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22
Apr 2011

Gary Johnson 2012

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Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson made it official yesterday that he is a candidate for President of the United States.  Contributors to this site have commented extensively about a Johnson candidacy over the past year, both pro and con. 

For those of us who have known him since he emerged as a dark horse candidate for Governor of New Mexico in 1994, there is no question that no other candidate for President will work harder, or run a more focused and issue oriented campaign than Gary Johnson.   Gary’s candor is both his great attraction, and perhaps his biggest weakness.  He says what he thinks, and could care less if you agree with him or not. 

What remains to be seen is whether Gary Johnson can convince Republican activists that a candidate who is pro choice, moderate on immigration, against the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya and in favor of marijuana legalization is a plausible President of the United States, and the party’s strongest nominee against Barack Obama.

Gary Johnson may be a long shot, but anyone who has watched his career over the past 17 years knows he cannot be counted out.

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Categories: 2012 Election, National Politics Tags:
06
Feb 2011

Reagan at 100

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As every red-blooded conservative knows, today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ronald Wilson Reagan.  Links here to the latest news on the Reagan Centenial from the Reagan Library, and commemorative articles published this week by Peggy Noonon at the Wall Street Journal, Steven F. Hayward at National Review Online, L. Brent Bozell III at Human Events, and Paul Krengor and Mark Tooley at the American Spectator. 

Also, the speech that launched Mr. Reagan’s political career, “A Time for Choosing,” televised on the eve of the 1964 presidential election on behalf of Barry M. Goldwater.  Senator Goldwater lost in a landslide, but Mr. Reagan was elected Governor of California two years later, and to the presidency fourteen years after that.

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27
Dec 2010

Rumor: Richardson to play Kingpin in “The Avengers”

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Note:  So, you think publishing rank speculation and rumor on the Internet is irresponsible?  This rumor is at least more tenable than the speculation that Bill Richardson might replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, which managed to make its way to the front page of Tuesday’s Albuquerque Journal.

With the news last week that the New Mexico film industry had landed the superhero action epic “The Avengers,” speculation has started on whether any New Mexicans will be cast to star with the likes of Robert Downey, Jr. (Tony Stark/Ironman), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/The Hulk), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury).

Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark/Ironman

While the production will be the largest feature film ever made in New Mexico, as well as the largest Marvel production to date, it is rumored the state film office has been pleading with producers for a prominent New Mexican presence in the film itself. 

To that end, none other than soon-to-be-former Governor Bill Richardson has been mentioned for a prominent role in the film.  

Neither the film office nor the producers are saying anything at this point, but the word is the governor is being considered for the role of supervillain Wilson Fisk, aka ”The Kingpin.”  As noted in his official Marvel bio:

Wilson Fisk is a criminal mastermind who is involved in extensive illegal activities …  Despite this, he has no criminal record and an army of lawyers to keep it that way, and is a criminal financial strategist without parallel.  Fisk has no superhuman powers, but the majority of his 400-plus pound bulk is solid muscle.

In light of Mr. Richardson’s sharp-edged political persona and his close calls with the law in recent years, the governor’s lack of formal acting experience is not seen as an impediment to him taking on the role.   Also, unlike any major appointment in the Obama administration – such as the pipe dream of Secretary of State - casting the governor in a movie would not require confirmation by the United States Senate. 

Bill Richardson seen as a natural for the role of Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin, in "The Avengers"

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11
Dec 2010

Exile at Elba

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"Vive la Emperor" - courtesy of NM Defamation Suit.com

Critics of Governor Bill Richardson seem to believe we are witnessing the waning days of Empire.  Unfortunately, reports of Mr. Richardson’s political demise are premature.

The governor has suffered abysmally low poll numbers since pay-to-play allegations ended his bid to escape the last two years of his current term by becoming U.S. Secretary of Commerce.  Since the victory in November of Republican Susana Martinez, Governor Richardson has shown disdain for  the will of the electorate and the rabble’s repudiation of his legacy by allowing his minions to name large public works in his honor, by squirrelling away his political appointees into protected civil service positions, and by squandering every last dime of federal stimulus money before he leaves office.  (some links require subscription)

Months ago, I wrote that Bill Richardson was finished and that he was destined for well-deserved oblivion.  Unfortunately, that was wishful thinking.  I am loath to agree with that twit Ellsworth Toohey, but I am now obliged to recognize that Mr. Richardson is far from finished.

