Democracy for New Mexico

DFA-DFNM Meetup Tonight

Our Albuquerque DFA-DFNM Meetup is tonight at 7:00 PM at the Social Hall of the First Unitarian Church at Carlisle and Comanche.

Our agenda includes a visit from Letitia Montoya, who's running for NM Secretary of State, discussion on the recent Democratic Party State Central Committee meeting and related grassroots activism, what's happening with the Legislative Election Reform Task Force and a segment on preserving reproductive freedom.

Also, since this is our last Meetup before the holidays and winter solstice, we'll be sharing some special treats and cheer. Hope to see you there! To join the DFA-DFNM Albuquerque Meetup or RSVP for tonight's event, visit our Meetup page: https://dfa.meetup.com/160/

DFNM Endorses Griego for Mayor!

Councilor Wins Overwhelming Support from Albuquerque Members

Democracy for New Mexico on Thursday endorsed City Councilor Eric Griego in his campaign to be the next mayor of Albuquerque.

Following a recent mayoral poll of DFNM’s active Albuquerque members, in which Griego earned 86 percent of the vote, we made our endorsement official at our monthly DFA-DFNM Meetup Thursday. The next Mayor of Albuquerque (!) attended the meeting to express his appreciation to the group, answer questions and fire up our members to bring the grassroots power of DFNM to bear in the remaining two months before the October 4th election.

Our members are impressed with Councilor Griego’s common sense positions on planned growth strategies, a budget that serves the basic needs of our residents and neighborhoods, assuring a living wage for workers, youth outreach and engagement, reenergizing the ethical climate in city government and better protecting our environment. Perhaps most of all, we appreciate Griego’s courage and tenacity in going to bat for ordinary citizens.

DFNM’s endorsement process started with a mayoral candidate forum held in June and culminated in an email vote of our active Albuquerque members. Candidates were evaluated on their dedication to progressive social issues coupled with a fiscally responsible approach to governing and a commitment to grassroots campaigning.

“As a progressive Democrat, I am honored to have DFNM’s endorsement,” Griego said. “The members of Democracy for New Mexico know that real Democratic values – like raising the minimum wage and protecting our natural environment – are key to making our city even better. They also know that I will return these Democratic values to the mayor’s office.”

Griego also said that he agrees with DFNM in wanting better planning for Albuquerque’s growth and a balanced approach to public safety that would include treatment and prevention along with punishment.

Griego has already received endorsements from AFSCME, UFCW, Sierra Club and Conservation Voters New Mexico

Now's the time to contribute to or volunteer for Eric Griego's campaign by visiting his website:

https://ericgriego.com/

Let's follow through with strong support for his race!

DFA Meetups Today and Tomorrow

DFA - Democracy for New Mexico Meetups will be held today in Las Cruces and on Thursday in Albuquerque. We hear that Joaquin Guerra, State Field Director for the DPNM, will be traveling down to Las Cruces to check out their gathering. Hey Joaquin, give a shout out to the folks down there from the Albuquerque DFA contingent! The Las Cruces group will be continuing their discussion on a bi-partisan effort to improve the local school system.

Here in Albuquerque, we'll be hearing from City Councilor Miguel Gomez on passage of his Social Security resolution, folks from the Los Alamos Study Group on coming events organized to bring attention to nuclear issues on the 60th anniversay of the Hiroshima atomic bomb detonation and a very special segment on the Federal deficit and what we can do about it from Chuck Scott, a close associate of the esteemed Will Creamer of the Albuquerque chapter of the Concord Coalition.

We'll also be hearing reports on last month's DemocracyFest in Austin, Merging Left's success in getting their message on two city buses and future plans, what we can do to help Marianne Dickinson's campaign to win back Sally Mayer's City Council seat in District 7, a recent visit by the DNC Assessment Team and more.

Click to join the Las Cruces Meetup or the Albuquerque Meetup. The Santa Fe DFA Meetup is on hiatus for the summer and will resume its meetings in September.

DFA-DFNM Meetups Today and Tomorrow

DFA-DFNM Meetups will be held tonight (Wednesday) in Santa Fe and Las Cruces and tomorrow evening (Thursday) in Albuquerque. Click on the meeting links on the right-hand sidebar of this page under Coming Events to find out more, to RSVP or to join one of these groups and get on the mailing list.

