Tuesday, July 19, 2016

New Mexican Slated For Thursday Night Convention Speech; A Message From Trump To Susana? Plus: Pearce Power; His Star Rises with Trump And Pence, Also: Innovate ABQ: A Glorified Dorm Room? 

Lisa Shin

Is the Donald Trump camp sending Gov. Martinez a message? While Martinez has refused to endorse the soon-to-be presidential nominee and unlike 2012 will not be a featured speaker at the convention, look at this Thursday night speech scheduled for another New Mexican and member of the state's convention delegation:

Dr. Lisa Shin, National Diversity Coalition for Trump

Dr. Lisa Shin, OD, is the owner of Los Alamos Family Eyecare, P.C. in Los Alamos, New Mexico. She is known and trusted as an authority on eye care and vision protection. Dr. Shin is a vocal supporter of Donald Trump. As a member of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump as well as a Trump delegate to the Republican National Convention, she has worked to support Donald Trump’s candidacy from New Mexico all the way to Cleveland, Ohio.

So did Susana get kicked in the "Shins" as Trump reached out to a New Mexican and Asian-American optometrist to perhaps fill the void left by Martinez's refusal to endorse? Well, let’s just say these things rarely happen by accident. 

Shin's speech is smack in the middle of prime-time and will come just before the speech from Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus. 

Enjoy Lisa's speech, Guv. It could be eye opening.

PEARCE PLAYS

Susana is probably assuming she will get the last laugh and that Trump, as most pundits expect, comes up short in November. But if he should pull it off, it seems southern conservative GOP Congressman Steve Pearce is the state politico best positioned to deal with the new president and his team. 

Through her chairmanship of the Republican Governors Association Martinez has a relationship with Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, the soon-to-be VP nominee. However, Pearce actually served side-by-side with Pence in the US House. Both are social conservatives of an evangelical bent and insiders say they get along well. Also, unlike Susana, Pearce has been careful not to alienate Trump.

Pearce and his allies enter the convention coming off a win at the state GOP convention where they banded together to oust attorney Pat Rogers, a key Martinez ally, from his long-held position as NM GOP National Committeeman. With that win under his belt and with Pence on the ticket, it seems it's the stock of Pearce rising in the NM GOP, not Susana's.

LUJAN LIMELIGHT

Rep. Lujan

Meanwhile, another member of the state's congressional delegation is piling up positive press notices. Northern Democratic Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), is in the spotlight as the nation wonders if a Trump candidacy could spell trouble for US House Republicans. Lujan has been sitting for interviews--like this one.:

Lujan is careful not to predict that Democrats, who hold the party’s smallest minority in almost a century, will win back the House. That feat would require flipping 30 seats from away from Republicans, an extremely tall order.

“I think it’s too early to tell what the ultimate end number will be with the number of wins we as Democrats have, but it’s not too early to say that Democrats are on offense and we will win seats across the country,” Lujan said .

The 44 year old Lujan is expected to easily win re-election to his fifth, two year term this year, giving him plenty of time to strategize over the national outlook for the House of Representatives.

AN INNOVATIVE DORM?

A reader writes of  the controversial "Innovate Albuquerque" project spearheaded by Mayor Berry with the intent of sparking "entrepreneurial" energy which in turn would lead to business creation and jobs: 

The promoters of Innovate Albuquerque, including the Mayor, the county, UNM and private partners, say that the new six story $35 million building paid for with taxpayer dollars at Central and Broadway, will be used for an Innovation District “academy” for budding “entrepreneurs." But five of the floors will be for UNM student housing and the bottom floor will be for “classrooms.” In other words, the building is for “college students” who have no capital but plenty of student debt owed upon graduation. 

 When I went to college such a building was called a dormitory, with the bottom floor the “rec room” and student services. A student is quoted as saying of the buildingL “Some of the best ideas happen at 3 in the morning and you can just walk down to one of the labs in the building.” Right. Turning “entrepreneurial” ideas into reality and creating jobs takes venture capital, not dorm rooms. The students who will be living in the Innovate Albuquerque building will be getting a sweet deal in accommodations.  One supposes if the Innovate Albuquerque Academy fails, at least the city could convert it into a high end condo complex which will be a far better use of such valuable property.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2016

Posted by: Joe Monahan / Tuesday, July 19, 2016