Chavez: Goodbye, Washington D.C.

Linda Chavez

Townhall - The more things change, the more they remain the same. But just as Americans got through the lousy economy of the 1970s, I'm confident we'll recover from the mess we're in now. Unemployment will recede, and so will government spending -- not because of political deal-making but because Americans will boot politicians who fail to do their job out of office and replace them with those who will. Just ask Jimmy Carter.

I look back on a life in politics that took me from Capitol Hill to the Reagan White House to the public policy and media worlds with as much frustration as pride.

Ronald Reagan

Some of the policies I hoped to play a role in changing -- like racial preferences in hiring and education -- have become so ingrained and widespread many people no longer seem to notice their corrosive effect. But there were successes as well as failures, albeit modest ones. Bilingual education -- which as columnist Michael Barone once quipped is neither bilingual nor education -- has largely been replaced by English instruction for non-English speakers, a goal I advocated for more than 30 years. And I met -- and in some cases worked for -- some truly great Americans during my Washington years. President Reagan tops the list. It was a great privilege to work in the Reagan administration, first as staff director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and later as director of public liaison at the White House.
Even President Reagan's critics acknowledged that he was a true leader, but it has taken time and the publication of his handwritten diaries and speeches for some people to recognize the intellectual skills that those of us who worked with him saw first-hand. Read full column here: News New Mexico

Chavez: Goodbye, Washington D.C.

O'Reilly: Why Clinton Finds Bachmann "Compelling"

Townhall - There is something strange in the air when former President Bill Clinton compliments tea party favorite Rep. Michele Bachmann. Speaking on CNN last week, Clinton said he is not surprised the congresswoman is rising in the polls, because she is a "compelling public figure" and comes across as "real." Since Bachmann pretty much opposes everything Clinton believes in, the question becomes exactly why does he think she's compelling. It can't be her ardently pro-life views. Or her lower taxes and smaller government beliefs. Or even her call to abolish national health care. Clinton wouldn't find those things attractive at all. And the congresswoman absolutely loves the tea party. Is the former president down with that? Can't be.

Michelle Bachmann

So, I sense some gamesmanship in the air, and I suspect it has to do with Sarah Palin. Most Democrats loathe Palin so much that they are happy to see a candidate who is taking up some of her airtime. Both Bachmann and Palin appeal to the same audience: traditional, conservative working folks. Their views are almost identical on many subjects. But Bachmann, for some reason, seems to be easier for the Democrats to accept. Read full column here: News New Mexico

O'Reilly: Why Clinton Finds Bachmann "Compelling"

Unemployment UP for 3rd Month in a Row

Bloomberg - American employers added jobs at the slowest pace in nine months in June and the unemployment rate unexpectedly climbed to 9.2 percent, sending global stocks tumbling on concern the world’s biggest economy is faltering. Employers increased payrolls by 18,000 workers, less than the most pessimistic forecast in a Bloomberg News survey of economists, which called for growth of 105,000.

The increase followed a 25,000 gain that was less than half the initial estimate. Hiring by companies was the weakest since May 2010. “Poor job growth essentially stops any growth in consumer spending,” said Guy LeBas, chief fixed-income strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott LLC in Philadelphia. “This is saying that economic conditions are stagnant, with no bright spots.”  Read full story here: News New Mexico

Unemployment UP for 3rd Month in a Row

Haussamen: Balderas Has a Long Way to Go

Heath Haussamen

NMPolitics - In the last week, Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Hector Balderas has established himself as a serious candidate, but Martin Heinrich is formidable and remains the favorite to win the primary race – at least for now. When State Auditor Hector Balderas entered the U.S. Senate race in April, some excited Democrats said he might be their Susana Martinez. Meaning, of course, that he might be their underdog candidate who defies the odds to become one of the most prominent Hispanic elected officials in America. Read full column here: News New Mexico

Haussamen: Balderas Has a Long Way to Go

Tom Udall Letter to Constituents

Tom Udall

by Tom Udall - Things are pretty frustrating in Washington right now. Gridlock in Congress is standing in the way of tackling some of our nation's biggest challenges. It's a big contrast to what I see in New Mexico, where we rally together when we face a problem like these recent wildfires. I'd like to see more of that attitude in Congress.

When I'm traveling around New Mexico, I talk to small business owners who have commonsense solutions to many of the challenges they're facing. As we continue to regain our footing coming out of this recession, we owe it to small businesses to do what we can to help them succeed. For example, right now there's too much red tape for small businesses who want to work with the federal government. From our National Labs to the Waste Isolation Pilot Program in Carlsbad to our military bases, New Mexico has a lot of opportunities for small businesses to contract with the federal government.

