State senator defends ALEC, the conservative group the left loves to hate

Bill Payne

Capitol Report New Mexico - If you want to get someone on the political left riled up, just mention the word “ALEC.” No, not Alec Baldwin or Alec Guinness but the American Legislative Exchange Council(ALEC). It’s a political group that’s been around for nearly 40 years that tries to push conservative policies. On its website ALEC says the organization is made up of ”state lawmakers who shared a common belief in limited government, free markets, federalism, and individual liberty.” Liberal groups have called ALEC “reactionary and racist” and in this election year, the attacks from the left have intensified as critics of ALEC have pressured corporations and state legislators to resign their memberships. And it’s happening here in New Mexico. Early this year, a well-documented dustup in a Santa Fe restaurant left a woman who was a guest of a  Roundhouse legislator with an eye injury after some Occupy Santa Fe protesters burst into a dinner hosted by ALEC. Now as primary elections for state House and Senate races heat up, Democratic primary opponents are calling on fellow Democrats who have attended ALEC functions to disavow the group. “I don’t think [ALEC] needs to be defended,” Sen. Bill Payne (R-Albuquerque) said in a recent interview with Capitol Report New Mexico, adding, “I think it’s been hijacked and used as a foil by some far left groups to hang a lot of baggage on because they need something during the election cycle to energize their base.” The left’s base has been energized, in particular due to the Trayvon Martin case and the “stand your ground law” that ALEC supported and helped pass in Florida. ALEC legislation has also backed voter ID laws, a hot-button issue for Democrats who think such laws keep minorities and likely Democratic voters away from the polls. Read More News New Mexico

State senator defends ALEC, the conservative group the left loves to hate