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Martinez’s plans and positions need more substance
Heath Haussamen
This is the second of two columns examining problems both gubernatorial candidates face. You can read the first column, about Democrat Diane Denish, here.
Let’s face it: Diane Denish is killing Susana Martinez when it comes to releasing substantive policy positions and detailed plans about what she wants to accomplish as governor.
Denish has released plans for ethics reform, helping small businesses, workforce development and government reform. The closest Martinez has come to issuing a similarly substantive plan came in a fairly detailed guest column on this site about growing jobs. She has recently released less-detailed statements about eliminating waste and making New Mexico competitive.
While both candidates have done some dodging of reporters’ questions, as far as I can tell, Martinez has done it more. She failed to answer at least two policy questions asked by journalists that Denish did answer, about a situation involving Helena Chemical Company’s facility in Mesquite and the Public Regulation Commission’s authority over insurance rate hikes.
It’s time for this to change.
Martinez has been on fire since her popularity began to spike a few weeks before the primary. Denish tried to halt that surge with a barrage of negative attack ads in June. It doesn’t appear to have worked. Polling has been done since then, and both campaigns are still operating as if the race is neck-and-neck at best, and maybe even leaning in Martinez’s favor.
Martinez is a candidate many find exciting. She’s Hispanic. She’s a woman. She doesn’t fit the mold. She talks about change and has successfully crafted an image as an outsider in a throw-the-bums-out year. She talks about taking down bad guys – and as a prosecutor she’s actually done it.
But Martinez’s honeymoon with New Mexico voters won’t carry her through the Nov. 2 election. She’s going to have to go into more detail about her plans and her stances on issues. Voters are paying attention this election cycle. Superficial slogans and statements won’t cut it.
Martinez must show she’s not an ideologue
Martinez is running to the right of the New Mexico electorate. Political analyst Jose Garcia said in early June that Martinez doesn’t have to follow the conventional wisdom for Republican candidates and move to the center because her ethnicity and law-enforcement background will attract Hispanic voters. He also predicted, correctly, that the unprecedented dynamics in this race would force Denish to move to the center.
I have heard from many moderate Democratic and independent voters that they’re interested in Martinez’s candidacy. That’s critical, because she can’t win without those voters.
Many of those people have told me they don’t know where Martinez stands on most issues. They do know about her far-right stance on immigration – and it makes them nervous.
Those are many of the voters still up for grabs: moderate Democrats and independents who are more closely aligned with Denish’s center-left philosophy but are tired of business as usual in Santa Fe and suspect that Martinez will more aggressively try to change things.
To win them over, Martinez is going to have to take detailed stances on the most important issues to voters – the economy, education and health care – in addition to other issues like ethics reform. She doesn’t have to move to the left. But she has to show that she understands the complexities of issues and has tangible plans to accomplish her goals.
Martinez has to show that, while she may be more conservative than most New Mexico governors in modern history, she’s not an ideologue. Displaying intelligence and substance on the issues would go a long way toward proving that she’s not Sarah Palin. Showing that she understands the complexities of issues would create the potential for compromise that will be critical to working with the Legislature and accomplishing anything.
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The loss of job are at the unskilled level and are filled mostly by Illegals, who after losing their job fall back on the unemployment and federal giveaway programs.
So there aren’t any other NMexican’s unemployed or falling back on those services. I think your ridiculous jivaro99, what a dumb statement and totally untrue!
Hemingway, don’t give up your day job if you have one. As a song writer you just aren’t cutting it.
As for the trickle-down theory, President Reagan proved that it works while he was in office and it will still work for this state as well. The loss of job are at the unskilled level and are filled mostly by Illegals, who after losing their job fall back on the unemployment and federal giveaway programs. The Middle class and skilled labor market is not that bad off.
The problem with the figures you are drawing from is that they are skewed, since they do not designate between who held the job that was lost. Was it an illegal, a citizen, or was it a person that wants the government to pay them for nothing.
