Those comments from Dem Guv candidate Alan Webber's campaign manager calling Guv political adviser Jay McCleskey and other men in Governor Martinez's inner circle misogynistic thugs" grabbed the attention of our readers. This Dem urged the Webber campaign to keep hitting:

He needs to keep doing this because the Martinez campaign can't help but lash out and that feeds right into the messaging about how she conducted herself in those leaked audio tapes. Webber’s willingness to take a tougher stance and call out her people may finally help establishment Democrats feel more confident in taking her on--people like House Speaker Ken Martinez and Reps Ben Ray Lujan and Michelle Lujan Grisham. . .Also, I don't see the McCleskey side getting much traction because some of  the criminal cases about McCleskey that the Webber campaign cites date to the 90's. Mark Rudd's infractions date to the 1960's and the Martinez campaign is not reluctant to make hay over them. The moral being that if you like to dish it out, learn how to take it. 

The brouhaha broke out when the Martinez camp started calling Webber a "friend of a terrorist" because he accepted a campaign contribution from Mark Rudd, a longtime ABQ resident and retired CNM instructor who in the 1960's was associated with the radical Weather Underground Group. Reader Karen Myers of ABQ pushed back:

Mark Rudd is a friend of mine. He is a kind and caring person who has devoted his life to helping others succeed. He worked tirelessly at CNM teaching math and providing educational support to students trying to better their lives and has been active in the Albuquerque community to support issues that many of us and our neighbors care about – education, the environment and peace and justice. Mark long ago embraced non-violence. The FBI asked him to speak at the FBI Academy; he regularly speaks on the dangers of violence and the importance of working for peace and justice through non-violence. It should be unacceptable to any thinking person that his political involvement over 40 years ago as a college student would be used to attack both Mark and a candidate he supports in 2014. This could be an attack waged against any candidate – do you know who your supporters are? We all need to stand in opposition to these deplorable tactics.

ABQ reader Susan Loubet writes:

Hi Joe, I just chuckled at the seeming attempt to portray Mark Rudd as a dangerous person. I wondered whether the reports of his donations may have spilled over to his son, Paul, who works on Wall Street and, Mark has said to me, is the one with the money. I was interested because Mark's son, Paul, and my son were in pre-school together in Alb. Not exactly where you would expect to find your radical extremists. 

MORE MAIL 


Reader Robert Behrendt writes of recent political events and comes up with a conspiracy theory:

After I received an e-mail of Mark Rudd's endorsement of Alan Webber, (he also gave a donation to Guv candidate Howie Morales) I exchanged e-mails with Mark urging him to return to supporting Howie based on my assessment of the candidates. In retrospect I now see the brilliance of Mark's counter insurgent jump to the Alan Webber liberal fantasy bandwagon. Mark is supporting Howie more now than ever!

And Rick Allan of Anthony, NM commented on Tuesday's blog featuring journalist wally Gordon who wondered if ABQ is a dying city:

Wally Gordon I think was a bit off base when he suggested that Baltimore and Pittsburgh were either in the “morgue” or close to it. Albuquerque should be so lucky to have the assets and energy of either of these two vibrant cities. Wally seems to know what’s going on. He should be a little more careful with his death certificates. Both cities he mentions are far from decline.

Republican Jim McClure who moved to New Mexico from Chicago writes:

What’s most puzzling is that our non-governmental community institutions appear to be ineffective. Government alone cannot persuade parents to keep their kids in school or prevent out-of-wedlock births, and there does not appear to be much of a community sense of social norms. Our churches appear to be AWOL on social issues, and ethnic-interest groups tend to focus on airing grievances rather than uplifting families and communities. These problems are unlikely to be solved without leadership that can somehow engage the entire community. (Perhaps we need some community organizers.)

That's it for this week. Thanks for the company.

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McCleskey, Gardner & Kennicott

After enduring withering attacks on his character and credibility from Gov. Martinez's political operatives, the seemingly mild-mannered Alan Webber campaign let out a growl Wednesday that turned the heads of La Politica.

The Dem Guv contender's campaign unloaded both barrels on Jay McCleskey--aka "The "Shadow Governor"--as well as two other close Martinez aides--and  labeled them "a fraternity of misogynistic thugs."

