Anti-Incumbent Sentiment Confirmed

When considering the polling prior to the outcome of the recent Albuquerque mayoral election, I noted that a strong anti-incumbent sentiment was in play:

In 2008, incumbents were swept out of office. Sure, it was a huge Democratic sweep. But, it was just as much an anti-incumbent sweep. People wanted new blood. They voted for "change."

The Obama administration and the Democrats now in control of the Congress misunderstood this vote for change to mean the country was endorsing a shift to the left and bigger government programs. This wasn't and isn't the case at all. The vast majority of Americans are not extremist - neither right nor left. Instead, they are firmly planted in the center.

So, the change they were voting for was against the incumbents, and the direction in which they were taking our country, which ironically enough was towards bigger government programs. Now, it seems to me that the anti-incumbent sentiment has not subsided. It is still alive and well.

My observation regarding the anti-incumbent sentiment seems to be confirmed by a recent Pew Research Group study:

According to the Pew Research Group, the number of people who would like to see their own U.S Representative re-elected has reached a low point — the same type of low point seen in the 1994 and 2006 midterms when the parties in power suffered large losses.

“About half (52 percent) of registered voters would like to see their own representative re-elected next year, while 34 percent say that most members of Congress should be re-elected,” according to Pew. “Both measures are among the most negative in two decades of Pew Research surveys.”

And, in more bad news for Democrats, Republicans are currently much more enthusiastic about voting in 2010.

I'd argue that these results also apply to the Governor's office and any swing legislative districts in 2010. Spend time talking to people about politics, and you'll see its true. Its probably the reason behind State Senator Eichenberg's recent candid observation:

He wrote that Eichenberg told the crowd at the Southwest Learning Center in Albuquerque that due to Denish's "complacency or complicity" with the ‘pay-to-play’ atmosphere surrounding the administration of Governor Bill Richardson, and standing quietly behind him," that he was unwilling to invest a half million dollars in a 'losing campaign.'

Bralley writes Eichenberg said, "I looked her square in the eye when I said that. I told her I didn’t think she was going to win.”

I'd say the numbers support his assertion.

Congratulations Albuquerque You Made a Good Choice!

RJ Berry's election win last night is a win for Albuquerque and New Mexico. Mayor-elect Berry is exactly the type of new leader we need in New Mexico. He is a 3H guy - honest, humble, hard-working - who take his responsibilities very seriously. Congratulations to RJ and his family!

I think the GOP needs to be careful about misinterpreting this win as a vindication. As the Democrats are quick to point out, the majority of votes went to the Democratic candidates, not the Republican candidate. However, more important is this fact noted by Eye on Albuquerque:

But what's also clear is that a solid 65% of voters wanted someone other than Martin Chavez to be mayor.

There is no mistaking it. There is a strong anti-incumbent sentiment out there among the voters. As Don Harris' City Council race demonstrated, that doesn't mean that anyone can win a seat, but it does mean that voters will choose a truly qualified leader over the entrenched incumbent. We saw it last night in the mayoral race, and we also saw it in Dan Lewis' win over Michael Cadigan. Dan was another 3H type of candidate.

So, where does that leave us. Well, Lt. Governor Diane Denish needs to take notice. Try as she may, its a little too late to disengage herself from the scandal fraught Richardson administration. As the economy crisis continues to worsen, people will rightfully be blaming the incumbents and those who enabled them, and looking for viable alternatives.

Not Enough Screaming Insults

Must have been an unbelievably slow news day. The front page of today's online Albuquerque Journal has an "article" which is basically a free ad for Lt. Governor Diane Denish's request for contributions:

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish is asking New Mexicans to restore civility to state politics — by contributing money to her gubernatorial campaign.

In an e-mail sent out to supporters Wednesday, Denish, the sole Democrat to enter the 2010 race thus far, said many New Mexicans have told her they're tired of the name-calling and negativity of current politics.

"Stand with me against the screaming and the insults," said Denish, who added that a contribution of $25, $50 or $100 would help her "put her foot down and say 'enough is enough!'"

Sorry folks this isn't news. There are lots of candidates out there asking for money, and unless the Journal plans on giving each and every one of them equal time, I think they ought to revisit their editorial policy.

As to the content of the Journal's in-kind contribution to Lt. Governor Diane Denish's campaign efforts, I can't help but wonder what exactly the Lt. Governor wants everyone to stop screaming about? Does she want New Mexicans to stop screaming about the fact that this administration's tenure has been marked by more criminal indictments and pay to play scandals than any other administration in recent history? Maybe she wants New Mexicans to stop screaming about a public education system that is failing more and more children every year?

As a former Chairman of the Democratic Party, does the Lt Governor find it insulting that a member of her own party would point out that OVER A BILLION DOLLARS is spent without required audits. Or, could it be that Lt. Governor Denish finds it insulting that she is being held accountable for failing to blow the whistle as tens of millions of dollars in taxpayers funds disappeared because of highly questionable investment practices.

Sorry, but if you ask me, there's not near enough screaming going on in the Land of Enchantment. In fact, I hope the "screaming" grows louder, and I'm really not going to lose any sleep if the crooks, or their enablers, are insulted.

Anti-Incumbent Sentiment Still Strong

I'm man enough to admit that I'm shocked by the polling numbers released from the mayoral race this weekend in the Albuquerque Journal:

It's a tight race for mayor of Albuquerque, but Richard Berry appeared to have a slight edge over three-term incumbent Martin Chávez 12 days before the Oct. 6 election, a Journal Poll found.

Richard Romero was a close third in the poll, just two percentage points behind Chávez.

Thirty-one percent of the registered, likely voters polled last week supported Berry, 26 percent chose Chávez and 24 percent sided with Romero. Nineteen percent were undecided.

The race clearly isn't over yet, said Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc., which conducted the poll.

Now, my surprise does not come as a result that more voters think RJ Berry would make a better mayor than politics as usual Mayor Marty Chavez. I've always been a fan of RJ Berry's [disclosure: contributed to RJ Berry campaign in the past]. But, I was convinced that the limits imposed on the campaign as a result of public financing would provide a benefit for the incumbent that would be insurmountable.

This still may be the case. However, I do think there is something else going on here. A lot has already be written about the way that the two Democratic candidates in the race are splitting the vote and that the politics as usual incumbent is bleeding conservative votes to... well, to the more conservative candidate. But, I think there is something more going on here.

In 2008, incumbents were swept out of office. Sure, it was a huge Democratic sweep. But, it was just as much an anti-incumbent sweep. People wanted new blood. They voted for "change."

The Obama administration and the Democrats now in control of the Congress misunderstood this vote for change to mean the country was endorsing a shift to the left and bigger government programs. This wasn't and isn't the case at all. The vast majority of Americans are not extremist - neither right nor left. Instead, they are firmly planted in the center.

So, the change they were voting for was against the incumbents, and the direction in which they were taking our country, which ironically enough was towards bigger government programs. Now, it seems to me that the anti-incumbent sentiment has not subsided. It is still alive and well.

If the 12-year mayor rightly gets voted out of office, it should serve as a warning to the other incumbents running for office in 2010. Our budgets are in the red. Our school systems are failing. Everyday more of our family, friends and neighbors are losing their jobs and their homes while big government rewards big business with taxpayers funds.

It's going to be harder and harder for the incumbents to convince folks they're part of the solution when the the truth is that they created the problem.

Pretty Much Says it All

A recent Albuquerque Journal article looks at the campaign claims of the three candidates running for mayor. What's most striking are the failures of incumbent Mayor Marty Chavez and the weak attempts at spinning his actual track record.

