Friday, October 10, 2014Friday Clippings From Our Newsroom Floor We blogged recently of our somewhat spooky Saturday night at the Airport in which we were literally the only person walking through the terminal. . . A bit of good biz news locally is the drop in gas prices. We've seen them in the $2.79 a gallon area and it appears they could go lower as oil prices finally break downward. The city has a large population of workers making $15 an hour or less. An extra $30 or $40 bucks a month in their wallets due to declining gas prices is in effect a tax break for them. That's money that will flow back into the city's economy--not the coffers of Exxon. . . The fiscally challenged campaign of Dem Guv hopeful Gary King has also kept his running mate Deb Haaland out of the spotlight so friends of hers got together and produced a four minute video of the first Native American candidate to be on a Guv ticket. . . And a bit of humor as "Oh, Susana" becomes "No, Susana" in this music video. . . More media as Dem Secretary of State candidate Maggie Toulouse Oliver comes with radio spots--one in English--the other in Spanish--as she works to shake loose votes in rural New Mexico. Both Oliver and GOP Secretary of State Dianna Duran are expected to soon unveil TV spots. . . Reader Phyllis Kennedy writes: Joe, Something you wrote in the September ABQ Free Press (N.M. Democratic Party Needs to Find an Identity) made me think of President Obama’s "call to expand access to high-quality preschool to every child in America.” New Mexico is one of 36 states eligible for a multi-million dollar, multi-year expansion grant. I hope they take advantage of it. The application deadline is October 14. It’s a rigorous application yet I know we’re up to it. . . Former ABQ Journal reporter Jeff Proctor--now a producer at KRQE-TV--goes long and deep on the ABQ Police Department's Repeat Offender Project (ROP) team--the team that included the officer who shot and killed homeless camper James Boyd and that set off an international outcry. The news report burrows into just what is meant when critics cite the toxic "culture" of APD that led to the many police shootings and the US Justice Department's civil rights probe of APD. An excerpt: For more than 20 years, Albuquerque’s ROP team had a symbol: a hangman’s noose. The team plastered the ominous insignia all over its wanted posters, internal memos and other documents. Symbolically, the ROP team and the rest of the Special Investigations Division have been a band apart. They also have kept themselves at a distance physically from both command staff and the rank and file. At the ROP office, in Special Investigations headquarters near the Albuquerque International Sunport, there was a large noose painted on the wall.It wasn’t until the summer of 2012, when this reporter asked then-Chief Ray Schultz whether a hangman’s noose was an appropriate symbol for a unit at a police department that was at the time under federal investigation for use of excessive force, that Schultz vowed to scrub it from ROP letterhead and office walls. It’s unclear whether that has happened.. . . Some of you are going to throw tomatoes at us, but indulge us for one more round of Albuquerque vs. "Burque." Here's reader Nancy Lucía López One thing that makes me prefer Burque over ABQ is that it is a nod to Albuquerque's original spelling, Alburquerque. If people want to complain that it isn't traditional to use Burque as a name for our city, I have to laugh since my father had such complaints about the "r" being dropped from the original Spanish spelling. I can imagine all my ancestors listed on the Spanish census of Alburquerque in 1750 saying Burque, but not saying ABQ. That's it for this week. I'm Joe Monahan reporting to you from--oh, what the heck--Burque
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E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   Thursday, October 09, 2014Guv Race Sputters But Battle For State House Is Hotter Than Hatch Green, Plus: Estrada And Emailgate; What History Will Remember, And: Our Exclusive Poll: Balderas Holds Lead Over Riedel In AG Contest The historic confrontation between the two major parties is fully engaged with hit lit flooding the mailboxes in the battleground seats, radio ads up and running and field crews combing the precincts working to boost voter turnout. Today we posted a sample of the negative mail out there. This one fries freshman ABQ State Rep, Liz Thomson over education. It's paid for by Advance NM, a legislative PAC for the R's. Its Dem counterpart is Patriot Majority which is strongly backed by the labor unions. (Also, enviro groups are slamming James, says newshound Deborah Baker.) Thomson is being challenged by Republican Conrad James who served one term before Thomson ousted him in the 2012 election. He is walking the district. She is unable to walk but is on the phone daily trying to win a second term and perhaps thwart a GOP takeover of the House. The Dems control the chamber 37 to 33 and need only three seats to take control and perhaps only one to form a coalition with conservative Democrats and force a change in the leadership. The Dems are playing defense with three incumbents enduring an especially intense hammering by the R's--Thomson, Emily Kane in ABQ and Phil Archuleta in Las Cruces. But could the Dems score an unexpected upset out in Indian Country that could thwart the R's attempted House coup? The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee in DC has put a race on its "Races to Watch" list in hopes of doing just. It's the seat held by freshman GOP Rep. Sharon E. Clahchischilliage. Harrison Todacheene is the Dem challenger. From the DLCC:
Air Force veteran Harrison Todacheene has spent over 40 years serving his Shiprock community as a member of IBEW, a Project Manager for the Navajo Nation and Commander of the Shiprock Veterans Organization. He's played an instrumental role in getting dozens of projects funded and built in his home community. Through his leadership, HD4 now has the San Juan Multigenerational Center, a new facility that cares for both elders and preschoolers and the Chaco Hills Apartments, quality affordable housing for working families.
