Friday, October 30, 2009

Doug Turner Announces Bid for Governor?

On Wednesday, Doug Turner announced his candidacy for Governor in Albuquerque – well, kind of. After Turner forgot to actually announce his candidacy, his personal public relations team reminded him why he was there. And even then, it took Turner four tries to get it right and tell his audience that he was actually running for Governor.





We’re fairly sure that the voters in New Mexico want an authentic candidate with real passion, not a public relations operative that needs four-takes and nearly three minutes to sell anyone on the fact that he really has the drive to be Governor. If this video proves anything, it’s that Doug Turner’s campaign will be nothing more than a public relations spectacle. But considering that’s the only experience he has, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. It’s not time for flashy prepackaged candidates; it’s time for a candidate with the experience and vision to lead New Mexico.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Wilson Opts Out in 2010

Albuquerque, NM - Democratic Party of New Mexico Executive Director, Josh Geise, issued the following statement on Heather Wilson's announcement that she is not running for office in 2010:

"Heather Wilson, sensing the strength of Lt. Governor Diane Denish, today decided she would not seek the Governor’s office. The Republican Party, decimated after the 2008 election, is left with a nothing more than a handful of second-tier candidates for the state’s top office.

"Regardless of who emerges from the Republican primary, the lack of experience in their entire slate of Republican candidates should deeply concern New Mexicans. Now is not the time for on-the-job training. We need a proven leader to help New Mexico families’ weather these tough times, and none of the Republicans running come close to meeting that challenge."


***Some of Wilson's comments on her dropping out of the Gubernatorial Race can be found here via New Mexico Independent.

With Wilson out of the race, at least one Republican is rushing to fill the vacuum created by her absence -- and certainly pandering for her endorsement.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

GOP Brand is a Mess!

One of today's posts from MSNBC's "First Read" was a short commentary on the Republican Party's brand image.

MSNBC reports that the Republicans are a mess, and that their brand is suffering.

According to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll, only 25% of respondents had a positive opinion of the party -- compared to 42% for Democrats.

That score represents the lowest polling number in the poll's history -- even lower than the scores earned during the administration of former President George W. Bush.

(MSNBC asks the pointed question: Can the party still scapegoat Bush if their numbers are even lower now than during the last eight years.)

Similar scores are reported when respondents are asked about the handling of Health Care Reform. Only 23% approve of GOP handling while 43% support President Obama's efforts.

In perhaps a forecast of the 2010 mid-term elections, 46% of respondents would prefer to see a Democratic Congress and only 38% would choose one led by the GOP. (Last month, the scores were 43% to 40%, respectively.)

The poll also shows Sarah Palin's popularity dropping to only 27% -- but hey, that's still better than the Republican Party.

Doug Turner: Good Luck with the Transformation

Albuquerque, NM - Democratic Party of New Mexico Executive Director, Josh Geise, issued the following statement on Doug Turner’s announcement that he is running for Governor:

"We wish Doug Turner luck as he begins his transformation from a political operative and special interest lobbyist to a candidate for public office.

However, while Turner may have an impressive track record helping politicians and special interests get ahead, New Mexicans deserve a Governor with an impressive record of helping families get ahead.
New Mexico families need a Governor who is prepared to make our state a leader in the 21st century economy and, needless to say, that’s not Doug Turner."

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Opposition Fundraising to Martin Heinrich is "Pedestrian"

The Republican Party's Congressional Campaign Committee this summer continued a "Young Guns" program which sought to identify/promote potential challengers to incumbent Democratic members of Congress. It consists of two levels for classifying candidates: "On the Radar" and "Contender."

A left over program from the 2008 campaign cycle -- Darren White was another rejected New Mexico Young Gun -- this year's rising Republican star was Jon Barela.

Seeking to unseat Rep. Martin Heinrich, Barela has been ghost-like in the district -- believe us, we're in CD-1 and we've yet to see anything. Not that we're complaining . . .

Barela's fundraising was noted as "pedestrian" after the 3rd quarter figures were released earlier this month. Barela has less than a quarter of Heinrich's total cash-on-hand and Heinrich out-raised Barela in the third quarter.

