Free Republic

WASHINGTON -- The battle for America's top diplomatic post spilled into view Tuesday, as some Hispanic leaders made a public push to have President-elect Barack Obama name Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, as his secretary of state. [Bill Richardson] Bill Richardson Sen. John Kerry, an early backer of Mr. Obama who failed in his own bid for the presidency four years ago, sought to deflect reports that he is lobbying for the job. "I haven't talked to anybody. I've had no conversations. It's all speculation, and I have nothing further to say," Sen. Kerry told the Associated Press...

In an uncredited episode of The Twilight Zone, James Carville was just on the phone with CNN News regarding the trial balloon from The One's campaign that Bill Richardson -- arguably the biggest doofus ever to hold a Cabinet seat -- may be Obama's Secretary of State. Richardson gives incompetent political hackery a bad name. As Clinton's Secretary of Energy, he allowed nuclear material to go missing on a regular basis while doing everything he could to hurt the domestic nuclar power industry. As a US Congressman he was informally voted Second Dumbest Member of Congress (after Joe Kennedy). He...

SNIP By cellphone from Bulgaria, he said: "There's sort of a rumor around that I'm maybe thinking about running to be governor of New Mexico? Well, it's sort of true. It's been my home 25 years. I really love my state. Poor, hardworking, decent people - Native Americans, carpenters, artists, expats mixed in with hundreds of the world's smartest physicists at Los Alamos. I've always thought of myself as functioning as a candidate for them. "The media interests me and it's influenced politicians since the '60s, and I'm approaching this as a worthy serious endeavor. I would be very comfortable...

Weeks before Barack Obama won the presidency, he met privately in Washington with his former Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, and Latino political leaders who had fervently backed her bid. The cards were laid upon the table, according to one of the participants. The Hispanic leaders said they expected at least two Latinos to be named to an Obama Cabinet — meeting the standard set by President-elect Bill Clinton in 1992 — but preferred three. Of course, they also wanted sub-Cabinet-level posts. In return, Obama needed assurances that Hispanics — who had overwhelmingly voted for Clinton...

Weekly town hall meeting-style debates for the last two months, as proposed by Sen. John McCain, would have done much to inform the public about the issues — and about McCain's long, clear record as a moderate who works across party lines. Sen. Barack Obama, whose record is very thin, shrewdly rejected the joint tour that could have given swing voters a more substantial comparison of the candidates. The Republican hasn't fared well in the traditional campaign that ensued, though voters caught a glimpse of the real McCain when he firmly told a supporter there was no reason to "fear"...

Please join Senator John McCain for a Road to Victory Rally in Roswell, NM on Monday November 3rd. Doors open at 3:00 p.m.

As part of our ongoing investigation into issues surrounding voter fraud, we have discovered a VERY disconcerting situation. And this time, it's not in Ohio... It looks like out-of-state volunteers and staffers are registering and casting ballots in the battleground state of New Mexico, too. One example is Shayne Adamski. He lives and works in Los Angeles, CA, is actively involved in politics and was a California delegate at the Democratic National Convention just 2 short months ago. Adamski is also a paid employee on the Obama campaign, and he traveled to New Mexico to help get out the vote...

Mesilla, N.M. - With just nine days left in the race, the McCain campaign plans to step up its attacks against Barack Obama for his connection to Tony Rezko, the convicted developer who was an early patron of the Illinois senator. A senior campaign official said the campaign will begin sending out direct mail, running television ads and making robo calls about Obama's Hyde Park home purchase, which took place the same day Rezko bought the vacant lot next door and later sold a portion of that land to Obama. Obama later conceded was "a lapse in judgement" on his...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Sen. John McCain on Saturday said he would "test" enemy countries when elected president, trying to turn Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s gaffe against the Democratic ticket. "I'm going to test them, they're not going to test me," Mr. McCain told a crowd in Albuquerque. Last weekend Mr. Biden told campaign donors in Seattle that enemy nations would concoct an international crisis to test Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama: "We're going to have an international crisis to test the mettle of this guy. I guarantee you it's going to happen." Mr. McCain...

ALBUQUERQUE (Reuters) - Republican presidential nominee John McCain on Saturday raised the prospect of a complete Democratic takeover of Washington as a reason to elect him over Democrat Barack Obama in 10 days. ... At an Albuquerque rally, McCain accused the Illinois senator of seeking to raise taxes on most Americans, particularly small businesses responsible for much of the hiring during a severe economic downturn in which hundreds of thousands of jobs have been shed. ... McCain said having Democrats in control of the White House, the U.S. House of Representatives under Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and the Senate...

