Democracy for New Mexico

(Updated) Dems Make History in US House: Health Insurance Reform Passes 220-215

Update: Here are statements released about tonight's vote by Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (pdf) and Rep. Martin Heinrich (pdf).
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In an historic vote that ended at 11:14 PM Eastern Time, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3962 by a margin of 220-215. Every Republican except one -- Rep. Anh Cao (LA-02) -- voted nay. A total of 219 Democrats voted for the bill and 39 voted nay. Click for official roll call vote. The New York Times provides a cool map of how the vote went by district, as well as coverage on the process of gaining passage today.

Unfortunately, the bill contains the so-called Stupak amendment to limit women's reproductive rights and the right to choose. A total of 64 Democrats voted for the amendment including Rep. Harry Teague (D, NM-02). Read about it here. Shame on Congressman Teague, who also voted against the main bill. Why did he think he had a right to support an amendment to a bill he never intended to vote for? A total of 22 other Dems did the same.

Rep. Martin Heinrich (D, NM-01) and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D, NM-03) both voted for the main bill and voted no on the Stupak amendment. Bravo to both of them! It was a long, hard fight and we appreciate their hard work to get the best bill possible. Elections have consequences!

Consider the Source: Scarantino Busted on Exaggerated Claims on Denish Spending

I've held back on discussing this week's wingnuttery attacks by James Scarantino -- who writes for a blog paid for by the right-wing Rio Grande Foundation -- on Lt. Governor Diane Denish. Scarantino asserted in a post this week that Denish had misused $225,000 in funds allocated to her by Governor Bill Richardson. The money was part of funding provided to the state via a bill signed in 2003 by President George Bush that cut taxes and provided some "stimulus" cash. Scarantino failed to provide any info on the rules that governed how the funding was to be used, but he made a number of dubious claims anyway suggesting the money had been misspent by Denish.

The fact of the matter is that the money came with no well-defined rules about how it was to be spent by the states, with the GAO stating the funds were “generally ... unrestricted in nature.” Basically, it was money provided to the states to use as they wished. Period.

Governor Richardson passed along $225,000 of the total to Lt. Gov. Denish and it appears to have been used primarily to promote her work to improve conditions for New Mexico's children -- including a poll to study attitudes about children and the formation of a Children's Cabinet. The "PR" that Scarantino claims was for the benefit of Denish was used to pump up the LG's work on behalf of children -- many of whom suffer severely from the negative effects of poverty -- as well as a small amount of organizational work related to a public Christmas event that included homeless children.

Scarantino apparently considers this a waste of taxpayer money -- pretty much how he and his cohorts at the Rio Grande Foundation consider ANY use of taxes for the common good. There's a good reason they're known as the "I've got mine" brigade.

Viral Spread
Scarantino's claims were picked up by a number of local political blogs, as well as the Santa Fe New Mexican, Albuquerque Journal and two TV news outlets, and presented with little or no fact checking on whether the claims had any basis in reality. Republicans -- including gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez, GOP Chairman and oil man Harvey Yates, Jr. and former Rep. Heather Wilson -- seized on Scarantino's assertions and issued exclamation point press releases ravaging Denish for her supposed misdeeds. Gubernatorial candidate Allen Weh went so far as to call a press conference -- dutifully attended and reported on by many in the media -- alleging that Denish may have acted illegally and calling for investigations by the State Auditor, the State Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney General. Heavy-duty stuff. A regular pile on.

Reality Impaired
The only problem? Scarantino's "research" on the matter was more than a little compromised by his yearning to attack Denish and the Democrats for heinous acts, and draw attention to himself and the New Mexico Watchdog website. He definitely got the attention. Big splash by the guy known for claiming that Rep. Martin Heinrich hangs out with "eco-terrorists," yelling "Heil!" in response to cheers at an Obama rally and explaining how progressives -- and progressive legislation like domestic partnership bills -- are really, truly, I'm not kidding you, FASCIST in nature. (Scarantino likes to paraphrase the paranoid, fact-challenged scribblings of Jonah Goldberg -- right-wing dissembler supreme.)

When Scarantino or others of his ilk publish scurrilous tracts that seek to promote right-wing echo chamber talking points, it's always tempting to jump in quickly and smack them down. It's usually very easy. The quandary is that, in order to criticize the claims, one has to call attention to them and thus provide them with greater exposure -- just what the culprits wanted in the first place.

