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Grant county commissioner appointed to Legislature

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Gov. Bill Richardson on Wednesday appointed Grant County Commission Chairman and Bayard Mayor Rodolpho “Rudy” Martinez to replace Manuel Herrera as the District 39 representative in the New Mexico House. “Rodolpho Martinez is a proven and trusted leader, I am confident that he will serve the constituents of Grant and Hidalgo counties well,” Richardson said in a news release. “His legislative experience will be a valuable asset to the New Mexico House of Representatives.” Herrera died in October following a long battle with cancer. Martinez is the facility services manager for GEO Care, Inc. and a volunteer firefighter. He also worked for Chino Mines for more than 30 years. Continue Reading

Obama, Clinton, Edwards top guv in non-scientific poll

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More voters in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site picked Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards to win the Iowa Caucus on Jan. 3 than those who picked Bill Richardson. Of 193 voters, 63, or 33 percent, said Obama will win the contest, while 57, or 30 percent, said Clinton will win. Twenty-nine, or 15 percent, said Edwards will win, and 26, or 13 percent, said Richardson will win. Thirteen, or 7 percent, said Joe Biden will win; five, or 2 percent, said Dennis Kucinich will win; and none picked Chris Dodd to win. Continue Reading

Iowa Thanksgiving

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By Carter BundyIowa is 91 percent Caucasian. That’s not the future of America – it’s barely even reflective of its past. Critics of the Iowa/New Hampshire stranglehold on the presidential nominating process have a completely valid point when they say it’s absurd that, essentially, voters from one ethnicity virtually decide the nominees for each party. Beyond that, Iowa and New Hampshire are far more rural than the communities in which most Americans live. Finally, it’s not even like there are many people in those two states. Continue Reading

Legislative bodies need greater accountability

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A bipartisan task force is proposing the creation of a new congressional office that would have the power to initiate ethics complaints against members of the U.S. House of Representatives. While the proposal may create the appearance that Congress is getting tough on misdeeds, it has little chance of actually doing anything to discourage unethical behavior.Under the proposal, complaints initiated by the new Office of Congressional Ethics would be considered by the House ethics committee. The office would be staffed by six people – three appointed by the speaker and three appointed by the minority leader – who would be paid to serve part-time, four-year terms.Outside groups and citizens would not have the power to file complaints against House members, and the office wouldn’t have subpoena power. Essentially, the task force wants to create an office whose staffers work for the people it’s charged with investigating without giving them insulation from political pressure and the power to do the job.The power would come with the threat of a subpoena. The insulation would come with a standard procedure for outside groups, not the office itself, to initiate complaints.As it stands, the proposal is no better than the current system, which only allows House members to initiate complaints. Continue Reading

Most voters in non-scientific poll pick Udall

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said U.S. Rep. Tom Udall will win the Democratic primary in the Senate race.Of 452 voters, 310, or 68 percent, said Udall will win, while 134, or 30 percent, said Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez will win, and eight, or 2 percent, said alternative media publisher and editor Leland Lehrman will win.Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located near the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

A brief survey on the submission of comments

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I want your feedback before I finalize plans to unveil a new comments system, which I hope will happen the week after Thanksgiving. Take a couple of minutes to vote in these polls. If you want to explain your votes or provide other suggestions please e-mail me at heath@haussamen.com. Thanks!Should people be allowed to submit anonymous comments?YesNo  Would you be willing to register with Google and be required to enter a username and password to submit comments?YesNo  Would you be willing to have your real name published with the comments you submit?YesNo  Free polls from Pollhost.com Continue Reading

Republican considers another run at Udall’s seat

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Ron Dolin, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully against U.S. Rep. Tom Udall last year, is considering running again now that Udall is vacating the seat to run for Senate. Dolin, an engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory, is the only Republican who has confirmed that he’s considering running for the Third Congressional District seat. “I am considering a run for U.S. Congress in the third district,” Dolin said. “Now is that rare moment in Northern New Mexico when a true grass-roots candidate has the ability to make a difference. I very much believe that the nation and New Mexico needs someone outside the political dynasties/inner-circles to represent the people of Northern New Mexico in Washington.” Dolin is also a small-business owner and adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico. Continue Reading

