do not compete in many regions of this country. Even in places where the short-term odds of victory are slim, we need to field strong Democrats up and down the ballot to contest the Republican message machine and build a farm team of progressive leaders.

Energized State and Local Committees. For a generation, the DNC has focused almost exclusively on raising large contributions to support our presidential candidates. Meanwhile, our local infrastructure has withered. State and local committees need help setting goals, recruiting candidates, training activists and organizers, coordinating message, and raising funds.

A Culture of Accountability. The DNC must professionalize its operations and hold its staff and consultants accountable. The new DNC Chair must develop a strategic plan with clear goals and benchmarks.

Respect for Grassroots Activism. The new DNC Chair must embrace the internet as a tool to cultivate grassroots political action , not just political fundraising.

Click here to send a petition to the DNC members in support of this reform agenda.

Several of the candidates running for DNC Chair understand the need for reform and will lead our party in the right direction. But others will continiue with the status quo that, in the last 25 years, has seen the Democrats lose 77 seats in the House, 14 seats in the Senate, and five of seven presidential elections.

Please help us send a strong message to the members of the DNC. Click here to sign.
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Note: 21st Century Democrats is supported by Democracy for America and provides training and and on-the-ground support for progressive activists and candidates around the country. Be sure to check out their website if you sign the petition.

Two Opinions on Dean's Chances to Chair DNC

The recent push by Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid to insert ex-Indiana Rep. Tim Roemer into the race to chair the DNC has resulted in very negative responses in the blogosphere. Roemer is strongly anti-choice on women's reproductive rights and trends to the right on many issues. Just what we need: anti-choice Reid leading the Dems in the Senate and anti-choice Roemer leading the Party.

Steve Gilliard has a scathing post on his News Blog about all this. It's well worth a read, Here are a couple of excerpts:

What everyone in DC is fearing, but what is increasing clear, is that it's Howard Dean's job to lose. If there was a vote, he'd win in a landslide. DFA and other groups are already praising his name to the skies. Simon Rosenberg is probably the compromise candidate, but either way, Dean brings cards unheard of into the DNC chair debate, namely massive popular support. Now, the Dems can ignore him or shove him aside, but they risk triggering a real civil war. They still want to have business as usual when it is clear that will no longer suffice.
[. . .]
The threat I would take seriously is the threat to withhold funds. The DNC was able to raise money in the streets, unprecidented. If they push a loser like Roemer, someone who's also pro-gutting Social Security, as head of the party, then why would I or anyone else raise a dime for them? What would they stand for?

Jerome Armstrong of MyDD responds to Gilliard with this:

Everyone I talk to inside the DNC understands the value of Dean as DNC Chair. The DNC works, it works well, and it can work even better. If we took a vote of those working inside the DNC, Howard Dean would win the Chair hands down, on the first vote. So, this isn't a problem of the DNC as an organization not wanting Dean, it's the Democratic Party's current leadership that doesn't want change.

Regardless, I think this is Dean's to win if he is willing to force it to a vote, because enough DNC Members are not party to the disconnect happening with our leadership. Pelosi and Reid do not have a veto vote for the DNC Chair. If anything, for the DNC Members to vote in defiance of their wishes, would show a vote of "No Confidence" in the Democratic leadership in Congress.

I do believe that we the people bought this party, and that we own it; but that doesn't mean we get to run it. To do that, we've got to win it over. And I believe that will happen in February, but if it doesn't, it's a public vote, and accountability at the state level will begin. Regardless of what Pelosi or Reid or the ASDC or the DGA desire, the Democratic Party is going to be radically reformed to represent the people- from the bottom clear to the top.

What do you think?