My Money, My State, My Paper, My Time

Don Wiviott and his own dreams

Self-financed candidate for Northern New Mexico’s Congressional Seat, Don Wiviott, has won his court battle and is being placed on the ballot for the June primary. Candidate Jon Adams’ claim that Wiviott failed to collect enough signatures was found invalid and the race will go on.

The next charge being leveled against Wiviott is that his funding has come from the wrong donors. Not big business or oil or lobbyists, not child abusers, thieves and crooks, the disputed cash came from the candidate’s own pockets. Wiviott has brought the Millionaire’s Amendment into play as he has given his own campaign almost $600,000. His opponents have banded together as they claim that ‘he is trying to buy a congressional seat.’

And I say, good! Great! What a perfect way to finance a campaign! Here’s the secret: Politicians run for office to see their name on the yard signs and in the news. They love themselves so much that the only way to obtain the necessary amount of affection is to be lavished in praise by voters and the media. There are two types of people that work in politics: people who sincerely want to do good and people who want to do good so they can take the credit for it. The former is a bureaucrat that thanklessly deals with constituents’ issues day in and day out and works to solve problems. The latter runs for office. Why not let the egomaniac pay for the attention that he demands with his own money? Or were you about to send him $2300 of your cash so you could learn how to pronounce his name correctly?

More candidates that bet their own cash on these elections should be commended. . . even Mitt Romney. Don’t be foolish enough to ask the tired question of “why would a candidate spend $600k of his own money to get a job that doesn’t pay half of that?” Just like athletes get paid ten-fold more in endorsement contracts than they do from their salary, politicians make much more money through their positions of power than they do simply from the office’s salary. Do you really think Wiviott wouldn’t be able to reclaim more than $600k with a seat at the table that determines who gets the tax incentives and who’s businesses get squashed? Any investor can tell you what that kind of inside knowledge can do to grow your portfolio.

So let him waste his cash away. People should commend Don Wiviott for investing $600,000 of his own money in northern New Mexico. Go question the candidates that have as much money through donors. Good luck unraveling the maze they have established of shady deals and obligations.

The most curious part about all of the shots being taken at Wiviott is that he is not leading the race. Son of NM House Speaker and former Chairman of the PRC Ben Ray Lujan is widely agreed to be far ahead of the pack. Are his people putting Adams’ camp up to this?



No, I won Texas!

Hillary won the primary vote. Barack looks like he’ll win the Caucus, but they’re still counting those votes. And thus, Barack should come out with the most delegates. So who gets to put the state in their column? Emails from both campaigns will tout their victory, but how will CNN color their map for Anderson Cooper’s ultra-futuristic demonstrations on the green screen? Will Hillary remind voters of a similar election in 2000 when one candidate won the overall vote, but not the office?

The race may have quieted a bit compared to the buzz going around this time last week, but don’t expect her to pass up an opportunity for such an effective low blow. Democrats still remember the election Bush stole through a system that didn’t rely on straightforward votes and they won’t be eager to endorse any similar tactic. But wait, will they even hear her whine? Every other complaint she has brought against Barack has fallen on deaf ears.



Feeling the Loss

Barack Out With My Cock Out was begun to serve an under-informed electorate in New Mexico. As it began, the Albuquerque Tribune stopped its presses for good and shut down a 100-year operation. The loss of an alternative to the conservative-leaning ABQ Journal was felt last week as accusations of scandal spread across the web.

As we reported on Friday, Heather Wilson and Darren White, candidates for Senate and House, respectively, were accused of buying votes at the Bernalillo County Convention. All local media ignored allegations of Fourth Degree Felony Charges with exception to one reporter. Laura McCallum quit her job of News Anchor at 770 KKOB because after being the only reporter to come with the story, News Director, Pat Allen pulled it because not enough blogs had picked it up. . . his words, not mine. The story was pulled following a phone call from a blogger, no less! After Whitney Cheshire -- Campaign Manager for Heather Wilson’s Senate bid and former writer a hard-right blog -- cried to the station that had always gone to bat for Republicans, Allen followed their favorite congresswoman’s desires and pulled the story.

The Albuquerque Journal finally covered the story in Sunday’s edition, but their coverage wasn’t anything that will get them nominated for a Pulitzer. Rather than discussing the allegations against Wilson and White, the seven-paragraph story recapped that Laura surrendered her job in the name of ethical journalism. It is a tragedy to see a state relegated to such shoddy news coverage. One would think that the current technology would allow for more issues to be covered in a more comprehensive manner. Unfortunately, those dreams were simply that: a figment of our imagination.

To fulfill the duty of the Journal, KKOB, KOAT, KOB-TV and even KRQE, know this: Heather Wilson and Darren White are accused of paying the entrance fee for their voters as well as giving them $35 per hour that they spent at the Bernalillo County Convention. This is big, front-page-worthy news because those charges are fourth degree felonies. This is especially important because Darren White currently is sits in the political office of Sheriff and, as I’ve been informed, the Sheriff is supposed to stop crimes, not commit them.



Bushy Brilliance

For those that were an hour late to work this morning, I feel your pain and offer a more in-depth excuse than the expected “I just didn’t know to change my clock” line. My household actually didn’t have a single clock that needed resetting. The oven’s timepiece has eluded us and still flashes “12:00” and everything else was jumped forward by the internets and the invisible hands that guide them. However, thanks to last year’s energy bill that extended day light savings time, not all clocks knew to change this weekend. So use caution as you manually update your computers and phones -- they could get updated again in another couple weeks. Unfortunately, your boss won’t buy that excuse -- if it gets moved up a second time, you’ll find yourself at your desk an hour early, not an hour behind and no one deserves that. Thank you Mr. President for proving that you can control time.

