Richardson shows he can debate, after all

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For months, Bill Richardson has been trying to stand out in the field of Democratic presidential candidates by insisting that an Iraq withdrawal will only take a few months and should include all residual troops. He finally got the chance during Sunday’s debate in Iowa when the moderator asked each candidate what they thought of Richardson’s plan. Though none agreed with Richardson’s stance, he successfully articulated his view for the first time, and it happened on national television. It was a major victory for the fourth-place candidate, his first strong debate showing of the campaign. While all the Democratic candidates are calling for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, most say it will take a year, and they would leave some “residual” troops in Iraq to help with rebuilding and other non-combat missions. Continue Reading

Newspaper reports on developer’s gifts to NMSU

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I reported in June that Las Cruces developer Philip Philippou wasn’t giving any money to the New Mexico State University Foundation to help pay former men’s basketball coach Reggie Theus or President Michael Martin. Now, Philippou has released his giving records to the Las Cruces Sun-News to prove it. The newspaper ran an article on Sunday detailing what Philippou has given to NMSU. Click here to read it. Continue Reading

Voters in poll say McCamley has best shot at Pearce

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said Bill McCamley has the best shot at beating U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce in 2008. Of 214 voters, 128, or 60 percent, said McCamley has the best shot out of three announced Democratic challengers to the GOP congressman. Rick Bolaños had 19 votes, or 9 percent, and Al Kissling had six votes, or 3 percent. Sixty-one voters, or 29 percent, said Pearce is unbeatable. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Legislators, NMSU officials to discuss foundation

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A number of Doña Ana County legislators will meet with New Mexico State University’s president and two regents on Monday to discuss concerns about its foundation’s practice of keeping information about donors secret. The meeting, which will not be open to the public, will be attended by President Michael Martin, Regents Chair Laura Conniff and Vice Chair Bob Gallagher, state Reps. Joseph Cervantes, Nate Cote, Mary Helen Garcia, Joni Gutierrez and Andy Nuñez and state Sen. Cynthia Nava. Other lawmakers may attend, but at least some have conflicts with legislative business. The meeting was sought by Cervantes. Continue Reading

Domenici resists pressure to support Udall-sponsored provision that would mandate renewable energy use

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Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is calling for expansion of domestic oil and gas production and increased use of alternative energy but is resisting pressure to support a House-approved bill requiring electric companies to derive 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020. Domenici’s stance pits him against U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., who secured a major victory recently when the House accepted his proposal to require that utility companies incrementally increase their use of renewable energy from 2.75 percent in 2010 to 15 percent by 2020. As the ranking GOP member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Domenici’s stance is important to any debate on the establishment of what’s called a Renewable Energy Standard. He was instrumental in blocking such a standard from being included in an energy bill passed by the Senate in June. The Sierra Club began a media campaign this week that includes billboards and radio and television advertisements. Continue Reading

Richardson making significant gains in Nevada

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Gov. Bill Richardson continues to climb in polls in Nevada and has the potential to pass John Edwards and Barack Obama in that state in the coming months. The new Research 2000 poll, released today, has Hillary Clinton at 33 percent, Obama at 19 percent, Edwards at 15 percent, Richardson at 11 percent and Al Gore, who isn’t in the race, at 8 percent. No other candidate was above the margin of error of 5 percent in the poll, which surveyed 400 likely Democratic caucus-goers between Tuesday and Thursday. For Richardson, that’s a nine-point gain since the group’s last poll was conducted in March. Clinton has gained one point since March, Obama has fallen one point and Edwards has climbed four points. Continue Reading

Richardson aide quits after felony charges surface

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A day after Bill Richardson announced that he would expand his campaign in Nevada to fill the vacuum left by the retreating John Edwards, one of the governor’s top organizers in that state resigned today when the campaign learned he was a wanted man and had worked for a brothel. “We did not know about all of this,” Richardson’s spokesman in Nevada, Josh McNeil, told the Associated Press. “We accepted his resignation today.” Kristian Forland, until today, was the campaign’s eastern Nevada field director, the news service reported. He is wanted in Los Angeles for failing to appear in court on four felony counts of writing bad checks. He was also arrested twice – last month and last year – on bad-check charges in Las Vegas. Continue Reading

Will Vigil, Garcia situations be investigated?

