NewMexicoMatters.com

Stephen W. Terrell on how one day stories live on

Link: Stephen W. Terrell's Web Log.

I wrote a sidebar for Andy Lenderman's story in today's New Mexican concerning Jan Goodwin's testimony at the Robert Vigil trial Thursday. My piece deals with the likely political fallout of that testimony.A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New MexicanApril 28, 2006Testimony in former state Treasurer Robert Vigil’s corruption trial Thursday that state finance officials wrote a letter four years ago asking Attorney General Patricia Madrid to investigate possible wrongdoing in Vigil’s office is a “one-day story for the average reader,” a prominent New Mexico pollster says.

Calif Dem Party Platform: Immediate Withdrawal

This just came in off the wire (email)

Calif Dem Party Platform: Immediate Withdrawal:

by David Swanson

http://www.opednews.com
I just got a call from Tim Carpenter of Progressive Democrats of America. Tim Goodrich of Iraq Veterans Against the War is going on Air America momentarily with this news as well. The California Democratic Party is convened in Sacramento. The platform committee has passed and is recommending to the full party on Sunday inclusion in the platform of a call to end the occupation of Iraq and immediately bring the troops home. The proposal will be part of the consent calendar, the regular business of the party. This is not a resolution, but language in the official platform. No signatures need to be collected. No rebellion on the floor is required. This will, as far as we know, be a first for any state for either of the two parties that just voted overwhelmingly in Congress to push us toward a war in Iran.

THE BRAD BLOG: "E&P: Stephen Colbert Leaves Bush Not Laughing at Correspondent's Dinner..."

The depths of Stephen Colbert's twistedness is shocking. Link: THE BRAD BLOG: "E&P: Stephen Colbert Leaves Bush Not Laughing at Correspondent's Dinner...". I guess the Secret Service never considered just how sharp a weapon the tongue can be. If Jon Stewart's appearance on CNN's Cross Fire was a shot across the bow to the media and the administrations love cruise to Incompetence Island, Colbert's appearence at the White House Press Correspondent Dinner may be the shot that sinks ship for good...or at the very least drives some to jump overboard.

ABQjournal: Medicaid Users May Lose Benefits

Link: ABQjournal: Medicaid Users May Lose Benefits.

  SANTA FE— A little-known federal rule requiring Medicaid recipients to prove U.S. citizenship with birth certificates or passports might soon cost eligible New Mexicans health care, lawmakers were told Wednesday.     As of July 1, under a proposal President Bush signed into law this February, New Mexico's roughly 410,000 Medicaid recipients— and people hoping to qualify for the program— will be restricted in the type of documents they can use as proof of citizenship to qualify for the federal low-income health care program.

G.M. Entangled in Pay-for-Publicity Dispute - New York Times

Link: G.M. Entangled in Pay-for-Publicity Dispute - New York Times.

WASHINGTON, April 27 — A public relations firm has apologized to General Motors after acknowledging that it may have offered money to former Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich in exchange for public comments supporting the automaker's employee buyout program. The offer would violate General Motors's policy against payments to opinion makers.

The firm's president, Richard Strauss of Strauss Radio Strategies in Washington, would not say if other commentators were offered payment for public support of the troubled automaker's buyout plan, which is intended to reduce sharply its work force of 113,000 hourly employees.Mr. Reich, who was labor secretary under President Bill Clinton and is now a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, had complained publicly about the incident, which he said occurred three weeks ago. He described the offer of payment as a new instance of how "corporate America is paying pundits to shill for them."

SFR Connects the Dots on Riordan, Vigil and Serna...down the rabbit whole we go

Link: The Fall Guy.

A key figure in the State Treasury scandal and powerful political ally of Gov. Bill Richardson may be in even more hot water because of his relationship with an already troubled Santa Fe nonprofit.

SFR has learned that investor Guy Riordan heads up a team from the national brokerage firm Wachovia Securities that is entrusted with handling nearly $23.5 million worth of investments for the Con Alma Health Foundation.
Eric Serna, above, says he considers Guy Riordan, below, a friend, but was not involved in the decision to have Wachovia handle Con Alma's investments.

Wilson forced to miss casting deciding vote on future of Telecoms to deal with National Security legislation on the floor

Link: The Capital Times.

