Who says you gotta be 20 something to party and politick? The 50 something crowd at Kurt and Barbara Lohbeck's annual bash in the ABQ NE Heights Sunday were no slouches in either department as politicos jammed shoulder to shoulder with artists and assorted hanger's on to assess the year gone by and give the latest lowdown in La Politica.

ABQ city attorney and condemner of old buildings, Pete Dinelli, was on his way out the door while we were coming in but left word that his boss, ABQ Mayor Marty, "drew an impressive crowd" of volunteers at a weekend get together where the Mayor said he is running, but not yet ready to officially say he's running. The couple hundred Marty drew matches ABQ Councilor Griego who threw his hat into the 05' ring last weekend.

Over near the dessert trays, former Guv's Jerry Apodaca and Dave Cargo chewed over Big Bill's future Prez plans. Jerry and Dave both said they expect to see Bill run and if he does he will apparently be whisked around in a million dollar motor home owned by none other than Friend of Bill's and major Santa Fe lobbyist Butch Maki. A million dollar motor home? What is in that thing? Anyway, if it's not a million bucks it certainly will be enough to get thru the snows of Iowa and New Hampshire if that's where the road leads in 2008.

STATE OF THE PARTY

Big business R Tom Tinnin bent our ear over the state of the NM GOP and we found ourselves nodding in agreement over the egg nog. He said the party needs to come out swinging on the major issues of the day---like Shirley Baca's love affair with pot and Big Bill's spending spree. "What's an opposition party for?" He wondered while looking at the winter wonderland laid out by the Lohbeck's.

Tinnin agreed the R's have no big name to run against the Big Fella in 06' and he doesn't expect that to change much by next year's party.

30 something Greg Payne was spotted paying respects to his party elders, including former Congressman and Interior Secretary Manuel Lujan. Payne let drop the news that he has started his own blog so he "won't be filtered anymore by the mainstream media." The new state rep will soon see how the river runs when Big Bill is paddling the canoe when the legislative term begins in January.

Overall, this R dominated late season soiree was highly celebratory with the likes of former ABQ first lady Carol Kinney and others lifting their glasses cheerily for four more years of Bush. And they weren't even filled with prune juice. Take that you young whippersnappers.

ABQ FROM THE OUTSIDE

The state's largest city comes out just fine, "mighty fine," as former Guv Bruce King might say, in this recent travel write-up on the Duke City in the the New York Times. Learn the latest hotspots from the eyes of an outsider (subscription required)

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2004
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