We're not surprised that CD-1 is sending such a strong message -- the district is trending Democratic after long years of Republican control.

Help to keep Rep. Heinrich's common-sense approach to New Mexico in place and let's work to keep Jon Barela "Off the Radar."

Monday, October 26, 2009

Special Statement from Democrats in NM Legislature

This post is originally from Democracy for New Mexico. If you don't read it already, you should visit the site:

Weary Senate Democrats came together today to bring the special session to an end by passing two important bills – the House Appropriations and Finance Committee Substitutes for House Bills 17 and 33 (HB 17), and the House Appropriations and Finance Committee Substitute for House Bill 6 (HB 6). HB 17 was passed by the Senate with 5 amendments, requiring the House to consider the amendments. The House concurred with four of the amendments, and asked the Senate to recede from a fifth amendment. Once the Senate receded, the stage was set for both bodies to end the session by adjourning “sine die.” Both the Senate and House adjourned at approximately 7 PM.

As passed by the House and Senate, HB 17 – along with Senate Bills SB 10 and SB 13 – would give flexibility to school districts in making budget adjustments to accommodate education cuts that, after offsets enacted by the legislature would reduce total education funding by less than 1 percent. Under HB 17, recurring General Fund expenditures would be offset by nonrecurring General Funds and federal stimulus education funds. HB 17 also funds an emergency school relief fund using $3 million in nonrecurring funds to try and keep small rural schools harmless. An additional $29 million would be transferred from the Public School Capital Outlay Fund to cover public school insurance payments.

In explaining the details of HB 17, Senator John Arthur Smith(D-Hidalgo, Luna & Sierra-35), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, noted on the Senate Floor that because the requirement in the Governor’s Proclamation to hold Education as harmless as possible, deeper cuts had to be made in general government operations, including a reduction of approximately 7.6 percent for executive agencies. Cuts in the General Fund for Developmental Disabilities program and most of the cuts in Medicaid will be offset with federal stimulus funds. Some smaller agencies, like the State Police, were exempted from the larger cuts. The Governor was also asked to reduce salaries for 102 exempt positions.

HB 6 authorizes a transfer of $225 million from the Operating Reserve to the General Fund. The transfer would take care of the deficit for the past fiscal year and leave a smaller amount to help cover shortfalls for the current fiscal year. HB 6 also authorizes the Governor to transfer up to $115 million from the Tax Stabilization Reserve to the General Fund in the event existing funds cannot satisfy appropriations from the General Fund.

Passage of HB 17 and HB 6, taken in conjunction with passage of HB 3 (which ‘sweeps’ about $100 million of unused state funds into the General Fund), and Senate Bill 13 (which give public schools the flexibility to adjust class loads, staffing patterns and other programmatic matters) has allowed the Senate and the legislature as a whole to complete its painful work of coming up with the best possible solution to the immediate financial crisis within the limitations imposed by the Governor.

“When you have huge needs and disappearing monies to fund them, everyone ends up feeling the pain of the corrections that need to be made to sort out those needs and make the difficult decisions to fund some more than others in order to minimize the damage that will follow from those decisions. When the legislature returns this January, we will have to continue to look for other solutions to the continuing erosion of our state revenues,” said Senator Michael S. Sanchez (D-Valencia-29), Senate Majority Leader.

“This is certainly not a perfect response to our budget crisis, but under the circumstances – the Governor’s limitations and the uncertainty of how much we will ultimately need to deal with this situation when we come back for the regular session in January – this is at least something that will get us through the next several months,” said Senator John Arthur Smith (D-Hidalgo, Luna & Sierra-35), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

“I want to thank my fellow legislators for coming up with immediate solutions for our budget woes that will at least enable us to get to the regular legislative session in January and continue this difficult work of funding our essential government and education services,” said Senator Carlos R. Cisneros (D-Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe and Taos), Vice-Chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

“The Senate has worked countless hours during this compressed timeframe to preserve education and save state government employees’ salaries in every way we could conceive. I appreciate the contributions made by all the parties to our discussions and debates, and am thankful that we could come together with solutions that meet the needs of these difficult economic times,” said Senator Howie C. Morales (D-Catron, Grant & Socorro-28).

