We first met Martin Heinrich here at FDL in March right after he routed the competition at the New Mexico pre-primary convention. We decided to ask Martin if he’d come back today for two reasons. First of all, he’s one of the few Democrats running proactively against warrantless wiretaps and retroactive immunity and it looks like the Bush/Steny Hoyer FISA bill is rearing its ugly head again. While shady GOP front groups have tried to use the security ploy against Democrats, Martin has turned the tables on them and run a model campaign that has them on the run.
Instead of fudging the issue the way many Blue Dogs and other cowering Vichy Dems do, Martin goes right after it. When White questioned Martin’s patriotism, Martin slammed right back at him and sent him reeling: "I stand with the American people who say fear mongering is not acceptable. Not acceptable from George Bush, not acceptable from Karl Rove and not acceptable from Darren White. I agree with Bill Richardson that we can keep our country safe without resorting to unconstitutional, warrantless wiretaps. I support a strong FISA that authorizes our intelligence community to intercept the communications of foreign terrorists, not American citizens minding their own business."
The second reason we invited him today is for quasi-selfish reasons. We want to blunt Bush’s effectiveness as a Republican fundraiser. At a time when most rational Republicans are wary of being seen as too close to him, Bush is traveling to Albuquerque a week from Tuesday (May 27) to raise money from wealthy New Mexico Republicans for Darren White, Martin’s extreme right wing, somewhat loopy opponent. And according to Jonathan Martin at the Politico, Bush will travel around to far right hot beds and raise money for McCain without McCain having to be there. We were very successful in countering Bush’s attempt to raise funds for Dave Reichert, the rubber stamp running against Darcy Burner. White is asking for $5,000 to get a photo taken with Chimpy. White was the 2004 Bernalillo County Campaign Chair for the Bush-Cheney campaign so they want to repay him. It would be great to rain on their parade– and make Bush more toxic for his own party at the same time.
A few days ago White’s primary opponent, raised a very touchy question for the self-professed "law and order" candidate. While he was vice president of the New Mexico Police Association his high-handed, dictatorial and incompetent manner of doing business caused 89% of the members to vote "no confidence" in his leadership.
Please consider donating to Martin’s campaign today at our Blue America ActBlue page. This is a district (PVI: D +2) we should be able to take back from the Republicans– and use it to help New Mexico come in for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton and for Tom Udall’s race to win the Senate seat.
Please take a look at a brand new video that Martin’s campaign released this morning:
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Hi all. It is good to be back.
This is Matt from the campaign. I’m here as well. Thanks for having us!
Martin, welcome back to FDL. Before we get into talking about FISA and how your approach is working in New Mexico, let me ask you something about Bush’s trip there a week from Tuesday. McCain and most Republicans seem to be trying to distance themselves from Bush as fast as possible. Is Bush so popular in Albuquerque that Darren White thinks it’s a smart move to bring him into the district. Do you think they’ll be photographed together and on TV hugging?
Welcome Martin! So glad you could join us today. Tell us, how are things going with your campaign?
President Bush is just as popular here as he is in the rest of the country. Bush and White are such fast friends that I am sure they will be photographed together.
Welcome to FDL Mr Heinrich.
Better Democrats!
Good to see Martin again at Blue America!
Fantastic. We have more and more volunteers each day and the endorsements from organizations committed to real change keep multiplying. The energy right now is the best its been since I began our campaign.
Welcome!
Great to be here and thanks for joining us.
Maybe you can get a copy and have some one make something like they did in Connecticut of Bush and Lieberman and “The Kiss.”
To get a sense of the grassroots energy surrounding Martin’s candidacy, check out these videos:
http://www.youtube.com/olopez505
Your video is excellent! It’s so heartening to hear and see a Democrat speak forthrightly about undoing the worst BushCheney excesses and illegalities, all atop a “Democrat for Congress” banner on the screen.
Thanks for all your hard work, and the sacrifices a campaign entails, Mr Heinrich. Best wishes to you, and thanks also for the continued email updates from your campaign.
I’m in for another $25, FirePups — will someone match this, please?
Hey Matt, glad you could join us!
Martin, we’re watching some Democrats buckling under to right-wing pressure to support warrantless wiretaps and retroactive immunity. I’ve found relatively few Democratic challengers taking as proactive an approach as you have been. You seem to be using it to clobber Republicans– which seems like a really good idea to me. What is it that makes New Mexico fertile ground for that kind of approach?
