NMPolitics.net (https://nmpolitics.net/index/page/609/)
Gov. Bill Richardson sat down with the Washington Post last week to talk about Iran, Iraq and being a Hispanic leader. The video is only about five minutes long and is worth your time. You can watch it by clicking here. Continue Reading
© 2007 by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. The annexation controversy in our area has people writing letters to the editor and calling me on talk radio. Many of the comments make me think of Josh Billings, who said, “The trouble with people is not that they don’t know but that they know so much that ain’t so.” Many of the comments have been simply not true or not germane. For example, the fight over annexation is not about whether houses will be built; it is about which government entity will supervise the process. Regardless of whether the city annexes the land under consideration on the East Mesa, the houses will be constructed. Will it be the planners for the City of Las Cruces or those who work for Doña Ana County who oversee it? Continue Reading
The U.S. attorney scandal has created a ripe opportunity for an up-and-coming Democrat to jump into the top-tier of politicos in the party. Democrats are having trouble recruiting an elite candidate to run against the 74-year-old Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., who was once untouchable but has watched his approval rating drop since mid-February, when the U.S. attorney scandal first broke. There is a good reason many of the top-tier Democrats don’t want to run against him: He’s Pete. Though his approval rating has fallen from 64 percent to 54 percent in two months, he still won’t likely to lose the election. But there are other reasons this is a great race for an up-and-coming Democrat. Continue Reading
Following a serious challenge to his leadership this weekend, Allen Weh, chairman of the Republican Party of New Mexico, is reaching out. In a news release, he pledged to strengthen communication and “work toward strengthening the fundamentals of grassroots politics and recruiting top-tier candidates for upcoming elections.” “Our tasks are simply stated but they are not simply implemented. To succeed, we will all need to work together as a team from Raton to Las Cruces to Deming to Hobbs to Taos,” Weh said. “Being successful in 2008 will depend on staying focused on our priorities, effective political leadership throughout the state, having well-trained and organized counties, and a professional state party staff that can team with the Republican National Committee,” he said. C. Earl Greer was defeated by Weh 182-137 for the position of party chair at this weekend’s convention. Continue Reading
A year after 1 million immigrants showed their economic influence by boycotting work on May 1, 2006, there is another round of smaller marches and demonstrations today that brings the immigration debate back into the spotlight. Check out the latest from the Associated Press. Continue Reading
Another of Gov. Bill Richardson’s statements from last week’s Democratic presidential candidate debate might come back to bite him. When each candidate was asked to name, without elaborating, their favorite Supreme Court justice, Richardson picked former Justice Byron “Whizzer” White. When asked to name a living justice, he named Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The controversy comes from Richardson’s career of strong statements in support of abortion rights. White was among the minority of justices who dissented from the 1973 opinion in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion, and Richardson’s naming him has upset some Democrats. Continue Reading
By Dr. James “Jim” Kadlecek “Whatever is going to happen is already happening.” – Sylvia Porter Most every Monday, I have lunch with a bunch of “used-to-bes.” This little, informal group is composed mostly of guys who used to be politicians, engineers, teachers, federal employees, businessmen, etc. We even have a psychologist or two, and we also have a younger “wanna-be” in the group. Some are retired, some are not. Both political parties are represented. Occasionally, our group is significantly improved by the attendance of a member of the opposite sex. Continue Reading
U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici’s approval rating continues to drop. Last month’s SurveyUSA poll, conducted March 12, found that 57 percent of New Mexicans approved and 35 disapproved of the job the New Mexico Republican is doing. It was the lowest approval rating for the senior senator since at least May 2005. Now it’s lower. The newest poll, conducted April 13-15 and released Wednesday, has Domenici’s approval rating at 54 percent, with 38 percent saying they disapprove of the job he’s doing. Continue Reading
