Democracy for New Mexico

NM-01: Rep. Martin Heinrich Assigned to House Armed Services Committee; Other News

We've been informed that Rep. Martin Heinrich (D, NM-01) was appointed yesterday to the prominent House Armed Services Committee (HASC). Among its other responsibilities, the HASC is instrumental in the consideration of the annual defense authorization bill, which covers the breadth of the operations of the Department of Defense as well as the national security functions of the Department of Energy.

In a statement, Rep. Heinrich said, “I know that Kirtland Air Force Base and Sandia National Laboratories are of the utmost importance to our District, and this was key in my mind when seeking my committee assignments. I am proud to serve on the Armed Services Committee and I look forward to the work ahead. Although I don’t know my other assignment yet, I will do all I can to ensure that I am placed on a committee that is in the best interests of our community.”

Swearing In: Rep. Heinrich will be sworn into the 111th Congress today by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Speaker Pelosi will conduct an individual ceremonial swearing-in ceremony for Rep. Heinrich following the en masse oath of office on the floor of the House of Representatives. The Congressman will also be hosting an open house in his Washington, DC office today from 12:00 – 3:00 pm (EST). Constituents from the First Congressional District, other New Mexicans, colleagues, members of the media and interested guests will come by and celebrate today's events.

Martin left Albuquerque with his family this past Saturday -- completing a busy, sometimes hectic, two months since his election, staffing and finding office space both in Albuquerque and Washington (See our recent guest blog by Julie Heinrich.)

Albuquerque Office: Martin's first priority has been to establish an office to handle constituent services. The office is at The Galleria (20 First Plaza SW, Suite 603 Albuquerque, NM 87102) in the suite formerly occupied by Congresswoman Heather Wilson. Heather Brewer will be the District Director. Hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Phone: (505) 346-6781 Fax: (505) 346-6723. First Congressional District constituents who have ongoing or new issues with the US government will be provided with the assistance they need in a seamless transition from the former representative's staff.

Former Campaign staffers Stephanie Russo and Matt Zidovsky have joined the Congressional staff and will also have offices in The Galleria Suite 603. Javier Benavidez, an assistant to Congressman-Elect Heinrich when he was on the Albuquerque City Council, and Antonio Sandoval, Democratic candidate for the New Mexico Senate from Northwest Albuquerque will also be joining the Congressional staff.

Washington Office: The Chief of Staff for the Washington DC Congressional Office will be Steve Haro. John Blair, an attorney who ran in the Democratic Primary for the New Mexico Senate, will be one of the senior staff members in the Washington office. The office will be at 1505 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 and the telephone number is 202-225-6316. Fax is 202-225-4975.

The transition of email communication from the campaign to the office of the congressman should be soon, permitting Martin to communicate directly with constituents and to receive their comments. A web site is being prepared, but that will take a little longer.

Campaign Office: A campaign office to begin preparations for the 2010 campaign, with Matt Ross, Deputy Finance Director for the 2008 campaign, as the initial staff director, will be opening in downtown Albuquerque in the first part of 2009.

Guest Blog: Julie Heinrich Touches Base

Micah, Julie, Martin and Carter Heinrich

We're very pleased to offer a special DFNM guest blog by Julie Heinrich, whose husband Martin will be sworn in on January 6th, 2009 for his first two-year term as the U.S. Representative for New Mexico's First Congressional District. Julie took time out from a very busy family schedule to fill us in on what's happening with the Heinrich clan as Martin prepares to head to Washington and the work at hand. It's good to remember that although we may elect an individual to public office, it's the entire family that's involved in public service -- and all that entails in terms of both sacrifice and reward.

"Would you like some, Carter? It's really good!" He wrinkled his nose at the dish.

"They're on the prison diet," my cousin joked. She was sympathetic, as her 5-year old was eating the same -- nothing but bread and water for Thanksgiving. Even my mother's spinach-even-kids-will-like recipe couldn't entice the taste-buds of these who prefer their food bland and simple.