Polling on the Navajo Reservation--where many of the voters in the district reside--is notoriously difficult. We won't know until Election Night whether the Dems are bluffing on this one or whether it indeed proves to be a "race to watch." REMEMBERING EMAILGATE
And what will history say was the larger infraction? Estrada's email hijacking or Governor Martinez's secret government? For now the Governor's spinners and the mainstream media accept that Estrada is the villain and the emails--some of them showing possible bid rigging for the Downs at ABQ racino lease that has been investigated by the FBI--are mere asides. Here's how one news account innocuously puts it two years after the firestorm that raged over the content of the emails: Those emails included personal and political communications and emails from ordinary citizens to Martinez or her staff. They included emailed bank statements to campaign staff; Martinez’s online shopping for underwear and books; and confidential political messages. . . What about the conduct of official business on back channel email accounts that Martinez was forced to rebuke in the wake of the Estrada bust? And what about her chief political adviser being caught on those emails asking a government agency for a list of email addresses of all school teachers? At his sentencing Monday Federal prosecutors said Estrada was "dishonest, devious, spiteful and conniving" during the time he took control over the campaign email system in mid-2011 after Martinez became governor and leaked email to damage or embarrass Martinez. Federal prosecutors from the US Attorney's office could easily use the same language to describe the back channel, shadow government that Estrada's crime revealed. But they haven't and they won't. It will be left to history to sort it out. Meanwhile, what's going on at the US Attorney's office? Is Greg Fouratt still running the joint? Or maybe lawyer Pat Rogers--a member of the shadow government who was all over the private email messages pushing his ABQ Downs client with the Martinez administration? He was appearing on TV with a straight face last night asserting how he and others had been severely harmed by Estrada's email disclosures. Sorry, Pat, but your crocodile tears aren't convincing to the Alligators of La Politica. POSTSCRIPT After months of vilifying Estrada, Martinez political operatives showed some self-restraint and withheld gloating over the demise of their enemy. However, one of them--former Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White--did make this legal point: Estrada gets 9 months in prison. Had he been sentenced to a year and a day, with good time he would have served 9 months. Now, no good time. White's point being that even though the federal judge sentencing Estrada did not officially give Estrada the maximum sentence of a year and a day, Estrada will serve the same amount of time as if he had been slapped with the maximum. But Estrada could serve some of that time in a halfway house--not prison. And what was Gov. Martinez doing at the Estrada hearing? Playing victim? Getting revenge? Not necessary, Susana. And the same goes for your TV spot where you mention by name former Gov. Richardson. Bad form. You're way ahead. Why not stay above the fray and look like a leader? (And if you want more free advice, Guv, meet us at the Pink Adobe for lunch and we'll make Jay jealous). BALDERAS LEADS RIEDEL
Balderas leads his Republican rival Susan Riedel 48% to 41% with 11% undecided, reports Bruce Donisthrope of BWD Global whose firm conducted the automated phone call survey. It drew 1,509 responses from likely voters and has margin of error of 2..5%. Says Donisthorpe: Balderas is on a trend line toward winning the election with 54% of the vote if these numbers hold up on election day. Balderas has strong leads (where almost 2/3 of the votes are located) in the Albuquerque Metro (56%- 36%) and Northern New Mexico (68%-25%) areas, while Riedel has strong control of the race in Southern New Mexico (61%-24%), including the lead in Dona Ana County (44%-39%). The complete poll with cross tabs is here. Balderas, a native of Wagon Mound, is the lone Democratic Hispanic statewide down-ballot candidate. It's helping his cause. He scores 70% support among Hispanic voters. That is key as Riedel holds the lead among independent voters as well as Republicans. Among all Democrats Balderas garners 74%. Both candidates have been up on a statewide