-SNIP-Running for seats now held by Republicans, both Democrats have commanding leads as their party tries to approach a filibuster-proof 60-40 majority in the U.S. Senate. In New Mexico, Tom has a double-digit lead over Republican Rep. Steve Pearce. And Mark is well ahead of former Rep. Bob Schaffer in Colorado with less than two weeks until the election.No one disputes that the climate favors Democrats enough to boost their congressional majorities by wide margins. Their confidence is reflected in what Tom Udall says is a request he's already made to Senate leaders for a seat on the coveted Appropriations...

What will it take for the media to start covering incidents like this? EXCLUSIVE: .22 Gunshot, paint balls fired at McCain / Palin Straight Talk Express. (Sunday, October 19 - Filed by Mark Williams in Raton, New Mexico with the Stop Obama Tour) We learned at this morning’s Stop Obama Rally here that the McCain/Palin Straight Talk Express came through town yesterday. It arrived with a window shattered by a .22 caliber weapon. It had also been hit by an unknown number of paint balls from a paint ball gun or guns. There were reportedly no injuries and neither candidate...

Joe the Plumber, meet Ed the Dairyman. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin spoke to a crowd of about 10,000 supporters Sunday in a Roswell airplane hangar, not only making a reference to Joe the Plumber, but alluding several times to "Ed the Dairyman" after seeing someone in the crowd holding a sign identifying himself that way. She warned voters about Democratic plans to raise taxes "on America's hard-working families and our small businesses and a lot of folks just like Joe the Plumber and Ed the Dairyman out there." Joe Wurzelbacher, a plumber from Holland, Ohio, became a media...

VP candidate Palin introduces 'Ed the Dairyman' ROSWELL, N.M.—Joe the Plumber, meet Ed the Dairyman. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin spoke to a crowd of about 10,000 supporters Sunday in a Roswell airplane hangar, not only making a reference to Joe the Plumber, but alluding several times to "Ed the Dairyman" after seeing someone in the crowd holding a sign identifying himself that way. She warned voters about Democratic plans to raise taxes "on America's hard-working families and our small businesses and a lot of folks just like Joe the Plumber and Ed the Dairyman out there." Joe Wurzelbacher,...

Sarah Palin will make an appearance today in Roswell, NM, which since 1947 has been associated with an often alleged crash of a UFO. The Daily Kos mob is already mocking her for this -- do they do anything else but mock? -- but I think it shows great imagination. This could draw the attention of some voters who are interested in UFOs and every vote counts.

Road to Victory Rally: Sunday October 19th in Roswell, NM What: Road to Victory Rally: Sunday October 19th in Roswell, NM When: October 19, 2008 1:00 p.m. Where: Great Southwest Aviation 100 Southwest Way Roswell , NM 88203 Please join Governor Sarah Palin for a Road to Victory Rally in Roswell, NM Sunday October 19th Great Southwest Aviation 100 Southwest Way Roswell, NM 88203 Doors Open at 1:00 p.m. Program Begins at 2:30 p.m.

Over at Tapped, A. Serwer, fresh off calling me a racist for saying that Gwen Ifill should not have moderated the debate because she didn't tell the Commission on Presidential Debates about her book on "The Age of Obama," declares that I am paranoid, too. He writes, "there isn't a single instance of organized voter fraud that Geraghty can actually point to, despite being up in arms about it. That's "paranoia"." Today, news out of New Mexico, the state GOP looked at information for 92 newly-registered voters in one district, and found 28 had "missing or inaccurate Social Security numbers...

The liberals defending ACORN's fraudulent voter registration efforts have said again and again voter registration fraud doesn't lead to voter fraud. Well, we didn't have to wait till Election Day to find out they're wrong. The Associated Press reported Friday that the New Mexico GOP found 28 people who voted fraudulently in Albuquerque during the June Democratic primary by absentee ballot. One of the ballots was cast from someone named "Duran-Duran" The GOP's review was conducted in House District 13 and only included 92 ballots. That means roughly a third of the ballots examined found by the GOP were fraudulent....

