Wednesday, November 28, 2007

NEW MEXICO SENATE UPDATE

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-by Alex Flores

Howie last invited me to write here about our Draft Udall effort in New Mexico on October 29. Since then, we've claimed success – on November 16, Tom Udall filed papers to run for the United States Senate. This cycle, we have the best chance to take this seat back from Republicans since Senator Pete Domenici first took the seat 35 years ago in the same election as when Richard M. Nixon defeated George McGovern.

Our mission continues, however. While Udall is favored in polls by wide margins over his primary opponent Mayor Martin Chavez, the Netroots need to stay heavily involved in this race. We have an opportunity here to show the Democratic party the kind of progressives we want in office.

I'm going to tell you now, after reading below, you're going to want to open your wallets for Tom Udall and make sure that DINO Marty takes a permanent vacation from politics.

This Primary race is a perfect example of why we work in politics: this race illustrates why we read, write, and work on behalf of progressives to change the Democratic agenda and elect more and better Democrats (and in this case, more and better Udalls!)

We're used to the national security narrative from Republicans – they call Dems weak on the military, weak in foreign policy, and weak on fighting terror.

On November 9, the NRCC posted a video attacking Tom Udall's cousin, Colorado Democratic Senate Candidate Mark Udall using the same frame. Here's a line straight from the video:
…putting American lives at risk. Why doesn't Mark Udall want US intelligence to have the tools they need to keep America safe. Call Mark Udall, ask him why America's safety isn't his first priority.

But we're not used to the same narrative from Democrats running in a primary.

In New Mexico, DINO Marty has come out in full attack mode against progressive Congressman Tom Udall (even during our Draft when Udall wasn't in the race) using national security and other right-wing frames to gain media attention.

If it seems like DINO Marty and the NRCC are reading from the same playbook, you're right. From the national security narrative to outright racism, DINO Marty thinks that his politics of hate will resonate with New Mexicans who already favor Udall by 62%-32%.

In a campaign email on Monday, November 26, DINO Marty beefed-up his GOP credentials and accused Udall of "Endangering our national security" by voting to cut funding for National Laboratories in New Mexico in a huge budget bill.

Here is Tom Udall's case, from a speech made on November 15:
Because nuclear weapons work is the core mission of the Lab, it stands to suffer in the upcoming fiscal years – unless it chooses a path of increasing diversification, growing new areas of research and work for the Lab…. I advocate for a path forward that supports areas of work including: alternative energy and energy independence, science research such as climate change modeling, intelligence research and analysis, nonproliferation efforts, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) projects, and nuclear counter terrorism.

Barbwire, a New Mexico blogger, has more details at her site including an on-point assessment that:
It's one thing to criticize your primary opponent's positions, but I think this kind of over-the-top rhetoric coming directly from Chavez can only serve to turn more Dem voters against him. Chavez already has a reputation for publicly and privately trashing fellow Dems on the Albuquerque City Council, supporting Repubs and their causes and vowing to vote for Repub Sen. Pete Domenici if he ran for reelection.

Do Chavez and his campaign team really believe that using inflammatory language like this to attack one of the most highly respected and popular Dems in the state will help him in his quest for Dem primary voters? Astonishing. Not only is it wrong, it's bad politics.

LP, another New Mexico blogger who runs NMFBIHOP, is thinking the same thing that you and I are: DINO Marty's language
…sounds like something straight out of the Karl Rove playbook.  Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce are probably filing that away for further use.

Barbwire and LP are right on. But it's not just a quest, DINO Marty is on a Quixotic mission. He has poll after poll after poll, New Mexicans prefer Udall by WIDE margins.

Mid-article break: If you're already convinced that DINO Marty needs an early retirement, please donate to the "Netroots for Udall" ActBlue page. Take ownership of this race and let's send a true progressive to the United States Senate!

And even though DINO Marty wants this race to stay in New Mexico, he has no problem giving racist soundbites to the New York Times:
[Chavez] said that Senators Schumer and Reid thought of Mr. Udall, the son of Stewart Udall, secretary of the interior under President John F. Kennedy, as their "fair-haired boy."

[Quick aside: Isn't it also odd that DINO Marty is so quick to badmouth the Majority Leader and the DSCC Chairman? If he won the nomination, would he flip-flop his way back into their grace for national support and party infrastructure?]

Is DINO Marty relying in part on being "Hispanic" to carry him to victory? Well, in the same NYT article, the author points out that DINO Marty
…is expected to emphasize his Hispanic heritage.

