{"id":3495,"date":"2008-07-25T12:27:00","date_gmt":"2008-07-25T18:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/07\/group-hits-sen-rawson-with-mailers-radio-ad\/"},"modified":"2008-07-25T12:27:00","modified_gmt":"2008-07-25T18:27:00","slug":"group-hits-sen-rawson-with-mailers-radio-ad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/07\/group-hits-sen-rawson-with-mailers-radio-ad\/","title":{"rendered":"Group hits Sen. Rawson with mailers, radio ad"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A flier hitting mailboxes this week in the district of Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson<\/a>, R-Las Cruces, accuses him of engaging in \u201cmonkey business\u201d instead of taking reform seriously. <\/p>\n

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

A radio ad that will run in the Las Cruces<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> area in the coming days makes the same claim.<\/p>\n

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

While debating a bill during the 2007 legislative session that would have made New Mexico the 46th state to enact campaign contribution limits, Rawson, who opposed the bill, proposed an amendment<\/a> that would have made the proposal take effect in 3007 instead of 2007. The amendment briefly passed, then was removed, before the Senate approved the bill, but a dispute between the House and Senate led to the bill\u2019s demise.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cSenator Rawson acted to block campaign reform for 1,000 years. \u2026 Monkey business was substituted for serious legislation,\u201d the mailer<\/a> from New Mexico Youth Organized states. \u201c\u2026 It\u2019s no joke. \u2026 Now, with a special legislative session on health care reform coming up, it\u2019s time to get serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

The mailer is part of a \u201cLegislative Accountability Campaign\u201d from several Albuquerque-based progressive groups. It comes at a time when progressives have set their sites on defeating the Senate minority whip in November and electing Democrat Steve Fischmann<\/a>. The left wing of the Democratic Party has had significant success in recent elections in Las Cruces<\/st1:city> and Albuquerque<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> in defeating longtime incumbents from both major parties.<\/p>\n

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

But Juan Reynosa, who heads the non-profit New Mexico Youth Organized, said the accountability campaign has nothing to do with the election. It\u2019s about the upcoming Aug. 15 session on health-care reform and other issues, he said.<\/p>\n

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

Rawson disagreed. He pointed out that the attorney general\u2019s office said earlier this year that New Mexico Youth Organized\u2019s mailers targeting other legislators weeks before the June primary crossed the line into campaign activity. The AG advised the secretary of state to change the status of New Mexico Youth Organized to force it to comply with standards for political groups instead of those for nonprofits. The group is disputing the AG\u2019s position. A spokesman for the secretary of state\u2019s office said its decision will be announced next week.<\/p>\n

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

The mailer doesn\u2019t refer to the election and instead urges Rawson\u2019s constituents to call him and tell him, as the special session approaches, that \u201che works for you, not special interests.\u201d Regardless, Rawson\u2019s constituents will receive at least two mailers between now and Aug. 15 attacking him in an election year in which he\u2019s facing a credible challenge. The group\u2019s radio ad<\/a> will air in the coming days with a similar theme: Its narrator highlights Rawson\u2019s 3007 amendment before stating that \u201cwe can\u2019t wait 1,000 years for health-care and ethics reform.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Other lawmakers also targeted<\/span><\/p>\n

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

As evidence that the group\u2019s motives are pure, Reynosa<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> said it is also targeting state Rep. Debbie Rodella<\/a>, D-Espa\u00f1ola, with mailers beginning this week. Rodella is unopposed in November, but she is a powerful committee chair whose record needs highlighted for purposes of impacting the special session, he said.<\/p>\n

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

Other lawmakers currently being targeted by groups who are part of the accountability campaign are Sens. Diane Snyder<\/a>, R-Albuquerque, and David Ulibarri<\/a>, D-Grants, whose constituents are also receiving mailers this week. Like Rawson, Snyder is facing a tough election challenge from a progressive Democrat. Ulibarri is also opposed in November.<\/p>\n

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

The Synder mailer comes from SouthWest Organizing Project<\/a>, while the Ulibarri mailer comes from the SAGE Council<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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

The contribution-limits bill<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\n

\n

Rawson said there were numerous problems with the contribution-limits bill including the fact that, according to an AG analysis, one provision in it violated an individual\u2019s right against self-incrimination.<\/p>\n

\n

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

And he said it would be easy to skirt limits by giving to political committees or parties and in other ways. Rawson said he, under the $2,300 limit the bill proposed, could have given $105,800 to a candidate by funneling money through his wife, sons and daughters-in-law, granddaughter and 14 companies.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cQuite simply, this is a bad bill,\u201d Rawson said. \u201cIt is bad for New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> and is only a piece of \u2018feel-good\u2019 legislation that won\u2019t accomplish reform. We must invest our efforts in effective and sincere legislation and not deceive the people to whom we have pledged ourselves to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

A hypocritical group?<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Rawson also fired back at New Mexico Youth Organized. He said the mailer \u201cdeceitfully\u201d implies that he worked to delay health-care reform for 1,000 years.<\/p>\n

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

The front of the mailer doesn\u2019t mention campaign-finance reform but states that the Legislature will address health-care reform this year and Rawson \u201cwanted to block reform for 1,000 years.\u201d The situation with the contribution-limits bill is discussed on the back of the mailer.<\/p>\n

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

Rawson said that, though the attorney general has said the group must comply with campaign reporting laws \u201cas their actions are clearly to influence an election\u2026 they have refused and are defiant.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cThey refuse to reveal from where they obtain their money in accordance with our existing state laws, yet they want campaign-finance reform,\u201d Rawson said. \u201cPerhaps they are more than hypocritical. New Mexico Youth Organized is certainly the very type of group they complain about that buys influence.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Since the AG originally advised the secretary of state to change his group\u2019s status earlier this year, Reynosa<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> said the group has sent two letters to the AG but received no response. The AG and secretary of state are currently working together to finalize a decision, officials from both agencies said.<\/p>\n

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

James Flores, spokesman for the secretary of state\u2019s office, said a letter has been prepared to send to New Mexico Youth Organized announcing its decision. He would not reveal details, but said the letter will be sent next week after the AG approves it. He said he will discuss it at that point.<\/p>\n

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

Though non-profits aren\u2019t required to reveal the identities of donors, Reynosa<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> agreed to release some information. He said two of the group\u2019s main funders are the TIDES<\/a> and New World<\/a> foundations. According to its Web site, the TIDES Foundation supports \u201cprogressive social change.\u201d The New World Foundation also uses the word \u201cprogressive\u201d on its Web site and states that it supports \u201corganizations working to strengthen and expand civil rights and the active participation of citizens in American democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

New Mexico Youth Organized is part of the Center for Civic Policy<\/a>, an Albuquerque-based progressive group that, according to its Web site, works to \u201cincrease voter turnout; educate the public on issues like ethics reform, heath care, the economy and the environment; and train new leaders for civic life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\n

A prior version of this posting incorrectly stated that the 2007 contribution-limits bill would have limited contributions from businesses but not unions. The versions of the bill approved by the House and Senate both would have limited contributions from individuals, political committees, parties, businesses and unions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A flier hitting mailboxes this week in the district of Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson, R-Las Cruces, accuses him of engaging in \u201cmonkey business\u201d instead of taking reform seriously. A radio ad that will run in the Las Cruces area in the coming days makes the same claim. While debating a bill during the 2007 legislative […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3495","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3495\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}