Democracy for New Mexico

Sunday Bird Blogging: NM Prez Caucus Edition

Sunny the sun conure struts and nods for Obama

We're expected to believe that Democrats are breathlessly waiting to hear whether Gov. Bill Richardson will endorse Obama or Clinton for President. And we're supposed to be tantalized by the leaked reports that Richardson is watching today's Superbowl with the other Bill in Red River. Don't believe the spin.

Bosco the peach-faced lovebird rallying for Obama with pal

What I've been hearing on the ground in New Mexico is that Democrats around the state have been on pins and needles wondering who Sunny the sun conure and Bosco the peach-faced lovebird will endorse. Now it can be revealed, in an exclusive report right here on DFNM. Both parrots are coming out publicly for Barack Obama, no ifs, ands or buts about it. Asked why, both avians answered, "Because no self-respecting Democrat should ever mark a ballot for a candidate who voted for the Iraq invasion and who is still dishonestly dissembling about the reasons she voted that way." I definitely think they have a point .... A Few Other Recent Endorsements of Barack Obama:

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Monday 2/4: Equality New Mexico Lobby Day at NM Legislature

From EQNM:
On Monday, February 4th, 2008 join hundreds of New Mexicans to rally in support of House Bill 9, the Domestic Partnership Rights and Responsibilities Act. Every person counts in what could be the final push in protecting ALL New Mexico Families.

Lobby Day Schedule
8:00 AM Early Bird Training
9:00 AM Second Training
10:00 AM Final Training
9:00-10:30 AM Lobby visit(s) time
10:30 AM Senate Gallery *
12:00 Host Lunch at First Christian Church
1:00-2:00 PM Round 2 Lobby Visits
2:00 PM Press Conference in the Rotunda
3:00- ??? Reception (Location TBA)
All trainings will be held at:
First Christian Church, 645 Webber St., Santa Fe MAP

*There is a possibility that the bill will be heard on the Senate floor. We cannot be certain but lobby day schedule could change slightly.

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(Updated) Confirmed: Michelle Obama to Campaign in Las Cruces Monday Night

UPDATE 8:25 PM: Details released here:

Stand for Change Rally with Michelle Obama in Las Cruces
Corbett Center Ballroom @ NMSU
University & Jordan, Las Cruces
Doors open at 6:30 PM
Program begins at 7:30 PM
MAP
For more information or to RSVP, click here, or call 505.205.6689
Download a Flier and Help Spread the Word

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According to a report in the Las Cruces Sun-News, Michelle Obama, wife Barack Obama, is expected to be in Las Cruces on Monday night, February 4, 2008 for a campaign rally tentatively scheduled for 7:00 PM, the campaign has confirmed. Trevor Fitzgibbon, the Obama campaign's communications director for New Mexico, said that the location and exact time of the rally were still pending, but the event is "definite, 100 percent." Check the Obama New Mexico webpage for updates or to volunteer for the campaign.

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Huge Crowds for Obama in Albuquerque & Santa Fe

Crowd at Santa Fe College (Photos from Obama New Mexico)

After holding a standing room only and beyond economic forum at the Kiva Auditorium in Albuquerque yesterday afternoon, Obama headed to Santa Fe for another packed event, this time at a gym at Santa Fe Community College. Heath Haussamen has some good photos here  and here from the energized event. Marjorie over at m-pyre also has some good pics from Albuquerque's overflow room.

The hordes of people trying to get to the site reportedly caused gridlock that backed up from the campus all the way to Cerillos Road. Hundreds had to be turned away. Some who made it inside had waited in line up to five hours in the cold. Steve Terrell pegs the crowd in Santa Fe, inside and out, as about 5,600 in his story for the Santa Fe New Mexican.

In Albuquerque, Obama's event packed the 2300 seat Kiva and filled a large overflow space inside the Convention Center with another 2000 or so people. Even that wasn't enough space to accommodate everyone. About a thousand more people people gathered on the Civic Plaza across the street, where Obama stopped to speak to crowd before heading inside. New Mexico FBIHOP has an of the event.

ABQ: Everett Chavez, former governor, Santo Domingo Pueblo,
greets Obama in his native language, asks a question.

The campaign's Obama New Mexico website has several posts with photos and video on the New Mexico events:

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(Video Update) Confirmed: Hillary Clinton in Albuquerque Tonight

KNME has video of Hillary Clinton's speech in Albuquerque. And m-pyre has a couple great photos from the rally.
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Hillary Clinton will conduct a Solutions for America Rally tonight, Saturday, February 2, 2008 from 8-10 PM at the Highland High School gymnasium in Albuquerque (map). No tickets necessary but you can RSVP at Clinton's website.

