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Denish isn’t Richardson; Martinez isn’t Palin
Heath Haussamen
I want to clarify a couple of things after thinking some more about two commentaries I wrote last week on the problems both gubernatorial candidates face.
Democrat Diane Denish isn’t Bill Richardson. Republican Susana Martinez isn’t Sarah Palin.
That is to say that Denish isn’t a bully. She doesn’t try to force her ideas on others. She operates in a more collaborative way. And, perhaps most importantly for purposes of the election, she’s not been dogged by ethical scandals and rumors of pay-to-play corruption. There’s been no evidence presented publicly that she knew about anything nefarious going on during the Richardson years.
It’s also to say that Martinez is intelligent. She works hard and doesn’t quit something in the middle. She cares little about flashiness, snappy quotes and posing for the cameras (she’s only recently starting to look more comfortable on TV). Having been an elected Republican in a Democratic county for so long, she knows how to think outside the box of her own beliefs, though she also stands firm by her beliefs.
What I wrote last week was that Denish’s big problem is Richardson. He’s become the face of corruption in New Mexico and she needs to bluntly distance herself from him, especially because the GOP and Martinez are trying so hard to tie Denish to Richardson.
And I wrote that Martinez’s plans and policy proposals need more substance. As the Democrats and Denish try to convince voters that Martinez is “all sizzle, no steak,” she must show that she’s not Palin – that she’s not an ideologue and that her ideas have depth and substance.
Both candidates face these problems because, right now, the other side is doing an effective job of characterizing them.
Denish hasn’t done nearly enough to distance herself from Richardson during the campaign. For the most part, she’s sat back and taken it as Republicans have repeatedly called it the “Richardson/Denish” administration and tried to tie her to corruption.
Frankly, the GOP is doing a more effective job than Denish right now of defining Denish. She needs to confront the situation head-on. She needs to bluntly tell voters she isn’t Bill Richardson – in a TV ad, during a news conference. She needs to say that the way he did things isn’t how she’ll do things, that she’s not angling to be president and won’t toe (or cross) legal and ethical lines to make rich friends happy.
Martinez invited the Palin comparison by accepting her endorsement during the primary. It gave Martinez a big boost that helped her win. At the time, I’m sure the thinking was that the endorsement would help her in the primary, and she would worry about the damage it would do to her image with moderate general election voters later.
Well, that time has arrived. The Palin endorsement, coupled with the massive funding from the founder of the swift boaters, gives Democrats all they need to hammer Martinez as the sizzle while calling Denish the steak.
Martinez has been showing more steak lately, traveling around the state to talk about economic policy. She needs to do more of that. And she needs to use new media to get detailed plans on various issues out to voters. Put the plans on the campaign Web site – with details. Tweet them. Put them on Facebook. Though many voters don’t care about the details, those who do need a central place to find the specifics of the candidates’ plans.
Neither candidate is what the other side is making her out to be. Both need to be more intentional about showing the reality to voters.
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I am still extremely worried about the $450,000 donation Martinez received from that Texas land developer and “Swift Boat” liar. What is he expecting to receive in return for that donation and is Martinez going to give it to him? I think we deserve to know.
It isn’t Susana’s style that is like Palin’s. It is her ideology that follows the extremist right.
Chimayo,
I don’t know what you mean when you suggest that I have condoned Democrat corruption, far from it. Nor do I condone Republican corruption, even though there are corrupt Democrats.
As far as I can tell, your whole argument is that Republican corruption some how justifies Democrat corruption, and the argument is specious, it is in fact, nonsense. The last time I heard anyone take that argument seriously was on an elementary school playground; “everyone else is doing it so it is OK” Bull.
Corruption is not OK from either party – period. Stop trying to justify your Democrat corruption by citing Republican corruption; no one is buying it.
First in 2005-2006 there is no doubt New Mexico State Treasurer Robert Vigil was corrupt after indictment on multiple charges of extortion, money laundering and conspiracy. In 2006 Mr. Vigil was convicted of one count of attempted extortion and acquitted on 23 other charges. The State Treasurer who preceded Mr. Vigil also pleaded guilty to extortion for actions he took as State Treasurer.
Now after the indictment of Mr. Vigil, the State engaged the law firm of Hogan and Hartson, LLP and Deloitte Financial Advisory Services L.L.P. to conduct a special audit of the State Treasurer’s Office. The special audit found a significant number of internal control weaknesses and deficiencies in the operations of the State Treasurer’s Office. Nevertheless, the special audit did not find that the integrity of funds held at the State Treasurer’s Office had been compromised. The special audit made a number of substantial recommendations that were implemented. This was all reported state records. So corruption existed and was remedied. Mr. Vigil is in jail. Our present Treasurer is doing a good job.