TV for several weeks. Shortly before this poll was conducted Governing magazine drew attention to the race by calling it a "toss-up." But this poll shows that is currently not the case. Donisthorpe, a Republican, has been polling for this web site since 2008. This cycle his firm has polled for both Republican and Democratic political candidates, but not the attorney general's contest. DEBATE WATCH We have a soft spot for legendary newsman Sam Donaldson who calls New Mexico home. In 1974, shortly after President Nixon resigned, New Jersey Rep. Peter Rodino--chairman of the House Judiciary Committee--appeared at an ABQ news conference. We attended it for the UNM Daily Lobo and barked a question at Rodino drawing a reaction from the aggressive Donaldson of ABC News who bellowed out to the gathering "Good question!" It was a heady moment for a 19 year old cub. So we wish Donaldson well as he returns to NM public TV to host a series of debates among the political candidates. Tonight at 7 p.m. on KNME it will be ABQ US Dem Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham facing off with Republican Mike Frese with Donaldson asking what we are sure will be "good questions."
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E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. Wednesday, October 08, 2014The Wednesday Blog: TV Ad Bombardment Nears, Udall Bruised In Oil Country, Major Development In Dona Ana DA Emailgate Case And More Vox Populi ABQ Dem Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham made a direct pitch for TV money in an email to supporters this week. In the process she came with the latest rates for a 30 second ad on some popular TV shows that we've posted here. So far this year the over-the-air stations have raked in nearly $8 million in political ads: Nearly $7.7 million is being spent for almost 177 hours of political ads in the state. . .(That) includes ads on traditional TV stations. Satellite and cable-only stations aren’t required to file with the FCC. Well, we're glad to hear we don't have to worry about Tom Joles getting his paycheck. But New Mexico TV has actually taken a big financial hit since the state lost its status as a swing state in the presidential election. And while this year's US Senate race featuring Sen. Udall and Allen Weh has seen steady spending, it would be off the charts if the race were seen as highly competitive. Ditto for the governor's race. What we are waiting to see in the years ahead is if the younger generation that leans toward social media for its news gravitates to the boob tube as they get older. If they don't, the 30 second TV ad could lose its status as the Holy Grail of the modern political campaign. BRUISING UDALL The US Senate race is ranked safe Democratic here, but that doesn't mean Tom Udall isn't taking some bruising on the campaign trail. The conservative Roswell Daily Record in oil country hits him hard as it endorses Weh: Udall voted for cap-and-trade carbon emission legislation, to delay the Keystone XL pipeline and said he supported President Obama’s unilateral emission standards executive order. Renewable energy sources are great, but Udall has been a part of the Washington, D.C. crowd that has been forcing alternative energies down our throat. . .Udall has also said he’s very proud of his vote on Obamacare. He said he wished the federal health insurance program had gone further, as many other left-wing Democrats said at the time of its passage. Thanks for nothing, Mr. Udall. Udall has boasted about having a 94 percent pro-Obama voting record. That voting record may appeal to voters in northern New Mexico, but is contrary to the views of voters in southeastern New Mexico. . Udall has served in Washington, D.C. for 16 years. That’s long enough. It’s time for a change. With that kind of roughing up Udall probably can't wait for his soothing endorsement from the Santa Fe New Mexican. EMAILGATE  It turns out all those emails deleted by the office of Dona Ana County District Attorney Amy Orlando did not go to digital heaven forever. The liberal advocacy group ProgressNowNM has been digging deep and discovered a number of emails on a backup server that seem to indicate that state law enforcement databases were being used by the DA's office to do research for political ads in the 2010 Guv campaign. Gov. Martinez was district attorney at the time and the GOP Guv nominee. Orlando was her chief deputy. From ProgressNow:(The