Most DFA Meetups across the nation will be focusing on a project to help defeat Bush's attempt to privatize Social Security and cut benefits. Hundreds of people all over America will be meeting with their members of Congress on April 12th to tell their personal stories about the benefits of Social Security and urge their Representatives and Senators to oppose Bush's plan. Click to see a video about this effort produced by DFA.

In Albuquerque, we'll be planning a meeting with Rep. Heather Wilson and forming working groups to coordinate various aspects of the project.  Our Albuquerque Meetup will also feature announcements on actions and events from a variety of progressives, a visit from mayoral candidate Eric Griego and Eli Lee of Soltari, and a celebration of the progressive community's highly successful effort to get people elected to precinct, ward and State Central Committee positions.

If you plan to attend one of our Meetups and haven't yet RSVPed, please go to the links noted above let us know you are coming so we have a good idea of how many people we'll be accommodating. Come on out and attend a Meetup!

ABQ DFA-DFNM Meetup Tonight

Our monthly Albuquerque DFA-DFNM Meetup is set for 7:00 PM tonight at the First Unitarian Church Social Hall at Carlisle and Comanche.

John Wertheim, Chair of the Democratic Party of NM and DNC Executive Committee member, will be talking about plans for the Party, nationally and locally, and how we can get involved. Stephen Capra, Executive Director of the NM Wilderness Alliance, will be presenting a short film about Otero Mesa and discussing how we can help fight planned oil and gas drilling in this pristine area.

In addition, we'll be learning about a new DFA national and local project to frame the issue of social security using personal stories submitted by Meetup attendees and their friends and neighbors.

Action items and reports will include information on a DFNM trip to the Legislature later this month, the upcoming Bernalillo County Democratic Party Ward and Precinct elections, the coming DFNM workshop on George Lakoff's framing strategies, Saturday's Election Reform Rally at the Roundhouse,  fundraising for a DPBC ad, the Defend Democracy group, and more.

If you plan to attend, please be sure to RSVP at the DFA-DFNM Meetup page. You can also join our Meetup group there, and you'll receive Meetup notices and be added to our email list.

DFA Meetups Tomorrow . . . And Thursday

DFA-DFNM Meetups in Santa Fe and Las Cruces are being held Wednesday, February 2nd at 7 PM, while Albuquerque's Meetup has moved to the first Thursday of the month, or February 3rd. Click on the links in the Coming Events area on the right-hand sidebar on this page to register or find out more.

In Albuquerque, we'll hear from Marvin Moss, Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of NM, past Congressional primary candidate, Eli Chavez, Nathan Newcomer of the NM Wilderness Alliance and more. We'll be focusing on precinct and ward building, election reform bills at the NM Legislature, writing letters to the editor in support of Howard Dean's run for DNC Chair, and learning about ways we can visit the Legislature and lobby our state senators and representatives. There will be updates on the progressive billboard project, planning for our workshop on George Lakoff and framing and other ongoing projects.

Once again, bring your food and dollar donations for our Foodboxes for Families program. This Meetup, the person who donates the most to this excellent project will win something very boxer-like from Barbara Boxer. Come on out and see what it is!

Attend a DFA Meetup Tomorrow

Democracy for America - Democracy for New Mexico Meetups will take place in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces and Socorro on Wednesday, January 5th at 7:00 PM. Check the Upcoming Events sidebar on the right-hand side of this page and click on a Meetup to find out more or to sign up if you haven't already done so.

There will be reports and action items on a variety of issues including the recount situation in New Mexico, election reform bills at the upcoming Legislative Session, what you can do to get involved in the Democratic Party at the precinct and ward levels, how we can form a steering committee for each Meetup group, information on Governor Dean's possible run for the DNC Chair position, as well as other matters depending on your Meetup locale.

We'll also be contemplating plans for a possible Meetup devoted to viewing a DVD provided to all Meetup hosts by DFA about George Lakoff's framing concepts and how Democrats can start winning again. DFA and Lakoff's Rockridge Institute have also provided exercise materials that help to explain what framing is and how we can use it.

