Because I Still Care

Last night, I spent over an hour watching a YouTube video. Now mind you, I'm part of the MTV generation, so spending more than three minutes watching a video is normally a challenge for me, but this time it wasn't, and if you can find the time (regardless of your political persuasion), I would strongly urge you to set aside an hour to watch Randy Pausch's Last Lecture - Achieving Your Childhood Dreams:



I've always chased my dreams (and have caught quite a few of them), so his lecture resonated with me. It spoke to how I've always tried and continue to try to live my life. But more importantly, a lot of what he had to say seemed relevant to the political challenges we are facing today - on a national, state and lately, on the county level. To that last point, consider this excerpt about his youth football experience from approximately ten minutes into the lecture:

When it was all over one of the other assistant coaches came over and said, "Yeah, Coach Graham rode you pretty hard didn't he?"

And I said, "Yeah."

He said, "That's a good thing. When you're screwing up and no one is saying anything to you anymore that means they gave up."

"That's a lesson that stuck with me the whole life. When you see yourself doing something badly and no one is telling you anymore, that's a very bad place to be. Your critics are your ones that tell you they still love you and care."

With this in mind, I have a message to the dozen plus Executive Committee members of the Bernalillo County Republican Party that met yesterday and voted unanimously to give Chairman Fernando C'deBaca a vote of full faith and confidence...

"You screwed up."

And, you did it because you're not looking at the bigger picture. Mr. C'deBaca said something racist and offensive to the majority of New Mexicans, and it reflects poorly on the Republican Party. There are plenty of reasons not to vote for Barack Obama for President, but the color of his skin in not one of those reasons. Mr. C'deBaca knows it and has apologized. Unfortunately, for us, actions speak louder than words. If he was truly apologetic, he would have stepped down instead of putting on this sideshow.

This nonsense that we have an election to win and that is the reason for remaining Chairman is just that - nonsense. You don't need a title to volunteer your time. The same people, all of those in the room yesterday, could work just as hard to win the election whether Mr. C'deBaca had the title of Chairman or not.

And, as long as I'm criticizing my own party, I may as well go all out here...

With this bailout we're proposing, we're screwing up nationally as well. Again, we're failing to look at the big picture. The 2008 election is important, but winning the election by selling out our values is just too high of a price to pay. There are at least 10 reasons we shouldn't be doing this bailout, not the least of which is:

Fundamentally alters the nation’s free-market system in that it broadly socializes firm’s money-losing mortgage assets and places the U.S. on a slippery slope whereby profits will also be nationalized. Even if one accepts the idea that such a proposal could work, valid questions about whether such a cost is an acceptable trade-off for the market turmoil we are hoping to avoid must be raised.

We're screwing up, and if I just went along to get along, I'd be making the same mistake the Bernalillo County executive committee made yesterday. But, you know what? I care too much to just remain silent.

A Ten Year Old's Perspective

My oldest son is ten years old. Early last week, he told me he really wanted to do something to make sure that John McCain was elected our next President. Apparently, they have been talking a lot about politics in one of his classes, and he has, unsurprisingly, been taking the Republican side of the discussion.

I asked him why he was supporting John McCain? His initial answer basically boiled down to two points. First, he doesn't think we should abandon the war in Iraq. As to the first point, Pulitzer winner Dexter Filkin has some interesting observations in a recent article for the New York Times:

Two years ago, when I last stayed in Baghdad, Karada Mariam was like the whole of the city: shuttered, shattered, broken and dead.

Abu Nawas Park — I didn’t recognize that, either. By the time I had left the country in August 2006, the two-mile stretch of riverside park was a grim, spooky, deserted place, a symbol for the dying city that Baghdad had become.

These days, the same park is filled with people: families with children, women in jeans, women walking alone. Even the nighttime, when Iraqis used to cower inside their homes, no longer scares them. I can hear their laughter wafting from the park. At sundown the other day, I had to weave my way through perhaps 2,000 people. It was an astonishing, beautiful scene — impossible, incomprehensible, only months ago.