Since March, Mr. Richardson has been mentioned as being in the mix for the lucrative position of chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, which pays $1.2 million a year.  The governor is not interested.  According to his spokesman, Mr. Richardson plans to “live in Santa Fe and drive around the country visiting Major League ballparks.”

Governor Bill Richardson

Right.  You don’t give up a large salary and an opportunity to hobnob with Hollywood starlets to watch a few ball games and remain in the political hell-hole that is Santa Fe unless you are up to something. 

What could that be?

Mr. Richardson knows he has zero chance of getting U.S. Senate confirmation to anything in the Obama Administration.  President Obama paid his political debt to the governor for stabbing Hillary Clinton in the back at an opportune time by not allowing Mr. Richardson to be indicted by a federal grand jury — despite the conclusion by U.S. Attorney Greg Fouratt that pressure from the governor’s office resulted in a corruption of the procurement process and a $1.4 million consulting contract for CDR Financial.  Fortunately for the governor, U.S. Attorney Eric Holder and New Mexico Attorney General Gary King have shown no interest in pursuing that unpleasantness any further.  Mr. Richardson, apparently, has escaped the prospect of adjoining cells with Manny Aragon.

So why turn down the movie job and why stay put in Santa Fe?  Mr. Richardson has shown no interest in the United States Senate.  He could have had the seat now occupied by Tom Udall when Pete Domenici retired, without lifting a finger. 

What else is there?  Green-chile cheeseburgers at The Shed?

No – try revenge and restoration.

Governor-Elect Susana Martinez

The governor made no secret of his displeasure with the attacks upon him by Susana Martinez and the Republicans during the recent campaign.  Over the past two years, he has also made no secret of the fact that he has thought about running for governor again in 2014.

Question:  What New Mexico Democrat has any chance to defeat Bill Richardson in a 2014 Democratic primary for Governor?

Answer:  No one.

Republicans would be foolish not to operate under the assumption that the 2014 race for governor has begun, and that Bill Richardson will be the Democratic nominee.  Mr. Richardson is a talented and resilient opponent.  Needless to say, he will be far more formidable than Diane Denish. 

What to do?  First, in order to have any chance in that election, Republicans need to address their increasingly poor performance in Bernalillo County, where Democrat get-out-the-vote efforts resulted in Ms. Martinez receiving only 50.9% of the vote against Ms. Denish’s 49%, in a strong Republican year.  Three straight Republican congressional candidates — Jon Barela in 2010, Darren White in 2008 and Heather Wilson in 2006 — failed to carry Bernalillo County.  Prior to those three elections, Republicans Manuel Lujan, Steve Schiff and Heather Wilson carried Bernalillo County for thirty-eight consecutive years.  Susana’s 40,983 state-wide margin over Diane will dissipate quickly if Republicans cannot get their house in order in the state’s most populous county.

 

Napoleon at Elba

In addition, Governor-Elect Martinez needs to follow the example of Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. Berry by making a practice of exposing the disastrous record of the prior administration.  Mayor Berry did not attack Mayor Martin J. Chávez in a personal manner after winning his election, but he has done an effective job of consistently talking about the mess he inherited upon taking office, including such items as Mr. Chávez’ many secret side agreements with his union cronies. 

Day after day, week after week, the mayor has documented Marty’s misfeasance at every appropriate opportunity.  At one point, Mr. Chávez may have contemplated a restoration.  Now, you can stick a fork in him.

The Martinez administration needs to recognize that the war has begun.  Bill Richardson has not been shipped off to St. Helena.  He is at Elba, plotting his return.   The glory of the Hundred days and the reconquest awaits.

Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo was a near thing.  But for the wet ground on the battlefield, the French artillery would have carried the day, and Bonaparte would again have been the master of Europe.

Governor-Elect Martinez and Republicans would be ill advised to be complacent.

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02
Oct 2010

Gary King – Not a Real Prosecutor, but he Plays One on TV

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Gary King & Jack Bauer - TV Action Heroes

New Mexico Attorney General Gary King’s new TV ad looks and sounds like something out of Law & Order.  A deep male voice intones: 

The trash that uses the Internet to prey on children have met their match – our Attorney General Gary King.  Gary King has more than doubled the number of arrests and convictions of sexual predators and child molesters.  And Gary is demanding pedophiles wear a GPS bracelet so they can be tracked the rest of their lives.  Gary King, he protects our children, he keeps us safe, he gets the job done. 