emails) show prosecutors and investigators in (Martinez's) DA's Office checking law enforcement databases to obtain records used in campaign ads . . Did they use confidential prosecutor and law enforcement databases to identify people and cases they wanted to profile in campaign commercials for Susana Martinez? The emails seem to suggest they did. . .Just two days after Orlando directed investigators to check on a person she prosecuted whom she thought was a deported foreign national, Susana Martinez came out with a TV ad featuring arrest and booking photos of foreign nationals in Dona Ana County. . Did (Dona Ana DA employee) Kip Scarborough check targets through NCIC? Martinez's powerful political adviser Jay McCleskey produced Martinez's 2010 campaign ads and is doing the same in 2014. The NCIC reference is to the National Crime Information Center database. Republican sources alleged to Mother Jones magazine earlier this year that the 2010 Martinez campaign was running license plate checks on political foes of Martinez out of the DA's office. Attorney General King has launched a criminal investigation into the destruction of the emails. Others have suggested since King is a political opponent of Martinez that the FBI pick up the investigation. Whoever investigates they now have a lot more to go on and maybe enough to take to a grand jury. And that brings us to current Dona Ana County District Attorney Mark D'Antonio who launched the investigation of the destroyed emails which were being sought in a public records request from the state Dem Party and a TV investigative reporter. They wanted them to check out the allegation of possible illegal license plate checks being made through the NCIC system. D'Antonio has been scorched by the Martinez machine ever since he took on Susana's BFF Amy Orlando for DA and beat her. He said when he released his report about the destroyed emails that it was not a criminal investigation. But now that we have emails that strongly indicate abuse of state law enforcement databases, will D'Antonio put on his criminal investigator hat? He could be the one to take the email case to a grand jury to get at the truth and bring any lawbreakers to justice. Maybe he feels he can't do that in the middle of an election but the election will soon be over. D'Antonio appears to be the sole Democrat in the party's hierarchy to have the huevos to confront the Martinez machine. "Appears to be" is the key phrase for now. Stay tuned. . .
A PLUM
Here's a plum job for one of you politicos. Former ABQ State Senator Kent Cravens has left his position as director of governmental affairs for the NM Oil and Gas Association. He will continue to be a lobbyist. No replacement has been named yet. Polish up that resume. . .
MORE VOX POPULI  Martin O'Malley writes:As a longtime New Mexico resident relocated out of state by the stagnant economy, a phone call from an Arizona friend after his circle tour of SW New Mexico served as a quick wake up call to any illusion I had about a return anytime soon. Through Lordsburg, Deming , T or C and Socorro, he said the theme remained the same: vacant boarded-up businesses and eerily abandoned down-towns that seemed more like props for the state’s film industry than promise for anyone’s future. If catering to the post-apocalyptic film genre has been the goal of the NM Film Office, then the current Martinez Administration has handsomely succeeded.
From Taos, regular reader Helen Laura Lopez:
Removal of straight party voting will have an impact on the election. Here is a Taos County example. Republican Sheriff candidate Montez plastered the Peñasco area this weekend with no party affiliation on his signs. The Democrat's candidate is Hogrefe. While Taos County is overwhelmingly Hispanic with a strong Democratic Party voting history, with no straight party voting non-Hispanic Democratic candidates may not get the usual strong support. Taos will vote for Democrats, but there may well be dilution.
GUIDE TIME You might learn more than you want to if you go through the three major media political guides that are now available. They do a good job of putting all the campaign '14 candidates and issues under one tent. The League of Women Voters guide is here. The ABQ Journal has its guide here. KOAT-TV has produced a video guide--questions and answers with the major candidates--here. All three are worth a look. Just don't try to read them all in one sitting. . .