Unfortunately, that process can be very frustrating and small business owners tell me it's too complex, too difficult to navigate and places them at a disadvantage against larger firms. This week I took a step to improving this by introducing the Expanding Opportunities for Main Street Act, which would set aside federal contracts up to $500,000 for small businesses instead of big corporations. It would also make the process more transparent and create a national database of minority-owned businesses to help connect them with federal contractors.

Small businesses are also benefiting from the Wall Street Reform law that I voted for last year, as more of its provisions start taking effect.

Part of those reforms dealt with the fees that big banks charge retailers on debit card purchases, which until now added a one-to-two percent hidden tax on everything you buy. Wall Street Reform called for the Federal Reserve to reduce the fees that big banks charge and in a recent vote, I stood up for this provision against an attempt to roll it back. We also made sure that New Mexico's small banks and credit unions wouldn't be impacted by the changes. Watch my "Video Vote" on reducing these debit card swipe fees and also hear from small business leaders in New Mexico about how this regulation helps Main Street: Bit by bit, we can tackle the challenges facing our small businesses. But there's much more to be done and I'm continuing to push for legislation that helps create jobs in New Mexico.

Tom Udall Letter to Constituents

A.G. King: Knee Deep in Richardson Dollars?

KOB TV - New Mexico Attorney General Gary King should be removed from pursuing a pay-to-play corruption case involving former Gov. Bill Richardson's administration because he received nearly $55,000 in campaign cash from the former governor. That's what attorneys pursuing a similar case against New Mexico's State Investment Council claim in new court filings. Read full story here: News New Mexico

A.G. King: Knee Deep in Richardson Dollars?

"We don't need new taxes. We need new taxpayers"

Marco Rubio

Real Clear Politics - "We don't need new taxes. We need new taxpayers, people that are gainfully employed, making money and paying into the tax system. Then we need a government that has the discipline to take that additional revenue and use it to pay down the debt and never grow it again," Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said on the Senate floor. Read full story here: News New Mexico

"We don't need new taxes. We need new taxpayers"

Fox News Fights Back in "War on Fox"

Politicio - For seven years, Fox News has pushed back against the daily scrutiny and criticism leveled at it by Media Matters, the liberal watchdog group. But after founder David Brock said in March that his group’s new strategy amounted to a “war on Fox,” the network ratcheted up its response. In the past 10 days, Fox has run more than 30 segments calling for the nonprofit group to be stripped of its tax-exempt status. Its Fox Nation website has even provided a link to pre-completed complaint forms against Media Matters to send to the Internal Revenue Service. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Fox News Fights Back in "War on Fox"

Swickard: American Danger Then and Now

NMPolitics - A pessimistic friend used to say, “It is always darkest before it turns completely black.” On the other hand, there are optimists like myself who believe our country will be fine despite the challenges. We are a strong country with dedicated patriots sworn to defend and protect our Constitution. How many? Fewer than before, but there are still many. While great evil exists both outside and inside our nation, as we are in our 236th year, it is much like every other year. There have been and will always be great danger. It does not look worse today than it did at other times in our country’s history. Start with the Revolutionary War. After signing the Declaration of Independence, what was on the minds of our founding patriots as they went home?

They put the names and sacred honor in a way certain to anger the most powerful man in the world, King George III of England. Each signatory knew that if the revolution failed, or if they were captured by British forces, they and their families would be killed. History does not record the conversations the night each arrived home. Family members huddled together in those first days and in the years that followed trusting in God but fearing for the worst. The pessimists were affected the most. Consider: What were the odds that England could be beaten? It might have been 100 to 1. Most educated people in the world thought the Brits would make short work of us. But the United States did survive and even prospered. Read full column: News New Mexico

Swickard: American Danger Then and Now

Lisa Chavez: Voter Fraud Probe is Intimidation

NMPolitics - This is a partisan attempt to intimidate voters and a massive waste of taxpayer dollars, and Secretary Duran’s inclusion of state police in the probe is a cynical attempt to hide a nasty political tactic behind a curtain of public safety and up the ante on voter intimidation. The real issue here is that both nationally and locally, the GOP knows they have to stop intimidated and disenfranchised groups from voting if they want to stand a chance in the 2012 elections.

It’s that simple.
It should come as no surprise that the groups who are most likely to not have the proper ID required for voting – seniors, African-Americans, Native Americans and Latinos – are by-and-large traditional Democratic constituencies. Voter suppression is a tool long used by the Republicans to keep the poor, minorities and the elderly away from the polls on Election Day. Instead of encouraging wider participation – the lifeblood of any democracy – and making New Mexicans feel comfortable about voting, Republicans are trying to exclude eligible voters and fool the average New Mexican into believing that our democracy is anything but free and fair. Read full column here: News New Mexico

Lisa Chavez: Voter Fraud Probe is Intimidation