Second, he thinks that if Senator Obama is elected, we'll have "free health care," but our taxes will go up. He doesn't think paying more in taxes is a good idea. On that second point, I should point out that in second grade he did have Junior Achievement that's when he learned that we all pay taxes to support government services, and how that's not a bad thing. I should also note that his younger brother, also seems to agree on that latter point. Last night at dinner, he announced that if Obama wins we'll pay more in taxes and gas prices will rise. According to him this is a bad thing because there will be less money for toys.

Now, before you think I'm brainwashing my kids, I should point out that they don't read this blog, and we really don't sit around the dinner table every night talking politics. However, they've been known to watch Discovery channel in the morning before school, and they are apparently being exposed to a lot of campaign commercials. To that end, I should also point out that they seem confused as to why the candidates are approving messages that spend the entire time talking about the other guy. But, I digress.

Well, I reached out to the John McCain camp and asked if there was any way that my ten year old could help out. They said, he'd be welcome to get on the phone and make survey calls, and that's exactly what he did. In fact, he went through a 125 telephone numbers before I told him, we really needed to get going.

Now, let me take a moment and be non-partisan. He was calling Albuquerque area Democrats and Independents to I.D. voters. I didn't make any calls, I just sat there and monitored -- prepared to jump in if it got nasty. It didn't, and for that I'd like the to thank anyone in Albuquerque who took the time this weekend to allow a 10 year old to get involved in the political process by answering a couple of simple survey questions. You made his day, and made his father very proud, not only of his son, but of the the people who make up this community.

I've got to run, but I want to share a final thought on the comments that have been reportedly made by Bernalillo County GOP Chairman Fernando C'deBaca. I should preface it by saying that I am hesitant to write anything about it because I challenged Mr. C'deBaca last year for the Chairmanship and lost. So, this is all I have to say.

I read (without attributing them) Mr. C'deBaca's comments to my son on the way to the McCain offices, and asked him for his opinion. His immediate response was "Dad, that's silly." After a moment more of reflection, he added, "And, by silly I mean ridiculous, not funny." It was the first of two times that I was to be proud of him that day.

Like Only Joe Can

You've got to hand it to Joe Monahan. I've read a lot of crazy things on his blog, but I do believe this takes the cake:

"Steve did not get a chance to speak to the rally, while (GOP US Rep.) Heather Wilson and (ABQ GOP congressional candidate) Darren White both spoke at length. Steve was only on stage briefly to deliver an opening prayer. His people see it as a major slight by the McCain campaign, Marta Kramer, director of the NM McCain office and Republican National Committee operative Jay McCleskey. As the US senate nominee, Steve is the head of the Republican Party, yet they acted like he barely existed," informed our insider.

If there was ever any doubt that Joe Monahan was clueless when it came to the inner workings of Republican politics in New Mexico, this should put all doubt to rest. I challenge you to find any active member of the Republican Party who would find being asked to lead a gathering in prayer to be a political slight.

I can almost guarantee you that Congressman Steve Pearce, a man well-respected for his character and deep faith, would never be offended because he was asked to lead others in prayer. Heck, even the Congressman's campaign website makes a point of citing that he is an active member of the Congressional Prayer Caucus.

In one fail swoop Mr. Monahan attempts to belittle the faith that Congressman Pearce and a great many Republicans hold dear, and cause a division in the Republican Party where none exists. Next thing you know, good old Joe will be trying to convince people to believe that being asked to lead a gathering of Republicans in the Pledge of Allegiance is a political slight.

Geez... and, we're supposed to believe this guy is non-partisan?

Tribute to Senator Pete Domenici

Peter St. Cyr, a radio reporter for 770 KKOB, has launched a blog. Peter attended the tribute to Senator Pete Domenici this past Friday, and he posted an audio of the entire speech made by Senator Alfonse Demato (retired) from New York. Set aside some time to listen, it's worth it.

I know Peter does some interesting interviews for KKOB, but the station only runs small segments of those interviews. I think if Peter were to put up the full interview on his blog, he could have a pretty unique niche for himself. He could easily become New Mexico's top podcaster [Just some unsolicited free advice - worth about what you paid for it].