Webber's campaign manager Neri Holguin ripped a page directly from the McCleskey playbook and got personal, listing McCleskey's various indiscretions--legal and otherwise--including an alleged case of domestic violence. Webber's camp also targeted the indiscretions of Martinez Chief of Staff Keith Gardner and Matt Kennicott, the Martinez aide who called former House Speaker Ben Lujan "a fucking retard" in tapes from 2010 that were recently leaked to Mother Jones Magazine.

Webber's email fundraiser was titled: "Meet Susana Martinez’s most inner circle: a group of misogynistic, abusive men with a criminal past." It said of McCleskey:

Alleged battery of his girlfriend’s roommate, Guilty of DWI, Guilty of leaving scene of an accident; Charged with criminal damage to property.

On Keith Gardner, Chief of Staff:

Alleged battery against a young woman; Viciously attacked the President Pro-Tem of the New Mexico Senate; Violated public records law by using private account instead of state email account; Used his position to get high-paying government jobs for his friends and family

On Matt Kennicott: 2010 Deputy Campaign Manager:

Insulted and attacked the late Ben Lujan, revered Speaker of the House; Mocked and trivialized the Commission on the Status of Women

McCleskey has been catapulted into the national spotlight via lengthy pieces in the National Journal,  Mother Jones and Real Clear Politics. The in-depth pieces point out his enormous and highly controversial influence with Martinez and the hard ball tactics he has used against critics in both parties. Even influential Republicans have called on Martinez to get rid of him or rein him in,

The Webber attack was Jay getting a taste of some of the very personal medicine that he has dished out over the years. One news reporter called the charges Webber listed about  McCleskey as "old." That's true, but they are new to the New Mexico public as none of them nor McCleskey's background have received very much media treatment.

The Guv's campaign said Webber's email hit was "unhinged" and that Webber is "an unapologetic extremist who is better-suited to run a hate-filled blog than serve as the state’s chief executive.”

But Democrats have been accused of cowering in fear of McCleskey, not wanting to become his next victim. Dem frustrations have been repeatedly voiced here and elsewhere that their party and their candidates have been doing nothing to deter Martinez and McCleskey. Meantime, the GOP  has built a formidable political machine in a Democratic state.

Webber apparently reached the breaking point when he was hammered for accepting a political donation from Mark Rudd, a longtime ABQ resident and retired CNM teacher who was associated in the 1960's with the radical group the Weather Underground. Rudd long ago apologized for his involvement with the group.

It was McCleskey and company who started the red meat phase of the campaign. Now Webber's camp has thrown some rare cuts back at them. Let's see where it goes. . . .

SUSANA'S HISPANIC PLAY

Governor Martinez hit a big pothole when those leaked audio tapes had Matt Kennicott refer to former House Speaker Ben Lujan as "a fucking retard." Now she is trying to fill in that hole with a new TV ad. In it Las Vegas Mayor Alfonso Ortiz and former Taos Mayor Darren Cordova both endorse the GOP Governor. The mayors are clearly identified as Democrats in the spot. It is aimed past the June primary in which the Guv is unopposed.

The endorsements are shrewd poltics and a blow to state Democrats who must peel away her support in the heavy Hispanic Democratic North.

Martinez has refused to apologize for the retard remark and others that were found offensive. That refusal could still ding her, but the Ortiz and Cordova endorsements send the message:  "Hey, Spanish North, if we aren't bothered by it, why should you be?"

A number of campaign watchers tell us they think the leaked remarks may have hurt Martinez in her polling and this spot is in direct response. Whether it is or not, this is the Guv's second English language TV spot of the cycle and seems the right move at the right time. Again, Martinez  shows that while turning the government over to be run by a political consultant  has been a very bad idea, it's a different story when it comes to her political campaigns.

None of the five Dem Guv candidates have been up with TV ads, but that will soon change. Insiders tell NM Politics with Joe Monahan that Lawrence Rael will go on the air May 1 with a one week TV buy. Rael and Alan Webber have both done small radio buys. Absentee voting for the June 3 primary begins May 6.

