Heinrich Questions Deputies Integrity

In an astonishing turn of events, Martin Heinrich's campaign questions the integrity of every deputy in the Bernalillo County Sherriff's department:

Every election year, deputies with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office escort poll workers from polling sites to the locations where they drop off the ballots, and this year deputies will be guarding the election warehouse until the vote is certified.

But one campaign is questioning the role deputies will be playing in the process this year because the deputies’ boss, Sheriff Darren White, is on the ballot.

“I think the interesting part and the disturbing part for me is that these officers will be sheriff’s officers who work for Darren White,” said Jason Burke, a campaign strategist for Martin Heinrich, White’s opponent in the campaign to represent New Mexico’s first congressional district.

This is simply amazing to me. These are men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect and serve all of us - regardless of political persuasion. Plus, as the Heinrich camp knows all too well, Sheriff's deputies don't touch the ballots, they only safeguard those transporting the ballot. So, the implication here is that these deputies would attack those protecting they are charged with protecting in order to alter the ballots. Unbelievable!

You can catch me this Sunday morning on KOB-TV's Eye on New Mexico at 10:00 a.m. discussing the election.

Martin Heinrich Blew It

A lot of last night's televised debate on KOB-TV between former City Councilor Martin Heinrich and Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White for the 1st Congressional covered familiar ground and campaign tazlking points. However, Darren White hammered one point home that will really hurt Martin Heinrich going into this final stretch of the election.

Darren truthly pointed out over and over again that Martin Heinrich was the only candidate running for federal office in New Mexico who did not state a position on the bailout when questioned by the Albuquerque Journal.

Martin Heinrich Democrat Did not say if he would have voted for or against bill, but criticized it.

This fact, more than any other, demonstrates that Martin Heinrich is not ready to represent us in Congress. The biggest economic crisis to face our country since the Great Depression, and Heinrich dodges the question by refusing to take a position - UNACCEPTABLE.

The Boomers are Pulling Their Money

There has been a great deal written about the fact that the Baby Boomer generation has control of the greatest amount of wealth this country has ever seen.  In the past the focus has been on the ultimate transfer of that wealth.  But, of late, we're seeing that wealth disappearing at a phenomenal pace with market decline on top of market decline.

So, the question remains how long will the Boomers leave their money in the market?  My guess (and anecdotal evidence) is that they're starting to pull it out in droves, and I don't think that's going to stop between now and Election Day.  I don't believe they are going to put the money under their mattresses, but they are probably going to convert it into FDIC insured accounts until the market settles.

Obviously, I thought the bailout was a bad idea.  I put up a couple of posts arguing against it. And, I'm pretty sure, like most "great" government solutions, this one is going to suffer from unintended consequences - namely, the continued decline of Wall Street.  

See, by raising the FDIC insured amount to $250,000, the government just encouraged people on fixed incomes (read:retirees) and those about to retire to pull their money out and put it where it's safely insured.  

The politicians used a lot of doom and gloom rhetoric to rationalize the bailout, and they built up the expectation that as soon as it was passed the market and economy would be turned around. But, it's just not working out that way.  There is no way it can.  We're going to continue to see market declines through Election Day, and my prediction is that the Democrats are going to win big across the nation because of it - although, I hope I'm wrong.

No, it's not because the Republicans are the cause of the economic downturn.  There's plenty of blame to go around on both sides of the aisle, and in our own lives (count your credit cards). However, most Democrats believe that government can provide the solutions to every social issue and economic challenge, so it makes sense they would vote for the bailout.  Whereas, Republicans are supposed to believe in a free market economy (or at least something resembling one), many turned their back on those values and opted for the magic quick fix.  

The problem is, there is no such thing as a magic quick fix. 

Dead Heat is Bad News for Heinrich

That statistical dead heat in the 1st Congressional District race is bad news for Martin Heinrich (subscription):

The 1st Congressional District race is a close one, with Republican Darren White and Democrat Martin Heinrich running nearly even for the open seat, a Journal Poll found.

In interviews with likely voters, Heinrich, a former Albuquerque city councilor, was two points ahead of White, the Bernalillo County sheriff.

Heinrich was backed by 43 percent of the registered, likely voters in the 1st Congressional District survey. White had 41 percent. Sixteen percent were undecided.

The survey was conducted Sept. 29-Oct. 2 and has a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points plus or minus. Heinrich's 2-point edge over White wasn't statistically significant, said Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc. in Albuquerque, which conducted the poll.

I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Republicans have an uphill battle this year for a variety of reasons. We all know that. Although I admit I'm confused as to how some folks can be enamored of a change to Democratic control. After all, the Democrats won Congress two years ago on a platform of change, and look how well that has worked out for all of us.