So I don’t think Ms. Denish has had anything to do with these matters. What is Ms. Martinez going to do to make further changes – probably appoint a number of her cronies.
So who do the Republicans nominate Jim D. Schoonover, who is well known in Dona Ana County for the pencils scandal- still laughing at this. Plus it was alleged he improperly selected a financial adviser. In addition an auditor for Dona Ana County says the county treasurer was “accused of using county employees and equipment to benefit a private group.” Another auditor stated: He has “not complied with a state law that requires that county money available for deposit be divided equitably among local banks. He has instead used a competitive bidding process, and has also refused to implement the commission’s policy on the amount of collateral required in a bank the county invests with.” So I guess Mr. Schoonover is part of the Ms. Martinez’s BOLD CHANGE for New Mexicans. New Mexicans should shout in unison: This is horsefeathers!
ched macquigg: GOP Corruption:
Current GOP Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., “is pushing $25 million in earmarked federal funds for a British defense contractor that is under criminal investigation by the U.S. Justice Department and suspected by American diplomats of a longstanding, widespread pattern of bribery allegations.” (Oct. 27, 2007)
See http://www.kentucky.com/454/story/214167.html .
Senator John McCain likes to claim credit for rooting out the corruption of lobbyist Jack Abramoff to burnish his alleged “maverick” reformer image. Yeah, not so much. McCain’s job was actually to limit the scope of the damage caused by Abramoff’s lobbyist ties to GOP legislators and the White House.
Presidential candidate, Sen. Fred Thompson’s Adviser & Supporter is convicted criminal
Republican presidential candidate Fred D. Thompson has been crisscrossing the country (in 2007) on a private jet lent to him by a businessman and close adviser who has a criminal record for drug dealing.
Martin entered a plea of guilty to the sale of 11 pounds of marijuana in 1979; the court withheld judgment pending completion of his probation. He was charged in 1983 with violating his probation and with multiple counts of felony bookmaking, cocaine trafficking and conspiracy. He pleaded no contest to the cocaine-trafficking and conspiracy charges, which stemmed from a plan to sell $30,000 worth of the drug, and was continued on probation. ”
[washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/03/AR2007110301153.html?wpisrc=newsletter]
Conservatives promote the idea that Democrats should hang their heads in shame over people like Larry Flint, a publisher of pornography, if they reveal that they vote Democratic. But political parties can’t control or be responsible for those who vote for their party’s candidates. What parties can control is whom they endorse to run under their banner for any public office. And the Democratic Party doesn’t promote people like Larry Flint for public office. Contrast that to the kinds of people the Republican Party regularly selects for positions of leadership in their party, people like :
Senator John Ensign of Nevada, another “family values” warrior who was in charge of getting more Republicans elected in 2008 had to admits to cheating on his wife with a campaign aide who was married to another Ensign staffer.
Was it wrong for Senator Larry Craig of Idaho to be a homosexual? Fewer and fewer people think so as time goes on. But the hypocrisy of condemning in others what you are secretly yourself is something that is just as despicble in our time as it always was.
In Connecticut, the holier-than-thou Republican party chose the mayor of one of the state’s largest cities as its candidate for the U.S. Senate. If Joe Lieberman had caved in to Republican demands in the year 2000 that he not run for relection to the Senate at the same time that he was running for the vice presidency, then our nation would have had a Republican Senator from Conn., named Philip Giordano at least until he was sentenced to serve his 38 year sentence in Federal prison as a result of the FBI investigating him for financial shenanigans and discovering in the process that this crooked, disgusting Republican office holder had been repeatedly molesting the 8 and ten year old daughter and niece of his prostitute-mistress (in the mayor’s office among other places).
There was more on this disgusting Republican office holder at : 1010wins.com, but it has since been removed.
Bob Packwood,, Senator (R-Ore.), resigned in 1995 under a threat of public senate hearings related to 10 female ex-staffers accusing him of sexual harassment.
Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, the longest serving U. S. senator ever. Convicted on all 7 counts of falsifying official financial U.S. Senate reports. (See http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-07-31-stevens_N.htm Steven’s son, Ben, was head of the Alaska state senate and under investigation for much more serious charges in Alaska)
Leader of the House Republicans, Tom DeLay, has been the long time protector of promoters of slave labor, prostitution and abortion in a U.S. territory.
Yet in 2002, The D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship named DeLay “Distinguished Christian Statesman of the year.” “The Texas congressman openly shares his faith and has voluntary Bible studies with his staff.”
The corruption of House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay, and his gang of “40 thieves” is so extensive that it takes whole web sites to cover, such as http://www.dropthehammer.org/corruption/, &
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_DeLay.
Shall I go on? Take a good look at your party before you condone the democrats.
