Sure it's hot and it's going to get hotter:
.
If you doubt that climate change is transforming the American landscape, go to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Sweltering temperatures there have broken records this summer, and a seemingly permanent orange haze of smoke hangs in the air from multiple wildfires.

Take a ride into the mountains and you'll see one blackened ridge after another where burns in the past few years have ravaged the national forest. Again, this year, fires in New Mexico and neighboring states of Colorado and Arizona are destroying wilderness areas. Fire danger is expected to remain abnormally high for the rest of the summer throughout much of the Intermountain West. But "abnormal" fire risks have become the new normal.

GATORGATE

A member of the New Mexico Legislature writes of our Monday blog on Gatorgate"--the controversial 2011 Louisiana hunting trip taken by First Gentleman Churck Franco and a security detail of two state policemen.

Reading your columns on GatorGate has raised three new questions for me:

1) The reports are that each State Police Officer had a 12 year old son with him. State Administrative Rule 1.5.3 relates to Administration and Use of State Vehicles. Specifically, Rule 1.5.312(B) states: “Authorized passengers. Only authorized passengers may occupy a state vehicle. A person who is not a state employee must obtain written authorization from the director or designee before occupying a state vehicle. Failure to comply may result in suspension of driving privileges.” 

Did these two officers each get written permission from the Director of GSD to take the 12 year olds with them (and if not, should their driving privileges be suspended)?

2) Questions have come up regarding whether the First Gentleman routinely gets this level of “security.” Has anyone done a public records request to see the payroll of officers assigned to cover the First Gentleman? I think we might discover whether he is regularly secured, or if “security” was the excuse for the extra pay the officers received.

3) I understand the First Gentleman has gone back to work providing courthouse security. Do two state police offices secure the First Gentleman while he provides security at the courthouse?

CAMPOS PLANS

NM Dem Senator Pete Campos sends this:

Campos said he plans to retire after completing his sixth year as President of Luna Community College. “We have made significant progress at Luna Community College by improving the quality of education offered to students of all ages.I will continue to lead this effort until my retirement...

Campos was re-elected to the Senate in 2012.

DAVE CARGO

Former NM Governor Dave Cargo died last Friday at the age of 84 and will be laid to rest today at the Santa Fe National Cemetery. Tributes have come in to the blog throughout the week. Our remembrance is posted on Monday's blog which you can find by scrolling down. Reader Mike Santullo writes:

Dave Cargo was ahead of his time. He always thought of the “big” picture. He was never afraid to take positions on crucial issues that went against the grain. He was the King with the common touch who gave a “Voice to the Voiceless” and reached over to both sides of the political aisle to accomplish this. He will be sorely missed and will always be remembered as an innovator and a man of great courage and decency..

Former NM GOP Chairman John Lattauzio writes from Utah:

Joe, thank you for reminding us of Dave Cargo's wit and accomplishments. I enjoyed his company and friendship. My memories include the Governor's leadership in promoting New Mexico to the Hollywood filmmaking industry. You may also remember the part the Republican Party played in his 1993 mayoral bid. The party faced court hearings due to our support for Dave. We prevailed. Governor Dave Cargo will be missed.

In Santa Fe, reader and TV host Lorene Mills says her program this weekend will feature a 2010 interview she conducted with Cargo.  "Report from Santa Fe" airs at 6:00 p.m. Saturday for the east side out of KENW Channel 3 in Portales; 8:00 a.m. Sunday for Albq/Santa Fe on KNME, Channel 5. The program can also be viewed here.

That's it for this week. Thanks for stopping by. Reporting from ABQ and southern California, I'm Joe Monahan.

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 2013. Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Dave Cargo only served two, two-year terms as governor of NM and he did it back in the 1960's when most of the current players in La Politica were in diapers or just a gleam in their daddies eyes. Despite his limited electoral success, "Lonesome Dave" has managed to insinuate himself over the years into the highest circles of political power, continues to be quoted in major media and sought out by those aspiring to political careers. Your correspondent learned some tricks of the trade from the political legend while handling his media in his 93' race for ABQ mayor which he lost by a handful of votes.

Cargo turned 75 earlier this year and I checked in with him to see if time had mellowed the political veteran who earned the moniker "Lonesome Dave' by frequently departing paths with his fellow Republicans. It turns out that time has not taken a toll on the pugnacious politico whose acerbic and insightful wit is unleashed with minimum prompting.

---On today's governor and the governorship---"It's become way too imperial. What's with the three chefs and the big security detail? We served enchiladas and posole and I had one security officer and I sometimes shared the driving duties."

--On the partisan environment--- "It used to be about party loyalty, now its about ideology, The parties have lost a good deal of their grip on things and that's why we see so much more personal bitterness."

--On big government---"Bureaucracy is the big change. It hs far outpaced population growth. And a lot of it is puffery, public relations. They spend money on things that are not at all critical."

--On the Legislature--- "It is down, but not out. The Legislature is about to start reasserting itself. It always does but because the Governor and the Legislature are of the same party it has taken longer than usual to take hold. But it will."

--On why NM is so poor--- "We have two economic classes here. And the well-off folks really don't see the depth of poverty in the rural areas and the North. That's one reason why we have not solved the problem. If people don't see the problem, they don't think it exists. Unfortunately, on this one there are no easy answers."