In this case, I knew that Scarantino's charges were very likely trumped up and full of distortions and exaggerations. Like anyone knowledgeable about the way in which the right-wing echo chamber operates, I'm careful to CONSIDER THE SOURCE before taking accusations and allegations seriously. And if the source is Fox News or Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh or Karl Rove or James Scarantino -- in all probability "there is no there there," as Gertrude Stein once said. (Aside: Ms. Stein also wrote that "a rose is a rose." This, too, applies as "a Scarantino accusation is a Scarantino accusation," and most people with a working truth-meter in their brains immediately smell a rat.)

So, anyway, I decided to sit back and watch the media furor develop. I'm no journalist (neither is Scarantino) and I certainly possess neither the training nor the time to obtain and study all the documents that would be useful in determining the efficacy of Scarantino's assertions. But I had a hunch someone else would.

Just the Facts
Voila! Local reporter-blogger Heath Haussamen took a couple days to study the documents related to the claims by Scarantino and published an article with the title, "Denish stimulus spending: What’s the big deal?" In other words, Scarantino's post is much ado about nothing.

Bottom line: Definitely read Haussamen's entire piece, but I think this is one of his money graphs:

Though I’m not certain at all, I think it’s still possible there was a little mixing here, with a very small amount of public money. But my question, then, is this: If Republicans want to complain about the possibility that a Denish staffer might have been paid with public money for a few hours of work related to a Christmas card, do they also have a problem with the calendar hanging above my desk and paid for by taxpayers that former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., mailed me (also with taxpayer money) last year just before he retired?

Scarantino also suggested that the Lt. Governor's work on behalf of children and others was unconstitutional:

Under the New Mexico State Constitution, the only powers and duties given to the Lt. Governor are to serve as president of the State Senate, cast a vote in cases of a tie and to succeed to the office of Governor in the case of death, incapacity or removal. Unlike other executive officers, the state constitution does not even require the Lt. Governor to keep public records, books, papers or seals of public office.

As is his habit, Scarantino omitted any references that might rebut his views. In fact, state law significantly expands the role of the LG beyond the definition in the Constitution. As Thomas Cole wrote in his UpFront column in the Albuquerque Journal today,

... state laws impose additional duties and give the lieutenant governor ... wide discretion in shaping the job.

The lieutenant governor is a mandated member of the state Board of Finance, the Children's Cabinet, the Military Base Planning Commission, the Spaceport Authority, the Border Authority, the Community Development Council and the Mortgage Finance Authority.

State law also requires the lieutenant governor to "facilitate and promote the cooperation and understanding between the people of this state and the agencies of state government" and to "perform any other duties that may from time to time be assigned him by the governor."

More to Come
As I said earlier, there is "no there there" in Scarantino's recent attack on Denish. But that's apparently not going to stop him from continuing to selectively serve up documents to instigate clearly partisan smears that match the political strategies of the right-wing attack dogs. The 2010 election cycle version of the notorious Swiftboat brigades will be brutal indeed. Haussamen's post included a Scarantino statement defining how he sees his mission at New Mexico Watchdog:

“Please understand my role as New Mexico Watchdog,” he wrote in an e-mail. “Most of what I will do is dig through voluminous records and report on what’s there, something that too few people have the time or wherewithal to do. I then report on what is in the records.”

“I hope my work serves as a resource to enable professional and citizen journalists to dig deeper, which seems to be the case in this matter,” he wrote.

Right. He's just performing public-service research and leaving the conclusions to others. His work just happens to serve the political needs of Weh et al. Anyone have a guess on how much Scarantino will delve into the use of funds from federal contracting -- a lot of it related to Iraq -- of Allen Weh's CSI Aviation Services? Or into how Susana Martinez spent her prosecutor funds? Or into the kind of clients served by PR maven Doug Turner's company? Or into what actually happened between Republican land commissioner Pat Lyons and Las Cruces developer Philip Philippou on those land leases? I'm sure we'll got lots of "fair and balanced" -- at least the Fox News version of "fair and balanced."

GOP Tea Party on Steroids
Obviously, Scarantino will concentrate on providing new fodder for the right-wing spin machine as the politics of the 2010 election cycle heat up. He'll have plenty of company and support. The national focus of the Republican Party and conservative "movement" has degenerated into a Tea Party cum Fox News cum Glenn Beck cum Rush Limbaugh cum Michelle Bachmann hate fest. They're all of a piece in pushing a "patriot" revolution made necessary by the election of a secretly Muslim, foreign-born president planted here to bring down the good ole' boy US of A and install a fascist-Communist-socialist dictatorship. It's all they have.

