Democracy for New Mexico

ADA Seeks Field Organizer for Local Working Families Win Project

From Americans for Democratic Action:
Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) is the nation’s most experienced independent advocacy organization whose lobbying philosophy is based on democratic action - motivating our grassroots members to lobby their Senators and Representatives as constituent-advocates.

Working Families Win is ADA’s community-based organizing project. The program is based on the belief that for working families across the country, the economy is not working. Good jobs continue to leave our communities and are replaced by lower wage jobs, often without benefits. Daily living costs are skyrocketing, yet wages for most workers are stagnant at best. Many of the workers who are suffering the most from the current economy are not meaningfully engaged in the political process.

Americans for Democratic Action believes that when working people are organized to support real alternatives to today's economic policies, demand that candidates support these alternatives too, and persuade their neighbors that we have a clear choice, real change will occur.

POSITION: WFW is looking for energetic self-starters to do local issue organizing. Candidates should have previous organizing experience in issue and/or candidate campaigns and a desire to help support progressive issues. Local ties a plus. This is a unique opportunity to play an integral role in a dynamic project. The position reports directly to the WFW project director and/or the national field coordinator.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Implement WFW field and outreach strategies in target communities, including grassroots lobbying actions, voter education campaigns, candidate “bird-dogging,” voter id, and GOTV.
• Build coalitions among allies and nontraditional constituencies to grow broad community support for the WFW agenda.
• Build, engage, and mobilize a network of activists to advance WFW’s national advocacy campaigns through local organizing efforts.
• Generate local media coverage on behalf of WFW.
• Coordinate local and regional activist skills trainings
• Help develop and execute direct actions in target areas
• Track and report campaign deliverables.

PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Previous organizing experience in electoral, issue and/or legislative campaigns.
• Experience engaging and motivating large numbers of volunteers.
• Experience working collaboratively with other organizations.
• Enjoy working under pressure and can think quickly on your feet.
• Work well independently, as part of a geographically dispersed team.
• Familiarity with and understanding of health care and economic issues
• Excellent organizational, verbal, written, and interpersonal skills
• Willingness and ability, including own transportation, to travel throughout the assigned project region

SALARY and BENEFITS
Competitive salary plus health care.

Available immediately through 11/30/08.

Interested parties should submit a cover letter, resume, and references to Don Kusler at wfwjobs@adaction.org.

Learn How to Bird-Dog in NM

From the groups listed below:
In these upcoming elections we have the opportunity to have a great effect on our local and national political landscape. According to the Friends Committee on National Legislation, all eyes will be on New Mexico in 2008! We are a presidential swing state with four congressional seats up for election. Special interest groups, personnel and money are flowing in. We the people need to be the ones who will bring the important New Mexico issues to the forefront.

To make sure your issues are front and center on election day, learn how to effectively "bird-dog." Arnie Alpert from the American Friends Service Committee will be coming to New Mexico to give three training events. The term "bird-dogging" means following candidates and tracking their positions in order to make sure that the issues important to you are part of the campaign agenda and in the forefront of media coverage. This is a great opportunity to learn a technique to raise public awareness and shift the political will in the direction of peace, sustainability, nuclear abolition. The training events will be in Taos, Santa Fe and Albuquerque:

Taos: Friday, April 4th
Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Board Room
1118 Cruz Alta Road
Registration at 5:30 PM and closes at 8:00 PM

Santa Fe: Saturday, April 5th
Registration at 2:00 PM and closes at 5:00 PM
Santa Fe Unitarian Universalist Church on Barcelona

Albuquerque: Sunday, April 6th
Albuquerque Peace and Justice Center
202 Harvard Southeast
Registration at 5:00 PM and closes at 7:30 PM

Suggested donation - $10

For more information contact:

• Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety - Joni Arends - jarends@nuclearactive.org - (505) 986-1973
• NM Conference of Churches - Holly Beaumont - habeaumont@aol.com  - (505) 471-2962
• Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice - (505) 268-9557
• Faithful Security - Jessica Wilbanks (505) 758-1206 - jwilbanks@faithfulsecurity.org

Udall Senate Campaign Accepting Job Applications: Field, Volunteer & Internship Positions Now Available

Tom Udall's campaign for United States Senate is seeking applicants to fill the positions of Regional Field Director, Volunteer Coordinator and Field Organizer through the 2008 election cycle. Accredited internships are also available.