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I’ve written a lot about the controversies surrounding state Rep. Richard Vigil, D-Ribera, and Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, D-Doña Ana. Vigil’s wife and others are facing felony charges in part for spending capital outlay money Vigil secured on an annual, invitation only party – one that took place late at night and included an expensive band – under the guise of a staff training event for the school program his wife used to run. The money was also spent on other plush items for the program, including a 42-inch plasma screen television – a TV that was picked up from Sears, according to the receipt, by Vigil, and has since vanished. Garcia’s Las Cruces bar was recently cited for serving an intoxicated person. Weeks later – before the department that handles administration of liquor licenses had begun the process of taking action against the bar – Garcia called, in her capacity as a senator, a meeting in Las Cruces, attended by dozens of representatives of the liquor industry and a handful of legislators. Continue Reading

Richardson unveils economic plan

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Gov. Bill Richardson announced the economic plan he would seek to enact if elected president, a radical shift that would change the way Washington does business. The most radical proposals would be a constitutional amendment that requires a balanced federal budget and the end of congressional earmarks – money set aside for projects in lawmakers’ districts that are often slipped into unrelated, controversial bills to secure votes. Earmarks and unlimited spending are at the core of the nation’s political system, so these proposals would be hard to sell in the nation’s capitol. Richardson claims ending the earmark program will save at least $40 billion over five years. He also wants to cut “corporate welfare,” which he said would have saved $92 billion in 2006. Continue Reading

Listen to podcast of The Morning Show

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After a several-week sabbatical, I returned to my biweekly, hour-long appearance on The Morning Show with Alan Riehl today. Topics we discussed included Gov. Bill Richardson’s ‘choice’ gaffe and its impact, and the controversy surrounding the recent citation issued to state Sen. Mary Jane Garcia’s bar and the actions that followed. Since they cut out the commercials, the podcast of the show is about 41 minutes long. You can listen to it by clicking here. Continue Reading

Richardson climbs, Edwards falls in Florida

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Gov. Bill Richardson is climbing and John Edwards is falling in the newest Florida poll. In the new poll by Strategic Vision, conducted Friday-Sunday and released today, Hillary Clinton leads with 40 percent in Florida, Barack Obama has 20 percent, Edwards has 16 percent and Richardson has 9 percent. The larger poll of 1,200 likely voters, which quizzed Democrats and Republicans, has a margin of error of 3 percent. The margin of error for the questions asked only of Democrats isn’t included. No other candidate has more than 3 percent in the new poll, and 10 percent remain undecided. Continue Reading

State won’t produce, distribute marijuana

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Fearing it could result in the federal prosecution of state employees, the Richardson Administration said on Wednesday that it won’t comply with the portion of the new medical marijuana law that requires the state to oversee the drug’s production and distribution. “The Department of Health will not subject its employees to potential federal prosecution, and therefore will not distribute or produce medical marijuana,” Dr. Alfredo Vigil, the department’s secretary, told the Associated Press. The department will continue certifying patients to possess marijuana under the terms of the new bill. At least two dozen have been approved since the law took effect July 1, the news service reported. But Attorney General Gary King warned last week that state employees could face federal charges for producing and distributing the drug, and he can’t defend them in criminal cases. Continue Reading

Cruzado-Salas replaces Flores at NMSU

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The dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at New Mexico State University will take over as its executive vice president and provost on Sept. 1. Waded Cruzado-Salas was named to the job on Wednesday by university President Michael Martin. “It’s clear that any of the finalists could serve us well, but I’m convinced Dr. Cruzado-Salas is exactly the right person for this team at this time in NMSU history,” Martin said in a news release. Cruzado-Salas was among three finalists Martin interviewed in recent weeks. Continue Reading

Guv claims he’s ‘Karl Rove’s worst nightmare’

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Bill Richardson’s campaign is claiming that the governor is “Karl Rove’s worst nightmare in 2008.” In an letter sent by e-mail today to campaign supporters, Dave Contarino, Richardson’s campaign manager, wrote that Rove’s resignation “may signal the end of an era where politicians start wars based on deceptions, and don’t mind sacrificing our civil rights to protect a political advantage. So maybe this is a turning point.” Then the fear tactic. “Or maybe this is just the day Karl Rove officially starts working to defeat Democrats in 2008,” Contarino wrote. And the answer. “Bill Richardson is Karl Rove’s worst nightmare in 2008 – a candidate that can not only win Democrats over, but can also bring in legions of new voters and solidify a Democratic majority for years to come,” he wrote. Continue Reading

Just another example that Washington is too partisan

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Need another example that Washington has become too partisan? Here it is: Last week, U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., sent a letter to constituents using taxpayer dollars, not campaign funds, attacking “liberal lawmakers” and “the new congressional leadership” for approval of an increase in funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. The House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards publishes regulations on what is appropriate and what is not appropriate in taxpayer-funded mailings from members of the House to their constituents. In reading through it, a couple of provisions caught my attention. Members must “avoid excessive use of party labels,” with a general guideline of two per page for each party. Continue Reading