Mayor Chavez has increased spending at a budget busting rate during his tenure in office. An indisputable fact, that has been well documented over the years and is made equally clear in the Journal article:

Albuquerque's general-fund spending stood at roughly $325 million in the 2002 fiscal year, when Chávez returned to office. (He has won mayoral elections in 1993, 2001 and 2005.)

This year's general-fund budget totals about $475 million. That's a 46 percent increase from 2002.

Well, clear to anyone other than Mayor Chavez:

"Fiscally, I've been very conservative," the mayor said

Let's be real here. Mayor Chavez may be fiscally creative, but fiscally conservative he is not:

A sizeable chunk of Albuquerque's property-taxing authority has been switched from the capital program to the general-fund budget since 2003. The change provides about $48 million in annual revenue now, around 10 percent of the operating budget.

The result of this creativity?

The report, issued earlier this year by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation officials, said 36 percent of the Albuquerque area's roads are in poor condition, 18th worst among urban areas with a population exceeding 500,000. The analysis looked at cities and their surrounding suburbs, based on 2007 data.

Just another reason to say, "Enough already with politics as usual."

Election Cycle 2010 is in Full Swing

When it comes to political campaigning, it is often said that no one is really paying attention until after Labor Day. Of course, what they are talking about is the Labor Day preceding that year's November election (i.e. Labor Day 2009 and Election Day 2009).

However, we now have undeniable evidence that our election cycles have been greatly expanded. This year's election day marked the official start not of Election Cycle 2009, but of Election Cycle 2010. Last night was the first debate of the Democratic Lt. Governor candidates of 2010. I know I keep repeating the year, but I just can't get over it. Seriously, it's not like these folks are running for President of the United States. They're running for a position that really doesn't do much other than collect a salary and break the occasional tie vote:

This money fits in well with the theme in a cable television ad from the state GOP last week lambasting [Lt. Governor Diane] Denish for casting tie-breaking votes on a bill to expand the hours of operations for nontribal casinos in the state while taking tens of thousands of dollars from gambling interests. The ads refer to statements Denish made prior to being elected that gambling was bad for the economy. The ad calls Denish's votes "a pay-to-play jackpot."

What's even more bizarre than a Lt. Governor race getting media attention fourteen months before the election? The fact that the six candidates think that campaigning for raising taxes in tough economic times is a solid campaign strategy:

Several Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor who attended a forum Wednesday at the NEA building on Botulph Road said they'd like to repeal state personal income tax cuts for upper-income bracket taxpayers — a plan pushed at the outset of Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson's administration.

That's right, the state has gone an unrivaled spending spree over the last seven years, and rather than cut waste, these folks want to take more out of our pockets. Of course, some of the folks running for the relatively high-paying low stress job, are the same legislators that approved these massive budget-breaking spending sprees, so I guess its CYA time.

Now, in case you're thinking this expanded election season is limited to the Lt. Governor race, think again. It looks like the Secretary of State office is also kicking it into gear for Election Cycle 2010:

Attention candidates and potential candidates of any party: The Secretary of State’s Office is hosting “candidacy seminars” at the Roundhouse next week in an effort to teach budding politicians the basics of filing for public office and convey some general understanding of election laws and regulations.

The free three-hour workshops — scheduled for 9 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. Wednesday — will cover such topics as opening a campaign account, campaign finance reporting laws, withdrawal dates, hardship exceptions for online reporting, financial disclosure requirements, in-kind contributions, etc.

Wow, I wonder just how many people are going to show up for this? Now, don't get me wrong, people running for state offices have always started toying with the idea this early. It's not uncommon for them to put out feelers to check for support levels. But, this is way beyond that. This is full official campaign mode at a very early time. I guess on the upside if the Secretary of State asks budding candidates to sign in, a simple records requests will make it clear, which seats are in play for 2010.

Mayor Chavez is Right... Enough with Politics as Usual

With only a few weeks left until the Albuquerque City elections, the mayoral debates are coming with increasing speed. There looks to be an interesting mayoral debate coming up on Wednesday, September 16. Here is the info I received:

The Alibi is joining forces with KNME-5, the New Mexico Independent and KUNM 89.9 FM to bring you a free—totally free—mayoral debate on Wednesday, Sept. 16 (details below).

“The Line” host Gene Grant, KUNM’s News Director Jim Williams, New Mexico Independent Editor Gwyneth Doland and I will moderate. We'll pose your burning questions about your city to the candidates.

Audience members will be given notecards and can submit their queries at the start of the throwdown. Or, film a question, upload it to YouTube and send the link to abqmayoraldebate@gmail.com. (Extra points if your backdrop relates to the subject of your question.)

R.J. Berry, Martin Chavez, Richard Romero
Submit video questions for candidates to abqmayoraldebate@gmail.com
See what people are already asking at youtube.com/user/DebateHosts
Wednesday, Sept. 16
National Hispanic Cultural Center
1710 Fourth Street NW
Doors open at 6 p.m., debate at 7 p.m.
Seating is first-come, first-served. About 300 available.
Hear it live on KUNM 89.9 FM
Watch it and live-blog it at alibi.com and newmexicoindependent.com
See it Friday, Sept. 18, on KNME-5

After the mayoral debate, join Alibi and local politicos for discourse, libations and complimentary canapés. Municipal DJs play eclectic Americana and rare groove as citizens of Albuquerque snack and mingle.

Downtown at Blackbird Buvette (509 Central), Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 8:30 p.m. 21+

Now, it's not often that an after debate party complete with libations and complimentary canapés is advertised to draw in a crowd, but believe it or not, that's not what I think makes it potentially interesting. What makes it a potentially interesting debate is the timing.

The mayoral election is just now starting to get some attention. This is one of the effects of a taxpayer funded mayoral campaign. None of the candidates have really had the cash necessary to pound home the issues, or each other's shortcomings.

A lot of people might think that's a good thing, but the truth of the matter is, intended or not, this has worked to the advantage of the incumbent, Mayor Marty Chavez. If you're a fan of Mayor Marty, then it's great. If not, well, not so great.

Mayoral candidate and State Representative RJ Berry is starting to make some noise about the Mayor's "real record of accomplishment." Unfortunately, I'm not convinced the taxpayer funded campaign is going to provide enough resources for the message to get the penetration that is needed to be effective.

On the upside, the Mayor is spending his equally limited funds playing defense, which in a campaign is never a good thing. You can listen to the radio ad here [hat tip: New Mexico Independent]. In the ad, the Mayor denies ever turning Albuquerque into a Sanctuary City or pushing a trolley for Central, and implies that anyone who says otherwise is guilty of politics as usual.

Ok, first let me address the obvious. If anyone is to be equated with "politics as usual", it would have to be the Mayor who fought a legal battle to overturn term limits, so he could continue... Yup, "politics as usual." Geez, talk about opening mouth and inserting foot. Mayor Martin is practically the poster child for politics as usual.

Enough of that. Let's get to the meat of the matter. If there is one thing I hate, it is politicians who attempt to rewrite the history they helped create. Of course, I'm not the only one who has that pet peeve. I think you ought to take a listen to this segment from the Jim Villanucci show circa 2007 [hat tip: Eye on Albuquerque]


It's kind of hard to deny the facts two years later, when anyone can go back and find the truth.

Effective immediately, Albuquerque police officers who find illegal immigrants will no longer contact either federal immigration agents or the border patrol.