As one of the nation's hottest contests, the Udall for Senate Campaign is looking for highly motivated, creative individuals with the ability to adapt to the various needs of a competitive race. All three paid positions of Regional Field Director, Volunteer Coordinator and Field Organizer include an array of duties such as volunteer recruitment, constituency group outreach, event planning and execution, phone banking, canvassing, and managing phone banks and canvasses. Applicants for these positions must be highly organized, outgoing, flexible, and eager to be team players.

Interns will have an exciting opportunity to learn first-hand what it takes to be part of an energetic, competitive race. They will assist in a wide variety of projects and may be assigned to a specific department based on relevant skills and interests. The Udall for Senate Campaign is working with various educational institutions to ensure students receive proper credit for their commitment.

For more information, or to apply, email jobs@tomudall.com. All applicants must include a cover letter and resume. Please specify the position of interest in the subject line.

Join Las Adelitas for Reception with Lt. Gov. Diane Denish: Blue State in '08

Nancy Denker of Focus Ink Invites You To

Please join Lt. Governor Diane Denish

for a candid conversation about
Blue State in '08: Women Taking Control
A Reception sponsored by:
LAS ADELITAS: WOMEN IN POLITICS

A fundraiser to help elect
Pro-choice Democratic Women to New Mexico State Offices
TUESDAY, APRIL 8TH, 5:30-7:30 PM

At the home of Ann Piper
715 Amherst Drive SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106 (map)
Please RSVP to Toni Boersig at (505)-332-0740

We invite you to become a member of Las Adelitas: Annual Membership $50. Contributions Payable to Las Adelitas: Women in Politics (not tax deductible), 1410 Coal Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM  87104.

NM Sierra Club to Candidates: “You Have the Power2Change”

Left to right: David Melton of Sacred Power; Albuquerque City Councilor Rey Garduno; Odes Armijo-Caster of Sacred Power; and Michael Casaus, Sierra Club Southwest Regional Representative

At a press conference last week in Albuquerque in front of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Solar Carport with city government and renewable energy business leaders (above), the New Mexico Sierra Club launched a new effort to educate the public about what is at stake in the 2008 elections. Part of a national effort focused in nine states, the Power2Change campaign aims to educate the public and candidates about what is at stake in the 2008 elections; by defining the contrast between competing visions of our energy future -– positioning clean energy as an economic driver, and challenging candidates up and down the ballot, including the new President –- to move America towards a clean energy economy.

“The choices we make in 2008 will define our future, especially when it comes to the election and energy issues,” said Michael Casaus, the Sierra Club’s Southwest Regional Representative. “The contrast could not be sharper -– we can move forward to a clean energy economy that creates jobs, saves consumers money and solves global warming, or we can continue the expensive, polluting policies of the past.”

The Power2Change campaign involves a new grassroots organizing effort in the community. Over the next four weeks, the New Mexico Sierra Club activists will document and release examples of clean and polluting energy sites within each state, collect and deliver petition signatures demanding elected officials help build a clean energy economy, and recruit volunteers to meet with elected, business and community leaders and to participate in the many Earth Day events from April 16th through April 27th.

The Sierra Club’s Power 2 Change Report highlights examples of clean energy leaders and their polluting opponents, with a specific section focusing on New Mexico. There is a tremendous potential for renewable energy production in the Land of Enchantment, and more manufacturing companies such as Schott North America, Inc. are locating here for that reason. Proposed coal power production and uranium mining on Navajo and Pueblo Indian lands, on the other hand, exemplify the backwards energy choices that will threaten the health of communities and condemn our children to the worst consequences of climate change. The full report is available to read here or to download here (pdf).

“We’ve got a message for candidates at every level that we have the power to change direction,” said Michael Casaus. “We have the technology, know-how and power to build a clean energy future. What we have lacked is the political will and leadership. We need to challenge all our elected officials, including the next President, to provide the leadership we need to move us forward.”

CUANM Campaign School: Building Political Capital for the Future

From the Credit Union Association of NM:
Campaign school open to all prospective candidates: Running for public office, whether on a local, state or national level, is challenging. Qualifications, strategy, fund-raising and budget, and working with the media are just a few of the aspects candidates need to consider before tossing their hats in the political ring.

The Credit Union Association of New Mexico (CUANM), in conjunction with the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), is holding a Campaign School on April 29, at the CUANM Albuquerque office to encourage and help potential candidates. The event is nonpartisan and all candidates or anyone considering running for public office are welcome.