What do folks think of the new web video?
Glad to be here!
Matt, do you happen to know what it costs to run that new campaign ad you guys just went up with in the Albuquerque market? Is it running on cable or terrestrial? What’s the price to run it?
I think Bill Foster showed that buckling on Constitutional issues like the 4th amendment is not the way to attract independent and Republican voters to a Democrat. Sticking to your guns is respected in western states like New Mexico in particular where there is always a healthy skepticism government intrusion in our personal lives.
Super video, Martin – you’ve got all the bases covered..and you attached Dick Cheney to Bush, which of course is right where he should be.
Howie, could you give a link to the YouTube video?
I’ve been having quite a lot of problems with Firefox crashing when I attempt to play an embedded vid here.
It’s roughly $130-160 a point. Our buy is just broadcast.
Digg this chat here
Hey Martin (and Matt),
LP from FBIHOP here. I like the ad, as I’m sure you saw, just wondering when we will be seeing more of Martin on TV?
ooo, am I the first to give today??? Go get ‘em, Martin!!
What are the top three issues voters ask you about when you campaign?
And, remember, to check this video out in regards to FISA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWwLUMjn51c
We’ve been up for three days on broadcast TV and we’ll be up through June 3. Keep an eye for new ads and web video though.
Matt, can you explain that to us? What does “a point mean?” Basically, what I’m wondering is how much it costs each time the ad runs on TV. Also, doesn’t the Albuquerque TV market cover a lot of teh state outside NM-01. Is cable a bad idea? You could target just potential NM-01 voters.
Thanks Toby, we’ll put it to good use.
That’s a great message!
1,000 points means an average TV viewer sees your TV ad 10 times. You can get cable for as little $30 – 50 a spot in Albuquerque. You get more market penetration from broadcast then cable, but cable allows you to better target specific audiences.
I’ve been seeing Martin banners all over the place online too.
Nice job on the video Martin. Refreshing to hear a new bunch of candidates like you and Sen. Obama speak against the machine.
I’m hoping you take Cheney McBush’s, Darren White, to the woodshed this fall.
Brent in Minneapolis
Martin, what do you think the biggest issues are going to be with voters in NM-01 this November?
Do I have a match for my $25 yet?
The economy, Iraq, and health care. At this point people are viewing all these issues through an economic lens.
Welcome, Martin. And thank you for standing up for this country’s constitution! We can stand for national security within the confines of the constitution, imho.
Good news too that Joe Carraro is going after Darren White so intensely on the R side of this race.
I think people are really hungry for real leadership on these economic issues. Take gas prices. The Republican are using the same talking points they’ve been wedded to for 25 years and they are doing NOTHING to actually make us energy independent. We need an Apollo Project for energy independence that every American can be a part of. We need to break our addiction to oil and grow the new energy economy that will provide the high quality jobs of tomorrow.
I agree strongly with Benjamin Franklin that we should never have to sacrifice liberty for security. As Americans we have proven throughout our history that with real leadership we can have both.
Most people don’t know that US oil production peaked in 1970 and has been going down ever since, a little bit each year. Execpt when they turned on the Alaska pipeline, so 26 down years, 2 up years. Drilling for oil in the US is not going to help much, so glad you are behind wind and solar.
Are you planning anything to “welcome” Bush to Albuquerque when he sneaks in to raise money for your opponent Darren White?
does mine count, Teddy?
Keep an eye on the website, http://www.martinheinrich.com for more.
We started off today with $2,873 from Blue America for the campaign. Let’s try to donate enough money today to buy some cable ads with that great spot. If it’s an average of $40/ad on the Albuquerque cable system… well everyone knows how to do the math. Here’s where to click to contribute.
So the Congressman has a primary opponent? Is that making him pivot farther right? Is that making him lash himself to BushCheney?
Care to comment about Bush new proposed rules for air quality around national parks, it is like he is trying to put the screws to the public before he leaves office. (breif summary follows)
National parks and wilderness areas may soon have neighboring power plants under a proposed set of air quality rules from U.S. officials, scientists say.
Environmental engineer Don Shepherd said the proposed changes by U.S. President George Bush’s administration to the Clean Air Act could potentially create 28 new power plants near 10 national parks and pose a significant risk to such locales, The Washington Post said Friday.
When as a nation we have 3% of the world’s petroleum reserves (and over 20% of the demand) we need a smarter approach than just using up that 3% faster. Shifting to clean, renewable sources of energy makes our nation more secure, addresses the global warming crises that threatens New Mexico’s surface water supplies, and offers us an opportunity to GROW our economy with good jobs.