When your only current policy position is NO -- and the governing philosophies of your bunch were almost entirely responsible for creating the worst economic cataclysm since the Great Depression, getting us into two quagmires and pretty much demolishing the middle class -- the only thing you've got left is trying to undermine the opposition without any regard to the truth. And there's a lot of right-wing money that will be used to support that effort. There always is.

For instance, New Mexico Watchdog is already accompanied by blogs using the Watchdog name, artwork and focus in other states including Kansas, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia, with more to come across the nation. It's not clear who's funding the effort, but we know that the Rio Grande Foundation has in the past received funds from the Cato Institute. No doubt they'll be pulling "donations" from the well-established and growing Swiftboat-Richard Scaife-Cato Institute-Heritage Foundation network that works to discredit anything left of Atila the Hun.

Clearly, Scarantino and the Rio Grande Foundation crew intend to bury us with biased research and revelations culled from digging deep into any and all paperwork that might be mined for smears and innuendo against Democrats. Let's hope that next time the media will delve a little deeper into the facts before helping to create a viral dissemination of what amounts to typical right-wing spin attacks. As for me, I intend to give Scarantino's future chicken scratching as wide a berth as possible. I don't have to read his stuff to know which way the wind blows in right-wing land, or to judge whether he's being fair or not. I already know. He pretends to be nonpartisan, but he's on a mission to discredit Dems and he obviously intends to do so regardless of the facts. What more do we need to know?

Rep. Harry Teague Announces Decision to Vote Against House Health Care Reform Bill

Congressman Harry Teague (NM-02) released a statement yesterday afternoon explaining that he will be voting against H.R. 3962, the House health insurance reform bill and laying out the reasons for his decision. Rep. Teague said:

“Let me be clear, I believe we need to reform our health care system. I personally know how not having health insurance can impact individuals and families. Growing up, both my parents worked, but we still couldn’t afford health insurance. So when my parents got sick, I had to drop out of high school and go to work to help support our family. Those were difficult times and why as a small business owner I worked hard to provide affordable health insurance options to my employees and their families.

"I had hoped to have an opportunity to vote for a health insurance reform bill that would guarantee every American access to affordable, quality health care, and rein in the skyrocketing health care costs that are keeping people and businesses out of the system and driving up our national debt. Unfortunately, the current bill before Congress falls short of that and I am left with no choice but to vote against it.

"This bill doesn’t do enough to rein in insurance companies. It mandates millions of people and businesses to buy health insurance, but does little to make insurance companies control consumer costs. I am also concerned that American taxpayers will end up footing a nearly $900 billion tab for a bill that doesn’t do enough to ‘bend the cost curve’ in a way that permanently reduces both costs and the national debt.

"I came to Washington with personal experience of how a health care crisis can impact a family and with a commitment to getting this kind of misguided spending under control. Health insurance reform is too important to settle for a bill that appears to be a temporary fix that guarantees more money for insurance companies and a bigger national debt, but in the end doesn’t lower the cost of health care for New Mexico families and businesses. I intend to continue pushing for reform that lowers the cost of health insurance for families and businesses in a fiscally responsible way.”

After working late into the night yesterday -- primarily on trying to iron out disagreements on coverage for abortion and whether undocumented workers would be allowed to purchase coverage -- the U.S. House is currently involved in what's expected to be a day-long debate on the bill, with a floor vote to come as early as this evening. President Obama and several aides will visit Capitol Hill this morning to personally shore up votes. Not a single Republican is expected to vote in favor of the bill.

New Mexico's two other House members, Rep. Martin Heinrich (NM-01) and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, have both said they'll be voting in favor of the bill. Other Democratic House members who said yesterday they would vote no on the health reform bill include Collin Peterson (D-MN), John Tanner (D-TN)., Bobby Bright (D-AL), Walter Minnick, D-Idaho, Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL), Travis Childers (D-MS), Parker Griffith (D-AL) and Frank Kratovil (D-MD). Speaker Nancy Pelosi can afford to lose only 40 Dem votes if the almost 2,000-page bill is to pass.

Almost 100,000 Citizens Express Support for Protecting Grand Canyon from Uranium Mining

As of the end of the public comment period this week, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar received input from 98,285 citizens supporting his proposal to protect the lands around Grand Canyon National Park from mining. The move would protect nearly one million acres from new mining claims for up to 20 years, the longest duration possible under current law, according to a statement released today by Environment New Mexico. The administration will take two years from the date of the proposal to decide whether to implement the withdrawal, during which time no new mining claims can be placed on the land.