The reason the oil industry (or more correctly some elements of it) corrupted the State of Louisiana is the people in power in LA were corruptable. The mere fact that the industry supports Martinez over Denish, besides being a big D’uh, doesn’t mean there’s any reason to accuse her of being corruptable. ALL politicians play the game.
Hemingway,
Are you paying attention at all? the housing authority scandal, state treasurers going off to prison, the rip off of retirement funds through finders fees, CDR scandal, Si Se Puede, etc. Google NM RIchardson Corruption see you get almost 11,000 hits.
Please spare us the “he never was convicted of anything” nonsense; the really clever ones never are.
Include also the corruption in Santa Fe that wasn’t of his doing; but occurred on his watch – Manny Aragon et al. He certainly can’t point to anything he did would could be even remotely considered to be a “war on corruption”.
And neither can Denish.
If you look at all the Richardson political appointees in policy making positions that would remain Denish appointees if she wins, then surely Denish IS Richardson.
I know many of these gov ex employees have already hosted or co-hosted fundraisers for Denish in order to keep their jobs. If we really want a new direction in January 2011, this administration needs to be pulled out from the roots completely.
Traditionally, Americans have sought to realise the American dream of success, fame and wealth through thrift and hard work. However, the industrialisation of the 19th and 20th centuries began to erode the dream, replacing it with a philosophy of “get rich quick”. A variety of seductive but elusive strategies have evolved, and today the three leading ways to instant wealth are large-prize television game shows, big-jackpot state lotteries and compensation lawsuits.
Sarah Palin is showing Americans how to become a millionaire! She is a symbol of how industrialization has eroded the dream!
She’s more successful than many of us will ever be, so she’s intelligent enough to skillfully manipulate the system. Still, it’d be a good idea to keep her away from the Presidency/making decisions that affect millions of people. That also includes Susana Martinez from being the next Governor of NM!
There is all this talk about corruption in the Richardson administration. However there are no specifics by the critics. Please cite chapter and verse rather than brushing everyone with the taint of scandal.
There is more to fear with an inexperienced Susana Martinez, who has sold her soul to the oil and gas industry.
Here is an insightful article from the Washington Post on how Louisiana has been corrupted by oil companies.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/16/AR2010071602721.html
Is this what we want for New Mexico – an Oilgarchy?
For those who are in love with the oil and gas industry – play the game – Oilgarchy. You might learn something. I recommend Ms. Martinez play the game.
http://www.molleindustria.org/en/oiligarchy
Well said ksparks, those who think Palin is an idiot and dismiss her as such are not paying attention. She may have limited bandwidth, but she is no idiot when it comes to politics. And as for Ms. Denish, she needs to frequently and forcefully throw Old BIll under the bus on all the things he has done to damage NM and our political system over the last 8 years. She has nothing to lose by going on the attack against him, but much to lose by remainng silent. She will be sorry if she remains mute on Richardson’s administration.
Heath, you are right about Diane Denish. She isn’t Bill Richardson but, when she discovered the plague of scandals that he has been and allegedly been involved with, she should have called foul. No matter how powerless the duties of a Lt. Governor is, if they were to call a press conference, the news crews and journalists would be there. This is what has made DEenish the “loyal soldier.”
Susana Martinez isn’t Sarah Palin either but, I take exception to the insinuation that Palin isn’t intelligent, that she didn’t work hard hard, and that she quit in the middle. Sarah Palin is VERY intelligent, much moreso that the incompetent buffoon who occupies the office of Vice President today. She worked very hard and in two years, accomplished more for the state of Alaska that Murkowski did in his time in the Governor’s office. She resigned as Governor for a better opportunity for her and her family, and even for the country as a whole, to promote conservative candidates and get them elected. I think we would all grasp at a good opportunity when it came about…or I would hope we would.
Heath, if “Richardson is the face of corruption”, shouldn’t he be behind bars? Wait, that would mean Gary King would have had to do something as Attorney General other than travel the world.
What bothers me the most is that everybody in that administration, including Gary King and Denish look the other way when they know corruption is right in front of their face.
Denish cannot say she didn’t know, it doesn’t work with me. She may not be as guilty as Richardson, but doesn’t knowing about it and not saying a word make you just as bad?
Denish continues to benefit from a double standard. You write;
It is fair to ask, why not? Shouldn’t she have known? Shouldn’t she have done something to at least expose the corruption and incompetence swirling around her?
Her apologists are quick to point out that the Office of Lt Governor is feckless and largely ceremonial; she couldn’t have done anything even if she wanted to. But then these same people want to give her credit for prosecuting the scandal in the Housing Authority.
So which is it; powerful enough to have made a difference, or too powerless to have made a difference. It can’t be both.