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E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. Tuesday, October 07, 2014Decision '14 begins Today; First Votes To Be Cast As Campaign Nears Final Stretch, Plus: Analysis Of The All Spanish Guv Debate, Rocky Hits A Rock, Reader Email And APD's Taser Trouble
Here in Bernalillo, the state's most populous county, the first in-person absentee votes will be cast today at the county clerk’s downtown annex at 111 Union Square SE from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Voting will continue there Monday through Saturday until November 1. In-Person early voting sites will open across the county and state on October 18. As much as half the total state vote will be cast before the actual Nov. 4 election day. And for those who are taking an interest in the campaign but are not registered to vote, today is the last day to do so. Your county clerk can get you on the books. . . Meanwhile, on the campaign trail Monday the second of what will apparently be only three joint appearances by the gubernatorial candidates proved to be as awkward as the Alligators had predicted. (Reports here and here.) If Gov. Martinez thought she was going to one-up challenger Gary King by being able to speak Spanish while he used a translator on their Spanish debate on KLUZ-TV, she thought wrong. Spanish speakers weighing in here said that her pronounciation of the state she leads was lacking. Her reference to New Mexico as "Nueva" not the correct "Nuevo" irked them. They also said she seemed to often struggle with her grammar. But she did look good and appeared rather comfortable, sporting a small smile for much of the half-hour encounter. For his part King appeared stoic, but it was as if he was stuck in a Godzilla movie as the translator did his thing. Senior Hispanic Alligator analysis from Belen: For me, I speak the South Valley Chicharone Spanglish so I had difficulties understanding the interpreter's real Spanish. Susanna spoke the South Side Las Cruces mocho Spanish with English words made out to sound like Spanish. She did a Sarah Palin when looking at her scripts that Jay gave her in English and she had to do a quick mocho translation. Any winner depends on who the targeted audience was. The questions were relevant, dealing with the economy, jobs and the ever present driver's licenses for undocumented workers. Martinez made a pitch for Hispanic support by reminding the audience that she was one of the Republican governors who signed into law the federal expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare. King touted his support for increasing the statewide minimum wage, even as a Martinez ad airs on the Spanish station pointing out his votes against an increased minimum when he served in the legislative branch decades ago. However, Martinez vetoed an increase in the state minimum that was sent to her by the legislature. Martinez claimed big improvement because the state has gone from 50th to 49th in the most recent national child well-being rankings. But we were 46th when she was elected. Even as voting begins today the King campaign remains dark on TV so he is going to take any chance he can get to appear for free with Martinez. But he really had no way to effectively go after her. As in their first faux debate where the candidates received the questions beforehand, King was again handed a gun by Martinez but she made sure it had no ammunition. One more to go October 19 on KOAT-TV. TO THE LEFT, GUV Not to nitpick but if Gov. Martinez is serious about seeking national political office she needs to learn to wear her American flag lapel pin on her left side not the right. That's because the left side is closest to the heart. No, we won't go there. . . BEWARE THE TORTOISE Is there a way for Gary King to beat Susana at this stage of the game? The Dem optimists point to this: Some winning campaigns are late-breaking. The most famous is Ronald Reagan’s surge in the last two weeks of the 1980 presidential campaign. And some candidates are elected after being far behind. Mitch McConnell trailed Democratic senator Dee Huddleston by as much as 30 percentage points in 1984, then won narrowly. To capture the Virginia governorship in 1993, George Allen had to erase a gap of 29 percentage points. King was down 18 points--54% to 36%--in the September ABQ Journal poll.
ROCKY HITS A ROCK
Republican Alligators are checking in on the southern NM congressional race where Rep. Steve Pearce faces Dem challenger Rocky Lara. They sound pretty pleased. A sample: Joe, It Looks like Roxanne Lara appears to be running out of money. Did she gamble big and early and fail? Week of 9/23 she spent $160,000. Week of 9/30 she spent $143,000. This week she only has a $120,000 on the air. She just reserved $77,000 for the week of October 14th. And this comes on the heels of this ranking for the race from the Cook Political Report in DC NM-02: Solid Republican. Democratic Eddy County Commissioner Roxanne "Rocky" Lara has proven a very impressive fundraiser. But considering the sharp drop-off in Hispanic turnout in midterm years in southern New Mexico, any Democrat would still be a long-shot against Pearce in 2014. Many Democrats are optimistic that if Lara loses, she will try again in 2016 when the demographic mix of voters improves. VOX POPULI  A longtime reader who says "Just call him Steve," writes of the state of the Guv campaign: Joe: After watching the relentless beating Susana and Jay are giving Gary King the following picture comes to mind--it would make a good political cartoon. Picture this: In a dark alley two people are beating the crap out of one man. Jay McCleskey is holding King's arms behind his back back and Susana is beating the heck out of him. In the background cowering behind a nasty dumpster watching the beating take place is Dem Party Chairman Sam Bregman and the rest of the party. I don't fault Susana. It's a political battle and it's win at all costs. It was a pretty tepid endorsement for Gov. Martinez from the Las Cruces-Sun News, writes reader Kathryn Carroll from Tucson: The endorsement of Martinez in her hometown newspaper read like an apology, not a resounding endorsement. It can be interpreted as "well she's ours, so what else could we do?" The only thing they could come up with in terms of economic progress for Southern New Mexico was the Union Pacific rail yard in Santa Theresa, which was originally started by Governor Richardson during his tenure. Union Pacific, however, made certain that she would remain on board by contributing $10,000 to her campaign once she got elected in 2010. The editorial writer's hint that Hanna Skandera should not be reappointed as public education secretary will fall on deaf ears if the governor is reelected. Skandera will serve another four years without ever being confirmed by the state senate. You think she would have gracefully moved on after the first year there was no confirmation. Reader Norm writes of the GOP's hopes of taking over the NM House:
Susana is cruising to re-election. Sam Brownback, governor of Kansas, trails in all the polls there. Both were very conservative Republicans who cut government spending. Brownback also slashed income taxes while raising sales taxes. As a result, the state now faces a massive deficit. Susana probably would have done the same if she'd had the Republican legislature he has, and would probably also be in trouble. The moral of the story is: the GOP had better hope it doesn't take the House. Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it.