The footage is complete with a creepy looking bald guy in a dark room with a computer, a sweet young girl and her mom, tough looking cops, a dramatic arrest, and our hero Gary King – standing in the background, arms folded – ready for a Jack Bauer style interrogation of  the perpetrator: 

 

The ad says Gary King gets the job done – but does he?  Like most state attorneys general across the country, Mr. King’s office has set up an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, and which seeks to identify, apprehend and prosecute child molesters, child pornographers and child abusers.  That is all well and good.  Coordinating with federal and local officials to identify, apprehend and prosecute child molesters is righteous work.  

However, the TV ad states that Mr. King actually apprehends and prosecutes this human refuse, and asserts that he has “more than doubled the number of arrests and prosecutions.” 

Gary King

What are the specifics to support this claim?  Unlike Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez, Mr. King does not mention actual arrests or real prosecutions in his TV ad – only a fictional one. 

Mr. King’s campaign website does not offer much support for this claim.  In the posting on his record, the site mentions that in November 2007, Mr. King’s investigators “busted” a father and son on multiple charges of possession and distribution of child pornography, which was found on their computer.  The father and son, Patrick O’Hara and Timothy O’Hara, were prosecuted by Mr. King’s office.  Patrick O’Hara (link requires subscription) pled guilty to 12 of 70 charges, for which he faced 27 years in prison, although Mr. King’s office agreed to a cap of 8 years with the other 19 years suspended.  Timothy O’Hara (link also requires subscription) pled guilty to 6 of 20 charges, and was sentenced to 5 years. 

That’s it?  A father and son, TWO arrests and TWO convictions, in ONE case?  Should we infer from Mr. King’s boast that he “more than doubled the number of arrests and prosecutions” that his predecessor, Patsy Madrid, only had ONE arrest and ONE conviction?  Is Mr. King counting anything else – perhaps prosecutions by local district attorneys like Ms. Martinez and Clovis DA Matt Chandler – to support his claim?  Maybe Mr. King can enlighten us on this point by disclosing a list of actual cases, so that voters can determine whether Gary is keeping our children safe, and getting the job done, as he claims.

Roma

Mr. King did attend a tri-national anti-crime summit in Rome in June 2009, which his website indicates benefited crime fighting efforts in New Mexico.  He also attended a UN conference in Geneva, Switzerland, and took trips to Washington, D.C.  Perhaps those count somehow. 

I’m sorry, but two arrests and two convictions in one case does not exactly impress.  The low number of convictions for Internet predators seems to correlate with the number of convictions Mr. King has actually obtained for political corruption – which is precisely ONE.  Compared to other prominent prosecutors – Ms. Martinez and Mr. Chandler, for example, or New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, with his 130 convictions or guilty pleas against public officials as U.S. Attorney in New Jersey – Gary’s stats are underwhelming.  He is not exactly tearing up the courtroom.

Gary King is a nice fellow – a guy you would like as a neighbor, and the kind of lawyer you might go to if you had a contract issue or needed to draft a will.  He is not a hard charging prosecutor like the fictional Jack McCoy or Arthur Branch on Law & Order, or real-life prosecutors Susana Martinez or Matt Chandler.  

Sergeant Schultz

As I pointed out a few weeks ago, Gary is less the TV action hero presented in his TV ad, and more like Sergeant Schultz on Hogan Heroes– a friendly, good-hearted character who preferred to sit back and enjoy a nice schnitzel rather than scrutinize what Colonel Hogan and his fellow POW’s were up to.  Faced with evidence of corruption, like Schultz Mr. King “sees nothing, NOTHING!”  Mr. King has spent far more of his time as AG in exotic spots in Europe, avoiding confrontation, than he has inside New Mexico courtrooms fighting crime or corruption.  While Governor Richardson and his friends have been running amok, Gary has been sampling the cannoli in Rome. 

Perhaps it’s time for voters to thank the King family for its many years of service, but to send Mr. King into a quiet retirement. 

If we want a REAL prosecutor, there happens to be an alternative.

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Categories: 2010 Elections, NM Politics Tags: , , , , ,
05
Sep 2010

Gary King – Attorney General or Sergeant Schultz?