Singing Donkey is Undecided Superdelegate

The Vote-Buying Scandal that Never Was

I've never been much on writing about rumors and innuendo. This blog is a political opinion blog. After something hits the news or a piece of legislation is published, I put in my two cents. There have been a few comments left asking why I haven't posted on the vote-buying scandal that was circulating. The simple reason is: there was no scandal.

Heath Haussamen put a great post up about the investigative reporting he did which found little credence to the claims, and Eye on Albuquerque has a great follow up to that post. All I have to add is this...

I've attended numerous county conventions in the first and second congressional district this cycle including my own in Bernalillo County. There was record turnout at every county convention. This had nothing to do with anyone being paid, and everything to do with the fact that there are eight solid Republican candidates running and a lot of interest from the Republican base in ensuring that the right man or woman is our nominee to take on the Democrats in November. [Note: I'm not addressing the CD3 only because I hadn't attended any of their conventions, but I'm sure the same is true up there.]

In my ward in Bernalillo County, there were 38 active Republicans who showed up to vote at the county convention. The most I had ever seen before was 12, but the norm was usually closer to five. I knew almost everyone who showed up at the ward meeting. They are all active Republicans in one way or another.

You Tell Me Which Party is More Open

Not that long ago, I taped an episode of KNME's The Line with former Democratic Party Chairman John Wertheim (Episode 119, Chapter 3). Unfortunately, the day we were taping also happened to be the day that Governor Bill Richardson announced he was pulling out of the Presidential race, so our on air time was greatly reduced with the majority of the show being webcasted.

During a portion of that webcast, John thought he had a pretty good zinger (evident by the smile on his face) about the Democratic Party process being more open and involving than the Republican Party process. I couldn't disagree more, and I think this recent article about the Chaves County Pre-Primary Convention makes my point:

The Democratic Party of Chaves County nominated 32 delegates Wednesday evening, who are to attend the Democratic Party of New Mexico Pre-Primary Nominating Convention to be held March 15 in Rio Rancho, N.M.

A total of 40 delegates from Chaves County in Congressional District 2 are required to attend the convention and help determine which candidates will appear on New Mexico's June 3 primary ballot. Delegates will also consider a platform during the convention, which requires 60 percent of a non-secret vote to be adopted.

Eight of the 40 delegates who are members of the State Central Committee, are automatic delegates.

This means that 20% of the delegate slots are already taken by the party hierarchy. Compare that to the Republican Party in New Mexico where everyone, regardless of their position, has to run to be a delegate, and it is evident, at least in New Mexico, which party is more open to change by grassroot activists.

Standing Room Only at GOP Conventions

I spent the weekend at various Republican Party pre-primary county conventions around the state. There was record, standing room only turnout in several counties. This clearly indicates that the Republican base is energized and involved in the process. Yet, there doesn't seem to be a single story in any of the newspapers.

Seems a little inequitable, don't you think?

Post Super-Tuesday Discussion with RNC Chairman Mike Duncan

This morning, I had an opportunity to talk one-on-one with Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Mike Duncan about the Super Tuesday results, and what bearing they have on the direction of the Presidential Campaign.

The first thing we talked about was the fact that on the Democratic side, there is no clear front runner and that is a clear indication that the Democratic Party is a party deeply divided right now. On the one hand, there are serious questions as to whether or not Senator Barack Obama has the experience needed to lead the country as Commander in Chief.

There also was a striking division between Clinton and Obama in views of their qualifications to be commander in chief vs. perceptions of who'd do more to unite the country. Obama was seen as more likely than Clinton to unite the country, by 50 percent to 39 percent; but Democrats said Clinton was most qualified to be commander in chief, by a nearly identical 51 percent to 36 percent.

On the other hand, huge numbers of people are grappling with whether or not Senator Hillary Clinton can be trusted.