Sorry Mayor Chavez, that politics as usual tactic of denying your record just doesn't work in the modern age. [side rant: This originally came from a KOB-TV news story, which is no longer available. Is it really too much to ask for MSM news outlets to keep their articles up in perpetuity?]

Now what's even funnier than Mayor Marty Chavez denying in his campaign ad that he is being maligned on his record of turning Albuquerque into a sanctuary city? It would be the Mayor pretending he doesn't want to build a trolley on Central. First, in order for us to all be on the same page, let's look at the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of a trolley:

• Main Entry: ¹trol·ley
• Variant(s): also trol·ly \ˈträ-lē\
• Function: noun
• Inflected Form(s): plural trolleys also trollies
• Etymology: probably from ¹troll
• Date: 1823

1 dialect English : a cart of any of various kinds
2 a : a device that carries electric current from an overhead wire to an electrically driven vehicle b : a streetcar powered electrically through a trolley —called also trolley car
3 : a wheeled carriage running on an overhead rail or track
4 chiefly British : a cart or wheeled stand used for conveying something (as food or books)

I hope you noted the use of the word streetcar to define the word trolley. Also, pay special attention to definition 2a and compare it to this definition of a "modern streetcar" found on the City of Albuquerque website:

Streetcars feature a pole that touches an overhead wire, called catenary. Once the power reaches the streetcar through the trolley pole, it is fed to motors, which are called traction motors that are located on each wheelset.

Pretty dang close, wouldn't you say? Yet, the Mayor wants us to believe he doesn't want to reach into our pockets and pull out additional tax money to build a trolley. He can call it a modern streetcar. He can call it a light rail system. But, it doesn't change the fact that he's itching to build a trolley. Just another fine example of politics as usual.

What's that you say? You are still not convinced that Mayor Marty is a politics and usual kind of politician. Well, let's look at the other half of his claim. He only supports building a trolley system "if passed by the voters." REALLY?

Time for another trip down memory lane. Let's go back to November 3, 2006 to see what Mayor Chavez tried to do when he thought no one was looking:

[The transportation] tax was originally sold to the taxpayers as a means of modernizing the transit system and fixing streets, and it has done that. The tax has also "ballooned in dollars received." In other words, it brought in a lot more than expected. Yet, rather than let the temporary tax sunset, the Mayor and City Council want to make it a permanent tax while no one is looking.

It's the old bait and switch, and it is blatantly UNETHICAL.

So, the truth is that Mayor Marty only supported seeking taxpayer approval once he got caught with his fingers in the taxpayers' back pocket. C'mon everybody. It's time for the chorus... Just another fine example of politics as usual.

So, how about we close with the closing thought from Mayor Chavez's radio ad?

You mean a candidate would intentionally distort the truth just to get elected? Unfortunately true.

Haven't we all had enough of politics as usual?

Leadership. Vision. Results.

Our friends over at the Errors of Enchantment blog have picture perfectly captured the summation of Mayor Martin Chavez's leadership:

The signs which tout the Mayor’s “Leadership, Vision, and Results” are mostly located in open fields and other “public property” locations. But, as I was driving downtown the other day I noticed a sign in a rather unusual place, especially for an incumbent Mayor. I saw a sign in front of a boarded up hotel, the “Silver Moon Lodge” which is just west of downtown on Central.

Now, you have to appreciate the irony of Mayor Marty's campaign sign in front of a boarded up business in light of this claim from his campaign website:

While we're all aware of the nation-wide economic hardships so many people are facing, Albuquerque has been able to fair better than most urban area in the country.

But wait, it gets better. Mayor Marty actually has down as his number one claim to fame in his list of accomplishments: Public Safety. He even spells out how he has improved public safety.

Albuquerque is virtually graffiti and litter free due to Mayor Chavez' strict zero tolerance policies.

Wondering what zero tolerance for graffiti looks like with Mayor Martin Chavez leading the city?

Kinda brings the Mayor's other claims of accomplishment into question doesn't it?

State Representative and mayoral candidate Richard Berry has some additional observations, photos and videos on the success (or more appropriately lack thereof) of Mayor Chavez when it comes to public safety.

An Observation About the Changing Paradigm

For many people, Republican policy has always been seen aligned with business, and Democratic policy has been equated to big government. Now, with the Republicans out of power and the Democrats firmly in control, it has been interesting to observe the shift that is occurring.

President Obama and the vast majority of congressional Democrats are proposing big government solutions to every problem from the economy to healthcare and everything in between. Of course, that's exactly what was expected. What wasn't expected, at least not by me, is that the these same Democrats are not only out there promoting big government solutions, but the big government solutions have all been crafted in a way to put the interests of big business first.

Consider the bailouts, they have all gone to the biggest of the big businesses. The biggest banks, the biggest insurers, the biggest automobile manufacturers are the beneficiaries while the small businesses that drive our economy are left to languish with programs that are nothing but smoke and mirrors. Now, I've never thought of big businesses as evil empires. After all, as a small business owner, my goal is to one day become a big business. But, I've always been against legislation that specifically benefits one industry over another, or puts a competitor at a disadvantage.

Yet, this is precisely what is occurring on the federal level. A recent Business Week Behind This Week's Cover Story podcast examines the ways that UnitedHealth has been a key player in crafting the healthcare legislation, and how at the end of the day, it is the giants of the healthcare insurance industry that are going to be the big winners:

As the health reform fight shifts this month from a vacationing Washington to congressional districts and local airwaves around the country, much more of the battle than most people realize is already over. The likely victors are insurance giants such as UnitedHealth Group (UNH), Aetna (AET), and WellPoint (WLP). The carriers have succeeded in redefining the terms of the reform debate to such a degree that no matter what specifics emerge in the voluminous bill Congress may send to President Obama this fall, the insurance industry will emerge more profitable. Health reform could come with a $1 trillion price tag over the next decade, and it may complicate matters for some large employers. But insurance CEOs ought to be smiling.

This is a theme that is being repeated over and over since the Democrats have taken full control. However, as a result of continued economic pressures, more and more people are finding themselves being laid off from large companies. More and more people are struggling to ensure their families have the basics. The Democrats in control may talk on the stump about being the advocates for hard-working Americans, but their actions speak louder than their words:

Missing from Washington's health-reform discussion is a simple change that would make insurance more affordable for millions of the nation's smallest business owners by letting them fully deduct the cost of their health insurance premiums.

By a quirk in the tax code, self-employed workers who buy their own health insurance essentially pay an extra tax on their premiums. They're the only taxpayers in the system who pay taxes on premiums, which count as a business expense for corporations and pretax income for employees. Because self-employed workers have no corporate employers to match their payroll tax contributions to Social Security and Medicare, they pay double the rate of wage and salary workers in a levy known as the self-employment tax equal to 15.3% of their net earnings. That's on top of regular state and federal income taxes, and the income they spend on health premiums is not exempt.

The nation's 9 million self-employed—sole proprietors with few or no employees, contract workers, and freelancers—constitute about 8% of the total U.S. labor force, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (The Census Bureau counts 22 million sole-proprietors, but it's not clear how many of those may be payroll workers as well.)

Healthcare is just one example where inequities like these exist. Right now, there is a large section of the population that is not being represented by our elected officials. There is an opportunity for leaders to emerge that represent our interests. Those leaders will find their support crosses party lines. Their supporters won't be made up of the radical fringes of the left or the right. Their supporters will not look for big government solutions to their problems or to further their pet causes, anymore than they want big business to solve their problems. It's time for these leaders to step forward.