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Sergeant Schultz: "I see nothing, NOTHING!"

When Gary King ran for Attorney General in 2006, he vowed to make the fight against public corruption a top priority, telling the Albuquerque Tribune: 

I am proposing that a special Public Corruption Unit be created within the AG office. This unit would have special expertise in investigating allegations of corruption by our elected or appointed officials and prosecuting any wrongdoing. The unit would include forensic auditors (perhaps located in the State Auditor’s office) and other trained investigators.  … 

Mr. King’s tenure has seen little in the way of accomplishments in the fight against official corruption.  In 2009, Mr. King announced indictments on three public corruption cases.  What has come of those indictments?  Not much: 

In April 2009, Mr. King indicted Public Regulation Commissioner Jerome Block and his father, former PRC Commissioner, Jerome Block, Sr., for violating the elections code, tampering with evidence and conspiracy.  In February 2010, the district court dismissed half of the charges, ruling that Mr. King’s office overstepped its authority with the indictments.  The case is on hold pending appeal, and no trial date is set.  Commissioner Block remains in office, drawing his salary. 

In June 2009, Mr. King indicted former Housing Authority Director Vincent “Smiley” Gallegos for fraud, embezzlement and money laundering.  No trial date is set. 

In August 2009, Mr. King indicted former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron for money laundering, fraud, soliciting or receiving kickbacks and tax evasion.  However, questions have been raised about the sufficiency of the evidence against Ms. Vigil-Giron.  Trial was set to begin in July 2010, but has now been delayed until January 2010, eight weeks after the election.

Gary King

After three and a half years in office, Mr. King has a grand total of one – ONE – corruption conviction on a case that he initiated:

In May 2009, Roberta Vigil, a former head of the West Las Vegas Public School’s bilingual education program, was convicted of misusing public money at an annual, invitation only party.  Although Ms. Vigil was facing four years in prison, she was sentenced to only three years of probation and was ordered to repay almost $14,000 in funds she used for the party.

Mr. King did obtain a guilty plea from former State Treasurer Michael Montoya on a case he inherited from his predecessor, Patricia Madrid.  Well before Ms. Madrid’s state indictment, Mr. Montoya had pled guilty to a federal extortion charge in November 2005, agreeing to testify against his predecessor Robert Vigil.  The hard work in obtaining a conviction, in other words, had already been done by the Feds.  Mr. Montoya was sentenced to a 40 month prison sentence on the federal charge.  Nonetheless, Ms. Madrid indicted Mr. Montoya in June 2006 on 16 state charges, in an effort to show her relevancy while she was running against Heather Wilson for Congress.  After he took over the prosecution, Mr. King dropped 15 of the 16 charges in September 2007 in exchange for a plea by Mr. Montoya to one charge of extortion. 

As the Michael Montoya, Robert Vigil and Manny Aragon cases demonstrate, the prosecution of political corruption in New Mexico state government has been left to the United States Attorney — not because the New Mexico Attorney General has no authority to prosecute official corruption in state government, as demonstrated by the prosecution of Mr. Montoya by Ms. Madrid — but because Mr. King and his recent predecessors have largely abdicated that responsibility. 

Mary Herrera

The most recent glaring example of this has been Mr. King’s apparent reluctance to take any action in connection with the recent meltdown in the office of incumbent Secretary of State Mary Herrera.  In March 2010, former State Elections Director A.J. Salazar made detailed allegations of corruption against Ms. Herrera and Deputy Secretary of State Don Francisco Trujillo.  On August 27, 2010, the New Mexico Independent reported that Rudy Martin, attorney for Mr. Salazar, was accusing Mr. King and his office of “playing politics” and “sweeping everything under the rug” to help Ms. Herrera and other Democrats in an election year. 

The response by Mr. King’s spokesman, Phil Sisneros?  “What Mr. Martin is saying is strictly a product of his own imagination.  We have it on good authority that Mr. Martin and his client, Mr. Salazar, … are working for opponents of the secretary (Herrera) and Attorney General King.  I suspect this is their way of stirring up trouble.”  