Obama in Albuquerque: Live Video Stream Recorded Video

You can see KNME's live feed above recorded video of the entire economic forum held today at the Kiva Auditorum in Albuquerque right here:

You can also see video clips of Obama's opening remarks and the question and answer session at KNME's blog.

With him on the podium at the "expert panel" table were former NM Attorney General Patricia Madrid, who just switched her endorsement from Edwards to Obama; two former Clinton administration cabinet secretaries who have endorsed Obama -- Commerce Secretary William Daley; and fTransportation Secretary Federico Pena; senior economic adviser Austan Goolsbee and ACORN NM organizer Bonnie Greathouse.

NM-01: Vigil-Giron to Formally Announce Entry Into Race on Saturday

Note: David Alire, of KNME's New Mexico in Focus, has snagged an exclusive interview with Vigil-Giron about her decision to run for Congress. You can see a video here.

Former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron will make her official entry into the Dem Congressional race in NM-01 at a public event this Saturday, February 2, 2008, at 2:30 PM at the Albuquerque Hilton. She has a campaign website at www.RebeccaForCongress.com.

Vigil-Giron enters the race with three other Dems already in the running: Martin Heinrich, Michelle Lujan Grisham and Robert Pidcock. Another is on the way in the form of political neophyte Jessica Wolfe, who has announced she's gathering nomination signatures. Wolfe was a cabinet aide to Gov. Richardson and worked on issues like domestic violence, water cooperatives and rural projects.

Clearly, Vigil-Giron has her work cut out for her if she's to get on the primary ballot and win the nomination. For one thing, the very popular Martin Heinrich has a huge headstart. His campaign has raised considerable and consistent amounts of money every quarter and earned several very important endorsements. Plus Heinrich has built strong grassroots support within the Dem Party's active membership, which will control who gets on Party's primary ballot during the pre-primary convention set for March 15th.

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Tonight on NM In Focus: Ethics Reform

KNME-TV Channel 5's New Mexico In Focus, which airs tonight at 7:00 PM, will feature a discussion about ethics reform with Common Cause New Mexico's Executive Director Steven Robert Allen, State Rep. and Minority Whip Dan Foley and former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron. The recommendations made by Gov. Bill Richardson's Ethics Reform Task Force have not gotten much traction at the Roundhouse this Session despite Richardson ranking them among his top priorities. Learn the ins and outs of the proposed bills and what the chances are for passage. Read more about tonight's show and who's on The Line segment's panel.

New Mexico In Focus repeats on KNME-TV at 6:30 AM on Sundays. You can also watch videos of the programs on the show's web page that are uploaded a day or so after each show.

Bill Clinton in New Mexico for Hillary: Video

Video from KNME of Bill Clinton's rally at UNM's Johnson Center in Albuquerque can be found here.

Before holding a $2,300 per person private fundraiser for Hillary in Santa Fe this morning, Bill Clinton stopped in to wave to lawmakers and the public gallery in the House Chamber at the capitol. He made no public remarks at the Roundhouse. Later, he headed to Albuquerque for an afternoon rally for his wife at UNM's Johnson Center. The former president was in the City Different the same day the Santa Fe New Mexican endorsed Barack Obama for president.

Clinton vs. Obama
Yesterday, Bill Clinton was in Denver speaking to a crowd of 2,300 at the University of Denver. Earlier in the day, at the same spot, Barack Obama spoke to a jam-packed rally that filled the 10,000+ seats to capacity and overflowed into several adjacent rooms. See here and here. Obama, Caroline Kennedy and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano were also in Phoenix yesterday, where 13,000+ people crammed into an arena.

In an amazing feat, the Obama campaign raised more than $32 million this month alone, adding about 170,000 new donors. The Clinton campaign hasn't released any recent numbers.

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Update On NM Health Care Reform Bills

From Health Security for New Mexicans:
The Health House and Government Affairs Committee voted to pass the Health Security Act out of committee this morning. The vote was unanimous, with two members (Rep. Bandy and Rep. Fox-Young) not present. Rep. Heaton joined other committee members in voting for the Health Security Act -- thank you so much for all your phone calls to him and to other members of this committee.

The Health Security Act now goes on to the House Judiciary Committee and will probably be heard next week. We'll let you know when a hearing is scheduled. The Health Security Act on the Senate side has not yet been scheduled in the Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee, but we expect it will be heard next week as well.

The Governor and Health Solutions
The governor is extremely upset about what happened to his bill, Health Solutions, in the House Health and Government Affairs Committee yesterday. (The committee heavily amended the bill, removing the requirement that people buy insurance, removing the requirement that businesses pay into an insurance fund, and stripping the Health Coverage Authority of regulatory power.)

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