Bingaman would have voted for bailout bill

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U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman said today that he would have voted for the proposed $700 billion bailout proposal the House rejected on Monday. “I believe there is a need to recapitalize our banking system in order to head off failure by more financial institutions, and that was what this package was intended to do,” Bingaman, D-N.M., said today in an interview with radio reporters. Bingaman said the bill included an important provision requiring “that taxpayers be allowed to share in the profit or the improved economic condition of these companies down the road” since taxpayers would be investing the money up front to help the companies out of financial hardship. He called that and other provisions in the bill presented to the House on Monday “substantial improvements” over the original proposal, and said “it would have been a prudent thing for us to go ahead with it.” Bingaman said it’s important that Congress keep working toward a bill that can pass. The Senate doesn’t plan to vote on a bill until after the House approves it. Continue Reading

U.S. attorney scandal heats up again

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Report details why Iglesias was fired; AG appoints prosecutor to consider criminal charges The 392-page report released Monday about the 2006 firings of nine U.S. attorneys — including New Mexico’s David Iglesias — contains a number of interesting tidbits but not new revelations that significantly change what we already knew: that the reasons Bush administration staffers gave Congress last year for firing Iglesias were hogwash. Perhaps more significant than the report, however, was the news that Attorney General Michael Mukasey has appointed a federal prosecutor to determine whether the situation should lead to criminal charges against former AG Alberto Gonzales and others. You can read the full report by clicking here. The section about Iglesias’ firing starts on page 149. Read about some of the details revealed in the report from the New Mexico Independent and Albuquerque Journal. Continue Reading

Tinsley campaign downplays GOP affiliation

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The campaign of Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Ed Tinsley is gaining some national attention because of a video that shows his wife saying the campaign is downplaying Tinsley’s party affiliation. Here’s the video: “When the primary was over, all our signs had Republican on them, and we had to have everything totally redone without the Republican — all our stickers, everything,” Tinsley’s wife Meredith says in the video. The video was first posted by The Politico. “Keep in mind that the district is the most Republican district in New Mexico, and hasn’t elected a Democrat to Congress since 1980. It gave President Bush 58 percent of the vote in 2004,” the Web site’s article states. Continue Reading

Few politicos comment on House rejection of bailout

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The proposed $700 billion bailout defeated in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday appears to be a hot potato for many politicos who didn’t have to vote on it. U.S. Reps. Steve Pearce, Tom Udall and Heather Wilson all commented on the bill after Pearce and Udall voted against it and Wilson voted for it. Click here to read their comments. Beyond that, few of the top politicos and candidates for office in New Mexico chose to comment on Monday’s vote. Continue Reading

Another day, another new political TV ad

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Another independent group is running another ad attacking another political candidate in New Mexico. This time, Patriot Majority West is out with the new ad attacking Republican 1st Congressional District candidate Darren White over his stance on the Iraq war. Here’s the ad: This is the second ad the group has aired in New Mexico during this election cycle. In August, it ran a TV ad attacking Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce. New Mexico’s airwaves are currently flooded with political advertising from candidates and independent groups focused on the state’s electoral votes in the presidential race and its one open Senate seat and three open House seats. Continue Reading

Romney visiting New Mexico today to help Pearce

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Former Massachusetts Gov. and presidential candidate Mitt Romney will be in Albuquerque today for a fundraiser for GOP U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce, but before that he’s appearing at a news conference with Pearce in Santa Fe. “Romney has been a strong supporter of the Pearce campaign, even appearing at a breakfast fundraiser for him during the GOP convention while Steve attended his father’s funeral last month,” a news release from the Pearce campaign states. “The former Massachusetts governor and businessman is known for turning deficits into surpluses and respects Steve Pearce for his dedication to the same kind of fiscal responsibility.” Romney praised Pearce in the news release. “America faces a new generation of challenges. At this critical time in our nation’s history, Steve Pearce is determined to fight for conservative policies that will strengthen America at home and around the world,” Romney said. Continue Reading

Udall, Pearce opposed bailout bill; Wilson supported it

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This article has been updated. They haven’t agreed on much during this campaign, but New Mexico’s two U.S. Senate candidates agreed today that the proposed $700 billion bailout bill was a bad idea. Their reasons might differ, but U.S. Reps. Steve Pearce, R-N.M. and Tom Udall, D-N.M., both voted against the bill. They were among 133 Republicans and 95 Democrats who joined forces to defeat the proposal. Continue Reading

