What's this? Is Steve Pearce an in-the-closet 60's rock and roller? Blog readers, old enough to know how to fix a lava lamp, point out that the photo of hippies that Pearce used in his full page ABQ Journal ad to mock Dem US Senate nominee Tom Udall, appears to have been taken from the cover art of the album, "Spirit of the 60's." (Click to enlarge images.)

The record contains such possible Pearce favorites as "Eve of Destruction" and "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)." Somehow we can't imagine the Hobbs oilman and southern GOP congressman jammin' to those tunes. As for those hippies that caught the eye of the Pearce campaign, do you think they are owed royalties? Maybe Steve can promise to vote for that legalized hemp bill and the fellas will call it all square. What do you say, Steve?

THE REVIEWS

Pearce's media debut this week--here's his radio ad-- had old hippies like KRQE's Bill Diven buzzing away on their blogs. Elsewhere, Pearce drew mixed reviews. The state GOP unsurprisingly asserted it was a home run:

Pearce has had an outstanding week showing New Mexicans how out of touch Tom Udall is with the energy problems we face...Udall...refuses to embrace common-sense energy solutions and is instead in the pocket of far-left environmental extremists..

But not all observers were convinced Pearce's media strategy would get him out of the cellar. They argued that Pearce was using language and images that befit a Republican primary election, not a general election that will be decided by independents and conservative Democrats. They frowned on his use of the terms "far-left" "radical environmentalist" and "hysterical environmentalists" as too inflammatory for those voters. On the other hand, even though it is August, Pearce may still be trying to bring home Republicans who were divided by Pearce's fierce GOP primary with Heather Wilson.

The best thing for Pearce is that he is finally out of the gate, after ceding the TV airwaves to Udall for two months. It appeared Udall went dark this week and let Pearce's media debut go on without him, at least that's what we're told by avid tube watchers.

WHITE'S BACK

ABQ GOP congressional hopeful and Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White called a news conference Thursday and shot down Web rumors that he would get out of the race and that ABQ GOP US Rep. Heather Wilson would get back in. White repeated that his recent back injury will keep him from door-to-door campaigning, but he does not need back surgery which could have kept him on his back for six weeks.

Meantime, is the sheriff taking a left turn? After his one week hospital stay for his back injury, he said the USA should "provide affordable, accessible, and portable health care to all New Mexico families and children." The Dems say that sounds like universal health coverage--an anathema to the GOP orthodoxy. But then these days that orthodoxy is about as popular as Brussels Sprouts in a kids cafeteria. State Dems pounced:

The issue of healthcare is too important to trust Darren White and his election year flip-flops...Obviously, we're glad that White received quality care and is back on the campaign trail, but we can't help but ask, how about New Mexico's working families?"

That scorcher might make Darren wish he was back in his hospital bed being attended to by the candy stripers.

ON THE RECORD

Below is extended news conference audio of White discussing his back injury with our photog Mark Bralley. And here is video of the news conference from KOB-TV's Dyson.


ABOUT THAT SPECIAL

Writing in her Capitol Observer column, Lorene Mills threw some cold water on the prospect of Mr. and Mrs. New Mexico getting a cash rebate from the August 15 special legislative session.

The tax rebate so needed by New Mexicans dealing with increased prices of everything--food, gas, electricity--may have to wait until there is real money, cash on the barrel head, not nebulous gaseous predictions based on shifting statistics and a fluctuating global economy.

Oh yeah, there are many things "gaseous" as you near the fabled Santa Fe Roundhouse.

OBAMA WON THE NORTH

In our first draft Thursday, we wrote that Obama lost the north to Hillary in the Feb. Dem prez caucus. Actually, Obama narrowly won the northern congressional district. He also won the
ABQ district, but was beaten by Clinton in the south. She narrowly won the state.

COCA-COLA

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2008
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