Democracy for New Mexico

Results In: Richardson Shows Strength in MoveOn Prez Town Hall on Iraq

Gov. Bill Richardson is generating lots of buzz around the net for his strong showing in the voting after this week's MoveOn Virtual Town Hall on Iraq with the Dem presidential candidates. MoveOn released two vote tallies -- one of all those who voted in the straw poll, regardless of whether they watched the candidates answer questions, and one of those who attended the viewing parties and participated in the event in real time:

MoveOn reports the full results from the Virtual Town Hall vote (remember, this does not imply a MoveOn endorsement):

Sen. Barak Obama  28%
Sen. John Edwards  25%
Rep. Dennis Kucinich  17%
Gov. Bill Richardson  12%
Sen. Hillary Clinton  11%
Sen. Joe Biden  6%
Sen. Chris Dodd  1%

MoveOn members who watched the Town Hall at one of the parties voted differently from those who did not. Here are how the folks who attended the event ranked their choices:

Sen. John Edwards  25%
Gov. Bill Richardson  21%
Sen. Barack Obama  19%
Rep. Dennis Kucinich  15%
Sen. Joe Biden  10%
Sen. Hillary Clinton 7%
Sen. Chris Dodd 4%

Here's what kos had to say about Richardson's position on Iraq in his frontpage story on the event (590 comments):

Richardson would completely exit Iraq. The others wouldn't.
by kos Wed Apr 11, 2007 at 12:56:27 PM MDT

Bill Richardson: "if I were President today, I would withdraw American troops by the end of this calendar year. I would have no residual force whatsoever."

Richardson, in just the last couple of months, has brokered landmark deals in Darfur and North Korea -- efforts that had stymied the Bush Administration through two terms. There is no one in American politics today more respected and accomplished on foreign policy than Bill Richardson.

Compare this to Hillary Clinton, who talks about "ending the war", yet the fine print of her plan shows she'd keep up to 75,000 American troops in Iraq.

Compare this to Barack Obama, who would still leave an undisclosed number of troops in Iraq ... Compare this to John Edwards ... Of all the top candidates, Richardson is the only candidate who currently advocates a complete withdrawal from Iraq. That he's also the sharpest mind on foreign policy issues isn't a coincidence.

You can hear clips or read transcripts of all the presidential candidates' answers to questions posed during MoveOn's Virtual Town Hall by clicking here.

More on Bill Richardson:

• Richardson Boosts Foreign-Policy Credentials (The Hill)
• Slow and Steady (Donna Brazile, Washington Times commentary)
• Richardson for President YouTube Channel

Latest Video:

4.13.07: Upon Gov. Richardson's Return from North Korea

Vote Now: MoveOn Town Hall on Iraq

Last night's MoveOn Virtual Town Hall on Iraq featured the Dem candidates for president answering questions on the Iraq war submitted by MoveOn members. is now in progress for viewers to weigh in on how the candidates did. If you didn't get a chance to participate online live, you can watch video of the entire event or segments on each candidate, listen to highlights, download a podcast or read transcripts here before voting. MoveOn will release the results of the vote tomorrow.

(Updated) Tonight: MoveOn's Virtual Presidential Candidate Forum on Iraq

UPDATE: A message from Richardson for President: Governor Richardson's portion, taped before he left for North Korea, will discuss his "New Realism" plan to end the war in Iraq. You can hear Governor Richardson online and broadcast at Air America Radio tonight. Could you go to a local MoveOn event to talk to people about the Governor's straightforward plan to end the war? Governor Richardson's plan to end the war is - it might be helpful for you to print out copies to take to the event. If you can make it tonight, we'd love to hear about it - and we'll put some up on the blog tomorrow.

From MoveOn.org PAC:
We're organizing three “Virtual Town Halls” to hear from 2008 Presidential candidates on the issues MoveOn members say are most important: Iraq, health care, and energy. On April 10th, at 8:00 PM MDT, we're focusing on Iraq.