“We’ve worked hard over these past seven days to come to an agreement that treats everyone affected by the state budget as fairly as possible, while at the same time saving Medicaid and minimizing the cuts to education,” said Senator George K. Munoz (D-Cibola & McKinley-4).

“My mission coming into this special session was to minimize cuts to education and Medicaid. With all the provisions we’ve worked hard to pass, keeping education cuts to less than 1 percent provides protection for our students and teachers. We also further supported education by eliminating delays in funding for the Education Retirement Board program,” said Senator John M. Sapien (D-Sandoval-9).

He pointed out that he was glad to have been able to help stave off an effort to delay providing this funding until a future fiscal year: “In the long run, this will save the state money because the funding we provide now will be leveraged upward whenever the market recovers, making each dollar used to fund the program now worth much, much more in the future.”

Friday, October 23, 2009

UNM College Dems Clean Up the NM GOP!

In a nationwide effort to work together to clean up politics across our country, the UNM College Democrats deliver a mop to the NM GOP Headquarters.

Take a look at their video -- it makes a point and provides a few laughs at the same time!






We're out for the weekend -- enjoy yours as well!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

A Three-Part Speech from Rep. Ben Ray Lujan

***The following speech is in three parts and is from CD-3 Rep. Ben Ray Lujan. He was guest speaker to the Executive Committee of the Democratic Party of New Mexico at their strategy meeting last weekend in Las Vegas.

The Representative spoke on topics from health care reform, energy and the future of New Mexico in the 2010 elections.

In the first video, the Representative is introduced by Chairwoman Paula Garcia of Mora County as well as State Party Chairman Javier Gonzales.









Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Pelosi to Push the Public Option

In previous statements, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has stated that the fate of the public option would depend on the eventual negotiations that would occur between House and Senate leadership.

But with a favorable score from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on the House version of the health care reform bill, House Speaker Pelosi has announced that a "robust" public option would be aggressively pushed through the House of Representatives. Coming in far under 900 billion dollars, the House version of health care reform comes under President Obama's goal and is also deficit neutral.

MoveOn.org has also released this new commercial focusing on the some 70% percent of the American public who support the public option:



To pass this bill, House Democrats need to muster 218 votes -- a number within sight. Rep. Raul Grijalva, one of the co-Chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus has stated that House Democrats are within 8 votes of achieving the 218 votes needed for passage.

He does note however, that some of the 256 Democrats in Congress will vote no and that House leadership is not wasting time with confirmed "no" votes from Democrats. (NM Congressman Ben Ray Lujan is a member of the Caucus and is a champion of the public option.)

The House bill would cover 96% of all Americans.

The Democratic Party of New Mexico -- and all of the members of our Congressional delegation -- support the inclusion of a public option in any health care reform bill passed.

We encourage you to call your representative today and stress the importance of a public option!

Contact information for your elected leaders can be found here.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Barela Comes Up Short in CD-1 Funds Race

"In New Mexico, Republicans hold high hopes for Jon Barela, but he posted underwhelming numbers in his bid against against freshman Democratic Rep. Martin Heinrich. Barela raised just $107,000, less than half of the $238,000 of Heinrich’s total."

We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

This is a paragraph from a report from Politico.com on political challengers whose bids for elected office have been less than successful.

We knew that Barela's message was not resonating in CD-1, and his fundraising efforts show this. Rep. Martin Heinrich has worked hard for this district and we need to continue working for him as hard as he has worked for us in Washington, DC.

Friday, October 16, 2009

A Great Analysis on 2010 Gubernatorial Race

Denish looms large; GOP primary still wide open
By Heath Haussamen, NMPolitics.net
http://www.nmpolitics.net/index/2009/10/denish-looms-large-gop-primary-still-wide-open/print/


Diane Denish is still a giant. Heather Wilson’s indecision on whether to run for governor has sidelined some money but not enough to sink others’ chances. The four Republicans who have declared for governor are still in the hunt.