I’m not sure who you’re referring to…?
Just watched the video and boy am I jealous of those gas prices!
I hope the NM folks try the MS strategy with the same result.
I wonder if NM voters know how bloated our govt is right now. Many Rs think the platform is still the same because R pols use the same talking points while in actuality do the opposite. I would rather have my taxes go to benefit me or a fellow working american vs. some fat cat. Do NM voters understand that funds are funneled to the wealthy in the name of defense contracts, disaster relief contracts etc. vs. building and reinforcing infrastructure. (I sure hope you have better soundbites than I do…)
I think it’s an open seat Teddy.
Expect more of this from the Bush administration before they leave. They will try to sneak through all sorts of regulatory changes to benefit their friends in industry.
We’ll be cleaning up this mess for years. That is if we have a Democratic President and more and better Democrats in the Congress. If we have President McCain and Congressman White, this nation will stay on the same disastrous track we’ve been on for the past eight years.
Real Americans, who work for a living, that’s about 98% of the country, not counting kids and seniors, desperately what One Million new manufacturing jobs in America. Here in Florida we lost a semiconducter plant and gained a Lowes and a Home Depot, much much lower pay.
If I may comment: I expect Bush to light as many fires as he can before he leaves office so that the money spent mopping up will be on a dem watch.
this is a lot like Saddam lighting the oil fields afire in retreat.
Don’t be too jealous, our gas prices seem to be going up by the day.
This is the latest from White’s primary opponent:
rtsp://rtsp-youtube.l.google.com/video.3gp?app=blogger&fmt=13&cid=45c503821d5d7bf2
Hey the ads sound like a good idea.
Donations: I’m in.
Who’s next?
As Howie mentioned in the article, the LAST bit of political effectiveness Bush has is as a fundraiser. If we can neutralize his ability to fundraise by rallying around good Democrats, we can send a strong and important message to Washington.
In New Mexico we are working hard to attract new clean industry in the renewable sector. Schott Glass, who does concentrated solar, is opening a manufacturing plant here in Albuquerque and we have dozens of local businesses at the cutting edge of this industry.
That said, every time Bush’s allies in the Congress kill the solar tax credit they threaten these jobs and dry up the venture capital needed to drive this revolution. It is a very short sighted approach and terrible for our local economy.
Who is this Joe Carraro going after Darren White?
Oh, Darren White isn’t the incumbent, I see. That’s who I meant by “the Congressman.”
Early yet here.
By the way, I’d like to ask that we all keep Senator Kennedy in our thoughts and prayers today as we wish him a speedy recovery.
Heather Wilson is losing her congressional seat to go for Dominici’s senate seat, so no incumbent.
Susan, thanks! I’m in for a cable buy. I want to make sure that ad gets up on as many TV sets as possible, not just for Martin but because it will help Tom Udall and Barack Obama as well. This is going to be a big year for Democrats in New Mexico.
Are you considering endorsing the Responsible Plan to End The War In Iraq, Mr Heinrich?
Joe Carraro is a multi-term State Senator in New Mexico giving up that seat to run for Congress. He has a penchant for saying some dumb things, but he’s a firebreather.
That said, the state GOP and the national GOP have already rallied around White, as evidenced by the Bush fundraiser May 27 — before the June 3 primaries.
(well,our gas prices are over $4.20 and I’m feeling nostalgic for $3 already!)
My onogoing analogy for the Bush/Cheney so called “governance” is Ken Lay/Jeff Skilling’s Enron.
They are running our country into the ground at their own enrichment and tell us everything’s great and we should continue to buy the company stock as they are selling it off.
I hope you win many many republican and independent votes in your race. It is no longer a matter of left or right anymore but forward or backwards.
Since you have much less time to watch C-Span, than I do, I wanted to mention the 363 tons of Cash sent to Iraq to pay Iraqi pensions after the invation, just because the Iraqi Finance Minister asked us to. It is the largest transfer of cash in US history a picture of the pallets of cash, contrasted with some local need would be a great ad, More of the Same or Change!
Darren White has the endorsement of the RNC and the NRCC and just about every establishment Republican out there. Remember, he was the Bush/Cheney campaign chair in Bernalillo County, where roughly 1/3rd of all New Mexicans live, in 2004. He was also one of 10 people chosen for the ceremonial task of notifying Bush of his winning the nomination at the 2004 Republican convention. This guy is a Bush Republican through and through. Joe Carraro is an independent minded Republican who didn’t listen to the party bosses when they tried to force him out of the race.
