Democracy for New Mexico

Deadline Nears for Dem Convention YouTube Contest

You have until August 1 to submit a short video (2 minutes or less) at YouTube on "Why I Am A Democrat in 2008," and enter the DNC contest described above by Chairman Howard Dean. Not only will the winner travel to Denver for the Convention, but the winning video will be shown to the Convention audience including elected officials and delegates. On top of that, the winner will also travel with Senator Obama’s campaign for a day, documenting life on the campaign trail.

A multitude of creative and powerful entries from across the country have already been uploaded. Click for examples here and here.

Even if you don't submit a video, you can view and rate the submissions here. Also check out videos by Gov. Bill Richardson and former mayor Federico Peña on why they're Democrats. They can't win the contest but you can -- if you upload your video by August 1st. Tick tock.

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Off to Netroots Nation in Austin

2007 blogger convention in Chicago had a Dem prez candidate debate

We'll be leaving tomorrow for Netroots Nation, the blogger convention that was formerly known as Yearly Kos. It's in Austin this year, and there's something very satisfying about large numbers of progressives piling into the state that's home to Bush's faux-ranch. I like to see this as an omen of things to come -- a Blue, Blue Texas not far off in the future. I guess I'm feeling optimistic today. When it's time to leave town I get like this. You know, all that on-the-road-again corniness.

We like to mosey some, so we're heading out a bit early and taking the long way. The convention officially begins on Thursday with a myriad of caucuses and an evening keynote by DNC Chair Howard Dean. H-O-W-A-R-D  P-O-W-E-R! You know, the guy many of us kiddingly curse for getting us so involved in politics and activism, which made our formerly (somewhat) peaceful -- if cynical -- lives into serial mini-dramas filled with jarring ups and downs. He always used to tell us that voting earns a person a mere, mediocre grade of C on the citizenship scale. And just think, most Americans don't even do that much.

Anyway, we'll be checking in when and if we can. I set up some automatic posts to fill in, where you should feel free to comment like they're open threads. I'm hoping to report in from Austin, but you never know. Also be sure to check over at New Mexico FBIHOP, as Matt will be in Austin too. And check out Avelino's blogs at https://www.avelinomaestas.com (as Matt suggests in the comments).

I know that some of the Dem campaign staffers will be there, and Ben Ray Lujan and Martin Heinrich will also be on the scene. Keep an eye out.

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NM-01: Heinrich Fundraising "Skyrockets" on ActBlue

Heinrich in discussion with campaign manager Jon Blair

Once again, NM-01 Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich was among the top weekly recipients of campaign funds on ActBlue, coming in at #4 just behind widely popular and high-profile Senate candidate Mark Warner:

Top 10 Candidates on ActBlue, June 24-30, 2008
Rick Noriega | TX-Sen | $119,418.37
Kay Hagan | NC-Sen | $88,551.01
Mark Warner | VA-Sen | $47,225.00
Martin Heinrich | NM-01 | $46,252.43
Joseph Sestak, Jr. | PA-07 | $30,809.50
Barack Obama | President | $26,535.80
Jeff Merkley | OR-Sen | $25,392.64
Bob Lord | AZ-03 | $25,255.39
Mark Begich | AK-Sen | $23,704.29
Joshua Segall | AL-03 | $22,661.00

As I posted previously, Heinrich was #5 in ActBlue fundraising the week before, from June 17-23. ActBlue had this to say about Heinrich's recent online fundraising:

Heinrich's fundraising numbers have continued to skyrocket, making last week his most successful showing yet on ActBlue. After the campaign's original goal to raise $35,000 by the end of the quarter was "obliterated," the campaign quickly surpassed their increased goal of $50,000. The campaign has since raised their target to $75,000. All of the contributors in this drive were entered into a drawing to 'Hike with Heinrich' on one of his favorite trails in New Mexico's 1st District.

When all was said and done at Midnight last night, Heinrich actually raised almost $100,000 in the campaign's one-and-a-half week end of quarter push that started with a $35,000 goal -- showing the strong support he's getting from the grassroots-netroots.