TASER TALK Retired APD Seargent Dan Klein writes:
Questions that Mayor Berry did not ask before his administration approved a $2,000,000 long term contract for APD with Taser for lapel cameras.
What is the status of the three (city Inspector General, state attorney general and State Auditor) investigations into this contract? APD Chief Eden was on the news this week complaining that APD lapel cameras are not as good as a cell phone camera and that their battery life doesn't last the entire shift. He went on to state that several times (when regular APD officers not SWAT apparently) run their cameras not a single one captures the incident because of the way the Taser cameras are designed. Nice, $2,000,000 spent on cameras that don't last the entire shift, don't capture the event and that take over an hour to upload video (officers are not patrolling when uploading). Tell me again why we rushed to buy these things?? I think we all know why. . . NPR comes with this report on the ABQ police shootings and the department culture:
A lot of this bad behavior is the work of a good-old-boys network, where it's all about who you're related to, says Cassandra Morrison, another former Albuquerque cop of 20 years. It's about "who you know, who you hang out with, who you smoke cigars with, who you go have a beer with," she says.
If you're in the club, she says, you don't get punished when you act like a cowboy, break the rules and use excessive force. It's a system that won't change until some of those cowboys get punished, she says.
Morrison says she's been told several Albuquerque police officers could be indicted in federal court for previous shootings. "So I think once those indictments come down, it's gonna be like, 'Uh-oh,' " she says. In other words, those who are part of the club aren't so invincible."
THE BOTTOM LINES Some readers thought we did not make it clear enough Monday that GOP attorney general candidate is not a current district court judge. One of them wrote: Susan Riedel is a former district court judge. She was appointed by Gov. Martinez on February 2, 2011, and was defeated when she ran for election in 2012. Riedel is opposed for AG by State Auditor Hector Balderas. This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2014. Not for reproduction without permission of the author Monday, October 06, 2014Habla Español? Martinez & King Spanish Debate Today, Plus: Richardson Pastes Susana Over Pay To Play Attacks, More On Emails And NCIC, Grisham's Campaign Game And Balderas Vs Riedel
Martinez will debate in Spanish and King will use a Spanish translator. That alone is awkward for King who charged earlier in the campaign that Martinez does not have a "Latino heart." But today she will be able to demonstrate that she does have a Spanish tongue and that could put points on the board for her. Not that many points will be at stake. The outside of prime time 5 p.m. time slot and the station's exclusive programming for Spanish speaking audiences guarantees that. But if there is an unexpected gaffe of epic proportions we'll hear about it--in Spanish and English. . . The only other scheduled appearance between King and Martinez that we are aware of will come at 6 p.m. October 19 at a one hour debate on KOAT-TV. That means the two contenders will have a grand total of only three joint appearances for the entire campaign, a testament to the polling lead the incumbent Governor has had since the June primary. Former Dem ABQ Mayor Jim Baca, 69, has analyzed the action since the 60's. He says: This campaign will be over in a matter of weeks and it may well go down in history for failing to give the public any solutions to our current and growing crisis. And the public for its part doesn't seem to give a damn. The public gives a damn about the problem but seems to have lost faith that much can be done much about them from their elected leaders and government. SMALL TALK Big problems but it's small talk or no talk at all. That's the gist of the two newspaper columns authored by the Guv candidates over the weekend. Gov. Martinez continues to insist--erroneously--that she solved a $450 million budget deficit when she took office. News organizations and opposition Democrats have repeatedly shown otherwise. She also pledges to concentrate on education in her second term in the same way she has has in her first. She says about the lousy economy that it's the fault of "dysfunction" in DC and that tax cuts enacted in her first term will save the day in a second. King points out the state's economic decline and the "brain drain" we are suffering. He attacks Martinez for putting teachers on the defense and for over testing students. His economic program consists of raising the minimum wage and helping small businesses--in an unspecified manner--grow. The vacuity of Campaign '14 would not stand out like a sore thumb in boom times but with the state drifting the dearth of deep thinking and vigorous debate shows New Mexico is not yet facing head-on the existential crisis facing its economy. Those with well-paying jobs and secure retirements