Anyway, back to the poll. Heinrich has more money than White, and based on Democratic performance in mid-term elections in Republican strongholds across the country, Heinrich should be sweeping Darren White in the polls, but he is not.

Disclaimer stuff: In case you missed the previous disclaimers, I'm a big White supporter.

Declining Performance

I probably should have given this more attention last week, but I guess better late than never. It looks like even by her own accounting District Attorney Kari Brandenburg's performance is spiraling downward (subscription):

[Kari] Brandenburg says the DA's Office got convictions in 57 percent of the cases it took to trial in 2007 and says the overall conviction rate since she took office is more than 95 percent, taking into account guilty pleas.

Brandenburg concedes the data raise some questions and said she will thoroughly look into all of the cases on the list.

She pointed out that some of the cases were gang-related and witnesses backed out of testifying at the last minute. Four of the acquittals and three of the mistrials involved sex crimes, which she said are hard to get convictions on.

Of the four murder cases on this year's list, there were three convictions and one acquittal.

Torraco had a different view of the 2008 statistics.

"It's a disgrace. It's a travesty. There are a million words to describe this," said Torraco, who believes the DA's Office should win 80 percent of its cases. "I am seriously questioning their ability to analyze cases.

"When we have a DA whose loss record is greater than 50 percent, we know she is clogging the system with cases that should not have even been brought."

Let's review, shall we? District Attorney Kari Brandenburg has an overall conviction rate over the last eight years of 95%. But, in 2007 according to her own analysis, that rate dropped to 57%, and then according to an analysis done by her opponent in the District Attorney's race, Lisa Torraco, that conviction rate has dropped down to an alarming 37% for the first six months of this year.

At this rate of decline, it won't be long before the all of the criminals are running around free on our streets. But, probably most troubling for me is this statement that District Attorney Brandenburg made:

Brandenburg concedes the data raise some questions and said she will thoroughly look into all of the cases on the list.

How can you run an office as District Attorney and only become aware of the precipitous drop in convictions through an Albuquerque Journal interview? How exactly has she been benchmarking her performance if she wasn't already aware of the significant declines in convictions.

It's this type of declining performance that makes it clear that District Attorney Kari Brandenburg must go.

Disclosure: I'm supporting Lisa Torraco for D.A.

Waiting for the Iglesias's Ad

Joel Gay put up an article today in which he acknowledges the fireworks have begun in the 1st Congressional District race between Darren White and Martin Heinrich. And, by fireworks he means the negative ads.

If you think the race for New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District seems quieter than anticipated, you’re not alone. What was widely expected to be a barn-burner has largely been a snoozer. The candidates have kept relatively low profiles and the airwaves have been largely devoid of their names and faces.

That’s started to change, with Republican Darren White and Democrat Martin Heinrich trading blows over debate schedules, resumes and flip-flops on various policies. And just this week, White came out with the first negative ad.

Hmm, Joel, you might want to go back and review the ad releases dates. I'm pretty sure that Mr. Heinrich beat Darren in the "first negative ad" category. There was that embarrassingly cheesy hit piece that Mr. Heinrich put out a couple of weeks ago, and there was at least on other one before that. Although, on second thought that first ad I'm recalling may have been paid for by the DCCC, which I'm sure has nothing to do with the Heinrich campaign - just like Martin Heinrich didn't really need to register as a lobbyist when he was lobbying.

But, I will agree with your assessment that the negative ads are going to start to fly now from both camps. In fact, I couldn't help but notice that David Iglesias was back in the news:

"Looking back on all of this, in hindsight, I wish the department had not gone down this road," he said. He said he would not have included on the dismissal list U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico, who has said he was pressured over a corruption investigation.

Of course, we all know that the "pressure" that David Iglesias received was not over a corruption investigation (he would have been required to report that - kind of the requirement to report you're a lobbyist], but the pressure was about his unwillingness to prosecute ACORN's fraudulent voter registration election cycle after election cycle.

You probably have noticed the result of Mr. Iglesias ongoing failure to prosecute has embolden the organization. ACORN is now acting in such a fraudulently criminal manner that even the Democratic Bernalillo County Clerk has had to call in to question their practices - something Mr. Iglesias never had the stomach for.

Such is the situation for Bernalillo County, which reported, the day before Obama’s Española rally, that it had received 1,100 fraudulent voter-registration cards. While there is no information, yet, on where those cards came from, Matthew Henderson, ACORN’s New Mexico head organizer, acknowledges some could have come from his group. ACORN, he says, has registered 75,000 New Mexicans during this election cycle. While the group separates suspect forms into a separate stack, he says, it’s ultimately up to county clerks to decide which are valid.

