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Reflections of one trail-blazer on another
James Lewis, 60, made New Mexico history 20 years ago when he became the first African-American to win statewide office. His election in 1986 as state treasurer was only the beginning. After several prestigious stints in state and municipal government, he bookended his career by getting elected state treasurer again in 2006. A tireless volunteer and speaker, Lewis, a lifelong Democrat, remains one of the most respected and genuinely-liked public figures in the state.
More 30-second chunks of politics on the way in CD1
After an independent expenditure group began airing radio ads attacking Democratic candidate Martin Heinrich, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is ready to step in to attempt to counter the ads.
The DCCC is ready to air radio ads starting Friday in the 10 districts nationwide where Freedom's Watch began airing radio ads attacking Democratic candidates -- including New Mexico's 1st Congressional District.
Guv scales back health-care proposal
Admitting the political reality of the situation, Gov. Bill Richardson has scaled back his health-care plan for the special session that begins Aug. 15 to focus on children. Meanwhile, the attorney general has given his stamp of approval to another effort by Richardson to expand health-care coverage in New Mexico.
The Santa Fe New Mexican has the scoop on Richardson’s new proposal, which his administration developed after lawmakers balked at an expensive universal health care plan Richardson pushed earlier this year during the regular session and remained skeptical about through months of negotiations since.
Peeling back the earth
After years of underground mining at a molybdenum deposit north of Taos, the mine owners are considering peeling back the earth and making it an open-pit mine, The Taos News reported this week.
Officials with Chevron Mining say they hope to decide soon on the future of the mine a few miles east of Questa. Molybdenum, which is used to strengthen steel, has been mined there since the 1920s, according to the environmental and social justice group Amigos Bravos. Open-pit mining was conducted from 1965 to 1983, when operations went underground. The mine's owner, Molycorp, was purchased by Chevron Mining in 2005.
Pearce continues hammering Udall on energy
Republican Senate candidate Steve Pearce’s new radio ad continues his campaign’s hammering of Democratic opponent Tom Udall on energy issues.
“It’s time our government stood up for working families, reduce our energy costs by building nuclear power plants and drilling for oil on land and offshore,” Pearce says in the ad, which you can listen to by clicking here. “The far left environmentalists are not going to like this and maybe it’s not politically correct, but nuclear energy is a sure way to America’s energy independence. Nuclear power can make America free from Middle Eastern oil cartels.”
Dems give Madrid a seat at the table
Ad watch: DCCC ready to defend Heinrich
After an independent expenditure group began airing radio ads attacking Democratic candidate Martin Heinrich, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is ready to step in to attempt to counter the ads.
The DCCC is ready to air radio ads starting Friday in the 10 districts nationwide where Freedom's Watch began airing radio ads attacking Democratic candidates -- including New Mexico's 1st Congressional District.
Food rolls out to flood victims
Albuquerque’s Roadrunner Food Bank put its new Mobile Food Pantry into quick action during the recent floods in Ruidoso. On July 30, Roadrunner sent a truck containing 36,000 pounds of food and supplies to two churches: the Angus Nazarene Church in Capitan and Christian Services of Lincoln County, a Roadrunner spokeswoman told the New Mexico Independent.
Hiroshima and cognitive dissonance
Sixty three years ago this week, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on civilian populations. It’s one of those rare facts of the human record that provokes a fight or flight response in many of us. The knowledge of the instantaneous death of over 100,000 innocent civilians incites a bit of a short circuit in our collective conscious. We can acknowledge that killing innocent civilians is wrong, but how do we reconcile that with what is generally perceived as historical wisdom; that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is what needed to be done to end World War II and in turn save the free world.
What happens if you throw a party and nobody shows up?
New Mexico’s Republican House candidates all say they are skipping the GOP presidential nominating convention at the beginning of September. Some give reasons, others don't. Meanwhile, trying to figure out whether the Democratic candidates will attend their convention later this month is much more difficult.
TODAY'S TOP STORIES: Wait is longer at ABQ emergency rooms
Waiting time for emergency rooms in Albuquerque are up to four hours, the Albuquerque Journal reports today.
Acknowledging political reality, Gov. Bill Richardson has scaled down his health care priorities for the special session that starts Aug. 15, the Journal reports. Instead of universal health coverage, Richardson's focus will be on the state's children.
Developers are talking about rental properties and neighborhood services near a planned Rail Runner Express train stop, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports.