“It is clear that Americans understand the value of this beautiful landscape and don’t want to see it destroyed,” said Kim McMurray of Environment New Mexico. “More mining would ruin the experience of families who travel from across the country expecting to see the grandeur of the canyon, not an industrial wasteland. If we fail to protect the Grand Canyon, the ghost of mining will haunt the land for centuries.” McMurray added.

In addition to the 98,285 individual comments, 34 groups submitted a joint letter of support for protection of the canyon from mining, and a coalition of organizations has been urging members of the U.S. House to cosponsor H.R. 644, the Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act, a bill that would permanently protect more than one million acres of land around the Grand Canyon from mining. The bill currently has 40 cosponsors.

The landscape is not the only thing at stake. The Colorado River, which runs through the Grand Canyon, provides drinking water for 25 million Americans living as far west as Los Angeles. Furthermore, the canyon and the surrounding areas are home to a rich diversity of plant and animal life, including 25 threatened and endangered animal species. The visible strata in the canyon walls also provide one of the most complete records of geological history in the world.

Due to the rising price of gold and uranium, the number of hardrock mining claims across the West has increased exponentially in recent years. As of January 2009, there were about 8,500 mining claims in the area near the Grand Canyon proposed for withdrawal. This is up from about 100 claims in January of 2003. Most, if not all, of these claims are for uranium and 1,100 of the claims are within five miles of the canyon.

“The Grand Canyon is a timeless national treasure. Its jagged red cliffs and winding Colorado River offer recreational opportunities for visitors that range from hiking and rock climbing to camping and river rafting,” said McMurray. “Mining so close to the Grand Canyon could wreak havoc on the landscape and release toxic chemicals into the drinking water supply for millions of Americans,” McMurray concluded.

11/19: Fundraiser for Campaign to Retain Metro Court Judge Briana Zamora

From Campaign to Retain Judge Briana Zamora:

You are Invited:
Fundraiser
For Judge Briana Zamora
At the home of Joe Conte
1501 Dartmouth NE, Albuquerque, NM
November 19th, 2009
5:30 to 7:30PM

Hosts:
Rep. Elias Barela ~ Rep. Bill O’Neill
Councilman Ken Sanchez ~ Caroline Buerkle
Martha Chicoski ~ Joe Conte
LaDonna L. Giron ~ Lori Martinez ~ Carolyn Ramos
Click for Flyer

Judge Zamora is a progressive, strong presence on the Metro Court Bench and it is essential we secure her presence on the Bench.

Dem Platform & Resolutions Committee to Hold Hearing in Las Vegas Nov. 14: All Dems Welcome

The Democratic Party of New Mexico's State Platforms and Resolutions Committee (SPARC) will be holding a resolutions hearing in Las Vegas, New Mexico on November 14th from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The committee will meet at Leveo Sanchez Lecture Hall on the first floor of Donnelly Library located at 802 National Avenue at New Mexico Highlands University (map).

The meeting is open to members of the State Central Committee, and all interested parties are invited to participate.

Regular committee business will begin at 10:00 AM and will last until 11:15 AM, when a one-hour session about prioritizing resolutions for presentation to legislators will take place. Lunch is on your own from 12:15 PM to 1:00 PM. At 1:00 PM, Nili Lange will do a presentation on immigration issues, followed by resolution discussion. After comments and questions, the meeting will adjourn by 4:00 PM.

Please consider using our Facebook Page to form carpools. For more information, contact Nancy Denker, Chair of SPARC at 505-265-3497.

Supreme Court of New Mexico Mourns Passing of Former Chief Justice Gene E. Franchini

The Justices and staff of the New Mexico Supreme Court were saddened to learn of the passing of distinguished jurist and friend, former Chief Justice Gene E. Franchini. Justice Franchini served on the Supreme Court from November 30, 1990, until his retirement December 31, 2002, and as Chief Justice from January 1997 to January 1999.

The current Justices on the New Mexico Supreme Court reflected on the life of Justice Franchini in a statement released today.

Said Chief Justice Edward L. Chάvez, who succeeded Justice Franchini on the Supreme Court, “He was an authentic person with exemplary integrity. His passion for life and the law was contagious.”

“I served with Justice Gene Franchini on our Supreme Court from December 1996 until his retirement. He always stood steadfast and was truly a solid anchor for the cause of justice,” said Justice Patricio M. Serna.

