Democracy for New Mexico

Firefighters Union Endorses Tim Keller in Senate 17 Race

Tim Keller has received the endorsement of the Albuquerque Area Firefighters Union IAFF Local 244 in his run in the Democratic Primary for State Senate in District 17.

"We are proud to endorse newcomer Tim Keller for State Senate," said Diego Arencon, President of the Firefighters Union. "Tim will fight to get the resources firefighters need so we can do our jobs better. He's the sort of strong champion we need."

"I'm proud to receive this important endorsement," said Keller. "Our firefighters are our first responders and everyday they work to make us safe."

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My Take: Clinton's Rovian Path to "Victory"

Hillary Clinton's lead went from 20 points in the polls in Pennsylvania only weeks ago to about 8-10 points as the last election results trickle in. This will gain her somewhere in the range of 8-12 delegates in a state that was dominated by Gov. Ed Rendell's old-style -- but still mighty -- political machine pulling out all the stops on her behalf.

Obama still retains his essentially insurmountable lead in pledged delegates and votes. Clinton needed a blowout to even pretend the nomination is still in play, and she didn't get it. This, of course, hasn't stopped Terry McAuliffe and the rest of the Clinton spinners from openly begging for money on TV for her in-the-red campaign so she can continue her path to "victory." I find this highly ironic, to say the least, given McAuliffe's long-time mockery of Dean-style politics, the power of the net, grassroots activism and small donor fundraising. Any port in a storm I guess.

If Democrats with power in the superdelegate group and beyond don't stop her soon, she will surely try to continue her quest for personal political power at the expense of Democrats and Democratic principles right onto the Pepsi Center floor in Denver. And if that happens, we will lose in November. Plain and simple. Not only will there be few crossover votes, but huge swaths of activists, new and young voters and the African-American community will sit on their hands.

I agree with the New York Times editorial board, which previously endorsed Hillary Clinton, in their op-ed entitled The Low Road to Victory:

The Pennsylvania campaign, which produced yet another inconclusive result on Tuesday, was even meaner, more vacuous, more desperate, and more filled with pandering than the mean, vacuous, desperate, pander-filled contests that preceded it.

Voters are getting tired of it; it is demeaning the political process; and it does not work. It is past time for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to acknowledge that the negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election.

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PA Prez Primary Day Here at Last

UPDATE: After leading just a few weeks ago by 20 points, Clinton's lead was cut to about 10% as the final results trickle in. She "won," as expected, but she didn't win by enough to change the basic math in this race.
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Here's one place you'll find PA results starting at 6:00 PM our time tonight, when the polls close. Take a deep breath.

It seems like an eternity since the last contest in the Dem presidential nomination race was held, although it's been only six weeks or so. Six long weeks filled with slash and burn campaigning from the Clinton camp, innumerable rallies and town halls, an ABC debate on nothingness and a daily trickle of superdelegates to Obama.

The math is as daunting as ever for Clinton. Unless she wins Pennsylvania by 20 or so points, she won't make a meaningful gain in pledged delegate or popular vote totals. Even if such a miracle were to occur, she'd still have to win all the remaining contests by significant margins to get close to Obama's numbers. Not likely. No, as before today's contest, Clinton's only path to the nomination would be to convince a huge number of superdelegates that Obama is "unelectable" and that they should annoint her as the nominee despite all evidence to the contrary.

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Sierra Club Endorses Tom Udall for Senate on Earth Day 2008

The early support from environmental groups for Rep. Tom Udall's U.S. Senate run is strong indeed. The Sierra Club has now joined the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, the League of Conservation Voters and the Conservation Voters New Mexico in officially endorsing Udall. Rep. Udall's campaign released the following statement today about the latest endorsement:

As Congressman Tom Udall accepted the Sierra Club's endorsement for his United States Senate campaign this Earth Day, he reflected on their legislative accomplishments and pledged to continue fighting for our nation's long-term energy security.

"The Sierra Club has been a leader in New Mexico and around the nation to sensibly promote, restore and maintain our ecosystem and natural resources," said Udall. "This Earth Day, I can reflect on the many things we have accomplished together and look forward to continuing the fight for conservation and energy independence in the Senate."