CLEMENTS VS. WEH

The GOP US Senate campaign of David Clements began on a high note when he surpassed expectations at the party's preprimary convention where he nabbed 47% of delegate support compared to front-runner Allen Weh's 53%. But it's been an uphill climb from there for the 34 year old Las Cruces attorney. His campaign has been plagued by plagiarism charges and he did not capitalize on his preprimary showing financially. His report has not been posted by the FEC yet, but he tells us he raised about $70,000 in the latest reporting period, compared to Weh's $414,000--including a $140,000 personal loan. Weh had $206,000 in cash on had when the reporting period ended earlier this month. Clements has not said how much cash he has.

Weh's camp says Clements did not file his FEC report on time, but Clements said he has a tracking record that shows he has and that the Senate Clerk was slow in posting his report to the FEC site.

Clements, 34, has positioned himself as the libertarian Republican and fresh face and still hopes to attract national political support. He needs to.

Meanwhile, the Senate race remains Dem Senator Tom Udall's to lose. He reports a big fund-raising haul of $1,010,599 in the first quarter and finished with $3,117,813 cash on hand.

US HOUSE ACTION

Dem US Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham remains heavily favored to retain her ABQ congressional seat this fall. She reports raising $234,985 in the first quarter with cash on hand of $842,000.

The Republicans vying for the right to take on Grisham--who is unopposed for the Dem nod--are Mike Frese and Richard Priem.

Frese had only $27,000 in cash at the end of the quarter. Priem had $41,000.

Down South, Dem Rocky Lara has been having a go of it, but GOP incumbent US Rep. Steve Pearce has answered, Pearce now has $1.380 million cash on hand compared to Lara's $444,000. Neither have primary opposition.

APD CRISIS

It was a universally scorned news conference by APD Chief Gorden Eden Wednesday. He appeared befuddled and uninformed as he repeatedly declared, "I don't know" when queried about key issues in this week's fatal police shooting of 19 year old Mary Hawkes. Eden was crucified on the evening newscasts, raising questions about the new chief's future. Our Alligators were out in force to assess this shooting and Eden's response. Here's a report:

What can you say about the Eden press conference? “I don’t know” seems to be the right answer.

Chief Eden said “I don’t know” so many times it made me wonder what he does know. Do we really believe he doesn’t know the answers? If he didn’t know then he is admitting to not doing his job as chief. If he knew, he should have truthfully answered the question or said he can’t answer because it is under investigation. To trust your police the citizens must trust their chief. So far Eden has not done much to gain the trust of the community. Is it now too late for him?

And what about the Command Staff in the room? Didn’t any of them know the answers to some questions? If not, why not? The command staff was suspiciously quiet during the news conference. Are they letting Eden sink, or are they all quiet for a reason? The community isn’t trusting the cops at the top and therefore are not trusting the department as a whole.

 Eden couldn’t name the maker of the lapel cameras but we all know former APD Chief Ray Schultz knows, because he went to work for Taser immediately after he retired from the city. Most lapel camera video sucks. The Boyd shooting was good video, but it was helmet mounted, not lapel. The entire Taser contract should be investigated for pay-to-play. Ray signs the $1,950,000 for Taser lapel camera and then retires and goes to work for Taser. Doesn’t anyone in the check and balance system find this suspicious? Shouldn’t the DOJ look into this? Federal grant money may have been used. And what about the City Council and the NM AG? Shouldn’t they investigate for violation of City Ordinance (Conflict of Interest)? Hell, District Attorney Kari Brandenburg could even repair her credibility by investigating.

It seems the only people that the DOJ and others want to target are the officer in the street. Their silence on Tasergate speaks volumes that the guys at the top are not going to be held accountable, but the guy at the bottom will be slammed. Equal justice for all? Not for Albuquerque Police.

 PAY TO PLAY?

A potentially devastating report for Schultz and the Berry administration came from KRQE-TV news on Taser and possible pay to play. We say potentially because as the Alligator above wonders who will investigate and bring charges if necessary. The report:

Former APD Chief Ray Schultz helped make Albuquerque one of Taser’s biggest clients before he retired. Now he’s on Taser’s payroll.

