Democracy for New Mexico

Tonight in Espanola: Mayor Joe Maestas to Host Economic Roundtable and Discussion of Obama Economic Plan

Espanola Mayor Joe Maestas will host a roundtable this evening, October 14, 2008, to discuss New Mexican’s concerns with the current state of the economy. Mayor Maestas and members of the Espanola community will discuss the economic challenges faced by New Mexican families from skyrocketing healthcare costs to the housing crisis. They will also discuss Sen. Obama's plan to strengthen the economy and support working families. The event is set for 6:30 PM at the Espanola Senior Services Center at 735 Vietnam Veterans Memorial Road.

Weekend Rally in Corrales NM: 8-Year Old Recites 'Yes We Can'

We are gonna win this thing -- IF we keep on working straight through November 4th. Only 22 more days! Have you voted early yet? You can do it in person at your County Clerk's office. Or you can request an application to vote early via mail-in ballot. Starting on October 18, you can do it in person at additional early polling places in most counties. Vote early and then volunteer to work for a candidate on Election Day on November 4th. See www.voteforchange.com/ and the Obama New Mexico page. Also see my previous post that provides more info on early voting.

Just Announced: Biden to Visit Southern NM on Friday

Northern Navajo Nation Shiprock Parade (see more)

The Obama campaign today announced that Senator Joe Biden will visit New Mexico this week. Biden will host a Change We Need rally in Southern New Mexico on Friday, October 17th. More details will be announced as soon as they are available.

Former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros to Campaign for Obama in Southern NM Today, Monday

Today and Monday, Henry Cisneros, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former Mayor of San Antonio, will headline a series of Campaign for Change events in southern New Mexico. He'll travel to Tortugas, Silver City and Anthony to talk to New Mexicans about Obama's plan to rebuild the economy so that it works for working class Americans. He'll also talk to supporters about the importance of the this year’s election and encourage voters to participate in Early Vote.

Sunday October 12:

Tortugas, NM
4:00 PM: Change We Need Rally
Guadalupe Park, SW Corner of Tile St and Juan Diego

Monday, October 13:

Silver City, NM
8:00 AM: Economic Roundtable
Red Barn, 708 Silver Heights Blvd

Anthony, NM
12:15 PM: Economic Roundtable
Campaign for Change Field Office, 880 Anthony Drive

Early Vote takes place October 18 through November 1st at county clerk offices and satellite locations throughout the state. Voters can request to Vote By Mail from now until October 30th. New Mexicans can register to vote, fill out a Vote By Mail application request or find their local Early Vote locations and hours by coming into any Campaign for Change office across the state, by visiting their county clerk’s office or by visiting www.voteforchange.com.

Bill Clinton Still Holds Grudge Against Bill Richardson; Guv. Stumping Hard for Obama

Richardson at Obama rally in Espanola NM last month

Gov. Bill Richardson has gotten a lot of flack from both Clintons for his endorsement of Barack Obama. And remember when longtime Clinton pal James Carville called Richardson a "Judas" for supporting Obama? Carville is now out and about on TV spinning on behalf of Obama, but at least one Clinton hasn't gotten over the perceived slight. According to a report on Politico, Hillary has managed to move on, but Bill is still fuming:

“It could be pretty much a permanent fissure. But that’s politics, that’s OK,” Richardson told National Public Radio’s Renee Montagne in an interview that aired Thursday morning on "Morning Edition." “I did what I thought was best for the country. I’m still very fond of the Clintons. I’ve reconciled with her. But with him — he wants to keep a grudge, that’s fine with me. I move on. I’m governor of New Mexico. I’m happy where I am."

... Bill Clinton, who had personally pleaded for Richardson to endorse his wife, was said to be especially incensed. Richardson told Montagne he’s spoken to Hillary Clinton and that a fundraiser he held two months ago raised nearly $250,000 to help her retire the debt she accrued during her presidential campaign.

“She appreciated it. You know, we talked,” Richardson said. “Have I heard from President Clinton? No.” But, he added “I’m very comfortable with what I did, endorsing Sen. Obama.”