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Guest Blog by Laura Paskus: Reasons for Hope on Earth Day in New Mexico, 2008

This is a guest blog by Laura Paskus. Laura is a writer living in Albuquerque.

I’ve never been one to skirt an issue. So here it is: New Mexicans have a lot to worry about when it comes to the environment and healthy communities. 

That said, there many reasons for hope.

Okay, first, the bad news: Climate scientists predict a drier future for the Southwest; uranium companies are looking to resume mining in the state; a coal-fired power plant is poised for construction on the Navajo reservation; the state may end up being home to a second uranium enrichment facility, as well as a brand-new Plutonium pit factory; and Sen. Domenici thinks bringing even more nuclear waste into the state is a good idea.

Right here in Albuquerque, families in the South Valley live in communities that—thanks to a continuing history of heavy industry—aren’t always safe and healthy; 57,000 acres of a former land grant are slated for residential and/or energy development; and some local lawmakers think it is acceptable—despite knowing what we do about climate change, as well as dwindling water and fossil fuel supplies—to encourage more unsustainable sprawl along the edges of the city.

But now for the good news:  There are plenty of national and grassroots environmental organizations here in New Mexico, and many of them are doing amazing work on issues ranging from the restoration of wolves and the protection of endangered butterflies to the conservation of groundwater resources and the environmental education of our children. 

There are also those who have made great personal sacrifices to protect New Mexico. Consider Greg and Trish Mello of the Los Alamos Study Group, who have worked tirelessly to educate New Mexicans about issues at the nuclear laboratory to our north. Or Elouise Brown, president of the Navajo resistance organization, Dooda Desert Rock. She’s been working 24-7, she says, organizing opposition to the proposed Desert Rock coal-fired power plant since she was a volunteer for the organization and the president “decided to jump off.” She took over and hasn’t taken a moment’s rest from organizing yet. 

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Guest Blog: Reelect Mary Gail Gwaltney as NM's Democratic National Committeewoman

This is a guest blog by Stephanie L. DuBois of Tularosa, NM.

I would like to tell you about my good friend, Mary Gail Gwaltney (right), our Democratic National Committeewoman. To those of us who are involved in party politics, the Gwaltney name is synonymous with the Democratic party. Mary Gail's organizational and fundraising skills for the party and candidates on all levels are widely known. Being the National Committeewoman is a serious full time commitment. Her strength lies in electing Democrats from all walks of life and then helping them in their bid for re-election.

When you meet Mary Gail you see an attractive woman very well put together. Her enthusiasm and boundless energy is most evident. And you know immediately she is a Democrat and values our Democratic principles. Her personality is always upbeat. She is a very giving person.She values her long-lasting friendships and treats everyone  with respect.

Mary Gail's family is her number one priority. Her family supports her work as National Committeewoman and supports her decision to continue serving in this role.

A Personal Anecedote
Mary Gail has impacted my participation in party politics and when I ran for elected office on many occasions. One particular incident comes to mind. After I was elected Vice-Chair of the Otero County Democratic party -- I think it was around 1994 -- Mary Gail ask me if I was going to attend the Legislative Dinner in Santa Fe. At that time, the price of the dinner ticket was $100. I didn't really have the money to go, which I expressed to her.

So I thought that would be the end of the conversation. But Mary Gail offered this suggestion: can you get 10 people that support you in your county to give you $10? if you can do this, I will find you a place to stay overnight. I did get those 10 people to donate. I attended the dinner. I spent the night at the home of one of Mary Gail's friends. It was important to her that as a county Vice-Chair I should attend this dinner. I made the effort to make it happen. I had a really good time. I met many people whom I consider my friends to this day. But without Mary Gail's encouragement I would not have gone.

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(Updated) Tonight at ABQ City Council: Important Votes on TIDDs et al.

