Democracy for New Mexico

Gov. Richardson Calls 8.15.08 Special Legislative Session

I just got back from our trip to Netroots Nation in Austin to this news confirming the long-simmering rumors of a special session. It's gonna be a busy August in an already buzzing election cycle, not to mention the Dem Convention set to launch officially in Denver on August 25th. The official release:

Governor Bill Richardson today announced that he will call legislators into a special session on Aug. 15. The Governor notified legislative leadership today about the start date to give them time to plan. The Governor is calling the special session to address access to universal health care and the $211 million CARE package he unveiled last week to boost family budgets and put money in people’s pockets. The Governor will also ask legislators to approve a $200 million road funding package.

“New Mexicans need relief now,” Governor Richardson said. “I am working with legislators to move forward with a special session so we can address health care and put money in people’s pockets before the holiday season.”

The Governor reiterated that health care coverage is still a priority for the special session.

“We are ready to move forward with health care reform and cover more New Mexicans,” Governor Richardson said. “There is adequate room in the budget to get this done now. We can’t afford not to act.”

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Large Turnout for Saturday's Progressive Community Kickoff (Vids, Photos)

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish speaks to the activists

See photo album at Flickr and event videos at YouTube.

Ed Yoon (blue shirt), Diane Denish, Defenders, America Votes folks

Saturday's Progressive Community Kick-Off Day of Action, hosted by the America Votes coalition and Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, was packed with participants energized to bring progressive change to New Mexico this November.

Droves of door-to-door canvassers took to the streets on issues like the economy, the environment, health care, education and family and women's issues before and after a rally and lunch at the offices of SEIU - Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund in Albuquerque.

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish explains what's at stake

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, State Auditor Hector Balderas, UNM's Dr. Shadi Battah, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund Campaign Manager Ed Yoon, and America Votes New Mexico Director Jennifer Ford were on hand to motivate the crowd and discuss what we need to do to ensure that progress is made a myriad of domestic issues.

Hector Balderas says we're part of a great movement for change

Educating voters on the issues and getting them out to vote will be the priorities, and anyone interested in helping can contact America Votes at 228-1452, Defenders of Widllife Action Fund at 255-2326, or any of the organizations that make up the expansive America Votes coalition.

Hector Balderas talks about reaching out to new voters with hope

Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund plans to lead canvasses DAILY from now until November 4th. Many other America Votes coalition organizations will be active as well. Get hooked up and volunteer.

Hector Balderas and family ready for change

Also, if you haven't yet entered to win a 2008 hybrid car that will be awarded this November by the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, visit wrong4nm.org/.

And because M.E. promised, here's Hector Balderas Jr. explaining why his dad would make a great lieutenant governor.

Click on photos for larger versions. All photos and videos by M.E. Broderick.

See our complete photo album on this event at Flickr. View all our videos from this event on this YouTube playlist.

Important Note: We'd like to provide you with better digital photos and video clips but we need to buy better equipment to do that. We want to replace our current digital camera plus add a compact video camera within the next  month because we'll be the only New Mexico blog that's part of the official DNC State Blogger Corps at the Dem Convention in Denver. It will also be expensive to pay for our travel and hotel costs to attend the Convention, where we'll be seated with New Mexico's delegation.

If you'd like to donate for new equipment and/or help us with our Convention costs, just click on the Donate button on the upper left-hand corner of the page or contact me at dfnm_albq AT comcast.net to learn where to send a check. Many thanks to those who have donated so far -- you know who you are!

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AFL-CIO Vets Launch Council, Release Video Critical of McCain

Today, AFL-CIO union veterans are launching the first Union Veterans Council, which will bring together the power of union veterans on the issues that matter most to veterans and all working families...for the 2008 elections and beyond. 

Find out more—and get the facts on John McCain’s record on veterans issues and his economic record here. If you are a veteran and a union member, retiree or Working America member, join the AFL-CIO's new Union Veterans Council now. Sign up here.

According to a statement by the AFL-CIO, more than 2 million union members are veterans. Together with other union members, union veterans will help elect leaders who will fight for working families. The Union Veterans Council will play a central role in reaching out to the 13 million union voters in battleground states about the stakes of this election—everything from quality health care to good, family-supporting jobs and funding for veterans services.