That’s the bottom line for New Mexico pollster and analyst Brian Sanderoff after seeing the results of the campaign finance reports filed Tuesday in the governor’s race. It was a first look at which of the GOP candidates can come up with the money to compete. Sanderoff said it’s clear that the primary race is still wide open.

“We’ve got four candidates with very diverse backgrounds and profiles, and so it’s way too early to start handicapping this race, in my opinion,” Sanderoff said.

Of the GOP candidates, Allen Weh led the way in fundraising from May to October, coming up with about $560,000, with $250,000 of that a personal loan. Doug Turner came in with just under $342,000, with the bulk of it – about $243,500 – personal loans.

Susana Martinez raised almost $144,000, while Janice Arnold-Jones raised just over $23,000.

Diane Denish, the likely Democratic nominee for governor, looms large above them all. If you don’t count in-kind contributions, she raised more than all the GOP candidates combined —$931,300.11 to their $912,955.57. She ended the reporting period with about $2.2 million on hand, while the GOP candidates had a combined total of about $722,000.

Sanderoff said that isn’t surprising. Some people contribute to campaigns because they share a candidate’s beliefs, but some do it for more pragmatic reasons.

“It’s easier to raise money when you’re perceived as having a good shot at being the next governor,” he said.

Denish currently has no primary opponent, so potential donors are “getting on board earlier” than they are on the GOP side, Sanderoff said.

Denish Campaign Manager Oren Shur said Denish is in such a strong position because “most New Mexicans want to make progress” and “recognize that Lt. Gov. Denish has a record they can count on.”

“No matter which way you look at it, New Mexicans are excited about only one candidate for governor right now and it’s Diane Denish,” he said. “What Lt. Gov. Denish knows, and our opponents haven’t figured out, is that you build grassroots support by putting forward good ideas for the future – not by shouting negative attacks every chance you get.”

Fighting between Martinez, Dems

Martinez has led the attacks against Denish, and has authored two hard-hitting commentaries. Weh has also joined the fray.

The state Democratic Party fired back at Martinez on Wednesday in a news release, pointing out that all but nine of Martinez’s financial contributions came from the 2nd Congressional District. The party’s executive director, Josh Geise, said Martinez “has yet to show a grasp of statewide issues or anything that remotely resembles a statewide base of support,” adding that it’s “simply hard to take her seriously as a statewide candidate.”

Denish had twice as many donors as Martinez in the 2nd District, according to the release, and 2,835 in the rest of the state to Martinez’s nine.

The news release probably came in part because Martinez has been hammering Denish, Sanderoff said, but he suspects the Democrats are also “a little nervous, perhaps,” about taking on “another woman, a Hispanic who would cater to crossover voters” in a general-election contest.

“If she was so regional, why do they see the need to attack her in a news release?” Sanderoff asked. He added that most of the state doesn’t know much about Martinez, “but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t be a very formidable candidate in a general election, because the Republican Party will come together for the general no matter which candidate wins the primary.”

One noteworthy fact about Martinez’s fundraising is that she has been touting support in the Farmington area and on the east side of the state. While campaign contributions back up her claim of east-side support, she didn’t have a single contribution from the Farmington area.

Spokesman Danny Diaz said Martinez has upcoming events in the Farmington area. He said the political support she has there will “manifest itself in financial support in the near future.”

Diaz said Democrats are right to take seriously the candidacy of Doña Ana County’s district attorney because she has won races in an “overwhelmingly Democratic county where Republicans are outnumbered 3-1” and “has a track record of addressing the critical issues confronting the state.”

And Diaz pointed out that Martinez raised funds from individual donors at roughly the same rate as Weh if you consider that she hasn’t been in the race as long as the former state GOP chairman.

Self-financing ‘sure doesn’t hurt’

Sanderoff also noted the money Weh and Turner have put into their own campaigns – something Martinez and Arnold-Jones don’t have the ability to do.

“Whether this is seed money or whether this is a sign of what’s to come in the future with these two candidates remains unknown, but two of these candidates have personal wealth and are using some of that money,” he said. “Personal wealth does not by any means guarantee a victory, but it sure doesn’t hurt.”