The fact that these questions continue to loom as a large shadow over the Democratic race seem to indicate that the Democrats will go all the way to the Convention before deciding on a nominee. By contrast, on the Republican side we are seemingly moving toward picking a nominee in the not too distant future. This is good news for the Republican Party as it means that we can turn an eye (and our resources) toward winning in November.

The Chairman and I did speak about that all important political resource - money. Turns out that the Republican base is energized right now, and it is showing not only by the record number of people turning out at the polls across the country, but by their willingness to give their hard earned money.

Last year, Chairman Duncan raised over $80 million dollars. The same cannot be said for Democratic Chairman Howard Dean. It hasn't yet been released to the news media, but last month the RNC had another great fundraising month and finished with over $20 million on hand. Our Democratic counterparts aren't anywhere near that.

That's clearly evident on the home front here in New Mexico, where Democratic Party Chairman, Brian Colon has been lamenting the fact that he just doesn't have the resources available to him that were available in 2004:

Brian Colon, state Democratic Party chairman, said without the injection of money from the candidates' get-out-the-vote efforts, it will be tough to get people to the polls this time.

''The only thing that I kind of lose some sleep over is I wish I had half a million dollars to promote the thing,'' Colon said during a recent break from answering phones at the party's Albuquerque headquarters.

On the flip side, the Republican Party in New Mexico is being nationally recognized for its organization and ability to deliver results. In April, the New Mexico GOP will be hosting the RNC Chairman's Meeting in Albuquerque. As a blue state that turned red in the last election, we've won the right to be at the epicenter of the Victory campaign for 2008.

These are exciting times. The 27 million people who have turned out to vote in Republican and Democratic primaries and caucuses thus far show that the American people are once engaged in the process. Partisan politics aside, this is a GOOD for America.

First You Actually Have to Be a Republican

I've watched with much amusement as Governor Richardson's favorite blogger has opened mouth and inserted foot a couple of times this week. Yes, I'm talking about New Mexico's premier politicial gossip columnist, Joe Monahan.

Staying true to form, our dear friend, Mr. Monahan, is trying to paint a picture of turmoil and dissension within the Republican Party of New Mexico. This time the tale he's spinning starts something like this:

Suffice it to say, Dog Days of Summer or not, the blogging Gods pulled the plug on the getaway, providing a reason we couldn't dream up even if we had dosed that iced tea with Drambuie. That reason is one Spiro G. Vassilopoulos, a Republican considering running against NM GOP US Senator Pete Domenici in the 2008 primary. Got your attention?

Now good ol' Joe may have got your attention, and mine, but in classic style, he either forgot to do his homework or just chose not to do it for the sake of sensationalism.

You see, if Senor Monahan had done his homework, he would have realized that even if Spiro G. Vassilopoulos is registered as a Republican, Mr. Vassilopoulos' money has a long history of being committed to the Democrats.

But hey, don't take my word for it. Go check out Political Money Line and see for yourself. Now, you are going to have to go back a ways, because it's been a good 13 years since Mr. Vassilopoulos has written a check for more than $200 to a candidate for federal office.

1. In 1994, he and his wife contributed $500 to Senator Domenici's campaign, but he reserved the big money, a $1,000 for Democrat Bob Krueger of Texas.
   
   
2. In 1990, he gave Senator Domenici another $500, but in the same campaign cycle he gave the Democrats, James Warren Lane of Texas $2,000 and Senator Jeff Bingaman, $333.
   
   
3. In 1988, he gave his $500 to Senator Jeff Bingaman.

In case math is not your strong suit, that leaves us with Mr. Vassilopoulos donating a total of $3,833 to Democrats and $1,000 to a Republican. Sorry, but in my book, anyone who gives their money almost 4:1, Democrat to Republican, does not get to call themselves a Republican.

And, anyone following politics in New Mexico for any length of time knows that a "republican" candidate with close allegiances to the Democratic Party doesn't have even the slightest chance of being taken seriously by the GOP faithful in a primary situation.

Tsk, tsk, Mr. Monahan.

Enough is Enough - The Whole Truth

Tonight something happened that has angered and saddened me...

