{"id":1930,"date":"2007-07-04T07:58:00","date_gmt":"2007-07-04T13:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/07\/march-4-1797-%e2%80%93-our-real-independence-day\/"},"modified":"2009-08-22T14:10:54","modified_gmt":"2009-08-22T20:10:54","slug":"march-4-1797-%e2%80%93-our-real-independence-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/07\/march-4-1797-%e2%80%93-our-real-independence-day\/","title":{"rendered":"March 4, 1797 \u2013 Our real Independence Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By Carter Bundy<\/span> <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

July 4, 1776 is the date on the Declaration of Independence. Great day, and we should all enjoy it with flags, fireworks, parades and more hot dogs than Kobayashi<\/a> (by the way, an American now owns the hot-dog-eating title in the United States!)<\/p>\n

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But March 4, 1797 is the day we really became a democracy. That day, George Washington did something that virtually no human had done since the days of Athens<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>: voluntarily relinquish power over a nation to his elected successor. <\/p>\n

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It\u2019s been far from perfect \u2013 ask a 70-year-old African American from Alabama<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> about his rights in the 1950s. Women didn\u2019t get the vote much earlier. Still, on March 4, 1797, we set a precedent that much of the planet has come to follow over the last 210 years. It\u2019s America<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>\u2019s greatest contribution to the world, and it\u2019s a great reason to celebrate.<\/p>\n

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None of it works without voting, though. None of it. Sure, it\u2019s easy to be cynical, to say we have to overcome the likes of ExxonMobil and Connex-Killeen, but that\u2019s another column. No matter how much money corporations throw at the system, regular people ultimately have control when we\u2019re educated and vote. No excuses. As our corporate friends at Nike would say, Just Do It. It\u2019s easier than (making fun of) Paris Hilton.<\/p>\n

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This will make it even easier: Here\u2019s contact info for Democratic campaigns for president, with a few New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> tidbits thrown in. Remember, New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>\u2019s Democratic Presidential Caucus will be on February 5, 2008, so we\u2019re part of the wave of states that will likely decide the Democratic nominee.<\/p>\n

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Paraphrasing Plato, the price for thinking you\u2019re too smart for politics is to be ruled by dimwits. Need proof? We\u2019re living through Exhibit A.<\/p>\n

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Gov. Bill Richardson:<\/span> www.richardsonforpresident.com<\/a>, (505) 828-2455<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t start a discussion about the presidential race in New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> without mentioning the big man. Even before jumping into the race, he was leading the Democratic pack with 28 percent in an American Research Group<\/a> poll of likely Democratic caucus goers in January 2007.<\/p>\n

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Richardson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> has virtually every Democratic political endorsement (so far) in the state, including those of Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, two former governors (Toney Anaya and Jerry Apodaca), Senate President Pro-Tem Ben Altamirano, House Speaker Ben Lujan, most Dem state legislators and statewide electeds, and both the current mayor of Albuquerque (Martin Chavez) and his predecessor (Jim Baca). He\u2019s certainly taken care of the home front.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Where is he nationally? Four key states matter most. Those states are Iowa<\/st1:state>, Nevada<\/st1:state>, New Hampshire<\/st1:state> and South Carolina<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>. In Iowa<\/st1:state>, the first presidential test, a recent poll of likeliest caucus-goers shows Richardson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> in third place with 18 percent, just ahead of Barack Obama\u2019s 16 percent.<\/p>\n

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His fundraising is respectable: The $13 million or so he\u2019s raised will enable him to be active in the key early states, but he\u2019ll have very little other than good press to carry him through the Feb. 5 super primary day. So how can he get that press?<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

1. The best r\u00e9sum\u00e9 in the last 50 years (along with George H. W. Bush) is a good place to start. Funny ads help get the r\u00e9sum\u00e9 out, too.<\/p>\n

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2. We\u2019ve all seen the guv charm and impress in person, which is exactly how most New Hampshire<\/st1:state> and Iowa<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> voters will get to know him.<\/p>\n

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3. Being on top is tough. The Clinton-Obama-Edwards catfight could get nasty, leaving voters wishing for a qualified alternative. You rang?<\/p>\n

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4. Florida<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>. Florida<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> ignored DNC rules and moved its primary to January 29. Candidates will lose Florida<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> delegates if they campaign there. But if you\u2019re Richardson<\/st1:city>, and you camp out in South Florida and Orlando<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> because you don\u2019t have much to lose on January 29, and no one else is campaigning there because of DNC sanctions, and you break out that day, and you get a ton of good ink before February 5\u2026 I\u2019m just saying Florida<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> is a nice place to be in late January.<\/p>\n

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The governor\u2019s national HQ at 111 Lomas<\/st1:city> NE<\/st1:state> in Albuquerque<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> should be easy enough for New Mexicans who want to see a national campaign up close.<\/p>\n