Weh also had more individual contributions than any other candidate. While Martinez came in second with about 230, Weh had about 600. Weh was the first GOP candidate in the race, and spokesman Christopher Sanchez said that’s paying off.

“We’re running early and we’re running hard and it’s starting to show,” he said. “Raising money early and getting organized has given us the ability to be a very viable campaign.”

Sanchez said he wouldn’t call Weh the frontrunner, but winning the general election is “going to take someone who has the experience in fundraising and campaigning to beat Denish.” At this point, he said, Weh “has the funds in place to execute his campaign plan.”

“Allen Weh’s message is really resonating. And we feel really good about the support we’re receiving,” he said.

Turner agreed with Sanderoff that the race is wide open. He hasn’t yet focused on fundraising, instead using his own money to get started. Turner has confirmed he’s running for governor but not yet made a formal announcement. He expects to raise money “in earnest” after he formally enters the race.

In the meantime, Turner has been traveling the state. He said the response to his candidacy has been “extremely positive.”

“There is a very strong desire for a young freshness in this race, someone with new ideas, someone with energy and someone without significant political baggage,” he said.

Arnold-Jones is ‘not discouraged’

Arnold-Jones doesn’t have nearly as much cash as the other candidates.

“When you start as the underdog, I’m not sure you can allow yourself to worry about it as much. The lieutenant governor has a lot of money. It doesn’t make her the person that is best to lead the state,” Arnold-Jones said. “Money alone should not be the only qualifier for leading this state. If that was the only qualifier, my goodness, some good people would have been cut out.”

She noted that a preprimary convention will come before the primary and some 400 Republicans will decide who gets to appear on the ballot. Money may not be as critical in that contest, she said, and she’s confident about getting the support she needs to appear on the ballot.

“But do I think after the preprimary it will take half a million dollars? Yes I do. I have a long ways to go,” Arnold-Jones said. “I’m not discouraged and my team’s not discouraged. We thought this is where we would be.”

The Wilson factor

Sanderoff noted the elephant in the room: Wilson, the former Republican congresswoman from Albuquerque, says she’s still thinking about running for governor. Sanderoff said she would be the “perceived frontrunner” on name recognition alone if she entered the primary race, and he has spoken with potential GOP donors who are withholding their money until she decides what she’s doing.

The total the GOP candidates raised from individual donors is not “a massive amount” in part because of the people who are waiting on Wilson, Sanderoff said.

“I think that it’s not too late for Heather Wilson. We’re in October. The June primary is a long way away,” he said. “One of the things that these numbers tell us is that there are still some donors out there who are holding back.”

Regardless, Sanderoff said, the other GOP candidates shouldn’t be waiting on Wilson.

“At some point, if you want to be governor you just need to go for it,” he said. “They need to be out there and demonstrating some strength to try to dissuade her.”

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Rally for Marriage Equality is October 17th

Jordon Johnson, the interim director of Equality New Mexico has asked the Democratic Party of New Mexico to publicize this event -- and since marriage equality is part of our State Party platform, we're happy to do so.

EQNM will be attempting to set the world's record for the largest engagement ring by circling the Roundhouse in support of gay marriage and creating the ring out of gold fabric.

The Legislature will be in special session on October 17th and it is the goal of EQNM to not only set the world's record for the largest engagement ring, but to also remind state law-makers that marriage equality is still a vital issue in our state.

Further details can be found on Facebook.

Supporting this event is an important step in showing our Party's support for marriage equality in our state.

This event is also important because the Santa Fe Tea Party has targeted October 17th as a day on which they will hold a rally at the Roundhouse.

Their stated purpose is to rally against fiscal issues, but if this rally is anything like the one which was held in Rio Rancho in September, there will be little control over what kind of people will show up, especially since the e-mail we received about the event compares (again) President Obama to 1930s Nazi Germany.

In case you forgot what that rally was like, see our photos.

