"Lightning" Rod
State Sen. "Lightning" Rod Adair, the hyper-controversial lawmaker from Roswell, is thundering again, but this time his bolts out of the blue are so electric some are questioning the wisdom of President Bush's NM re-election team in associating their campaign with him. In an e mail to Republicans statewide, Adair accuses the Albuquerque Journal and ABQ Tribune of "bigotry." He claims the state's two largest newspapers have been "unrelentingly merciless in attacks on John Sanchez, David Iglesias, Tom Benavides, Mario Burgos (another Republican Hispanic House candidate the Journal ganged up on) and many, many others whose only "crime" has been to be Republican AND Hispanic." Ouch!

Adair also attacked the papers for not endorsing Hispanic Republican State Rep. Larry Larranaga in the June 1 primary. The Adair diatribe comes on the heels of his being named by the Bush re-election committee this week to a prominent position on the "New Mexico Veterans for Bush Leadership Team."

One Republican who has sparred over the years with Adair told 'NM Politics With Joe Monahan" the appointment is "a big mistake.' He says: "Adair has just unloaded on the state's major newspapers and now he is at the top of the list in the Bush re-election campaign. This is really hate campaigning and has no place in a state that is as ethnically diverse as ours. Rod has sunk to a new low, and he may pay a price. Why should the papers stand by and take it from him?" mused our GOP insider.

But the newspapers and the rest of the political community is used to Adair's wild side. He has questioned the sexual preferences of one prominent NM political writer and has repeatedly attacked syndicated political columnist Jay Miller.

His latest outburst is only newsworthy because the Bush campaign has so publicly embraced him in an effort to hold together their SE NM conservative base. Rod has previously engaged in loud argument and near violent argument with a wide variety of political figures who are on the opposite side of his fence. His temper is legendary. But accusing the newspapers of conscious bigotry places him in politically dangerous territory and, by association, the Bush campaign. One of their chief allies, lawyer-lobbyist Mickey Barnett, has already cost them image points and was ousted as GOP National Committeeman. Now, Adair's out-of-bounds behavior may add to the Bush team's woes come Election Day.

A THICKENING GOP PLOT?

What better time to hatch complex political plots than the slow, easy days of a NM summer? One of my deeply connected insiders reports to us that is just what is going on when it comes to the GOP leadership in Santa Fe. Here's his unedited report.

"I know you have repeatedly talked about Roswell's Dan Foley vying for House Minority Whip to replace Joe Thompson. There is another candidate who is seeking that same position. It's Rep. Terry Marquadt. Marquadt (of SE NM) has been calling around trying to gather enough votes to call a caucus meeting before January 1st.

If he can succeed, he will keep the support of Rep. Robert White and Rep. Earlene Roberts who were attacked by Foley and others before they leave office Jan. 1st. That gives him at least two votes that he wouldn't have if he waits until right before the next legislative session. Marquadt has been calling around, and may be seeking the help of Farmington's Rep. Richard Cheney. There is also word out that Cheney may be eyeing Minority Leader; a two-for-one deal."

Indeed, the dog days of Summer are fast approaching, but the dog-eat-dog world of La Politica rolls on regardless of the season. May it ever be so.

Make our site---www.joemonahan.com--one of your 'favorites.' Bookmark it now and send a link to interested friends. Want to advertise to NM's large political community? E-mail me or call 505-243-4059 for details. And thanks for e-mailing me your news tips and comments. There's a link at the top right of this page.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2004
Not for reproduction without permission of the author