Does experience matter? Analysis reveals trends

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By Ben Glickler Ever since Sarah Palin joined the GOP ticket, those of us who get a kick out of following politics have heard some fantastic arguments coming from pundits and advocates on all sides. Sarah Palin has a lot of executive experience due to being a small-town mayor; alternatively, she governed a big-whoop state of 600,000 for a big-whoop two years. Obama has a lengthy record of serving the public due to being a community organizer; or, if you like, he spent two years in the Senate doing nothing before hitting the campaign trail. Each side is trying to make the case that their guy (or gal) is ready for the big job despite having a slim record in politics — but they’re also trying to make sure we know that the other side is completely unprepared because of their slim record in politics. Most people can’t walk that thin line, and the result is often unintentionally hilarious. Continue Reading

Voters in poll say Obama has been more honorable

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has run a more honorable campaign than Republican opponent John McCain. Of 347 voters, 206, or 59 percent, said Obama has run the more honorable campaign, while 116, or 33 percent, said McCain has done that. Some 25 voters, or 7 percent, said neither has run an honorable campaign. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

GOP leader’s racially tinged comments are wrong

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The chairman of the Bernalillo County Republican Party is facing heavy criticism from within his own party and elsewhere for saying that Hispanics won’t vote for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama because they consider themselves above blacks. Fernando C. de Baca was quoted as making the comments to a BBC News reporter in a blog posting published on Friday. “The truth is that Hispanics came here as conquerors,” C. de Baca was quoted as saying. “African-Americans came here as slaves. Hispanics consider themselves above blacks. Continue Reading

Group hits Obama on abortion in new ad

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Abortion is the topic of a new television advertising battle between an independent group and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. New Mexico and Ohio are the two states where the battle is being fought. Here’s the ad that started the fight, a 30-second spot being aired by the group BornAliveTruth.org. It features 31-year-old abortion survivor Gianna Jessen: “Can you imagine not giving babies their basic human rights, no matter how they entered our world? My name is Gianna Jessen, born 31 years ago after a failed abortion,” Jessen says in the ad. Continue Reading

Pearce gets hammered in new TV ads

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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce is getting hammered by two new TV ads that were unveiled today. The first, from Pearce’s Democratic opponent, Tom Udall, uses a parrot named “Polly Big Oil” to make fun of Pearce and accuse him of being a mouthpiece for the oil industry. Here’s the 30-second ad: It begins with the parrot saying, “Tax breaks for big oil. Tax breaks for big oil.” “Every wonder why Steve Pearce repeats everything the big oil companies say?” the ad’s narrator asks as a television displays Pearce’s new ad attacking Udall on energy and other issues. “Gas prices. Continue Reading

Tinsley wants another debate to focus on economy

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Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Ed Tinsley is challenging Democratic opponent Harry Teague to an additional debate to focus specifically on the economy. Tinsley made the challenge in a Thursday news release. “The nation and southern New Mexico are facing the most challenging economic crisis since the Great Depression. Reforming our nation’s financial regulators will dominate the political and policy agenda when a new president and Congress are sworn in just five months from now,” he said. “Our voters deserve to make an informed choice on who they want in Washington representing them during these difficult times. Continue Reading

Denish to lead rally for Obama at NMSU today

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Lt. Gov. Diane Denish will lead a rally for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama today in Las Cruces. At the Women for Obama rally, Denish and state Rep. Joni Gutierrez, D-Las Cruces, will discuss “Obama’s commitment to equal pay, in addition to his plan to strengthen the economy and lift up New Mexico’s working families,” according to a news release from the Obama campaign. The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the auditorium on the second floor of New Mexico State University’s Corbett Center. Continue Reading

New Pearce ad calls Udall ‘breathtakingly liberal’

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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce is out with a new TV ad hitting his Democratic opponent, Tom Udall, as being “breathtakingly liberal.” Here’s the 30-second spot, which Pearce unveiled today: “Tom Udall. He voted to raise taxes on families and businesses and just about anything that moves,” the ad’s narrator states. “He voted against offshore drilling and nuclear-power development. Udall voted against body armor for our troops in combat. He even voted against banning partial-birth abortions.” “Tom Udall. Continue Reading