Since his campaign fundraising began on ActBlue, supporters have donated a total of $305,781 to Heinrich there. Of that, $3,263.31 was raised via ActBlue pages established by the Democracy for New Mexico blog, New Mexico FBIHOP or both of us working together on campaigns like True Blue New Mexico. And we're just getting started.

Heinrich will need every penny as the general election cycle heats up. Heinrich's opponent, Darren White, has already received about $300,000 from a George Bush fundraiser in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, and another sizeable take at this past weekend's fundraiser hosted by outgoing NM-01 Rep. Heather Wilson. Because this is one of the premier races in the nation and the GOP would love to hang onto the seat, expect money to gush in from all the usual Repub suspects. We can't let that go unchallenged.

We hear that final numbers for Heinrich's fundraising in the second quarter of 2008 will take a few days to compile, but if his ActBlue totals are any indication, Martin had an excellent fundraising period to kick off his general election run. Final numbers are due at the FEC by July 15th.

Thanks to all who contributed to Martin Heinrich's campaign this quarter, whether directly or via True Blue New Mexico. Now, I wonder who the winners will be in the drawing for a hike with Martin ....

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Back a Local Blogger for DFA Scholarship to Netroots Nation

Prez candidates at last year's blogger convention

Democracy for America is offering scholarships for folks to attend the Netroots Nation blogger convention to be held in Austin, TX on July 17-21, 2008. Netroots Nation is the new name of the event known as YearlyKos for its first two years. Mary Ellen and I attended YK last year in Chicago and it provided unparalled opportunities to meet bloggers from across the nation, participate in well-run, thought-provoking workshops, hear top-notch speakers and interact with politicos from all over who are supportive of the progressive netroots. It was also a gas.

We're going to this year's Netroots Nation too, and we want to urge you to support one of our favorite local bloggers for a scholarship so he can go too.

Click to support Matt of New Mexico FBIHOP

I'm sure most all of you are familiar with , which is run by Matthew Reichbach of Rio Rancho. Matt is also now writing for the New Mexico Independent, a non-profit, online newspaper which recently launched and is already providing top-notch political reporting every single day.

Mingling at last year's blogger convention

Matt, only 23, started his blog a couple of years ago and -- in that short time -- has made it one of the best in New Mexico, a daily must-read for anyone interested in progressive politics in the "Red or Green" state. Matt represents the wave of the future in blogging here, given his youth and his already impressive skills. I strongly believe we should do what we can to help him afford a trip to Netroots Nation so he can network, soak it all in, have fun and get even better at what he does. Also check out Matt's on New Mexico FBIHOP explaining why he wants your vote.

Matt's one of the candidates for a DFA scholarship to Netroots Nation, which would provide tuition and a shared hotel room for the conference. I've added my voice to those supporting Matt and I hope you will too. Click here to vote for Matt and give your reasons for supporting him for a scholarship. Pass it on.

DFA will be awarding at least nine Netroots Nation scholarships to selected candidates. If you'd like to help them offer even more scholarships to worthy but short on cash bloggers, consider donating a few bucks to their scholarship fund.

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NM-01: Heinrich to Live Blog at Firedoglake This Saturday

Coming Soon: Bush in Albuquerque

Dem NM-01 candidate Martin Heinrich will be live blogging at the prominent national blog Firedoglake this Saturday, May 17, at Noon MDT. He'll be highlighting the fact that George Bush himself will be visiting the District on May 27th to raise big chunks of money for Martin's likely Repub opponent, Darren White, and the New Mexico GOP.

White clearly wants to take advantage of Bush's still formidable fundraising abilities within elite circles of the GOP by sneaking in a visit from Mr. Campaign Toxicity early on, so people will forget he was ever here when Fall rolls around. White's already been making noises about how "independent" he is from the disastrous Bush agenda, but this fundraising visit says otherwise. The man who chaired Bush's 2004 campaign in Bernalillo County is still close to Bush no matter what he tries to say to the contrary.

So what can we do to help offset the corrosive effects of GOP big donor money being sucked into the wrong side of the NM-01 race by a visit from the most consistently unpopular president in modern times? Visit Firedoglake this Saturday and join in the brainstorming, for starters.