“I actually started after I retired so I started talking in October,” Schultz told KRQE News 13 in a February interview. “After I retired, they asked if I’d be willing to come and share some of our experiences so I agreed to do that.”

Emails obtained by News 13 show his speaking gig, and a multi-million dollar city contract with Taser International signed in September, were in the works long before that. A timeline of the events leading to Schultz’s retirement as Chief of APD shows a correlation with the events leading to the city signing off on a nearly $2 million, 5-year contract for Taser Axon Flex cameras, online storage and accessories.

And what about the newspaper's investigative reporters. Will they finally join the hunt?

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Mayor Berry prides himself on being a solid money manager and fiscal conservative but with the police department drama costing us millions in lawsuit settlements--nearly $25 million since 2010--do those labels hold up under close examination?

The city will soon add $2 a month to your garbage bill and water bills are set to go up another $3 a month. That's $5 a month or $60 a year for all homeowners.

What if we only had to pay out $5 million in lawsuit cash instead of $25 million? Could we have used those funds to forestall these rate increases? Sure seems that way. And would not a true fiscal conservative get in front of the APD runaway train and stop it before it cost taxpayers so much?

And get ready for it to get much worse. With another three fatal police shootings in the past five weeks drawing close scrutiny, the lawyers are lining up.

We think it's making these kinds of connections that keeps blogging so relevant to our community. . .

TIME TRAVEL

Campaign '14 is doing some time travel.....

Among the Dem candidates for Governor Alan Webber has the most cash in the bank so it's not a stunner that the camp of Governor Martinez has him in their sights. They've been shopping a story about how Mark Rudd, a long ago (very long ago) member of the radical group Weather Underground has given a donation to Webber and let his house be used for a Webber fund-raiser.

Rudd also gave a donation--$250--to Dem Guv hopeful Howie Morales. Rudd also gave donations to Dem State Auditor candidate Tim Keller and Dem Sec. of State candidate Maggie Toulouse Oliver (more on that below).

Rudd long ago denounced his ties to the Weather Underground and its call for the violent overthrow of the US government that was heard in the din of the 60's Vietnam protests. He has lived a quiet life in ABQ since 1978, retiring as a math instructor from CNM, not exactly conjuring up the image of a terrorist about to fly a plane into the Roundhouse. Of course,  the GOP portraying Rudd as a terrorist implies that Webber is an extreme leftie not fit to be governor.

SHIFTING GEARS

The Martinez camp is happy to shift the political conversation away from those controversial leaked audio tapes of Martinez in 2010. In them her top campaign aide Mark Kennicott refers to former House Speaker Lujan as a "fucking retard."

We're hearing from both R's and D's that Martinez erred by not quickly apologizing for that comment and others that ruffled feathers and them moved on. Without an apology there is the potential for TV spots and more backlash. (We are also being told by our Alligators that there is a good chance we will be hearing more leaked audio tapes of Martinez in the days ahead).

Meanwhile, Webber, who along with the rest of the Dem candidates have been tiptoeing ever so quietly through this campaign may be getting the hint that the best defense against the Martinez assault is a strong offense. Otherwise, they are going to be defined (and maybe defamed) before the Fourth Of July fireworks are fired off.

NEED A POLL

Martinez is the only Guv candidate up with TV ads and they should serve to contain possible damage caused by the leaked audio tapes. But they have made the snoozy primary season more interesting, Whether they are having any impact on her approval ratings remains to be seen.

A Common Cause December poll had her approval rating among registered voters at 55%. A late March PPP poll had her approval rating at 52% positive and 40% negative. Not bad, but no longer in the stratosphere. We await new polling.

NOT IMPRESSED

It was KRQE-TV that first bit on the Rudd-Webber story, but veteran ABQ Journal reporter Mike Gallagher was not impressed. He said on his Twitter account @MgallagherMike:

"Isn't there a statute of limitations on relevancy?" Voters will have to look him up in Wikipedia
to know who he once was."

Slate magazine came with this defense of the Santa Fe businessman who has loaned his campaign some $450,000:

The TV version of the report is even rougher—Rudd is introduced as a "well-known American terrorist." But all Weather Underground members are not Bill Ayers. KRQE blithely notes that Rudd had criticized the group "in recent years." He'd been doing that since 1990, at least. Rudd has long been the most apologetic of the Weather Underground's leaders, a fact not lost on his peers (Bill Ayers doesn't even mention him in his memoir.