are hanging on and not rocking the boat. Those without are leaving, downsizing or getting government assistance. And it seems nearly everyone is pining for stronger leadership to lead us. That might, as Mayor Baca might put it make us "give a damn." Both King and Martinez offer baby steps or no steps at all for the next four years. Whoever wins won't need much time for their State of the State address in January. BILL VS. SUSANA  Martinez should look in the mirror at her own administration to uncover corruption and scandals. Her pathetic accomplishments and record as governor necessitate these deplorable tactics to divert attention from a miserable record in job creation, education and protecting kids, health and the environment. Her weak four year tenure as governor is the issue in this election, not what happened in an administration four years ago. I am proud of my accomplishments as governor in economic growth, job creation, energy and environmental protections, and education, particularly preschool and increasing teacher salaries. We cut over one billion in taxes and balanced the budget. Her record of leading New Mexico in every bad category of state ratings speaks for itself. My concern is that Martinez will dismantle some of my singular achievements out of spite and vindictiveness. I am especially concerned about the future of the Rail Runner, Spaceport, movie industry and a host of environmental protections and wildlife. New Mexicans should think twice about re-electing a clueless governor and an incompetent administration so devoid of a vision for the future. If the Democrats had been using that kind of rhetoric against Martinez the past four years, maybe they would be talking about winning the governorship and actually picking up seats in the state House instead of losing them. You think?. . . Longtime Martinez critic and Richardson ally Michael Corwin comes with more on the Martinez paid media accusing Richardson of pay to play and urging New Mexicans not to return to that sordid past. We'll run it in the category of equal time because the Dems have not responded to any of the Guv's TV hits in the past month--not with paid or unpaid media. Here you go: And the winner of the "pot calling the kettle black" award goes to Susana Martinez! The master of pointing fingers at others while deflecting away from her own actions. Pay-to-play is a fundamental part of her administration. Some examples: The lucrative Downs at ABQ racino contract, Human Services Department contracts being shipped out to AZ firms and privatizing public education. The owners of the Downs concealed the majority of the money they gave to Martinez. while at the same time holding discussions with Martinez political adviser Jay McCleskey, and Martinez about the contract. Concealing the source of funds was for one reason only: to make it difficult for the public to know how much they gave and when they gave. They laundered money to Martinez through the RGA came just two days before her hand-picked evaluation committee met and decided to tap the Downs as the winner of the bid process. The full Corwin respone to the Martinez TV ad is here. SCANDAL WATCH  There is some news on the FBI investigation into the bid-rigging allegations over the ABQ Downs racino lease. The ABQ Journal reports:As for the Downs contract, the FBI continued to interview potential witnesses into 2013, but that appears to have ended without any criminal charges. Remember when there was all that denial that there was even an FBI investigation but our sources insisted there was? Glad we stuck to our guns. And we're still not so sure that we won't be hearing more about this down the racino road. . . We've blogged extensively about why the state Democratic Party wanted emails from the office of Dona Ana County District Attorney Amy Orlando who Gov. Martinez appointed to succeed her as district attorney when she was elected governor. The media has been reporting about how those emails have been destroyed, but not giving the reason the Dems and an investigative reporter for KOB-TV waned them in the first place. The ABQ Journal finally tipped it's toe into the water in a Sunday report: Attorney General Gary King, announced last week that his office was opening a criminal investigation into the alleged destruction of public records in the District Attorney’s office when Orlando left office. (Current District Attorney) Mark) D’Antonio issued a preliminary report saying his investigation couldn’t find emails sought by the Democratic Party and emails concerning the use of federal data bases, like NCIC, by the district attorney’s office under Orlando and Martinez. So what is the issue with the NCIC database? The paper still won't go there but we will as have the New Mexican. Santa Fe Reporter and Mother Jones magazine which broke the story earlier this year. They wanted those emails to check out allegations that staffers for Martinez's 2010 Guv campaign were feeding the license plate numbers of her political opponents into the federal NCIC database to see what they could find out about