Contrary to the picky-eaters club, food actually IS central to celebration for the rest of our family. For us, it's an opportunity to enjoy the food we've harvested or made; celebrate local foods, farms, traditions; and utilize recipes handed-down, some of them never written on paper. Martin and I both come from generations of farmers and gardeners. Martin's parents continue to grow much of their own vegetables, enjoying canned goods through the winter months. Shirley Heinrich's curried chutney garnished our Thanksgiving turkey. For Christmas, the holiday menu might include my grandmother's kolache, Martin's family's chicken noodle soup made with hand-cut fresh noodles, and just about anything with chile.

DFNM recently invited me to write about Martin's preparation for office, by asking: what is your family doing right now? (Besides eating a lot,) actually quite a bit. As you may know, the voters were gracious enough to elect Martin to the U.S. Congress for the First Congressional District in New Mexico.

Ready to Hit the Ground Running
First, Martin has been training. He attended an orientation session in D.C., and a second at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He describes the trainings as informative and beneficial. It has given him the opportunity to better know the other members of his newly elected class, both Democrat and Republican, and to prepare Martin so he can hit the ground running once sworn into office. Martin has also toured parts of the district in his new capacity, some of which I've been able to join: the University of New Mexico, Kirtland Air Force Base, Sandia National Labs, the Sandia Science and Technology Park, and others.

Martin is preparing his offices to serve the citizens of District 1. He's hiring dynamic staff who are ready and willing to address constituent concerns and policy issues. He intends to continue a tradition of strong communication with those he serves. Martin will make himself accessible to various parts of the district on his weekends in Albuquerque. His office will open in January, and soon there will be ways to stay involved and informed by phone, in person, on the web, and via traditional mail and email. Martin is sworn into office on January 6th, and our new president is sworn into office on January 20th. I'm lucky to join Martin at both of those events.

The Web-Cam Solution
Selfishly, I love having Martin around at home right now. We're enjoying shared dinners and looking forward to the luminaria tours in our neighborhood. Starting January, we'll seek a modern solution to evening bedtime stories: web-cams. So, if you're ever in D.C., and see Martin reading "Where the Wild Things Are" into a computer, know there are two appreciative wild things on the other end.

A Big Thank You
All in all, our family continues to be both moved and humbled by the tremendous community support we received. When I think of the tens of thousands of volunteer phone calls, the homemade red chile enchiladas brought to the office, the friends who watched our kids so we could attend community events together, the containers of homemade soup when we were sick, I'm moved. Both of us are so appreciative of the diverse group of supporters who were so willing to help carry out a common desire and vision for this district and state.

From the Heinrich Family to Yours
Please allow us this opportunity to wish everyone a joyous 2009. During challenging times, I am impressed with the potential for human generosity. Just last week, I spoke with a woman at a local non-profit organization which supports women and children. She told me this year, a lot of her co-worker's families are struggling financially. So, instead of a gift exchange, they each took a turn at feeding the office for a day. Not only was this local group caring for others in the community, but themselves as well.

May your holiday find a warm meal and the companionship of friends or family. From the Heinrich family to yours, we wish you all a Happy Holiday season.

This is a guest blog by Julie Heinrich. We hope to feature some additional insights from Julie and family as time goes on, Martin is sworn in, Obama is inaugurated and the 111th Congress is convened in Washington.

Guest blogs are a good way to express your views on issues of interest to our readers. If you'd like to submit a piece for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand corner of the page.

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NM-01: Historic Double-Digit Win for Martin Heinrich (Video, Photos)

Victory speech

Unofficial results as of 8:18 AM today: Martin Heinrich 163,348 or 55.5%, Darren White 131,085 or 44.5%.