Public Financing Makes for Quiet Campaigns

With all three Albuquerque mayoral candidates having expended between 10% - 20% of their taxpayer funded campaign dollars so far, one thing is very clear. It's an awfully quiet campaign. This works in the incumbent's favor. Everyone knows I really dislike taxpayer funded campaigns, because I believe they hurt, rather than help the process.

The irony here is that the advocates of these taxpayer funded campaigns argue that they enable people who would not otherwise be able to run the opportunity to seek elected office. Of course, the three people who are running on the taxpayer dollar have all been successful at getting elected in the past through voluntary contributions as opposed to forced taxpayer support. So, that argument doesn't really hold much water.

Worse yet, the incumbent has been able to leverage his position as mayor to basically ignore the race until the final two months and focus on generating positive press through city staffers. With government budgets being tighter, maybe we can eliminate all taxpayer funded campaigns as one measure of belt tightening.

What's off the Record?

I fought it for as long as I could, but I eventually had to create a Twitter account (burgosgroup). I really didn't want to because, to be perfectly honest, I'm having enough trouble keeping up with my Facebook account, and reading all of my blog feeds. Not too mention the non-social media related demands in my life. But, you can only resist for so long.

Of course, like everything in life, there are actually ways to have your cake and eat it too. My Twitter and Blog accounts are now linked to my Facebook account. So, what I write on either of them ends up on Facebook as well. Of course, anyone can follow my posts or tweets, but not everyone can become my friend on Facebook. I know some of you might find that hard to believe since I seem to add a new friend every couple of days.

So, do I like Twitter? Yeah, like millions of others, I'm fully addicted. You think talking on a cell phone while driving is dangerous? I can't even imagine how many folks are driving while checking their Twitter alerts. Next time you're driving look at the people driving next to you to see if they are looking down into the car every two seconds. Chances are they are texting or reading Twitter alerts. Somehow, I'm thinking this is an even greater threat to society than salvia.

Now, there are some New Mexico folks who are Twitterers in overdrive. I'm talking about Matthew Reichbach, Julia Goldberg, Peter St. Cyr and Santa Fe Sheriff and Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor Greg Solano. The other bloggers we all know and like and the one's we respect and the one's we love to "hate" are on there too, but the first four I mentioned are in a league all their own when it comes to NM Twitterers.

Probably not a big surprise all of them are bloggers, and if they are like me, they tried Digg and Delicious, LinkedIn and Plaxo, but nothing is getting quite as much of their attention as their blog, facebook and twitter accounts.

I've been blogging since December of 2004. At first it was an experiment. I was interested in learning about this blogging thing eight or nine million people were doing worldwide. I also wanted to stay engaged and relevant in politics after running for State Representative in a 2004 primary and losing. I can say without a doubt, "Mission Accomplished." In fact, what I've learned and got out of this little experiment far exceeded anything I ever could have imagined.

I've told everybody I've met who has thought of running for office that they should blog. I've had surprisingly very few takers. I remember one soon to be candidate telling me that blogging wasn't a good idea because the opposition research folks would use what you've written against you in a campaign.

My thoughts on that were simple, they're going to come after you in a campaign no matter what. And, if they can't find something, they'll probably make something up. I know I've had it done me and seen it done to others on muliple occasions. So, you may as well put your own thoughts out there for people to judge. My experience is that although many may disagree with your thoughts, you'll still earn their respect.

Which brings me to my motivation for writing this post. There are still some commonsense rules to which you need to adhere. First and foremost is that once it's out there, it's out there. You can't take it back. Several of the people I mentioned above with Twitter accounts are not only bloggers, but are reporters - darn good ones I might add. There is no such thing as an "off the record" comment that is publicly published. It just doesn't work that way.

So, in these times of instant media and spontaneous sharing, you still need to take a moment and think before you let your fingers do the talking. Like I said, I think every political candidate and future political candidate should take advantage social media. But, I also believe that they ought to take the time to learn the rules of the game before they start playing.

The Makings of a Perfect Storm

During last year's election cycle, the perfect storm was created, and Democrats from the Roundhouse to the White House prevailed. Come the day after the election, there were some lost seats that astounded everyone:

Nobody thought Karen Giannini was going to win.

Not local political junkies (like us at NMI) watching tight races on election night; not her new Democratic colleagues in the state House of Representatives; and certainly not her incumbent opponent, Rep. Justine Fox-Young, who was sitting in what everyone considered a safe Republican seat.

But somehow this Air Force veteran and divorced mother of three defied all odds and expectations by beating her well-financed incumbent opponent.

And she did it without spending a dime.

Of course, next year's election is shaping up to be a little different. There are no indications on Main Street USA that the economy is improving. Quite the contrary, with even the Administration having to admit that the massive bailouts have been a failure. Instead of creating 3.5 million new jobs as promised, the bailouts, at best, have saved or created 600,000 jobs:

Just 10 days before taking office, Obama's top economic advisers released a report predicting unemployment would remain at 8 percent or below through this year if an economic stimulus plan won congressional approval.

Yet the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that unemployment in May rose to 9.4 percent.

Biden said the White House is keenly aware of the gap between the rhetoric used to sell fast passage of the legislation and the reality that has 14.5 million people unemployed. The administration had predicted that the stimulus bill would create or save as many as 3.5 million jobs.

14.5 million people in America are now unemployed, and what lays ahead in the future? Well, for the answer we go straight to the top:

President Barack Obama offered stern words for Wall Street and a prediction of 10 percent U.S. unemployment even as he said the “engines” of an economic recovery have begun to turn.

Now, I know that some of you will consider leaving comments that unemployment is a lagging indicator, and that the economy is turning around. Personally, I don't think so, but honestly, it's nothing more than an academic discussion. What's important is the political reality come Election Day 2010.

All of these people are not going to suddenly be employed by that point, and the people's concerns quelled. Hungry, unemployed people really don't care about lagging indicators. They care about providing for their families. In fact, if the public opinion trends continue, we have the makings of a Jimmy Carter situation:

Nearly seven in 10 survey respondents said they had concerns about federal interventions into the economy, including Mr. Obama's decision to take an ownership stake in General Motors Corp., limits on executive compensation and the prospect of more government involvement in health care. The negative feeling toward the GM rescue was reflected elsewhere in the survey as well.

A solid majority -- 58% -- said that the president and Congress should focus on keeping the budget deficit down, even if takes longer for the economy to recover.

Yet, Congress is going to keep on spending because that is what Congress does - at least of late. We've got bigger and bigger and vastly more expensive programs coming down the pike. Now, you couple these federal problems with the never ever ending list of political scandals plaguing the Land of Enchantment, and you have the makings of a new perfect storm.

A storm where those that were swept in the last election cycle with little to no effort, could very easily find themselves just as quickly swept out. With this being the case, it's probably no surprise that new candidates for the Roundhouse are starting to emerge at what may seem to many a very early date. Take for example Nate Gentry, a former aide to Senator Domenici, who has already launched his website to take on the accidental incumbent noted at the beginning of this post in House District 30.

Let the games begin.

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.

A Change in America

I have to admit. I have yet to catch a debate in real time - various obligations have outweighed the desire to watch the debate each time. Usually, I've caught them a couple of days after the fact online. Last night was no exception. Although this time, I DVR'd it and watched a couple of hours after the fact.

Why am I prefacing this post with all of this? Because I think it important to note the importance of this change in how we get our information. Sure, people have been talking for years about the time shifting that is occurring in viewing habits, but I think this will be the first Presidential election where the full impact of this change will be felt.

