Somebody wake up Eric Griego and Judy Espinosa. If the two heavyweights in the ABQ Mayor's race keep it up they may be a factor in the Oct. 4 face-off after all. First, Mayor Marty misfired on voter ID, accusing Winter of being against it, then the state GOP implied that the mayor stole their e-mail database and, by God, someone was going to pay for such a high crime and misdemeanor, if it indeed it actually happened. Hey, isn't that the same e-mail list that some R's accused State Sen. "Lightning" Rod Adair of wrongfully getting his hands on a year or so ago? Well, that was then and this is now. The GOP says it's launching an "internal investigation" into the maybe disappearing database. Maybe they can start by talking with Rod. Not that Mayor Marty was too worried about the GOP charges, not unless he and his dog Dukes crawled into GOP headquarters in the middle of the night and lifted the disc. If he did, someone call the Washington Post, we've got ourselves a Watergate, or is it Riogate?

Whether the mayor was "gifted" the GOP list or not, he has plenty of other things on his plate. Chief among them is getting his campaign back on solid footing after sending repeated volleys Winter's way on voter ID, only to see them deflected back on him by the "free media." Not that anyone other than you and I and other junkies noticed. Mr. & Mrs. Albuquerque are on siesta and to Hades with anyone, especially a bunch of politicians, who try to butt in on their summertime fun. But in La Politica boys will be boys. And girls will be girls. Which bring us to the subject of ABQ GOP State Rep. Justine Fox-Young.

MICKEY'S FOX
Rep. Fox-Young
If anything revealing has come out of the amateur hour of campaigning of late, it's young Ms. Young's defense of fellow R Brad Winter. Remember, the Fox-Young's of the world, affiliated as they are with the breakaway GOP faction led by lawyer-lobbyist Mickey Barnett, are a leading indicator of which way the wind is blowing at Mickey's place. And that's not as predictable as you might think. Remember legalizing drugs? In any event, Justine gave a vigorous defense of moderate Winter's stance on voter ID panning Mayor Marty for daring to question the city council prez. And for those of you who need a weatherman (or a blogger) to know which way the wind is blowing, here's the forecast. The Fox-Young defense of Winter signals that the Barnett- Weh-Dendahl-Adair-Thompson-Youngberg-Foley-McCleskey-Rogers-Young faction is ready to play ball with the man they tried to obliterate just two years ago when he was challenged for his council seat by one Barnett-backed Patrick Milligan.

DIVIDE AND TIE?

Mayor Marty has a nice share of R's who shop at his store. He does and he will continue to try to divide the GOP as best he can because the key to the magic kingdom belongs to the contender who can unite one of the two major parties behind his candidacy. Obviously, the Republican National Committee and its various local acolytes have taken an interest in unseating Dem Marty as a prelude to taking on Big Bill next year. While the attacks against the mayor escalate, Mr. Warm and Fuzzy, AKA, Brad, is unseen. But he's not paying for this shindig--the party is--and the last we heard he who has the gold rules.

So there you have it. The Democrat mayor trying to hang on to his R's, the moderate R Brad embracing his former foes and neither candidate hitting on all cylnders. Is that what they mean by "politics makes for strange bedfellows?" Someone throw me the covers, this is too weird to watch.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2005
Not for reproduction without permission of the author