Guest speakers include New Mexico political strategist Joe Monahan, Secretary of State Mary Herrera, CUNA senior vice president of political affairs Richard Gose, CUNA political director Trey Hawkins and national political media strategists.

These campaign professionals will discuss ways to sharpen campaign skills and manage strategies, as well as presenting information on fund-raising, communications, legal concerns, motivating voters, working with volunteers and many other issues candidates will encounter.

Who should attend? Candidates for local offices, city council, mayor and county commission; state Legislature and other statewide offices; campaign managers, fund-raisers, volunteer coordinators, political party leaders and community activists. Whether you are Republican, Democrat, third-party supporter or independent, the information at this school is valuable.

The CUANM Campaign School will be Tuesday, April 29, from 8:30 AM to 4 PM at the CUANM office at 4200 Wolcott Ave., Albuquerque, in the Journal Center.

Cost is $25 and includes lunch.

To register, go to www.cuanmlearningcenter.org and click on the Campaign School registration link. Or contact CUANM vice president of governmental affairs Juan Fernández at 505-338-4233, 800-366-6628 ext. 2233, 518-698-7842 or via e-mail at juan@cuanm.org.

1Sky Launches First Action: Ask Heather Wilson to Sign Global Warming Pledge

If you're not yet familiar with 1Sky New Mexico, you should be. According to their website, "1Sky is an effort to galvanize a more powerful climate movement. It is not a new institution or even a coalition. Its purpose is to communicate a positive vision and a clear, simple set of goals and policy initiatives that are commensurate with the scale of the climate challenge, and to build the necessary power to solve global warming and put America on a new path for energy. 1Sky New Mexico is a project of New Energy Economy and is intended to aggregate the power of those concerned about climate and energy." Click to learn more about their team.

1Sky is holding its first action event in the state -- B.Y.O. Blue -- on Friday, March 28, at 10:00 AM at the Albuquerque office of Rep. Heather Wilson at 20 First Plaza NW. You're invited to join other advocates for solutions to global warming at a press conference and rally highlighting Rep. Wilson's record on climate change -- and urge her to take the 1Sky pledge:

I support the solutions to global warming that will protect our society and future generations from climate change and will create a new energy economy. In particular, I support:

• The creation of five million new green jobs;
• A science-based reduction of emissions of at least 25% by 2020; and
• A moratorium on all new coal-fired power plants nationwide.

Participants are being asked to wear blue in solidarity for blue skies and a moratorium on coal-fired power plants in New Mexico. You can learn more about 1Sky and the pledge from Juan Reynosa's post at Clearly New Mexico, and add your name to the pledge here.

Saturday: Celebrate César Chávez Day

From the Recuerda A César Chávez Committee: The 2008 César Chávez celebration in Albuquerque will take place on Saturday, March 29th. The theme of this year’s celebration –- “Celebrating the Past, Continuing the Struggle” -– is meant to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the long walk, highlight the importance of the Latino vote in the 2008 elections and to call for a César Chávez national holiday. We have a lot to celebrate, but realize that the struggle continues. Click for FLYER (pdf).

The day will begin at 9 AM at the Sanchez Farm (Lopez and Arenal) with a service learning project, including planting seeds and working the land. Bring a shovel! There will also be live music and a planting ceremony. At 11 AM we will then march from the Sanchez Farm to the National Hispanic Cultural Center (4th Street and Avenida César Chávez), where a rally and cultural celebration will be held from noon until 3 PM with speakers, poets, performances and live music. This year, our featured performance is the musical group Nosotros! Food will be available for purchase from La Fonda del Bosque Restaurant. Learn more.

Missing the Point on Richardson's Endorsement of Obama

It's been interesting to read the commentary about Gov. Bill Richardson's endorsement of Barack Obama for President last Friday. I think much of it misses the point. Analysis has focused on two questions -- whether the endorsement will sway Hispanic (or other) voters and whether it was made by Richardson to try and secure a future post in Washington. Speculation on both counts appears to be rather meaningless at this point in terms of the race at hand.

The bottom line is that unless Clinton gets overwhelming victories in all of the 10 states with upcoming primaries, she can't come close to Obama in terms of the popular vote, states won or pledged delegates captured. Even if she won all of the contests by a margin of 60-40, a definite pie-in-the-sky scenario, she'd still likely be behind in all three categories. As anyone who's studied the numbers knows, the only way Clinton can snatch the nomination away from Obama would be to a) destroy him personally or completely undermine the integrity of his campaign or b) strong arm enough superdelegates to overcome his healthy delegate lead and/or convince them Obama can't win in November.