Do I feel inundated by political campaign commercials this season? No. I don't watch them, or at least not more than once (usually viewed online). On those rare occasions when I watch a television program, it is, like last night's debate, according to my own schedule with my finger firmly pressed on fast forward during those commercial breaks.

This option is being taken advantage of by more and more Americans each and every day. If you're like me, you didn't catch the Katie Couric interviews of Governor Palin live, but sought them out after hearing how poorly she did in order to see the soundbites in their context. The same is true for Tina Fey's Saturday night depictions of the Alaska Governor. I haven't watched Saturday Night Live since my teenage years. Sitting through all of the mediocre skits to see that one good one just isn't my idea of entertainment. But, the internet may just give Saturday Night Live a relevance for a whole new generation.

So, keeping all of this in mind, a couple of thoughts on last night's debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin. First, the good news - I found them both to be very likable. Senator Biden's knowledge of the world stage made something very clear. He has been a working Senator, and he had one of my favorite observations of the night:

Mike Mansfield, a former leader of the Senate, said to me one day -- he -- I made a criticism of Jesse Helms. He said, "What would you do if I told you Jesse Helms and Dot Helms had adopted a child who had braces and was in real need?" I said, "I'd feel like a jerk."

He said, "Joe, understand one thing. Everyone's sent here for a reason, because there's something in them that their folks like. Don't question their motive."

I have never since that moment in my first year questioned the motive of another member of the Congress or Senate with whom I've disagreed. I've questioned their judgment.

I have quite a few politically active friends on both sides of the aisle, and I can't tell you how true this is. The vast majority of those representing us (and working to elect them) are good people. Their hearts and intentions are in the right place. I found it interesting that a very similar comment was made be Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) in his recent floor speech against the bailout:

Mr. President, I have friends and colleagues whom I respect deeply who are on all sides of this bailout issue. One of them just spoke. We all to want do what is right for America, and I believe those who have crafted this plan had pure and noble motives. They want this country to succeed. They want prosperity. I just do not believe that this bill gets the job done. In fact, in the long term, I am convinced it will do more harm than good.

Sometimes its too easy to forget that most people are good people - although there are definitely some bad apples in the process. Both Senator Biden and Governor Palin are clearly good apples. But, there is a fundamental difference between the two. Governor Palin truly represents the future and Senator Biden the past. For all of his talk of change, Senator Obama could not have made a worse choice than Senator Biden to be his running mate. Not because Senator Biden is a bad or incapable person - I don't believe either is true, but because this is Senator Biden's last hurrah.

Assuming that change is really what we need, and I believe all indicators support that, the Obama campaign brings a big pink elephant into the room. The fundamental effects of change through a Democratic process are not felt in four years - maybe, not even in eight. So, if Senator Obama is elected at the end of the day where is his succession plan? The answer: He doesn't have one.

On the flip side, Governor Palin last night made it very clear that she is the symbol for the succession plan for the Republican Party - something we have been sorely lacking. She has exactly the type of keep it real and get back to bascis philosophy we need. As David Brooks fairly notes, Governor Palin's personal charm would not have worked well in the past:

Their primal need for political survival having been satisfied, her supporters then looked for her to shift the momentum. And here we come to the interesting cultural question posed by her performance. The presidency and the vice presidency once was the preserve of white men in suits. As the historian Ellen Fitzpatrick pointed out on PBS Thursday night, if, in 1984, Geraldine Ferraro had spoken in the relentlessly folksy tones that Palin used, she would have been hounded out of politics as fundamentally unserious.

But that was before casual Fridays, boxers or briefs and T-shirt-clad Silicon Valley executives. Today, Palin can hit those colloquial notes again and again, and it is not automatically disqualifying.

But, it is not the past that concerns us. It is the future, and for our future Sarah Palin showed last night why she fits the bill perfectly. Is she an expert on all of the issues? No. But, this is where a knowledge of business is critical. The most successful CEO's in America know that they don't have to be the smartest person in the room. They need to surround themselves with those people, and then make an "executive decision" based on the facts those people present.

Some you may say that's how President Bush was sold to us. Unfortunately, President Bush has one fatal flaw as a great executive, and it is not his motivation or ethics. It is his loyalty. Time and time again, he kept people in jobs when they should have been transitioned out.

Now, let's bring this full circle. Who won last night's debate? Governor Sarah Palin won. She won because she was the one with the most to lose. The biggest question America had regarding Sarah Palin is can she hold her own, and the answer last night was a resounding yes. Is she more knowledgeable than Senator Biden? No. Considering the age and experience gap, Senator Biden would have to be a fool for that to be true, and Biden is not.

However, Biden is no longer running for President. Barack Obama is. And, like Sarah Palin, Senator Obama is a very capable person, but a person who needs a few more years of on the job training before moving into the position of the presidency. In fact, in many ways, Obama is less prepared than Governor Sarah Palin to lead.

There is a change needed in America. The cultural change has already occured, and in my humble opinion, Governor Sarah Palin demonstrated last night why the McCain/Plain ticket is the embodiement of that change, and the Obama.Biden ticket is not.

Who Would Vote for Jerome Block Jr?

Looks like Attorney General Gary King is going to move forward with an investigation into Jerome Block Jr's dishonest use of public financing funds (subscription):

Attorney General Gary King said investigating a Public Regulation Commission candidate who has acknowledged lying about an expenditure he made with public funds is a "front-burner" issue for his office.

But King said he's not sure when a decision will be made about whether to pursue charges against Jerome Block Jr., the Democratic nominee for a PRC seat in northern New Mexico's District 3.

Block in a campaign finance report said he paid $2,500 to a band — whose members include the San Miguel County clerk — for a performance at a May campaign rally.

When news organizations questioned the expenditure, Block repeatedly insisted the performance had occurred. He admitted this week that he had lied, saying he had wanted to avoid further publicity and was unsure how to reflect a refund.

I had wondered late last month when heads would begin to roll this election cycle for the "questionable" (read: illegal) campaign activities. My only concern is here is that the Attorney General is making this a "front burner" issue. I'm not sure how "front burner" compares to "top priority," but if they're equal Jerome Block, Jr, may well have collected $180,000 in salary before the investigation is complete.

How do I figure that? Simple. Investigating the Housing Authority fraud was a top priority for this Attorney General, and that investigation started 24 months ago without anyone being indicted to date.

Now, of course, there is one way to make sure that Mr. Block, Jr. doesn't get to collect that cushy salary - don't elect him. Obviously, I'm not in his district, so I don't really have a vote here, but considering the facts to date. I can't imagine how anyone in their right mind would vote to elect this guy. It looks like his troubled legal history is not even close to behind him.

As a closing note, please remember this guy is running on our dime. This is a publicly financed campaign. Those who argue for public financing of campaigns love to say that one of the reasons for having them is to encourage those who might not otherwise be able to run be given a chance. With candidates like Jeorme Block, Jr., I'm inclined to think we might all be better off if certain types of candidates couldn't run.

If proponents of publicly funded campaigns are going to keep ramming this thing down our throat. Could they at least change the law, so that anyone with a criminal record is prohibited from getting publicly funded. Is that too much to ask?

Getting Tripped Up by Your Own Story

I've read this over and over and over again. I've read it to myself, and out loud. Those of you have called me an idiot and moron in past comments, might be right. Because, for the life of me, I can't understand what Martin Heinrich is saying here (subscription):

Heinrich, a former Albuquerque city councilor, said he was paid principally by the Coalition for New Mexico Wilderness to lobby for the creation of the Ojito Wilderness northwest of Albuquerque. The federal legislation passed in 2005.