MoveOn members are asking candidates the tough questions about their Iraq plans, and we're gathering in living rooms from coast to coast to hear the answers directly. Then we’ll talk together, and the next day, all MoveOn members will vote on who we think will do the best job in Iraq. It's a personal audience with the people who want our support, our time, our money, and eventually our votes.

Host your own, or join a Virtual Town Hall house party near you - enter your zip code here.

How the Virtual Town Halls Will Work:

• Presidential candidates were invited if at least 10% of surveyed MoveOn members said they would like to hear what he or she has to say.

• MoveOn members voted to determine the questions that are put to the candidates. 

• Right after the virtual town hall meeting, MoveOn will survey its members to see which candidate they believe will do the best job of leading us out of the war in Iraq. Voting will go on until midnight PST on Wednesday, April 11.

• MoveOn will make the results of the support survey public on Thursday, April 12.*

• MoveOn will encourage its members to support their favored candidates’ campaigns by volunteering and contributing money.

* The results of this survey will not constitute the organization’s endorsement of a candidate. MoveOn may decide to hold an endorsement vote later in 2007.

MoveOn’s Role in Previous Campaigns:
Historically, MoveOn support has generated large contributions of members’ volunteer time and money to favored candidates. In the 2006 mid-term elections, MoveOn members contributed $27 million, made 7 million get-out-the-vote phone calls, organized 7,500 house parties, and held 6,000 in district campaign events. 

How to Participate in the Virtual Town Hall:

• MoveOn members will gather at house parties on April 10th to hear the candidates speak via an Internet based audio broadcast. They will also be able to see a map of all the parties participating and enter comments, some of which will be displayed during the intermission.

• The event will also be broadcast, with commercial breaks, on Air America XM Satellite Radio (channel 167).  It will be re-broadcast without commercial breaks on all Air America local affiliates during the following dates and times:

o Wednesday 4/11           8:00 PM - 10:00 PM ET      
o Saturday 4/14               10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET   
o Sunday 4/15                  8:00 AM - 10:00 AM ET

Sedona Sojourn

We're leaving tomorrow morning for some red rock relaxing in Sedona, AZ. We'll be back late next Tuesday. I've set up some automatic posts, including some open threads, to keep you at least minimally informed and entertained while I'm gone. If I can get some decent access to the internets, I'll check in from the road. The folks who'll be housesitting for us will be minding our seven parakeets, but Bosco the peach-faced lovebird and Sunny the sun conure will be traveling with us, as they usually do. They love to see new places and look out the window at the scenery. You might not think they would, but they do! (See them on the road, below the fold.)

To keep current, be sure to visit the other local political blogs. Links can easily be found on our left-hand sidebar under NM Blogs. If you've got some hot news or are itching to post some important info, why not try creating a diary at New Mexico FBIHOP, which recently became a community blog. Just register there using the link at the top right-hand corner and you, too, can be a blogger.

Mary Ellen totes Sunny and Bosco in their fancy traveling cages at a mountain lake in Colorado

Try the New, Improved New Mexico FBIHOP

Local blog New Mexico FBIHOP has been up and running since February of last year and doing a great job covering the New Mexico political scene. Now they've replaced their original offering with a new community blog, where readers can post their own diaries, ala Daily Kos and many others. Go join up and try it out at their new URL: . Nice addition to the NM blogging scene, isn't it? Adjust your bookmarks accordingly.

Watch Today's Live Webcast of Gov. Richardson's State of the State Address

Santa Fe Roundhouse Rotunda

The New Mexico Legislature's 2007 60-day session convenes today and Governor Bill Richardson will give his State of the State address to legislators. The speech can be viewed live online by visiting the Governor’s website at www.governor.state.nm.us and then clicking on the link provided on the home page. The speech is scheduled to begin after the Legislature takes care of initial business -– between 12:30 and 1:00 PM. For those who cannot watch live, a recording of the speech will also be available on the Governor’s following the opening session, along with the (PDF) of the speech.

Local TV stations KOB, Channel 4, and KNME, Channel 5, have announced they will carry the speech live.