“Justice Franchini was a real role model and a strong advocate for the Judiciary,” said Justice Petra Jimenez Maes. “I admired his passion for maintaining the integrity of the legal profession and his willingness to tackle the elephant in the room.”

"Justice Franchini was a dear friend, a source of great inspiration, without whose help I would not be on the Court. I will never forget him,” said Justice Richard C. Bosson.

“Significantly, Justice Franchini passed away at the very moment when he was passing the torch to the next generation,” said Justice Charles W. Daniels.

Additional information about the passing of Justice Franchini, as well as his accomplishments, is provided by the Albuquerque Journal and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, which links to a 2003 interview with him.

Senate Energy Bill Passes Committee; Udall Says Global Warming Challenge Demands Bipartisan Cooperation

The office of Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) released a statement today to report that the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved S.1733, the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. Udall, a member of the committee, voted to pass the legislation so that broader, bipartisan cooperation and consensus to promote clean energy and combat global warming could be reached when the bill is debated by the full Senate Chamber. The EPW Chairman brought the measure to a vote in accordance with Committee rules after all seven Republican committee members boycotted several scheduled meetings to review and debate the bill.

Following the vote, Udall said, “Rather than face further delays and stalling tactics in this room, we should move on and seek bipartisan compromise on the floor. As a result, I support reporting this legislation to the full Senate. Senators from all parties and regions should have a chance to weigh in.”

Udall also noted that “bipartisan momentum is building” for clean energy and climate legislation, highlighting yesterday’s announcement by Senators John Kerry, D-MA, Lindsey Graham, R-SC, and Joe Lieberman, I-CT, to build upon S. 1733 and make additional improvements.

In the EPW Committee, Udall worked to include several provisions in the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act that benefit New Mexico and the West while putting the nation on a path toward energy independence, including:

Increased support for renewable energy development, including large-scale projects;

A greater role for natural gas, an abundant traditional fuel with low emissions;

Enhanced protections of natural resources and special places from wildfire and drought linked to climate change;

Increased protections for energy consumers, including rural electric cooperatives;

Enhanced roles for Indian tribes in developing clean energy and climate solutions;

Improved compliance options for small domestic oil refineries which serve New Mexico;

New opportunities for farmers and ranchers through the Supplemental Agriculture and Renewable Energy Program;

Greater role in the Renewable Fuels Standard for biofuels produced from algae.

“While this legislation continues to be a work in progress, this bill addresses many issues critical to New Mexico and the West,” Udall said. “I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues on a bipartisan basis to spur the creation of a clean energy economy and effectively combat global warming.”

A longtime proponent of a “Do It All” energy approach, Udall is on the record as a staunch advocate of a national energy policy that includes all of the tools in our energy toolbox - including energy efficiency, solar, wind, biofuels, natural gas, enhanced oil recovery, safe nuclear power and clean coal technologies.

S. 1733 would create a system of clean energy incentives and place limits on global warming pollution from approximately 7,500 large industrial facilities in the United States.

Economic analysis by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and the Congressional Budget Office, found the clean energy incentives would reduce imports of foreign oil and the costs of controlling global warming pollution would be low. Further analysis by academic and non-profit organizations also found clean energy incentives in S. 1733 would create nearly 2 million jobs and billions of dollars in energy savings.

DFA-DFNM Meetup Tonight: Meet Land Commissioner Candidate Ray Powell & Hear from Think New Mexico

The monthly DFA-DFNM Meetup will take place tonight, Thursday, November 5th, at 7:00 PM at the Social Hall of the First Unitarian Church on the SW corner of Carlisle and Menaul in Albuquerque.

Come on down and meet RAY POWELL, who's running for the Democratic nomination for STATE LAND COMMISSIONER. Ray previously served in the job from 1993 to 2002. He's a veterinarian by training and served as Chairman of the New Mexico Board of Veterinary Regulation and Licensing from 2002-2005. Over the past few years he's worked with the Jane Goodall Institute in Santa Fe. Ray will share his vision of what the public land office can be with progressive leadership, and take your questions.

You'll also get to hear from JASON ESPINOZA, who's the field director of THINK NEW MEXICO. The organization is a highly respected nonpartisan think tank here in New Mexico that's been doing some excellent work on education and ethics, including a push to ban political contributions from special interests and lobbyists.

Click here to join the Meetup group or RSVP for tonight's event. We're loosely affiliated with Democracy for America -- you can register as a member of DFA here.

