Tuesday, August 30, 2022Speaker Pelosi Sets ABQ Visit As Fortunes Turn For House Dems; Reception Set With Stansbury, Fernandez And Vasquez
The Speaker, now 82, has said in the past that this would be her last term in leadership but if the improbable occurs Election Night and the Dems hang on to the House, expect her to stay at the helm-- not at her own insistence but that of her party. Pelosi, positioned for decades by the GOP as a liberal lightning rod to inspire their voters, has now surpassed the role of prominent partisan they cast her in and entered the realm of historic figures. --She is one of very few speakers to win election to the position, give it up when the opposing party took power and then take it back when her party again prevailed. That's staying power. --The Trump rioters who took over the Capitol seemed to relish most their occupation of her office, a high compliment for the speaker who stood firmly against the forces trying to overturn a legitimate election. --Most recently there was her gutsy trip to Taiwan that extended her long campaign for human rights in China and prompted the nearly bizarre sight of leading Republicans joining in the praise of her actions. Now the political winds may push Pelosi further into the history books as a Supreme Court ruling nullifying abortion rights galvanizes the electorate and provides the spark that could renew her lease on the speakership. That the first woman to become Speaker presides at such a compelling time does not go unnoticed but her gender, while not a footnote, is no longer the defining feature of her career. Given the turbulent and unprecedented times in which she has served, it will be her ability to master and execute power in all its variations and to do so without violating democratic norms that will be her legacy. Not a bad day's work. OLD TIES The reception featuring Pelosi will be held at the home of ABQ trial attorney Randi McGinn, a longtime friend of the Speaker's and a prominent Dem fund-raiser. In 2020 Pelosi raised eyebrows and endorsed McGinn for the Dem nomination for the US House seat now held by Rep. Stansbury. The seat was vacated by Rep. Deb Haaland who became Sec. of Interior and the special election nomination was decided by the Dem Central Committee. Despite the Pelosi backing McGinn lost to Stansbury who went on to win the general election (endorsed by Pelosi). As for tickets for that reception they top out at $8,600 and bottom out at $300. SOUTHERN WATCH Speaking of national Dems, they have finally surfaced in the southern congressional race. Their House Majority PAC is pumping $225,000 into the race for the Democrat Gabe Vasquez who is struggling to take out Republican Rep. Yvette Herrell. A good sized buy is $100K a week so this is a bite-sized one but better than the fat zeros Vasquez has been getting. The League of Conservation Voters is also going up with TV to help kick-start the battle against Herrell. STEVE ARIAS Steve Arias, the ultimate political insider, worked for the state House for 13 years before he was chosen by the House Democratic Caucus as Chief Clerk in 1983, a position he retired from in 2014 and served in longer than anyone in state history. He supervised a staff of 13 that kept the bureaucratic wheels in the House turning smoothly. House leadership announced Arias died Sunday night. Plans are being made to honor him at the Capitol. This is the home of New Mexico Politics. E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2022 |
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