TODAY'S TOP STORIES: Competing views from NM's two U.S. senators
In a question and answer session with the Albuquerque Journal regarding skyrocketing oil prices, published yesterday, Senators Jeff Bingaman and Pete Domenici didn't offer up anything new. In a nutshell, there are a variety of factors at play in the rising price and the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge is off limits for Democrats but Republicans think it should be open for production. Bingaman thinks the economy will weather this rough patch just fine, while Domenici says bluntly that the economy is in trouble. Of the two, Domenici was the most colorful. He called environmentalists "knee jerk," and the Iraq War a "mess." If folks recall, he broke with the Bush administration regarding Iraq a year ago on the war. It appears he hasn't changed his mind. He also acknowledged the difficult spot we're in, ultimately, when it comes to oil, saying that "at a point in history when we most need to try to produce more, we're trying to comply with the requisites of global warming. It's a great challenge."
Also reported by the Journal, today, the Albuquerque City Council has several important measures on the docket tonight. Changing the City Charter. A big chunk of change to study a Downtown Arena concept. Plus form based codes and infill Green Giants. You can see the entire agenda on the City's website here.
In southern New Mexico, the Organ Mountains have a serious fire burning. The Las Cruces Sun-News also reported on the Republican State Convention this past weekend, held in Cruces for the first time in 50 years. Republican Party spokesman Scott Darnell says that Las Cruces is "fertile" ground for Republicans, and that they believe they can make "great gains" there. A full list of the new Republican delegates plus interesting audio interviews (conducted by MG Bralley) can be found on Peter St. Cyr's blog, What's the Word?
The Santa Fe New Mexican has a nice analysis by Steve Terrell of Tom Udall's new television ad, in which he hammers the "George Bush economy" for "crushing America." Albuquerque pollster Brian Sanderoff is quoted saying that the ad is a "pre-emptive strike in hopes of derailing Pearce's national GOP money train." The idea is that the ad will inflate Udall's already high polling numbers, thereby causing national Republicans to not put as much money into Steve Pearce's campaign. The article also notes the serious money differential in the Senate campaign. Udall currently has $2.8 million while Pearce has by comparison a measly $248,245.
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