Hillary
Move over Heather and Laura. Make room for the Dem glam team of Hillary and Patsy. The campaign of ABQ Dem congressional hopeful Patricia Madrid confirmed Monday that New York Senator, former First Lady and probable Prez hopeful Hillary Clinton will host a June 23 fundraising reception for Madrid in New York City. The news comes a month after ABQ GOP Congresswoman Heather Wilson hosted her own First Lady, Laura Bush, to raise money for her campaign and try to have some of Laura's popularity brush off.

Hillary's popularity is more complicated, of course. Take Patsy's comments from earlier this year about her gal pal.

"In her stump speeches, she (Heather Wilson) does attempt to partner me up with Hillary Clinton. They are always going to attack Hillary Clinton. They throw in Hillary gratuitously. They have always tried to paint her as an out-of-the-mainstream liberal. I think they are trying to say that I am liberal just like Hillary Clinton."

Well, if Madrid is not a liberal, I don't wear blogging pajamas. But if Heather plans on calling Hillary liberal, she is going to have a tougher time as the senator, unlike Patsy, has held back on calling for a troop withdrawal from Iraq and has warmed up to some conservative types in an effort to soften her polarizing image.

This won't be the first financial help Madrid has received from Hillary. The senator's PAC gave her $2500 this year and, as we recently blogged, she also gave Big Bill, a possible rival for the 08' Prez nod, a $5,00o HILL PAC check. The Madrid camp did not release how much the Hillary fundraiser will set you back, but you can bet it'll be more more than dinner and a movie.

Patsy is a longtime backer of ex-Senator John Edwards who will seek the 08' Prez nomination and she's expected to stay with him, but if he falters...Well, you get the picture. So besides talking about hair and make-up, when the the gals get together for their summer fun they can also dish the dirt on how they and their party can best take over the White House and the rest of the American government. Sounds like a tea party to me.

ALBUQUERQUE ON IRAQ

I've been tracking the Madrid-Wilson race with Los Angeles Times national political correspondent Mark Barabak who was back in town to highlight the differences between the pair on the Iraq war. While Heather has moved to the center or the outright Dem position on a number of issues, on Iraq there is a stark contrast between the two. It could be the issue the race comes down to in November.

THE SANCHEZ BASH

The big GOP social event for the primary season will be a May 20 "tribute" to NM Senator Pete Domenici at the newly built and expansive far ABQ NE Heights home of John and Debra Sanchez. John was the R' 02 Guv candidate, but is best remembered for ousting Dem House Speaker Raymond Sanchez in 2000.

High rollers can pony up $2500 each to meet privately with Pete for a "State of the Senate" Roundtable. The reception to follow will go for $150 a pop. The money is going to the state GOP and its "Victory 2006" fund.

AG TV

Then there were three. All three Dem attorney general hopefuls are now airing TV spots with Gary King joining the fray Monday with a thirty second spot aimed squarely at the female vote. He posted the spot on his Web site. (The spot of Geno Zamora is here. Lem Martinez's ad is not on the Net, but you can visit his site for video clips by clicking on the ad at the top of the page.)

But hold on. Wasn't that prominent Republican and former ABQ police chief Bob Stover I spotted on Gary's spot? What's an R doing in a D primary spot? Or has Bob switched party affiliation? Or is Gary counting on Stover's cop appeal to Dem conservatives? Will prosecutor Martinez investigate this matter? Will Zamora report this infraction to Big Bill? Egads! The drama of it all.

MY BOTTOM LINES

This is pretty late, but I promised to include some opposing voices when I blogged that the increase in the ABQ minimum wage wasn't very controversial. Steve Rogers chimes in. "You wrote that, "There is broad consensus on this point (raising the minimum wage). In last year's ABQ Journal poll even a majority of Republicans were in favor of a minimum of over $7 an hour." Yet there is no mention that in last year's election the minimum wage was defeated."

Well, Steve has a point. The minimum was indeed narrowly defeated, but only after a controversial workplace access issue was added. And the recent action of the ABQ city council raising the minimum, I think, bears out my opinion that chronic low wages in New Mexico has become a bipartisan issue, but perhaps, as Steve says, raising the minimum is not as popular as I implied.

And blog reader Marcus Wilson piles on: "I can't wait to see the day when you have to pay $10 for a Big Mac at McDonald's because they have to pay their low-skilled, low-education employees a "fair wage."

Well, bully for you Marcus. But I don't eat Big Macs! But if they raise the price of my caffeine, you may win me over.

FOR THE RECORD

In our blog on the death of former ABQ Mayor Harry Kinney we said Jim Baca was elected mayor of ABQ in 1993. Baca was elected in 1997. Martin Chavez won his first term in 93'.

Comments, criticisms and your news are always welcome. E-mail them from the link at the top of the page.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2006
Not for reproduction without permission of the author