CARGO'S WAY

Cargo's legacy will probably not be his days as governor, although he earned reasonable performance marks. He will be most remembered for trying to build a more inclusive GOP, courting Hispanics and bringing them into the party and the government, traditional for the Dems, but not for the R's until Cargo. He also is partly responsible for the current districting of our Legislature, having brought suit against the "at large" system that prevailed until he and others won a court victory that took effect in 1964.

Cargo sought elective office many times after his run as governor, but he was never able to replicate the success he had in the 60's. But he practiced law, remained active in all things political and never stopped caring about the state he adopted after getting his law degree in Michigan. Both his parents were school teachers and Dave often seemed to be lecturing which was maddening to some. But his lecturing was never condescending. His deep respect for the traditions and people of NM earned him a wide following.

Cargo's life today remains active with international consulting, intense reading, his three sons, a daughter and a grandchild and a two hour daily exercise ritual that keeps him fit and always ready for another round of political conversation. He is also working on the Mora County Library, named in his honor. He still starts every answer to a question with "let me tell you, Joe..." And we still anticipate what's to follow. So happy birthday Governor. It seems being "lonesome" can sometimes make you a lot of friends.

Make our site one of your 'favorites.' Bookmark it now and send a link to interested friends. Want to advertise to NM's large political community? Email me or call 505-243-4059 for details.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2004
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Dave Cargo
The warriors are aging but the fight is not out of either of them, not by a long shot. Two Republican giants, Senator Pete Domenici, 73, and former Governor Dave Cargo (1967-70), 76, renewed their generations old battle of ideas this week as Cargo came out swinging against Pete's cherished energy bill that had President Bush flying into ABQ to sign. Cargo, unleashing his mighty pen on the op-ed pages of the state's largest newspaper, accused the senator of selling out, calling the bill a tax break giveaway to the oil companies. Cargo's ire did not go unanswered.

In a late night phone conversation Wednesday the droll Cargo told me of an afternoon call he received from Senator Pete. "He really scorched me. But it's not something I am unaccustomed to. To me, this bill was bad public policy. He sees it differently," Cargo reported.

Pete has been saying the energy bill is the best piece of legislation he has authored in his 32 years in the World's Most Exclusive Club. But here on the ground some insiders are baffled. "This is basically a forgettable piece of legislation that by all accounts does little to solve our long-term energy problems. Maybe Pete is trying to write the history books, but this is not a bill that is going to be on his tombstone," offered one D.C. veteran.

Still, a Domenici defender accused Cargo of "envy" and trying to rain on Pete's parade. "He has had it in for Pete for over 30 years and this is another example of how small he can be when the senator shows how to get the job done," offered
the veteran Cargo-Domenici watcher.

AN EPIC BATTLE

Through the years Domenici and Cargo have come to be on opposite ends of the GOP spectrum. They even faced each other in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in 1972, along with other R's. Pete won and went on to take the senate seat of Dem Clinton Anderson and has now served NM longer in the U.S. Senate than anyone. His only rival as the most influential political figure in state history is Senator Dennis Chavez.

It has not been personal pettiness that has kept the eyes of political observers fixed on this dueling pair. It has been the genuine battle of ideas engaged in by two men who come from humble beginnings and who each mastered the American Dream their own way. Both are lawyers and originally from the "middle of the road" school of GOP politics, but Pete is more pragmatic and has become more internationalist in foreign policy, a staunch free trader and ever more pro-business as the years ago by. Cargo clings to a nearly extinct liberal Republican philosophy that embraces labor, civil rights, a less interventionist foreign policy and a live and let live philosophy on key social issues.

Domenici, a gifted legislator and politician, met his intellectual equal in Cargo, and despite the ex-Guv's unsuccessful track record in politics, he continues to share the stage with the more famous Pete by sheer willpower, unmatched media savvy and credibility earned thru years of study and thought. Domenici has seen the tide turn his way during this historic duel that reflects the struggles of American politics since the 1960's. Still, someday the pendulum could swing back Cargo's way.

Even now, as shadows fall around these two worthy warriors, the political operatives of today, not even as old as these two titans have been sparring, can see the essence of political battle. It's not the 30 second TV sewer, campaigns corrupted by too much cash, hate media, or personal attacks. In the end, it's about big ideas. That may be hard to see in this modern era, where small minds seem to dominate, but Domenici and Cargo, battling into infinity, stand as a reminder that what is at stake is bigger than those who argue the case. Now that's a legacy.

PETE: ONE MORE TIME?

And for those of you laying odds that this is finally Senator Pete's last term, don't bet the ranch. Take a look at this $1000 per person or $2000 per PAC political invite making the rounds. It's a night at the opera with Pete and his pals and it promises to raise a ton of money. For re-election in 2008? Let's call that one even money.

SHE'S THE MAN

The Alligators who have been spinning us that Beverlee McClure, prez of Clovis Community College, has the inside track to become the state's new and first Secretary of Higher Education were right on target. Reliable sources tell us the Guv will announce McClure's selection today. McClure's' political savvy, strong education credentials and good relationship with Big Bill got her this far; let's see if she has any luck uniting New Mexico's byzantine higher ed system. How about that report this week that more NM high schoolers leave this state to attend college than any of the high school grads in surrounding states? Sounds like that one should be at the top of McClure's "to do" list.

IN MY HOUSE, WHERE MY CHILDREN SLEEP!

Speaking of the Alligators, look at this one outside my door! Yes, some of my early morning readers Wednesday did not get my latest blog. (We later fixed that and if you missed it you get a double blog today by just scrolling down.) Still others are demanding that I blog even more. But I am standing my ground, as long as my front door holds up. "Scat, you slippery critters, no one can satisfy your appetite for La Politica!

