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Monday, June 13, 2016

GOP Split Raises Questions In Sec. Of State Race, Plus: Domenici As Devil; Senator Blamed For Lousy Economy; We Take A Look, And: Anglo Name; Hispanic Heritage; The Nancy Bearce Story  

Could the split in the NM GOP have an impact on the party's chances of keeping the secretary of state's office? Indeed it could, observe R's tracking the action.

They point to continued criticism of southern NM GOP Congressman Steve Pearce by former GOP Roswell State Senator Rod Adair who is campaign manager for GOP secretary of state nominee and Roswell State Rep. Nora Espinoza.

Using social media, Adair, who was a top aide to former GOP Secretary of State Dianna Duran who was forced to resign as SOS because of corruption charges and served a month in jail, has been highly critical of Pearce and former NM GOP chairman Harvey Yates.

The criticism stems from the successful campaign by Yates--backed by Pearce--to oust Pat Rogers as the GOP national committeeman at the state GOP convention last month. The bitter campaign left deep wounds and Adair and other operatives for Gov. Martinez--who opposed Yates and Pearce--are not ready to forgive and forget. Following the convention Adair ripped away:

The question could be asked: Would Yates/Pearce offer to rush out on a tour of the state to talk with Democrat politicians? Yes, Yates made it clear that's his top priority, and that it's a great idea! (As if it's never been done before.) But would they show any sense of conciliation with fellow Republicans? Apparently that's not seen as such a great idea, we guess.

There have been other attacks on Pearce by Adair as well as by Darren White, the former Bernalillo County Sheriff turned medical marijuana purveyor, who is also attached at the hip to Martinez and her political machine.

Maybe that's no big deal, except for Nora Espinoza who has to be wondering what this infighting will mean for her campaign. Substantial GOP donors are on the Yates side of the equation and some R's wonder if Adair's heckling of Pearce and Yates could chase  money and votes away from Nora.

 It's another angle to watch in the hotly contested battle between Espinoza and Dem nominee and Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver. As of today the two contenders have similar amounts of cash on hand.

SAINT PETE AS DEVIL

Domenici
The contention that NM US Senator Pete Domenici is somehow to blame for the state's lousy private sector economy is so absurd  that we can't devote serious time to debunking this latest argument being advanced by the radical right.

During his tenure from 1973 to 2009, Domenici, nicknamed St Pete for his popularity, brought literally billions of federal dollars into the state and with it some of the best paying jobs in the USA. Now that the federal funding is being pruned the lousy private sector here especially stands out, so rather than face reality why not just blame it all on someone who actually did more for economic development than any modern political figure?

Back in the day (there were) business association meetings at which the entire subject of conversation was how someone could get a meeting with former Sen. Domenici to get him to move more federal activity to New Mexico. That sort of lobbying is what (Matt E. Ryan, an associate professor of economics at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh) means by unproductive entrepreneurship. Nothing is created, and no productive entrepreneurial skills are honed.

Nothing is created? You mean a national defense system for the United States of America is unproductive? Hundreds of thousands of jobs which made possible thousands of families productively raising and educating their children to take jobs in the private sector?  Uh, Ok.

Hey, why not also condemn Senators Chavez and Anderson who rescued this state from being a permanent backward, agricultural way station and brought it into the modern era via federal funding? Add Clyde Tingley, another legendary guy who built this state.

Like we said, we can't devote serious time to poking holes in this bizarre notion but understand the desperation it arises from. But desperation and absurd nostrums do not amount to history. The business community--unable to face the fact that free market capitalism will never--never--replace the billions of federal money that has flowed into this small state of 2 million are still blaming and not building.

The work of Domenici, Chavez, Anderson and Tingley was historic and exceedingly productive. Look it up in the history books but do it now, before the desperadoes start a rewrite job.

REAL DEAL BIZ COVERAGE

Perhaps if the business community, its media allies and the city's political leadership spent more time focusing on the burgeoning social conditions crisis that has engulfed the area and chases away entrepreneurs and private sector business, they might get somewhere. The latest news on that and Alligator analysis:

In addition to ABQ facing a flailing economy, non-stop shootings and killings--hell, the nightly news should be re-named "Death Watch"--we now learn the city is #2 in the country for car thefts. Once again, we're at the top of another bad national list. Of course the irony is that Mayor Berry ran for mayor in 2009 with a TV spot bemoaning the fact that his truck had been stolen and that property crime was out-of-control. 

With seven years of Berry's "leadership" things have only gotten worse for ABQ. So why isn't Berry being held accountable by the news media and his predominantly older, Anglo and conservative voter base? Polls show that this is the demographic that overwhelmingly supports him. The KOAT-TV story doesn't even mention the mayor or the chief of police, let alone grill them on what is going on. Would this be the case for former Mayors Marty Chavez or Jim Baca? Of course not. It's way past time for these two groups--the Anglos and conservatives--to look in the mirror and become honest about what really drives their double-standard.

Maybe there's a sale on mirrors at Lowe's this month?

ANGLO NAME, HISPANIC HERITAGE

Nancy Bearce
We blogged during the campaign that BernCo Dem treasurer candidate Nancy Bearce was of Anglo heritage and how that appeared to play a role in her primary victory last week over three Hispanic men. Well, hold on. Bearce's last name no doubt helped her get some ethnically based voting, but the assumption that she is of Anglo heritage is wrong. She explains:

I am a second-generation Latina raised in Alamogordo. My mother, Marie Rodriguez y Esparza who’s mother and father came to the U.S. respectively from Aguascalientes, Mexico and Madrid, Spain, was a bilingual social worker who worked for Catholic Charities in San Francisco. There she married Boyden Bearce, an Army Captain then stationed at the Presidio, of Bangor, Maine who was a descendant of a 1638 passenger on the “Confidence” out of Southampton, England, 

When Mom and Dad moved to New Mexico after WWII, Mom co-founded and worked at the first Head Start Center in Otero County. Later, NASA moved Dad from Holloman AFB to Edwards AFB in Bakersfield, CA, leaving Mom to raise my brother and me alone. 

I was fortunate to be raised by a mother who was active in the Democratic Party and who lived a few doors down from former State Rep. George Fettinger. I remember being taken to every Otero County Democratic Party function to help with everything from event set-up, registration to clean-up! 

Unfortunately, my Mom passed away when I was 14. I then went to live with my Dad, who retired in Louisville, KY. That is where I graduated high school and the University of Louisville.

Sorry about the heritage error, but it did bring forward Bearce's interesting bio which will sound familiar to many New Mexicans. In the November election she will face Republican nominee Kim Hillard. However,  the treasurer's office has not gone R in many a year.

And a sidebar:  If Bearce wins she may be the first female county treasurer. We'll check it out for you.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2016
 
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