Speaker Pelosi & Udalls
Those fun luvin' Dems are back. That new political reality hit home Thursday as Nancy Pelosi was sworn in as the first female U.S. House Speaker in history and the first Democratic one since 1994. Joining Speaker Nancy on Capitol Hill and grinning ear to ear while taking fresh oaths of office were New Mexican Democrats Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall. And why not? Bingaman in the Senate and Udall in the House have gritted their teeth all through the Bush the Younger years, fretting over the Iraq war they were among the first to oppose.

Moments after he took the oath for a fifth two year term, I exchanged thoughts with northern NM's Udall who was in a bouncy mood and also not shy in sending a message on America's # 1 issue.

"We will push even harder for a phased redeployment of our troops in Iraq. I do not support additional troops. It will discourage the Iraqi's from solving the conflict." Offered Udall just prior to a mock swearing in ceremony with Speaker Pelosi and pictured on today's blog.

Udall did not want to go where we may be going--eventually cutting off funds for this unpopular and no-end-in-sight war. But there was a new firmness to his tone now that he is in the majority and freshly named to the powerful House Appropriations Committee and three of its subcommittees.

He said "the President will be in trouble" if he ignores the majority in Congress. While Udall admitted the President could veto any measure passed by Congress to directly end the war, he seemed to think the Congress will get the upper hand if, as he expects, it eventually adopts benchmarks for the redeployment being pushed by Rep. Murtha.

UDALL UP; HEATHER DOWN

Udall, 59, was pumped, having just received his three subcommittee assignments on House Appropriations. One of them is health, education and labor; another is Interior which will no doubt please his father, former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall. In fact, the only damper on Udall's day was his worry over his father's recovery at a Santa Fe hospital from a broken leg he recently suffered from a fall.

"He's working hard at his recovery," Udall said of his father, now a legend in the national environmental community.

While Udall was trying out his new power handshake, ABQ GOP Heather Wilson had a look of chagrin as she was captured on television sitting with former GOP Speaker Denny Hastert and watching her political nightmare unfold before her eyes as Pelosi became second in line to succession to the presidency. This, the woman who befriended Patricia Madrid, who in turn is the woman who almost cost Heather her House seat in November. Heather can't expect any mercy, only that the pain won't be too great.

ALLIGATOR GOES AWRY

Maybe the Alligator who told me NM GOP Chairman Allen Weh was on Bob Clark's ABQ KKOB-AM radio morning show and had flatly declared he was seeking another term as party chair was feeling the after effects of too much Christmas egg nog. Not that Weh, 64, isn't very likely to go for another term in May; he confirmed to me Thursday that he indeed is a very likely contender--it's just that he has never met or been on Clark's radio program and had not made a flat re-election declaration!

Our Gator (for our new friends, that's what we call our veteran political sources) swore he heard Weh on the airwaves make the declaration and being a reliable source we have come to trust, we repeated his incorrect report. I have banned this erring creature from the blog for 30 days and administered to myself the usual ten lashes with a wet noodle. The only one happy about this is radio's Clark who gets another batch of free publicity. Send a check Bob.

MY BOTTOM LINES

One of our readers claims sexism reared its ugly head on your blog Wednesday when we covered the selection of the new Bernalillo county clerk. Helen of Santa Fe put it this way:

"Buenos dias Joe. I am compelled to complain about your describing the constant conflict between Secretary of State Vigil-Giron and SOS-Elect Herrera as 'hair pulling.' That is soooo old school journalism and sexism. I didn't read about the hair pulling between (State) Representative Martinez and Speaker Lujan, whose fine heads of silver hair would have been rich with journalistic imagery."

Well said Helen. And while we are proud of being "Old School," we may have not made the grade on that one...

Reader Steven Rogers had a bone to pick with our Thursday blog dealing with the re-election plans of GOP chairman Allen Weh

"I have no problem admitting that the Republicans took a beating this past election. That said, I think you could give some deserved adulation for holding on to such positions as Heather Wilson's seat and Land Commissioner. In the wake of defeats nationwide, the fact that CD1 still belongs to a Republican is a credit to the Republicans..Let's not run too far away from the pack Monahan."

Point taken Steven, but I think "adulation" is pretty strong stuff, especially applied to politicos. As for running "too far away from the pack," you can count on that continuing. We're an independent type by nature.