I am sure Susana Martinez will answer the questions Heath is asking for on Helena Chemical and the insurance rate hikes in her own good time. There is still 3 1/2 months to go until the general election, so why the rush? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make a decision in a couple of weeks, so if the questions are answered in a time frame that leaves the voter with a clear cut idea of what Martinez stands for, it will be remembered more clearly at the polls.
Your data that is printed in this blog is not quite as accurate as you would have the voters believe. You are definitely speaking from a biased approach. Just a suggestion, but maybe you need to take off the rose colored glasses and look at the real world as it really is.
Dr. J,
Interesting to see the correlation between education (ranked 44th) and business friendliness (45th). Business friendliness isn’t just about business-constricting regulations; it’s also about an educated work force that attracts capital investment and companies. If we want to create higher-paying jobs in New Mexico we need to create higher-thinking New Mexicans.
First of all, Heath I appreciate your analysis, I began reading your blog during the primary election and right or wrong sensed a real bias toward Susana, you seemed to be doing some heavy lifting for her against Weh particularly during the last week. I was concerned that would be the case in the general election, you proved me wrong, so far. I would agree that based on the last polling this race is a deadheat with about 13%-15% undecided voters, those being moderate/ conservative democrats and independents, which I would estimate to be about 75,000-80,000 voters based on an increase of about 8% since the 2006 election results. I would take exception to Dr.J’s comment about voters not understanding the policy details etc. presented by the candidates, the reason for the 13%-15% undecided at this point is for the reason your described, they are waiting for the candidates to address the issues i.e. economy, education, health/welfare, downsizing of government, effeciencies etc., and working with the legislature who by the constitution appropriates funds to accomplish the administrations goals. Based on the election results of 2006 & 2008, voters all over this country proved that voters pay attention and understand the issues. One other thing, no one has addressed the potential of Denish pulling substantial republican support, she’s a NATIVE New Mexican from Hobbs, a business woman with business sense, something really lacking in government.
Here is a campaign song for Ms. Martinez based on Dolly Parton’s song – I’ll Oil Wells Love you :
“Oh, I’ll oil wells love you, I’ll oil wells care
I’ll oil wells need you, I want you oil wells”
We do need to inject some humor in Ms. Martinez’s stern campaign. The song does represent her love of oil and gas industry. Right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNy3A6rlUJU
I don’t think Ms. Martinez is even aware of the fact that New Mexico’s general obligation bonds are rated Aaa, which is the highest rating given by Moody’s. The state’s severance tax bond rating are Aa1. This is outstanding compared to other states.
Ms. Martinez’s business philosophy is the trickle-down theory. First you give tax cuts to businesses and remove regulations from the oil and gas industry. In theory this might create jobs! It is ironic that Ms. Martinez is a Hispanic and has no program to help the Hispanic unemployed. The recession has hit Hispanics the hardest. In fact, Hispanic unemployment in New Mexico has increased 6.2 percent. Caucasians in the state have an unemployment rate of only 2.6 percent. None of her campaign goals address this problem. It is a sad campaign without compassion when she is more interested in the death penalty than our unemployed!
I would certainly agree with you Heath, but remember, the average voter in NM is less than a policy and political wonk who would demand such details. Most could hardly understand all the details. I thought the business ranking by state released by NBC news is instructive on what the candidates should focus on: http://www.cnbc.com/id/37516043/
NM is 38th overall, but ranks 45th in “business friendliness” (due to onerous regulations like the pit rule, CO2 regs, water regs, taxes, etc.) and 44th in “education” (due to the poor primary and secondary education systems we have). These are the items that have not improved at all under the Richardson/Denish rule. So, the real question is what are they going to do about this that is drastically different than what has been going on the last 8 years? That needs to be in simple, non-policy wonk kind of terms people can all understand. But first and foremost, we need a leader who has the guts and who will not accept the status quo in Santa Fe and pledges to change it. This is where Denish’s credibility comes into question, in spite of her mastery of the deatils of governing at the Roundhouse. Where’s the change?