You can read an acccount by Kate Nash of the Albuquerque Tribune of Richardson's dry run of the speech and more here.

Santa Fe New Mexican reporter, Steve Terrell, provides an overview of what's expected at this year's session. He'll also be blogging about the Legislature at his Roundhouse Roundup.

The Albuquerque Tribune's Kate Nash will be blogging about the session at her Roundhouse Report. She analyzes this year's proposed legislation here.

And , Eric Griego and Suzanne Prescott's new show on Progressive Talk Radio, 1350 AM, will be focusing on the Legislature every Saturday from 3:00 to 4:00 PM.

This is the 48th NM Legislature since we achieved statehood in 1912. Gov. Richardson has dubbed it the "year of water."

UPDATE: Here are the listings for the new officers officially elected today before the Governor gave his speech:

NM House Leaders

NM Senate Leaders

Respite

Need an escape from holiday tensions or the day's news? Visit this cool make a snowflake site. The more snowflakes visitors make at the site through the New Year, the more they'll donate to the Salvation Army. Still have some time on your hands? Go see this collection of optical illusions, play with the musical painting toys at Visual Acoustics or play the Winterbells game.

Guest Blogger Mike Smith on My Strange New Mexico

This post was submitted by guest blogger Mike Smith:
My name is Mike Smith, and I write a weekly column of strange New Mexico history and lore, “My Strange New Mexico.” For now, the column appears every Thursday in the New Mexico Daily Lobo, though I do have aspirations for it to someday soon be read by a wider audience. 

I also post all of my columns on a website, www.mystrangenewmexico.com, along with photos and relevant links. 

I’ve been writing the column so far for just over three months and, despite its constant demand for research and time and late-night writing, it has been incredibly rewarding for me. At last, I’ve been able to give my attention to subjects that I’ve been interested in for years but have never had the time or the motivation to check out. I’ve been able to research and write about everything from stories of a dead Santa Rosa SCUBA diver turning up in Lake Michigan, to New Mexico’s role in the development of the space elevator, to New Mexico’s first serial killer—and his alleged killer—and how his killer was killed.

It’s also been a great way for me to find out strange New Mexico stories that I never would have heard before. Because of the strange subject matters of my column, people have come to me with all sorts of bizarre stuff—escaped monkeys living in a cave near Tijeras, Pterodactyl sightings in the Antelope Wells area, strange cases of the bubonic plague, and a cult of marathon runners near Datil, just to name a few of the subjects I haven’t even gotten to yet.

It’s made me love New Mexico even more than I already did, because it’s made it seem like a place where anything is possible.

People have asked me how I come up with a new subject every week, but the state we live in really makes it pretty simple. I have a list of about seventy or so topics that I still haven’t written about, and the list grows almost every day. If any of you reading this have any additional suggestions, e-mail me at antarcticsuburbs@yahoo.com, include a mailing address, and I’ll send you a free “My Strange New Mexico” cabbit button. (Cabbits are legendary half-cat/half-rabbit hybrids said to have been bred by the government near Dulce—see my website for more details.)

I eventually want the column’s subjects to have covered every New Mexico county, the top five or so New Mexico cities, and every 25-year-period since the state’s European history began, with several pieces about before then as well. 

I’ve always been interested in the strange, and I blame it mostly on my family. My older brother Rob had a superhero alter-ego well into his teens, and would often walk across the bottom of our swimming pool in a homemade plastic diving bell. My older brother David, before he was even ten years old, frequently stole my dad’s car.  And my younger brother Jeff had a longtime hobby of badgering Wal-Mart employees and customers while pretending he was mentally handicapped, a hobby that fit well with his other favorite pastime—getting physically removed from Wal-Marts.

Moving to New Mexico as a kid only increased my exposure to strangeness, and I liked that. I’ve walked across America before on a year-long charity hike, I’ve traveled the world, and I don’t think I’ve ever found such an intense concentration of strangeness as I’ve found in New Mexico. Maybe that’s just because I’ve spent more time here, or because I’m more in tune with it, but I like to think that the state—whether because of the landscape or the atomic program or attention from the Roswell Incident—is just a little bit odder than everywhere else.