Fools and 4th Degree Felonies

New Mexico Catch-Up Day

Too much has transpired in New Mexican politics this week. Let’s briefly go through the happenings of the state. The Governor made his final decision regarding the Red Light Cameras. Republicans have been caught stealing again. Congressional campaigns get ugly in all three districts and more and more and more.



Fool me once. . .

When you fool the Governor, you can’t fool him again. And if you try to, he’ll make you cry. After a year of promises of “don’t worry, we’ll take care of that,” Governor Richardson relieved Mayor Marty of his worries and took care of the excessively punitive Red Light Camera program.

“While I appreciate the Mayor’s concerns and the city’s last-minute effort to compromise, I believe the Legislature spoke loud and clear when it overwhelmingly passed this bill for the second straight year,” Big Bill explained as the state reclaimed lost revenue and lowered the fines for irresponsible motorists.

This can’t be the very end of Marty’s hit and miss political career. Will he re-re-kindle his dream of ruling the state from the fourth floor or has he tired of being everyone’s least favorite Democrat? We will be the first to bring you news of his next pet project designed to restore voters’ faith in him and reenergize his chances of being showered in enough votes to sit in another elected office.



4th degree felony allegations against Wilson and White

Usually parties try to keep their intra-party politics quiet and within the party. The Republican Party of New Mexico is working as hard as they can to keep the events of the Bernalillo County Pre-Primary Convention hushed. Unfortunately for Heather Wilson and Darren White, word is out about a scheme to pay delegates $35 per hour as well a cover the $30 registration fee.

First, a tip of the hat goes to the newly discovered political coverage of Dennis Domrzalski. Dennis has the connections and knowledge of Joe Monahan with a few expletives and honest critiques of the idiots we all assess each day. Check him out.

Also, before we discuss the felony charges, let’s highlight the desperation of RPNM. Democrats of New Mexico do not charge you to attend their convention to voice your opinion on candidates for office. Its sad to see a party be forced to charge people at the door in order to balance their books. Passing the hat is typical of ward and county level conventions, but still, no one drops $30 bills in.

Back to the business, Heather Wilson and Darren White stole a play from the Iowa Republican Presidential Straw poll last weekend. In Iowa, the state Republican Party runs a straw poll in the beginning of the primary season as a fundraiser for the party. Since there is no true significance of it, voters have to be bribed all the way around in order to win their vote. The entrance fee is paid (again, what's with the automatic charge?) and the campaigns spend copious amounts of money wining and dining their supportive voters.

So why can’t Heather Wilson and Darren White -- candidates for Senator and House, respectively -- do that too? Because it’s a fourth degree felony. . . and a pathetic sign of desperation. Heather is losing ground to southern NM congressman Steve Pearce in a race that was hers to lose. Why Darren White felt vulnerable enough to go along with the ploy is probably explained by his close ties to Wilson. Heather obtained her house seat thanks to Senator Domenici. In turn, as Heather departs to seek Domenici’s old seat, she is anointing White the heir to the Albuquerque House seat. And while White is in the clear in his primary campaign, he still owes support to Wilson and her illegal ideas.

Former Governor Dave Cargo leveled the accusations against the two campaigns. When he asked for their names and how they would like to get involved with the party, they told him directly that they would not be attending anything in the future, that they were paid to be at that meeting to cast a vote for Wilson and White and to go on their way. He saw 50+ people show up at a meeting that he usually expects less than a dozen and didn’t recognize any of them as normal activists.

Wilson’s campaign spokesperson Whitney Cheshire, author of the abandoned attack dog blog Wednesday Morning Quarterback, has denied the charges up and down and points the finger at an embittered Cargo that did not get elected as a delegate.



Self-Proclaimed “News Leader” 770 KKOB

Albuquerque lost a prominent political reporter through this scandal. Laura McCallum tried to adhere to 770’s moto as the “News Leader” of New Mexico as she broke the story. But Pat Frisch, Jim Villanuci, Pat Allen and all of the other RPNM apologists running the strongly conservative news station yanked the story claiming it had not be corroborated by enough blogs and other news agencies.

Add barackout to the list of sources crying foul and demanding a full inquiry into the allegations. Sloughing off the responsibility of hard-hitting reporting on to the backs of all of the other worthless television and print news outlets of the town is a pathetic excuse for a political bias. Take away their title of News Leader. Their ties to the Republican Party are as strong as the signal that reaches almost to Denver. Simply because they have the strongest signal in the state does not mean they have real reporting or information to provide to New Mexicans.

What about finding a balance? Clear Channel has been accused of not entertaining any idea of hosting a local drive time show on liberally inclined 1350 Air America. Why would they want to invest all of the money that goes into conducting comprehensive coverage any way?

Laura McCallum deserves multiple awards for her firm stance in defense of real, unbiased, uninhibited coverage of the news. None of the news stations or papers have covered this story in the least. Hopefully the gatekeepers will explore what transpired at the Bernalillo County Convention and not follow Pat Allen’s lead.


Best New Law

Before everyone pencils in SB 442 for “best new law” in the Best of Burque Survey, there are many, many more laws on the books. For those that believe politicians do nothing, time would be wisely invested reading through the lists of new legislation that will govern our state. You might even find a tax break in there for yourself! And as you're filing out your Best of Burque, don't forget to give a nod to barackout and its new angle on New Mexico politics.

It’s a gorgeous Friday. We’ll get to Wiviott’s big bucks and the tame commercials that they purchased on Monday. Get off the couch you bum!