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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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.