Union veterans also will share information with other union members on Sen. John McCain’s record. Union veterans like Jim Wasser (video), who served during Viet Nam and is an IBEW member, absolutely respect Sen. McCain’s military service but express deep concerns about his record in the Senate.

Not only has McCain voted against increased funding for veterans health care the past four years in a row, he publicly opposed the 21st Century GI Bill that finally passed the Senate by a 92–6 vote and was signed into law. And he has turned his back on America’s middle class. He wants to tax our health care benefits while giving tax breaks to Big Oil. And he STILL thinks the North American Free Trade Agreement is a good idea.

Sen. Obama’s voting record, on the other hand, shows that on issue after issue—the 21st Century GI Bill, wages, housing, veterans health funding, trade, health care reform—he is ready to work for working families. 

Our veterans deserve the best—not the lip service combined with second-class treatment they’ve been receiving. Do your part to make America a better place—for veterans and all working families.

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Join Sen. Ortiz y Pino at Working Families Win Timeraiser

Join State Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino, who'll give the keynote speech, and Working Families Win New Mexico for a Timeraiser on Tuesday, July 15th, from 6:00-8:00 PM at O'Niell's Irish Pub, 4310 Central SE in Albuquerque. Help Working Families' kick-off their nonprofit, nonpartisan economic issue campaign by donating your time. Appetizers and a cash bar will be available. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians and Greens are welcome. Click for flyer (doc).

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Gov. Richardson Appoints Martha Burk as Women’s Issues Advisor

Gov. Bill Richardson introduced Corrales resident Martha Burk yesterday as his Senior Advisor on Women’s Issues. Great pick. Burk, who served as the Senior Adviser for Women’s Issues for Richardson's presidential campaign, is a nationally recognized expert on pay equity and other women’s issues. She's a political psychologist, feminist, and former Chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations who led a protest at the 2003 Masters Tournament in Augusta, GA to bring attention to the male-only membership rules of the Augusta National Golf Club, which hosted it.

Burk currently runs the Corporate Accountability Project for the National Council of Women's Organizations. She's also a syndicated columnist, and serves as Money Editor for Ms. Magazine. She's authored two books -- Cult of Power: Sex Discrimination in Corporate American and What Can Be Done About It, and Your Money And Your Life: The High Stakes for Women Voters in ’08 and Beyond.

During yesterday's news conference, Richardson said of the appointment, “I’m not looking for more reports that will simply highlight what we already know –- that many women are not getting a fair shake when it comes to employment and pay equity. That’s why I tapped Dr. Burk for this role, because she knows these issues perhaps better than anyone and she is prepared, like me, to take bold action."

Richardson said Dr. Burk will advise him as he works with the Legislature to double the New Mexico child day care credit -– which will help more than 11,000 working families who pay more than $5,000 a year on child care:

• The child day care credit will be increased from $1,200 to $2,400 for families with three or more children, from $960 to $1,920 for families with two children, and from $480 to $960 for families with one child.

• Families with income up to twice the New Mexico minimum wage will be eligible for the credit.

• Expansion of the child day care credit will benefit 8,600 working families who qualify for the credit under current law, plus an additional 3,700 working families. The estimated cost of the expansion is $6.2 million.

Dr. Burke will also work on other women’s issues, including:

• Address pay equity in state government by requiring state agencies to report on employment and pay by gender, race and job category.

• Require employment and pay reporting from contractors doing business with the state.

• Train women, such as displaced homemakers, so they are prepared for better paying jobs.

• Build on efforts by the Commission on the Status of Women to get more women in non-traditional jobs, which pay better.

• Increase efforts to channel more of our girls into science, math, and technology, and determine when and why girls drop out of these programs.