House defeats $700 billion bailout proposal

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The U.S. House has just defeated the $700 billion bailout plan a bipartisan group of Washington politicians had hoped would stabilize an American economy in crisis. The move sent the financial markets tumbling. On a vote of 228-205, the House rejected the compromise plan that had been announced Sunday. Leaders from both parties spoke in favor of the bill before the vote, and after the tally was complete, they held the vote open for a few minutes to try to sway votes, but they were unable to secure the support needed to pass the bailout proposal. The Dow Jones industrials fell 705 points just before the vote on fears that the proposal might fail. Continue Reading

Note to KOAT and ABQJournal: Let Miller debate

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KOAT-TV and the Albuquerque Journal plan to hold a debate between the 3rd Congressional District candidates on Oct. 19, but they don’t plan to let one of the three candidates participate. Media organizations should know better. By excluding independent Carol Miller, they’re helping prop up the corrupt and morally bankrupt two-party system that dragged us into the current economic crisis and other problems. In justifying the decision to only allow Democrat Ben Ray Luján and Republican Dan East participate in the debate, KOAT New Director Sue Stephens told The Santa Fe New Mexican that she invited the two candidates “in the public’s eye,” saying Luján and East “lived through the primary. They have had exposure.” Of course they’ve had more exposure than Miller. Continue Reading

Trip reveals wide range of gas prices in NM

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I drove the length of the state this weekend, from Las Cruces all the way to Farmington and Kirtland, and I was shocked to see the wide range of gas prices. Gas as I left Las Cruces on Friday was selling for $3.49 per gallon at many stations, and that remains the price today. In Bernalillo on Friday, one station was selling gas for $3.20 per gallon, but most were selling it for $3.35 per gallon. That’s not abnormal. Bernalillo is usually a bit cheaper than Las Cruces. Continue Reading

Kansas guv to hold rally for Obama today in Mesilla

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Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will hold a “change we need” rally for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama this afternoon on the Mesilla Plaza. At the rally, Sebelius will “discuss Barack’s plans to strengthen the economy and lift up New Mexico families,” an e-mail from the Obama campaign states. The rally begins at 4 p.m. Click here to RSVP. Sebellius will be joined after the rally at a fundraiser for Obama in Las Cruces by N.M. Gov. Bill Richardson and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. for those who contribute at least $2,500 and at 6:30 p.m. for those who contribute $500 or more. Continue Reading

Most voters in poll pick Obama to handle crisis

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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 is most capable of handling the nation’s economic crisis. Of 358 voters, 218, or 61 percent, picked Obama in the poll, while 114, or 32 percent, picked Republican John McCain. Independent Ralph Nader and Libertarian Bob Barr each received eight votes, or 2 percent; Constitutional Party candidate Chuck Baldwin received seven votes, or 2 percent; and Green Cynthia McKinney received three votes, or 1 percent. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Heinrich internal poll has him leading

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The campaign of 1st Congressional District Democratic candidate Martin Heinrich is touting an internal poll that has him leading Republican opponent Darren White by 6 percentage points. Heinrich leads 48 percent to 42 percent in the Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research poll that was conducted for the Heinrich campaign. The survey of 450 likely voters was conducted Monday and Tuesday and has a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points. After undecided voters are asked which candidate they are leaning toward, Heinrich’s lead drops to 5 points in the poll, 50 percent to 45 percent. The question that was asked: “Thinking about the election for U.S. Congress in November, if the election for U.S. Congress were held today and the candidates were Democrat Martin Heinrich and Republican Darren White — for whom would you vote, Democrat Martin Heinrich or Republican Darren White?” The most recent independent poll, a SurveyUSA poll conducted for the Washington publication Roll Call a month ago, had Heinrich leading by 5 points, 51 percent to 46 percent. Continue Reading

Pearce ad cites financial crisis in attacking Udall

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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce is out with a new TV ad that aims to use the current financial crisis to convince voters that Democratic opponent Tom Udall is “too liberal” and “too risky.” Here’s the 30-second ad: “Financial markets in crisis. Millions of jobs at risk. The greatest economic challenge of our lifetime,” the ad’s narrator states. “Tom Udall’s plan: higher taxes on families. Tom Udall voted to raise taxes 64 times, and his tax-increase plan would send our economy into a tailspin, destroy jobs, wipe out retirement savings, shatter dreams.” I’ve sought comment from the Udall campaign. Continue Reading

Pearce, Udall to take questions on YouTube

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New Mexico’s U.S. Senate candidates, Republican Steve Pearce and Democrat Tom Udall, have agreed to answer questions from YouTube users. You have until Monday to submit a question. Here’s YouTube’s invitation to participate: The top five questions submitted in response will be asked of both candidates, and their video answers will be posted on Oct. 7 at youtube.com/youchoose08. You don’t have to live in New Mexico to submit a question for consideration. Continue Reading