In the case of Bernalillo, County Clerk Maggie Toulouse-Oliver notified the district attorney, Attorney General and US Attorney Offices about the bogus voter-registration cards. “If they want to conduct an investigation,” she says, “that’s their prerogative.”

Now, I've got a prediction. I'm willing to bet that Heinrich's campaign (or it's alter ego, the DCCC) will put out an ad trying to link Darren White to David Iglesias as Election Day gets closer. Heck, they'll probably even use an article the Albuquerque Journal published on April 15, 2007, which places Darren White at a meeting with the Department of Justice during the 2006 election cycle. Of course, there would be one problem with that tactic...

FOR THE RECORD: This story has been corrected to reflect that Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White met with Kyle Sampson, chief of staff for U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, in Washington in 2005 — not in 2006.

Now, if I know the record has been corrected, we know that Martin Heinrich and his alter ego the DCCC know that it's been corrected. The question is will they let the truth get in their way? You know, like the truth about needing to register as a lobbyist when you're lobbying.

Democratic Ass Whisperer

Well, I've got good news for the Martin Heinrich campaign. It looks like Mr. Heinrich is off the hook. No, I'm not talking about that whole "I got principally paid to lobby, but broke the law because I didn't register" deal. That is still a BIG problem.

However, he is no longer the winner of the cheesiest campaign commercial of the 2008 election season. That award now belongs to Democratic Ass Whisperer and candidate for State Representative Scott Hudson from Michigan:



If I were Mr. Hudson's opponent, I would stop producing my own commercials and just pay to air Mr. Hudson's ass whisper spot again and again.

First Cheesy Commercial Award Goes to Heinrich

Democratic Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich pulls way ahead of all other federal candidates in the state in the race to put out the cheesiest campaign commercial.




Martin Heinrich looks surprisingly awkward and ill at ease on camera, and the production value is so weak, that I half expected him to finish by saying, "I'm Martin Heinrich and I'll paint any car for $99." Unfortunately, for Mr. Heinrich it's not just the quality of the spot that fails. The content misses the mark by a long shot.

George Bush and Darren White’s energy policies are a drag on America’s economy. Tax breaks for big oil, and record gas prices are holding America back.

Does Mr. Heinrich even know who he is running against? Darren White, is the two-term Bernalillo County sheriff. The idea that Darren White has anything to do with energy policy in Washington is, well, ludicrous. According to the National Sheriffs' Association, there are 3,084 sheriff's offices in the U.S. as of September 1, 2007.

I find it hard to believe that Mr. Heinrich actually expect the voting public to believe that the President of the United States (or anyone else for that matter) asks those 3,ooo plus sheriffs to weigh in on national energy policies before making a decision. Homeland security, crime, jails... those would make sense, but national energy policy? That's kind of reaching, don't you think?

Go ahead and watch the commercial Mr. Heinrich is running again. Then watch the commercial Sheriff Darren White has on the air.



Who would you rather have representing you in Washington?




[Full disclosure: I'm a financial contributor to Darren White's campaign. And, comparing how the two candidates are representing themselves, just confirms that I've made the correct decision. In fact, if I had donated money to the Heinrich campaign, I might be calling them right now at 505-244-0022, to ask that my money be used for something other than the cheesy commercials.]

Martin Heinrich's Friends in Congress

According to Democracy for New Mexico, Martin Heinrich, the Democratic candidate for the 1st Congressional District, is holding a press conference today with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer:

From the Martin Heinrich for Congress campaign: Martin Heinrich will host a press conference and tour of Sandia National Laboratories with Steny Hoyer, the Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, this Wednesday, September 3rd, at 3:15 PM.

I must admit that I'm surprised that Martin Heinrich has no problem in sharing the stage with a Congressman who has a shown a well documented disdain for members of the Hispanic caucus:

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a moderate from Maryland, was beside himself. Congressional Quarterly reports that he jabbed his finger on the House floor at Joe Baca, the California Democrat who chairs the Hispanic Caucus, and yelled, "How dare you destroy this party? This will be the worst loss in 10 years.

Mr. Baca was having none of it. "You see this on the [voting] board?," he yelled back. "This is against me. This is against me personally." Luckily for Democrats, C-Span's microphones did not pick up the exchange. But it was audible to reporters in the press gallery.

Well, I guess New Mexicans might want to call Heinrich's campaign office and ask him
to explain how he can embrace a man who believes that Hispanic leaders are trying to destroy the Democratic Party?