11/6: Meet Secretary of State Mary Herrera at Re-Election Party in Los Alamos

From Committee to Re-Elect Mary Herrera:

You are cordially invited to a
Party to meet the Secretary of State
Mary Herrera

On Friday November 6, 2009 at 6:00 PM
At the home of Andy Obst,
5 Timber Ridge, Los Alamos (Map)

Hosted by
Andy Obst, Lori Peterson,
Michael Segura, Letitia Montoya and Carlos Villanueva

For directions calll (505) 983-8521
or Email letitiamontoya@msn.com
Facebook: Mary Herrera, Twitter: @MaryHerreraSOS.

Santa Fe County Magistrate Court Offers Warrant Forgiveness

The Santa Fe County Magistrate Court will offer warrant forgiveness to defendants with traffic cases in warrant status if they appear before the Court and address their outstanding obligations on November 21, 2009, from 8 AM to noon. Defendants who appear to address all unresolved traffic charges, fines and fees will avoid arrest, according to a statement released by the court. After November 21, state police will conduct a warrant sweep and arrest defendants on warrant status who failed to appear.

“We hope people will take advantage of this opportunity to appear before the court and arrange to pay their fines and fees, and avoid arrest,” said Santa Fe Magistrate Court Judge David Segura. “If you have a traffic case on warrant status, I urge you to come in and clear your cases while you can.”

Defendants may look up their case at www.nmcourts.gov/caselookup/app. If “TR” is included in their case number, they qualify. This program is not extended to defendants with misdemeanor, felony, DUI or domestic violence charges.

The Municipal Services Bureau (MSB) of Austin, Texas, will attempt to contact defendants by telephone or mail and alert them to the warrant forgiveness program. MSB will continue to collect on all cases in a delinquent status to increase compliance for the Court.

The Santa Fe Magistrate Court is located at 2056 Galisteo Street in Santa Fe. Any questions concerning the warrant forgiveness program should be addressed to Cynthia Pacheco, Warrant Manager, 505-827-4721 or aocclp@nmcourts.gov.

Stephen Jones: The Foxes Fail in New York, Democrats-Lite Falter in Virginia

This is a post by contributing writer, Stephen Jones, who is a progressive political activist and a resident of Las Cruces, New Mexico.

On Tuesday, retired Air Force Captain Bill Owens became the first Democrat to represent the northern tier district of New York State, presently numbered 23, since the Civil War era. One hundred and fifty eight years to be exact. The remote district borders the St. Lawrence River and the Canadian border and includes the Adirondack Mountains. The highest percentage any Democratic candidate has received prior to last night's victory in that district is 36.2% in 2006. The special election was scheduled to fill a vacancy caused when Republican Congressman John McHugh resigned to fill an appointment by President Obama to the position of U.S. Secretary of the Army.

In the special election Owens unexpectedly swamped Conservative Doug Hoffman in a campaign fought over health reform, economic development, reproductive choice and gay marriage. By contrast Creigh Deeds, the Democratic nominee for Governor of Virginia was easily defeated by his Republican challenger Bob McConnell. In that campaign Deeds, a conservative to moderate Democrat, opposed the public option in the national health care bills, promised to “opt-out” should Virginia be given the opportunity and adamantly opposed cap and trade legislation, among his other “moderate” positions.

“Given the choice,” Harry Truman said, “between a Republican and someone who acts like a Republican, people will vote for the real Republican all the time.”

These two election results are as instructive as any in their contrast between what progressives stand for and how we win and who the opposition is and why, if we stand up and fight, they will lose. In Virginia, Democratic Party insiders thought they had a perfect candidate in Deeds, a conservative in a conservative leaning state. In New York, they wrote off Owens as a token candidate in a right wing district.

Owens' victory came amidst some wild twists and turns, earning it national attention. Hoffman became the conservative standard bearer after driving Republican candidate, Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava, a moderate, out of the race. In New York, candidates can run on third party tickets as well as major party tickets, a process known as “fusion voting.” Blocked by the GOP committeemen of the district Hoffman ran on the Conservative Party line, then racked up the endorsements of most of the major right wing national leadership of the Republican Party, including Sarah Palin, who flew into the district to campaign for Hoffman.

Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and other right wing radio talk show hosts used their megawatt national microphones to demand support for Hoffman and to help the conservative raise millions in the effort. Dick Armey and the “teabaggers” joined the Club for Growth in making New York 23 ground zero and brought with them the town hall meeting tactics they thought were so effective last summer.