E-mail your news and insider stuff. Thanks to those who do so regularly.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2005
Not for reproduction without permission of the author<

Chuck Franco

Gatorgate moves front and center in the 2013 summer action of La Politica. We are on it like white on rice...

 Feeling the pressure of a media drumbeat to release travel records for her husband's controversial 2011 Louisiana Alligator hunting trip, Governor Martinez has now released additional details of the adventure that included First Gentleman Chuck Franco and two state police officers acting as his security detail. However, none of her new narrative is backed up by records--either official or unofficial. The Governor is giving her version of what happened on the trip but not providing documentation.

The fact that the Governor's office previously said that Franco paid his own way to Louisiana and now admits that that was not the case adds another layer of suspicion that will drive this story.

(ABQ Journal report here. AP report here. ISPAC, a union-backed group that has been critical of Martinez, came with this.)

It's hard to see how the release of statements from her office assuring the public that the trip was on the up-and-up will end this affair. Only when all records are forced into the light of day by either the Governor, the courts, FBI, attorney general, local or national investigative reporters or a combination thereof will we get a more complete picture.

GATORGATE: LONG AND DEEP

The holiday weekend attempt to end the controversy surrounding Franco’s trip to Louisiana and Mississippi only managed to raise more questions. Franco's alligator hunt remains hyper-controversial because the Governor’s Office has been less than forthcoming about the trip and has offered different versions of how and who paid for it. Franco’s trip took place just weeks prior to the awarding of a 25 year lease for the ABQ Downs Racetrack and Casino. It was awarded to three owners--two of whom live in Louisiana.

Our own Alligators (our nickname for our informed political sources) as well as our Legal Beagles (attorneys who are into politics) come with key questions that are still on the table as Martinez and her shadow Jay McCleskey try desperately to end this controversy:

---The information the Governor’s Office provided are statements from the two state police officers who accompanied Franco on the trip. No hunting licenses, no receipts and no documentation showing who paid for anything is provided. Also lacking is any statement from Franco regarding his role in the trip. Why the lack of transparency?

--- Based on the limited information provided, it appears Franco and company spent just one day hunting alligators. What did they do the rest of the time?

---Every stop on the Franco itinerary is near a casino or gaming operation. Did the alligator hunt also involve gambling and were any of these gaming operations connected in any way with the individuals who received the 25 year lease for The Downs?

---State gas card receipts show the party filling-up for gas within two hours after their last fill-up on at least two different occasions. How did they manage to burn through that much gas--or were the state-issued credit cards being used for something else?

---Why has the state police provided three different versions for the genesis of the trip?

a) Chuck Franco wanted to go hunting so the state police chief assigned two officers to accompany him.

b) The two officers were going on a vacation and Chuck Franco asked if he could go with them.

c) And the current version--That the two officers were going on vacation and they invited Chuck Franco along, allowing them to not only have a taxpayer funded excursion, but to draw significant overtime pay which most people don't receive while on vacation.

---Since the lease for The Downs was awarded, the wife of state policeman Ruben Maynes and a sister of Maynes' have both been hired into state positions. The wife, Donna, is a $55,000 a year executive assistant at the Governor's office and the sister, Christine Tabet, works at the Governor's Mansion for $33,000 a year. The wife was hired in February 2012. Maynes was one of the two officers who accompanied Franco to Louisiana.

---The hiring of Maynes’ sister took place approximately the same time Maynes gave an affidavit late last year to the NM attorney general's office. In it he and fellow officer Frank Chavez said during the Louisiana trip Franco had no contact with anyone with connections to the Downs. Is the timing of Mayne's affidavit and the hiring of his relatives coincidental?

---The Governor's office says the uncle of the wife of Maynes--George Blanchard of Breaux Bridge, La.--paid $500 for two nights of lodging and a $500 fee for Franco to shoot an alligator. Blanchard, who told the AP he is no relation to ABQ Downs owner Paul Blanchard, also provided food while they were at the lodge. Franco paid $200 for the hunting guide. Where are all the receipts? For  the unnamed "lodge?" For the guide? For the $500 alligator hunting fee?

---How do the officers know with certainty whether or not anyone Franco had contact with had connections to the Downs? Do they know all the players? Did Franco tell them about everyone he spoke with during the trip? And why didn't Franco voluntarily give a sworn affidavit saying he had no contact with anyone directly or indirectly affiliated with the Downs owners?

---Is the revelation that the attorney general took affidavits from the two state policeman late last year confirmation that the attorney general is still conducting an official investigation into the awarding of the Downs racino lease? (Based on the statements of several former Martinez campaign staffers and one of their attorneys, there is an FBI investigation into the Downs deal).

---At its most innocent, it appears these two officers found a way to have the taxpayers of New Mexico provide a State Police SUV, a state gas card and get paid thousands of dollars in overtime for their personal vacation by inviting the Governor’s husband to tag along.

---At its worst there is a disturbing pattern of cronyism, waste, fraud and abuse--not just of taxpayer money and resources--but of the public trust by the Martinez Administration. What else isn’t the public being told? Did this trip, as many are now speculating, seal the deal for the Louisiana owners of The Downs? All these questions could be answered fairly easily, if the Governor’s Office chose to. Given Martinez’s campaign rhetoric about ending “pay to play” corruption and being an open and transparent Governor, the public deserves far more information than what was offered this past weekend.