Mr. Salazar later denied working for the opponents of Ms. Herrera and Mr. King, and distanced himself from his attorney’s allegations against Mr. King or his office.  He told Heath Haussamen that he was “simply trying — unsuccessfully — to get an update on the status of the investigation, months after he first went to (Mr. King’s) office with allegations of criminal activity in Herrera’s office.”  Mr. Sisneros contends that the investigation of Ms. Herrera by the AG’s office is still active, but the personal attacks by Mr. King’s spokesman against Mr. Salazar raise questions about the earnestness of any such investigation.  It remains to be seen if anything will come of Mr. King’s alleged investigation of Mr. Salazar’s allegations, either before Ms. Herrera faces the voters in less than two months or anytime thereafter. 

The 800 pound gorilla in the room is whether Mr. King’s office has taken any steps to investigate or even monitor the activities of the administration of Governor Bill Richardson and Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish.

Diane Denish & Bill Richardson

Governor Richardson was forced to withdraw as President Obama’s nominee as Secretary of Commerce in January 2009 due to a federal grand jury investigation.  CDR Financial Products Inc., was awarded two consulting contracts worth $1.4 million to advise the state on a large bond issue for building infrastructure.  The company’s president, David Rubin, gave about $100,000 to two political action committees controlled by Governor Richardson, as well as $10,000 to his re-election campaign in 2005. 

In August 2009, the United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico Greg Fouratt wrote in a letter to Governor Richardson’s criminal defense attorney that although Mr. Richardson and others in his administration would not be indicted, “the United States’ investigation … revealed that CDR and its officers made substantial contributions to Governor Richardson’s political organizations during the time that the company sought financial work with the NMFA.  The investigation further revealed that pressure from the governor’s office resulted in the corruption of the procurement process so that CDR would be awarded such work.” 

The United States – apparently at the direction of someone above the pay grade of Mr. Fouratt – decided not to bring charges against Governor Richardson or members of his administration.  However, CDR was indicted in October 2009 for “conspiring to rig bidding on investment contracts sold to local governments” in several states, including New Mexico.  More indictments against CDR may be forthcoming, and it was reported last week by the Albuquerque Journal that the federal grand jury in New Mexico investigated whether the Obama transition team was misled during the vetting process for Commerce Secretary by Governor Richardson or members of his administration.  (link requires subscription) 

Governor Richardson avoided a federal indictment in the pay-to-play scandal, but the question that should be asked now is whether those allegations were ever investigated by state law enforcement officials, and in particular by the office of the one state elected official directly responsible for investigating and prosecuting public corruption in New Mexico, Attorney General Gary King?  

Did the man with a self-touted “deep knowledge of the workings of government” who vowed to establish as “Special Public Corruption Unit” staffed with “forensic auditors” lift a finger to determine whether Governor Richardson or members of his administration awarded $1.4 million in consulting contracts in exchange for campaign contributions?  If Mr. King’s office did not investigate these allegations, why not?

Has Mr. King looked into the investment deals between the State Investment Council and the Educational Retirement board, which has been part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation, and which led to the resignation earlier this week of ERB Board Chairman Bruce Malott?  Again, if Mr. King’s office did not investigate, why not?

At some point, doing nothing becomes complicity.  Mr. King owes New Mexicans an explanation.

Surely Mr. King must have heard about the CDR and State Investment Council allegations.  Did he do anything about them?  Has Mr. King been diligent in pursuing public corruption, or has he been acting like Sergeant Shultz on Hogan’s Heroes, crying, “I see nothing, NOTHING!” when confronted with what most New Mexicans view as a pervasive culture of corruption in their state government? 

This is the question voters should ask themselves when deciding between Gary King or his challenger, Matthew Chandler, in the 2010 race for New Mexico Attorney General. 

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Categories: 2010 Elections, NM Politics Tags: , , ,
11
Aug 2010

Berry & Richardson – Class & No Class

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From this morning’s Albuquerque Journal – yet another reason why Mayor Berry has a bright political future, and Governor Richardson is well on his way to a richly deserved political oblivion:

 ABQ Firefighters Get New Air Packs (link may require subscription)

By Dan McKay, Tuesday, August 10, 2010, The Albuquerque Journal

Albuquerque firefighters will get 167 new air packs thanks to federal stimulus and city funds, Gov. Bill Richardson and Mayor Richard Berry announced Tuesday morning.

Richardson will tap about $685,000 in discretionary stimulus funding for the packs, and Berry said the city will provide about $150,000. That will buy just about enough air packs — called Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses — to replace all of the Fire Department’s old ones.

“Our firefighters depend on them” to make it home safely each night, Richardson said.