Martin and his parents with wife Julie savoring the win

The battle over the open Congressional seat in NM-01 between Dem Martin Heinrich and Repub Darren White was seen as tight all the way down the homestretch. But when the voting was over, Heinrich managed to defeat White by eleven points -- not just a few. This in a district that has been held by the GOP since its inception in 1968, and where White initially had a huge name-recognition advantage provided by expansive newsprint and TV exposure while serving as Bernalillo County Sheriff and as Secretary of Public Safety under Gov. Gary Johnson.

Martin in the spotlight

Martin creamed White in Bernalillo County by more than 32,000 votes, or 56.1% to 43.9%, and won a few more in the parts of Valencia and Sandoval counties included within NM-01. White only held the margin in parts of two counties within the district -- Santa Fe and Torrance. The candidates' vote getting in the areas outside Bernalillo County pretty much cancelled each other out and, as of today, Heinrich leads by 32,263 votes district-wide. Game. Set. Match.

Matt of NM FBIHOP interviews Martin on feelings about win

The Heinrich campaign's dedication to voter outreach and building a solid ground game paid big dividends, as did a superior internet operation. Martin was all over the district like the Energizer bunny for more than 18 months, attending local events, meeting and winning over voters one by one and attracting support for his policies. And he was all over the net, gaining converts, building interest in the race and attracting a ton of small donations from the netroots.

Mary Ellen asks Martin about his sons' reactions to the race
and what happens next

By the time White's campaign got rolling -- focusing almost entirely on negative smears and outrageous innuendo -- Martin had made significant progress in defining himself and his views to the voters. They didn't buy what White was pushing. They'd apparently learned enough about what Martin stands for and who he is to see through White's exaggerated and distorted claims in a series of negative attack ads.

Martin and hardworking SEIU volunteers celebrate

By the time the two faced off in the late-race debates, it was evident that White's repetitive accusations couldn't survive the light of day. Like Obama, Heinrich kept his cool and his dignity in the face of frequent and nasty attacks. He stayed above the fray, stuck to the facts and focused his message on the issues important to New Mexicans today. All too often, White seemed like a guy stuck in the past and wedded to the Bush administration's failures. He carried a lot of baggage, while Heinrich came across as a relatively fresh face with an attractive vision of the future and a set of positions to match.

Martin, Julie and Democratic Party of NM Chair Brian Colon

Despite White repeatedly declaring his "independence" from Bush and the GOP, he clearly didn't have much in the way of policy to back up that claim. Heinrich had established himself as the agent of change in the race, and a common-sense voice for pragmatic problem solving. He blew Sheriff White away.

Martin's victory speech

Congratulations to Martin, Jon Blair and the rest of the campaign staff, as well as all the hard-working volunteers and the thousands of ordinary people who contributed what they could in the way of small donations. And a special shout out to Julie and the kids for the many sacrifices they made to the punishing demands of the race. We won -- and we won big -- but it sure was a hard-fought victory, wasn't it?

Photos and videos by M.E. Broderick. See more photos here. View more videos here.

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Blue Blowout in New Mexico

State Treasurer James Lewis at Dem Victory Party,
Albuquerque Convention Center:
Of the people, by the people, for the people. A clean sweep.

I don't even know where to begin writing about this. I don't think it's totally sunk in yet. Intense emotions bubble to the surface. Sharp realizations of the extent of our victories puncture my thoughts. But I haven't yet grasped the true enormity of the change that was set in motion yesterday in precincts large and small as the people came out in huge numbers to end the bleeding and start the healing.

James Lewis riffs on victory

All I can say is, we did it. Yes we could, and we did. WE DID! It's almost beyond my comprehension at this stage, but we turned our state into a True Blue New Mexico and took our country back from the forces of ruin. The corner is turned. The change is coming. Positive messages beat negative smears. Hope defeated fear. And the painful shackles of the Bush-Cheney-Rove years are broken at last. Can you believe it?