New Mexico Land Commissioner Pat Lyons is the latest politician to unwittingly make the case for placing limits on campaign contributions. Las Cruces developer Philip Philippou gave $20,500 to Blue & Red PAC last year. The PAC gave $17,642.50 of it to Lyons’ re-election campaign. Though everyone involved claims Philippou didn’t direct that the money be given to Lyons, the PAC gave it to the land commissioner on the same two days Philippou gave it to the PAC. Fair or not, there’s an appearance that Philippou used the PAC to funnel money to Lyons. Continue Reading
The recent fight over a 6,000-acre development on Las Cruces’ East Mesa is only one aspect of the fight over the future of Doña Ana County’s land. Another major issue is what areas should become protected wilderness areas. The City of Las Cruces’ planning department recently sent to Southern New Mexico’s congressman and senators a report that reveals the division that exists. U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici had hoped the report would serve as the basis for federal legislation that would resolve the dispute over what federal land would become wilderness areas. Instead, it reveals that there’s going to have to be more work before a compromise is reached. Continue Reading
Because they were united, House Republicans were a force during this year’s legislative session, and they accomplished a lot. By contrast, the Republican Party of New Mexico failed to capitalize on any of Gov. Bill Richardson’s arguably ethically challenged decisions and handed him a landslide victory last year as he was preparing to run for president. They failed to pick up any statewide offices. Though they were three seats away from having a larger influence in the state House, and they failed to gain any ground. This weekend’s fight over who would be state party chair reveals the reason. Continue Reading
Since last week’s presidential candidate debate, Gov. Bill Richardson has been busy campaigning, and his press staff has been busy putting out releases proclaiming he’s gaining momentum. The campaign put out a news release Friday – the day after the debate – naming the governor as “a standout” at the event, saying he distinguished himself “with foreign policy experience, plan to get U.S. troops out of Iraq.” The release quoted one South Carolina newspaper that said Richardson was one of two candidates who “stood out with clearly stated positions and a deft handling of a few tough questions,” and said that article was “just one of the many reports today praising the governor’s performance in the debate and his impeccable and unequaled experience and credentials.” The release was a nice piece of spin, but that’s what it was supposed to be. It’s true that there were a few articles praising Richardson, but there were many others criticizing him, and most gave him hardly a mention. You can read what I thought of Richardson’s performance by clicking here. After spending some more time in South Carolina, Richardson headed to California to speak at that state party’s convention. Continue Reading
Voters in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site are apparently optimistic about Gov. Bill Richardson’s run for president. Of 190 voters, 53, or 28 percent, said Richardson would be the Democratic Party’s 2008 presidential nominee. 38, or 20 percent, said it would be Barack Obama; 37, or 19 percent, said it would be Hillary Clinton, and 26, or 14 percent, said it would be John Edwards. Of the other candidates, Dennis Kucinich received five votes, or 3 percent; Joseph Biden and Mike Gravel each received two votes, or 1 percent; and Chris Dodd received one vote, or 1 percent. Al Gore, who hasn’t said he’s running, received 18 votes, or 9 percent, and “someone else” received eight votes, or 4 percent. Continue Reading
Former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron wants to be lieutenant governor. You might be thinking that she’s looking to get on a ticket in 2010. Vigil-Giron, however, is thinking about next year. She told me that during the Democrats’ convention in Las Cruces today. There isn’t currently a way in state law to replace the lieutenant governor if the governor leaves office and the current lieutenant governor moves up. Continue Reading
The Democratic Party of New Mexico’s convention in Las Cruces was well attended by political oldtimers and newcomers alike. Many from Southern New Mexico were impressed at the number of officials who made the trek from Santa Fe or elsewhere to Las Cruces, including Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, Speaker of the House Ben Lujan and Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez. Potential gubernatorial candidate and Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez had the strongest showing of anyone politicking for a 2008 or 2010 race. He had the largest signs hanging in the Las Cruces High School gymnasium, had a number of people wearing and handing out “Marty” T-shirts, and also had a creative idea: His people were handing out energy-saving light bulbs with one of his stickers attached to the boxes. Denish’s campaign handed out breakfast burritos, and the lieutenant governor was around for about half the day, but Chávez stuck around until the end. Continue Reading