Cervantes is the Alternative to Lujan

News New Mexico has learned that Representative Joseph Cervantes of Las Cruces took the risk of formally entering his name for consideration as New Mexico Speaker of the House behind closed doors in the Roundhouse in Santa Fe Saturday afternoon. While the final vote count for Speaker in the Democratic Party caucus was secret, multiple sources indicate that Cervantes received a significant number of votes. And while he did not receive the 19 vote majority within his own party, he did garner many votes. In the next day or so News New Mexico will attempt to determine precisely what the vote tally for Cervantes actually was. If we can get a count we can report with confidence, we will report that number on this website.

Joseph Cervantes

Regardless of the final vote count, the lengthy timeline of the Democrat's House caucus meeting on Saturday offers rather compelling proof of a severely damaged Speaker. Ben Lujan is clear a fading authority figure with dwindling support in his own party. Naturally, when the exhausted House Democrats finally emerged from the long and arduous caucus meeting Saturday, it was announced that Lujan was the sole nominee for Speaker. But of course the public posturing for the appearance of party "unity" does not tell the real story. Logic tells even the passive observer that it would not take more than three hours after week-long party member meetings to unanimously nominate the sitting Speaker for another term. We are told that many…… repeat many…….House Democrats stepped to the podium behind closed doors Saturday to speak their minds about the issues they had with the dictatorial practices of Lujan. While some members also spoke in favor of Lujan continuing as speaker, a few others took the risk to openly expose his domineering management style for consideration. Lujan’s bully techniques, those that involve the liberal (no pun intended) use of severe punishments to divide, conquer, and maintain complete control within his own party caucus were brought to the floor.

Ben Lujan

It was also reported to New New Mexico from multiple sources that while Lujan rambled badly during his speech and sometimes spoke rather incoherently, Cervantes actually spoke articulately and with the calm authority of a leader in command of the facts. Only Cervantes spoke of a more bi-partisan and cooperative future for New Mexico. In the end, New Mexican voters should come away with a few basic conclusions regarding Saturday’s House Democratic caucus meetings. First and foremost, Joseph Cervantes was the only Democrat in the House of Representatives with the intestinal fortitude to openly challenge Speaker Ben Lujan. And strangely enough, it also became very clear with the events taking place that Ben Lujan only commands the loyalty of a remarkably small minority of duly elected House members in this state. Further, and based on multiple corroborations of reports concerning what actually transpired behind closed doors, the attention of News New Mexico website visitors and radio and Internet listeners should shift back to the House GOP leaders and the remainder of the minority caucus. In days and weeks ahead, and considering what happened within the so-called "majority," a few fundamental political questions continue to linger.

Do New Mexico GOP House members think of themselves merely as Republicans? Is this particular collection of elected officials merely a group of old-style partisan politicians that could never bring themselves to collectively support and work with any Democrat, even a more inclusive Democrat such as Joseph Cervantes? Or is it possible that as a short period of time passes, and there is a little more opportunity to reflect, that the GOP members may wind up thinking of themselves first and foremost as New Mexicans…..as elected officials responsible for facilitating change......the sort of change that will provide themselves with a much longed for and well-deserved seat at the governing table. Again………only the time remaining between now and the next legislative session will answer these tricky questions. One fact remains indisputable. A golden opportunity for the GOP House caucus to promptly begin a new era of bi-partisan policy making slipped through their hands this week. What will they do now that it is clear they have the votes to make a meaningful change at the all important Speaker level? Stay tuned.

Cervantes is the Alternative to Lujan