them. At the time of the alleged NCIC abuse, Martinez was district attorney. What about not just license plate numbers but raw names being illegally fed into the NCIC database to dig up dirt on opponents? No one is asking but an investigation seems in order. If this isn't a big civil liberties story for this state, what is? You would think the paper would want to know. You never know. The license plate numbers or names of reporters and editors may have been among those who were checked out on NCIC--not to mention bloggers and others. The newspaper said King is too conflicted to do the email investigation, pointing out that when Gov. Martinez's campaign email system was hijacked the FBI led the investigation. If the paper is saying the FBI should lead the probe into the emails and the allegations of NCIC abuse, they got it right. Nixonian style intimidation of political foes is definitely something to get bent out of shape over. Remember, it's not only about whether the emails and hard drives were destroyed illegally, it's about what may have been on them. SUSANA GETS SUN-NEWS One of the state's three major newspapers--the Las Cruces Sun-News--endorses the re-election of Gov. Martinez. The paper has faint praise for her first term but believes "she has grown from and learned from her first four years in office, and that her second term will be a reflection of that." GRISHAM'S GAME The ABQ and northern congressional seats are ranked safe Democratic but the incumbents--ABQ Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Ben Ray Lujan will raise the TV flag in the final month. Grisham's debut ad takes on the issue of hunger in the state. It has Lorenzo Candelaria, an organic farmer, narrating the ad and praising her dedication in supporting food assistance programs. Grisham is a member of the House Committee on Agriculture which has jurisdiction over the food stamp program. Early insider polling shows GOP contender Mike Frese consolidating the conservative vote. Grisham scored a 59% win in her first outing in the presidential year of 2012. It appears she is on track for a 55% re-elect in this off-year election that will attract fewer liberal and moderate voters. The ABQ congressional seat underwent an historic shift in 2008 when Dem Martin Heinrich soundly defeated Republican Darren White. Until then, the seat had been considered a battleground seat since its inception in 1968. The seat now begins each cycle as likely Democratic, given the increased minority demographics that have been key to Dem success. BALDERAS VS. RIEDEL
Democratic state auditor Hector Balderas is facing Republican former prosecutor Susan Riedel. Balderas has a sizable money advantage, but Riedel has a solid reputation and may get a bump from GOP Gov. Susana Martinez, who’s coasting to a second term this year. We continue to rank the AG contest as likely Democratic. Balderas is the only Hispanic Democrat among the down ballot candidates. That's a big plus. As Governing noted he has a sizable financial edge over Riedel whose reputation--good or bad--is confined to Dona Ana County where she served under then-District Attorney Susana Martinez. Riedel, a former prosecutor and a current district judge, has come with a significant TV buy to introduce herself to the state, but Balderas has appeared on the statewide ballot twice and each time won by large margins. In addition, he challenged Martin Heinrich for the Dem US Senate nomination in 2012, earning more name ID. Democrats call into question Riedel's status as a BFF of Susana and say the Governor could have inordinate influence over the independent attorney general if Riedel were to score the win.
Balderas' first TV ad was quite soft for an AG contest where being tough is the signature theme. In his second ad Balderas ramps up his message, pointing out his attacks on public corruption in his role as state auditor, particularly with troubled Sunland Park, NM. His campaign seems to have a road map and Riedel will have to rattle him (with negative TV) to throw him off course. It was 1986 when the last R was elected attorney general. Our AG watchers thing Riedel needs national money to get the race anywhere close to the toss-up category Governing labels it. DEM DANGER ZONE There is some danger lurking for Balderas and the other down ballot statewide candidates--a crash in turnout. The worry is that a noncompetitive governor's race discourages thousands of Democrats and they stay home. If the turnout crashed to 550,000 or below--we did a bit over 600,000 in the last off year election of 2010--it could tilt Election Night to the R's and result in upsets in the down ballot and judge races that are traditionally dominated by the Dems. That's why there is so much hand wringing over Gary King. A very poor performance by him puts other Dems at risk. Still, voting is a powerful habit, opines turnout whiz and veteran pollster Bruce Donisthorpe. He says he is sticking to his turnout projection of 600,000. This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. |
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