NMPolitics.net (https://nmpolitics.net/index/page/460/)
Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, will be in Las Vegas, N.M. on Tuesday to encourage early voting. Obama will speak at a rally on the historic Old Town Plaza on Plaza Street. Doors to the event open at 11 a.m., and the rally begins at 12:15 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required but an RSVP is strongly encouraged. To RSVP, click here. Continue Reading
As expected, Gov. Bill Richardson on Friday appointed Robert E. Robles to the New Mexico Court of Appeals. Robles will be leaving behind a job as chief judge of the Third Judicial District Court in Doña Ana County to replace Ira Robinson on the state’s second-highest court. “This position comes with an awesome responsibility — one which I do not take lightly,” Richardson said Friday at a ceremony in Las Cruces. “An appellate judge should be principled and fair. Judge Robles is that and so much more. Continue Reading
Half of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said the economy is the most important issue as the Nov. 4 election approaches. Of 252 voters, 127, or 50 percent, picked the economy, while 35, or 14 percent, picked the candidates’ character; 28, or 11 percent, picked energy independence; 24, or 10 percent, picked the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; nine, or 4 percent, picked health care; another nine, or 4 percent, picked abortion; five, or 2 percent, picked the Second Amendment; two, or 1 percent, picked immigration; and 13, or 5 percent, picked “other.” Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading
John McCain had a simple message for voters during a rally today in Mesilla: I may be down, but I’m not out. “There’s 10 days to go and we’re a few points down (in the polls). Pundits have written off the race,” McCain told a rowdy crowd of about 4,000 on the plaza in Mesilla. “… I’ve never been one to back down when the stakes are high.” McCain sought during the rally to paint himself as a fighter. He referenced the fact that, before his surprising win in the New Hampshire primary earlier this year, pundits said he wouldn’t become the GOP nominee. Continue Reading
Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Ed Tinsley has cancelled his broadcast television ad buys in the Albuquerque and El Paso markets for the final week of the election. Two sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed today that Tinsley’s last broadcast television advertising is scheduled to run Monday after he canceled the final week of his previously scheduled buys. The election is a week from Tuesday. Tinsley spokesman Jim Pettit wouldn’t directly confirm the cancellation of the ad buys, but he said the campaign is “increasing our media buy 50 percent district-wide in a strategic shift that emphasizes targeted advertising to reach selected demographic groups.” “While we can’t discuss specific tactics, our research shows the need for specific messages best achieved through targeted media buys,” Pettit said. Conventional wisdom suggests that candidates’ most effective way to reach the largest number of voters is through broadcast television, which is more expensive than cable but reaches a wider audience. Continue Reading
Actor George Lopez will join Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama at Saturday’s rally in Albuquerque, the Obama campaign announced today. Gates open at 7 p.m. for the rally at Johnson Field on the University of New Mexico campus. The field is on the corner of Girard Boulevard and Central Ave. The rally is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, but an RSVP is encouraged by the campaign. Continue Reading
© 2008 by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. In 1976 I fell under the spell of presidential candidate Jimmy Carter. His message of “change” seemed a breath of fresh air from the Nixon years. Looking back I realize the media created Carter, sustained him and ignored all conflicting data from the notion he was the best. As a journalist I could see that the national news departments were not doing a balanced job reporting on Carter. Still, I put aside my journalistic concern to embrace what I saw as the “greater good” that Carter represented. Continue Reading
He was passed up for a spot on the New Mexico Supreme Court a year ago, but it appears that Robert E. Robles, chief judge of the Third Judicial District Court in Doña Ana County, is set to become a member of the state Court of Appeals. Gov. Bill Richardson is scheduled to announce the appointment of a new judge to the appellate court on Friday in Las Cruces. He’ll do so at 4:15 p.m. in Courtroom 1 at the Third Judicial District Court, 201 West Picacho Ave. Last week, a judicial nominating commission sent Richardson the names of 10 applicants to fill the three vacancies on the court. Robles is the only candidate from Las Cruces on the list sent to the governor, so you can do the math about Friday’s announcement in Las Cruces. Continue Reading
Here we go again: Another TV station wants to exclude independent 3rd Congressional District candidate Carol Miller from a debate. Earlier this month, KOAT-TV in Albuquerque caved to pressure and allowed Miller to participate in its debate along with Democrat Ben Ray Luján and Republican Dan East. Now, according to Miller, KOB-TV plans to exclude her from its debate scheduled for Saturday. The situation is the same, so I’m going to simply quote from the article I wrote earlier this month calling on KOAT-TV and the co-sponsoring Albuquerque Journal to let Miller debate: “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. “… But the media isn’t supposed to be part of that system. Continue Reading
Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund is on the air today with a new TV ad promoting Democratic 1st Congressional District candidate Martin Heinrich. Here’s the ad: “Leadership: Martin Heinrich, working for new American energy technology to break our dependence on foreign oil,” the ad’s narrator states. “Courage: Martin Heinrich, taking on the lobbyists to eliminate huge tax breaks for big oil. Vision: Martin Heinrich, investing in clean energy like wind and solar, creating thousands of jobs here in New Mexico. The leader we need in Congress.” Continue Reading
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall’s new ad seeks to tie Republican opponent Steve Pearce to President Bush’s economic policies — and it uses a parrot named “Polly Big Oil” to do it. Here’s the ad: “Steve Pearce — he’s doing it again,” the ad’s narrator states. “Economy is Tom Udall’s fault! Tom Udall’s fault!” Polly states as the ad shows a previous Pearce ad attacking Udall. “It’s Steve Pearce who supports George Bush economics: tax breaks for the wealthy and special interests, no rules for Wall Street and billions for Big Oil but not alternative energy,” the ad’s narrator states. Continue Reading
Democratic 2nd Congressional District candidate Harry Teague’s new TV ad characterizes his race as part of “a crossroads in America.” Here’s the 30-second spot: “Harry Teague, delivering change for New Mexico,” the narrator says at the start of the ad. Then Teague speaks. “We’re at a crossroads in America. Which way will we go? We have two choices,” Teague says. Continue Reading
Details have been released for the rallies Barack Obama and John McCain plan to hold in Albuquerque on Saturday. Obama plans to hold a rally beginning at 7 p.m. at Johnson Field on the University of New Mexico campus, according to a news release from his campaign. The size of the field indicates that the event should be well attended. The field is on the corner of Girard Boulevard and Central Ave. The rally is free and open to the public. Continue Reading
The 2nd Congressional District candidates have agreed to appear jointly at one additional candidate forum, this one in Mesquite in southern Doña Ana County. The forum that will involve Democrat Harry Teague and Republican Ed Tinsley will be held Tuesday beginning at 6 p.m. at the Mesquite Volunteer Fire Department, 1 Firehouse Road. Those in attendance will have an opportunity to meet and ask questions of the candidates. The forum will be moderated by New Mexico State University government professor Jose Z. Garcia and is sponsored by Mesquite Community Action Committee and Southern New Mexico PACE. For more information, call (575) 233-3084. Continue Reading
“Do we really have to do this again?” was my thought when I first read about Otero County Republican Women Chair Marcia Stirman calling Barack Obama a Muslim and asserting that Muslims are America’s enemies. Apparently, we do. So here goes. Stirman wrote a letter published Tuesday in the Alamogordo Daily News about why she’s a Republican. In it she hit on familiar topics: She believes “in a sovereign God who sometimes gives us what we deserve.” She opposes abortion and supports the death penalty. Continue Reading