And if that ever changes…I’m moving.

Check out "Towns of the Sandia Mountains," by Mike Smith, now available from Arcadia Publishing. Or read about New Mexico's strangest history and lore at https://www.mystrangenewmexico.com/.

Editor's Note: This is a guest blog by Mike Smith of Albuquerque. If you'd like to submit a post for consideration as a guest blog, please contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand corner of our main page.

Local Blog Magical Mystery Tour

I haven't been writing much because of my continuing convalescence. Fatigue and pain meds don't make for compelling posts. But other bloggers around New Mexico have lots going on so I thought I'd take you on a little tour of some of them today.

Heath Haussamen has a link to Brian Sanderoff's analysis of his polling data compared with actual election results in New Mexico. Heath's also been doing a bang-up job of covering the maneuvers going on in the NM House over leadership positions. Scroll down on the main page.

Johnny Mango at Albloggerque took second place  to Duke City Fix in the Best Blog category in Albuquerque Mag's Best Of edition. Congrats Johnny! You rock!

BurqueBabble comments on the continuing saga of Mayor Chavez and the little streetcar line that couldn't (at least for now).

Avelino at Live From Silver City makes some suggestions about our new .

Duke City Fix features a guest blog about Albuquerque's new pet law.

My Strange New Mexico is a new entry in the local blog mix, written by a columnist at the Daily Lobo. Welcome.

Joe Monahan raises the issue of a possible redistricting for NM-01 given Heather's razor-thin win over Madrid this year. He's also doing continuing coverage on the push and pull of power maneuvers over NM legislative leadership posts. Poke around.

New Mexico FBIHOP, who did an excellent job covering the Madrid-Wilson race, weighs in on the at-least-for-now derailed Nob Hill streetcar project.

New Mexico Matters demands to know why we didn't have a recount in the NM-01 congressional race. They've been doing a lot of coverage on the PRC, election reform issues and corruption.

Despite his recent loss (boo!) in the NM Land Commissioner race, Jim Baca is continuing his blogging on energy issues and more over at Only in New Mexico.

And that's just a taste. There's always action at our growing community of local blogs so check in often by clicking on the links in our NM Blogs section located on our left-hand sidebar. I do.

Richardson Campaign Seeks Website Intern

From the Bill Richardson for Governor Campaign:
The campaign needs someone who wants to volunteer on the campaign and help with the website. See below for more information, including a job descripion and how to apply. Time is of the essence so if you're interested in this opportunity, submit the required info ASAP:

As a Website intern you will ensure the Bill Richardson 2006 Campaign website has up-to-the-minute information on issues by:

-Updating our "News" page with the latest news articles or press releases.

-Write campaign updates on the Plaza Blog.

-Formulating and implement creative website and online organizing ideas, and Facebook and My Space outreach strategies.

Job Description: The Intern will gain hands-on experience in the management of the technical side of a major statewide campaign operation, including web design, technical support, and online organizing.

Work atmosphere: Young, Fun and Gung-Ho!

Volunteer/Intern Requirements: The qualified applicant should possess the following qualities:

1 . Enjoy working in a team environment and know how to have fun on and off work;

2 . Be responsible, including being on time;

3 . HTML & XML proficiency, Java, Flash and web design skills desired.

Minimum Internship Commitment: At least 4 weeks (any bloc of time between now through November). Although Website and Online Networking internships are unpaid, students may receive academic credit from their college or university. This is also one of the best opportunities for getting into a democratic political campaign.

Location: Website Internships are located in our Albuquerque HQ.

How to Apply: Interested students should email a cover letter, resume, and short (1-2 page) writing sample to:

Joaquin H. Guerra
Director of Internet Operations
Bill Richardson for Governor 2006
jguerra@billrichardson2006.com

Campaign Website https://billrichardson2006.com/
Campaign Blog https://blog.billrichardson2006.com/