Democracy for New Mexico

This Month: Two Picnic Events for Bernalillo County Dems

From the DPBC:
WHAT:  MEET AND GREET PICNIC FOR ALL DEMOCRATS
WHERE:  Raymond G. Sanchez Community Center
9800 - 4TH STREET NW, Albuquerque
WHEN: Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, Noon - 3 PM
FREE FOOD AND GAMES FOR THE KIDS!
*******************
From Ward 19A: Our Ward 19A meeting this month will be held jointly with Wards 18A, 18B, 19A and 19B. The meeting will be an indoor/potluck picnic, held at the Highland Senior Center, located at 131 Monroe NE on Wednesday May 16, 2007 from 6:30 PM-8:30 PM. All Democrats are welcome.

State Representatives Gail Chasey and Sheryl Williams Stapleton and our State Senator Cisco McSorley will give a short speech/report on the recent legislative session with short question/answer period. We will also discuss the recent County elections and the State Central meeting held in Las Cruces. Cheryl Harris, our new county second vice chair, will talk to us about upcoming county events such as the May 17th,  Third Thursday meeting.

We ask that you invite your friends, neighbors and ward/precinct members to attend. There will be hot dogs and drinks; we ask that you bring a potluck/picnic item such as salads, desserts, casseroles and chips & dips. If you have any questions contact Cheryl Harris at 268-6628 or Richard Cooley at 268-2439.

Mark Your Calendars for WildFest 2007

From the NM Wilderness Alliance:
WildFest 2007 Wilderness Festival & Summer Equipment Swap: The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance presents the 1st annual WildFest to be held Saturday and Sunday May 19th and 20th at our new office at 142 Truman NE in Albuquerque. There will be booths by vendors to promote sustainable Wilderness entertainment. A Summer Gear Swap, clean out the garage and sell the old equipment so you can buy new. Live music, speakers, and contests. How-to seminars on leaving no trace, packing light, intro to map reading and wilderness first aid among others. Mark your calendars and plan to attend, for more info check out the website. Click to join our email list.

Sign Up for Wednesday's MoveOn Veto Rally

From Terry Riley: I am hosting an Albuquerque rally for MoveOn at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, May 2nd, at San Mateo and Montgomery to speak out against Bush's VETO of the military funding bill. Please RSVP now by clicking . I would like to see a really large turn out.

If people can come early, I will be there before 4:30 PM and plan to stay through 6:30 PM. Come as soon as you can and stay as long as you can! There is plenty of parking in the Albertson's parking lot on the SW corner. I will have many signs but please feel free to bring your own signs, LARGE!

Network of Spiritual Progressives Set to Meet This Week

From The Network of Spiritual Progressives: NSP - The Network of Spiritual Progressives - is a movement of spiritually motivated progressives who believe that spirituality should be an ingredient added to the mix of political discourse. At their regular monthly meeting, NSP will be presenting a panel discussion entitled: Politics and Religion, Taboo or not Taboo.

Sunday, May 6, 1:00 - 2:30, First Unitarian Church, Albq.

A panel of NSP members and non-NSP members will share their experiences and points of view about the role of spirituality in politics. The discussion is described as a patchwork of voices that reflect the diversity of our progressive, American experience. It is a challenge for all of us to learn how to be more inclusive of our diversity, as well as to be effective agents for change. This panel is a step forward towards integration with all Progressives who envision a world of peace, justice, love and res pect.

For more information you can contact Janet Resnick-Wandel at 350-4281 or jresnick@hotmail.com.

NM Dems Ready to Win in 2008

New DPNM Chair Brian Colón and wife, Aleli, at Friday gathering in Las Cruces

I'm definitely on a natural high. So if this seems like a "puff piece," so be it; I'm thinking positive. All the events at this weekend's gathering of the NM Democratic tribes in Las Cruces seemed packed with enthusiastic, upbeat, hopeful crowds set on brainstorming and uniting to win everything in sight in the 2008 election cycle.

From the State Party's opening fundraiser Friday at the Mission Inn, to Mayor Marty Chavez's outdoor dessert buffet in the Mission Inn's courtyard afterwards, to Javier Gonzales' free feed at the Double Eagle restaurant that evening, to Lt. Gov. Diane Denish's burrito breakfast Saturday morning at Las Cruces High School, to the day's business meeting and elections, to the late-lunch gathering at DNC Committee member Mary Jane Gwaltney's house after the meeting, to golfing at the local country club, to Team Colón's victory celebration Saturday night at Hotel Encanto, and to many other smaller confabs and strategy sessions -- a productively good time was had by all. (And that doesn't even count our lunch at La Posta de Mesilla on the way back home.) Dems from around state were talkative, engaged and determined to come together to defeat Repub forces at both the local and national levels.

