 |
| Biden in NM |
(Biden speech here. Speeches of MLG and Sens. Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan here.)
Biden and the Governor have an interesting relationship. She was considered and rejected for a cabinet post. But you would never know it by the lovefest between the two during this presidential stop. And we do mean lovefest. Here's what Scranton Joe told her from the Belen podium:
And how about Ben Ray Lujan? The state worries about the Senator following that stroke from which he recovered and now sports a lengthy head scar from the needed brain surgery. And like so many, he struggles with his weight. However twice during his speech---the best of the show--he highlighted his love for chicharrones, the popular but fat-laden snack that is a mainstay of New Mexico cuisine. If he had a worry in the world, you couldn't tell.
I am prepared to. . .making sure those folks are taken care of.
That's what the national Republican spin masters had to say on social media about the absence of southern US Rep. Gabe Vasquez from the presidential event, even though it took place right in his own district.
Obviously Vasquez is running scared and fears an association with Biden who is set to carry the state big next year but the southern district will be close. That's a political reason for a US congressman from a district awash in federal funds running to seek cover. And it doesn't wash. It's Vasquez' job to show up and he didn't explain why, either.
Most important the media coverage was generally positive, giving the White House a boost in its efforts to get Biden recognition for the massive Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that won congressional approval but remains unknown to much of the public.
His stop at Belen--the first presidential visit to the city of 8,000 that traces its history to the 1740's--was in the Red county of Valencia but the event at the Arcosa wind tower manufacturing plant was clearly aimed at a national audience.
The plant is a recipient of significant production incentives under the IRA and business is booming. The same can't be said for the entire state economy but generally it's pretty darn good even as generational struggles with poverty and education continue.
MLG pointed out in her speech that the jobless rate in the state is down to 3.5 percent. "Tell me the last time that's happened," she boasted to the gathering of a couple hundred.
JOE AND MLG
You're the very best, kid. You're the best. That's a fact. You're the best. . . . I love you.
A sweet moment for the Governor, who called Biden "a courageous partner," but a critical one for our state in keeping the immense federal presence here from seeping away. Coming as it did in the aftermath of a reduction in force at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis it was a great relief. A well-briefed Governor and one with congressional experience can be a force in DC.
And that love tap from the chief executive renewed speculation that a cabinet post just might be back on the table for her--someday.
The Governor's seven minute speech found her in top form at the heavily publicized confab. She breezed through with a tone more conversational and relaxed than in the heat of a campaign where many New Mexicans are accustomed to seeing her. Also gone was any hint of a dictatorial tone that set off her critics during COVID.
This is a governor who appears more comfortable in her skin than at any time in her lengthy political career. For the romantics in the audience looking for a why, during her speech Wednesday she did shower public praise on her new husband, Manny Cordova.
BEN RAY'S MOMENT
But the dramatic moment came when Lujan went off script to lobby the President publicly for federal assistance for the generations of "downwinders" who suffered health consequences from the first atomic blast that was detonated south of Belen. And it worked.
Biden appeared a bit taken aback when he addressed Lujan but the high impact gambit brought this presidential response:
 |
| Allen Sanchez of CHI |
Getting the president on the record to pledge help for the downwinders when it had nothing to do with the matter at hand was a coup that sent Lujan into the national headlines. The son of a legendary state House Speaker, he came into office in 2020 with expectations high. He showed Wednesday those expectations can still be met.
Senator Heinrich was no footnote in Belen. He's not known for his flair but he gave a more than serviceable offering to the national audience. And he pointed out he was way ahead of the curve in promoting the Sun Zia transmission line in the south that will be delivering electricity powered by wind to western America. When he talks environment, the authencity is there.
VANISHING VASQUEZ
By our count this is the third time that Vasquez has vanished when Biden came here--once as a candidate and twice as president. That's wrongheaded, troubling and makes life easier for Republican Yvette Herrell who is preparing a rematch against the freshman lawmaker in 2024. Unlike him, she seized the moment tweeting this:
Joe Biden’s policies have been a disaster for New Mexico - yet Gabe Vasquez continues to support Biden and his radical agenda. Vasquez can skip events in #NM02 with Joe Biden all he wants, but he can’t run from his extreme record.
 |
| DA Bregman and Biden |
We asked him directly for a comment on his Twitter feed but got crickets--and Vasquez had been posting praise of Biden's visit so he was active.
Later on Twitter Vasquez came with this excuse for missing his third Biden event as he showed a photo of himself with his elderly father:
I couldn’t be there because I needed to spend time with my father. To those who are blessed to have your parents, be sure to spend as much time with them as possible - you never know how much time you have left!
Really? Gabe, you're pushing the limits. . . (Maybe he needs a primary opponent.)
During the opening moments of his speech, Biden mistakenly said that US Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez was not in attendance but was corrected by the crowd and then said:
It's Gabe who isn't here.
That's not only a humiliating moment for Vasquez but a humiliation for the entire state he represents. It should not be allowed to stand. We take no pleasure in reporting that Vasquez has yet to demonstrate the necessary mettle and character to warrant re-election. Dissing the president is no way to get on track. We await a second act which Vasquez is badly in need of.
This is the home of New Mexico politics.
E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com)
Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.
(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023
(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023