While the national press assumed the right wing noise machine would pick up a congressional seat, the voters of New York’s 23rd District said “not so fast” and elected the thoughtful, progressive Owens.

The intimidation tactics that the teabaggers used so effectively to garner media attention last summer, proved to be a disaster when real voters went to the polls. With police forced to keep raving conservatives from as far away as Texas from illegally electioneering, the people of New York’s northern tier, where Republican registrations outnumber Democratic ones by nearly four to one, did the right thing and elected the Democrat.

These two elections ought to tell us the obvious. Harry Truman was right. He usually was. If Democrats stick forthrightly to our progressive principles people will come out and vote for us. If we try to waver to pick up some mythical voter in the middle, we’ll lose. People don’t run out to vote for you simply because you have a “D” next to your name.

On the other side, all the noise and raving and extreme demands of the teabaggers and their crowd can destroy a major political party, but to win elections you need to respect the people who actually enter into those voting booths. If the Republican Party continues to follow Beck, Limbaugh and the Club for Growth into the fever swamp of the radical right, the Republican Party will go the way of its most recent champ, Doug Hoffman, into the trash pile of history.

Stephen Jones, our new contributing writer, is a progressive political activist and a resident of Las Cruces, New Mexico with a background in history, libraries and records management. He has been involved in many civil and human rights campaigns.

He has previously lived and worked in Wisconsin and Illinois and served for three terms, in the late 1980's as State Chair of the Independent Voters of Illinois, a leading progressive non-partisan political and legislative action community organization in that state. He has been a community organizer and he has been involved in numerous issue and political campaigns.

New Mexico House Delegation Voices Commitment To Improving Health And Wellness in Indian Country

There is so much going on in Washington with New Mexico's Congressional delegation that it's hard to keep up. And that's a very good thing. This morning, U.S. Representatives Martin Heinrich (NM-01) and Ben Ray Luján (NM-03) joined Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress for a meeting in the Capitol with Jefferson Keel, president of the National Congress of American Indians, and other Tribal leaders to highlight the benefits of health insurance reform to the Native American community. Our members of Congress released a joint statement reporting on the meeting. (Click on photos for larger versions.)

“Our country desperately needs health insurance reform -- but our pursuit of reform cannot leave Native Americans behind,” said Rep. Heinrich. “I represent tens of thousands of Native Americans in central New Mexico, and my constituents have made it clear that they cannot wait any longer for health care reform in Indian Country.”

“On this historic day, I was honored to join distinguished Tribal leaders to discuss critical changes to the health insurance reform legislation that will greatly benefit the Indian people,” said Rep. Luján. “As I’ve traveled my district, I’ve visited tribal lands and spoken with Indian people about their needs and the needs of their communities. One of their primary needs is an improved health system. That’s why we worked together for the inclusion of language that will reauthorize the Indian Health Care system and continue funding for health services for American Indians and Alaska Natives -- helping to make long-awaited improvements to the system, enhancing and expanding care, and better addressing the unique needs of people in Indian Country.”

“It is a shame that it has taken this long to reauthorize the Indian Health Care Act,” said Rep. Harry Teague (NM-02) who has supported reauthorizing the Indian Health Care Act as a stand-alone measure. “The government needs to honor the commitments it made. Securing a steady source of funding for the Indian Health Care System will mean increased access and provide better quality care for southern New Mexico’s Native American families. The House must pass a reauthorization and improvement of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.”

Last week, the House unveiled the blended health insurance reform bill H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which provides significant protections for Native Americans. Taxpayers who are eligible for health care services as members of a federally-recognized Indian Tribe are treated as having satisfied the individual responsibility requirement. Health coverage that is provided by a tribe to a tribal member is excluded from the tribal member’s taxable income. Standards for qualified health benefit plans, including the public option, are modified to provide for rules regarding Indian enrollees and Indian health care providers.

Language to permanently reauthorize the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA), which governs the Indian Health Care System (IHS), is also included in H.R. 3962. IHS is the provider of choice for many Native American patients. Unfortunately, IHCIA was last reauthorized in 1992, and that reauthorization expired eight years ago. Reauthorization will allow much-needed reforms to the Indian Health Service to move forward.v

Click to access H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act online.