Send your news and comments via email from the link at the top of the page and let me know what you think, and come back again soon.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2007
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Chairman Weh
He came in dubbed a caretaker in April '04 to replace the ousted Ramsay Gorham and left that moniker behind when he ran unopposed for a two year term of his own in '05. Now, it appears a combination of being bitten by the political bug and determination by top tier Republicans to avoid an ugly fight have persuaded Allen Weh to seek yet another two year stint as chairman of the state's minority party. And in a move seen as an effort to pacify R's calling for a change in party direction and furious with the tenure of GOP executive director Marta Kramer, Weh has shown Kramer the door.

Publicly, Weh made Kramer's departure as gentle as possible--"Marta has done a tremendous job under difficult circumstances, and she’s earned a break...I fully expect you will see her return to a responsible political position in the 2008 election cycle."

But there is no sweeping under the rug the bad blood and ill will Kramer created in the party and among candidates like U.S. senate contender and ABQ GOP State Senator Joe Carraro who charged Kramer and Weh with playing favorites in last year's major party primary contests and then failing to deliver any gains in the general election. Carraro and others have been calling for Kramer's head ever since. By giving it to them, Weh may save his own and secure his chairmanship.

Potential Weh opponents are still hiding under their winter blankets. And none of the names now circulating have the star power to rally the party. The possible exception is Bernalillo county GOP chair Fernando C de Baca who has toyed with the idea of a run, but now seems less invigorated about the notion.

The chairman dismissed speculation that a lack of money may also have played a role in the departure of Kramer and two other staffers. "Is that a serious question? We are able to raise sufficient money..." scoffed Weh.

The national GOP was key in providing funds for the state in '06, but with '07 being an off-year that funding could be expected to decrease.

WEIGHING WEH'S WAYS

If Weh has the solid support of GOP Senator Domenici and Republican U.S. Reps Wilson and Pearce, and one assumes he does or he would not be indicating another run, he may avoid a serious challenge. Domenici and the two GOP congressional reps are up for re-election in '08 and keeping Weh at the helm provides them and the Republican National Committee with a known quantity and a hand in party matters. The GOP Central Committee will meet in May to select the chair and other party officers.

The executive director runs the day to day chores, with the chairman more a fundraiser and figurehead. Political director Chris Atencio is filling the ED job, temporarily, while a search is underway for a permanent ED. Some suggest going outside the state to fill the post as did former chairman John Lattauzio. By doing so, they argue, you get a professional not associated with any of the current factions or consultants and who might be able to lead the party to better times. If Weh goes with an ED who follows in the footsteps of Kramer & Co. he could very well find himself back to square one, facing a divided party going into a presidential election year.

There is also the issue of demoralization. Even the squabbles in the state GOP seem to lack zest after the November Democratic sweep. Many R's have simply fallen by the wayside and whoever is chairman will face a major challenge in igniting enthusiasm for the state ticket as well as the GOP presidential standard bearer.

Also heading for the exits and a teaching position Las Vegas, NV. is state GOP PR flack Jonah Cohen. He started off in the mainstream, but later formed a nasty tag team with Kramer whose tactics ultimately divided the R's. And, more important, they did not work. Still, just two months ago the state GOP and Weh were issuing a press release and telling a special meeting of the Central Committee that the election results were not that bad, despite the record landslide of Democrat Big Bill (69%) and the exaggerated triumph of Dem Senator Bingaman (over 70%) and the failure of the GOP to pick up any state House seats.

But the ability to change and adapt are the most fundamental skills of a politician, especially one seeking re-election. Just ask Allen Weh. Or better yet, the out-of-power Marta Kramer.

STORM TRACK
Ogle
Keeping it on the R side of the aisle today we go to ex-ABQ GOP State Rep. Rory Ogle who has some ideas on why response to the Blizzard of '06 was not Johnny-on-the-spot.

"If I remember correctly there was $60 million unaccounted from the Federal Office of Homeland security back in 2003 and according to a current state representative (Janice Arnold-Jones (R-ABQ) that $60 million is still unaccounted for. The State’s Office of Homeland Security that is under the Department of Public Safety has been so badly managed by Gifts from the North (political jobs) it is still non operational."