The crush of people at victory party witness Obama speech

I mean, people, New Mexico's entire Congressional delegation is BLUE! And the victory margins were substantial. We didn't edge them out -- we ran the table in every race. Check out these preliminary results for NM as of 9:39 AM today:

President NM
56.7% Barack Obama
42.0% John McCain

U.S. Senate
61.2% Tom Udall
38.8% Steve Pearce

NM-01
55.4% Martin Heinrich
44.6% Darren White

NM-02
55.7% Harry Teague
44.3% Ed Tinsley

NM-03
56.8% Ben Ray Lujan
30.4% Dan East
12.8% Carol Miller

I'll be writing more today on each of these races and on other contests around our state and our nation. But for now, I'm having trouble just absorbing what went down yesterday -- and beginning to discern its meaning and power. Bravo, New Mexicans. Bravo Americans. The Change We Need is coming. And it's coming from inside every one of us.

Photos and video by M.E. Broderick. See more photos from last night and more videos.

March to Blue in New Mexico (with Updates)

I give up on updates. We're winning EVERYTHING!

MSNBC and ABC call New Mexico for Obama!!!!!!!

ABC calls Ohio for Obama!
Brian Sanderoff calls NM-03 for Ben Ray Lujan!
Fox and Sanderoff call Udall for US Senate!

New Mexico Congressional Campaigns in Great Spirits, Working Hard

We spoke with NM-03 Congressional candidate Ben Ray Lujan before Noon today and he was very upbeat and excited, but still deterrmined to devote every minute to campaigning until the polls close at 7:00 PM tonight. You know how he is -- always on the go, always reaching out, always working to get more votes for the team. Ben Ray made a point to call and wish Mary Ellen a happy birthday. There was actual singing involved. And it wasn't that bad. Can you believe M.E.'s turning 50 on what is arguably the most important Election Day of our lifetimes? She'll always remember it, that's for sure.

We also heard from Michael Huerta of the Harry Teague campaign in NM-02. No surprise, it looks and feels like a tight race down there and Harry and company are using every last minute to contact more voters. Things seem to be running smoothly at the polling places down South, and campaign staffers and volunteers are in constant motion around the district. Hopes are high. 

Just a few minutes ago we got a chance for a few words with NM-01 Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich, who was in a car traveling to his next stop while juggling two or three calls and no doubt checking his watch. Martin said things seem to be going smoothly at the polling places -- good news. Although he said they're optimistic about a big turnout for Democrats, he wanted us to urge our readers to call everyone they know to make sure they get out and vote.

We also spoke with Heinrich campaign manager Jon Blair just a moment ago and he said they sent out some huge canvassing groups today. There were 125 volunteers in the morning canvass at the main campaign office alone, plus more at their five satellite offices and additional folks working with the Udall and Obama teams. There have been groups of 50 volunteers working the phones most of the day, while Martin travels all over the district, shaking hands and winning more votes.

Last Minute Help Needed at Heinrich Campaign
There are still some Heinrich supporters who haven't yet voted, and Martin stressed they want to leave no vote uncast. If you have time, the Heinrich campaign still needs phone banking help at the main office on 4105 Silver SE, as well as at their satellite offices. If you can help, call the campaign at (505) 244-0022 and find out where you're needed most. This could be the closest race of the three, and we need Martin to head to Congress come January. He's the real deal.

Defenders of Wildlife to Hold Live Drawing for Prius Hybrid at 2 PM Today

The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund will hold a live random drawing today, November 3rd, at 2:00 PM at its Albuquerque campaign office located on 1600 San Pedro Drive NE. The drawing will determine a lucky New Mexican winner of a Prius hybrid among those who had registered for the contest, which began on July 1, 2008. If you're in the area, stop by to see who wins.

“We have decided to give away a free hybrid car to show our commitment to raising awareness for energy conservation and to encourage eligible New Mexican voters to be sure to vote on Election Day in support of energy conservation and investments in clean renewable energy,” said Ed Yoon, NM/CO Campaign Manager of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund. “With the still high cost of fuel especially in this shaky economy, energy conservation is an important issue not only for the environment, but for families’ pocketbooks and our national security. We look forward to the winners of tomorrow’s elections working towards improving energy conservation standards.”