The Federal Aviation Administration will conduct the last of scheduled public hearings on the potential environmental impact of the spaceport today in Las Cruces, the Las Cruces Sun-News reports. The hearings are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Dona Ana County Government Center, 845 N. Motel Blvd., in Las Cruces.
The 1960s rears its ugly head ... again
Steve Pearce is defending his ad that links Tom Udall to 1960s protestors and on Wednesday he advanced that attack, repeatedly saying his Democratic rival sides with "extremists" on environmental issues, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
It appears that the cultural wars over the 1960s are still being fought -- in New Mexico, no less. I wonder sometimes how significant fighting over things that happened nearly 40 years ago are to everyday Americans. But it's a theme we've seen over and over again. Below is a long excerpt from the Albuquerque Journal story by Jeff Jones. It includes a glimpse into Pearce's own personal history, his view of that time and how he came to decide on the ad. After reading it, tell us what you think.
CD3: Opponents say Luján is 'scared' to face them in campaign forums
Is 3rd Congressional District Democratic candidate Ben R. Luján ducking forums? That’s what two of his opponents are saying, but Luján's campaign says it isn’t true.
The 3rd District candidates had been scheduled to participate in a forum this evening in Clovis, but it was canceled on Tuesday after Luján backed out. His withdrawal came the day after he, Republican candidate Dan East, and independent candidates Carol Miller and Ron Simmons participated in a forum in Santa Fe.
Native kids at risk
A report released late last week concludes that the Bureau of Indian Education is "dangerously unprepared to prevent violence and ensure the safety of students and staff." The 17-page report was prepared by the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of the Interior, which visited nine BIE schools, including three in New Mexico that were surveyed in April
Ad watch: Group supporting White takes aim at Heinrich
A group called Freedom's Watch is now airing radio ads attacking Democratic candidate Martin Heinrich's stance on drilling. You can hear the ad here.
Freedom's Watch is paying for the ads on local radio stations on behalf of Republican candidate Darren White, assuring White will be able to put his name out in front of voters even though he is sidelined with a back injury.
Dems give Tinsley mock Santa Fe 'Resident of the Month Award'
Democrats will present Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Ed Tinsley with a mock Santa Fe “Resident of the Month Award” later today, the latest political stunt in their effort to highlight the home he owns there.
No room for bikes at the 'greenest convention in history'
From the Colorado Independent Organizers for the Democratic National Convention and party leaders have touted the official greenness of the upcoming convention in Denver, including everything from biodiesel buses and recyclable materials to carbon counting. But in the rush to secure everything green—even setting up a “hybrid-only parking lot” at the Pepsi Center—it seems one simple and fairly obvious LEED-certified step was overlooked: Installing bike racks.
Report: Want to save a trillion gallons of water, American West? Here's how
Southwestern states could save more than 1 trillion gallons of water a year by cutting use in four key areas, a report released today by Environment New Mexico suggests.
According to the authors of "Using Water Wisely," the region might reduce water use by more than 5 million acre-feet per year — 1.8 trillion gallons by doing the following:
Help farmers make the switch to drip irrigation
Help homeowners embrace low-water landscaping
Reduce the use of coal and natural gas to make electricity
Provide conservation incentives to businesses
Courting Dems down south
There’s a rare breed of Democrat in southern New Mexico that makes the region the place to watch in New Mexico in the 2008 election. Those conservative Democrats who have a history of voting for Republicans will decide who wins the 2nd Congressional District race between Democrat Harry Teague and Republican Ed Tinsley. Were the U.S. Senate race between Democrat Tom Udall and Republican Steve Pearce to get interesting -- Udall is currently way ahead of Pearce – those Democrats would be a major factor. And those Democrats will probably decide whether Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain wins New Mexico in the presidential race.
Richardson to Beltway types: Lay off
Bill Richardson says that strategists who are urging Obama to hit back strong against McCain's recent negative campaigning have a "beltway" mentality, and are full of "sour grapes" for being excluded from Obama's "outsider campaign."
In a classic piece of reporting, The Hill--which is a website that is part and parcel of what it terms the "chattering class"--reports that Obama surrogates like Richardson think the response to McCain, despite the concerns of that same "chattering class," is right on track in a campaign that is just warming up:
“One of the advantages of Obama is he doesn’t listen to the Beltway mentality,” Richardson told The Hill.