Thankfully, many Latinos are not fooled by racial politics. New Mexico pollster Brian Sanderoff said that race
could be an advantage in a state where, since 1994, a Hispanic candidate facing a white candidate in a statewide Democratic primary had won 9 times out of 10.

But I'm not sure that's true. In one of the most revealing polls of the race yet, Latin@s split down the middle. Sorry Chavez, being Brown doesn't mean that all of us Brown folk will blindly vote for you.

The choice here is clear. We're talking about supporting popular Tom Udall (a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus) over DINO Marty to carry New Mexico for Democrats and progressives in the state and across the country. Let's show both of them that the Netroots have voice and the infrastructure to make a difference in this race. Please donate to the "Netroots for Udall" page on ActBlue.

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3 Comments:

At 5:10 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Howie, the contibution page does not work and says it has been withdrawn. Huh? I'd love to contribute, to both Udalls.

 
At 7:46 PM, Blogger DownWithTyranny said...

Amazona, I just checked the 3 contribution links and they all work for me. You can donate here (http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18608).

 
At 5:48 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

A coalition of U.S. military veterans that served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is suing the U.S. government. The class-action lawsuit on behalf of hundreds of thousands of veterans claims they have been denied disability pay and mental health treatment.

Repeated and extended deployments to war zones have driven a rise in post-traumatic stress among troops. It may be good to support your troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it is much better to demand accountability from those responsible for the lack of their care.

The legal case against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) seeks widespread changes in the agency. The VA has difficulty in the preparation, processing and analysis of veterans information to support the effective and efficient preparation of the VA’s hundreds of thousands of veterans claims. Because of this, the lawsuit charges, the DVA has deliberately cheated some traumatized war veterans out of benefits owed to them.

The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in San Francisco on behalf of hundreds of thousands of veterans. The coalition claims veterans have been let down on several fronts. These include the provision of prompt disability benefits and additional staff to reduce waiting times for medical care and services to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

The coalition says the DVA worked with the Pentagon to misclassify post-traumatic stress disorder claims as pre-existing personality disorders. The cost to veterans, their families and the nation will be incalculable, it says, unless systematic and drastic measures are instituted immediately.

There has been no reaction to the legal action from the Department of Veterans Affairs because, I think, the DAV really couldn’t care less about the concerns or the plight of these veterans. They will ask that more studies be done. The human research VA foundations and VA enterprise centers see the veterans as cash cows for financial grants, etc.

I keep hearing that this is the 21st Century, can Congress please make the VA join it, making the claims process digital.

Many soldiers are dying in the fight for freedom but just as unfortunate are the thousands who come back home and begin withering away from their psychological wounds. Just like their brother and sisters before them, who came home and died, so very young they ask “Could it be Gulf War Illness?” Post-traumatic--stress-disorder [PTSD] can be a serious aftermath of a catastrophic event such as war and can manifest itself in a number of ways. Examples range from depression to violent thoughts, rages, actions and yes even suicide. The incidence of P.T.S.D appears to be high among combat veterans and continues to rise. P.T.S.D. can be extremely disruptive to a person's physical and mental well-being, family life, social relationships, and employment status. Yetfor a variety of reasons, those suffering from P.T.S.d. have remained undiagianosed or insufficiently treated. Violent or intrusive thoughts may or may not be expressed, but when they manifest, they can and should be taken serious. Ignored or untreated, these thoughts and actions can lead to more serious issues. This is an important indicator of the illness and it is imperative that veterans have the opportunity to communicate these thoughts freely in the right forum as they are a major symptom of P.T.S.D. If you find yourself struggling with anger issues directed at another person such as a friend or loved one or someone who is ignorant or indifferent about the illness{and there are many} fight your impulse to express and react to your rage. Instead, seek the help of a skilled professional.There are many human service, mental health professionals in the area and they at the very least provide some help and comfort until we can get the attention of the Veterans Administration. Also, there are some elected officials who have shamefully denied YOUR benefits because they either they are ignorant about this issue or plainly don’t care unless they hear from voters... I know that many of our elected officals in this area are not veterans and they feel that this is a federal issue and exclaim why should I help? I hope and pray that we can convince our elected officials to persuade VA officials to make claim determinations for our veterans in a timely and just manner. I salute these brave and wonderful young men and woman who deserve all the privileges of being an American citizen who sacrificed so much and have received so little in return. This is the time for Americans to stand up and be counted in the cause for justice and health for all Veterans. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Dennis Thorp, Frankfort

Native of Frankfort and Veteran of U.S. Army medic during Vietnam and co-founder of Agency Orange Victims International and co-sponsored War

 

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