We’ll be releasing a web video regarding the need to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible conclusion very soon, stay tuned.
I am deeply committed to bringing our troops home to their families and making sure that when they return they receive the treatment, opportunities and services that they have earned.
Pictures of that sorta thing would be powerful.
There is an ad running in NM in the southern congressional district that says something like “we can use the money we are spending in Iraq for education, etc. etc.”
It drives me crazy. The money we are spoiling in Iraq is not available for needs here in the US, it is borrowed, we can’t use it here.
As fact as wireless wiretapping the democrats are missing an important tool
there is only one reason a person wouldn’t want someone to make sure the information they want isn’t for personal use is if it is
in other words, they are stealing, they are stealing our information
all a warrant does is have somebody to say “yes, we needed to get this information to guard national security.”
the government can gather their information long before they get this warrant so exepdience is not any issue what so ever
without a warrant they can steal my manuscript, they can apply for my patent before me
they can buy or sell stock with the information they gather, they can find out who I buy from at what price, who I sell to and what they pay
under cover of their office they can steal from me
under cover of office they can follow my wife and listen to the private conversation we have, a depraved official can find out where my duaghter will be and when she is most vulnerable
there is no reason what so ever these people don’t want someone to make sure they are not stealing our intelectual property
this is what the democrats are missing
it isn’t enough to say
“they are violating my rights, they are violating the constitution”
they must say
“they want to steal our property, there is no other reason they refuse to demonstrate the information they want is for national security
Howie knows the name of the future Congressman from Orlando, that came up with the idea.
Note to Howie, probably the only candidate who has been here from Florida.
Yeah, those ads bug me as well. Happens everywhere…
Good Afternoon and Welcome back to the Lake Mr Heinreich -
Pallets full of Bushola arriving in Iraq
the google has tons :D
Thanks for answering my question; that is excellent.
Many Democrats nationwide are energized by a group of Congressional challengers producing and proposing a responsible plan to end the war that includes veterans benefits as well as diplomatic power, humanitarian concerns, constitutional issues, restoration of our military, media independence and a new US-centered energy policy.
I hope you’ll consider joining these challengers — it’s a mighty movement that can shift the thinking in Washington very quickly, when all of you are elected together this fall on the same plan.
Thanks. Here’s the plan.
To your point, I;ve long wondered why businesses are not in an uproar about the warrantless wiretapping as well as individuals. Can you imagine? IBM donates to a pol who winks and nods to the wiretap guys to surveill Apple? I think some tech companies get this but for the most part, the business world doesn’t.
omg . . .Mr Heinrich . embarasskin’
TeddySF – will join you when mr cbl returns with plastic
I guess if we waited for money we have here to pay for almost anything in the federal budget, we’d be waiting a long, long time. We’re borrowing ALL the money funding our government, aren’t we?
I really enjoyed being here today. I’m going to have to sign off to get to my next event in district, but I want to thank everyone who joined us from here in NM-01 and from around the country.
Together we CAN move our nation in a new direction, but it will take every one of us.
Thanks for your support and encouragement. Please continue to check in on the campaign by visiting our website at…
http://www.martinheinrich.com
Best, Martin
Now that’s a visual that could be a warstopper!!
fbihop: for me, it’s about the priorities however they are expressed and that pallet picture says it all.
How do you run against a party that claims to be for smaller government, but actually increases spending more than any other administration? Oh, and the war is run off budget, but not off deficit using supplementals.
Best of Skill and Luck!
Go get ‘em Martin!
Martin has to run to an event, but, I’ll be sticking around a little while longer.
Alan Grayson
good luck good luck good luck!!!
an even better one
talk about your thug life !
I think the recent special election results show that those same old tired Republican attacks aren’t working anymore. The fact is the Democratic Party is the party of fiscal responsibility and the American people know it.
another important issue most democrats don’t even realize and do not have the proper answer when someone says “if you aren’t doing something wrong then you have nothing to hide”
my anser is as so;
“if you have nothing to hide you are a failure”
and the follow up;
“we need our privacy protected to guard what we are most proud, it’s not there to keep us from being found out.