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Republican Senate candidate Steve Pearce came out swinging in his first televised debate against Tom Udall, charging the Democrat with changing his position on several issues. Pearce says Udall has switched his positions on domestic oil and gas drilling and nuclear energy, gun ownership and the economy. Udall at times ignored Pearce's charges. For example, in the debate on energy policy, he spoke about his support for renewable energy, which he said would provide jobs for New Mexicans. The two also sparred over support for the federal State Children's Health Insurance Program. Udall says Pearce opposes...

On Wednesday, October 15, Congressmen Steve Pearce and Tom Udall had their first televised debate in the race for the U.S. Senate.

In an election for President of the United States in New Mexico today, 10/14/08, Democrat Barack Obama defeats Republican John McCain 52% to 45%, according to this latest SurveyUSA poll conducted exclusively for KOB-TV in Albuquerque. Compared to identical SurveyUSA polls released two and four weeks ago, little has changed; Obama has consistently taken 52% of the vote; McCain has taken 44%, 44%, and now 45%. While overall numbers remain steady, there is some offsetting movement along age lines, with some movement toward McCain among the youngest voters, and offsetting movement toward Obama among older voters. Obama continues to need...

The Republican Arizona senator trails the Democratic Illinois senator by 5 percentage points, according to a recent poll done for the Albuquerque Journal and reported in that newspaper. Forty-five percent of voters support Obama and 40 percent support McCain, according to the poll Advertisement of more than 600 likely voters from around New Mexico. The poll was conducted Sept. 29 through Oct. 2 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. Two-thirds of New Mexicans said the economy was their top issue in the presidential election, according to another recent poll conducted by Research &...

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now is under pressure from the UNM College Democrats and Republicans alike for allegedly registering voters illegally. According to an article in the Albuquerque Journal on Sept. 17, the Bernalillo County Clerk's Office notified prosecutors in state and federal law enforcement agencies that it had received fraudulent registration cards from ACORN. An investigation of the methods used by ACORN to register students and community members will begin once the prosecutors decide who will take the lead. Matthew Henderson, ACORN's head organizer for New Mexico, said he has not heard from prosecutors. "I have...

This lady has lived in NC for 3 years, but rec'ed a voter registration application from New Mexico. Isn't using this voter registration fraud, and isn't it also RICO since they are using the U.S. mail?

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- As most states finalize voter rolls this week, Republican officials are reviving alarms about vote fraud. One of the biggest instances of suspicious registrations is here in New Mexico, where the Federal Bureau of Investigation has opened a preliminary investigation into 1,400 potentially fraudulent voter registrations in the state's most populous county. SNIP Mr. Iglesias said a task force set up after the 2004 election struggled to find a prosecutable case. In one typical example, a woman who faked registration forms "was doing it to get paid. She could not care less about the outcome of the...

Town Hall meeting at UNM Continuing Ed to be broadcast live nationally from 3-4 p.m. Sunday. PBS' "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" will hold a Town Hall meeting in Albuquerque from 3-4 p.m. Sunday that will be broadcast live nationwide from the University of New Mexico Continuing Education Auditorium, the New Mexico Independent is reporting. PBS will continue its spotlight on New Mexico through the following week, Oct. 13 through 17, with senior correspondents Ray Suarez and Judy Woodruff broadcasting from KNME studios in Albuquerque on the state's role in next month's presidential election, the Independent reported. Albuquerque is only...

The Bernalillo County Clerk's Office said Thursday it has handed over about 1,400 questionable registration cards to the FBI and is cooperating with the investigation. County officials said that number could go up since forms are still being inputted into the database. "What we try to do when we get these types of cards is we try to contact the voter," said Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver. "Often it's just an honest mistake."

Election

John hitting Obamba very hard right now. "Who is the real Barrack Obama"

New Mexico has been near the top of the list of “Red States” that Democrats hoped to “Turn Blue” in Election 2008 and Barack Obama is poised to do so with just over a month to go until Election Day. While John McCain was up by two points in this key southwestern state a month ago, Obama now has a 49% to 44% lead in the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state. Obama is viewed favorably by 53% of New Mexico voters, McCain by 47%. As for the running mates, Delaware Senator Joe Biden gets positive reviews from...

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Secretary of State's Office can't seem to avoid controversy in choosing a new Bureau of Elections director. Just three weeks after the office's previous choice, the son-in-law of Democratic Rep. and U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall, declined the job amidst a flurry of criticism, the new pick for the post has come under similar fire. Gerald Gonzalez, a Santa Fe attorney, also has connections to Udall, having worked for the congressman while Udall was New Mexico attorney general from 1995 to 1998 and later serving as Udall's chief of staff during his first term...

