Let's Talk Sense...

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Thursday, August 12, 2004 Volume XXIX, No. 5
Roswell, New Mexico
Readership this date: 23,992

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In this issue...

Ballot Access

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Democrats Spend Millions to stop Nader

We have always championed the cause of ballot access. Let everybody run. In New Mexico ballot access is not that easy, though we usually end up with 6 presidential candidates. The Democrats however, are always trying to kill the little parties, or at the very least deny the Green Party its major party status.

This year the Democrats are suing every left of center party or candidate all over the country to keep them off the ballot. They just won a court battle in Arizona using platoons of lawyers, and millions of dollars, to overwhelm the Nader organization and kill his candidacy there. Led by Bill Richardson, they are doing the same thing here.

Richardson went ballistic when Nader announced he was going to run again. The same man who a dozen times forced his own his press secretary to ask him if he would run for vice president (so he could "decline the offer") called Nader "self-serving" and a "spoiler." He will do whatever it takes to keep Nader off the ballot.

Of course, there is no press coverage about that. According to Brent Bozell an astouding 91% of the media are for Kerry, and they don't want Nader on the ballot anywhere--although they think it is fine if New Mexico has four right of center candidates from the Libertarian, Constitution, Natural Law and Reform parties. When the media cover the entire issue, it is not about the rabid, manic effort by the Democrats to keep candidates off the ballot. Oddly, the only story the media see in this is efforts by individual Republicans in Michigan and elsewhere to let everybody run.

If Republicans were trying to limit ballot access the New Mexico media would fry them----but if Democrats do it, it's great.

Now, New Mexico papers, radio or TV, are doing nothing more than reading the Democrat Party's press releases about the effort to get Nader on the ballot here. Instead of Dick Knipfing, Carla Aragon, or Nelson Martinez on KRQE, KOB and KOAT, they might as well have Democrat State Chairman John Wertheim reading the news----because they are reading exactly what Wertheim is writing. Same thing goes for the radio and newspaper coverage. They are ridiculing and attacking any citizen who signs a petition or who any way attempts to help Nader, questioning motives and regurgitating each and every pro-Kerry spin. Do you believe for a moment they would cover the story the same way if Republicans were trying to prevent Michael Badnarik from getting on the ballot? If Republicans were trying to stop the Constitution Party? The Taxpayers Party? The Natural Law Party?

No way. The spin would be completely, diametrically the opposite. The GOP would still be painted as the bad guys. These are the same media types who will drone on endlessly about the number of people who don't vote----or the lack of choice, or the choices between "the lesser of two evils." The media justify any coverage they want based on whose ox is gored.

At the same time, should Nader's team end up getting enough signatures to get on the ballot, David Duhigg, Joe Goldberg, Charlie Daniels or other usual suspects will likely file lawsuits before carefully chosen Richardson appointees to block ballot access. The New Mexico media will probably praise the trial lawyers' efforts (even as they line their pockets).

The Democrats do this kind of thing to each other in primaries all the time----Diane Denish most frequently, most notoriously, and most recently----against State Senator Linda Lopez to keep her off the lieutenant governor primary ballot. Usually, it is out of the deeply ingrained fear that someone, somewhere, might actually have a choice. In Denish's case of course, she was terrified of what would happen----and would have actually happened---if Hispanic Democrats had had a chance to vote for her Hispanic opponent. Fortunately for her, she found a favorable judge who knew what to do---and poof she (Lopez) was gone.

Together, the four right-of-center parties named above won 4,154 votes in New Mexico in 2000, and unquestionably cost George W. Bush New Mexico's five electoral votes. He lost the state by 366 votes.

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Sign a Petition for Nader----
if you want ballot access for everyone


We happen to believe that every candidate---right or left of center---should be on the ballot. Attached is an Adobe File. The Nader team has set September 1 as their deadline for getting their petitions organized to turn in to the Secretary of State. They need 14,527 signatures. Any registered voter may sign----Democrat, Republican, Decline to State, Independent----it doesn't matter. The voter must be registered in the county named at the top of the form. Anyone signing a petition needs to write the name of his or her home county in the space provided at the top of the form. Obviously, this is only for ballot access. It does not involve voting for Nader or in any way supporting him. It only means you believe he should get on the ballot. You may vote for anyone you want on November 2.