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

In his endorsement speech, Richardson made a point to decry the negativity that's cropped up in the race as Hillary's chances for victory have weakened. It seems clear he's signaling to other superdelegates and so-called "party elders" that if this race -- that's unwinnable for Hillary unless she concentrates on gutter politics -- is allowed to continue there will be damage done to our eventual nominee with every passing news cycle.

Remember, Richardson made his endorsement soon after it became clear that neither Michigan nor Florida would be having a "re-do" of their discredited primaries. Any seating of the now barred delegates from those two states will reflect a fair and rather even distribution of delegate numbers between the Clinton and Obama camps, not any significant gain by Clinton. The handwriting is on the wall and Richardson made a strong pitch for the Party to begin rallying around the inevitable winner. There's no up side to allowing the Clinton campaign to damage our nominee despite having virtually no chance of victory based on conventional measurements.

The Numbers
Obama has won 30 contests to Clinton's 14, and has 1418 delegates to her 1251, a margin of 167 according to his campaign's math. And AFP reports that only about 500 pledged delegates are still up for grabs, while quoting the independent website RealClearPolitics.com that puts the superdelegate count at 248 for Clinton and 213 for Obama as of Sunday. Obama has nearly a 750,000 lead in the popular vote. On Sunday on Fox News Richardson said, "The Democrats (should) come together and look at who's ahead when it comes to delegates, when it comes to the popular vote, the number of states." Bingo.

As the Baltimore Sun :

Democratic strategist Steve Murphy said the Clinton campaign is "like a lawyer with a losing case. You file every motion imaginable and hope to hit pay dirt ... The Obama candidacy would have to collapse for her to win," said Murphy, a Democratic consultant not aligned with either campaign. "Their real strategy is to buy as much time as possible in the hope that that will happen."

Tell It Like It Is
There are not many Dems who have the chutzpah or clout to confront Hillary and the former President with the facts, and be heard. I firmly believe that if Hillary were any other candidate in a similar situation, she would have been "encouraged" to get out of the race weeks ago.

As it is, even those within the Clinton campaign's inner circle who have accepted the realities in this race are reportedly fearful of speaking their truth to the former President and First Lady. But Richardson, with his close relationships to Bill and Hillary and his experience within the Clinton administration, has both the standing and the nerve to urge the power duo to face the music. Richardson has the prominence on the national stage necessary to attract big media attention to the dilemma and underline the dangers of continuing down this path so that fellow superdelegates and opinion makers get the message.

Richardson may well gain some voters for Obama, and he may well be angling for a future job in Washington, but neither factor will change the shape of the race one iota. I think the real meaning of his endorsement has to do with convincing the Party that we need to begin closing down the nomination process so we can concentrate on confronting McCain and gaining strength for the general election.

Despite the fact that Clinton's chief strategist, Mark Penn, has claimed that Richardson's endorsement is meaningless -- too little too late -- I notice that the Clinton camp's number one media mouthpiece, James Carville, wasted no time in coming forth to demean Richardson. His "Judas" remark shows just how worried the Clintons are about Richardson calling attention to the fact that the sun is finally beginning to set on their dreams for a restoration.

Richardson https://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-responded this way to Carville's slur:

"I'm not going to get in the gutter like that. And you know, that's typical of many of the people around Senator Clinton. They think they have a sense of entitlement to the presidency." Richardson was energy secretary and United Nations ambassador for President Bill Clinton, and the Clintons seem more than a little angered at his endorsement of Clinton's rival.

The strong blow back from the Clinton campaign and their allies demonstrates how much persuasive power Richardson still has with other power players in the Party. At least I hope so, for the good of the Party and the nominee who's pretty much sealed the deal.

Video: Richardson Endorses Obama

Bravo. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson endorsed Barack Obama for President today with a strong speech at an electric campaign rally in Portland, Oregon. Read all about it. Join Gov. Richardson in supporting Obama by donating right now to Barack's campaign.

Video of Obama thanking Richardson at the event:

So when are John Edwards and Al Gore coming aboard?

Gov. Richardson's endorsement at this moment in time seems to be more about convincing other superdelegates, the media and the Clinton team that there's no point in Hillary continuing on, than about influencing voters in the remaining primaries. I think Richardson is acting to drive home the point that Obama's nomination is inevitable now, and that further battling beween the two candidates can only serve to help McCain. I think the Dem ranks are closing around Obama, at last.

Also see my previous post on Gov. Richardson's endorsement.