(Albuquerque Journal (NM) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sep. 20--WASHINGTON -- New Mexico's U.S. senators, as well as Rep. Heather Wilson, said Friday that the federal government has little choice but to use its financial muscle to help stabilize a trembling Wall Street. Workforce Management: At the Heart of the Contact Center Learn more, download free white paper. The Modern Contact Center and Workforce Management�s Vital Role Learn more, download free white paper. Realizing the Full Promise of Workforce Management Technology: Avoiding Mistakes That Short-Change Your Investment Learn more, download free white paper. Service Availability Solutions Require Solid Availability Learn more,...

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Secretary of State's Office plans to print nearly 2.5 million paper ballots for the Nov. 4 general election, although the state has only slightly more than 1.1 million voters. The reason? With a highly anticipated election less than seven weeks away that includes voting for president, an open U.S. Senate seat and three open congressional positions, the Secretary of State's Office wants to make sure each of the 1,550 precincts statewide is ready for an onslaught of voters who might or might not vote at their assigned polling places. "If we're going to err,...

Real Clear Politics says southern N.M. seat the nation's 34th most likely to change party hands. ~~snip~~ Reid Wilson and Kyle Trygstad, in their "Top House Races, Continued," have come up with part two of the 50 most competitive races for the U.S. House, and they've put the race to fill Rep. Steve Pearce's 2nd Congressional District seat at No. 34 on the list. Here's what they had to say: 34. New Mexico 02 -- OPEN -- (Pearce (R) running for Senate) -- Two candidates who have largely self-funded make this race for the most Republican seat in New Mexico...

ESPANOLA — Barack Obama recapped the nightmarish week in the U.S. economy, accused rival John McCain of being indecisive and out of touch and made a direct appeal to northern New Mexico's Hispanic voters during a sun-drenched rally here Thursday afternoon that drew thousands of backers. "We are in the midst of the most serious financial crisis in a generation — perhaps the worst since the Great Depression," Obama said on the packed Plaza de Española, where a sea of fans sporting sunglasses, sunburns and red-white-and-blue "Change" posters waited for hours to hear the Democratic presidential candidate speak. "We can't...

A new Survey USA poll is in and it shows Barack Obama back on top in the race for president in New Mexico, pulling ahead of Republican John McCain. The poll shows Obama leading McCain by 8 percentage points, 52-44. The poll indicates that Obama is leading among Hispanic voters. That’s contrary to a poll out last week. It showed the race being much tighter. "If Obama is indeed up, as this poll suggests, by 41 points among Hispanics, that is a very big change from last week and it could certainly be the difference that Obama is seeing here...

Albuquerque - Today, People for Pearce Campaign Manager John Billingsley pointed out that Tom Udall has now spent more than $1.3 million on misleading television ads only to see his 28-point lead evaporate in just over a month. "The verdict is in: Tom Udall and his friends on the extreme left are spending millions to mislead New Mexican voters about Steve Pearce and it hasn't worked," said Billingsley. "To the contrary, New Mexicans are rejecting Udall's anti-drilling, anti-nuclear, pro-tax increase policies in favor of Steve Pearce's honesty, integrity and straight forward New Mexico values." This week, a Rasmussen poll showed...

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - A comment by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama about putting lipstick on a pig has some Republican women in New Mexico glossing their lips and telling him to kiss off. On Wednesday evening they were writing their least-favorite Democrat and puckering up to seal the letters with a kiss. Obama touched off the latest bit of campaign stagecraft with a comment he made Tuesday and which he said was directed at Republican John McCain's economic policies. "You know you can put lipstick on a pig; it's still a pig," the Democrat said. Republicans pounced saying the comment...

For the first time all year, John McCain has topped Barack Obama in a New Mexico poll. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state shows McCain attracting 49% of the vote while Obama earns 47%. Although the two-point lead is not statistically significant in a poll with a four-point margin of sampling error, it’s quite an improvement for McCain from August. At that time, Obama was ahead 48% to 44% (with leaners included). Since then, the Republican has gained ground among Hispanic voters and those not affiliated with either major party. McCain leads among voters over 40 while...

or the first time all year, John McCain has topped Barack Obama in a New Mexico poll. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state shows McCain attracting 49% of the vote while Obama earns 47%. Although the two-point lead is not statistically significant in a poll with a four-point margin of sampling error, it’s quite an improvement for McCain from August. At that time, Obama was ahead 48% to 44% (with leaners included). Since then, the Republican has gained ground among Hispanic voters and those not affiliated with either major party.