What's Tom Udall Doing in Congress?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but what Tom Udall is doing in Congress is voting to raise taxes on the middle class, families and small businesses. Of course, don't take my word for it. Instead, read what Democratic Congressman Bill Foster (IL-14) had to say about the tax bill that Tom Udall voted to pass:

“I can’t support a budget, from either party, that raises taxes on the middle class. This bill hurts families all across the 14th District by eliminating the 10-percent bracket for lower-income taxpayers, reinstating the marriage penalty and increasing taxes on small businesses and investments.

I campaigned on a platform of middle class tax relief, and I was elected to Washington to bring about change. When asked to choose between my party and the people I represent, I will choose the families of the 14th District every single time.”

Before my readers on the left start leaving comments about how Congressman Bill Foster is just some sort of rogue Democratic Congressman, I think you ought to watch the recent video endorsement by one of the Congressman's supporters.



So where does that leave us? Well, I think that leaves us with a novel concept that Tom Udall might want to consider... putting families before party. Congressman Tom Udall wants to become Senator Tom Udall, yet he's voting to eliminate the 10-percent bracket for lower income taxpayers.

In case you're wondering what someone in the 10-percent bracket is earning, if they're single, the answer is up to $8,025 per year. If they're married filing jointly, it is $16,050 per year. Let me put that another way. We're talking about people barely making the minimum wage, and Congressman Tom Udall voted to raise their taxes.

Is there any wonder that most people think Congressman Tom Udall is too liberal to be elected to represent everyday New Mexicans in the Senate?

George Soros Opens Shop in New Mexico

It looks like the left is taking nothing for granted in this upcoming election cycle. George Soros has officially opened shop in the Land of Enchantment by putting several left leaning bloggers and journalists on the payroll:

The Center for Independent Media has opened a new news website in New Mexico. The New Mexico Independent is now live and running with a mix of veteran journalists and local bloggers.

Included among those local bloggers is yours truly, writing under my real name, Matthew Reichbach.

Managing Editor David Alire Garcia, lately staff writer at the Santa Fe Reporter, and news editor Trip Jennings, lately of the Albuquerque Journal, head the staff.

A quick glance over the website shows that the "About" section is, well, it's blank. But, a little digging around on the web, shows that this is standard operating procedure when George Soros launches one of these in a new market:

I’ve always meant to write piece titled “Who Pays Me?” Never got around to it. But if I had, I would have said that I was working under a contract with the Center for Independent Media (CIM), a Wasington-based non-profit, which is the parent organization of the Monitor and three other similar state-based sites.

This practice is, to say the least, very troubling. George Soros is the king of the ses deceptive practices. He has a foundation, which is conveniently misnamed the "Open Society Institute." A visit to the site paints a rosy picture of the "good works" done by the Institute. Of course, George Soros has failed in staying the man behind the curtain in the political arena, so the site, albeit a couple pages deep, does have this disclaimer:

George Soros’s private political activities are wholly separate from the Open Society Institute. OSI is a nonpartisan, nonpolitical entity—in accordance with U.S. laws for tax-exempt organizations.

Soros, as a private individual, is entitled to use his after-tax personal funds to support political candidates or parties within the parameters of U.S. election law. Any public statements on political issues are also made solely in his personal capacity. The Open Society Institute is not consulted or otherwise involved, and OSI is neither able nor permitted to comment.

For more information about George Soros's activities that are separate from the Open Society Institute, visit www.georgesoros.com.

Of course, following the suggested link uncovers absolutely nothing about George Soro's political activities. Instead, the website has one link on it's front page, a link back to OSI. Luckily, it's easy enough now to do a search on CQ Moneyline that uncovers millions upon millions of dollars in contributions by George Soros to push a personal agenda. And, if there were any doubt as to political leanings of that agenda consider that $2.5 million went to MoveOn.org.

What this all boils down to is that New Mexico Independent is anything but Independent. It is simply a rebranding of a political player for the 2008 election cycles. A political player who professes to an agenda of openness, but does everything in his power to operate in the shadows.

Tom Udall for U.S. Senate

I spent this weekend attending my son's soccer tournament in Bernalillo. We stayed at Tamaya, rather than trekking back and forth from the East Mountains. We rationalized the expense of staying at the resort as our way of reducing our carbon footprint. I even used one of those little electric carts to check out the culturally and ecologically sensitive areas around Twin Warriors.

Now, I hadn't brought my computer, so I missed the announcement over the weekend that Congressman Tom Udall was getting into the U.S. Senate race (subscription):

U.S. Rep. Tom Udall will seek the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Republican Sen. Pete Domenici in 2008, making him the third of New Mexico's three U.S. House members to seek the seat.