Richardson on the Road for Obama
Richardson has been working very hard to promote Obama and fundraise on his behalf, traveling to swing states like Nevada, Colorado, Florida and Wisconsin to work the crowds and work the donors for Barack. He's also reaching out to voters in New Mexico to urge them to vote for Obama, especially in heavily Hispanic areas of the state.

This coming Saturday, Richardson will be canvassing in Albuquerque's South Valley along with NM-01 Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich and DPNM Chair Brian Colón as part of the coordinated campaign on behalf of Dem candidates.

This past Saturday, Richardson was in Nevada for the Obama campaign, reports the Las Vegas Sun:

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson gathered with local Hispanic leaders for a discussion on the economy at the College of Southern Nevada before setting off to canvass, attend a Telemundo soccer tournament and deliver remarks at the Clark County Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner.

... “John Kerry lost Ohio,” Richardson said in an interview. “If he had won Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado, he would be president today. I think the key to the election are these three Western states — and the margin of victory is in the Hispanic vote.”

(Richardson said he would be spending much of his time campaigning on behalf of Obama in those three battleground states, as well as Florida.)

Reaching out to Hispanics
Obama gets it. The campaign and the Democratic National Committee plan to spend $20 million on grassroots organizing and advertising efforts targeting Hispanic voters -- more than doubling what the Bush and Kerry campaigns spent together on Hispanic outreach in the last presidential cycle.

Obama, speaking to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus last week, said turning those voters out in November will be critical.

“If you have any doubt about whether you can make a difference, just remember how, back in 2004, 40,000 registered Latino voters in New Mexico didn’t turn out on Election Day. Sen. Kerry lost that state by fewer than 6,000 votes,” he said. “Six thousand votes.”

The Surrogate Shuffle
Richardson has also been doing numerous TV interviews as an Obama surrogate. Here he is on a recent Rachel Maddow Show discussing McCain's nasty "kitchen sink" strategy:

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When (okay, if) Obama wins, what job do you think Richardson will hold in an Obama administration? Interior Secretary? Ambassador? Secretary of State? Fed Chairman (not)? Special envoy to somewhere? Head of the World Bank? Only time will tell.

Photo by M.E. Broderick.

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Friday: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and UFW President to Campaign for Obama in Northern New Mexico

 

The Obama campaign has announced that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – son of Bobby Kennedy – and Arturo Rodriguez – President of the United Farm Workers – will headline a series of Campaign for Change events in northern New Mexico tomorrow, Friday, October 10, 2008. They will travel to Las Vegas, Mora, Taos and Santa Fe to talk to New Mexicans about Obama's plan to rebuild the economy so that it works for working class Americans and his commitment to invest in our secure energy future. They will also talk to supporters about the importance of the this year’s election and encourage voters to participate in Early Vote.

Friday, October 10:

Las Vegas, NM
Economic Roundtable, 10:00–11:00 AM
Margaret J. Kennedy Alumni Hall
New Mexico Highlands Univeresity

Mora NM
Environmental Issues Roundtable, Noon–1:00 PM
VFW Post 1131, Main Street

Taos NM
Early Vote Rally, 2:15–3:00 PM
601 Lovato Place

Santa Fe NM
Canvass Kickoff, 5:30–7:00 PM
3494 Zafarano Drive, Suite B

Early Vote takes place October 18 through November 1st at county clerk offices and satellite locations throughout the state. Voters can request to Vote By Mail from now until October 30th. New Mexicans can register to vote, fill out a Vote By Mail application request or find their local Early Vote locations and hours by coming into any Campaign for Change office across the state, by visiting their county clerk’s office or by visiting:

www.voteforchange.com.

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Campaign for Change Needs Polling Place Volunteers

We all know how crucial it is to be proactive in ensuring election integrity this year. One way to do just that is to volunteer to keep a watch on the voting process and polling places. I'm passing along info from an email from a local Dem Party Ward officer about the pressing need for more volunteers. Pass it on:

It’s less than a month until the election. As many of you know, the Campaign for Change (affiliated with the NM Democratic Party) is working hard to ensure a safe and valid election by training and assigning challengers to various polling places throughout the state. We really need volunteers at the counties listed below, as well as additional Bernalillo County volunteers. Volunteers must be registered in the counties where they are assigned.