If you believe the Democrats should not be able to block voters from having the chance to support a candidate just because their operatives believe he or she may hurt their nominee, send them a message. Let Bill Richardson and the Democrat Machine, including their media mouthpieces, know that New Mexicans support OPEN elections. Sign the petition today. Forward this message to your friends, family, co-workers, etc.

Nader Petition (adobe acrobat file)

Mail the petitions to:

Petition Drive
P. O. Box 24
Roswell, NM 88202

We are sure the media will criticize us for this, but what else is new? We are already counting them in the Kerry column.

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Badnarik and the Libertarians

Meanwhile the Republicans have never tried to block the Libertarian Party in New Mexico -- and there is little doubt their votes in 2000 cost President Bush New Mexico's five electoral votes.

The Libertarian Party has had its presidential nominee on the New Mexico ballot every election since 1976. They have averaged a little under 3,000 votes. Harry Browne finished below that, with 2,058 four years ago. But this year's Libertarian nominee, Michael Badnarik, is mounting a serious effort in the state. We can't remember a Libertarian candidate with television commercials this early in New Mexico. Badnarik is also campaigning in person in the state, making swings through virtually every major city and getting considerable earned media.

At this stage, we would guess that he has a chance of breaking the mark set way back in 1984 by David Bergland who polled 4,459 votes in New Mexico----the Libertarians highwater mark. In fact, Badnarik could be strong nationally as well. We remember Ed Clark, the 1980 Libertarian nominee who got 1.1% nationally, close to a million votes. No Libertarian even came close to half that mark over the next 20 years. We doubt Badnarik will do so either, but he looks as though he could set a new record in New Mexico. (Ed Clark by the way got 4,365 in New Mexico.)

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Sesquicentennial

2004 marks the Sesquicentennial of the Republican Party, the 150th Anniversary of the second oldest political party in the world. Senator Rod Adair is speaking around the state on the history of the Republican Party and its unique role in shaping America. The Grand Old Party was founded 150 years ago in such places as Ripon, Wisconsin and Jackson, Michigan and at least two other towns that claim it as its birthplace. It is difficult to sort out the first among firsts because the party literally sprang up, almost spontaneously.

The party's remarkable record includes:

1) The invention of the very concept of Civil Rights in America,
2) A commitment to an "internal development" program, including the building of roads, ports, the transcontinental railroad, the interstate highway system, land grant colleges and the settling of America through the Homestead Act;
3) The creation of the idea of conservation and the environmental movement (also invented by the Republican Party), the setting aside of national parks;
4) National policies that fostered the building of American industry, allowing its development at a critical time in our history, creating the biggest and strongest economy the world has ever known;
5) The construct of anti-trust and anti-monopoly laws to ensure a functioning economy based on private enterprise and fair trade rules and practices;
6) A not-to-be-denied determination to end slavery, and a century-long heroic struggle against the Democrat Party to end its vestiges: segregation, lynching, poll taxes, voting rights discrimination, and the intimidating power of the Ku Klux Klan;
7) Winning the battle for Women's suffrage, and many more victories in the realm of public policy.

All these accomplishments leading up to the Republican Party's role near the end of the 20th Century---by then alone in the struggle---in continuing a determined fight to win the Cold War; and into the 21st Century leading America and the world in the fight against global terrorism. If you would like Senator Adair to speak to your organization, please click here: SenatorRodAdair@dfn.com and let us know.

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Subscribe to Let's Talk Sense..., Legislative Update, or New Mexico Political Journal by contacting New Mexico Demographic Research at nmdr@dfn.com.

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(c) Copyright, 2004. All Rights Reserved by New Mexico Demographic Research.