"He's definitely running," Udall's chief of staff Tom Nagle said Saturday.

However, learning of this news today explains the loud noise I heard coming from the direction of Albuquerque over the weekend. It was obviously the collective groan of Mayor Martin Chavez's campaign camp. Any chance they had of winning the Democratic nomination of the U.S. Senate seat vanished with Udall's announcement.

Udall's announcement is also a clear indication that Governor Richardson is serious about not getting into the Senate race. Udall's step-daughter, Amanda Cooper, is the deputy campaign manager of Richardson's presidential campaign.

This also mean that every Congressional seat except for one, Senator Jeff Bingaman's seat, is up for grabs. Combine that with the fact that every state legislative seat is up re-election, and we've got the makings of "all politics, all the time" in 2008.

Steve Pearce for U.S. Senate

I don't understand the thinking behind people asking Congressman Steve Pearce to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Senator Domenici. Now don't get me wrong. I'm a HUGE fan of Congressman Pearce. I just don't see how running to be New Mexico's Junior Senator representing the minority party at age 60 makes sense for a man with such a bright future.

Think about it.

By the end of the Congressman's second term in the Senate, about the time he would be moving up in the seniority ranks, he would be 72 years old - three years younger than Senator Domenici is today. That's not to say he wouldn't want to keep going into his 80's, but why would he want to do that?

If you're thinking I'm advocating for Steve just to spend the rest of his days comfortably ensconced in his current Congressional seat, you're wrong. That may be okay for someone like Congressman Tom Udall, a career politician from a political family. But, a leader like Steve Pearce can actually accomplish so much more.

Steve's a self-made business man from VERY humble beginnings who has a net worth that had him ranked in 2005 as the 22nd wealthiest member of the House. That means he could easily throw two to three million into a political race, and I think he should.

I think Steve Pearce should run for Governor in 2010. It just makes a whole lot more sense.

Like another self-made man, who was the first to be elected to two consecutive terms as Governor in New Mexico, Steve could provide the leadership and fiscal restraint that has been so sorely lacking on the fourth floor since Bill Richardson landed in the Governor's seat. At 62 years old, with millions in the bank and an impressive political, personal and business resume Congressman Pearce could surely win the Governor's seat - no matter who the Democrats put forth.

From there, well, as Governor Richardson has demonstrated, the sky is the limit. If Hilary Clinton were to win the Presidential election next year, and somehow managed to be elected to a second term, there is one thing that could be certain. By 2016, the country would be a mess and in need of a strong conservative leader.

In 2016, Steve Pearce would be a 69 year old, accomplished, conservative Western Governor with a leadership track record in politics and business second to none. Hmm, kind of reminds me of someone else who became the leader of the free world at 69 years of age.

Conversation with a Senior Wilson Advisor

Before I sat down to blog, I decided to go through my snail mail. In that pile of bills and solicitations was a letter from the People for Pete campaign asking me to help organize and collect petition signatures for our Senator. That letter was dated October 1, 2007 - only three days before the Senator announced his plans to retire for medical reasons. A political frenzy has since ensued with prospective candidates on both sides of the aisle trying to determine if they've got a shot at representing New Mexicans in Congress as a Senator or Representative.

The usual gang of blogosphere pundits are producing posts at a feverish pitch. There are those emerging from desert swamps with alligator predictions supported by the most unscientific of polls. Others are going straight to the source and getting prospective candidates to think out loud about their plans and rationale.

Personally, I think sometimes it pays to wait a beat or two for the dust to begin to settle a bit before jumping into the fray with predictions and insights. After all, it is impossible to make any sort of reasonable guess as to who is going to win a race until you at least know for sure who is running in it. I guess you could call me old fashioned that way.

Still, we do know that one candidate, Congresswoman Heather Wilson, has stepped in, and stepped in boldly. She did not wait to see what the presidential candidate and occasional state visitor, Governor Bill Richardson, is planning to do. She didn't call around to her Republican peers to try and figure out what they were going to do before taking the next step.

Nope, she just made a decision and announced her decision to run for the Senate seat - 24 hours after we all learned officially that it would be open. That's what I believe could be called a healthy dose of moxie.

Well, today I had a phone conversation with a Senior Wilson Advisor to discover the source of that gumption. The Advisor, who shall remain nameless (I learned that from my reporter friends), made some strong arguments as to why the Congresswoman should become New Mexico's next Junior Senator.

The Advisor pointed out to me, Wilson has won one hard battle after another against odds that most Las Vegas bookmakers wouldn't take. First, she beat a millionaire (or is it billionaire) native son. She followed that campaign win by not once, but twice defeating a well-funded and highly regarded Senator Pro-tem. Then in this last election cycle, she prevailed over a sitting Attorney General despite the anti-Republican tide that swept the nation and sent many of her colleagues packing. All of this in a district that went to Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004.