So scores Ogle as the clean-up continues. We welcome comments with an opposing view.

MY BOTTOM LINES

I spelled Chaves county both correctly and incorrectly yesterday--with both an "s" and a "z" in referencing the death of longtime Senator Domenici aide, Poe Corn of Roswell. I guess all those Mayor Marty Chavez press conferences are getting the best of me. Meanwhile, Pete issued this statement citing one of Corn's accomplishments: "Corn will also be fondly remembered for his quick work to secure emergency National Guard feed drops to ranchers after the Christmas 1998 snowstorm." That sure sounds timely ...

"The Bean" is spinning. That's Phil "The Bean" Sisneros who entertained on ABQ area airwaves for several decades and earned quite a following. Today he is following the lead of Attorney General Gary King who has hired Phil as his chief spin doctor. Besides doing PR, Phil can keep Gary and the staff warm by whipping up his famous green chile stew for those frosty City Different mornings...And I am showing my age when I mistakenly refer to the NM Transportation Department as the "Highway Department" as I did the other day? Well, I am not that old, but old enough to know better....

It's the little things that bug you. Take the ABQ Journal's reference to Big Bill's election win Wednesday as 68.7%. The AP's Barry Massey is reporting the official final number is 68.8%. Whose got it right? I have put the father of politico Bruce Donisthorpe---"Daddy Donisthorpe"--on the case up in Farmington, NM. He was crunching numbers back when Steve Pearce had a full head of hair.

Have news? Email it from the link at the top of the page. Interested in advertising here? Let me know. Thanks for stopping by.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2007
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Clerk Toulouse
If you thought some young blood was in order for the long suffering Bernalillo county clerk's office you got your wish Tuesday as the county commission, in a mild surprise, looked to 30 year old political consultant Maggie Toulouse to fill the remainder of the term of Mary Herrera who left the position when she was elected secretary of state.

One of Toulouse's first orders of business will be to patch up the relationship between the secretary of state's office and the county clerk. Outgoing secretary Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Herrera were hair pulling right up until the final bell.

"I feel like I have a great relationship with Mary...she has been in my exact position...I believe that makes her an ally in improving the relationship," Toulouse told me via cellphone last night after her first tour of the offices she will now command.

While the clerk's vote counting problems continued under Herrera, there was noticeable improvement. Toulouse will be under the gun to continue that trend. Her first test will come soon as she runs the Albuquerque Public Schools election in early February. Then it's on to the June '08 primary; an election in which you can expect to see Toulouse's name on the ballot.

"I will seek a four year term in 2008." She announced.

That may set up a spirited primary battle as Hispanic Dems in the ABQ Valley were already grumbling that the clerk appointment did not go to a Hispanic female.

THE POLITICAL PLAY
County Commission
As usual, there was much speculation on the role, if any, that Big Bill played in the pick. Toulouse is a close political associate of Guv campaign manager Amanda Cooper. Toulouse's soon-to-be husband, Alan Oliver, is a policy adviser and speech writer in the Guv's office.

It was not an easy decision for the five member commission, even though it is dominated by three Democrats and one Republican who usually votes with the D's. After several rounds of balloting, Toulouse finally got past assistant ABQ city clerk Kelli (Baca) Fulgenzi to take the position on a 3 to 2 vote. Other candidates considered on the early ballots were Agnes Maldonado and Demesia Padilla, the GOP nominee for state treasurer in the November election.

Commission chairman Alan Armijo, a Fulgenzi supporter, could not bring Commissioners Cordova and Archuleta aboard. As they fell to Toulouse, Republican Michael Brasher finally joined the two liberal Democrats and gave the state's largest county a taste of coalition politics and the $57,000 a year clerk's job to Toulouse.

Brasher and Armijo have had an thorny political relationship and his vote for Toulouse had to be cast with some relish, even if it was for a liberal Democrat. Observers wondered if the split among the three Dems over the clerk appointment will extend to when the commission votes on a chairman later this month and other future policy issues.

TOUTING TOULOUSE

Toulouse brings to the office a well-known name. She married a grandson of the late legendary New Mexico attorney Jim Toulouse, has since divorced, but retained the respected surname.