Interesting questions all and pretty much guaranteeing that Gatorgate has legs. It would seem much of this could now be easily verified or discredited by a serious investigation. We and New Mexico await  the outcome of any probe underway or any about to be undertaken.

MODIFIED LIMITED HANGOUT?

Richard Nixon

For those who are not familiar with the term modified limited hangout," it entered the political vernacular back in the early 70's during the Watergate affair that forced the resignation of President Richard Nixon:

A limited hangout, or partial hangout, is a public relations or propaganda technique that involves the release of previously hidden information in order to prevent a greater exposure of more important details.


A PRIMER

"Gatorgate" means the Chuck Franco trip to Louisiana. Emailgate is the case in which the Governor's email account was hijacked. Several of the emails disclosed as a result of the hijacking showed wheeling and dealing over the Downs racino lease between Downs attorney Pat Rogers and high ranking administration officials. Jamie Estrada, a former campaign manager for Martinez has been indicted in connection with emailgate. Emailgate also refers to the revelation that Martinez administration officials were conducting state business via private email. She has since ordered a halt to the practice.
GOVERNOR DAVID CARGO

Gov. Cargo (Sorber/ABQ Journal)

All the joy, elation and promise of politics could be found in the soul of David F. Cargo. So could the pain, cynicism and hurt. He was the complete political man. Let's face it. Most politicians today don't read or think very seriously. It's just tactical warfare to win an election--aimed at the 8th grade mentality and produced by those at a similar grade level.

But for Cargo it was intellectual warfare--truly a battle of ideas--not personal animosity or the campaign invective that tries to pass itself off today as serious debate. That's why few of today's politicians are remembered. They play small ball. That will not be the fate of David Cargo.

Various reports on the former NM Governor's passing at the age of 84 on Friday in ABQ can be found here, here,  here and here.

In March of 2004 we profiled Dave for "NM Politics with Joe Monahan" on the occasion of his 75th birthday. It says much of what we feel today as we mourn his passing.

Cargo had a serious intellect, but he also had a sense of humor that rivaled that of Chris Rock. An example:

"Republicans stay bought, Democrats have to be bought every year."

In his later years--as the GOP became even more conservative--Cargo's critics dubbed him a RINO--Republican In Name Only. But ABQ GOP City Councilor and former state Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones dispels that notion:

The Governor was far head of his time. Look at this record on the environment, civil rights, voting rights and more, So much of what he stood for has been codified into law. He was an intellectual force who moved his party and his state forward. 

LONESOME DAVE

The late Kurt Lohbeck was a longtime political ally of Cargo and in 2010 wrote a review for the blog of Cargo's autobiography. In it, Lohbeck recalled how it all started for one of the state's most colorful political personalities ever:

Dave moved to New Mexico from Michigan, that hotbed of Republican liberals. Nobody of any political acumen gave him a prayer to win an election in this state. Not only did he win a state House seat, in 1962, with strong ABQ Valley support, but was re-elected. And he began to drag this Western state into the 20th Century despite the hemming and hawing from those in control.

His next Don Quixote adventure was to run for governor. In 1966, he campaigned in the northern counties like no Republican ever had. He beat the Republican establishment in the primary and the Democratic powers in the general election. He had no entourage, no staff, just himself and a beat-up old car worth about $200. A newspaper reporter started calling him, “Lonesome Dave.” That moniker has been with him ever since.

COVERING CARGO

Beimer (circa 1970's)

The former Governor--the youngest ever elected at 37--was a reporter's dream--providing a pithy comment that struck just the right note for the occasion. ABQ's Rodger Beimer covered Cargo's time as Governor in the late 1960's for KOAT-TV:

He was a reporter's dream come true. If I ever needed a reaction to a story or a comment, I'd call the Governor and he was ready to talk. He was smart, quick, and never backed away from a controversy.
There were trying times during his term, like Reis Tijerina's '67 raid on the Teirra Amarilla Courthouse and all, but he met everything head on. He would jump in the middle of any controversy and wrestle the opponents to the ground. He was a real political pro. He knew how to get headlines and he knew how to get in the movies.

DAVE'S DUELS

Cargo faced a bevy of political opponents over his long political career. One of them is Democrat Pete Dinelli who is running for ABQ mayor this year--just as he did against Cargo back in 1989:

New Mexico has lost a true maverick of his day. What a colorful personality--and an opponent I could call a friend. Governor Cargo was one of my opponents for Mayor 24 years ago. He came in 3rd, missing the runoff that was held  between Pat Baca and Louis Saavedra. I met him for the first time when he was Governor and I was 17  and after I was elected Governor of New Mexico Boy's State. The Governor will be missed, especially his stories.

NOW THERE ARE FIVE

With the death of  Gov. Cargo, New Mexico has five living former Governors. Jerry Apodaca, now 78, who served from '75-'79; Toney Anaya, 72, in office from '83-'87; Garrey Carruthers 73, who held office from '87-'91;  Gary Johnson, 60, who served two terms from '95-'03 and Bill Richardson, 65, whose two four years terms were from '03-'11.

Before 1970 New Mexico allowed a Governor to serve two consecutive two year terms. By 1970 the law was changed to allow one four year term. The law was later altered to allow a Governor to serve two consecutive four year terms. Since we became a state in 1912,  27 individuals have served as Governor.