I got a call from the State Republican Party informing me that Bernalillo County Republican Party Chairman, Fernando C' de Baca, had put me on a list as a State Central Committee Member from Bernalillo County not in good standing. Below is the text of the letter:

April 26, 2007

Lou Melvin
RPNM Rules Committee Chairwoman
5150-A San Francisco NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109

Dear Lou -

In accordance with Rule 10 of the Bernalillo County Republican Party Supplementary Rules, the following State Central Committee Members from Bernalillo County are not in good standing.

Please consider this a formal challenge of the following State Central Committee members:

Christopher Atencio
Mario Burgos
John Butrick
Samuel Carnes
Whitney Cheshire
Diego Espinoza
State Representative Justin Fox-Young
Elaine Henederson
Wade Jackson
Enrique Knell
Fran Langholf
Vickie Perea
Patrick Rogers
Patricia Rush
Dianne Shams-Avari
Matthew Stackpole

Each of these State Central Committee members from Bernalillo County were assessed dues on March 30, 2007 via a dues statement sent them through the mail.

Sincerely,

Fernando C. De Baca, Chairman

Cc: RPNM Rules Committee, RPNM Secretary Nina Martinez

Ok, let's start with the obvious. This is pure and utter rubbish. Rule (10) cited in the letter above reads as follows:

10. DUES

A. The Republican Party of Bernalillo County Central Committee shall assess annual dues to be paid by the members.
B. With consent of the chairman, members may substitute volunteer service to the Republican Party of Bernalillo County in lieu of dues.
C. The Republican Party of Bernalillo County shall review member status quarterly.
D. County Central Committee members whose dues are in arrears shall not vote at Central Committee meetings and are subject to removal from the committee by the Republican Party of Bernalillo County Executive Committee as authorized bi-annually by the County Central Committee.

How is it possible that the Republican Party of Bernalillo County could have mailed the first dues statement on March 30, 2007, and have already held a member status quarterly review? The simple answer: they couldn't. But apparently, Mr. C' de Baca feels he has the right to rewrite the rules as he sees fit. Heck, this latest letter is even in direct contradiction to what he had printed on the bottom of the quarterly dues statement less than 30 days ago:

In accordance with Rules of the Bernalillo County Republican Party, each County Central Committee member must pay dues of $10 per month. If you become (3) months delinquent, your name may be removed from the Bernalillo County Central Committee Roster.

Folks, not even one month has passed, let alone three. In fact, at the Bernalillo County Central Committee on March 18th, everyone paid their first month's dues of $10 - it was the only way they would let you vote.

And, by the way, I know what it says on the statement because I had already written a check for a $120 to be sent to Bernalillo County Republican Party. Why a $120? Well, because I don't believe that people who can't afford it should be charged a tax by the Republican Party to participate in party politics. So, I offered to pay the quarterly dues of some folks, including a young mother from our Ward whose husband, a former state police officer, is volunteering in Iraq to provide armed protection for Americans.

So, what could motivate Chairman C' de Baca to act in such a devious manner? Is he one of those county leaders Mr. Greer mentioned to the press as encouraging him to run? Is this a way to weed out people who might not support Mr. Greer's campaign? Is this their idea of taking the party back to the grassroots level? Do we really want people leading our party who believe that disenfranchising voters is the way to win elections?

When I ran last month for Bernalillo County Republican Party Chairman, Mr. C' de Baca pulled these same shennigans. He happily padded County Party coffers with the money of absentee self-nominees, but then refused to allow those people to be elected to at-large positions. He even went so far as to change the convention rules less than 36 hours before the convention.

After the election, I chose not to dwell on these actions for the sake of the Party. But now, for the sake of the Party, I refuse to continue to remain silent.

During that election, I heard from a few people who took issue with a card I had mailed and handed out at the county convention that pointed out:

1. fundraising failures under Mr. C' de Baca's tenure
   
2. the failure to deliver Bernalilo County for Congresswoman Heather Wilson for the first time... EVER!
   