With new ad, Obama stoops to same level as McCain

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I wrote last week that Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s campaign was making statement after statement that wasn’t true. Now his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, has stooped to the same level with a misleading and erroneous ad. Here’s the Spanish ad the campaign is airing in New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Florida in an attempt to win over Hispanic voters: For those who don’t speak Spanish, the ad opens with the narrator saying, “They want us to forget the insults we’ve put up with, the intolerance. They made us feel marginalized in this country we love so much.” Meanwhile, the ad shows conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh and gives these quotes from him: “stupid and unskilled Mexicans” and “You shut your mouth or you get out!” Then the narrator says, “John McCain and his Republican friends have two faces — one that says lies just to get our vote, and another, even worse, that continues the policies of George Bush that put special interests ahead of working families. John McCain, more of the same old Republican tricks.” There are big problems with this ad. Continue Reading

CD1 race descends into a nasty battle

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First it was Martin Heinrich who stood accused of ducking a debate earlier this week. On Wednesday, the Democratic 1st Congressional District candidate tried to turn the tables by saying his opponent, Republican Darren White, skipped a forum after confirming his attendance. Heinrich’s attack is the latest in what is becoming an increasingly nasty battle between the two candidates, who are sparring over allegations each has made against the other at the expense of tackling policy stances or major issues of the day — like the economic doldrums affecting the country. In addition to the back and forth over who is attending what, the question of whether Heinrich worked as a lobbyist has dominated the debate over the past week. White has raised the issue that Heinrich was paid to push for creation of the Ojito Wilderness several years ago but didn’t register as a state or federal lobbyist. Continue Reading

Udall moves further ahead in new Senate poll

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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall’s lead is growing, according to a new poll released Wednesday. The SurveyUSA poll has Udall leading Republican Steve Pearce 56 percent to 41 percent. The poll of 671 likely voters was conducted Sunday through Tuesday for KOB-TV in Albuquerque and has a margin of error of 3.9 percentage points. Udall led by 35 percentage points among Hispanic voters, according to SurveyUSA. The two were tied among white voters.Pearce had the support of 77 percent of Republican voters, while Udall had the support of 81 percent of Democratic voters and a 2-1 lead among independents. Continue Reading

Another poll has Obama leading in NM

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A new poll has Barack Obama leading John McCain by 8 percentage points in New Mexico. The SurveyUSA Poll, released Wednesday, has Obama leading 54 percent to 44 percent. Two percent selected “other” and 1 percent were undecided in the poll, conducted Sunday through Tuesday for KOB-TV in Albuquerque. The survey of 671 likely voters had a margin of error of 3.9 percent. The poll is in line with another released Tuesday by American Research Group that had Obama leading by 7 percentage points in New Mexico. Continue Reading

Tinsley airs first TV ad of general-election season

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Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Ed Tinsley began airing his first television ad of the general-election season on Tuesday, a 30-second spot that’s not unlike introductory ads he ran during the primary. Here’s the new ad: It’s actually a slightly reworked version of an ad he ran during the primary. Click here to view the version he ran in the Roswell area and here to view the version he ran in the Las Cruces area during the primary. “It was a humble beginning in a small sandwich shop. Meredith worked the cash register, and I cooked,” Tinsley says in explaining his start in business. Continue Reading

Palin pick helps change attitudes toward women

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Contrary to what many on the left are saying, the Sarah Palin pick has the potential to positively and dramatically shift attitudes toward women in this country. Those who say otherwise apparently don’t understand how John McCain’s selecting Palin to be the second female vice-presidential candidate in America’s history challenges a huge number of Americans to think outside the box in which they live. Many among the GOP base of religious, conservative voters attend churches in which women aren’t allowed to preach or fill a number of other leadership roles. And yet, many of those same people have become the most excited supporters of the McCain/Palin campaign, and it isn’t because of the social moderate at the top of the ticket. If they’re successful in electing McCain, GOP base voters are setting Palin up to be the likely Republican nominee for president in four or eight years. Continue Reading