Wednesday, October 05, 2022Guv Rhetoric Ramps Up As Last Month Of Campaign Draws Near, Plus: Dems Try To Keep Abortion On The Frontburner, Also: Newspaper Questionnaire Does It Again; Several Candidates Busted, Plus: Keller And The Camps Glenn Youngkin is an extremist who's done nothing but spread his message of hate across Virginia since the day he was elected. Just last week, thousands of students walked out their classrooms in protest of his hateful policies. By campaigning with Glenn Youngkin, Ron DeSantis, and Doug Ducey, my opponent is sending a message loud and clear: He will always put the extreme Republican base above everyday New Mexicans. We deserve better. And here's Rocnhetti chasing dollars with some hot talk: You wake up on the morning of Wednesday, November 9th, and the first thing you see once you open your phone is the headline: “Governor Lujan Grisham Wins Four More.” The thought sickens me. Imagine. Morning sickness over MLG. ABORTION DEBATE (CONT.) State Dems don't want the debate over abortion to peak and then fade before Election Day Nov. 8 and they think Ronchetti has put enough gas in their tank for them to make it through the final stretch:
NM Dem Party Chair Jessica Velasquez called on Ronchetti to release proposed language for his constitutional amendment to ban abortion. Ronchetti has run advertisements touting his amendment and frequently discussed it during public appearances. But during the debate last Friday, Ronchetti refused to reveal the language of his proposed abortion amendment. Despite a long back and forth on abortion, Ronchetti managed to leave New Mexicans in the dark about what specific limits on abortion he wants in the amendment. This comes after KOB-TV asked him for the amendment language directly, to which he replied, “What does that totally look like? I don’t know yet.”
It's a no win for Ronchetti which is why he's not talking. If he says he wants the amendment to ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, except for cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother, he will be accused of restricting the procedure as has been done in several Red states. If he goes more conservative and says he is for an amendment that is more restrictive, he loses even more with pro-choice voters. Still, if you are going to lead the state being ambigious on one of the state’s primary issues does not enhance your leadership image. (Velasquez cut this video.) THAT QUESTIONNAIRE  At least a handful of Democratic and Republican candidates for the Legislature didn’t disclose tax liens in response to Journal questionnaires. Liens are typically filed to secure the payment of unpaid taxes. Socorro Democrat Tara Jaramillo, who faced tax liens in 2007 and 2013, according to public records. The 2007 lien was for $679 and the 2013 one — filed jointly against her and her ex-husband — was for $2,265. . . Jaramillo said she wasn’t aware of either lien until contacted by the Journal. Also running in District 38 is Republican Sandra Kay Hammack, who didn’t return a Journal questionnaire. But she acknowledged to a reporter that she had a business-related bankruptcy in the 1990s. . . Albuquerque Republican Gregory Cunningham, who faced a $2,000 tax lien in 2012, according to records filed with the Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office. It was released later that year. . .Cunningham had answered “no” in the Journal questionnaire ahead of the primary election. He said this week that it was a miscommunication with a campaign consultant. Albuquerque Republican Nicole Chavez, who was listed along with her ex-husband on a $333 tax lien in 2014.
Chavez said she wasn’t aware of the lien until contacted by the Journal. What can we say? Only "to be continued" in 2024 and every election after. OWNING IT
Lewis was a little late in demanding that Keller "own" the encampments. The Mayor has now won two veto override fights over the camps with the nine member council--the latest Monday night. He already owns the concept and consequences and has the support of four councilors who agree that every "tool in the toolbox" needs to be used to address the complicated problem. The Governor and others have called for some "tough love" solutions to address homelessness and they too have a place in the toolbox. Meanwhile, Keller is spending considerable political capital on the encampments. As Councilor Lewis notes they are very unpopular with an ABQ public that is fighting them at every legal turn. But as Keller pointed out recently this is a "republic not a democracy"and it's the job of elected officials to tackle problems the public demands be solved. The public gets their judgment day at the next election. If the Mayor makes it clear that he is limiting the encampments to a handful and viewing them as experimental--not necessarily a permanent solution--he might gain more public traction. Not that he needs it. He now has won the necessary zoning and financing in place in spite of a mostly recalcitrant council and a public that seems to view our very changed ABQ as a vestige of the 1970's when there were few homeless, no widespread drug addiction, a murder rate that was less than a third of what it is now, no yawning gap between the rich and poor and no shortage of moderate priced housing. ABQ has always seen itself as a smallish city exempt from the urban woes afflicting Los Angeles and the like--and for a very long time it was. But that's all gone now and for a lengthy list of reasons which we have explored on our blog and that can be found in our nearly 20 year archive. It wouldn't be polite to tell ABQ to grow up. It's better to advise the citizenry to give up their dated mirrors that reflect a docile past while today's reality is economic and social warfare raging just outside their doors. THE BOTTOM LINES A memorial service for Herb Denish, longtime lobbyist and husband of former Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, will be held this Friday at 10 A.M. at St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church at 601 Montano NW. Denish, 79, died last week from injuries he sustained in an auto accident. 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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