ALLIGATOR ANALYSIS

One of our Dem Alligators has this insightful take on the battering of Webber by the Martinez operatives:

This hit on Webber is an indication of what's to come. People sometimes forget that this is a low turnout off-year election. Republicans are out to motivate their base and grab some independent men. They will attempt to define Webber early as ultra-liberal.

And What do all the probably Dem statewide candidates (besides AG hopeful Hector Balderas) have in common? They are white and they are liberal. If Webber is the Guv nominee and  Martinez can define him early and end her race early, Republican operatives will move to take down Auditor candidate Tim Keller and Sec. of State contender Maggie Toulouse and maybe some more.

THE GLOBAL DETECTIVE

Webber

Did you know? Alan Webber fancies himself  "The Global Detective." A description of a book by that name that Webber authored is on Amazon:

Meet Alan Webber, aka The Global Detective. If you've ever wondered how business is changing, where you can find new thinking and innovative start-ups, if you're troubled by global competition or have a hard time making sense of this next generation of young people in the work place, you've come to the right place. The Global Detective is on the case.

Hmmm. The Global Detective hooks up with Mark Rudd.

Governor Martinez, we may have something here for you. . .

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ABQ City Council

Only hours after the latest fatal police shooting the ABQ city council nibbled around the edges of the APD crisis, tossing around some feel-good proposals. One is to have the APD chief elected and another would give more power to the Police Oversight Commission.

But the real solutions require gutsy moves that our political, business and media leadership are so far unwilling to embrace. Chief among those is the hiring of a new police chief from out-of-state and the replacement of the key command personnel by that new chief. That would be the beginning of the major cultural change necessary to reform the department.

Another change that would speed up reform? Indictments of police officers for criminal violations in connection with the 24 fatal shootings since 2010. Justice is investigating several of the shootings for such violations but no indictments have been issued.

With Mayor Berry appearing unwilling to make the sweeping personnel changes needed, it's easy to see future APD and mayoral resistance to Justice Department reforms. If Justice and the city do become adversarial--as we predict--it will be a very long three years ahead. A new Mayor does not take office until December 2017.

THE LATEST SHOOTING

The news of the early Monday morning fatal police shooting of 19 year old Mary Hawkes--an auto theft suspect--sent the city reeling yet again. Demonstrators soon appeared at the shooting scene near Wyoming and Zuni and our long city nightmare continued.

APD Chief Eden says an officer on foot was chasing the woman who he said turned around during the chase and pointed a gun at the officer. She was shot and killed. It was the first woman killed by APD since the long string began in 2010.

More on her:

Mary Hawkes is the daughter of former Belen Police officer and retired Valencia County Judge Danny Hawkes. As a judge, he started a program to bring the magistrate courtroom to schools so kids can see the consequences of taking drugs and drinking and driving. He is well-known for trying to help troubled kids turn their lives around, adopting and fostering children like 19-year-old Mary. But she had been arrested at least four times in the last year on charges including shoplifting and drinking. Sources say the retired judge also has a son who works as an Albuquerque Police officer.

This was the third fatal police shooting in only five weeks. And Justice--even as it scrutinizes ABQ--has been embarrassed by two shooting incidents in the city in recent weeks by the US Marshall's office which falls under its purview.

The level of trust in APD's version of any police shooting is widely suspect in many quarters. Those versions have been found wanting by juries that have awarded millions of dollars in lawsuit settlements and brought the US Justice Department to town to investigate excessive force allegations.

THE STATE OF THIS CITY 

Joe Monahan

If there were ever an existential crisis, ABQ has got it. The public policy machinery of the city is broke, with a city council and mayor pedaling furiously on a stationary bicycle. The city--never an isle of serenity--seems more riddled with crime than ever. The lack of jobs (mostly for the under classes) and the continuing effects of the recession are debilitating. Police are facing tougher thugs and more suspects who are mentally ill. That leads to even more of the now infamous confrontations that test their mettle and training and which too often end in death.