If you know any registered Democrats in the counties listed below who you think might be interested in working for the cause on November 4th, please contact them and ask them to go to the following website:

https://my.barackobama.com/nmpromotethevote

Each person will be well-trained before assigning them to a polling place. County volunteer goals:

COUNTY VOLUNTEER GOAL: TOTAL 542

• SANTA FE 75
  
• DONA ANA 57
  
• SANDOVAL 35
  
• MCKINLEY 32
  
• RIO ARRIBA 20
  
• TAOS 19
  
• EDDY 19
  
• VALENCIA 18
  
• SAN MIGUEL 17
  
• GRANT 13
  
• SAN JUAN 17
  
• CIBOLA 8
  
• LUNA 7
  
• SOCORRO 6
  
• OTERO 5
  
• LEA 4
  
• GUADALUPE 4
  
• LOS ALAMOS 3
  
• TORRANCE 3
  
• COLFAX 3
  
• SIERRA 2
  
• MORA 2
  
• CHAVES 1
  
• LINCOLN 1

Thank you for your enthusiasm and involvement. Go Obama!

Obama Campaign Registers 35,500 Voters in Last Month in NM

Maybe this is one reason why

Today Barack Obama’s Campaign for Change (CFC) announced that it surpassed its goal of registering 30,000 new voters in 30 days. Statewide, CFC registered more than 35,500 new voters from September 7th to October 7th, the voter registration deadline.

I'm impressed. And the same thing is happening all over the country, including the big battleground states. In many states, new Dem registrations total in the hundreds of thousands and are outnumbering those by Repubs by a 4 and 5 to 1 ratio. Now all we have to do is get all these newly registered voters to cast their ballots. Get involved.

“We are incredibly pleased not only with the hard work and commitment of our volunteers and supporters, but also the excitement throughout New Mexico for Barack Obama’s message of change,” said New Mexico’s Campaign for Change State Director Adrian Saenz. “New Mexicans are hungry to get involved in the political process and reject another four year of the same failed Bush economic policies. From Las Vegas to Las Cruces, people are responding to Senator Obama’s commitment to making the economy work for middle class families and fundamentally changing how politics works.

The “30/30 Project” was part of Campaign for Change’s voter outreach efforts. This major voter registration effort comes to an end successfully less than one month before the presidential election. Voters can request to Vote By Mail from now through October 30th. Early Vote takes place October 18 through November 1st at county clerk offices and satellite locations throughout the state. New Mexicans can fill out a Vote By Mail application request or find their local Early Vote locations and hours by coming into any Campaign for Change office across the state, by visiting their county clerk’s office or by visiting www.voteforchange.com.

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Today is LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE for 2008 Election

This is it, folks. You need to be registered to vote by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 --that's TODAY -- in order to vote in the 2008 general election.

• You can register at any Obama campaign office until the deadline and they will turn in your registration to your County Clerk by 5:00 PM Thursday, which is the deadline for third party registrars.

• You can also fill out a registration form at your County Clerk's office by 5:00 PM TODAY.

• You can also visit the Democratic Party of New Mexico's Voter Page for info and links.
  

Anyone with questions can call the local Obama campaign office or your County Clerk. Also see my previous post on voting that explains other ways to register, including downloading and completing a voter registration form that you can hand-deliver to the County Clerk by the deadline, or mail to your County Clerk postmarked before TODAY'S 5:00 PM deadline. The U.S. Postal Service normally doesn't postmark voter registration forms, but they will do so if you mail your form TODAY.

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PAC505 Hosts "Test Press Tuesday" Debate Watch & Screen Printing Party

Click on image for larger version

PAC505 and The Trillion Space are fired up to present the second installment of their debate-viewing series, this Tuesday, October 7. Join us at The Trillion Space (510 2nd Street, near Marquette) for "Test Press Tuesday," where the debate will be projected, heard, and properly contextualized by an army of DJ's and artists, including Adam5100 from the East Bay. During the event, which begins at 4 o'clock, local artists will create original Obama designs and screenprint them onto shirts that you can take home for five bucks. Events like TPT will be remembered for transforming the Obama campaign into what it has become: a movement. Be there!