Toulouse's appointment was greeted cheerily by those who asserted the infighting among the Dems on the county commission produced a fresh face who could bring some sorely needed new ideas on how to get the votes counted on time and in a trustworthy fashion.

Longtime county elections bureau chief Jamie Diaz is expected to stay for the immediate future, but there has been corridor chatter that he may retire soon, giving Toulouse an opportunity to appoint that key post. For now, she and Diaz will run the elections, with Toulouse filling two vacant deputy clerk positions.

Toulouse, known as a "progressive" Dem who was an ardent supporter of '05 ABQ mayoral candidate Eric Griego, says she is confident her experience managing large staffs for campaigns, working with databases and voter files and her masters degree from UNM equip her for one of the most closely watched political positions in the state.

There will be a honeymoon period for Toulouse as a frustrated but hopeful public awaits signs that she is up to the formidable task, but patience is thin and opponents lurking. It's a good bet that the honeymoon she takes with her new husband will last a lot longer than the one given her by the Alligators populating the deep grasses of La Politica.

TITO'S NEW TITLE

"How did you know?!" exclaimed a stunned Tito Madrid when I reached him Tuesday just five hours into his new job as a government relations executive with the ABQ Chamber of Commerce.

The key campaign aide to ABQ GOP Congresswoman Heather Wilson confirms that he has left the comfy confines of federal employment for a "new opportunity" and a much better salary. But Tito was still extolling the charms of Heather--"she's a great person and a great congressperson."

He was a respected operative for her, serving as field director with emphasis in the ABQ South Valley where Wilson has built significant popularity for a Republican.

I asked Madrid, no relation to Patsy Madrid who Heather defeated in November, if there was anything to the talk that in the recent campaign he frequently clashed with Wilson campaign manager Enrique Carlos Knell.

"Not at all, Joe. We were office mates for four years and got along fine."

OK, if you say so Tito. But that may be pretty strong Kool-Aid you drank.

Madrid will soon be spotted in the hallways of the Roundhouse and at ABQ area government offices as he promotes chamber positions.

As for Heather, she hasn't yet named a replacement for Tito, but she was recently in Baghdad and commenting on her new positioning on the war, a story I hope to get to soon.

DATELINE ROSWELL

I received this from Chaves county late Tuesday: "Poe Corn from Roswell died tonight. Poe was a loyal supporter of Senator Domenici (R-NM). Poe ran the Senator's Chaves County office for many years along with his wife Nancy Corn. Poe was part of the longtime ranching Corn family and an important and well respected Republican leader."

Corn was with the senator since the early 70's. He succumbed to cancer.

Thanks for joining me today. Don't forget to e-mail your latest news, comments, praise or criticism from the link at the top of the page. If you want to be anonymous, just let me know.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2007
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Big Bill
Will it be four more years or just two? That's the question that hung in the still and frigid air of America's oldest capital city New Year's Day as Big Bill took the oath of office for a second four year gubernatorial term. Shortly, he will take the first steps toward a presidential bid. It's a longshot, but stranger things have happened. And even if he falters on the Prez trail, there is the possibility of the Veep slot on the Dem ticket. If he doesn't make the top two, there is the prospect of a cabinet post if the D's capture the White House in 08'. These options could potentially leave the governorship in the hands of Light Guv Diane Denish and with a decided advantage of winning a term of her own in 2010. But she's surely too busy to be thinking about that? Not.

(The Guv's complete inaugural address is here.)

THE MINI-KATRINA?

While Big Bill has mastered the New Mexican electorate and Legislature in unprecedented fashion, his inability to hold sway over the state bureaucracy rose up and bit him as hundreds of travelers were stranded over the holiday weekend on Interstate 40 east of Albuquerque, many of them for several days. It wasn't exactly Big Bill's Katrina, but state government response to the snow disaster, critics claimed, had some disturbing parallels to that of the Bush administration's inadequate handling of the New Orleans hurricane.

No question the Guv was right when he noted the storm dumped an unprecedented amount of snow, but the white stuff stopped falling Saturday, yet the vital interstate link remained closed all day Sunday forcing motorists, many with young families in tow, to turn off their engines and therefore their car heaters to preserve fuel while they awaited help or a reopening of the interstate, both of which were slow in coming.