The 2008 hybrid car was used by the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund throughout the summer to highlight Rep. Steve Pearce’s repeated votes against increased fuel mileage standards that could save New Mexican families hundreds of dollars per year and reduce the impact of global warming.

The giveaway was open only to legal residents of the state of New Mexico who were at least 18 years of age at the time of entry and had a valid New Mexico driver’s license. The Service Employees International Union will be the independent judging organization conducting the drawing.

The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund has been highly active in the New Mexico elections since endorsing Rep. Tom Udall for the U.S. Senate, Martin Heinrich for Congress, and Barack Obama for President for their record and commitment to energy conservation and promotion of clean renewable energy. As one of the earliest and largest independent expenditure operations in the state, Defenders employs 35 paid staff and has run numerous TV, radio and mail ads in the state and canvassed more than 110,000 doors of persuadable voter in the battleground areas of Bernalillo and Sandoval counties in support of these candidates.

The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund provides a powerful voice in Washington to Americans who value our conservation heritage. Through grassroots lobbying, issue advocacy and political campaigns, the Action Fund champions those laws and lawmakers that protect wildlife and wild places while working against those that do them harm.

Clean Sweep in the Making? Albuquerque Journal Poll Has Obama, Udall, Heinrich, Teague, Lujan Leading

Following on the heels of the last SurveyUSA poll that has Obama leading McCain 52-45% (58-39% with early voters), and Tom Udall ahead of Steve Pearce 56% to 42% (61-35% with early voters), the final polls of this election cycle conducted by Research and Polling Inc. for the Albuquerque Journat show Democrats ahead in the Presidential contest and all the Congressional races. Unfortunately, the Journal polling has small samples and a high margin of error in the U.S. House races, at plus or minus 5%. The surveys interviewed about 400 voters in NM-01 and NM-02, and only 201 in NM-03.

The Presidential and U.S. Senate sampling is somewhat better, with an MOE at plus or minus 3%, based on phone interviews with 1,002 registered voters statewide. 

As usual, the Journal has failed to release the full cross-tabs, so we're operating somewhat in the dark here. Weighting methodology? Not revealed. Breakdown of respondents who've already voted vs. those who say they will? Not revealed. You get the picture. But the results nonetheless provide an interesting snapshot of New Mexico's registered voters who said they had voted or will vote during the period October 28-30, 2008, and the trends are all tilting Democratic:

Presidential
Obama (D) 51%
McCain (R) 43%
Undecided 5%
Other 1%

Women:
Obama 52%
McCain 42%

Men:
Obama 50%
McCain 44%

Hispanics:
Obama 66%
McCain 25%
Undecided 7%

Anglos:
Obama 43%
McCain 52%

Ages Groups:
18-34: Obama 56%, McCain 38%
35-49: Obama 43%, McCain 49%
50-64: Obama 57%, McCain 38%
65+: Obama 50%, McCain 45%

Geographic:
Central (ABQ Metro): Obama 58%, McCain 36%
North Central: Obama 70%, McCain 30%
Northwest: Obama 26%, McCain 69%
Southwest: Obama 48%, McCain 41%
Eastern: Obama 34%, McCain 58%

Independents (Decline to State):
Obama 49%
McCain 34%
Undecided 11%

Democrats:
Obama 83%

Republicans:
McCain 88%

According to the Journal:

"There is not a lot of cross-over voting going on, and, for the Republicans to win, they typically need to get around 20 percent of the Democratic vote and slightly more independents," Sanderoff said. "McCain hasn't picked up as many Democrats as he needs and Obama is ahead on independents. "People are pretty much voting along party lines, but the independents are moving toward Obama," Sanderoff said.