As for the economy, it seems drugs and crime is the new growth engine in 21st century Albuquerque.

Perhaps worst of all it is a city that is riddled with a striking citizen apathy that has contributed to the decline in the quality of life for a great many of its residents. Only recently has that apathy been   pierced, sparking hope that perhaps finally the turning point is here,

We read an article recently about the spirituality of New Mexico and ABQ and of their natural beauty and enchanting cultures. Appreciating those qualities, we were told, is what makes one a New Mexican. That prompted this thought:

Appreciating the state's great legacy, its arts, culture and natural beauty today means putting a clothespin on your nose to avoid the smell of the social sewer that swirls around us.

The police shootings, the lost jobs, the petty political players and lack of leadership, the social conditions crisis manifesting itself in even more horrific child abuse cases and on and on and on. It makes the like of Georgia O'Keeffe seem much less relevant and overwhelms even the most loyal New Mexican.

IS ABQ DYING?

Wally Gordon

So many are bemoaning the post-recession ABQ. Wally Gordon, a veteran NM journalist of "The Independent" newspaper serving the East Mountain area, goes as far as to wonder aloud if ABQ should be considered a dying city:

Cities, like people, are works in progress. They have life cycles. . .They are born and grow and thrive. And they shrink and wither and die. Once the process of disintegration gains momentum, a city may reach a turning point and its fate may become irreversible.  Has Albuquerque reached that turning point? Has it arrived at an irreversible point of disintegration? Is it dying?

It is almost impossible to be certain of a turning point until it is in the rearview mirror. There are ample signs, however, that Albuquerque may be there. In major respects it is one of the nation’s failed metropolitan areas, among those with the worst economy, the least effective political leadership, the most unimaginative business community, the most violent police force, the worst child protective services, the highest poverty rate, the worst high school and college dropout rates, the least educated workforce, the greatest government dependence and the worst media news.

Business in Albuquerque is at a standstill. Shopping malls stand abandoned, dilapidated and empty. With a shrinking workforce, Albuquerque has fewer workers than in 2007. Uniquely in the West, more people are leaving than moving in. Commercial construction has not recovered. Housing sales and construction have not recovered. Government services and education, curtailed during the Great Recession, have not recovered.

. .. .Cities do die. Witness Detroit, St. Louis, New Orleans, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. . .These cites, of course, still exist, but only as shadows of what they were in the 1970s. Athens, Greece, once the most important city in Europe if not the world, with a population in the 5th century B.C. of perhaps 300,000, declined to a village of 5,000 by the early 19th century. Although it’s metro area has added 3 million people in the past two centuries, it has never recovered anything remotely resembling its former glory. So the question is less whether Albuquerque will find life after death than what the postmortem city will be like.

Food for thought, Wally. Much food indeed. . . .

JEFF WATCH

Rep. Jeff

How big a deal it will be won't be known until after the November election but right now it looks pretty big. Renegade State Rep. Sandra Jeff was tossed off the ballot Monday for failing to have the required number of valid petition signatures. The deed was done by a district court judge. Jeff of the Navajo Nation will likely appeal to the NM Supreme Court.

The state House is narrowly divided--37 Dems and 33 R's.  If the R's could hold all their seats and pick up three they could take control of the House for the first time since 1952. But Jeff has voted with the R's on several key issues. If she stayed around the R's might need to pick up as many as three seats--she could bolt and support someone other than Kenny Martinez for speaker.

How likely? Well, Jeff's lawyer for the petition case is notorious GOP attorney Pat Rogers who is also NM's GOP National Committeeman. The R's wanted Jeff that much.

As for Jeff's House seat, there are two other Dem primary candidates running, but the R's did not field a candidate. The winner of the June 3 primary will in all likelihood take the seat. Jeff could still run as a write-in candidate.

The Dems have had little good news to celebrate in recent years. This news finally gives them something to celebrate

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There was another fatal police shooting in ABQ Monday morning on Zuni near Wyoming.

Justice Department or no Justice Department, APD continues to play the game the way it always has. That was clear late on Good Friday afternoon when APD decided to finally release the police lapel  video of the fatal March 25 police shooting of 38 year old Alfred Redwine.