Chair Melinda Whitley, Stephanie DuBois, Mary Gail Gwaltney, Christy French, Art Terrazas and everyone else from the Dem Party of Dona Ana County pulled out all the stops to host a delightful Dem weekend, from the locally grown pecans and guest packets to the friendly welcomes and helpful advice from officers and rank and file Dems to those driving in from all corners of the state. There were Dems from all walks of life and from all kinds of backgrounds, dressed in a myriad of outfits -- from cowboy hats to formal wear, from antiwar teeshirts to business suits, from turquoise and squash blossom necklaces to peace symbols. There were vets of decades of political battles and those who had never attended an SCC meeting before.

I can't tell you how many times I heard people comment about the pleasures of being in a room or restaurant or patio full of fellow Dems. Everyone was in and out of conversations about the recent presidential debate and Bill Richardson's chances, BushCo's latest fiascos, who's gonna run for the seats of Heather and Pete, tales of Dem victories and losses past, what we have to do to build the Party and win in the future, and just about any other topic you might imagine that has anything at all to do with Democratic political goals: We the people. Liberty and justice for all. Peace and prosperity. Economic fairness, a fair shake and fair trade. Unity out of diversity. A helping hand and equal opportunity. Universal health care and a top notch education. Ending the war NOW and treating our returning vets with the dignity and honor they deserve. Renewable energy and green technology. Family values of the inclusive kind.

Not all was sweetness and light, of course. With opinionated, passionate Dems, it never is. There was a fair amount of grumbling about the Judicial Council's decision on the Taos County controversies and challenge, about Dems who won't speak truth to power, about the tepidness of some candidates and office holders, about this faction or that being out to lunch. Of course there are still problems and prejudices within the Party and without.

But all in all, this was a Party uniting around Brian Colón as Chair -- with almost 80% of the votes -- and bubbling with energy ready to be aimed at Repub opponents in every race. It was also a Party where grassroots activists and ordinary Dems ran for and won many offices and committee slots down ticket. I think we have an abundance of strong, active Dems at every level of the Party and from all three Congressional Districts. Party building and reform, reachout, fundraising and seeing that candidates take positions with backbone are just some of the goals on the minds of Dems -- along with victories up and down the ticket of course. 

New State Chair Colón's wife Aleli and son Rafael together gave a terrific nominating speech for Brian -- including a bilingual segment by Rafael. Colón himself spoke of his very modest beginnings and how Democratic programs and genuine family values helped give him a lift up and onto the road to his present successes. He said it's now his turn to give back so Democratic priniciples can help others. As for the other nominees for State Chair, Raymond Sanchez's nominating speech for Michael Olguin was full of reminders about the kinds of liberal victories they and others like them had helped bring to life over many years of service, while 27 year old Gideon Elliot spoke of the need to reach out to younger voters, who are increasingly registering as independents instead of Dems. Let's hope these candidates and their supporters will now unite behind Colón and work hard on the very issues they highlighted in their campaigns.

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish (above) received a couple of standing ovations from the crowd -- one when she was introduced and one after giving a rousing speech with more than a few tidbits from Lee Iacocca's intro to his new book, "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?" including the gist of this gem:

Am I the only one in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course." Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic.

Denish also pointedly mentioned that we all need to work to get rid of Sen. Domenici -- not give him a free ride as some Dems seem to be doing. Can't agree more. No Dems supporting Pete!

State Auditor Hector Balderas spoke eloquently about how we can regain a positive role on the world scene through diplomacy and a generous spirit, and how critically important it is to do so. Outgoing State Chair John Wertheim received many words of thanks and a parting gavel, we heard from reps from the offices of Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Rep. Tom Udall, and from Attorney General Gary King. We greeted and mingled with other Dem officials in the crowd, including current Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich, 3rd CD Congressional primary candidates Al Kissling and Bill McCamley; Senatorial primary candidates Leland Lehrman and Jim Hannan, House Speaker Ben Lujan; State Reps Mimi Stewart, Al Park, Joseph Cervantes, Joni Gutierrez, John Heaton, Mary Helen Garcia and Mary Kay Papen; State Senators Michael Sanchez, Ben Altamirano and Mary Jane Garcia; Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez; ex-UNM President Louis Caldera and many others. Perhaps most importantly, ordinary Dems from all over the Land of Enchantment talked the talk and promised to walk the walk to make our Party stronger, larger, fairer and more active between now and the 2008 elections.

I know, my take is rather colored by the upbeat mood I found at the gatherings, but I think it's pretty accurate. If you attended any of the weekend's events, what did you think? What's important as we head into another election cycle? What do we want from our new leadership team? What do we need to contribute to achieve those goals? Let the brainstorming continue....

Note: More photos will be available in online albums shortly. All photos in this post by Mary Ellen Broderick. Click on images for larger versions. Also see our previous post on our new Democratic officers and committee members.

