Democracy for New Mexico

Blog Blog

My favorite posts on the blogs today:

National: The Peaceful Occupation of Crawford Day 5 by Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Mother for Peace on  Daily Kos. You can read Cindy's previous Kos diaries here.

Local: An easy way to ask Mayor Marty questions about the Albuquerque police scandals at New Mexico Matters. Also, An enlightening post on Repub strategist Frank Lunz and his recent visit to Albuquerque by Marston Moore over on Duke City Fix.

Downing Street Memo for Dummies

Kathy Flake, one of Albuquerque's original I See Dean People-Take Our Country Back-Take Our Party Back-Grassroots Tea is in the Harbor-House Party-Dean Screams for Me-YOU HAVE THE POWER in Solidarity pals is now living outside London and blogs like a woman. Of course I mean that as one of the highest compliments I can give.

Click for an especially good FAQ on the infamous Downing Street Memo. While you're there, also check out the cows, the lambs, the history trips, the vegan recipes and more. Cheerio.

A Pause -- OPEN THREAD

We're heading out of town on Friday for a weekend of camping with friends down south of here at Caballo Lake (above) or maybe Percha Dam (below) so there'll be a pause in the posting here. However, I'll leave this as an open thread so folks can take the initiative and keep the place alive during my absence. Go ahead, start something up, post some news or just say hi in the comments section. Our traveling mascot, Bosco the peachfaced lovebird, thanks you.

Forums Added to Bernalillo County Dem Website

The website of the Bernalillo County Democratic Party has added a forum feature. To participate, you'll need to register, and then you'll be able to post in a variety of topic forums.

To check out the new feature, go to the main site and click on Discussion Forum at the top of the page.

Check Out New Defend NM Website

From www.DefendNM.org:
Who We Are, What We Want
An introduction to Defend New Mexico

A small group of New Mexicans is proud to introduce the first online news and analysis website devoted exclusively to New Mexico's congressional lawmakers.

But that's not all. We're stretching out across the state to bring you insight about the diverse culture we love and the desert philosophies we like to ponder.

DefendNM is both a source of information and a team of citizen activists ensuring honest and efficient lawmaking for all New Mexicans.

If you're interested in DefendNM, we encourage you to visit our website at www.DefendNM.org. There you will find the beginnings of what will become an influential, thought-provoking and progress-oriented institution.

We'd also like to encourage all New Mexicans to contribute to our site. Submit your ideas, events, news and commentaries to news@DefendNM.org.

Jerah R. Cordova, Defend New Mexico
www.DefendNM.org

Progressive Punch

There's an excellent new website where you can check out your U.S. Senators and Representatives on how they voted on progressive issues. There's a scorecard, lots of interesting data and you can also search by issue. Check out Progessive Punch.

As an example, here's a comparison of my Congressional politicos on All Issues:

Rep. Heather Wilson 11.40
Sen. Jeff Bingaman 81.40
Sen. Pete Domenici 9.64

The higher the score, the more progressive the voting record. Then you can see the votes on issues that created the scorecard and you can do the same for any member of Congress. Imagine what Tom DeLay's scorecard looks like. Or not.

Contest: Define the Liberal Agenda

From Tapped, the blog of The American Prospect online:

DEFINING THE LIBERAL AGENDA. With George W. Bush back on the steps of the Capitol for a second term, many liberals have decided that there's something we're fundamentally just not getting. Maybe it's something about our politics; maybe it's something about the way we communicate them. Either way, we often find ourselves incapable of expressing what we believe in a simple, accessible fashion.

So we want it brought back to the basics. The Prospect is hosting a contest to define the liberal ideology. Make it simple: In no more than 30 words, tell us what liberalism stands for. There's a reason you care about politics and a reason you read The American Prospect; what do you want to see accomplished in and by this great country? It may seem like a lot to fit into 30 words -- or it may be more straightforward than you think.

More details about the contest can be found here, and you can enter by emailing us. We'll post some of the best responses we receive over the next few weeks, and pick a winner in February (who will receive exciting prizes!). Enter early and, heck, if you've got a lot to say -- enter often.

Check Out I'm Blue

From Tony  DellaFlora:
I'm Blue was formed in response to the disaster of Nov. 2. Our first priority was to give "blue" voters a chance to make it clear that regardless of the results of the election, progressives and liberals everywhere would continue to stand on principle.

Thus, we declared Inauguration Day a National Day of Mourning and Solidarity for blues. We ask progressives to observe a moment of silence during the Inauguration and encourage them to wear blue mourning armbands that day.

The long-term goal of the group is to use its website, www.imblue.net as a resource for bringing together the disparate elements of the progressive movement, particularly in New Mexico. We will assist  local groups in disseminating information about issues, events, meetings and opportunities to take action. But we are most interested in redefining and reframing progressive values, creating cohesive strategies for long-term success, and serving as a resource for progressive candidates in this state. If that works, then we'll look at the rest of the country.

Editor's Note: You may have met Tony at our DFA-DFNM Meetup or other progressive events around town. He's a great guy and I'd like to urge you to visit his website and his online store. If you buy an "I'm Blue" armband or bumpersticker, 5% of the purchase price will be donated to us for the cause of our choice. Just type in "DFNM" in the coupon spot on the online order form.

Helpful One-Stop Progressive Site

The American Prospect has an excellent side project and website called Moving Ideas: The Electronic Policy Network, Connecting You to the Progressive Community. Click on the link above to explore this one-stop progressive policy and action center that has input from numerous think tanks and progressive activist organizations. You can also sign up for email updates and action alerts. A great resource for anyone interested in progressive policy, news and activism.

A Winnah!

A "gracias, muchacho" goes out to Jess of the local blog, Life Or Something Like It,for naming Democracy for New Mexico the  Best Single Issue Blog. If you have a few minutes, go check out the rest of his awards and say hello to Jess. We've got to stick together in these frigid political times!