IN MY TIME

Joe Monahan (Kyle Zimmerman)

But by that time Cargo seemed more comfortable with being a political character than actually taking power. He turned to me with only hours before the first votes were cast and said, "You mean we could actually win this thing?" We didn't, losing by less that 600 votes but giving ABQ its closest mayoral election in history.

It was Governor and only the office of Governor that resided in Cargo's heart. In his autobiography he summed it up this way:

I ran for other offices after my two gubernatorial terms. I mostly fell short. But, over the years I've come to realize that being governor was the job for me; the one I loved and the one that I could have done forever and ever.

Nothing does last forever, though, except perhaps our memories and dreams. I know that in my mind, though--and I hope in yours as well--that I will always be--Governor Dave Cargo.

Vaya con Dios--Governor Dave Cargo.

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 2013. Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Ida Jo Cargo (1970)

Please join us for a special Friday Christmas blog tomorrow and help us place under the blogging tree our presents for the politicos. Now on to today's entry.

Our Wednesday photo contest stumped quite a few readers but a number of them were right on the mark and accurately named the striking photo as that of Ida Jo Cargo, New Mexico's first lady from 1967-70. She was married to Republican Governor David Cargo.

Ida Jo was a feisty and independent woman in an era when political wives were expected to be more servile. As NM Deputy Historian Rob Martinez remarked in "Lonesome Dave and the Tiger of the North" for the fall 2018 NM Historical Review:

(Cargo) seems to blame her for some of the episodes that presented challenges in his political life. (To him) Ida Jo appeared to lack the discipline, sacrifice, subordination, and silence required of the traditional politician's wife.

She was only 25 when she became first lady, the youngest in state history. The mother of five, she was the only first lady to give birth while in office. She met Cargo in 1960 when he was a partner in an ABQ law firm and where she worked as a legal assistant. Six months later they were married.

She was born into a prominent Belen family and Belen reader Jose Campos wrote of her photo:

Joe, she was often described as the "Jackie Kennedy of New Mexico." (Former NM House Speaker) Raymond Sanchez remembers Cargo hanging out at Gil's Bakery in Belen (owned by Raymond's father) to see his future bride. What took her popularity down with the public was when Reis Lopez Tijerana's list of Alianza members came out and she was on it.

Ida Jo (1968)

The Alianza was a group that sought "to organize and acquaint the heirs of all Spanish land-grants covered by the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty" with their rights.

The Alianza staged the historic raid on the Tierra Amarilla Courthouse in Rio Arriba County in 1967. When a list of dues paying members was discovered by law enforcement Ida Jo's name was on it. She was soon portrayed as a wild-eyed revolutionary while her Governor husband continued to deal with the thorny problems presented by the Alianza and Tijerana, the "Tiger of the North."

Gov. Cargo later told friends she signed up for the Alianza only to get rid of the person soliciting paid memberships, not because she was an adherent of the group.

Historian Martinez and I looked up the church records of Ida Jo from Belen and found her given name was Josefina Adelaida Anaya.

As first lady she opened the Governor's mansion to the public each Friday, continued her education at the College of Santa Fe and not surprisingly was often in demand as a model. NM political junkie Patrick Killen adds:

Joe, she was also known as the “Hispanic Jackie Kennedy.” Hailing from Belen, Ida Jo was credited with bolstering Cargo’s crossover appeal to Hispanic Democratic voters and crucial to his subsequent election as Governor in 1966 and re-election in 1968. 

Today's photo of her wearing a pillbox hat certainly conjures up memories of Jackie.

Reader Jim Maddox adds:

Ida Jo no doubt was a big part of Dave Cargo being elected Governor. Campaigning in Northern New Mexico with his wife in a pickup truck was simple and masterful.

Ida Jo and Cargo divorced in 1985. He passed away at 84 in 2013. She died in Midland TX. in 1996 from cancer at 55.

Ida Jo Cargo earned her chapter in the never ending book of La Politica as a history making first lady and an independent spirit who was of her time but also ahead of it in important ways.

Thanks to all who entered the contest. The winner of the Christmas Lunch is James Cooke of ABQ.

ABOUT THE PHOTOS

The contest picture was taken by veteran NM photographer Mark Bralley who tells us he shot it at a 1970 Santa Fe meeting of Republican Governors and their wives.

The picture with Ida Jo in sunglasses was taken by Bralley in 1968 at ABQ's Roosevelt Park where Cargo was campaigning for the GOP gubernatorial nomination that year. Good stuff, Mark.

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 2018

Talk about contrasts. Following their triumphs at their weekend preprimary conventions, Democrat Diane Denish and Republican Susana Martinez start up on the critical fund-raising circuit. Denish hit the mailboxes with an event invitation priced at $1,000 a pop while Martinez was pleading for $25 donations on Facebook. Not that Martinez isn't going for bigger money, but this example does bring to the fore the financial advantage the Dems still have, despite the excitement the GOP primary is generating in political circles.
THEY WON'T GO

We've repeated it ad nausem: no candidate who has failed to get 20 percent at a preprimary convention has ever gone on to win the June primary. But the candidates don't seem to care. Just about every hopeful who failed to get the 20 percent for the various statewide offices at the preprimaries was sending a news release Monday saying they are not getting out. They will submit additional petition signatures to get on the June ballot. That includes Dem Light Guv candidate Joe Campos who took a hit when he fell just a couple of votes short of the magic 20 percent mark.

(New Dem party chairman Javier Gonzales was still embroiled in a backroom controversy Monday over how the votes for Light Guv were counted at the Saturday preprimary, but the party announced Campos fell short).