Federal law requires registration if a lobbyist receives more than $5,000 in a six month period from an organization, and spends more than 20 percent of his or her time on lobbying activities of the organization.

“There was never a time when I was paid that much to lobby anyone,” said Heinrich. “Now, I did other things that I was compensated for, but I never made that much money lobbying any entity, either state or federal.”

How can you say that you were "principally" paid to lobby, and also say that your compensation was for other things? You can't, right? I mean, you can, but it doesn't make any sense. This is just like that Patricia Madrid's eight seconds of silence. All she had to do was answer the question honestly, and she would have in all likelihood been a member of Congress. I wouldn't have liked it, but I'm just being honest here.

Likewise, all Martin Heinrich had to do was to admit that he screwed up and pay the $50,000 fine, and this would have been water under the bridge. We already know from his failure to get a business license that following government regulations forced on everyone else is not one of his strong suits.

Of course, there is an ironic twist to all of this. During the Democratic Primary, Martin Heinrich made a point of calling for a federal investigation (subscription) of one of his opponents for failure to follow the letter of the law:

Martin Heinrich, running in a four-way Democratic primary race for the 1st Congressional District seat, will ask for a federal investigation into opponent Robert Pidcock's campaign financing because Pidcock did not report loans to his campaign in the time frame required by law.

But, this is the kicker...

Jon Blair, who is managing Heinrich's campaign, said Heinrich would file a complaint that could result in fines to Pidcock's campaign if he is found to have violated the law.

"He's not abiding by the law that every candidate in the country manages to abide by," Blair said.

I guess it takes one to know one.

New Mexico Is a Microcosm

With the Democratic National Convention in full swing, it's a good time to review one of the key economic policy differences between Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain.

Here's is Senator McCain's policy on raising taxes in a nutshell:

McCain sounded most like Kemp when he told me: "I want everyone to be rich. I worry about inequities. I think that corporate greed is hurting their image. But trying to enact some kind of legislation that would take money from the rich and give it to the poor, that's just out of the question."

And, here is Senator Obama's policy on raising taxes in a nutshell:

Senator Obama would raise the top individual tax rate back to 39.6 percent, impose an additional 2 to 4 percent tax on earnings for some over the existing Social Security wage cap, and bring back the phase-out of the personal exemption and certain itemized deductions for higher-income taxpayers. When added up, the top effective marginal tax rate rises by 12 to 14 percentage points, from 37.9 percent to roughly 48 to 50 percent. "High" is in the eye of the beholder, but these are tax rates not seen since before the Tax Reform Act of 1986.

The bottomline is that Senator Obama wants to increase taxes, so that he can increase spending, which brings us to New Mexico. Any time anyone suggests that increasing government spending is the solution to curing poverty, you really need to take a look at the poverty statistics in our state (subscription).

About one in four New Mexico children lived in poverty in 2007, according to new data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau in its American Community Survey.

That number is up from previous estimates of a nearly 20 percent poverty level for New Mexicans under 18. National poverty estimates for 2007 are at about 18 percent for children, according to the Census Bureau.

Census Bureau spokesman Jerry O'Donnell said Tuesday that while poverty levels across the nation have leveled off in recent years, the numbers of children in poverty have been growing.

New Mexico had fewer than one in five —about 18 percent — of its total population living in poverty last year, while the United States remained level at about 12.5 percent.

Poverty levels differ based on family size, but a family of four in poverty would make less than $21,200 annually, according to federal guidelines.

The number of New Mexicans without health insurance also grew, according to data from a separate Census Bureau survey — the Current Population Survey — also released Tuesday.

About 22.5 percent of New Mexico's population was uninsured last year, while 15.3 percent went uninsured across the nation, according to the Census Bureau.

Government spending has increased in New Mexico from $3.9 billion to over $6 billion in the last six years, and more children are living in poverty. Increased spending on government programs are not the answer to solving the poverty problem in America. It doesn't work in New Mexico, and it won't work nationally.

Busy Season for the Attorney General

This should be a busy election season for Attorney General Gary King. He has already had to push the Secretary of State to act on Eli Lee's creatively questionable use of not for profits, and now it remains to be seen whether he will begin investigations in the other efforts going on in New Mexico to undermine our elections.

I have long held that we don't need to create ethics laws. We just need to enforce the laws on the books, and I believe it is up to the Attorney General to put partisanship aside (justice is neither Republican nor Democrat) and fully prosecute those who break the law.

Dave Maass of the Santa Fe Reporter has a recent article about PRC candidate Jerome Block Jr. writing check after check to a county clerk:

The money in the fund comes from inspection fees placed on utilities and a tax on insurance premiums. In other words, publicly-financed candidates receive their money from the state government.

In Block’s case, some of it ended up in the San Miguel County Clerk’s Office.

According to Block’s campaign records, a few days after the June 3 primary election, Block cut a $300 check to San Miguel County Clerk “Pecos” Paul Maez for “campaign coordination.”

San Miguel is the only county Block won in the six-way Democratic primary. Block used Maez’ official clerk’s office address on the report.

That same day, Block also cut a $2,500 check to the country-western band Wyld Country, in which Maez is a guitarist. According to Block’s campaign, the payment was for a rally in San Miguel County just prior to the primary election. Block deferred questions to his recently appointed campaign manager Jonathan Valdez.

Block used nearly 10% of his taxpayer funded (not government funded Mr. Maass) campaign funds to write checks to the county clerk in the only county he actually won in a primary. If this doesn't scream for an investigation by the Attorney General, then I don't know what does.

Oh wait. I do know something else that is just as atrocious...

Election season after election season the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) gets a pass as it strives to undermine the election system by paying people to turn in fraudulent voter registrations or intimidate voters. And, Scott Sandlin's recent article shows that this year is no different:

Clovis native Rebecca Sitterly registered to vote soon after returning to her native state in 1979 and jumped right into Democratic politics about the same time.

So the former Bernalillo County district judge was surprised to get a July 3 call from a community nonprofit that was checking on her new registration.

When Sitterly said she hadn't filled out a registration form � indeed, she'd been regularly voting in the same place on Mountain Road NW in Albuquerque for nearly 20 years � a supervisor with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now promised to destroy the card, Sitterly said in a phone interview.

"He said, 'Don't worry, it won't go anywhere,' " she said.

More surprises were in store. She got a call from the Bureau of Elections in the Bernalillo County Clerk's Office three weeks later, asking again about the registration card, which was missing its required Social Security number.

"They were finishing out the card � they weren't calling about the fraud," she said.

Sitterly went to the sixth-floor clerk's office, got a copy of the card and discovered that it understated her age by three decades.

So, let's review, shall we?

We have a "former" Democratic political consultant, Eli Lee, running not for profits and pledging to spend a million tax deductible dollars to "educate" voters. We have a Democratic candidate for the PRC [side note: there is no Republican in this race, so I don't have a partisan motive here] writing big checks to sitting county clerks to help him win the election. And, we have ACORN continuing their well documented efforts to pay good money to submit fraudulent voter registration forms in an effort to undermine the election process.

My only question... When is someone going to jail?

A Cool Million

Well, according to an article by Colleen Heild, it looks like part of Eli Lee's quietly built empire for progressive change is going to see some sunshine (subscription):

An Albuquerque nonprofit that distributed mailers portraying Sen. Shannon Robinson and other lawmakers as being in the pocket of big business must register as a political committee, according to Secretary of State Mary Herrera.

In a letter Herrera sent Monday after consultation with the state Attorney General's Office, she said, "It appears that New Mexico Youth Organized is operating as a political committee for purposes of the (state) Campaign Reporting Act."