It is important to keep issues like this on the forefront of politics in New Mexico -- all too often, the issue of same-sex marriage is ignored in the media, as Jon Stewart aptly points out:

Don't let hate-filled protests stall the movement towards marriage equality -- if you can, make it to the rally and show your support for equal rights in New Mexico!

Susanna Martinez -- Wait, Who?

Only Nine New Mexicans Outside the Second Congressional District Contribute to Susanna Martinez’s Campaign

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Although Dona Ana District Attorney Susanna Martinez calls herself a candidate for statewide office, its clear that she’s a long way from having a statewide base of support. An analysis of the finance report that Martinez submitted yesterday to the Secretary of State reveals that only nine New Mexicans who live outside of the 2ndCongressional District made contributions to her campaign.

“Susanna Martinez has been a candidate for Governor for several months, but she has yet to show a grasp of statewide issues or anything that remotely resembles a statewide base of support,” said Josh Geise, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. “With only nine New Mexican contributors outside of Susanna Martinez’s home region, it’s simply hard to take her seriously as a statewide candidate.”

The nine contributions from New Mexicans outside of Congressional District 2 were from Albuquerque (7) and Clovis (2). Martinez received no contributions at all from residents in key cities key cities like Santa Fe, Farmington, Taos, Las Alamos or Las Vegas.

Despite the fact that 91% of Martinez’s donors reside in her home region of the Second Congressional District, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish has amassed twice as many donors from the region. Lt. Gov. Denish has 479 contributors from the Second District, while Martinez has only 240 contributors.

In the first and third Congressional Districts, Lt. Gov. Denish has 2,835 contributors, while Martinez has just nine.

###

Denish Raises More than Entire GOP Field -- Combined

UPDATED: A PREVIOUS VERSION OF THIS RELEASE CONTAINED FUNDRAISING INFORMATION THAT INCLUDED SOME IN-KIND DONATIONS. THE RELEASE HAS BEEN UPDATED TO ONLY INCLUDE CASH CONTRIBUTIONS AND LOANS.

Albuquerque, NM – Democratic Party of New Mexico Chairman Javier Gonzales issued the following statement on today’s fundraising reports:

“Lt. Gov. Diane Denish raised more money last period than all of her Republican opponents – combined. The reason for that is simple: New Mexicans know that Lt. Gov. Denish will make our state a leader in the 21st Century economy, while the Republicans would move us backward. While Diane Denish has experience, the organization and the grassroots support it takes to win statewide, it’s quite clear that none of the Republican candidates are ready for primetime.”

A re-cap of the fundraising numbers available:

Diane Denish raised last period: $931,300.11
Cash-on-hand: $2,197,018.97


Allen Weh raised last period: 494,893.22 (including a loan of $250,000)

Cash-on-hand: $372, 164.30

Susanna Martinez
raised last period: $141,265
Cash-on-hand: $130,658

Doug Turner
raised last period: $255,852.35 (including a loan to self of $243,552.35)

Cash-on-hand: $211,100.00

Janice Arnold-Jones raised this period: $20,945

Cash-on-hand: $8,286.78

Total raised by all GOP candidates: $912,955.57
Total cash-on-hand by all GOP candidates: $722,209.08

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Party Line? Snowe Way!

Today, the Senate Finance Committee finally held a roll-call vote on the Baucus Plan for Health Care Reform.

As expected, the GOP members of the committee voted against the measure -- that is except for Maine Senator Olympia Snowe. Snowe is known for bucking her Party's dictates, with only 58.4% of her votes being with her Party. (This independence should come as no surprise as 40% of Maine's voters are registered as Independents and only fellow Maine Sen. Susan Collins has a lower party unity score of 58.1%.)

With Snowe voting with the Democrats, the final vote was 14 to 9, passing the measure. Although she does note that there are aspects of the Bill which she does not like, she does risk retribution from her own party for not following its dictates -- specifically a potential threat which could cost her important committee memberships.

So if she doesn't like the Bill as it stands and can risk political retribution, why vote "Yes" on the Bill?

