Blogger & Sean Stimmel
The youngest ever NM delegate to a national Democratic convention will be able to soak it all in without worrying about credit card bills. "New Mexico Politics with Joe Monahan" presented 19 year old Sean Stimmel with a $250.00 check upon learning from the Los Alamos Monitor that his trip to Denver was jeopardized by a lack of funds. The contribution, which will help Sean pay his hotel bill at the Denver Crowne Plaza where the state delegation will stay, was made possible by the advertisers of www.joemonahan.com.

"This is my first experience with politics and it is one of the most exciting things ever for me. Thanks to the blog for helping make it happen," said Stimmel as he accepted the check and posed for pics by photog Mark Bralley as well as his mom, Marcy.

NM Democratic Party chairman Brian Colon said it has been a fast moving few months for the Los Alamos native, culminating in his being selected as an alternate delegate to the national confab: "Sean went from being a curious supporter to a dedicated volunteer and delegate to the Democratic National Convention. It's exciting that for Sean this is his first time voting in a Presidential election."

Stimmel, who turns 20 on the first day of the convention, has already campaigned for Obama in South Dakota. His hope is to someday meet the presidential contender in person. He hopes La Politica will play a role in his future, but he will soon start classes at NM Tech at Socorro where he will study pre-veterinary medicine. But for now it's his political skills that will be getting attention, "I hope I can meet with young delegates who supported Hillary Clinton and perhaps smooth over any hard feelings," said Stimmel and sounding every bit the future politico.

We wish Sean the best in Denver and are pleased that, along with our advertisers, we can play a small part in encouraging the next generation of New Mexicans to pursue public service. While there is no obligation attached to the donation, we do expect him to blog in and share with you some of the insider details of Convention 2008.

PEARCE'S FIRST TV AD

To the delight of his supporters and the chagrin of his Dem foe, GOP US Senate nominee Steve Pearce is finally on the TV airwaves with his first ad. We say finally because Tom Udall has been on since shortly before the June primary, although our TV watchers say they haven't seen much of Udall on the tube lately.


CONTEXT AND PERSPECTIVE

As for the Pearce ad, it focuses on the one economic issue that breaks for the R's--high energy prices. Pearce's thirty second debut is an all-out push for more nuclear power to lessen dependence on foreign oil. Is it a tip of the hat to Senator Domenici who is a leading advocate for the controversial power source? Could it make Pete more enthusiastic in raising badly needed campaign cash for Pearce? Just asking.

In calling for more nuclear power and domestic oil drilling, Pearce asserts that he will stand up to the "far-left" environmentalists while Tom Udall won't. A spokeswoman for Udall pointed out that he was supportive of the 2005 energy bill which contained incentives for more nuclear power. However, the Northern congressman has not been mentioning it much when he lists the alternate power sources he would like to see supplant our oil dependence.

Pearce's all-out support of nuclear power is not without risk. The touchy issue of what to do with the waste generated by nuclear power plants remains unanswered. Also, talk of putting a nuclear power plant near Roswell, NM arose recently and caused plenty of anxiety.

PRETTY GOOD STUFF

Pearce has stayed on safe ground with this first spot. He gets kudos, as does Udall, for giving us TV with a substantive issue to consider. Udall called Pearce's first outing on the airwaves "false rhetoric." But there is an innate authenticity to Pearce that comes through nicely in this simply produced spot in which he directly addresses the voter. Both the Pearce and Udall TV captures their unpretentiousness. That appeals to New Mexicans and has made them leading politicians of their era.

Pearce will turn up the temperature on Udall in the spots to come. He has to if he is to light a fire under his campaign. But in this time of down and dirty campaigns, both sides have given us ads that make us think, instead of cringe.

DARREN'S BACK?

Is Darren back? And how is his back? Insiders say the ABQ GOP congressional nominee and Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White was due to be released from the hospital Sunday night after spending a week there nursing a back injury he suffered when he fell off a treadmill while exercising. Our insiders say the immediate worry is whether White will need surgery which could take him off the campaign trail for up to six weeks. Even without surgery, will White be able to campaign uninhibited? White's campaign has been mum on the injury since its original report last Monday which did not detail the specific injury. The political community awaits further news reports as does the law enforcement community. When will they get one?

While White is recuperating, Dem hopeful Martin Heinrich was hoping to score some points by trotting out the endorsements of three county sheriffs, although it appears the trio are all Democrats.

GOP SENATE LEADER TO NM
Sen. McConnell
The Republican leader of the US Senate is under fire in his Kentucky re-election campaign for taking big money from big oil, but that isn't stopping Mitch McConnell from adding some more to his campaign coffers, and he will do it right here in New Mexico. (Click to enlarge posted invite.) The GOP minority leader will be feted at an August 18 fund-raiser hosted by oilman Mark Murphy and wife Susan. "Honored guests" include Senator Pete Domenici and GOP senate nominee Steve Pearce. Despite big profits for the oil industry, attending the McConnell reception won't be a bank-breaker. Tickets are priced at $250 a piece, although bigger contributions can be expected.

McConnell recently pulled away from Dem challenger Bruce Lunsford in the Rasmussen poll--50% to 38%. He had been in trouble earlier in the campaign. McConnell has raised an incredible $15 million for his re-election bid as he fights off Lunsford who is a multimillionaire. Lunsford recently aired TV ads attacking McConnell for being too friendly toward oil companies.

As for Murphy, he is no stranger to state GOP politics. He put up about $190,000 to help oust Roswell State Rep. and House minority whip Dan Foley in the June primary. Foley was beaten by retired FBI agent Dennis Kintigh who is expected to take the heavy R district in the November election.

THE BOTTOM LINES

This mailing boo-boo has congressional candidate Ed Tinsley blushing and his Dem rival Harry Teague smiling....Northern independent congressional hopeful Carol Miller is up with her Web site. She previously ran for office under the Green Party banner.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2008
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