New Mexico gays who feel roughed up by a muscle flexing hard-right coming off of a Bush NM victory will get a bit of good news in the state House, according to my reliable Roundhouse insiders. The measure defining marriage as an act between a man and woman passed big in the Senate Wednesday but, my sources report, will die a quick death in the House where Rep. Gail Beam will preside over its demise as chairwoman of the Public Affairs Committee.

I hate to whine, but here I go. Like cockfighting before it, a lot of emotional energy and precious time was wasted on the marriage act by both lawmakers and the poor journalists who are told to cover, overcover and then overcover some more the same tired, shelf-worn topics that never make it into law. What about the stuff that is getting passed? In any event, the defeat of the hot potato cockfighting and anti-gay marriage bills will be welcomed by the Fourth Floor where reborn conservative Big Bill is thinking up more good things to say about Bush's foreign policy.

You can sense that Mr. and Mrs. New Mexico have had just about enough of the Santa Fe scene this year, especially after the right on schedule citing of Santa Fe State Senator Grubesic for drinking and driving but, mind you, not driving drunk. Give us a break. Make all sessions 30 days, let the pros at the AP cover most of it and everyone else take a sobriety test and head south on I-25.

LEGAL BEAGLE CORNER

There's a still a shot that the sister of Big Bill legal counsel Geno Zamora could get a shot a Bernalillo County district judgeship, claim my courthouse watchers. "(Judge) Tommy Jewell has been talking about retiring and that could open his seat for Monica since he is a Children's Court judge and her interest is in juvenile law," reports one legal beagle. Monica Zamora lost a recent bid to replace Judge Wendy York

Geno Zamora's interest, as we have reported, may be in becoming attorney general of our Enchanted Land and friends say he may make a decision at the end of the Legislative session. ABQ Dem State Rep. Al Park is all in and the latest word has ABQ Mayor Marty Chavez thinking about a run for the AG nomination next year, if he puts away his re-election bid come October.

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Pam Anderson
The Hollywood types who lined up this year for TV face time to decry our state's fondness for cockfighting will have to beat the drums louder next time. Insiders at the Roundhouse tell me that for the umpteenth time the move to ban the sport will go nowhere. "(Senate Majority Leader Michael) Sanchez is using this one to keep rural senators in line. They already screwed him by lining up in support of the parental notification bill on abortion. He can hold them in check during the final critical days of the session by threatening to bring up the cockfighting ban and ramming it through," reported our tapped in wall-leaner.

The cockfighting ban passed the House this year. Actress Pam Anderson was among the notables lobbying Big Bill for the ban, but he never warmed to it as the sport appeals to rural New Mexican Hispanics as well as others in states where he may be seeking presidential nominating votes.

FIGHT FOR THE GLORY

Push the hot buttons and we get the mail from the bright bulbs of the NM political scene. It happened again Tuesday when we named Sen. Denis Chavez as the greatest U.S. Senator in state history. John Cordova, head of the Dennis Chavez Foundation, was all smiles about that calling our blog "a factual portrayal," but others we're quick to tell me to hold my horses.

"What about Senator Clinton P. Anderson?" Asked Sandia Prep school administrator Susan Walton. "Anderson was in both the House and the Senate, and he was a Cabinet Secretary. He started Medicare, worked quietly to contain the nuclear threat, and worked to save the nation's wilderness areas! His particular interests were in conservation, the needs of the West, and of the needy/hungry. Please, save some of your electric typesetting for My Political Hero, Clinton P Anderson! (or I'll send you more research on this wonderful guy!") Warned Susan.

Meanwhile, from up North another emailer said I got it all wrong on Chavez being the best. "I'm one of those Hispanics who bristles at the crap about protected class or discrimination. I find too many of my compatriots using that as an excuse for failure or as a substitute for performance. Exactly what doors did Chavez open for Hispanics that they couldn't open for themselves with hard work?" Screeched our correspondent. He also claimed Clint Anderson had more to do with getting Sandia and Kirtland started than Chavez.

Anderson served over twenty years in the U.S. Senate retiring in 1972. Pete Domenici took his seat. My writers are right. Anderson was a giant New Mexican and is a finalist, along with Chavez and Pete, on the all-time hit list.

MY RATHER BIAS

Tonight at 5 p.m. on KRQE-TV 13 Dan Rather will end his 24 year run as anchor of the CBS Evening News. To mark the occasion I am re-running my Rather retrospective from November. Click here for the column which received a lot of reaction when first published. Meanwhile, Goodbye Dan. You did good.

I welcome your e-mails on the latest political news, your thoughts and even your criticism, although I lose sleep over those kind so keep them brief. There's an e-mail link at the top right of the page. As always, thanks for tuning in. Let's do it again tomorrow.

Make our site, WWW.JOEMONAHAN.COM, one of your favorites and e-mail a link to interested friends. Interested in advertising to NM's large political community? E-mail me from the top right of this page, or call 505-243-4059 for details.

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Secretary Garcia
The Legislative mess that pre-kindergarten has become may be due to a simple lack of preparation by the top guns in Big Bill's administration, claim some of the insiders watching this one with care. "They did a poll. It showed that pre-k was popular with the public, but they did not back it up with convincing evidence or numbers so they are in trouble," said one of them.

Light Guv Diane Denish was to be the heroine on pre-k and was given the go-ahead by the Guv and told to run with it. But there was little, if any, public push for the concept before the Legislative session. Now, in desperate op-ed pieces, disparate groups are trying to pull it out. However, even Dem lawmakers, shaken by the eventual $30 million annual cost of the program, may be inclined to give only a pilot plan approval. Will a Big Bill special session threat make them change their minds? Maybe not.