"Yeah," I said. "But, this is a statewide race." The Advisor quickly threw out a little known fact... The statewide registration of Average Republican Voting Strength (ARVS) is actually four points higher than that of Heather's Congressional District.

Since I have no problem at all with basic math, I didn't even have to start counting on my fingers to figure out that this means Heather Wilson would start this race with a four point head start over all of the previous races. The races she won.

But, the Advisor didn't stop there. I was asked to consider the amount of money spent on media in the last couple of elections. Since it just so happens I know a thing or two about media buying in our state (part of my day job), I got the message loud and clear. You see, New Mexico's television networks reach every corner of the state except around Las Cruces, which is part of the El Paso market. This means that the vast majority of New Mexicans know Heather Wilson.

The Advisor didn't have to state the obvious, but I will. Based on the amount of money she has spent on television in the last couple of elections, the Congresswoman's name id has got to be close to, if not greater, than 90%, in the vast majority of New Mexico.

And, based on a press release I saw from the campaign today, Wilson is already well on her way to raising the money she needs to get that name id to 100%:

The Heather Wilson for Congress campaign announced today that it will file a third quarter Federal Election Commission (FEC) report showing at least $754,000 cash on hand as of September 30, 2007.

Wilson’s campaign raised $238,000 during the third quarter of 2007 that ended on September 30^th and $908,000 for the year to date. The $754,000 her campaign has in cash on hand is nearly $25,000 more than two years ago.

As of September 30, 2007, the Heather Wilson for Congress campaign has received contributions from 2339 New Mexicans - 94.2% of her individual contributions.

“I’m honored to enjoy such strong support from New Mexicans,” Wilson said.

Well, all this is well and good, but I didn't shy away from asking the question on everyone's mind. What happens if our occasional Governor, the presidential candidate Bill Richardson, decides to jump into the race, despite his statement to the contrary? The Advisor's response was simple. The people of New Mexico would expect to see debates in every corner of the Land of Enchantment, and this time the Governor would be hard pressed to find an excuse not to participate.

"Ouch," I thought. That whole debating thing hasn't really proven to be one of the Governor's strengths of late.

Alright, it was time to wrap it up (after all, a guy has to make a living to feed his family). Still, I couldn't help just throwing out one last question before getting back to work. You see, when push comes to shove, I'm a limited government kind of guy at my core. So, I off-handedly asked the Advisor about the press release put out last week by the Club for Growth that chastised Wilson for being on the left when it comes to fiscal policy.

"You mean the release that came out about the same time that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee published their release attacking Heather Wilson for being too far to the right?" the Advisor asked.

"Yeah, I responded, "that's the one I'm talking about."

"Well," the Advisor responded, "if two East Coast organizations, one on the left and one on the right, accuse the Congresswoman of being too conservative and too liberal in the same day, then I'd say we're right about where we should be - firmly, in the center."

And, with that, the conversation came to an end.

Before anyone asks, I would be happy to talk to Senior Advisors for other candidates as they get around to announcing. Just shoot me an email, and I'll send you back an email with the best number to reach me.


The Disclaimer: I was an active member of Blogs for Heather Wilson this last election cycle, and have enjoyed the privilege of serving as a member of her finance committee.

Domenici Retirement - It's a Whole New World

It seems like every time I leave town for a couple of days, the political world in the Land of Manana gets thrown for a twist. Just a day after we put the Albuquerque City Elections behind us, the news breaks that Senator Pete Domenici is going to retire:

Sen. Pete Domenici is retiring after a generation as a dominant Republican voice on budget matters in Congress, deferring to health concerns after six terms in office.

A draft statement prepared for Domenici's formal announcement Thursday disclosed that the 75-year-old New Mexico Republican has a progressive disease that can cause dysfunction in the parts of the brain important for organization, decision-making and control of mood and behavior.

The sound you heard all over Albuquerque following the news was the hasty construction of political war rooms being hastily built on both sides of the aisle. Mayor Chavez, whose team just got dealt a stunning defeat in the City Election races, is definitely going to consider a run. And, the race just got a lot more expensive for Don Wiviott, who is now going to have a full primary slate to contend with - unless, of course, Governor Richardson abandons his national tour run for the Presidency to make a go at becoming New Mexico's next Junior Senator.

In about 120 days, Richardson is going to drop out of the Presidential race and in all likelihood make a run for the Senate seat. So, expect to see a compressed election cycle on this one. There will be a lot of potential candidates putting feelers out, but until February 5th, no one is going to know what Richardson will do, so it will be very difficult to raise money for the seat on either side of the aisle.