It's going to take a whole lot of money to overcome history. And that's the problem. A poor showing at the preprimary usually dries up the money, so getting on the ballot via the petition route turns out to be a waste of time and money. We'll see June 1 if this is the year history's harsh verdict on lousy preprimary performances is overturned.

HARVEY'S PLEA

NM GOP state chairman Harvey Yates and his crew are taking hits from operatives in the GOP Guv campaigns. They say he and his staff have been biased toward Susana Martinez, but there's not much evidence offered. (A pollster who has done work for the state party is married to a Martinez consultant.) Yates came with this missive in the aftermath of Saturday's preprimary that is aimed at supporters of guv hopefuls Doug Turner and Janice Arnold-Jones:

Perhaps, this is the time for each contender who garnered less than 20% of the delegate support to pause and consider quietly whether his or her continuation in the race would enhance or diminish Republican chances in November. If a winning candidate represents well your beliefs, and would furnish to this party a respectable and viable nominee for the position you sought, you might do the party a service by throwing your support to that candidate.

Yates may be trying to spare the party more fracturing, but he isn't going to make Domenici, Turner or Arnold-Jones happy as they say they will submit additional petition signatures and stay in the race, despite not reaching the 20 percent mark.

Arnold-Jones' campaign says she will not file for her state House seat today, choosing to bet her political future on what will now be a quixotic bid for the GOP nomination.

THE SPIN ZONE

And how about this one? Pete Domenici Jr. says on his Web site the 2010 preprimary convention was a "great success." Say what, Pete? He came in last in a field of five, garnering less than five percent of the delegate vote. But Domenici says his claim of success is based on his collecting "thousands of signatures" so he can be on the June 1 primary ballot.

But the preprimary has nothing to do with collecting signatures. It had to do with winning the votes of some 400 delegates. That means grassroots organizing and messaging, not getting John Does on a piece of paper.

Domenici's campaign sniffed at the GOP preprimary, calling it a "straw poll" and pointing out that his candidacy was late-starting and that he did not expect a strong performance. But now they're touting a performance that has caused major bleeding to their man, and probably to the reputation of Daddy Domenici, the once powerful US Senator. Great convention success? That's not in the spin zone; that's in the ozone.

A READER WRITES...

Joe, I read your piece on the state House seats targeted by the Republicans. With regard to the District 7 state Representative Andrew Barreras race, please keep in mind that Republican candidate Tim Lardner ran against Representative Barreras in the last election and experienced a significant loss...

THE CARGO YEARS

We have two takes for you today on the new autobiography from former NM Governor Dave Cargo (1967-70) who was dubbed "Lonesome Dave" for his independent streak. The first is from author and longtime NM Republican Kurt Lohbeck who finds much to like in the book. The second is from an anonymous reader who pans the new volume. First up is Kurt:

I first met Dave Cargo in 1962 when he decided to run for the New Mexico Legislature from Bernalillo County. As a Republican! I was chairman of the College Republicans.

Most Albuquerque campaigns in those days were run out of the coffee shop at the downtown Hilton, and the bars at the Alvarado and Franciscan hotels. Dave was familiar with those locales, but he also did something weird. He campaigned door to door, and primarily in the South Valley. Then something stranger happened. He won!

Dave moved to New Mexico from Michigan, that hotbed of Republican liberals. Nobody of any political acumen gave him a prayer to win an election in this state. Not only did he win a state House seat, in 1962, with strong Valley support, but was re-elected. And he began to drag this Western state into the 20th Century despite the hemming and hawing from those in control.

His next Don Quixote adventure was to run for governor. In 1966, he campaigned in the northern counties like no Republican ever had. He beat the Republican establishment in the primary and the Democratic powers in the general election. He had no entourage, no staff, just himself and a beat-up old car worth about $200. A newspaper reporter started calling him, “Lonesome Dave.” That moniker has been with him ever since.

This book is a valuable history of that age. Names of everybody from around this Land of Enchantment. Who did what to or for whom? It should be read in New Mexico history classes. It wouldn’t hurt for our current crop of politicos to read it as well.

ANOTHER TAKE

And now a take from our anonymous critic:

I finished Lonesome Dave the other night--or rather gave up at page 197--what a mess!

...I can find so trace of any real editor ever getting his or her hands on it. The result is a confused and repetitive mess of a memoir. Some of it is just basic lack of storytelling.

We learn all about Dave's schooling & youthful employment & immersion in politics--his arrival in NM in his '49 Chevy, his law practice, name dropping, more about legislative apportionment than anyone ever wanted to know, more name dropping and campaigning lonesome style. Then suddenly he's being sworn in as Governor with his child bride and kids at his side.

Wait a minute! Who's Ida Jo? How did they meet? The first encounter with her family? The romance, etc. etc.? See what's missing here? I think Dave was very poorly served here. Oh well, the old boy deserved better...

We'll give the final word to Cargo and an excerpt that resonated with us. From the prologue of "Lonesome Dave:"

I ran for other offices after my two gubernatorial terms. I mostly fell short. But, over the years I've come to realize that being governor was the job for me; the one I loved and the one that could have done forever and ever.

Nothing does last forever, though, except perhaps our memories and dreams. I know that in my mind, though--and I hope in yours as well--that I will always be--Governor Dave Cargo.

Cargo is now 80. He lives in ABQ and remains engaged in national and local politics. His book is available here.