Dumping news near 5 p.m. on a Friday (especially a holiday) is  an old (and tired) technique of trying to bury bad news. While everyone is waiting for a more open and transparent APD to help begin healing the terrible damage inflicted on the city's reputation, we get the same block and deflect tactics that have shattered APD's credibility.

As for the Redwine video, which took nearly a month to release, it is indeed bad news for APD. None of the video shows Redwine firing on officers. He may or may not have fired a gun into the ground prior to or after being shot. It remains ambiguous whether the shooting was justified. So here we go with more lawyers, more lawsuits and probably more tax dollars out the door. . .

The final cost of the years-long APD debacle will be tens of millions of dollars. Some of it will go out in small chunks--like this:


Re-listening to Kennicott tape about Lujan and it's worse. I think he actually calls him "f**king retard" 

We also took another listen and it seems clear that Kennicott says the now deceased Lujan sounds like "a fucking retard."

Kennicott--now a spokesman for the state Human Services Department--says he was simply relaying a story to Martinez from another source who made the derogatory comments about Lujan.

Saying someone sounds like "a fucking retard" demeans and degrades Lujan and all who suffer from mental illness. Is Kennicott saying that his story teller used the phrase "fucking retard" and that he was just relaying that to Martinez?

Martinez prides herself on being "tough" and refuses to apologize to the public or the Lujan family or in any way discipline Kennicott.

Will the forlorn Democrats decisively determine that Kennicott said "fucking retard" and make an issue of it? You know what would happen if the shoe was on the other foot. . . .

GUV RADIO ADS

The audio tapes leaked to Mother Jones magazine have entered the Dem Governor primary, but not exactly with a bang. Alan Webber came with a radio ad that seized on comments Martinez made about school teachers getting several months off a year and suggesting they don't deserve raises. He made a small buy on four radio stations in ABQ, Santa Fe, Taos and Las Cruces.

Lawrence Rael went up with a small radio buy over the weekend. It's a spot on the state's lousy economy--not on the controversial tapes--and airs in both English and Spanish. Rael isn't saying what stations he bought.

At this stage in the proceedings--with the first absentee votes set to be cast May 6--you would expect TV ads--not radio ads. But everyone is holding back their firepower--mainly because their financial firepower is quite limited.

Some analysts think if one of the candidates started pounding away at Martinez they might actually raise money from a more energized Democratic base.

DEM CHANCES

As for unseating Martinez in November one of our Senior Alligators says:

If the Dems are going to get a shot at Martinez they are going to have nationalize this election--generate interest outside of the state to take her out and get the money in here to do it. They will need to do things like getting Obama and Biden in here to remind people that this is a Democratic state and despite the Governors posing as a "bipartisan" leader, she is a hard-core Republican. The Republican have the fear advantage--Democrats are afraid of them. Unless that changes, there will no change....

In an editorial on the audio tapes and Governor Martinez, the Santa Fe New Mexican comes with the kind of tough talk about the Guv that the famished Democratic base is waiting to hear form their Guv contenders:

It is troubling that Governor Martinez has allowed a culture in which these comments and other offensive remarks by her staff are deemed acceptable. It is deeply disappointing that instead of speaking out against this offensive language, Governor Martinez has tolerated it and even rewarded this type of behavior by making this individual a spokesman in her administration.

PETE AND SON


Here's a little exclusive for you. We believe it's the first public photo of former NM US Senator Pete Domenici with his son Adam Paul Laxalt.

Also pictured are Domenici's sister Thelma and son Pete Domenici Jr.

Adam Laxalt is a lawyer who is seeking to become attorney general of Nevada and the photo was snapped at a fund-raised the elder Domenic hosted for his son.

The state was stunned in February of last year  to learn that Domenici had engaged in an extramarital affair in the 1970's and that the mother of Adam is Michelle Laxalt, daughter of former Nevada GOP Senator Paul Laxalt. Michelle was a 24 year old lobbyist at the time of the affair.

Domenici, now approaching 82, says he has made amends with all concerned. The fund-raiser sold ticket for $1000 and $500 a piece and was held at ABQ's Scalo restaurant. Governor Martinez was listed on the invite as a "special guest."

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