U.S. Senate
Tom Udall (D) 53%
Steve Pearce (R) 39%
Undecided 8%

NM-01 U.S. House
Martin Heinrich (D) 47%
Darren White (R) 43%
Undecided 10%

NM-02 U.S. House
Harry Teague (D) 45%
Ed Tinsley (R) 41%
Undecided 14%

NM-03 U.S. House
Ben Ray Lujan (D) 51%
Dan East (R) 23%
Carol Miller (I) 12%
Undecided 14%

NM-01: Darren White Has a Ronald Reagan Ankle Tattoo!

Yes, as we head into the final countdown to election day, there is much to amuse and amaze us. Take this, for instance:

According to Shenanigans at The Politico, that's the ankle of the GOP's Congressional candidate in NM-01, Darren White -- with a tattoo of Ronald Reagan's signature. Who knew?

One wonders, was it love at first sight for Darren? Did he get tattooed while Reagan was refusing to admit HIV-AIDS was killing thousands of Americans, or after he had to cave to overwhelming pressure and say the word AIDS? Was it before or after Reagan busted the air traffic controllers' union? Before or after Ronnie plunged the nation into the continuing horrors of "trickle-down economics"?

Whatever the case, it's clear that Darren was so into Ronnie that he got a permanent tattoo on his bod to proclaim it to the world. Of course, now we're supposed to believe White is "independent" and without partisan hangups. Hard to believe when one considers that Darren White chaired Bernalillo County for George W. and accompanied him to the stage at the 2004 Republican convention. It's hard not to wonder -- does Darren have a Dubya tattoo somewhere on his person? Inquiring minds want to know.

Friday: Countdown to Change Events with LA Mayor Villaraigosa, Martin Heinrich

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and NM-01 Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich will join Albuquerque volunteers tomorrow, October 31, to pound the pavement for Barack Obama and call on students and young professionals to take their country back. Later in the evening, they'll host an event with students and young professionals to stress the importance of this year’s election, discuss the economic challenges facing the next generation of American leaders, and push young voters to take a stand for change in New Mexico. Friday schedule:

• 4:15– 5:00 PM: Countdown to Change Canvass Kick off, Carlisle Headquarters, 3523 Central Ave NE
• 5:30–6:30 PM: Countdown to Change Canvassing on Forrester Street NW (between Lomas and Mountain)
• 7:00–8:00 PM: Countdown to Change Early Vote Event with Students and Young Professionals, Kelly’s Brewpub, 3222 Central Ave SE

The State of the Election (and Me)

You may have noticed that I've been concentrating on posting info on candidate- and election-related events. You may also have noticed that I'm still not keeping up with the explosion of events that are happening all over New Mexico as we count down the six days left before the November 4th election. Democrats are swarming to early voting events, polling places, canvasses and phone banks. Our candidates are all making the final push for money and volunteers. Get out the vote is the imperative. GOTV is IT.

Meanwhile, the Republicans are concentrating almost entirely on slinging mud, trying to create doubts about our candidates and attempting to suppress voting in any way they can, no holds barred. Truth, ethics, fairness, facts? Not much of that on the R side of political spectrum as a tsunami of change builds and threatens to swamp Republicans up and down the ticket in almost every state -- even the red ones like Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, Virginia and more.

The Morally Bankrupt GOP
The GOP and its candidates are running scared, rudderless and desperate -- and their last-ditch efforts are taking on the gothic tones of a horror movie, the anti-logic fog of a dadaist work of art (without the irony). Without any appealing policies and few positive, attractive candidates, the Repubs have given up on winning on the issues and plunged into the realm of outrageous smears, illegal tactics, baseless innuendo and outright lies.

The Rove-Limbaugh-wingnut buzzwords are parroted everywhere among their ranks, calling our candidates socialists, Communists, fascists, redistributors in chief, elites, eco-terrorists, extremists, pals of domestic terrorists, scary, outsiders and worse.

The "voter fraud" hounds are on the loose again, digging up fake "evidence," intimidating voters at their homes, using Drudge and Fox to flog their false claims and insulting community activists like ACORN.