Email your news and comments. Interested in advertising here? Drop us a line.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2009
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Dem Reps. Thomas, Rodefer & Giannini
State GOP operatives have their chalkboards out and are toting up which Democratic House seats are most vulnerable this election cycle. The Dems are in total control of the state House--45 D's to 25 R's--after picking up some seats in the 2008 Obama landslide. The R's think there will be a rubber band effect, with some districts that should never have gone D coming back to them in November.

The Dem seats insider R's think are most likely to flip are Karen Giannini's ABQ NE Heights seat and that of Rep. Ben Rodefer on the West side. But it gets dicier after that.

For example, Rep. Jack Thomas is in a swing Rio Rancho area seat, but he is a former Sandoval County Commissioner with good name ID. R's point out he only won by 278 votes in '08 and that his opponent is likely to be a the widow of a law enforcement officer who was shot and killed in the line of duty.

The Bill O'Neill ABQ NE Heights House seat is another on the R target list, but it won't be easy. Same for the Las Cruces area seats of Reps Jeff Steinborn and Nate Cote. There will need to be a big R trend to pick all of them off.

South of ABQ the R's will target Rep. Andrew Barreras. Here's the news on that:

Republican and small business owner, Tim Lardner declared his candidacy for New Mexico House of Representatives, District 7. Lardner is President of Belen based New Mexico Travertine Inc, and CEO of Santa Fe Marble, specializing in the mining and fabrication of stone and marble. Once elected, Lardner is committed to reigning in irresponsible government spending while working to cut taxes on our small businesses and families.

The conservative estimate is that the R's pick up at least two or three House seats this November. The 42 state Senate seats aren't up for election until 2012.

NOT A GOOD THING
Mayor Berry
The 8.9 percent ABQ metro January unemployment rate reported by the state Thursday may be the highest in the city's post WWII history in this government oriented economy.

The rate jumped from 8.5 percent in December and while there are seasonal factors involved, ABQ Mayor RJ Berry has to be increasingly concerned. He only took office December 1 and his honeymoon is still in progress, but soon these depressing stats will be owned by him as well as the political heartburn they represent.

We're now only a tenth of a percentage point away from the psychologically important 9 percent mark. What may keep us from getting there is that many folks simply stop looking for work or move away. It's not as if there's enough job creation to make up for the positions being lost.

And that's what is most worrisome. Where will the new jobs come from to replace the thousands being lost in the state's largest city? Many of them were in construction and
manufacturing. Then there's the hiring freeze at city hall and state government.

Berry's administration is already facing the prospect of the largest budget shortfall in the city's modern history--$54 million for the budget year that starts July 1. This jobless report tells us that economic activity is unlikely to pick up and generate the gross receipts taxes needed to put the city on a more even keel.

So while the new mayor mourns the continued losses in the job market, he faces the most unpleasant task of possibly adding to the hurt by being forced to layoff city workers, or at least cut their pay by making them stay home from work under a stern furlough plan.

There's nothing more that Berry would rather do than cut taxes for business and call it a jobs creation program. But he can't cut taxes because the city is broke. He and his economic planners need to think outside the box. Republican tax cutting orthodoxy is not going to do the trick. And while mayoral cheerleading for the economy is permitted, it will not substitute for real job creation.

We've suggested recently that ABQ might invest in being aggressive in attracting more federal interest in the city. Not that city fathers should throw the towel in on wooing major private employers, but it makes sense to recognize that the city's modern strength is owed to the large federal presence. As Martha Stewart would say--that's a good thing.

Berry is a Republican and the White House and the state's congressional delegation is all Democratic. That might make for some awkwardness, but when we saved Kirtland Air Force Base from being shuttered, we did it with Democrats and Republicans working together. Maybe it's time for that spirit again. This time to save our economic future.

OUR PREPRIMARY COVERAGE

With each passing day and each negative news release about southern NM GOP Congressman Steve Pearce, we're getting convinced that Pearce is going to be targeted next year by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. And we expect that Carlsbad attorney Roxanne Lara will be his opponent.

Alamogordo's Leslie Endean-Singh is an announced Dem candidate, but if the national Dems decide to pour big money into the race, it will be Lara, a former Eddy County commissioner, carrying the banner.

The hits on Pearce have been relentless. while ABQ's Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham and northern Dem Rep Ben Ray Lujan go about their merry way with no attacks in sight. Not so for Pearce who served in reclaimed the southern seat in 2010 by beating Dem Rep. Harry Teague who had taken it when Pearce gave it up to make an unsuccessful run for US Senate.

State Dems have joined in the hunting party for Pearce, dishing out news releases mocking him as
a climate change denier" among many other things.

Lara recently lost a battle for NM Dem Party chair to Sam Bregman. She initially said she would not run against Pearce, but when we last spoke with her she described herself as undecided.

We expect her to come into the race soon now that the DC Dems are signaling they will put the money in that hit will take to give Pearce a serious challenge. '14 is a low turnout year that will favor Pearce. Maybe the Dems figure they can soften him up next year and go for the kill in the high turnout 2016 presidential year.

Meanwhile, Pearce, who turns 66 this month, has been touring his sprawling southern district at a peripatetic pace of late. Now we know why.

TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Senators Udall & Heinrich

Look, if the NM Dems are going to have any hope against the Governor's relentless attack machine, they are going to have to take it to the next level. And here's what we're talking about:

U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, along with Congressman Ben Ray Luján and Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham, are calling on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to hold a public forum in New Mexico to give constituents the opportunity to provide detailed input and feedback about their access to quality behavioral health services as a result of recent changes in Medicaid service providers. The letter comes after payments to 15 providers that deliver 87% of Medicaid-covered behavioral health services in the state were suspended pending the outcome of fraud investigations.