If there's one thing I know about this election cycle it's that progressives nationwide will be working together to elect Dems with integrity up and down the ticket everywhere we can. Get in on the ground floor of the networking this Saturday at FDL.

The Blue America '08 page on ActBlue, supported by Firedoglake, Crooks & Liars, Digby and Down With Tyranny, has so far raised more than $327,000 for Dem candidates, including over $2,800 for Heinrich's campaign.

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DFNM Selected as Official DNC Convention Blogger for NM (Can I Say WOW?)

How I learned of my selection. Thanks, Howard!

I'm incredibly honored (and ecstatic) to report that the Democracy for New Mexico blog has been selected by the Democratic National Convention Committee to be the official New Mexico blogger at the Democratic Party Convention to be held on August 26-28, 2008 in Denver. DNC Chair Howard Dean announces our selection in the video above, standing alongside a shot of the blog. Given my long-held enthusiasm for all things Howard Dean, stretching back to his run for president in 2004, the news couldn't come from a more admired source in my book. Yowsa.

Some months ago the DNC solicited applications from bloggers in all 50 states (plus several territories) to vie for one blogger slot per state. They'll form what's called the State Blogger Corps at the Convention. You can see a listing of all the blogs selected to be a part of the team here. And here's a description of the process from the release announcing the selections:

More than 400 applications were received from bloggers across the United States and multiple territories.  Some of the blogs selected for the State Corps are full-time, professional endeavors while others are the work of individuals, who through their own efforts have become recognized authorities on state and local politics.  Bloggers had to submit daily audience information and provide examples of posts that made their blogs stand out as an effective online organizing tool or agent of change, a demonstration of both the reach and impact blogs have had and will continue to have on the 2008 election.  The program recognizes the growth of more localized blogs and is in line with Governor Dean's 50-state strategy.

Each official state blogger will be credentialed for seating with the state's delegation on the Convention floor, and will be an integral part of the Convention action. That means I'll be reporting to you directly from Denver and sharing my experiences and insights day by day as the drama unfolds. I hope I can do the job justice. Lots of fun, but lots of work too. Have I said I'm excited?

The seating of bloggers on the Convention floor is unprecedented in the history of the event. It reflects the Party's embrace of the power and value of the progressive blogosphere in helping to support our candidates and causes, and the Dem's continuing dedication to establishing a two-way feedback loop with ordinary voters all over the nation.

In addition to the State Blogger Corps, the DNCC will soon credential a General Blogger Pool, to include local, state and national political bloggers, as well as niche and video bloggers from across the country. All applicants not selected for the State Blogger Corps are now eligible for selection as part of the General Blogger Pool.

Oh, did I tell you I'm excited?

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Saturday: Heinrich to Live Blog at Noon on Firedoglake

NM-01 Dem Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich will be participating in a live chat on the national blog Firedoglake at Noon MDT tomorrow, Saturday, March 21, 2008. Martin will be hanging out at the blog for about two hours to answer your questions and take your comments.

The influential Firedoglake, Crooks & Liars, Digby and Down With Tyranny are the creators of the Blue America campaign at Act Blue that's dedicated to raising netroots support for electing "more and better Democrats." During the 2006 election cycle, Blue America raised almost $545,000 for Dem House and Senate candidates around the country in only a few months. They expect to raise much more in the run-up to the 2008 election.

By the way, you're invited to a Victory Party to celebrate Martin's win at last Saturday's preprimary convention. Come on down to O'Niell's Pub, located at 4310 Central Ave. SE in Albuquerque, at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, March 25 and join in the festivities. Read more and RSVP.

Happy Birthday, Cocoposts

For a state with a small population New Mexico has one of the finest collections of progressive bloggers in the country. (For comparison, check out another large but low population state like Maine.) Over the past several years New Mexico's progressive blogsphere has grown by leaps and bounds in terms of the number of blogs, their quality and the degree of networking that goes on among them. Moreover, each blog seems to have carved out a distinctive niche, its own unique angle on things, amidst the larger community. Go click on the links located down a bit on my left-hand sidebar under the heading NM Blogs to see what I mean.