3. his decision to publicly endorse Democratic candidates
   

Among those who took issue with what I had to say was State Senator Joe Carraro. Senator Carraro took to the stage waving the card and saying that we must no longer tolerate this type of negative campaigning. I'm not sure when examining someone's job performance record became negative campaigning, but if we want to get more Republicans elected in New Mexico, we're going to have to do it a little more often.

I made a decision in that race to focus on Mr. C' de Baca's performance failures, but I also made a decision not to attack him personally. I chose not to point out Mr. C' de Baca's criminal conviction from 1996:

Here’s what the Albuquerque Tribune (7/24/96) reported about C de Baca’s 1996 bid-rigging conviction in California:

Fernando C de Baca, 58, of Albuquerque pleaded guilty Tuesday in San Diego County District Court to conspiring to inflate bids for asbestos removal at two malls owned by the Hahn Co. of San Diego. One of them was Coronado Center in Albuquerque.

C de Baca and his co-defendant, Thomas Sytko . . . agreed to pay a $600,000 fine. C de Baca’s share was $150,000 . . .

Robert Fellmeth, a former prosecutor and the founder of the Center for Public Interest Law at the University of San Diego School of Law, called the fines the largest he can recall for criminal antitrust violations in California.

C de Baca won the contracts in return for kickbacks to Sytko. The scheme netted the two men about $310,000.

C de Baca barely avoided a three-year prison sentence. In addition to the California fine, C de Baca also paid a $25,000 fine in a settlement with New Mexico prosecutors.

When he ran for the State Senate last year, this is how C de Baca characterized the bid-rigging/kickback episode when the Albuquerque Tribune inquired about his criminal record:

In 1996 I was convicted of an anti-trust violation in California and paid a fine. My case was reviewed by the Superior Court of California in early 2004. The charge was dismissed and expunged.

I opted not to draw attention to Mr. C' de Baca's questionable financial reporting practices and the risks they posed for the Bernalillo County Republican Party. For example, on his December 7, 2006 report with the Secretary of State, Mr. C' de Baca showed $19,784 in in-kind contributions, but only $3,709.28 in expenditures. And that poses a serious problem:

In-Kind Contributions, according to Paragraph 5, FEC Code from www.fec.gov.

A committee reports the value of an in-kind contribution in the same way it reports a monetary contribution. In addition, as with all in-kind contributions, the committee must report the value of the in-kind contribution as an operating expenditure. Moreover, an in-kind contribution itemized on Schedule A must also be itemized on a Schedule B for operating expenditures. 104.13 and 110.1(e).

In other words, BCRP must show all in-kind contributions as both a "contribution" and an "expenditure" according to the FEC. This was not done. In fact, Fernando and Cecilia C' de Baca personally claimed a combined total of $44,714.00 in-kind contribution over an 11 month period, but NOWHERE can the matching expenditure be found. To make matter worse, according to the FEC, it is illegal to claim "in-kind contributions" from volunteers.

I also decided not to bring up the fact that the Executive Director, employed by the Bernalillo County Republican Party and hired by Mr. C' de Baca, spent Election Night partying with Patricia Madrid supporters at her "Victory" Party. Or, the fact that this same individual, proudly has posted pictures on his personal website of himself posing with pornography star Jenna Jameson while wearing a t-shirt advertising her website.


These are all issues I opted not to raise at that time because I didn't feel they were relevant to the election at hand. I was wrong. Mr. C' de Baca's past criminal conviction for bid-rigging clearly demonstrated he is willing to win at any cost - lawful or not. His latest attempt to disenfranchise Republican grassroot activists through fraudulent means shows he has not changed much in the last 10 years - simply moving from bid-rigging to election-rigging.

The fact that Mr. Greer has sought to align himself with such a man does not bode well for Mr. Greer. You can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep. Speaking of which, go back and take a look at that list at the beginning of this post. Included with me are:

1. A State Representative who just spent more than 60 days fighting for Republican values
2. Three underpaid staffers of the State Party who work tirelessly on our behalf.
3. The recently elected 2nd Vice-Chair of the Bernalillo County Republican Party - the only uncontested candidate at the recent county convention.
   