In a statement somewhat reminiscent of the feds Katrina response, NM Homeland Security Director Tim Manning said: "It takes a bit of time to clear out 20 miles of stopped cars."

That had the Alligators on their two legs, asking why we have a nicely funded homeland security office if it is simply going to tell us the obvious and not improve response time?

WELCOME TO LA POLITICA, CHIEF
Chief Segotta
The new state police chief, Faron Segotta, also received his first taste of the heat of La Politica as the critics hammered his agency for first opening the freeway than closing it and then taking more hits, along with the Highway Department and the Governor, for not doing enough to help the stranded motorists who were growing more fearful and furious with each passing hour. Fortunately, there were no lives lost. Finally at 10 p.m. New Year's Eve, the interstate was given the all-clear.

It wasn't the first time the state cops have come under the gun for their handling of the roads. Several years ago they were faulted for closing the interstate too often during several bouts of snow. Apparently there are still lessons to be learned. Since the entire economy of the USA is impacted by the interstate in question, the chief, the Governor and his homeland security honcho may want to give that some thought.

Big Bill said he would make a "major assessment" of the emergency response, but maintained "we were well-prepared." Maybe. Maybe not. When you are seeking the nation's highest office in a nomination contest that will be decided just 13 months from now, the stakes get higher. And so do the expectations.

BILL'S LABOR PAINS

Another end of year stumble marred what was otherwise a cheery 2006 for Big Bill. His choice to replace Conroy Chino as state labor secretary, Herb Crosby, had to drop out for "personal and business" commitments. He has been replaced by Betty Sparrow, one of the Guv's recent appointees to the agency. It was another reminder that the "vetting" process for appointees in the administration has been an ongoing issue, one that could pop up on the national campaign trail if our chief executive starts to make a serious move.

MEDIA WATCH: THE BIG STORM

It was one of the the wildest weather weekends ever for much of New Mexico, with even New Mexicans unaffected by the historic storm gripped by the ongoing drama. If they turned to the major network TV affiliates out of ABQ, they were inundated with storm info and some pretty solid reporting. If they tried radio, forget it. That medium demonstrated why it's in trouble as the weekend storm basically went uncovered and the sports, commercials and intermittent music rolled on, even as ABQ tried to recover from Friday's biggest single day snow fall (nearly a foot) ever.

In a time when the appetite for news was downright ravenous, the ABQ Journal was unable to delver the goods for two days running as icy streets thwarted their best efforts. They were able to post updates on their Web site, but even that wasn't foolproof as Comcast cable, a big net provider, was unable to provide service to many of their cable TV and Internet subscribers. Is management there taking a look at that fiasco?

As usual, the giant electric company, PNM, did well in the emergency management department, perhaps because they have been doing it for close to a hundred years. They slowly but surely restored power to homes deprived of electricity by the fierce storm and hit the right tone in reassuring the public. Still, over a thousand ABQ and surrounding area homes remained without power Monday, testing the resources of the monopoly utility.

But it was local TV news, often derided, and fairly so, for its inane crime coverage, that vindicated itself best as the weather presented them with a rare opportunity to showcase the public service components of their federally licensed money machines.

I am told that the weather casters blew this one by not predicting its strength, but they made up for it in the subsequent solid coverage as they and the news departments covered this one, well, like a wet blanket.

From the "crawls" at the bottom of the screen to the spot news reporting, it was reinforced that television is still the go to medium in times of crisis, even in the Internet age. (KOB-TV's Web site remains the ABQ market leader, posting breaking news faster and more often than its rivals.) One is heartened by the stations' performance, but left wondering why we can't see the same zest and enthusiasm applied to the coverage of more mundane, but equally important political and social issues. I know. Those pictures don't get ratings.

MY BOTTOM LINES

In year-end recaps of Big Bill's first term, the AP reports he received 69 percent of the vote in the November election, while the ABQ Journal records it at 68 percent. Who's right? The Guv, according to the final election canvass, polled 68.8 percent, the largest winning margin ever. The AP rounds it up to 69 percent, the usual practice. Whether you give him 69 or 68, he has plenty of political capital to burn...

Send me your latest political news from the link at the top of the page and help us cover the new year in NM politics.. You can remain anonyomous; just not uninformed. Thanks for being here. Back at ya' tomorrow.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2007
Not for reproduction without permission of the author