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NM Voices for Children Releases Report on Immigrants and Economy

When we consider a controversial issue like immigration, it helps to have the facts in hand. The more controversial an issue becomes, the more likely it is that unsubstantiated myths and muddled, distorted logic become part of the dialogue. New Mexico Voices for Children cuts through the often negative propaganda about immigrants with a just-released a report entitled, "Immigrants and the New Mexico Economy: Working Hard for Low Wages," which documents the positive impact of immigrants on the state's economy:

The current debate over immigration – and particularly over immigrants without legal residency status – often centers on whether or not this group of people contributes to the economy or diminishes it. A 2006 Fiscal Policy Project report, “Undocumented Immigrants in New Mexico: State Tax Contributions and Fiscal Concerns,” concluded that undocumented immigrants contribute more in state and local sales, income and property taxes than the state spends to educate their children.

“Immigrants and the New Mexico Economy: Working Hard for Low Wages” concludes that immigrants make a very significant contribution to the New Mexico economy while at the same time they have a very small impact on national safety-net programs.

The report's major findings include:

New Mexico’s foreign-born population – regardless of their legal status – contributes to the state economy through their high participation levels in the work force.

Because foreign-born workers skew toward low-wage occupations, they tend to have lower earnings as a group.

It is very clear that immigrants do not constitute a drain on the economy through transfer payments such as Social Security and Medicare benefits.

While undocumented immigrants are ineligible to receive Social Security and Medicare benefits, many of them pay into the trust funds that support these programs through the payroll taxes that are deducted from their paychecks.

You can download an executive summary of the report here (pdf) and the entire report here (pdf).

New Mexico Voices for Children is a progressive, non-partisan organization that advocates to improve the health and well-being of children, families and communities in New Mexico. Our work to eliminate child poverty is focused by four core values: economic justice, healthy communities, citizen participation and human rights. To donate or sign up for action alerts, visit the organization's website.

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RSVP for Children's Cabinet Town Hall on Building NM's Workforce

From :
As chair of the New Mexico Children’s Cabinet, I want to hear from YOU. Please join us, along with youths, business leaders, educators, and community groups at the Children’s Cabinet Career Cluster Initiative Town Hall on Monday, June 30th, from 9 AM to 3 PM. This is an AmericaSpeaks 21st Century Town Meeting and will take place at the Hilton Albuquerque Hotel located at 1901 University Blvd. NE.  Breakfast, lunch, and parking will be provided.

We will be developing a long-term plan for building a more powerful workforce in New Mexico. You can contribute recommendations that the Children’s Cabinet will consider over the next 6 months and into the January legislative session on how to strengthen New Mexico’s workforce. The Town Hall will use technology to meld small-group discussions into large-group priorities. Key constituencies will join forces to build a more powerful workforce in New Mexico and the focus of the day is your input.

The goals of the Town Hall are:

• To build a bridge between youths and business
• To provide an opportunity for business leaders to define their needs
• To allow participants to learn more about New Mexico’s emerging markets and the Career Cluster Initiative

RSVP NOW TO SAVE YOUR SEAT

• By Phone: (505) 222-6651
• By Fax: (505) 841-6412
• By Mail: The NM Children’s Cabinet, 5301 Central NE, Suite 1510, Albuquerque, NM 87108
• By Email: andrea.rascon@state.nm.us

I hope to see you there.

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Obama's Albuquerque Visit: Video Clips and More

Above are four video clips we shot at Barack Obama's meeting with working women at the Flying Star Commissary in Albuquerque yesterday. The first is a clip from his speech and the rest are from his question and answer session with participants. You can view the clips individually here. Also see our previous first-person account of this event, as well as our photo album on Flickr.

Santa Fe New Mexican reporter Kate Nash working away at Obama event

You can read Nash's article on the Obama visit here. Kate was by far the friendliest of the mainstream media folks at the event. Some others, especially a few of the TV folks, didn't seem too pleased to have their territory invaded by mere bloggers.

Leslie Linthicum (Albuquerque Journal), Stuart Dyson (KOB)

Leslie Linthicum's Journal article about the event and her interview with Obama is here. KOB-TV's Stuart Dyson has a video report here.

P.S If you'd like to help us provide better quality video and audio on DFNM, I hope you'll consider making a small donation so we can purchase better equipment we can use at future events.

Mary Ellen and I will be representing New Mexico at the Dem Convention in Denver in August as part of the DNC's State Blogger Corps. DFNM is credentialed for seating with our state delegation, right on the Convention floor, and we'll be live-blogging and providing extensive coverage of the event. We have to pay our own hotel and other travel costs (as well as provide our own tech equipment) -- an expensive proposition considering the pricing of accommodations in Denver during Convention week.