4. A staffer from Congresswoman Heather Wilson's office
5. Fran Langholf, a volunteer legend in Republican circles
   
6. Our Secretary of State candidate in this last election who worked tirelessly both in 2004 and 2006.
   
7. A Republican lawyer who volunteers his time over and over again to defend our rights

And, I could go on, but you get the idea. These are the Party faithful. The type of people we need to duplicate if we are ever to succeed in achieving a two-party state. These are the type of people some county chairman would like to see removed from the picture. You've got to ask yourself, "Why?"

Encouraging Competition is One Thing

I'm the first one to encourage competition when it comes to elections. I ran in a Republican primary against two others for a State House legislative seat, and just a month ago, I lost in a race against the incumbent Chairman of the Bernalillo County Republican Party. I don't believe that if one Republican holds a position, every other Republican should just back off and wait until that person steps down or dies.

I also believe that people who are running for something should, well, should run. That means making a decision and putting yourself out there to answer the tough questions. Which is why this little tidbit from yesterday's Albuquerque Journal is so troubling (subscription):

Greer, the Sierra County GOP chairman for nearly five years, plans to formally announce his candidacy for the state chairmanship on Thursday. He said he had been talking with other county GOP leaders and encouraged to run.

"We want to take the party back to the grass roots, back to the counties, back to the Republicans that do the work and actually do the voting,'' Greer said in a telephone interview.

He is a real estate broker and rancher from Truth or Consequences, and ran unsuccessfully last year for a seat on the Public Regulation Commission.

Weh, who became GOP chairman in 2004, said he can provide continuity in the party organization.

"A lot of people convinced me that it was important that an experienced chairman continue at this point and take it through the presidential election,'' said Weh.

I've met Earl Greer. We recently spent an evening sitting together at the same table at the State GOP Lincoln Dinner. I like him. But, if we were sitting together tonight for dinner, I'd have to say:

Earl, what the heck are you thinking? Who announces a candidacy three days before an election and expects to be taken seriously? C'mon Earl, you know better than that.

Part of the reason, I am so shocked by this approach is that it's not like this is the first time he has run for office. In 2002 he ran for NM's 2nd Congressional District (CD) seat. According to PoliticalMoneyLine.com, he only raised $37,039. Not nearly enough to run an effective campaign, and it showed. Of the five gentleman running for the seat, Mr. Greer placed 5th in the GOP primary.

The next year, Mr. Greer decided to run for the State Party 2nd CD Vice Chairman position and that time, he placed 4th in a four-way race. Then just last year, he lost the Public Regulatory Commission race. Now, I'm strong believer that when it comes to politics, you can learn a lot by your failures. I know I have. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that Mr. Greer has.

As a member of State Central Committee, I've received nearly a dozen letters and more than a few phone calls from, or in support of, Chairman Allen Weh's. The only notification I've had that anyone else was running was that little blurb embedded in the Albuquerque Journal article referenced above. And, it doesn't even say Mr. Greer wants to run. All it says is that others encouraged him to run. That's no way to run a race.

Moreover, what's this nonsense about taking "the party back to the grass roots, back to the counties, back to the Republicans that do the work and actually do the voting." Everyone knows that politics is local. You can't take something back to something it already is. This really makes no sense to me.

Not to mention, that if your "campaign" - and with only three days to go, I use that term loosely - is based on getting back to the "Republicans that do the work," don't you think the State Central Committee members, those folks elected at the Ward level, deserve a little more communication - you know, a personal letter or two, a phone call, something that let's us know someone is running.

The bottom line here is that the only way Mr. Greer's run could be successful is if back room deals have been made. The fact that Mr. Greer thinks he can win the election without reaching out to the Republicans that do the work at the local level is very troubling.

Dear Bernalillo County Republicans,

In case you didn't get my letter....

With the encouragement of my family and friends and many long-standing grassroots activists, I've decided to run for Chairman of the Bernalillo County Republican Party, and I need your support.