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Sen. Hillary Clinton:<\/span> www.hillaryclinton.com<\/a>, (703) 469-2008<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news is she\u2019s smart, experienced, well-known, hard-working, relentless and leading in almost every national poll of Democrats. The bad news is that 52 percent of Americans say they\u2019d never vote for her. That\u2019s a big, ugly number.<\/p>\n

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Look for her to counter the electability argument with an Electoral College map showing how she holds onto the Gore\/Kerry states and picks up either Florida<\/st1:state> or Ohio<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>. Don\u2019t forget, her husband is the best Democratic campaigner since, OK, ever, and they love him in Florida<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>. Not in that way \u2013 in the political way. Still, the Clintons<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> offer an electoral strategy with very little room for error.<\/p>\n

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Oodles of money will help \u2013 about $50 million so far, just behind Obama. The senator was in second in New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> in January, with the support of 22 percent of likely Dem caucus-goers.<\/p>\n

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Sen. Barack Obama:<\/span> www.barackobama.com<\/a>, (312) 819-2008<\/p>\n

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Clearly the hot campaign right now. There\u2019s an energy and contagiousness that can only be explained by one thing: New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> political operatives. Cuauhtemoc \u201cTemo\u201d Figueroa, who ran the Democratic coordinated campaign in New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> in 2000, is now Barack\u2019s national field director. He\u2019s scooped up University<\/st1:placetype> of New Mexico<\/st1:placename><\/st1:place> graduates Ray Rivera (northeast field) and Raul Alvillar (western desk) to help out. By way of disclosure, Temo was also my boss at AFSCME<\/a> in New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> for several years. Trust me, with those three, and thousands like them, there\u2019s going to be no shortage of energy in that campaign.<\/p>\n

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Barack\u2019s experience will be questioned, but hey, it\u2019s not like Dick Cheney has turned a lifetime of service into good policy. Oh, and the $55 million Obama\u2019s raised means he isn\u2019t going away anytime soon. It ain\u2019t just the money, it\u2019s the 258,000 donors last quarter. Obama was third in the New Mexico January ARG poll with 17 percent.<\/p>\n

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Former Sen. John Edwards:<\/span> <\/span>www.johnedwards.com<\/a>, (919) 636-4976<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Every candidate in the top tier has a strategy to win, and Edwards is no exception. The same poll that has Richardson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> in third with Iowans has Edwards in first, and he seems to have a good rapport with Iowans.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Edwards was born in South Carolina<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>, and can be expected to do well there. He has been extremely supportive of hotel and restaurant workers (and their unions) in Nevada<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>. That\u2019s solid support in three out of the first four states. He\u2019s way behind Barack and Hillary in fundraising (Edwards has raised about $23 million so far), but early wins could shake all that up.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Edwards also has one of the top endorsements in New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>: former Attorney General Patsy Madrid. The general says that the key for Edwards will be a favorable early state calendar matched with Edwards\u2019 electability against Republicans. Polls so far support her electability theory. At 12 percent, Edwards was in fourth in the ARG poll in New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>.<\/p>\n

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Rep. Dennis Kucinich:<\/span> www.kucinich.us<\/a>, (877) 41-DENNIS<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The congressman has nice pockets of support in Santa Fe<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> and Nob Hill, but otherwise probably won\u2019t have the money or organization to battle the big boys (and girl) here. But remember the start of the column? If you like his trade policies (I do), his peace department and other progressive ideas, you and your compadres can change the world. Just don\u2019t go Nader on me in the general.<\/p>\n

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Sen. Joe Biden:<\/span> www.uniteourstates.com<\/a>, (302) 574-2008<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

He\u2019s the most knowledgeable guy about foreign affairs in either party, along with Richardson and McCain. Read his Iraq<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> plan if nothing else.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Sen. Chris Dodd:<\/span> www.chrisdodd.com<\/a>, (202) 737-DODD<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Bright, experienced, polling at 1 percent on good days. We could do a lot worse, and probably will.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel:<\/span> www.gravel2008.us<\/a>, 703-243-8303<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Talk about letting it all hang out. He\u2019s a good reminder that we can get out of quagmire wars (he was a leading anti-Vietnam advocate as a U.S.<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> senator), and he damn sure wants people to remember that.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

YOU<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

No, I\u2019m not going to be cheesy like Time Magazine and put a mirror up. But you get to decide who wins the Iraq<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> withdrawal lottery. You get to decide who inherits a $ 9 trillion deficit. You get to decide who cleans up our Social Security and Medicare mess. Choose wisely. And whatever you do, at least choose, or the dimwits win. Happy Independence Day!<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Bundy is the political and legislative director for AFSCME<\/a> in New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>. The opinions in his column are personal and in no way reflect any official AFSCME position. You can learn more about him by clicking here<\/a>. Contact him at carterbundy@yahoo.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Carter Bundy July 4, 1776 is the date on the Declaration of Independence. Great day, and we should all enjoy it with flags, fireworks, parades and more hot dogs than Kobayashi (by the way, an American now owns the hot-dog-eating title in the United States!) But March 4, 1797 is the day we really […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bundy-columns"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1930\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}