Latest Stories

No more seats available for McCain event

By |

There are no more seats available for next week’s town-hall meeting in Albuquerque with Republican presidential candidate John McCain. As previously reported, McCain will be in Albuquerque on Tuesday for the 10 a.m. meeting at Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town. The day before, he’ll hold an evening fundraiser in Albuquerque. McCain spokeswoman Whitney Cheshire said a few hundred seats were made available on Monday for next week’s town-hall meeting, but “they’ve all been snatched up.” Only people who have made reservations will be allowed to attend the meeting. Continue Reading

The move to the middle

By |

By Dr. James “Jim” Kadlecek Pounding his fist on the podium at the U.S. Senate, former Sen. Everett Dirksen exclaimed, “I’m a man of the strongest possible principle.” He paused for effect before saying, “and my strongest principle is flexibility!” The senator from Illinois was paraphrasing Honest Abe, who made a similar statement at a time when Lincoln had to explain his change of position on an issue. Dirksen’s point was that politics is about compromise. To gain the support (enough votes) to win approval of a bill in Congress, or win an election, a majority is necessary. That means an individual legislator’s or candidate’s opinion must reflect public opinion. Both John McCain and Barack Obama are being criticized by certain media commentators and by political ideologues on the right and left. Continue Reading

How could four justices oppose the 2nd Amendment?

By |

By Dan Foley I was reading with much enjoyment the recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the Constitution with regard to the Second Amendment. But then my blood ran cold when it suddenly dawned on me that the case was only decided by a 5-4 margin. My mind quickly moved from enjoyment to complete and total fear — fear that we actually have four justices who for some reason can find a way to limit my ownership of guns despite the clear language of the Bill of Rights. It was also a wake-up call when I read comments from such a fine constitutional scholar as Justice John Paul Stevens. He wrote, “In my view, there is simply no untouchable constitutional right guaranteed by the Second Amendment to keep loaded handguns in the house in crime-ridden urban areas.” What? Continue Reading

Will conservation legacy hurt the Udalls?

By |

Environmental groups have lined up to help elect Democrats Tom Udall and Mark Udall to the U.S. Senate in November. So, with today’s economic situation being the top issue for voters, it’s no surprise that Republican opponents are attacking the Udall legacy as a contributing cause to the high price of gasoline. The New York Times published an article today raising the question of whether the Udall legacy of protecting the West’s natural resources will help or hurt the two candidates in November. Tom Udall is running for Senate in New Mexico. His first cousin Mark is running in Colorado. Continue Reading

Udall raises $2.1 million during 2nd quarter

By |

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall raised more than $2.1 million during the fundraising quarter that ended June 30, the best fundraising effort yet for a candidate who, during the primary season, consistently outraised the GOP hopefuls combined. “We are so grateful to Tom’s strong, statewide base of committed supporters for making this our best fundraising quarter so far,” campaign Manager Amanda Cooper said in a news release. “Because of their generous support, our campaign is able to knock on thousands of doors, have a strong statewide presence and dominate the airwaves with hard-hitting TV ads.” The release didn’t state how much Udall spent during the second quarter of the year or had on hand on July 1. Finance reports aren’t due to the Federal Election Commission until July 15. During the first quarter of the year, Udall raised $1.3 million, while his Republican opponent, Steve Pearce, raised $473,725. Continue Reading

McCain to hold town-hall meeting in ABQ next week

By |

Republican presidential candidate John McCain will be in Albuquerque on July 15 for a town-hall meeting, according to his campaign Web site. McCain will apparently spend the night of July 14 in New Mexico, because he’s also holding a private fundraiser a week from today at the Albuquerque home of car dealer Ken Zangara. The town-hall meeting will be held at Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town, according to McCain’s Web site. The site doesn’t state whether the event will be open to the public or by invitation only. It also doesn’t state what time the event will begin, but says doors will open at 8:45 a.m. The McCain campaign has released no additional details about the event. Continue Reading

Pro-war group to run TV ads in New Mexico

By |

A political action committee that is supporting Republican congressional candidates will begin airing a television ad in New Mexico and other states next week promoting the “truth” about “progress” in Iraq and Afghanistan. Here’s the ad from Vets for Freedom: The ad, according to the a news release from the group, is intended “to inform the American public and key lawmakers about the phenomenal success that our troops have achieved as a result of the surge and the importance of ensuring victory in Iraq, Afghanistan and the overall global war on terrorism.” The Washington Post is reporting that the ad will run this month and next, and is the first of several ads the group will run during in the coming months. The initial ad buy is $1.5 million. The overall campaign by the group will continue through Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11. Continue Reading

NY Times: N.M.’s ban hasn’t stopped cockfighting

By |

Thus far, New Mexico’s ban on cockfighting hasn’t stopped the bloody sport, which “continues unabated in hidden venues,” according to a weekend article in The New York Times. A December raid in Chaparral, The Times reported, didn’t yield the results officials expected: 150 law-enforcement officers from four counties descended upon a fight expecting to find 300 cockfighters. Instead, they found fewer than a dozen people, seized 12 roosters and issued four misdemeanor citations. Officials say, according to The Times, that the cockfighters had been tipped off. “It seems they’re always one step ahead of us,” Robyn Gojkovich, the state’s first full-time animal control investigator, told the newspaper. Continue Reading