They've been busy in battleground states trying to "purge" legitimate voters from the rolls in the tens of thousands and hold up the registrations of tens of thousands of new voters. They've been orchestrating vile robocalls, airing crazy ads, distributing phony election information and sending out viciously dishonest direct mail pieces.

The Good News? IT'S NOT WORKING
This time, it's not working. At last, it's not working. And candidates, activists, organizations, the Party and voters are fighting back. Lawsuits are being filed against the perpetrators, like "voter fraud" pusher Pat Rogers, his hired-hand private investigator and the New Mexico GOP. We're challenging the massive purge projects, and winning in the upper courts. Our candidates are refusing to take the bait, and are staying cool, loose and rational -- continually turning the focus back to the issues, where we're winning on almost every single one with Americans.

The Dems are on the right track. Electing more Repubs would keep us on the wrong track. These are the memes that are predominating among the voting public. Turning the page. Making a new start. Daring to try something new and different. Basing votes on the issues, not the scare tactics. Hoping. Uniting. Working hard to make it real. Winning.

Enough Is Enough
I know I'm not alone when I say I've had enough of the hate mongering, the veiled racism, the vapid insults, the accusations that we're not REAL Americans or patriotic, the nasty lies and the desperate, unethical measures being employed by the GOP and its minions. I find I can't even bring myself to write about it anymore, except generically. To probe and report every instance of the GOP's wrongdoing takes too much energy and brings too little return.

We all know what they're doing, and what they've been doing in every election in the past decade or more. They're just doing it with more vehemence and with even fewer ethical considerations this time around -- if that's possible. Because they know their neo-con, anti-regulation, screw the middle class concoction has been deconstructed, defrocked, thoroughly discredited and rejected. They know they're gonna lose, big time. And they just can't quite believe it. But as Honest Abe once said, you can't fool all of the people all of the time. Voters have wised up, mindful of the awful consequences of the Bush years that are crashing down on America, and the world.

Onward to the Finish Line
So, anyway, I guess I'm gonna stick mostly with helping to publicize the events we can attend, the actions we can take, the info we need to help our GOTV be the best it's ever been. If you want the latest details on the latest outrages, the latest attack ads, the latest "voter fraud" garbage etc., it's easy to find elsewhere in this era of the internet. Thank goodness. As for me, I'll mostly keep plugging along with the tedious calendar items, the event announcements, the press releases and the recaps of gatherings for now.

I've been blogging and we've all been meeting and working and pushing for grassroots activism and progressive Democratic gains since 2004 now -- and we're coming into the home stretch of what could really be our time, our mandate, our widespread victories. The only thing left to say is: vote early, volunteer, donate, don't let up, go to rallies, bring your friends, show up. They could still steal it. They could still pull something that works. We could still lose, so keep the pressure on.

Six days, six days, six days. We have to do whatever we can to elect Barack Obama, Tom Udall, Martin Heinrich, Ben Ray Lujan, Harry Teague, Jason Marks, Rick Lass, Victor Raigoza, Tim Eichenberg, Jeff Steinborn, Mimi Stewart, Maggie Toulouse Oliver, Bill O'Neill, Steve Fischmann and more. (Who am I forgetting?) It's now or never.

PS: Talk about timing. I just received a nasty robocall from the RNC "on behalf of John McCain," warning me how Obama is "dangerously inexperienced" and droning on about his intent to sit down with terrorists and side with all the wrong people. Ha. If they're robocalling the likes of me -- a Democrat since day one -- they must REALLY be panicking.

PSS: I just that people in ARIZONA are getting the same robocall. My, my. McCain's home state.

10/29: Join Tom Udall & Martin Heinrich for West Side Candidate Meet and Greet; Free Food and Mariachis

Please join
Martin Heinrich and Congressman Tom Udall
for a Candidate Meet and Greet
with Free Food and Mariachis!
Wednesday, October 29 at 5:00 PM
Ladera Golf Course, 3401 Ladera Drive NW, ABQ

For questions, or to RSVP, contact Cristina at: (505) 203-4843 or mctrutanich@nmdems08.com