Because she actually listens to her constituents in Maine and seeks reforms which will benefit all Americans:




When finding out that Senator Snowe's vote would move the Bill out of committee with all-important bi-partisan support, he called the Senator "extraordinarily diligent" in her work on this effort.

We think Senator Snowe makes some good points while justifying her vote today -- and no matter how you fall on the spectrum of political ideology, we should take comfort that there are still legislators who are willing to defy their handlers and vote their conscience. Even if it is just for today.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Credit Card Companies Still Ripping Us Off

The United States House of Representatives is working to introduce further measures that will protect American consumers from predatory credit card interest rates.

While each of us are responsible for our spending actions, in these difficult economic times, many credit card users in middle to lower income brackets are using credit cards for daily survival -- not necessarily for casual purchases.

The Wall Street Journal has published an article which calls this phenomenon the end of "Democratization of Credit." It explains that as credit card companies refuse and reduce the levels in which they will lend to poorer -- or higher risk -- applicants, the non-discriminatory lending policies of the 1970s will come to an abrupt end.

But with more and more people turning to credit just to put food on the table, credit companies are not reducing interest rates for credit cards, but rather hiking the rates.

In response to Congress' efforts to curb predatory interest rates for those most affected by this economic downturn, credit companies like Wells Fargo and JP Morgan have selfishly increased their interest rates by as much as 3% -- due to take effect November 30th.

The Congressional Credit CARD bill is due to take effect December 1st.

Here in New Mexico, our entire House delegation has signed on to a statement (along with 15 other House members) which seeks to put a stop to unfair rate hikes.

Reps. Martin Heinrich, Harry Teague and Ben Ray Lujan have all added to this strongly worded statement.

While their efforts may seem like an uphill battle against corporate interests, our Congressmen have achieved victories already -- Bank of America has pledged not to raise their interest rates for cardholders.

Thank you to Reps. Heinrich, Teague and Lujan for fighting to make a positive difference in all New Mexicans' lives.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

DPNM's Field Notes: Activism & Organizing

The day after the Mayoral election in Albuquerque, DPNM Chairman Javier Gonzales, issued a statement on the results of the election:

"While the loss is disappointing I think it's important to remember that the majority of Albuquerque voters believe that Democrats are right on the issues of reducing crime, creating jobs and managing our states largest city.

All of us must remember that from here to the November 2010 election our Democratic
principles and values as well as our Democratic candidates will be under attack by the Republicans. They will bring out every trick in their same old play book that promotes fear and promises confusion. New Mexicans deserve better and they get better with Democrats. I need each of you to continue our fight for a better tomorrow and let your friends and neighbors know that Democrats are on their side when it comes to education, working families, the environment and civil liberties. The fight begins now!"

The Democratic Party of New Mexico is hosting a free campaign training which is tailored to inform local leaders such as Ward Chairs and local candidates for office effective techniques that they can employ to achieve successful results.

A complete schedule for the training can be found here. Major topic include training in canvassing, utilizing Vote Builder and recruiting volunteers to your campaign.

Information on the training can be found here. To RSVP, please call the DPNM headquarters at 505-830-3650 or e-mail Marisa at marisa@nmdemocrats.org

We hope that you will do your part to ensure that local, state and federal elections in 2010 return Democrats back to offices across the state!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Special Session of Legislature to be Held on Oct. 17th

Governor Richardson has called for a special legislative session on October 17th which will seek to address a state deficit of some 433 million dollars. (Although some have estimated that the deficit is more like 550 million dollars.)

The special session has been designated to cover budget issues only, and legislators are burdened with the task of making difficult decisions on where to trim excess from State expenditures.

There are competing groups who would like to see taxes increased so that vital funds are not stripped from either services provided to the needy or education, but Governor Richardson has stated that he opposes new taxes. The tax cuts of 2003 are cited by the Governor as cuts which attract higher-paying jobs to our State.

Public Schools account for about 40% of our State's budget. (Some say it accounts for up to 60%.) The Governor has indicated that he intends to spare schools from being forced to make cuts:




No matter what happens during the special session, the Democratic Party of New Mexico wants our children to have the best education possible.

