Make That 21

A couple of days ago, Kate Nash noted that 15-20 people are interested in the Lt. Governor job, once Diane Denish vacates to take over as Governor - a position she has filled for a very large part of these past two years while our current Governor has been out exploring various job opportunities:

However, Denish gave no hints as to whether she had a favorite, saying simply in an interview that she is "going to appoint that person when there's a vacancy in that office."

You've probably heard the same names I have: Lawrence Rael, Hector Balderas, Lucky Varela, John Garcia, Joe Maestas, Dan Lopez. A new one I heard the other day is Pojoaque Gov. George Rivera, and then came Stuwart Paisano's name as another possibility.

But it seems there are others, according to Denish's numbers. Any women contenders? Anyone we never heard of? Send me your nominations now. . .

Ok, I don't know about any female contenders, but a quick review of this list makes it clear to me that it is in desperate need of a Republican. Now, I've got quite a few other pans in the fire right now. However, I am willing to put them on hold and accept the nod as Lt. Governor.

Now, I know it's a tough job that will require all of my attention. After all, the day to day responsibilities include.... um, consist of.... uh, well, let's just call it a tough job and leave it at that.

I'm up to the task and am willing to serve. Now, I haven't I had a chance to talk to Lt. Governor Denish about me filling the position, but I'm sure once she reads this post, she will quickly see that I am the only qualified Republican on the final list of contenders. As such, if our soon to Governor opts not select me, then we'll all know that it partisan politics as usual at play.

Happy New Year!

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.

Cutting Security Funding and Increasing Pork

Somethings are expected. For example, when the Democrats took over from the Republicans in Congress, it was a pretty safe bet that there would be some changes. However, no one could have predicted the type of vindictive changes that have in fact took place.

First, you had a Democratic Committee Chairman playing politics with the memory of a war hero, and now you have the Democrats willing to undermine national security to settle old scores:

“I am surprised by the extent to which the House Appropriations Committee has gone out of its way to single out Los Alamos, and to some extent Sandia. The House bill is stunningly punitive in its treatment of Los Alamos. This bill would be devastating for Los Alamos, surrounding communities and New Mexico overall,” said Domenici, who is the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee that funds DOE and the national laboratories.

And, you can't even argue these cuts are being done in the name of fiscal responsibility. Why not? Well, because the Democrats have already demonstrated a willingness to sidestep their own rules designed to shed light on frivolous earmarks.

Yeah, this all makes sense. Slash national security budgets in a time of war and make it easier to increase unaccountable spending for pork barrel projects. Aren't you glad you voted for change?