Berry thanked the governor for the funding.  “There’s no real way to measure how many lives this will save,” he said.

National and local union officials were on hand.

One odd thing caught my attention:

During the news conference, Richardson introduced several local leaders one by one, giving the audience time to applaud for each individually.  But he said Berry’s name quickly, sidestepping any applause time for the Republican mayor.  Richardson, of course, is a Democrat.

Berry didn’t give any sign that he noticed.  He thanked the governor in his speech and reached over to shake his hand.

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07
Aug 2010

Campaign Ads & The Sting of Battle

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As I mentioned in a prior post, I have little use for those namby pamby political pundits who whine every election cycle over the lowly state of political discourse in modern campaigns, and who pontificate against the use of campaign attack ads. 

Negative campaigning has existed since the Roman Republic, and candidates who want to win use them because they work.  John Adams and Thomas Jefferson ripped the hell out of each other, as did Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglass.  The voters did not seem to mind.  As George S. Patton would say, “All Americans – all REAL Americans – love the sting of battle.”

Only candidates who think they have an election won wage positive campaigns.  Typically, this occurs when a well funded incumbent simply ignores a poorly funded opponent entirely.  Positive campaigns are ignored by the media and the voters because they are boring.   Negative campaigns are more fun.

The 2010 campaign for Governor of New Mexico promises to be close, brutal and entertaining.  Although Diane Denish and Susana Martinez have taken a brief respite from ripping into each other, all of that will change after Labor Day.  In the meantime, it is worth reflecting on the different kinds of negative ads that have worked in the past, and that we can hope to see in the next few months.

One of the most famous – or infamous - campaign attack ads ever was the Willie Horton ad during the 1988 presidential race between George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis:

 

Mr. Bush and his campaign manager, Lee Atwater, were roundly criticized for the ad because of its alleged racial overtones - even though the Bush campaign never ran this ad (it was run by an independent group) or any ad with Mr. Horton’s picture in it.  Regardless, there is no question this ad re-enforced the public’s view that Mr. Dukakis was soft on crime and too liberal.  Mr. Bush overcome an early 17-percent deficit to crush Mr. Dukakis in November.

Twenty-two years later, the Willie Horton ad appears almost tame.  Consider the ads produced earlier this year by Hollywood consultant Fred Davis for the Carly Fiorina campaign for U.S. Senate in California.  These ads are a creative mix between standard issue campaign attack ads and entertainment – with a dash of Monty Python. 

Previously, my colleague Mr. Galt posted the “Hot Air” internet ad against Senator Barbara Boxer, which shows her inflated head floating like a Death Star balloon over the State of California.  The ad includes footage of the senator dressing down a general – a decorated war hero – who neglected to call Ms. Boxer “Senator.”  It goes on to ridicule Ms. Boxer’s total lack of accomplishment, deriding the “3″ measly bills she has managed to pass while in office.  At the end, her big balloon head is pricked with a pin, and is seen splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. 

I have no idea if this ad will elect Ms. Fiorina, but I love watching it. 

During the primary campaign, Mr. Davis also produced the Demon Sheep ad against Tom Campbell, outing him as soft on tax increases and public spending:

The Davis ads have been widely criticized and even ridiculed, but they apparently are working.  Ms. Fiorina won the primary, and is within striking distance of the incumbent.

The most effective negative ad is when you simply run footage of your opponent being an imbecile.  The best example of this- probably ever – is the Heather Wilson ad against Patsy Madrid at the close of the 2006 congressional campaign.  As election day neared, Ms. Madrid, the sitting two-term Attorney General, had a solid lead in all the polls.  With support surging for Democrats across the nation, Ms. Madrid had the election in the bag.  Unfortunately for her, she agreed to one debate with Ms. Wilson, and promptly froze after being lobbed a softball question on tax increases, resulting in a devastating ad:

Stick a fork in Ms. Madrid’s election chances, and her political career.

Of course, attack ads can backfire. Just ask Allen Weh, who was roundly criticized during the gubernatorial primary for running an ad that implied Susana Martinez had cheated on her taxes.  New Mexico has a long and inglorious history of candidates going too far when attacking their opponents – from Senator Joseph Montoya referring to his opponent, former Astronaut Harrison Schmitt, as a little monkey in a space capsule during the U.S. Senate campaign in 1976, to Senator Schmitt blowing his own re-election chances six years later for making unfair attacks on his opponent, present U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman.