Albuquerque A28 Action

From ABQ4IMPEACHMENT:

Saturday, April 28, 2007
Robinson Park, 8th Street & Central, Albq,, 11 AM

Angry Democrats! Disillusioned Republicans! Furious Independents! Show up! Be counted! Protest!  Rally! Show your outrage! IMPEACH GEORGE BUSH! We've got to put pressure on both the Republicans and the Democrats to get this done. If you don't love the Constitution, you do not love your country.  We have an Executive gone amuck! Meet at the Park. March a copy of the Constitution to Heather!

We'll try to spell "IMPEACH" out of real, activist patriots at the park. We'll have some speakers giving reasons for impeachment and which ones to pursue. David Hilliard, co-founder of the Black Panther Party will talk about impeachable offenses. Rick Burnley, peace poet laureate, will give a summation of the slime's crimes in rhyme! We'll enumerate actions you can sign up for or do by yourself, Brave One...
Lastly, we'll march a big copy of the Constitution down to Heather's to leave at her doorstep. After we're there, we can break up and join the Cinco de Mayo celebrations at the Civic Plaza! What a wonderful city!

On April 27th, we will have a sign making party at the Peace and Justice Center at 6:30 PM at 202 Harvard SE.  Bring your own materials, but feel free to use ours, as well!

This is Albuquerque's part of the A28 coalition of national groups dedicated to the impeachment of George Bush and The World Can't Wait, who has been driving this movement from the start.

MAP TO ROBINSON PARK and march path

IKE
Paul Eichhorn
pauleichhorn@1hop2.com
505-270-4414

ABQ4IMPEACHMENT

The World Can't Wait
www.worldcantwait.org
The April 28 Coalition
www.A28.com

Greg Palast on IndyMedia TV Tonight, in Santa Fe Sunday

From IndyMedia: Tune in to Indy Media TV on Friday, April 27, at 7 PM on Albuquerque's Ch 27 or on the web at https://www.quote-unquote.org. Greg Palast will be live on the phone in the first half, followed by Rachel Lazar on Immigration Reform.Questions? mjs1126@hotmail.com

Editor's Note: An Evening with Investigative Reporter Greg Palast, featuring a talk and book signing, will take place at the Lensic, Santa Fe’s Performing Arts Center, 211 West San Francisco St., on Sunday, April 29, beginning at 7 PM. Sponsors are Simple Change, KSFR-FM and Collected Works Bookstore. See our previous post for details.

NM Dems to Gather In Las Cruces This Weekend

The newly elected members of the State Central Committee of the Democratic Party of New Mexico will meet this Saturday at Las Cruces High School to conduct business and elect new officers. Registration starts at 8:00 AM, with the meeting set to convene at 9:00 AM. Elections will be held for State Party Chair, 1st Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, 1st and 2nd Vice Chairs for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Congressional Districts and members of the Credentials and Rules Committee and the Resolutions Committee. Click for a list of candidates. All Democrats are welcome to attend, but only SCC members can vote.

Events kick off with a Spring Celebration on Friday night from 6 to 8 PM at the Best Western Mission Inn in Las Cruces. Other weekend social gatherings and events are listed here. Again, all Democrats are encouraged to attend.

Who Won Tonight's Dem Prez Debate?

I had to miss the live broadcast, so I just got done watching a recording. You can see some of it here. You can also view clips and more here.

I thought Brian Williams' questions were often shallow and designed to create "gotcha" moments. Hey, it's the mainstream media. It appeared that candidates had some difficulty getting going given that eight people were sharing the 90 minutes, and their answers had to be very short. The "debate" came across more like a quiz show than a forum for the discussion of serious issues. Next thing you know, they'll have a gong up there at these events, or someone yelling "you're fired." Maybe they'll force them to dance. With the celebrity pundits. Watch out for a guy in the wings with a hook and the installation of applause meters. Really.

I thought the only excitement was provided by Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich, who were the only Dems willing to be confrontive and dismissive of the "business as usual" conduct of the others. People can criticize Gravel for his vociferous responses, but I confess that what he had to say and how he said it sounded more like the sitting-around-talking comments of rank and file Dems than any of the others to me. Somebody acting like there really ARE a bunch of tragedies and emergencies happening all at once in the nation. As upset and worried as we are about it all, and feeling the pain and foreboding. I thought Gravel displayed what came to be a rather welcome lack of polish and programming compared to the others. with their set-piece answers and overly careful rhetoric. He complained he didn't get as much talk time as the others. He didn't.