Sitting Through a Candidates Forum

I attended the Albuquerque City Council Candidate forum organized by the Albuquerque Metropolitan Board of Realtors, the Apartment Association of New Mexico, the Commercial Association of Realtors New Mexico, the Home Builders Association of Central New Mexico and the National Association of Industrial & Office Properties.

You can read about it over at the New Mexico Business Weekly online. Overall, it was pretty unexciting. For the most part, people said exactly what you would expect them to say on some of the hotter topics:

Affordable housing was a hot topic given the pending $10 million general obligation bond that will be on the ballot Oct. 6. The Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce has come out in opposition to the bond question, arguing the bill could prevent implementation of the workforce housing ordinance.

Katherine Martinez, director of government and community affairs for the Home Builders Association of Central New Mexico, who is running against Debbie O'Malley for the District 6 seat, said there should be a focus on keeping housing affordable across the city by evaluating legislation that puts additional fees on the building industry that are then passed to homebuyers. Her comments were echoed by Harris and Jones, who preached incentives rather than mandates for creating such housing, and Brad Winter, the incumbent in District 4. His opponent, Paulette de'Pascal, added that there should be input from all stakeholders when creating mandates for things like affordable housing -- a stance she reiterated often during other questions. De'Pascal owns Success Group International, a marketing, public relations and consulting firm.

Yup, as reported, Ms. de'Pascal was very fond of using the phrase "input from all stakeholders." So, I'm guessing that must have been something she learned during her studies.

This is not to say there weren't a few amusingly bizarre moments. For example, Joan Griffin commented that she was in part motivated to run because she was tired of hearing about "men picking up men in public restrooms." I kid you not, she did say that line.

Then there was Paulette De'Pascal's claim that she has "no enemies other than her ex-husband as widely reported in the Albuquerque Journal."

Oh, and I almost forgot, Councilor Debbie O'Malley decided to try and "discredit" her opponent Katherine Martinez by pointing out that O'Malley's family has deeper roots in the North Valley. How backwards is that? Maybe Councilor O'Malley would like to pass a city ordinance barring any recent migrant from another state from voting or seeking public office until their family has been in New Mexico for two or more generations.

I'm glad I live in the East Mountains. If you want to experience what I sat through, radio station KANW-FM 89.1 will broadcast a recording of the forum Sept. 26 at 6 p.m.

I'll Second That

Look, I'm partisan. I make no bones about it. I'm a Republican and proud to be a Republican. I support our elected Republican leaders. I proudly stand with our President, and I support our military efforts in the Middle East.


I'm the Chairman for the RNC's 2008 Victory efforts in Bernalillo and surrounding counties. I'm proud to welcome the Vice-President to Albuquerque from the tarmac, and I don't think twice about hamming it up to raise money for the New Mexico State GOP as a "celebrity" waiter (that's me as John Lennon, NOT Sonny Bono).


But, I'm also a guy who started this blog almost three years ago as an experiment. I wanted to stay involved in politics after I lost my bid for a seat in the State Legislature, but I also wanted to get in on the ground floor of the social media discussion. I wanted to learn about the marketing potential of blogs and understand the social media revolution from the inside out.

Along the way, I've had an opportunity to "meet" some terrific folks. I've had people comment on this blog or link to me from their own website who agree with very little, if anything, I have to say. And you know what? My life is richer for it.

Does this sound like my goodbye post? Don't worry, it's not. I'm not going anywhere. I'm having too much fun. Sure, I've had more than a few people who have wondered aloud if it is really a wise business decision for me to continue to write this opinionated, partisan blog day in and day out. Some may even think I'm doing more harm than good if I ever want to run for office again. But you know what, if I'm not electable as me, then I don't want to be elected.

Along those lines, I think we really need more WYSIWYG people in politics and in business. That's why, I'm going to join Eye on Albuquerque in tipping my hat to Sheriff Greg Solano, who recently commented:

Not only will I continue to blog, I have even started a new blog which will detail the run for Lieutenant Governor in a personal and honest way that I believe has never been done in New Mexico politics. One thing I vowed when I first ran for office was that "politics will not change me, I will change politics".

There is no chance, I'm ever going to vote for Sheriff Solano - our views on almost everything just don't line up. But, I can't help but think that if more candidates on both sides of the aisle began an honest discussion to put their thoughts and opinions out there three years before an election the world would be a better place.

What can I tell you? I guess I'm an idealist at heart, albeit a partisan one.