A key piece of the New Mexico blogging community is Coco's fine blog at https://cocoposts.typepad.com/. Cocoposts, Albuquerque People, Places, Politics, Planning and a Big Dog, is also one of the most unusual. Coco provides indepth insight into New Mexico's development empire and our archaic planning process, along with a myriad of observations on places, animals, food, movies and more. Why do we read it? Because we want to understand and we want to do it with a chuckle. Thank you, Coco. And happy third birthday to Cocoposts!

(Aside ... want to see the first Cocopost from March 20, 2005? Click here. Hat tip to SP.)

Santa Fe Reporter Unveils Online Citizen Muckrakers Guide

What a resource -- I love it already. Dave Maass and the folks at the Santa Fe Reporter have put together a comprehensive guide to snooping on the powers that be (and others) in New Mexico. The Citizen Muckraker's Guide to New Mexico, subtitled A reference manual for digging up dirt on politicians, corporations, and other citizens, is described as follows:

It reveals the data-capturing tools employed by investigators, bounty hunters, landmen and journalists. With it, you’ll be able to find out which city councilor had a bench warrant issued against her in Clovis for a two-year-old speeding ticket (Patti Bushee). You’ll be able to download a mugshot of Kent Nelson, the investment advisor who admitted dishing out $3 million in kickbacks in the New Mexico Treasurer’s Office scandal. And you’ll do it from the comfort of your local wireless cafe.

... There aren’t enough eyes in the media to watch everything all the time in the Information Age. SFR hopes this guide will inspire readers to join us as independent watchdogs and personally hold the powers that be, in the government and corporate worlds, accountable.

To learn more about how the new digging tool can be used, you should first check out Dave's article, The Paperless Chase. It explains how the online guide is organized, and offers tips for using it for tasks like running a basic background check, connecting campaign contributions to legislative earmarks, tracking corporate maneuvers, fact checking claims about the War on Terror and finding out who's exploiting natural resources.

There are sections on Campaign Finance, Crime, Courts and the like, where you can chase down People, Politicians or Corporations. There are also links to data related to topics like The War on Terror; Land, Environment and Natural Resources; and Health, Doctors and Drugs. You can also access info by using the Guide's Complete Link Roll, The Citizen Muckraker's Guide on Del.icio.us or a Del.icio.us Tag Cloud.

Maass says they'll keep adding to the Guide as time goes on. I haven't had much time to play around with it yet, but I certainly intend to dig in soon -- and expect to get lost for hours in the links. Who knows what evil lurks in the URLs of the Guide? Try it and see. And if you find anything particularly juicy, let Maass know at davem@sfreporter.com. They'll be keeping track of newfound dirt in New Mexico as it filters in from all corners of the internet. (Does the internet have corners?)

I expect that the bloggers of New Mexico -- and other dirt diggers in the state -- will have a field day being modern-day muckrakers for the cause, uncovering crime, corruption, waste, fraud and abuse (and maybe some data on that weird guy down the street).

NM-01: Heinrich Connects With Local Bloggers

Last Thursday, Democratic Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich hosted a luncheon and discussion with eight local bloggers, including yours truly, at his campaign office at 6th and Gold in downtown Albuquerque. Besides good food and company, the 90-plus-minute meeting featured lots of back and forth discussion that was wide-ranging and inclusive. Here's how Martin opened the session (mp3):

I thought Heinrich was impressive indeed -- smart, open, clear-headed, reasonable, sincere, caring and an excellent listener. He has a thoughtful way of responding to questions on various issues that effectively weaves them into a cohesively damning picture of what Bush and company have been doing to our nation and our planet. And what a real Democrat in Congress can do to help change that and move us in a positive direction to begin solving problems rather than ignoring or making them worse. Heinrich's heart definitely seems to be in the right place, and he clearly sees the big picture.

In my opinion, Heinrich has excellent positions on the major issues, whether it's health care, getting out of Iraq, economic fairness, immigration or the environment, climate change and renewable energy. And these are --  make no mistake about it -- mainstream American positions as well. In poll after poll, it's been shown that the majority of our citizens agree with Democrats on almost every critical issue of the day. The challenge will be to make sure folks register to vote, cast their ballots and have their votes counted accurately.