McCain Gains Ground in New Mexico

However tucked away in the very last line, trying to hide it and giving no figures, which must mean its bad for bambi “In New Mexico’s presidential race, John McCain has pulled ahead of Barack Obama in the first poll since the candidates’ conventions.” This is significant folks. Mason Dixon had Bambi up 15 in New Mexico last month and last month Rassmussen had McCain down 6 at 41 to 47.

Click above for the link. If it doesn't work immediately, then click the pic under the video box second from the left. Video of 9/6 Albuquerque, NM McCain / Palin Rally. About 33 minutes. I find these fun to watch, even though the candidates say the same things as in the previous rallies these past few days. But the excitement of the crowd (portending crawl-over-broken-glass Republican turnout) makes me very happy. Thank you, Sarah (and McCain, too)!

ALBUQUERQUE, NM– Gov. Palin hit back at Sen. Obama during an evening rally in the Land of Enchantment Saturday, arguing that the Democrat is in no place to lecture her on federal earmark requests. The Democratic presidential nominee told an Indiana crowd today that Palin is a flip flopper when it comes to requesting federal dollars for state projects, noting that her recent criticism of the earmark process comes only after years of advocating for earmarks for her city and state. “When you’ve been taking all these earmarks when it is convenient and then suddenly you are the champion anti-earmark...

Road to Victory Rally : Albuquerque, NM - September 6th What: Road to Victory Rally : Albuquerque, NM - September 6th When: September 6, 2008 Where: Albuquerque Convention Center 401 2nd Street NW Albuquerque, NM87102 Join Senator John McCain, Cindy McCain and the Vice Presidential Nominee for a Road to Victory Rally September 6th, 2008 Doors open 4:00 p.m. Program begins at 6:00 p.m. Albuquerque Convention Center 401 2nd Street NW Albuquerque, NM 87102

What: Road to Victory Rally : Albuquerque, NM - September 6th When: September 6, 2008 Where: Albuquerque Convention Center 401 2nd Street NW Albuquerque, NM87102 Join Senator John McCain, Cindy McCain and the Vice Presidential Nominee for a Road to Victory Rally September 6th, 2008 Doors open 4:00 p.m. Program begins at 6:00 p.m. Albuquerque Convention Center 401 2nd Street NW Albuquerque, NM 87102

On Day One of the Democratic National Convention, the message to New Mexico's 38 delegates was as clear as the blue sky over the Front Range: Do something you couldn't get done in 2004 — and win battleground New Mexico for Barack Obama. "We are counting on you, New Mexico. ... We need you, New Mexico," Donna Brazile, a national Democratic heavy hitter who managed Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, exhorted the New Mexicans at their breakfast meeting Monday. "Your state — New Mexico — is absolutely key," Federico Peña, a former Denver mayor, energy and transportation secretary and a...

New Mexico Republicans are angry that Secretary of State Mary Herrera hired U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall's son-in-law to head the state Elections Bureau. The new director, Jim Noel, is married to Udall's wife's daughter, Amanda Cooper. Cooper is managing the Northern New Mexico congressman's campaign against Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce for the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. Noel, currently executive director of the state Judicial Standards Commission, starts his new job Sept. 8. "The hiring of Tom Udall's son-in-law as state elections director is a stunning conflict of interest," spokeswoman Shira Rawlinson said...

While John McCain has gained ground on Barack Obama in a number of states over the past month, little has changed in New Mexico. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows Obama ahead 47% to McCain's 41%. A month ago, it was Obama by five percentage points. The stability of the race is emphasized by the fact that Obama’s support has been at 46% or 47% of the vote in three straight surveys. McCain has been at 41% for three of the past four months. Both candidates are viewed favorably by 56% of the state’s voters. Last month, both were...

Republican Steve Pearce has cut his opponent’s lead by more than half, but Democrat Tom Udall still leads 51% to 41% in the U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of voters in the state. With “leaners” factored in, Udall’s lead drops to 52% to 44%, the first time in five months of polling that the gap has been out of double digits. Last month, Udall had a 59% to 34% lead over Pearce.