Also, here's an article on a recent Alternet interview with Howard Dean that discusses his views on the future of the Democratic Party and how Meetups can be an important element in reenergizing the Party.

Foodboxes for Families

You may recall Dory and Elena presenting this DeanCorps idea at our DFA Meetup in Albuquerque this month. From Dory Shonagon:

Foodboxes for Families.  This is a simple idea.  Make up foodboxes for needy families and give them directly to the teachers and/or social workers in the schools, who know which families are most in need.

I have done this with one South Valley school and I think it is a great way to get food to the families, through the kids and teachers/social workers. This is espectially important at the end of the month, when food stamps run out, etc.

You can contact a local school directly and talk to teachers or social workers there. I would suggest picking a south valley school or one in a neighborhood where there is a high need for poor families.

I am also helping coordinate this by hooking teachers up with potential donors -- food or dollars for food.  So if you need help doing this, please contact me.  Or if you would like to contribute food or dollars for Foodboxes, please let me know.

We are trying to do this EVERY month, not just Christmas time.  New Mexico has a large population of hungry kids.  They need to eat every month, not just at Christmas time.

Please call or email me if you need help or information.

Dory Shonagon, 363-8488, dshonagon@earthlink.net

ABQ Meetup Snapshot

A nice shot of Miles Nelson speaking about his new SeedPAC to our Albuquerque DFA - DFNM Meetup at Page One on December 2nd. Photo courtesy of Tom Solomon, one of our members, who submitted it to the Meetup site. It's now featured as our primary group photo. This shot shows only a small portion of the crowd, which filled the entire coffee shop and the area where Page One usually has author presentations, and then spread out among the bookshelves. Standing room only.

If you haven't yet signed up at Meetup, please do. It's the only way to ensure you receive all the emails and notices about DFNM activities and Meetups. There are now DFA -DFNM Meetups in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces. If you'd like to start one of our Meetups in your area, sign up at the Meetup site as a Coordinator and just follow the instructions. There's always a big red link to Meetup on this page, in the upper left-hand sidbar.

Your Thread on Last Night's MeetUp

According to our sign-in sheets and head counts for last night's Albuquerque DFA - DFNM MeetUp at Page One, almost 100 people were in attendance! We had lots of new faces, as well as many whose involvement dates back to the early days of the Dean campaign. Quite a turnout -- one that spilled out of the cafe and into the bookstore proper. Thanks for everyone's patience with the crowded environment!

I think we got a good start on understanding the structure of the local Democratic Party and how to get more involved at the precinct and ward levels, thanks to an excellent presentation by ex-ward chair Bruce Barnaby. Much more action to come on this, as well as work on compiling useful information about the Party on this website.

As always, Dr. Miles Nelson was inspiring in speaking about the future of progressive and, yes, liberal politics in New Mexico. He explained the promise of his fledgling SeedPAC to support progressive local and state candidates with both money and volunteers. I know many of us will participate in the PAC and contribute money and time. Miles also urged us to attend the Thank You Volunteers potluck this Sunday at 4:00-7:00 PM at 5th and Copper, sponsored by SeedPAC. In addition to lots of good food, this event will feature representatives of groups like MoveOn and ACT, who will lead a brainstorming session about the focus of future actions and how each group can best contribute. I expect to see many familiar faces of people who volunteered in various ways during this past election.

ABQ MeetUp also had a number of reports from attendees about projects and plans for political action. I'll be compiling information on these and featuring them in posts over the next few days.

I'm proud to report that ABQ Meetup folks donated the equivalent of 4,335 minutes, worth about $400, to DFA's national effort to collect long distance phone cards for vets at VA hospitals. This will help many deserving vets call friends and family during the holiday season. Democracy for America will match these contributions dollar for dollar and see that the phone cards get to the places where they can help the most. Thanks to all who gave generously on this effort! There's still time for more donations of phone cards before I send the batch to Burlington VT. Click on the "Email Me" link on the upper right-hand side of this page and I'll tell you how.

Now go ahead and click on "Comments" below to add your take on how the MeetUp went last night and what we need to do in the weeks and months ahead! And we'd love to hear from folks from the Santa Fe and Las Cruces Meetups too.