From a review of my meeting notes:

Background
Martin was born in Nevada and grew up on a small ranch-farm in Missouri. He's got a degree in mechanical engineering, but most of his jobs have been in the areas of youth, the environment and conservation. He's also been very active in grassroots activism in those areas. He served on the Albuquerque City Council for four years, including a term as Council President. He's now on a leave of absence from his position as New Mexico's National Resources Trustee.

Bringing People Together
Heinrich is most proud of his ability to bring together those with differing views to achieve consensus and solve problems. He cited as one example his recent success in uniting the archeological and development communities to achieve a long sought agreement on dealing with ruins discovered at building sites.

Martin believes he can use his people skills to reach out and negotiate with parties like oil and gas interests, the national labs and renewable energy proponents as we switch inevitably from a Cold War strategy to solving the challenges of global warming and energy independence. There are many areas where we need to work together to achieve change.

Gaining Widespread Support
He will draw on the contacts he has made in many walks of life and across the ethnic spectrum during his service on the City Council, and now on the Albuquerque-Bernalillo Water Board, for support. So far, he has more than 1,400 donors to his campaign fund, and about 93% of those are New Mexicans. He's one of the top ten fundraisers among Congressional candidates in open seat races nationwide.

Energy & Global Warming
He believes we're currently within a window of opportunity for taking steps critical to effectively addressing the global warming crisis, but that we must do so much more quickly than we have been. We must return to our core values to achieve sustainability, both environmentally and economically. The price of oil will continue rising, affecting many aspects of life. We must be innovative and flexible in our approach to problem-solving, and this can bring dramatic economic gains in terms of new "green collar" jobs, as well as an improved environment.

Iraq Occupation
He was strongly opposed to the Iraq invasion and occupation from the beginning and believes we must leave as soon as possible to allow the Iraqis to solve the problems that are causing a civil war. The huge sums we are spending in Iraq are stopping us from funding our critical needs at home.

Trade
Trade is never "free" and must be made "fair" if we are to lessen the gap between rich and poor that's been growing wider each year. He opposed CAFTA, for instance, because it doesn't level the playing field and instead causes a "race to the bottom" for labor, along with environmental degradation.

Immigration & Labor
Trade policies directly impact immigration. When worker pay and benefits are driven down or livelihoods are destroyed, as in Mexico, workers naturally want to resettle in places where economic conditions are better, like the U.S. However, because high numbers of immigrants can drive down wages, the middle class experiences insecurities and anxieties. We presently have an uncontrolled immigration system coupled with trade policies that cause a continual search for cheaper and cheaper labor. We need a comprehensive system with a clear path to citizenship, secure borders and penalties for employers that hire undocumented workers. We also need stronger labor organizing and a return of the rights that have been systematically weakened or destroyed by the National Labor Relations Board in recent years.

Note: Heinrich just received the first union endorsement of the campaign, from the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1563.

Food Security
Heinrich is also concerned about food security and diversifying food production so that we can get much more of our food from local producers. At present, huge conglomerates like Con Agra receive large subsidies that result in too much land being devoted to a single crop like corn or soy, instead of a balanced array of produce. This ties in with improved land use practices, fair trade and adopting better environmental policies.

Health Care
Heinrich strongly supports universal health care from a moral standpoint and as a right. He's open-minded about how to achieve that. The first step should be to build on what we have -- and what people have come to trust -- including expanding Medicare, Medicaid, VA and SCHIP coverage. We need to move away from the current model of employers providing coverage. While on the City Council, Henrich voted for the resolution in support of the Health Security Act.

December Fundraising Challenge
Heinrich's campaign just launched a fundraising challenge at his website, with a goal of raising $10,000 by the end of 2007. If you support his candidacy, now's the time to donate a few bucks to the cause.

Suzanne Prescott, who will soon be resuming her local radio show , provided the photo and sound bite used in this post. Thanks, Suzanne! Bloggers who participated included folks from Duke City Fix, m-pyre, Cocoposts, Albloggerque, NM FBIHOP, High Desert Reports, Insight New Mexico and, of course, DFNM. P.S. The meeting really was a lot more engaging than the expressions on our faces suggest!

To see our previous coverage of the NM-01 Congressional race, visit our archive.