The group, an arm of the Center for Civic Policy, has 10 working days to "correct this matter and provide a written explanation of the apparent violation," the secretary of state said.

Eli Lee, executive director of the Center for Civic Policy, said in a statement late Monday that his group strongly disagrees with the directive and will "pursue all legal remedies at our disposal."

Which raises the question, why is Mr. Lee so hell bent on keeping his donors a secret until after the election in November? Who is he protecting? As a former not for profit executive director, I can assure you that timely disclosure of his donors would be a rather simple task - if he was so inclined. But, of course, he is not.

Mr. Lee wants nothing (not even public outcry) to get in the way of his plan to influence the election in November. There is too much at stake:

The center received nearly $600,000 in contributions last year and expects to spend more than $1 million this fiscal year.

Let's put that $1 million dollar number in perspective. According to the National Institute on Money in State Politics, in 2004 (the last time all State House and Senate seats were up for re-election) the total amount spent by 201 candidates was just shy of $5.3 million dollars for an average expenditure per campaign of about $26,000. Mr. Lee is targeting nine races, and expecting to spend more than a million dollars for an average expenditure in excess of a $100,000 - over 4 times the amount spent in 2004!

He's buying the election, and he is doing it by skirting the exact same campaign finance laws, he insists he wants in New Mexico. My only request, keep Mr. Lee's actions in mind the next time some legislator or political activist gets on a soap box and proclaims the need for campaign finance reform. Remember how they quietly supported Mr. Lee and his agenda with no concern to limiting his expenditure or seeking disclosure of his sources.

Maybe a Write-in PRC Candidate for District 3?

Jerome Block, Sr., the father of the Democratic PRC candidate for District 3, sent myself and two others a note last Thursday with a simple question:

Now that you have reported extensively about the grave crime of peeing in the bushes, when will you report about the candidate who beats women?!

It's definitely a fair question. Of course, contrary to popular belief lately, I don't actually report things. Instead, I tend to opine on things reported. The good news for Mr. Block, Sr. is that "the candidate who beats women" (as he put it) was reported on by one of my favorite political reporters, Mr. Steve Terrell of the Santa Fe New Mexican:

And Lass apparently won't be making an issue of Block's past legal skirmishes. He told The New Mexican this week that he thinks it's "odd" Block doesn't remember his disorderly conduct violation. "I actually consider this a bit of a distraction from the main campaign that I plan on running, talking about how important the PRC is and how we need an advocate for the people," Lass said.

Lass, in a 2004 interview when he was running for a state Senate seat, admitted he'd been arrested in 1999 on a misdemeanor charge of simple battery in a fight with his girlfriend. He said the charge was dropped after he successfully completed the Municipal Court domestic-violence program, which he said involved anger-management classes.

But at least he remembered it.

Mr. Block Sr., a seasoned politician in his own right, should have told his son that pretending something didn't happen doesn't make it go away. Block Jr.'s problem is less about committing "the grave crime of peeing in the bushes," and more about his unwillingness to come clean with that and other details. What could have been written off as juvenile stupidity has instead turned into a questionable character trait of an adult - namely, the ability to come clean with the truth.

As to Mr. Lass, well, he has come clean; however, that does little in my eyes to make him electable. I said the first time I wrote about Mr. Block Jr.'s problems that his opponent deserved a second look. Now, after a second look at both candidates, I'd suggest that the citizens of PRC District 3 might want to encourage a write-in candidate for the $90,000 a year job. On the upside, if the candidate does not have any past criminal charges, he or she would already have a leg up on the competition.

I don't know what it is about the PRC, but for such a small group, they sure do attract individuals who seem to have more than their fair share of legal troubles - from misdemeanor battery charges to peeing in the bushes to sexual harassment to possession of marijuana.

Geez, what a bunch. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the PRC is one of those elected positions that the candidates get to run for on the taxpayers' dime. Yup, there is no doubt about it. Taxpayer funded elections sure are bringing us a higher caliber of candidate.

Jerome Block Jr's Troubled Legal History

In the past, I've picked on PRC Commissioner Ben Ray Lujan regarding his qualifications to run for Congress. However, compared to the guy the Democrats chose to replace him, Ben Ray is a boy scout and stellar candidate:

Aggravated DWI, unlawful riding, urinating in public, ditching out on court-ordered child-support mediation and breach of contract—these are the charges that Jerome Block Jr., the Democratic nominee to represent District 3 on the Public Regulation Commission, has faced in court over the last decade, SFR has discovered.

Wow, are the people in District 3 really going to give this guy a $90,000 a year job that makes policy decisions? There are no Republicans running, but just based on Jerome Block's legal troubles, I suggest that the Green in race deserves a second look.

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?

My Sincere Appreciation to All Who Ran

I guess it was pretty obvious to all readers that for the most part I stayed away from writing about the primaries on the Republican side. That is because, with the exception of the 1st Congressional District, there wasn't a Republican candidate I wouldn't proudly support if they won the primary. So, my congratulations go out to Congressman Steve Pearce, Sheriff Darren White, Ed Tinsley and Dan East. I look forward to helping each of you win in November.

I'd also like to express my sincere admiration for everyone else that put themselves forward as a candidate, both on the federal and state levels and on both sides of the aisle. Your willingness to do so is what makes this country great. As someone who has been a candidate, I know it's not easy.

I'm not sure most people realize the level of commitment that goes into a campaign. It's a 24/7 roller coaster ride that doesn't stop until you win or lose. You campaign all day, and it's the first thing on your mind when you wake up in the morning and the last thing on your mind when you go to sleep at night. You never feel like you're doing quite enough, and you're always second guessing your last move.

Basically, you're applying for a job, But, what makes this job so unique is that everyone you know (heck, even people you don't know) is aware that you're applying. They're all witnesses to the interview process and everything you do and everything you've ever done is under a microscope for all to see. And, when you don't get the job, everyone knows it. That part is not fun. However, the people you meet along the way will become new friends. I guarantee it. And, as time goes by, you realize that without you're participation there would be no Democratic process.

So, thank you to all who ran. You are what makes this country great.

Get Out and Vote in Today's Primary

It looks like they're predicting a "high turnout" for today's Primary Election (subscription):

In the state's 2006 primary election, fewer than 181,000 Republicans and Democrats voted in the top-tier contests— a figure that represented less than 21 percent of eligible voters.

Secretary of State Mary Herrera predicted Monday that the four open congressional seats this year will help drive a record turnout today.

"Voter turnout should be in the high 30s," Herrera said, referring to the percentage of registered voters expected to cast ballots today. "I'm expecting the highest turnout in history for a primary."

It's kind of sad, when a turnout in the "high 30s" will qualify as the "highest turnout in history for a primary." Voting really is one of our most important civic duties. The fact that 70% of eligible voters won't vote is more than a little disturbing.

The internet makes it so easy to find information on the various candidates. And, when you consider the average American works more than four months every year just to pay for government, you'd think more people would take an interest. Unfortunately, you'd probably find that most people spend more time researching movie and music reviews than researching the candidates running for office.

Well, this year there really are some important choices to make in the primary, so get out and vote. And, encourage everyone else you know to do the same.