All this has new Secretary of Education Veronica Garcia under the hot spotlight of La Politica. She started out saying the program would cost $50 mil a year, but in short order shaved that back to $30 million. How's that for credibility? "Garcia is under enormous pressure. She has to meet goals set by the governor and at the same time manage cutbacks in other areas," said one source who has worked on the issue.

Republicans warned early that they would be targeting pre-k and, by association, Denish. A sarcastic email from a reader sums up the PR problem Diane and the Administration have on this one: "Was that number of $9,000,000 for 3,000 kids for one year? Tuition at NMSU is right at $3,000 per semester! Send them there. Since they are only half the size of the other students they should only be charged half as much, with the state paying the bill!"

Denish, Secretary Garcia and Big Bill's education staff may have some navel gazing to do on this one.

WHOSE THE GREATEST?
Sen. Chavez
A few weeks ago (see Feb.8)I wrote that the late NM U.S. Seantor Dennis Chavez as the "greatest" senator to ever serve out Enchanted Land. That had some readers asking how I could exclude the GOP's Pete Domenici. How did I come to this conclusion, they queried? First, I weighed each senators overall impact on how New Mexicans live today. Chavez's election changed New Mexican political history by opening the doors of opportunity to Hispanics. Remember, the 1930's was an age of discrimination, including against Chavez by his fellow senators when he took office. His civil rights advocacy and how it changed our politics clearly make him the most influential and the "greatest" New Mexican U.S. Senator. But what about the billions Pete has brought to NM? Indeed he has. But again there would not be a Kirtland Air Force Base and probably not a Sandia Labs without Democrat Chavez who was on the job when the base was created and the one that now Pete works so hard to keep going!

Not that Chavez was a saint. His elections raised eyebrows over the vote counting and he was accused of padding his senate payroll. But his good far outweighed his bad. Perhaps someday Saint Pete may be viewed as the greatest senator to serve New Mexico but for now that honor, in this corner, goes to Dennis Chavez, who was born into a New Mexico territory that offered little opportunity. But he beat the odds and in so doing inspired the generations to follow. That's pretty great, no?

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Manny Aragon
NM political legend Manny Aragon has been the master of getting out of political fixes. The down side is that he's also a master at getting into them. And this time he is swimming in foreign waters that threaten to engulf the political wizard and end his historic run at the top rungs of New Mexican political power.

A mini revolution is taking hold at NM Highlands University in Las Vegas, NM where Aragon assumed the presidency in July of 04' after a 30 year run in the state senate where by sheer will and often intimidation, he rammed thru some of the major legislation of our times. But he's not in the senate anymore and the diverse power centers of a state university are starting to haunt Aragon whose politics were born in the Valley of ABQ and does not resonate with academics and students used to a more collaborative approach.

LIVING WITH MANNY

The problem leads directly to the Fourth Floor of the NM Roundhouse and Big Bill who engineered Aragon's ascension to Highlands. Because of what he was about to be awarded, Manny played meek for Big Bill and the Guv got a willing Legislature. But insiders have long speculated that the Guv wanted to get rid of Aragon because of the immense power he had in the Legislature and could possibly use to thwart Big Bill's will. The Highlands job, the speculation goes, gave the Guv an easy way out.

But with Aragon imploding there may be a price to pay for the Guv. The GOP effectively demonized Aragon and then-House Speaker Raymond Sanchez. It may be a long-shot, but now the R's are watching with interest the Manny Mess and thinking they may yet another chance to tie the Aragon baggage to another political traveler--Big Bill. Aragon's survival chances may depend on the outcome. Don't say we didn't tell you.

THE DEATH DANCE CONTINUES

What happened to that "reconsideration" of the death penalty vote in the state House that I blogged freshman ABQ GOP State Rep. Justine Fox-Young was “preparing" after shocking conservatives with her vote to abolish the death penalty? Blogger Steve Terrell and others are among the curious because when asked by Terrell about the reconsideration report Fox-Young replied: "Not on your life, babe." Well, "babes" and others interested, reliable sources report the move was indeed close to occurring, but the fact that it was published here beforehand may have caused it not to happen. Geez, we thought they didn't care.

The fact remains that Fox-Young and four other Republicans did vote to abolish the penalty and that the districts they represent are overwhelmingly in favor of the penalty and their votes were instrumental in it passing the House.

No, we don't have a beef with the Barnett-Dendahl-Fox-Young-Foley-Adair-Youngberg wing of the NM GOP. To paraphrase Harry Truman: "I never give anybody hell. I just tell the truth and they think it’s hell." May it ever be so.

TV TALK

It was good while it lasted, but it didn't last long. Ratings for the 10 p.m. newscasts in the big ABQ market are out and they show KRQE-TV's historic breakthrough to the number one spot last November is history. But the race is so close that no one really has bragging rights to the top slot. In the February "sweeps" KOB 4 finished with a 9.8, KRQE 13 was second with a 9.1 and KOAT 7 came in with a 7.8 average at 10. A 9.8 rating means out of all the TV sets in the viewing area 9.8 per cent of them were tuned to KOB.

Make our site, WWW.JOEMONAHAN.COM, one of your favorites and e-mail a link to interested friends. Interested in advertising to NM's large political community? E-mail me from the top right of this page, or call 505-243-4059 for details.

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