In the end, all candidates should remember that the most memorable and effective campaign ads are often not negative at all.  Recall the famous “Bear in the Woods” ad run during the 1984 presidential election by the re-election campaign of Ronald Reagan:

For those of you too young to remember, the Bear was the Soviet Union – the evil empire that Mr. Reagan brought to its knees, without firing a shot.  The ad made no mention of Mr. Reagan’s opponent, Walter Mondale, or of the inept and pathetic Jimmy Carter.  It simply reminded voters that it was smart to be as strong as the bear – if there was a bear.  Indeed.

Like Mr. Carter four years earlier, Mr. Mondale was undone.

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26
Jul 2010

The Richardson Legacy & Antonio Salieri

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New revenue projections out of Santa Fe indicating a $159.3 million shortfall for fiscal year 2011 are just the latest indignity for Bill Richardson, as he nears the end of his term as governor and the likely conclusion of a political career that has spanned three decades.

Eight years ago, Mr. Richardson returned to New Mexico as a political superstar.  Democrats, independents and many Republicans swept him into the governor’s office, swayed by his national prominence, his impressive resume and his undeniable drive and talent.  Mr. Richardson packaged himself as a moderate, pro-business Democrat, and earned wide praise from business owners and entrepreneurs for persuading the legislature, early in his term, to reduce state income tax rates.  The New Mexico economy was booming, state government was flush with revenue and, thanks to the veto pen of his predecessor Gary Johnson, Mr. Richardson inherited a state government that was fiscally sound and which had no debt.

Now, eight years later, Mr. Richardson is a pariah.  In February of this year, his approval rating was down to 28%- one of the lowest for a governor in the country.  Watching the campaign commercials of his Lieutenant Governor, Diane Denish, who is running to replace him, you would think she had never heard of Bill Richardson.  Ms. Denish and other Democratic candidates want nothing to do with him, while Republican candidates invoke his name as an epitaph for their opponents.

What happened?

While it may be tempting to blame Mr. Richardson’s downfall on the downturn in the national economy or on the pay-to-play scandal which derailed his nomination as Secretary of Commerce, it is my view that Mr. Richardson finds himself in this predicament because of his compulsive spending. 

It was Mr. Richardson, after all, who presided over a state government that spent $475 million on the RailRunner,  $273 million on the movie industry and $200 million on a spaceport - not to mention yet another $244 million on the “Barbara and Bill Richardson Pavilion” at the University of New Mexico Hospital.  Under Mr. Richardson, General Fund expenditures in New Mexico increased from $3.87 billion during the last year of the Johnson administration to $6.01 billion for FY 2007-2008. 

Now, taxpayers are faced with a $159 million shortfall for next year while the $948 million squandered on bad movies, a train few New Mexicans will ever ride and a spaceport for shooting rich celebrities into orbit is simply gone.  The $244 million spent on the hospital was probably justified, but while voters will accept naming new public buildings for dead or at least retired politicians, they become irate when those buildings become monuments to politicians who are still in office, and who are still throwing around their money.

Voters by and large know how to balance a checkbook.  Taxpayers understand when big shots are blowing their money on what Abe Lincoln called flub dubs.  They don’t like it.

It is no coincidence that the plummeting poll numbers for Governor Richardson at the end of his term mirror the plunging poll numbers for President George W. Bush at the end of his term just two years ago.  Both Mr. Richardson and Mr. Bush spent an unbelievable amount of public money, causing irreparable damage to their reputations.

What, then, will be the legacy of Bill Richardson? 

Like the composer Antonio Salieri in the movie Amadeus, I suspect Mr. Richardson will join that large group of once prominent and important personages whose renown quickly dissipates upon leaving the public stage.

Like Salieri, Mr. Richardson was celebrated in his day, coming tantalizing close on two occasions to being nominated as Vice President of the United States – a heart beat away from the ultimate prize.  While his recent service to Mr. Obama – stabbing the Clintons in the back at an opportune moment during the 2008 primary campaign – likely saved Mr. Richardson and his friends from federal indictments, he is now too radioactive to be appointed to the cabinet or any other prominent position in Washington.  Absent an unexpected retirement by Senator Jeff Bingaman in two years, there is nothing else for Mr. Richardson to run for.  His prospects for future office diminished, Mr. Richardson has no opportunity to redeem his reputation from the spending orgy he presided over as governor.