Javier Gonzales, DPNM Chair stated in his acceptance speech during the DPNM's State Central Committee meeting that:

"As Democrats, we must stand united behind Gov. Richardson and Lt.
Gov. Denish and ask that our Democratic elected officials in the legislature do what we
know is right for our children and fight any efforts to reduce spending on education."

We know these our tough times for everyone, but New Mexicans must strive to keep the highest standards of education available for our children and young adults.

The Democratic Party of New Mexico supports access to superior education for all and the continued strengthening of public education.

We urge all Democrats to make their views on the importance of quality education known to their elected representatives before the special session on October 17th.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Democrats! Get Out and Vote: TODAY

Democracy for New Mexico has all of the information you could need for voting today.

Polls are open from 7am to 7pm and you will need a form of identification which shows both your name and picture.

Thank You if you have already voted, and thanks in advance if you're planning to vote later today!

Monday, October 5, 2009

ABQ Voting Tomorrow: 7am - 7pm

With early voting numbers higher than in previous elections, rest assured that the Mayoral election tomorrow will be an election which is hotly contested.

Know that even in a non-partisan race, voters can turn to their Party for information, and we will provide any information relating to the election in order to help you make it to the polls.

The Democratic Party of New Mexico wants all Democratic voters to go to the polls tomorrow between 7am and 7pm and vote either for Martin Chavez or Richard Romero.

These candidates are both Democrats and will prevent the far-right candidate from taking Albuquerque on the wrong path.

You can find out where you vote by visiting the Bernalillo County website.

Remember to take an approved form of Identification to the polling place. A list of approved forms of identification can be found here.

If you have any questions, please call the Democratic Party of New Mexico at 505-830-3650

Thank you for helping to Keep ABQ Blue!

Friday, October 2, 2009

October is GLBT Awareness Month

As we mentioned in a post last week, the Democratic Party of New Mexico supports Marriage Equality for all New Mexicans. Adopted in 2008, our platform specifically calls for:

"outlawing discrimination based on sexual preference, including restrictions on civil marriage, and repealing the Defense of Marriage Act."

You can read our full platform here.

In 2009, the State Central Committee adopted even more explicit support for Marriage Equality:

"that the Democratic Party of New Mexico, including its members and officers, should actively support and advocate on behalf of Marriage Equality and Equal Rights for all regardless of sexual orientation, because equal rights under the law are guaranteed under the US and New Mexican Constitutions."

(This resolution will be considered for inclusion into the Party Platform during the 2010 Democratic pre-primary convention.)

Furthermore, the Democratic Party of New Mexico has shown steadfast support for equality through our Governor. As recently as this week, Governor Richardson has announced that Domestic Partnerships will be on the January 2010 Legislative Agenda.

Additionally, current Lt. Governor Diane Denish (and Democratic candidate for Governor) has been a long-time supporter of domestic partnerships.

Equality New Mexico is also helping to lead the fight for Marriage Equality in New Mexico.

Support for GLBT equality has reached an all-time high in the United States, and this month, bills for Marriage Equality are to be introduced in Washington DC and Illinois.

More information on GLBT issues in the United States as well as information on Awareness can be found here.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Weh Out of Touch

Albuquerque, NM - This week a local reporter questioned Allen Weh's assertion that he was the only candidate in the race for Governor to run a business. Peter St Cyr, writing for NMPolitics.net, quoted Weh as saying, "As the only candidate who has run a business, I know what it will take to create jobs, cover a payroll and balance a budget during tough times."

In fact, three other candidates have run businesses, including Lt. Gov. Diane Denish who owned a small business for 12 years. After being caught in the lie, his campaign said that what he intended to say was that he was the only multi-million dollar business owner in the race.

Democratic Party of New Mexico Executive Director, Josh Geise, issued the following statement:

"In Allen Weh's world, you don't really own a business unless it's a multi-million dollar business. The thousands of hard-working small business owners in New Mexico, who create the majority of our state's jobs, would disagree with Weh's assessment that running a small business doesn't count. All that time with his millionaire CEO friends has clearly made him out of touch with hard-working New Mexicans trying to make ends meet."

 
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