Monday, January 11, 2021Trump Spasms Cause More NM Fallout; Redistricting Herrell; Easier Confirmation Path For Haaland, And: Reader Vox Populi Is Back
Chatter in Dem circles has the Legislature redistricting GOP Trump ally Rep. Yvette Herrell out of office by moving heavily Native American precincts in McKinley county into her southern congressional district from the northern district. Redistricting--set for later this year for congressional and legislative seats--could also see precincts in BernCo's South Valley go into the southern district to help pave the way for the Dems to take the seat back in 2022. Herrell's maiden speech on the House floor in the wee morning hours Friday was an objection to certifying the Electoral College votes from Pennsylvania. That further inflamed those already seeking her ouster citing her as the prime symbol and a chief actor in the radicalization of a large swath of the New Mexican Republican party. A GOP consultant choosing anonymity, opined of the speech: Honestly I thought it was an embarrassment, I can see that speech being used in an attack ad against her with unforgettable images of the rioters. The country saw something unthinkable that day and here she is trying to please her shrinking base in CD-2. She’s going to need more than her base in 2022. Meanwhile, Dem fears that Rep. Deb Haaland could have rough going with Senate R's when she appears for confirmation as Secretary of Interior have been muted now that D victories in Georgia have given the party a Senate majority. The contest for Haaland's seat, which would become vacant upon her joining the Biden cabinet, is getting more crowded. Victor Reyes, legislative director for MLG, announces he will become the first Dem male to seek the seat, joining four women in the race. (Video here.) Reyes, who would be the first openly gay member of Congress from NM, says: I’ll fight for racial justice, reproductive justice, and LGBTQ and transgender rights. Together, with the support of the voters of the district, we’ll prioritize criminal justice reform and provide real support for our families and small businesses amid this pandemic. Just like I’ve done here in New Mexico, I’ll never back down to the NRA. . . Members of the D and R Central Committees will choose nominees for a special election to fill the ABQ seat, probably to occur in June. And former Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn, Jr., a onetime Republican who enjoys stirring the waters, says he'll run for Haaland's seat as an independent. Not a bad idea as the R's are on the ropes after the mob attack in DC. 2022 is a long way off but T or C State Rep. Rebecca Dow is toying with a run for the GOP gubernatorial nomination as scuttlebutt grows louder that GOP chairman Steve Pearce will seek the nod. The Pearce possibility is raising concern because he lost the last Governor's race in a landslide and has also suffered a landslide defeat for US Senate. VOX POPULI
What was Rep. Herrell's first order of business? Was it to stand to assist New Mexicans who have lost their livelihoods, health and family members because of the pandemic? Herrell’s first action was to prostrate herself before Trump and object to certifying Joe Biden’s victory. Steve Pearce, Yvette Herrell and the GOP have assisted Trump in turning our country into a state of homegrown insurrection whose chief sponsor promotes the ruination of our great Democracy. It will be decades before we regain our democratic standing in the world thanks to the pandering to Trump from people like them who hold influential positions. No, Joe, there is no rescue for the NM GOP or the US GOP and frankly I’m not shedding any tears. Salud y Paz. Former ABQ Mayor Marty Chavez writes: Joe; I caught your headline Thursday, saying, “Trumpism hits bottom. . . ”. While this may be a new low for Trump, his tenure has taught us repeatedly that with him, there is no bottom. Heaven help us between now and the 20th. STILL WITH TRUMP Reader Doug Chilson, retired from the Air Force and living near Lovington, writes of his unwavering support for Trump: Trump is not going away. I voted Trump twice. Will gladly do so again with zero hesitation, hopefully in 2024. We saw Black Lives Matter and ANTIFA riot and loot last summer. Peaceful protests? Horse kaka. I note they were not called domestic terrorists. Are Democrats even aware of how hypocritical they sound?
Former Lt. Gov. Diane Denish writes of the events of the day: With the Dems securing the majority in the Senate the confirmation of Deb Haaland will likely be accelerated and the race for CD1 will pick up speed. The Republicans will continue to be irrelevant and irresponsible (note the tweets of Michelle Garcia Homes supporting the insurrection). Yvette Herrell will try to slink into oblivion after her miscalculation of objecting to certifying the election not realizing that even the voters of CD2 are horrified at what happened at the Capitol. All the enablers/hoodlums will be remembered and she is one of them. Such a bad start to her stint as a congressperson. We promise to make it a short one. CONSERVATISM TODAY Conservative intellectual Andrew Sullivan on last week's Capitol upheaval: The week was, in many ways, the essence of American “conservatism” in 2021. It has morphed from a politics to a theological movement to a personality cult. It is a threat to the very foundations of liberal democracy. It is nihilist, performative, incoherent and bristling with the certainty of fundamentalists and the corruption of grifters. It has destroyed this country’s fiscal standing, wrecked this country’s international reputation, trashed the norms and practices of liberal democracy, perverted the rule of law, accelerated climate change, and now physically vandalized the most sacred civil place in America. This is the home of New Mexico politics.
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