In 2008, New Mexico will once again be a battleground state, and if we learned anything from this past election cycle, it is that we need to do more. Bernalillo County is the most important political county in the state and must do a better job of delivering the vote for our Republican candidates.

During this past last election cycle, Congresswoman Heather Wilson had her closest race ever. And, for the first time since taking office, she lost Bernalillo County. This must never happen again.

According to the final audited count, Congresswoman Wilson lost Bernalillo County by 1,250 votes. That means that with just four more votes per precinct, she would have easily won the county.

What concerns me, and has in fact motivated me to run, is that despite the passage of four months, not a single significant step has been taken to build our party structure. Already, 120 days have passed since the last election, and we are no more prepared today to deliver those additional votes in every precinct than we were four months ago.

This is unacceptable.

Granted, every organization has problems, but the good ones don’t have the same problems year after year. Right now, without a change, we’re on track to have the same problems come 2008. I’m not willing to stand idly by and let that happen, and I don’t think you are either.
Together, we can make sure that 2008 is remembered as the year when the Republicans took back Bernalillo County. How do we do it? With three simple steps:

1. Communicate our message
2. Raise money
3. Recruit volunteers

This is not speculation on my part. I’ve done it before successfully. From 2000 to 2004, I was the President of Junior Achievement of New Mexico, a privately funded not-for-profit that teaches students to understand business and economics and value the free enterprise system.

When I took over the organization, it had $25,000 in assets and annual revenues of $200,000. In four short years, I was able to increase the net assets by a $100,000 while doubling annual revenues to over $400,000 per year. More importantly, I was able to double the number of students participating in the program by significantly increasing the number of volunteers involved.

I did the same for an El Paso chapter of the organization with even more amazing results. During a one-hour lunch, I raised $80,000 in a room with just fourteen people. Admittedly, they were the right fourteen people, but that was no accident, I invited them.

Communicate a message. Raise money. Recruit volunteers. That's the plan.

I've had a similar success in the private sector. After leaving Junior Achievement, I launched an advertising and public relations firm. In just three years, I've grown this firm to the 14th largest agency in the state with a couple of million dollars in annual billings.

I know how to set goals and achieve them, and I've set a goal to make the Bernalillo County Republican Party the strongest county party in the state. With your help, I will do it. That’s my commitment. Elect me to be your Bernalillo County Party Chairman, and together, we’ll deliver for our Republican candidates in 2008.

Sincerely,


Mario Burgos

P.S. Below is a list of activities I've been involved in during my last six and a half years in New Mexico. This is by no means a complete list; however, I think it provides a good indication of the level of my commitment to our community, our state and our future. You can also learn a lot more about me by visiting www.MarioBurgos.com.

Political Involvement:
* Heather Wilson for Congress, Finance Committee 2005 - Present
* Member of the NM Delegation to 2004 Republican National Convention
* Bernalillo County Small Business Coalition Chairman, Bush/Cheney 2004
* Appointed by the U.S. Treasury Secretary and the IRS Commissioner to be New Mexico's representative on the National Taxpayer Advocacy Panel 2002 - 2005
* 2004 Candidate for State Representative, House District 22
* Political Blogger 2004 - present
* Frequent Republican commentator on KNME’s The Line and Channel 4’s Eye on New Mexico

Community Involvement:
* AYSO Soccer Coach 2004 - Present
* Albuquerque Del Norte Rotary Club 2001 - Present
* United Way Young Leaders Society
* National Federation of Independent Businesses
* Association of Commerce and Industry
* Middle Rio Grande Business Education Collaborative 2002-2004
* New Mexico Business Roundtable for Educational Excellence
* 2004 NM Business Weekly 40 Under 40
* March of Dimes, Walk-a-thon Fundraising Committee 2005
* Popejoy Hall's Primavera Ball, Marketing Committee 2006 - Present

Central Committee Meeting, and Biennial Organizational County Convention

Albuquerque Fraternal Order of Police Lodge
Sunday March 18, 2007
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
5900 Jefferson St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109