Democracy for New Mexico

Studs Terkel Checks Out at 96: Curiosity Didn't Kill This Cat

Here's the Chicago Tribune article report on Studs' life, and death. My first thought when I heard? Too bad he couldn't have lived to see another Chicago icon, Barack Obama, be elected, be inaugurated.

I was born and raised in Chicago, and Studs WAS Chicago through and through. He was fascinated with human beings. He fought all his life for social justice. He was funny as hell. He could be tough and gruff, and tender and sentimental. He was full of enlightened street smarts. He was into everything.

He was of the people, by the people, for the people -- especially the ordinary, working people. But he also said, "I admire artists. I admire gifted people." And it showed. It was such an American sentiment then. Not so much now, unfortunately. If there's one thing this culture surely lacks right now, it's admiration for gifted people, for talent and intelligence and free-spirited characters.

For many of my younger years, Studs was often there in the background, on the radio, interviewing everyone -- high and low -- and inserting jazz and folk and gospel in between. A soundtrack to the lives of so many Chicagoland souls.

And then there were the books -- the transcriptions of the real words of real people he drew so deftly into honest conversation. Words he absorbed by truly listening. He gave the words respect -- and an immortality of sorts -- just as he did the people and what they had to do to get through the world.

He never learned to drive. He smoked cigars. He wore red socks and red-checkered shirts. He was an unapologetic lefty, progressive and fearless. He lived for knowledge and stories, which he shared with the world. He was what used to be called a "raconteur." He lived big and wide and passionately and thoroughly, and he saw the humor and the pain in it all. He loved life, as it is and as it should be.

He once said his epitaph should read, "Curiosity didn't kill this cat." And it didn't. It kept him buzzing, till the end. That Studs.

NM-01: Darren White Has a Ronald Reagan Ankle Tattoo!

Yes, as we head into the final countdown to election day, there is much to amuse and amaze us. Take this, for instance:

According to Shenanigans at The Politico, that's the ankle of the GOP's Congressional candidate in NM-01, Darren White -- with a tattoo of Ronald Reagan's signature. Who knew?

One wonders, was it love at first sight for Darren? Did he get tattooed while Reagan was refusing to admit HIV-AIDS was killing thousands of Americans, or after he had to cave to overwhelming pressure and say the word AIDS? Was it before or after Reagan busted the air traffic controllers' union? Before or after Ronnie plunged the nation into the continuing horrors of "trickle-down economics"?

Whatever the case, it's clear that Darren was so into Ronnie that he got a permanent tattoo on his bod to proclaim it to the world. Of course, now we're supposed to believe White is "independent" and without partisan hangups. Hard to believe when one considers that Darren White chaired Bernalillo County for George W. and accompanied him to the stage at the 2004 Republican convention. It's hard not to wonder -- does Darren have a Dubya tattoo somewhere on his person? Inquiring minds want to know.

Today: LA Mayor Villaraigosa at UNM; Countdown to Change Halloween Party at Kelly's

HALLOWEEN COUNTDOWN TO CHANGE PARTY AT KELLY'S TONIGHT WITH LA MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA: Tonight (Friday), 6-9 PM: Kelly's, 3222 Central, Nob Hill. Come party with us and the Mayor of Los Angeles before you head out for Halloween night! We know you have other parties to go to, but you can come stop by ours first! Food, music, drinks!! (Stickers and temporary tattoos!!) ALL AGES! More info at Facebook.

LOS ANGELES MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA AT UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO: Campaign for Change table in front of the UNM Student Union. TODAY (Friday) at 3 PM! PLEASE JOIN US!! Come meet one of the nation's most respected and charismatic Mayors at UNM!

Matt Haney, Youth Vote Director, mhaney@nmforchange.com, 505-553-6860. Sign up to VOLUNTEER for the last four days!

Saturday: Mayor Villaraigosa, Sen. Bingaman, Rep. Udall GOTV for Obama

MAKE A CHOICE!

LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, joined by Sen. Jeff Bingaman and Rep. Tom Udall, will kick-off canvassing efforts in Santa Fe, get out the vote in Albuquerque, and encourage local residents to cast their ballots on the last day of Early Vote.

Voters can find Early Vote locations and polling places by coming into any Campaign for Change office, visiting their county clerk’s office, going to www.voteforchange.com or calling 1-877-NM-CHANGE.

Saturday, November 1st:

9:00-9:45 AM, SANTA FE CANVASS KICKOFF
Santa Fe Campaign For Change Office
720 St. Michaels Drive, Suite 2L

11:00-11:45 AM, ALBUQUERQUE EARLY VOTE RALLY
Congress Heights Park (corner of Congress and Irving)

NM-03: Ben Ray Luján Featured on Obama Campaign's Latino Outreach Call

Luján being interviewed by Univision at UNM Obama rally

Bravo, Ben Ray. Not yet elected, but already on the national scene. Yesterday, Ben Ray Luján, the Demo nominee for Congress in NM-03, delivered remarks on the weekly Latino outreach conference call held by the Obama campaign. In the last conference call before the election, Luján joined Secretary Frederico Peña, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, Geoconda Arguello Kline of the Nevada Culinary Union and Senator Obama to deliver remarks to call participants. Over two thousand Latinos are invited to participate in the weekly conference call.

Luján discussed Obama's half hour commercial that aired this week and mentioned the Albuquerque teacher who was highlighted.

"I want to tell you about one of the people featured in that ad," said Luján "Her name is Juliana Sanchez and she is from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is a full time teacher, who needs to take on an additional job to help support her family in these tough economic times. She is working harder and harder, for what seems like less and less."