McCamley to discuss veterans’ issues in Las Cruces

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Congressional candidate Bill McCamley plans to discuss veterans’ issues at a town hall meeting this evening in Las Cruces. The Democrat and Doña Ana County commissioner, who is running for the seat being vacated by Steve Pearce, will hold the meeting beginning at 6 p.m. at VFW Post 6917, 5845 Bataan Memorial West. McCamley was born in South Korea while his father, a U.S. Army veteran, was stationed there. His father served 25 years, including two tours in Vietnam. The event is open to the public. Continue Reading

Wilson raises $110K at fundraiser with Cheney

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U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson raised $110,000 for her Senate bid at a Thursday fundraiser featuring Vice President Dick Cheney, a source with knowledge of the situation said. The event, held at the GOP’s Capitol Hill Club in Washington, was attended by about 80 people. No House members were there, but U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici and his chief of staff, Steve Bell, did attend, the source said. Domenici did not give money to Wilson’s Senate campaign, but Bell did. The senator has not, to this point, endorsed Wilson over U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce in the GOP primary battle. Continue Reading

The do-more-to-get-more society

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© 2007 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. Some Americans believe that if you do more, you should get more. Likewise, if you do less, you should get less. Others do not embrace this notion. They are swayed by our society’s relatively new socialist tendencies toward a belief that a citizen should get what someone else decides that person needs. This is not a theoretical issue for me; the first is the way I live. Continue Reading

Richardson gaining support in Iowa

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After weeks of falling slightly in the polls, Gov. Bill Richardson appears to be making some late gains in the all-important state of Iowa, whose Democrats will be the first in the nation to make their choice for the presidential nominee. Three of four new polls show him making notable gains in that state while Hillary Clinton’s support has dropped. The problem for Richardson is that Barack Obama and John Edwards also appear to be making late surges in advance of the Jan. 3 caucus. On Nov. Continue Reading

House GOP leader gives White’s campaign a boost

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Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White has secured a significant campaign contribution that will make it difficult for any potential rivals in a GOP primary to raise Washington money. House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio has sent White a $5,000 contribution – the maximum allowed – from his political action committee, The Freedom Project, to be used specifically in the primary. You can read the letter accompanying the contribution by clicking here. “We are pleased to provide you with the enclosed contribution of $5,000 from The Freedom Project to benefit your 2008 primary election campaign,” the letter from Boehner states. “We hope it is helpful to you and your efforts.” It’s highly unusual for the minority leader to get involved in a primary, and this is another sign that the Washington GOP establishment is trying to shut out other potential GOP candidates and rally behind White. Continue Reading

Griego to kick off campaign to unseat state senator

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Former Albuquerque City Councilor Eric Griego plans to kick off his campaign to unseat state Sen. James Taylor, D-Albuquerque, on Sunday. Griego plans to launch his campaign at the home of Ron Romero, 1106 Santa Fe SW, in Senate District 14. “I believe we need leadership in Santa Fe that stands up to the specials interests,” Griego said. “I will fight for affordable health care for all, better schools for our kids and the resources our district needs for roads, parks and community facilities. With the right leadership, real progressive reform can happen at the state level.” Griego is currently the executive director of the non-profit advocacy group New Mexico Voices for Children. Continue Reading

Democratic presidential candidates to debate tonight

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Gov. Bill Richardson and other Democratic presidential candidates will gather in Las Vegas, Nev. tonight for the next official candidate debate. The event begins at 6 p.m. Mountain Standard Time and will be televised live on CNN. It will be the first debate among the candidates since Hillary Clinton was hammered on Oct. 30 by most of her rivals and stumbled on a question about whether undocumented immigrants should be allowed to obtain state driver’s licenses. Continue Reading