Wiviott's Attack on Lujan

Don Wiviott and Ben Ray Lujan are battling it out in a very public way for the 3rd Congressional District Democratic nomination. Don Wiviott put up an ad attacking Ben Ray Lujan, and apparently the Lujan campaign is weakly contesting the inaccuracies in the ad:

The Telehealth Commission, which Ben Ray Luján was appointed to, has nothing to do with his elected duties as a Public Regulation Commissioner despite the deceptive tie Don Wiviott tries to make here. His membership on the Telehealth Commission is unpaid. Ben Ray Luján missed meetings to perform his duties as Public Regulation Commissioner, which Commissioner Luján believes take priority since he represents the people of the third district as a PRC Commissioner.

Good thing our unpaid state legislator's don't take this same approach to their voluntary service. Here is the thing. Mr. Lujan makes a point on his campaign website to mention his Telehealth Commission and put it in the best possible light to bolster what can only be described as a lackluster history of personal accomplishments:

He is a member of the New Mexico Telehealth Commission, where he works to encourage a single, statewide effort to create a system to deliver health-related services and information via telecommunications technologies.

Obviously, Mr. Wiviott is just pointing out that when Mr. Lujan uses the term "works" he means it in the loosest sense of the term. What I don't understand is why the Wiviott's campaign just didn't do a little google search to find the truth of exactly where Mr. Lujan worked as a casino dealer?

A simple search would have surely turned up a much better way of presenting Mr. Lujan's curriculum vitae to the voters. If you do follow that last link, I should point out that I believe that Mr. Lujan has in fact now completed his college degree. Apparently, his $90,000 PRC job allowed him the flexibility to work on that.

A Little Break and Reflection

Ok, I hadn't planned on taking a blogging break, but I'm glad I did. Like State Representative Joseph Cervantes, I spent some quality time with my family and reflected on what's important. This upcoming year is undoubtedly going to be busy on the political scene, and there is no question that balancing politics and kids can be a difficult task.

But, at the same time, I strongly believe that giving our kids an introduction into politics at an early age is a good thing. Too many adults are apathetic when it comes to politics. They just don't take an active role. Maybe they believe that their vote just doesn't matter, or maybe they just believe that the system will be just fine without their involvement.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Take the upcoming elections for the open Congressional seats. Because of a change in the law, those voting in their party's pre-primary convention will be the first and last word who gets on the ballot for the primary election (although that might change). In the 2nd Congressional race on the GOP side, that would be less than 200 people.

Still think your vote doesn't count? When you make your New Year's Resolutions this year, I hope you'll consider including a commitment to take an active role in what is sure to be a historic political year.

Qualifications of a Congressional Representative

It sort of blows my mind that in 2007, the Speaker of the House of the New Mexico State Legislature has enough power to get candidate after candidate to step aside in an effort to clear a path for his son to run for Congress.

But Solano — who is serving his second term as sheriff and prohibited from seeking a third term — said he's concerned that a small group of Democratic Party officials could effectively choose the next Northern New Mexico congressman before any votes are cast.

And that candidate, he said, likely would be State Public Regulation Commissioner Ben Ray Luján, mainly because of the influence of his father, state House Speaker Ben Luján.

Now, I guess I could understand if Ben Ray Luján was an impressive candidate in his own right with a long list of accomplishments, but that sure doesn't seem to be the case:

By Karla Duarte
(Submitted: 12/05/2006 12:25 pm)

Please get your facts straight: Ben Ray was appointed to be the chief financial administrator for the state cultural affairs department without a college degree and after previously being employed as a casino dealer. Then the full weight of the governor and the legislature went to promoting him and discouraging other qualified candidates for the PRC. I'm sure he is a fine young man, but the point is that government should not work that way.

From casino dealer to Congressional front runner... only in New Mexico.

Anyone Can Do Anything

Last weekend, I attended my 20th high school reunion in Philadelphia. Maybe as a result, I'm feeling a little bit nostalgic about the impact great teachers can make. So, it's probably not all that surprising that this article about a Santa Fe High School English teacher running for the open U.S. Senate seat caught my attention:

It might sound like a joke at first, an unknown English teacher deciding to run for the U.S. Senate seat held for more than 30 years by Pete Domenici, R-N.M. But it isn't.

Zach Boatman is jumping into a race that includes Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez and U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. He said he's doing it because he believes the U.S. election process makes it possible for anyone to run for any position.

The 41-year-old Santa Fe High School teacher decided a couple of weeks ago to run for Domenici's seat because, he said, "this is the first time in like three decades that there's been this open door."

Boatman, who's teaching Advanced Placement English this year, said a recent conversation in one of his classes turned to politics and students' complaints about the election process. "(Students) said, 'There's nobody to vote for; they're all the same,' " Boatman said.

Now, I don't know anything about this guy, and his chances are very slim, but in this case, I don't think that is what matters. What I think is important is that a teacher is putting himself out there to show his students what is possible. It's actually what many great teachers do everyday. [Disclaimer: I worked in education for over a decade].

We've got a huge civic problem in the country - too few people care enough to vote or get involved. We've also got this great human experiment occurring, the emergence of social media, that gives everyone and anyone a voice.

I think it would be very cool if kids got behind this teacher and got him the 16,000 signatures he needs to get on the ballot . I don't think most students realize the power they have to create change. Is there an adult out there who wouldn't sign a petition to get someone on the ballot if their son or daughter, nephew or niece asked them to do it. I know I'd sign. Students under 18 may not be able to vote, but there is nothing from stopping them being part of the process.

Mayor Martin Chavez's Finance Committee Fiasco

The fact that two of three Democratic heavy hitters (the third is apparently just staying away from the phone) are contradicting Mayor Martin Chavez's assertion that they are serving on his finance committee is nothing short of extraordinary:

Since the names were published on Thursday, accusations have surfaced on the Internet and within Democratic circles that Chávez may have exaggerated or lied about their involvement in his campaign.

Not so, Chávez said today.

“They’re all on,” he said of Blanchard, Cope and Gonzales. “I talked to them yesterday. They’re all on.”

But Blanchard, when I reached him today by telephone, refused to talk about whether he’s a member of Chávez’s finance committee – a clear indicator that something unusual is afoot.

“At this point, I don’t want to comment on anything,” he said.

And Gonzales said today that he is not a member of Chávez’s committee.

What makes this so bizarre is that Mayor Martin Chavez is a seasoned politician. We're talking about a man who should know better than to assert publicly that someone is on his finance committee when they aren't.

My guess is that this is the first of many mistakes we are going to see from the Mayor in the coming months.

Mayor Chavez Changes Gear

Oh what a bummer! It looks like Mayor Chavez has decided to abandon his gubernatorial campaign website for 2010 (see the last listing):


Now, he has decided to change gears. My favorite line from his announcement speech:

I know that in my gut the national and state GOP will fight mean and dirty. Their war effort and power are at stake. But in my heart, I know they no longer represent the mainstream of their party or New Mexico.

Say What! Republican power is at stake? Um, exactly where are we talking about? The Democrats control both Houses of Congress. The Democrats control both bodies of the state legislature. Am I missing something?

And, what did our esteemed Mayor forget to mention in his announcement speech:

All together, the city collected $10,611,397 in revenue [through red light cameras] and handed over $2,844,920 to Redflex. This left the city with between $5.8 and $7.8 million in net profit. The precise figure is not known as officials charged as photo enforcement expenses a number of part and full-time police officer salaries as well as the entire administrative hearing office budget. The audit report sidestepped the question of whether the ticketing program has had any beneficial effect on traffic accidents. It mentioned that police could claim only two of the nineteen intersections with cameras might have seen a decrease in accidents.

Kinda makes you wonder if he is elected Senator, whether or not he would be pushing for a national red light program. After all, it has been just so dang profitable for the City of Albuquerque.