Okay, so you finally have the entire Democratic leadership of the congressional delegation wading into state politics and coming down on the Republican Governor. Any one of them could defeat Martinez in a statewide race. She's a mile wide in popularity and an inch deep. And if the DC reps stick together and keep the heat on her, they could make that '14 Guv's race much more competitive. (Sticking together is key--there is strength in unity--make the Martinez hit machine condemn the entire delegation--and good luck with that).

The pathetic state of the state Dems threatens their majority status in the state House and even some of the down ballot races like attorney general. The Dems should have the power--a majority of voters and an electorate that agrees with them on the major issues. What they have lacked is the intestinal fortitude to shake down the Martinez machine. Dem activists would be well-advised to keep the pressure on the DC delegation, even as they cheer this latest news.

If in the absence of state level leadership the congressional delegation can continue to take it to the next level, they just might find that making a blue state truly blue is there for the taking.

ANEMIC

That is still the best adjective to describe the NM economic recovery. State revenue collections are coming in a bit lower than expected, signaling that we are still flat lining. But it's not like we are broke. The state is carrying a huge $600 million reserve and the state Permanent Fund is benefiting from a robust stock market.

In these hazy, lazy days of summer, you don't expect much buzz. But our economic stupor is no longer seasonal. It seems systemic, awaiting economic and business leadership to give us a plan.

BOOKWORMS

Gov. Cargo

Linda Morgan Davis of the ABQ-BernCo library system writes:

I am on the Board of the New Mexico Library Foundation and was asked to contact you about memorials in remembrance of former NM Gov. Dave Cargo. The recent passing of Governor Cargo prompted a request from his family for contributions to the Foundation or to the “Friends of” your local library. The Foundation wanted to publicly thank the family for this kindness and to report over $1,200 in memorials has been received to date. Law firms, alumni associations and individuals have been most generous. All memorials will help support libraries throughout New Mexico.

Thanks for that, Linda.

Dave was a voracious reader. Did I tell you about the time he loaned me his cabin in Angel Fire for a long summer holiday weekend? You walked into the place and you were back in the 60's, with retro furniture, a dusty nameplate outside the door that read "Governor David Cargo" and, of course, a nice little library filled with volumes of political biographies.

I ended up reading a biography of Tom Pendergast, the corrupt politician who in the 20's and 30's controlled Kansas City with an iron hand.

I didn't finish the book so I took it back to ABQ. I planned to return it to Dave when we had lunch and I was also returning the cabin keys, but I forgot to bring it.

I kept the book, but I did pay for the lunch.

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 2013. Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Cargo in 2006

Former Governor Dave Cargo died in ABQ at the age of 84 in ABQ on Friday morning. Details here and here. More on the Monday blog.

The word from the ABQ mayoral campaign trail is that there will not be a single joint appearance by the three contenders in the month of July. The election is October 8 and early voting starts in September so there will be time for debates, but a whole month without any action speaks volumes about the lack of interest so far in this contest.

Republican Mayor Berry will use July to raise money for his effort. We've posted an example here--a $250 pop invite from prominent ABQ trial lawyers Turner Branch and Margaret Moses. (Click invite to enlarge).

Dem contender Pete Dinelli opted for public financing which gives him about $340,000 to spend. Berry went for private fund-raising so he hopes to raise significantly more than what Dinelli gets.

Republican Paul Heh is the other hopeful. He is also raising funds privately.

Berry has run into some early trouble over the city campaign law that says people doing business with the city can't contribute to the mayoral campaign. There will be a hearing on the matter soon.

HOTTER THAN A FIRECRACKER

Sen. Ortiz y Pino

A Wednesday legislative hearing featuring one of the Governor's cabinet secretaries got hotter than a Fourth of July firecracker. As the tension intensified, ABQ Dem state Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino suffered a burst blood vessel and was rushed to the hospital where he stayed overnight for observation. His friend, Democratic consultant, Harry Pavlides, reports that the 72 year old lawmaker is feeling fine and plans to attend a scheduled legislative hearing Tuesday.

What got Ortiz y Pino and other Democratic Senators on the interim Legislative Health and Human Services Committee so upset? The details:

Human Services Secretary Sidonie Squier abruptly left a legislative hearing Wednesday after three hours of questioning by legislators about the agency’s handling of an audit of 15 state behavioral health service providers. The audit, sought by the Republican administration and challenged  by Democratic lawmakers, found mismanagement, possible fraud and $36 million in overpayments to the nonprofit providers. Squier’s appearance...at a hearing in Albuquerque followed her department’s halt to payments to providers identified as having high error rates in billings. Democratic legislators repeatedly questioned whether some of the providers have been wrongly portrayed as fraudulent while details of the audit...remain confidential...

Squier apparently isn't used to much scrutiny, Her spokesman by way of explaining Squier's premature departure from the hearing said the legislators were "incredibly rude" but the paper reports Squier answered many of their inquires "testily."

Come on, Sidonie, if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen--or the Cabinet.

This is the home of New Mexico politics. Thanks for stopping by this week.

Reporting from Albuquerque, I'm Joe Monahan

E-mail your news tips and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com)

Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.      

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2013. Not for reproduction without permission of the author