Most voters in poll say Rawson will win re-election

By |

The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said Senate Minority Whip Leonard Lee Rawson, R-Las Cruces, will hold off a general-election challenge from Democrat Steve Fischmann. Of 482 voters, 314, or 65 percent, said Rawson will win re-election, while 168, or 35 percent, said Fischmann will defeat him. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Setting the record straight: wilderness truths

By |

By Nathan P. Small Jim Scarantino’s recent column — “Pearce’s conservation bill: What’s not to like?” — is the latest in a series of one-sided portrayals of the historic effort to protect the nationally recognized, treasured public lands in Doña Ana County. Given Mr. Scarantino’s prolific previous writings from Albuquerque mocking the wolf recovery program, undermining the efforts to protect the Otero Mesa and continuing assertions that local wilderness advocates are eco-terrorists by proxy, his latest article attempting to hurt local conservation efforts is not surprising, but it does deserve a swift repudiation and the truth. Scarantino is quick to give himself a pat on the back for being the genesis of the anti-public lands legislation, H.R. 6300, while in the same breath bragging about his former support of wilderness. In this bizarre swing, he is once again attempting to gloss over the truth and confuse the facts regarding wilderness designation in Doña Ana County. We believe it is our obligation to set the record straight. Continue Reading

Ruling might threaten campaign-finance reform

By |

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last month to strike down a law designed to level the playing field for non-wealthy political candidates could have a dramatic impact on other campaign-finance laws, the Washington Post believes. In striking down the Millionaire’s Amendment, the court could threaten state public-financing systems and restrictions on corporate and union spending, the Post stated in a June 29 editorial. New Mexico is one of five states with no campaign contribution limits for corporations, unions or anyone else, but there’s been a strong push in recent years by Common Cause and other groups to change that. If the Post is right, the high court’s ruling could further hinder their so-far unsuccessful efforts. New Mexico has also created a public financing system in recent years for the Public Regulation Commission, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. Continue Reading

The rules of engagement in your right to survive

By |

© 2008 by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. “I know what you’re thinking. ‘Did he fire six shots or only five?’ Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question, ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?” – Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry The Supreme Count in District of Columbia et al. v. Heller handed down a landmark decision last week. Justices ruled that the Constitution’s Second Amendment grants an individual, not just a “well-regulated militia,” the right to bear arms. I grew up watching squinty-eyed Dirty Harry (Inspector Harry Callahan) face down bad guys who tried to kill him but were unable since Harry (actor Clint Eastwood) had a big gun. Continue Reading

Heinrich is a top fundraiser through ActBlue

By |

Martin Heinrich was one of the top 10 fundraisers through the liberal Web site ActBlue during the second quarter of the year that ended Monday. The Democratic 1st Congressional District candidate raised $147,564.20 from April 1 to June 30 through the Web site, according to an ActBlue blog posting. That ranked him eighth among fundraisers through the site, behind four Democratic U.S. Senate candidates and three Democratic House candidates, but ahead of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who raised $131,367.23 through ActBlue during the quarter. Heinrich and other federal candidates are expected to announce fundraising totals for the second quarter in the coming days. Reports are due to the Federal Election Commission by June 15. Continue Reading

McCain unveils Spanish radio ad in N.M., Nevada

By |

Republican presidential candidate John McCain launched a new Spanish-language radio ad in New Mexico and Nevada today as he tries to cut into Democratic candidate Barack Obama’s support among Hispanics. The ad features McCain’s roommate at the Naval academy, a Hispanic who says McCain “shares our same conservative values and faith in God.” “My roommate at the U.S. Naval Academy is running for president of the United States, and he wants what is best for the Hispanic community, too,” Frank Gamboa says in Spanish in the ad. “His name is John McCain and he has stood for our community even in the most difficult of times.” Gamboa goes on to say that McCain “knows that family is the focal part of our lives and that we value hard work” and “has earned the trust of Latinos and has a history of supporting us.” “This election, it seems to me that the other candidate has just discovered the importance of the Hispanic vote,” Gamboa says. “So when it comes to our values and understanding Latinos this election, I know for John it’s not political; it comes from the heart.” You can listen to the ad — in Spanish — by clicking here. It comes as a new poll shows Obama leading McCain by 30 points among Hispanics — a gap that has remained fairly consistent since March. Continue Reading

Energy policy is a hot topic in U.S. Senate race

By |

With gas prices rising to $4 per gallon, it’s perhaps no surprise that energy is the issue currently dominating New Mexico’s U.S. Senate race between Democrat Tom Udall and Republican Steve Pearce. The Albuquerque Journal has an article today about the back-and-forth between the candidates on energy policy. On Wednesday, The Associated Press also had an article about the debate. Here’s some of what’s been happening: • Pearce has challenged Udall to a formal debate on energy issues — but he did it in a news release, not a letter to his opponent. Udall says it’s too early, but there will be debates in the fall. Continue Reading