My takes: Hillary seemed set on cool, calm and collected automatic debate speak. Obama mostly stayed abstract and lofty, but got somewhat defensive and rattled when he was challenged. Richardson seemed a bit nervous and hemmed in by the short times allowed for responses, but he was strong on his answers about Iraq. Edwards seemed a little flat somehow, except at the end. Biden was, well, Biden, and he created some laughter by staying pointedly silent when Williams' asked him about putting his foot in his mouth early in his campaign. Dodd was businesslike. Gravel made Kucinich seem tame, stealing some of the outsider fire. Nobody was really bad, or very good either, in my opinion. Few surprises, lots of practiced talking without saying much, too much Brian Williams trying to be impressive, if only in his own mind.

From the measured, deliberate and "moderate" tones struck by most of the candidates, you'd never guess what's been going on in America and on the planet for the last 6+ years. Very little sense of urgency or passion. I think they need to get out more and LISTEN to the mood of ordinary Americans. We're not even close to the primaries and too many already seem to be inside the bubble blown by handlers and groomers and consultants. No big mistakes, but a paucity of inspiration, outrage or excitement. And like Gravel said, some of their answers on things like nuking Iran were downright scary in their nonchalance.

I kept thinking, geez, by the time we get to the actual primaries, we'll be sick to death of all of them as well as the unsatisfying format of these debates-in-name-only. Maybe allowing fewer questions and longer times to answer would be helpful. Or limiting the questions to one topic. Or letting less "famous" media personalities run the show. Or encouraging back and forth between the participants. Or something.

What did you think?

(Above photo by AP)

Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee Meetings to Focus on Mathematica Study Results

From Health Action NM:
Information about the Mathematica Study is starting to roll in. In the upcoming months, the Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee will be meeting to discuss the results of this study. Your presence is important at these meetings.

Mathematica Policy Research has been working on costing out three health care models that were decided by the Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee members. These models were New Mexico Health Choices Plan, Health Security Act, and New Mexico Health Coverage Plan.

Please mark your calendars:

Thursday, April 26th, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
CNM (formerly TVI) Workforce Training Center, Room 103
5600 Eagle Rock NE, Albuquerque
(SEE DRAFT OF AGENDA BELOW)

Wednesday, May 16th, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
CNM (formerly TVI) Workforce Training Center, Room 103
5600 Eagle Rock NE, Albuquerque

Thursday, June 21st, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
State Capital, Room 322, Santa Fe
___________________________________

(EDITOR'S NOTE: SEE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC INPUT IN BOLD)

Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM – Thursday, April 26, 2007
Room 103, CNM (formerly TVI) Workforce Training Center
5600 Eagle Rock Ave NE, ALBUQUERQUE
DRAFT AGENDA

9:00 – 9:15 AM: Welcome, Review of Agenda, Approval of 10/19/06 & 11/30/06 Minutes – Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish

9:15 – 9:45 AM: Discussion of Study Design (and How It Differs From Other Approaches to Costing of Models)

• Dr. Deborah Chollet, Mathematica Policy Research Inc.

9:45 – 10:15 AM: Questions from Committee Members

10:15 – 11:00 AM Presentation of Specifications for Costing Analyses – Current System and Three Reform Models

• Dr. Deborah Chollet, Mathematica Policy Research Inc.

11:00 – 11:15 AM: BREAK

11:15 AM – 12:00 PM: Questions from Committee Members

12:00 – 12:30 PM: Public Input

12:30 – 1:00 PM: LUNCH BREAK (Committee members may order lunch)

1:00 – 1:45 PM Study’s Modeling Results for NM Current System

• Dr. Deborah Chollet & Dr. Su Liu, Mathematica Policy Research Inc.

1:45 – 2:30 PM: Questions of Mathematic from Committee Members

2:30 – 3:00 PM: Study’s Results To Date & Issues for Three Reform Models & What Will Come Next – Legal, Economic & Financial Issues

• Dr. Deborah Chollet & Dr. Su Liu, Mathematica Policy Research Inc.

3:00 – 3:15 PM: BREAK

3:15 – 3:45 PM: Public Input

3:45 – 4:30 PM: Questions & Discussion with Mathematica by Committee Members

4:30 – 5:00 PM Discussion of Possible Next Steps

• Meetings May 16 (Albuquerque) & June 21 (Santa Fe)

5:00 PM:  ADJOURN

All Meetings Will Be Recorded

Thanks,
Health Action NM

Editor's Note: As reported in the Albuquerque Journal:

On October 19, [2006] 11 out of 19 members of Gov. Bill Richardson's Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee, his third task force on health insurance reform, ranked the New Mexico Health Security Plan as their No. 1 choice to be included in a study that will analyze three different health care reform models and how they impact rising health care costs.

The committee's decision reflects the growing support of New Mexicans from all around the state for the Health Security Plan. The Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign, which developed this plan, continues to grow ...

If you care about universal healthcare for New Mexico, now's the time to show up, make it known and learn more.