UPDATE: The measure to preclude TIDDs from being used to support sprawl development on Albuquerque's edges was defeated 5-4. All the Repubs voted against the change and only one Dem voted for it. Surprise, it was Marty Chavez's point guy, Ken Sanchez. See Coco for more on the story.
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I posted about this last week, but I wanted to give you another reminder: The Albuquerque City Council will be taking up a number of important items related to the environment and development at its meeting tonight at 5:00 PM at the Vincent Griego Chambers, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Government Building, 1 Civic Plaza. We need to turn out in force to demonstrate our support for a number of important matters.

Besides bills related to toxic mining on public lands and conserving our limited water supply, tonight's agenda includes a critical item on those infamous TIDDs -- Tax Increment Development Districts. The measure to be discussed seeks to limit the use of such financing so that it does not subsidize sprawl growth at the city's edges. TIDDs were originally designed to encourage infill development in the city, not vast subdivisions far from our urban center.

You can learn more about TIDDs in an article by Marjorie Childress at the new online newspaper, The New Mexico Independent. (By the way, I expect that The Independent will quickly become a daily must-visit site for readers seeking aggressive -- but fair -- news coverge about everything from politics to the environment to poverty issues. Go see for yourself.)

Also, today's Albuquerque Journal features an op-ed about tonight's TIDD ordinance by ABQ City Councilors Isaac Benton, Michael Cadigan and Rey Garduño entitled, "Subsidizing Growth on Fringes of City Wrong Policy." Excerpts:

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Be There or Be Square: Healthy Communities Fundraiser for Eric Griego for State Senate

Albuquerque DFA-Democracy for New Mexico is joining Infill Solutions, Conservation Voters New Mexico and others concerned about building and maintaining healthy communities to host a fundraiser on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 to support the District 14 State Senate campaign of Eric Griego. Click to RSVP for the party, to be held from 5:30 to 7:30 PM on the lower level of the Downtown Flying Star located at 723-B Silver Ave. SW 87102. If you can't make it but want to support Eric's campaign, ActBlue makes it easy to donate online.

Click for a FLYER and post it and/or pass it on. We'd love to have a large turnout for this event. Encourage your friends and neighbors to attend, even if they don't live in District 14. The more forward looking State Senators we can help to elect, regardless of district, the better chance we have for passage of the thoughtful and effective legislation we need in terms of:

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NM-01: In Their Own Words, Why Grassroots Dems Support Martin Heinrich

All of these Democrats in the video clips above (and a whole lot more) are actively supporting Martin Heinrich for Congress in New Mexico's First District. We have our reasons, a few of which are mentioned in these videos. Most of them can be boiled down to one big reason -- he'll represent OUR interests in Washington, not those of the fatcats and vested corporate interests that have been dominating Congress for many moons. Wouldn't that be refreshing?

We want a member of Congress who'll fight for the concerns of all our citizens, not just those at the top of the economic scale. We want someone representing the concerns of ordinary working people and families -- like better pay, secure jobs, cleaner energy, preservation of our valuable environmental assets, a level playing field for trade, quality schools in every neighborhood, health care for all and commitment to the rights of all under the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

BUT, if we want that kind of representation in Congress, we'll have to actively work for it. And for Martin's campaign. Now's the time to hook up with the Heinrich campaign and volunteer to help with tasks like phone banking, data entry and/or door-to-door canvassing. Even a few hours of time can make a big difference in this race. Click here to sign up to be a Heinrich volunteer. There's no time to waste.

The Albuquerque DFA-DFNM Meetup group has officially endorsed Heinrich for Congress. So have many others. To see our previous coverage of the NM-01 Congressional race, visit our archive.

Technorati Tags:Martin Heinrich, NM-01, New Mexico, Albuquerque, Democrats, volunteering

OMG: Naked Lapels Shock Viewers of ABC's This Week

George Stephanopoulos and John McSame on today's This Week on ABC, sans flag pins on their lapels. What are we to make of this after last week's ABC debate that made a candidate's decision to wear or not to wear a flag pin on a lapel one of the defining critieria we should consider in choosing a president this year? And why wasn't Johnny badgered about why he wasn't wearing one? (h/t Crooks and Liars)

Then again, maybe we should pay more attention to this kind of story about the Repub prez nominee and his history of temper tantrums and rants.

Technorati Tags:John McCain, ABC, This Week, flag pins, George Stephanopoulos, McCain temper