Like Salieri, Mr. Richardson appears destined to spend his remaining days in steadily increasing obscurity, left on the sidelines to observe the ascendance of a new wave of public officials who are his antithesis – officials like New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, or perhaps Mr. Richardson’s predecessor Gary Johnson.  Mr. Johnson, after all, is now contemplating his own campaign for President of the United States, citing his record in office of eliminating New Mexico’s budget deficit, cutting the growth of state government, reducing the number of state employees, and vetoing 750 bills.

Once can only imagine Mr. Richardson’s reaction should Mr. Johnson somehow succeed in his quest for the office that was long the object of Mr. Richardson’s desire.  I suspect we would witness something similar to Maestro Salieri’s meltdown, in the movie, to the transcendent fame of Herr Mozart.

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Categories: National Politics, NM Politics Tags: , , , , , ,
01
May 2010

Beware of Romulans Bearing Gifts

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Blogger Joe Monahan’s advice to the New Mexico Republican Party on Friday brought to mind Leonard McCoy’s 23rd  Century variant of Virgil’s admonition: “timeo Danaos et dona ferentis” – “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts”, which refers to the present left by the Greek army for the City of Troy upon leaving its shores, after ten years of war. 

The gift, of course, was the Trojan Horse.  Its acceptance by the citizens of Troy did not work out so well for the Trojans. 

Beware of gifts from your enemies.

Mr. Monahan has taken great delight over the years in posting snarky, condescending comments about Republicans in general and conservative Republicans in particular.  His advice on Friday was that in order to be resurrected from the “near-extinction level event” that was the 2008 election, the New Mexico GOP needs to “be rebuilt with young and more moderate leaders.”   Specifically, Mr. Monahan urges the party to moderate its stands “on hot-button social issues” and to relax “its rigid economic code that prevents it from fully understanding the concerns of working class New Mexicans.”

In other words, according to Mr. Monahan, Republicans should be more like Democrats.  They should support and nominate candidates who condescend and belittle voters of faith, just like Democrats.  They should support higher taxes and more government, just like Democrats.  They should betray both social and fiscal conservatives in a triangulating grab for power, just like Charlie Crist.

Thanks for the advice, Joe, but I don’t think so.  We already have one Democrat Party, and we do not need another one.

On the other hand, it must be said that one of Mr. Monahan’s comments is absolutely correct.  Political corruption in New Mexico is not going to be brought under control by passing new laws, or a new code of ethics.  Corruption thrives under one party rule.  New Mexico needs a politically competitive Republican Party as a check upon Democrat power.

How does the Republican Party become competitive in New Mexico?  With all due respect to Mr. Monahan, the GOP will not succeed by abandoning its principles, becoming a pale image of the Democrats.  Rather, it will succeed by building a coalition of social and fiscal conservatives, who can agree to disagree on a variety of issues, but who share a philosophy of limited government, lower taxes and more freedom.  Grover Norquist of the Americans for Tax Reform refers to this as the “Leave-Us-Alone Coalition”, which stretches from Sarah Palin to Gary Johnson, from tea parties to country clubs to the 700 Club to South Park.

We are not without examples in New Mexico of Republican candidates who have successfully built this coalition to gain elective office.  Gary Johnson won two terms as governor and Richard J. Berry was elected last year as Mayor of Albuquerque.  Reports of the GOP’s near demise to the contrary, I suspect head-to-head polling of a race between Mayor Berry and Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish would show Mr. Berry with a sizable lead.  

Mayor Berry was unknown to most New Mexicans just one year ago, and was given no chance by Mr. Monahan and others of defeating the incumbent, Martin Chávez.  Mr. Berry did not compromise his beliefs to win.  Rather, he stuck by his principles, stayed on message and ran a disciplined, positive campaign. 

By following Mr. Berry’s example, the Republican nominee for governor – whoever it ends up being – can defeat Ms. Denish and the Democrats in November.  This does not mean that winning the election will be easy for the Republicans.  Demographics give the Democrats many advantages in New Mexico.  However, our best chance at victory is not a misguided attempt to masquerade as Democrats, and to sell out our base of support.

To win, Republicans must stand for their core principles.  They must retain their honor – kind of like the Klingons.

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