Click the orange Donate button on the upper left-hand corner of this page to contribute, or email me at dfnm_albq AT comcast.net to learn of other ways to donate.

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Blogwitness News: Flying Star Obama Meets with Albuquerque Working Women

Obama enters the Flying Star Commissary

See the rest of the photos from Obama's event at Flickr and my later post with video clips.
Also go read NM FBIHOP's excellent (as usual) on this, as well as Udall blogger Bryan Barash's coverage.

Living in New Mexico during the 2008 election cycle can be a rather surreal experience at times. Like earlier today when Mary Ellen and I found ourselves joining the print and TV media and other local bloggers at Barack Obama's small and intimate meeting with working women at the Flying Star Commissary in Albuquerque.

Obama at the podium

Michael Isikoff of Newsweek, Kate Nash of the Santa Fe New Mexican, Stuart Dyson of KOB-4 News, Doug Fernandez of KOAT-7 News and, well, us -- part of the local unpaid blog and photo brigade. Many members of the paid media looked very bored, by the way. Years of doing these kinds of events evidently take their toll. But we were psyched with our press credentials safety-pinned to our shirts, and operatives and Secret Service all around.

Minglilng

The Commissary is where they roast all those coffee beans and bake all those desserts for the however many Flying Stars that are now open in the metro area. We hung out first in an area to the side of the main room where big wooden pallets piled high with sacks of coffee beans from around the world were interspersed with tables of lesser media lights, busy with their cell phones and laptops.

Speaking to working women

Eventually, Mary Ellen and Matt from New Mexico FBIHOP made it all the way to the center of the press camera riser that looked right down at Obama standing at a podium. When he finally arrived, Obama was tightly ringed by a few rows of seats where ordinary women, who work in various lower income jobs at Flying Star, listened to his speech and got to ask him questions. I thought he came across as grounded, open, laid-back, down to earth, yet charismatic.

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and NM First Lady Barbara Richardson greet crowd

Obama was introduced by Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, one of Hillary Clinton's most loyal backers. Our Governor's wife, Barbara Richardson, was also in attendence. We know her husband endorsed Obama but no word on who her favorite was during the primary season.

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish introduces Obama, next prez of the U.S.

The event was informal, serious and low key. No chants of "Yes We Can" or O-BA-MA. Barack gave a short and pointed speech (text and video), briefly tracing his younger days and discussing how the current troubled economy is particularly cruel on working women -- we're generally way behind the curve economically even in good times. He pledged to change this situation with initiatives ranging from strengthening the Small Business Association to lowering taxes, greatly expanding the Medical and Family Leave Act, indexing the minimum wage to the cost of living, offering more grants for college tuition and more.

Answering questions from the group

Then Obama took what he said were unscreened questions from the small group of women, abandoning the podium for a hand mic and moving among the participants.

Charms from his pocket

I thought the most interesting question asked why we should trust that Obama will stay true to himself if he wins the presidency. Barack explained we should first look at his life, and the constancy of his dedication to working to address the concerns of ordinary people. We should also consider the sacrifice he's making to be away from his family so much while running for office, and ask if it would be worth it to him if he didn't believe he could help bring real change.

Finally, Obama discussed how moving it is to realize how much people are investing their hopes in him. He reached into a pocket and dug out a big handful of good luck charms people have given him as he's traveled America -- tangible reminders of people's hopes for his campaign, for his leadership and for the chances we have for a positive future.

I'll be writing more about our experiences today, and hope to post some decent video clips later. In the meantime, check out this Flickr album to see more photos from today's event.

On the Scene: Udall peeps and Matt of NM FBIHOP (he's smiling!)

Matt Reichbach has more coverage at the NM Independent.

(Tip o' the hat to Steve Olson at the Udall campaign for the heads up on today's Obamarama.)

Click on photos for larger versions. All photos by M.E. Broderick.

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Richardson Announces 1300 Hewlett Packard Jobs Coming to Rio Rancho

Rah. Read all about it.