At Last: Bingaman Reports Senate Approved Unemployment Benefits Bill

You may recall that GOP Senators have been on a mission to delay or quash legislation to extend unemployment benefits to those suffering in a struggling economy characterized by continuing job losses. They've been stalling and trying to add unrelated amendments about things like ACORN, immigration and stimulus money to muck up the process. After much ado, Dems finally managed to get the legislation to the Senate Floor for a vote, where it passed 98-0.

Senator Jeff Bingaman said in a statement released today that he is pleased the Senate has approved legislation to extend unemployment benefits to thousands of New Mexicans who have been unable to find a job in this difficult economic climate.

The bill would extend unemployment insurance by up to 14 additional weeks for jobless workers in all states and up to 20 weeks in hard-hit states with unemployment levels at or above 8.5 percent. New Mexico’s unemployment rate as of September was 7.7 percent, up from 4.3 percent a year ago.

“Like the rest of the country, New Mexico is feeling the effects of the current economic situation,” Bingaman said. “While it is not a permanent solution, unemployment benefits provide many families with temporary relief as they continue to look for work. I am pleased it has cleared another hurdle.”

The bill does the following:

Extend unemployment insurance by up to 14 additional weeks for jobless workers who exhaust their benefits by Dec. 31; and

Extend benefits for an six additional weeks for workers who exhaust their unemployment benefits by Dec. 31, in states with unemployment levels over 8.5 percent.

The bill does the following to encourage new home-buying:

Extend through April 30, 2010 the tax credit for first-time homebuyers (up to $8,000 or up to 10 percent of the purchase price of the residence), allowing 60 days to close (July 1, 2010), provided that the homes are under a binding contract by April 30;

Provide homebuyer tax credit of up to $6,500 to owners who have been in the same principal residence for five consecutive years during the previous eight years;

Increase the income limitations to $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for joint filers;

Phase out the credit for individuals with incomes above $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for joint filers at the same rate as current law (over the next $20,000);

Limit the credit to purchases of principal residences equal to or less than $800,000;

Eliminate the 36-month recapture requirement for military personnel, including members of the Foreign Service and intelligence community, forced to sell as a result of an official extended duty of service; and

Extend the tax credit for one year for military personnel serving outside the United States for at least 90 days in 2009 or 2010.

The bill must now be approved by the House of Representatives before it can be signed into law. It's expected to pass quickly.

Udall: Indian Country Must be Key Player in Development of Clean Energy Legislation

Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) today delivered remarks on the impact of clean energy and climate change legislation on Indian Country during a gathering of representatives of the nation’s 564 federally-recognized tribes.

“Indian Country represents 5 percent of the nation’s land base and contains 10 percent of its energy resources. Your lands are rich in renewable resources like wind, solar, geothermal and biomass. And you are examples to the nation of what it means to be true stewards of the land,” Udall told the group. “I’m working hard in the Senate to make sure Native tribes not only have a seat at the table in this debate, but also get their fair share of the benefits and economic opportunity we expect from our transition to a clean energy economy.”

The tribes were in Washington, DC, for the White House Tribal Nations Conference, according to a statement released by Udall's office. Udall will attend the summit’s opening session at the White House tomorrow morning.

Senator Udall is a member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, where clean energy legislation is currently being debated. The Senator has been a strong advocate for inclusion of provisions in the bill to address the unique concerns of tribal communities. Last month, along with Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, Udall sponsored a briefing to hear from tribal leaders on the impact of the legislation.

From that meeting and others, Udall championed several provisions in the Senate bill that would:

Increase the share of funding available for tribes for renewable energy and energy efficiency to as much as 3 percent.

Increase the tribal share of domestic adaption funding to as much as 5 percent.

Include tribes in energy efficient building and home heating assistance programs.

Require greater inclusion of tribes in planning provisions concerning fish and wildlife habitats, drinking water and wastewater system adaption, clean transportation, and state natural resource adaption.

Ensure that 5 percent of federal natural resource adaption funding goes to tribes and that tribal land is eligible for additional federal natural resources funding.

“We’ve put together a package of provisions that I believe address many of the concerns we’ve heard from you about how this legislation will impact tribal communities,” Udall told the group. “We have not yet made all of the improvements that tribal leaders and experts have identified, but we have made great progress – and we could not have done it without the organizations that invited me here today.”

The climate change luncheon and briefing was sponsored by National Congress of American Indians, the Native American Rights Fund, the National Tribal Environmental Council, and the National Wildlife Federation.

MyTribeTV, a Native-owned business in Seattle, will provide online coverage of the conference. The event will be streamed at tribalsummit.mytribetv.com.