An Interesting Observation

Ok, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. One of the ways I keep track on certain politicos in New Mexico is through Google Alerts. I have a gmail account associated with this blog, and the news alerts all are fed into that gmail account.

Now, here comes the interesting part... the Republican candidates for President, who seem to be putting significant resources into search engine marketing, are John McCain and Newt Gingrich. Their sponsored ads are the ones that show up next to almost every post that has to do with politics - McCain's more than Gingrich's.

As an advertising professional, I can tell you this is a smart move on the part of the McCain camp. I'm not sure why the other candidates, or at least those with money, are not doing the same. My guess is that they are buying keywords, if not they're INCREDIBLY foolish, but they are not buying them broad enough.

My advertising company actually provides Search Engine Optimization (SEO), both of the organic and paid varieties, for several clients, and I have to tell you, these other campaigns are missing the boat in a big way. It is one of the least expensive ways to reach those in your target demographic. When it comes to politics, I'm a case in point.

Just Keeps Nagging at Me

I tried to ignore it. Really, I did. I read it yesterday, and thought, "Just forget about it. You just said something nice about the guy the day before, so let it lie." But, I can't. It just keeps nagging at me. After all, I have a civic duty to call it for what it is, right? Well, here it is. What's bugging me is this from Democratic blogger and Patricia Madrid booster, Joe Monahan:

It was the first time I had spoken with Madrid since her November defeat. As one would expect from a political pro who has been through the grinder, she showed not a hint of bitterness or remorse over her cliffhanger loss to Heather and reacted dispassionately when asked for analysis.

"I know you and others believe my debate performance was the reason for the loss. That was a factor, but she outspent me by at least several million dollars--maybe more when you count all the independent expenditures. She began the negative attacks in July and did not let up. That spending was as big a reason as any for the defeat," reflected Madrid who in the sole TV debate with Wilson froze before the camera in a moment that is now frozen in state political history.

Ok folks, time for a reality check. Let's talk about Ms. Madrid's campaign being outspent by millions.

1. Patricia Madrid started to shamelessly using taxpayer money as early March 2005 for self promotion and to improve name identification - a practice she continued to within 70 days of the election.
2. According to Political Moneyline Patricia Madrid's campaign spent just shy of $3.4 million, and Congresswoman Heather Wilson spent $4.8 million. That's a difference of $1.4 million - not exactly "several million."
3. And, who can forget the additional $2.1 million that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent on an eight week television buy to benefit Patricia Madrid.
4. Now throw into the mix the millions that Governor Bill Richardson spent on the 2006 election. In a Santa Fe New Mexican article it was reported, "Madrid has Gov. Bill Richardson, a fellow Democrat, on her side. Richardson has already told the national press -- which he may need to cultivate further should he run for president -- that Madrid will win narrowly, in part due to his get-out-the-vote operation in New Mexico."

The bottom line here is that Patricia Madrid WAS NOT outspent. In fact, she may very well have outspent Congresswoman Heather Wilson. And, let's not forget that back in 1998 a certain Mr. Maloof outspent Heather Wilson by about $6 million, yet we didn't end up with a Congressman Maloof.

So, what's really bugging me? Is it Patricia Madrid's assertions? No, she needs to rationalize her loss, and that's just a part of the human condition. It helps people move on with their lives. No, what's really bugging me is that a political veteran like Joe Monahan is aware of all of the spending information, and yet gave Madrid a free ride on her ridiculous statement. Had it been a Republican making that statement, he would have been all over it. Instead, he let it go. Once again demonstrating a clear bias - especially, when it comes to Congresswoman Heather Wilson.

Now before some of you start leaving comments about my bias when it comes to Heather Wilson, let me just say it. I'm a HUGE supporter of Heather Wilson. I think she's GREAT. But, see that's one big difference between myself and Mr. Monahan. I don't try and portray myself to be something that I'm not. Mr. Monahan may have a certain Santa Fe County Sheriff fooled into thinking he's a "truthful" blogger, but the rest of us know better.

A Lack of Splash

Sorry I've been silent on the Bill Richardson "big announcement." I was snowboarding in Vermont with about a dozen childhood friends and didn't really have internet access on the big day.

However, I'm not sure it would have mattered if I did. Governor Richardson's announcement just didn't seem to generate a lot of buzz and excitement up in that corner of the country. Sure, the Albuquerque Journal gave it a lot of ink, but in Vermont, well, it was an unimpressive entry at best.

Richardson's got a long way to go, and it doesn't seem promising that his campaign is already trying to spin his inability to raise the money needed to be competitive on the national stage by claiming that he's going to run "a grassroots campaign." Ouch, nothing like making excuses right out of the gate.