Citing the steep price hikes cable companies have instituted in recent years, proponents say national franchising will allow phone companies to quickly bring competition to communities across the country. Opponents warn such legislation cuts local control, could harm local government and public access channels such as WYOU and CitiCable12 in Madison, and would enable "redlining" - having companies serve only affluent areas rather than entire communities as cable firms are required to do under their franchises.An anti-redlining amendment offered by Baldwin, D-Wis., lost 20-28 and was one of several such efforts to fail.The committee did approve an amendment offered by chairman Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, that set it up so that refusal to serve homes based on income could cost a phone company up to $50,000 per day in fines until a remedy had been enacted.However, Orton said that amendment names the Federal Communications Commission as the governing authority, rather than the local franchising body."(Proponents of the bill) want it all uniform nationally with everything going to the FCC," Orton said. "But FCC has no staff or experience to do any of this. And no local knowledge. Have they ever heard of Allied Drive? And they won't get (the necessary) budget. What it means is we throw this down the black hole and therefore nothing ever happens."Baldwin's other amendment lost only 19-20, with Republican co-sponsor Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. forced to miss the vote to deal with an intelligence bill on the floor of the House. The amendment would have ensured that existing funding agreements for access channels would not have been pre-empted by the uniform clause of the national bill.

What's In It For New Mexico?

Yesterday's Wonkette's coverage of Big Bill and his recent meeting at the mansion with campaign advisors prompted this bottmom bottom line from Joe Monahan: "whatever was discussed at the Mansion retreat, Big Bill has a delicate balancing act in running for Guv and also laying the groundwork for an 08' Prez run. He wants to do both without appearing to be riding too high on the Prez horse as he searches for votes on the ground in little ol' New Mexico."

But literally, if there are two things New Mexicans know about Bill Richardson, its that he's our Governor and that he's running for President. That's why Richardson's face appeared on billboards in Times Square and he braved the rain riding a float in the Rosebowl parade. The challenge for the Governor and his re-elect campaign is to avoid insulting voters by denying too vociferously that he, Richardson is running in 2008.

And after all, in 2002 it was Richardson's national ambitions that made many New Mexicans believe he'd have to follow through on his pledge to move the state forward if he wanted to have a shot at his life's ambition. And in many ways he has moved the state forward; we've got a train that's almost ready to roll just when gas prices are making us weak in the knees, we've got the space port, (+/-) and the Governor has worked to bring industry into New Mexico.

However, when it comes to judging Bill Richardson on moving New Mexico forward, job growth alone won't cut it. Moving New Mexico forward also means ending the three C's; corruption, cronyism and inCompetence. And for Richardson to be a credible Democratic candidate in 2008, requires being a Democratic leader in 2006-- associating Dems with something other than problems exposed in the Vigil trial, such as solutions.

If the Governor is serious about ethics reform in New Mexico, then AMEN. But, there's got to be something between now and the 2007 session to prove it. Joe Monahan made some legitimate suggestions. How about voluntary reporting of contributions within the 24 hour time frame of receipt. Not just for the Governor's campaign, but all statewide campaigns.

The Governor has an opportunity now to prove his presidential metal by being an ethical leader who doesn't have to wait for ethics reform to do what's needed to restore the publics' confidence in it's elected representatives and the Democratic party--- to remind people that politicians are public servants and not just self servants.

The Bush Impeachment Bombshell From Illinois

The Bush Impeachment Bombshell From Illinois:

The Illinois General Assembly is about to rock the nation. Members of state legislatures are normally not considered as having the ability to decide issues with a massive impact to the nation as a whole. Representative Karen A. Yarbrough of Illinois' 7th District is about to shatter that perception forever. Representative Yarbrough stumbled on a little known and never utlitized rule of the US House of Representatives, Section 603 of Jefferson's Manual of the Rules of the United States House of Representatives, which allows federal impeachment proceedings to be initiated by joint resolution of a state legislature. From there, Illinois House Joint Resolution 125 (hereafter to be referred to as HJR0125) was born.

Technorati Tags: corruption, Democrats, Elections, George W. Bush, House of Representatives, Howard Dean, legislature, New Mexico, Politics

Bernalillo Democrats Straw Poll for Primary

This just in courtesy of the Democratic Party of Bernalillo.

BERNALILLO COUNTY DEMOCRATS STRAW POLL
Bernalillo Democrats met Saturday for their 2nd Annual Chili Cook-Off and voted for their favorite Democratic candidates. The results are:

Secretary of State:
Stephanie Gonzales - 41%
Shirley Hooper - 33%
Mary Herrera - 19%
Letitia Montoya - 1 %

Attorney General:
Gary King - 49%
Geno Zamora - 39%
Lemuel Martinez - 13%

State Auditor:
Jeff Armijo - 80%
Tom Buckner - 20%

Commissioner of Public Lands:
Ray Powell - 83%
Jim Baca - 17%