Luján also talked about the change that an Obama Administration will bring to the country and the state:

"A Barack Obama administration will bring change to Washington and will turn this around, and I look forward to serving in Congress to help Senator Obama bring that change to Washington and our nation," said Luján.

Luján encouraged conference call participants to keep working hard between now and Election Day.

"We only have a few days left," said Luján. "We need you to get on the phone, knock on some doors, drive people to the polls. What waits for us after November 4 is very exciting, but we will only get there with your help."

(Photo by M.E. Broderick. See more.)

I WILL VOTE (The Video); Saturday 11/1/08 Last Day to Early Vote

You might recognize three New Mexicans near the end of this video. Hi Michael - Hi Hector - Hi Debra! (Photos from the Dem Convention)

You have until 6:00 PM tomorrow, Saturday, November 1, to early vote in person. See my previous post for more info. Or you can text the word POLL and your zip code to MyTOM (69866) and they'll send you the address of your nearest early vote location. Or you can visit www.voteforchange.com, enter your info and learn where you can early vote.

(Updated) 11/2: Gen. Wesley Clark to Stump for Obama in Roswell, Las Cruces

Very interesting. I've heard General Wesley Clark speak twice in person and he was excellent both times. Hope he's on his game in Southern New Mexico this Sunday. Obama’s Campaign for Change just announced that Gen. Clark will visit New Mexico on Sunday, November 2nd. He'll travel to Roswell and Las Cruces to host two “Change We Need” Town halls to discuss military and economic issues with New Mexican families.

Former Supreme Allied Commander, General Wesley Clark
Sunday, November 2nd

• 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM, CHANGE WE NEED TOWNHALL
  MIA – POW Park, 912 N. Pennsylvania St., Roswell NM
• 4:30 - 6:00 PM, CHANGE WE NEED TOWNHALL
  Veterans’ Memorial Park
  VFW Post 6917, 5845 Bataan Memorial West
  2551 Roadrunner Parkway, Las Cruces, NM 

Friday: Countdown to Change Events with LA Mayor Villaraigosa, Martin Heinrich

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and NM-01 Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich will join Albuquerque volunteers tomorrow, October 31, to pound the pavement for Barack Obama and call on students and young professionals to take their country back. Later in the evening, they'll host an event with students and young professionals to stress the importance of this year’s election, discuss the economic challenges facing the next generation of American leaders, and push young voters to take a stand for change in New Mexico. Friday schedule:

• 4:15– 5:00 PM: Countdown to Change Canvass Kick off, Carlisle Headquarters, 3523 Central Ave NE
• 5:30–6:30 PM: Countdown to Change Canvassing on Forrester Street NW (between Lomas and Mountain)
• 7:00–8:00 PM: Countdown to Change Early Vote Event with Students and Young Professionals, Kelly’s Brewpub, 3222 Central Ave SE

Friday: Meet Tom Udall Early Vote Events in Belen, ABQ

On Friday, you can meet U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall at early voting events in Belen and Albuquerque. The first event will be at Rita's Restaurant at 221 S. Main St. in Belen from 8:30 to 9:30AM. The second will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 PM at Abuelita’s Restaurant, 6083 Isleta Blvd. SW in Albuquerque.

Obama Still Up 10 Points Over McCain in Latest Rasmussen; More Tidbits

Determined: Obama in rain in Chester PA (click for larger)

I have to say I'm getting sick of polls at this stage of the game. With all the exotic variables at play in this year's election, who knows how accurate they are? Weighting mistakes are easy when nobody really knows who will vote, and indicators from the past reek of ancient history. Every time I see poll results I think about all those uninformed, unstable, "undecided" voters who are still out there mulling over whether they should vote on the basis of "fun to have a beer with" or "my dog barks when X candidate's ads come on TV." You know what I mean. Grrr.

Still, it's always good to see results that are positive for Dems.The latest Rasmussen poll has Obama with a 10 point lead over McCain, 54-44%, in New Mexico. Obama's lead is down slightly from mid-October when he led McCain 55-42%, but 10 points is still a whale of a difference to make up in just a few days.

A total of 52% of respondents said they trust Obama on economic issues, while only 41% trust McCain. McCain had only a slight edge with trust on national security issues. Men were evenly divided between the two. Women supported Obama by a 19% margin.

Other Tidbits
Rasmussen's have Obama with the lead in states with 260 Electoral College votes, and McCain ahead in states with 160. With “leaners” included, it’s Obama 313, McCain 160.

In a satisfying bit of news, Obama is trailing McCain in the latest polling by anywhere from 2 to 7 points in Arizona. Arizona! Huffington Post reports that MoveOn and the Obama campaign are making a last-minute push there for voters.

About people watched Obama's 30-minute info ad last night on TV. I thought it was powerful, if a little sappy for my taste. I think it will sit very well with undecided or apprehensive voters. It was great to have a teacher and her family from Albuquerque featured, and to have commentary by Gov. Bill Richardson. What did you think about it?

Newspaper Endorsements: By the way, Obama also leads in nationwide, with 234 to 105. At least 47 papers have switched to Obama from Bush in 2004, with just four flipping to McCain And several top papers that went for Bush in 2004 have now chosen not to endorse this year. So far in New Mexico, the Las Cruces Sun-News, The Daily Times (Farmington) and the Santa Fe New Mexican have endorsed Obama. To date, the only New Mexico daily to endorse McCain is the Roswell Daily Record.