I need to protect my invention, my manuscript, my bussinesses associates, my sources my leads, and this is what privacy protection gives us”
Your first one is a great contrast to a lousy stimulus check. If you find a pallet of the money actually showing you got yourself a bullseye!!
yes. and most of us are not comfortable walking around naked either. that doesn’t mean we aren’t proud of what we got. ;)
If your still here I wanted to mention that we don’t want apple juice concentrate or drug ingredients from China, Heparin killed about 60 people. China has no quality control.
Bank of Bremer
suggest Congressman Waxman may have some better pix as well – but jeebus, those are compressed bricks of $100 bills
better stop this for now, mr cbl is literally frothing X~(
What’s the drumbeat in the House re FISA? Senator Rockefeller is trying to work out a deal for the telcos. How strong is the Dem collective spine in the House about this? Was proud of House re FISA.
Hope Obama speaks out on this.
What is going on in House with horror stories about minimizing vet-PTSD analyses, pet cemetery cremation for our fallen soldiers, Blackwater atrocities?
Issues like money wasted/stolen in iraq is going to hit a raw nerve now more than perhaps when these stories originally broke.
1,845 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…
Firepup Freedom Fighters:
Let’s have send a Firedog zen healing message to Ted Kennedy and you religious Firepups crank up yer prayer chops we’re gunna need God ta lend Ted to us for a few more years.
KEEP THE FAITH WE MAY BE SHORT A TROOPER ON THE FRONT LINES FOR AWHILE!!!
well this is interesting. It’s from October but it still ticks me off, re the piles of cash.
recall earlier that Bush raised ton o cash just last week – can one of ya tell me just who in bloody h would still be donating ? I’m not being rhetorical here – when he and Cheney raise money I wanna know where those donors are coming from –
the man is a PARIAH and yet somehow all this money is coming in ?!?!? no compute
Just heard it was a seizure not a stroke, and Sen. Kennedy is doing better. (a coworker just announced.. not sure her source)
Over 40 years of senate service for us. I go nuts watching the Senate for an hour on CSpan. Cheer on the mensches, go nuts from the Repub pseudo patriots.
Martin, thanks for havig joined us. And Heinrich campaign – good luck to you and the candidate. Thanks for being there for someone who stands up for us, the Republic, and the Constitution against FISA
with apologies to bgrothus :D
those doggone hippie Quakers
Matt, will there be much coordination between Martin’s campaign and Tom Udall’s campaign in the fall? And do you expect Gov. Richardson to be active or will he only be campaigning for Obama?
I’m frothing too. Anyone who can afford $5000 to pose with the vanity “president” is who. the ones benefitted from his “tax cuts”.
Yeah, get names and kick some butt.
What a video. My jaw is on the floor. Hard to wrap one’s mind around the statistics to the cost of the war. That puts it into perspective. But feels sooooo unbelievable. But isn’t, I know.
The “Cost of War” video is probably the most impressive one I’ve ever seen. Go viral with it.
thanks for the video cbl2.
putting on my koolaid drinker’s hat and also having watched the colbert interview of grover “leave us alone!” norquist, the response is “what’s in it for me?”
I don’t get a free school lunch.
I don’t don’t care if kids have health care or not.
etc. (just playing devil’s advocate here and I do mean the devil).
Koolaid drinkers might respond to money for highways and police and things that benefit them directly.
redefines tragic now don’t it ?
be sure to send it on – and if all your friends are dfh’s, post it in opinion/forum threads on your local newspaper/teevee web sites – really shuts the chickenhawks down :D
PS I say this kindly and from years of growing up with the cheapest, stingiest person in the world.
“They” want us poor and scared.
I’m not scared.
really? I must know the most rabid chickenhawk going then. He feels a greater need for oil than for ANY of those things you mentioned. yes indeedy. Part of it might jus tbe his age “we’ve had oil for years dammit, nothing wrong with it!”
sigh.
Pap on AirAmerica just said as I read what you wrote,
Now there is a collosal understatement for our time.
I will indeed pass it on. TY
Next weekend we’re going to meet an extraordinary state Senator from Georgia, Regina Thomas. She’s taking on one of Bush’s most dependable Democratic congressional allies, Blue Dog and warmonger John Barrow. This could be as important as the Donna Edwards vs Al Wynn race– although Barrow is even worse than Wynn. Next Saturday, same time, same place– and the debut of a new Blue America campaign song.
funny, that whole what’s in it for me bs -
bec they are the one’s squealing the loudest about the drain on resources in schools, emergency rooms, and local welfare rolls – when it comes to those unwashed illegal immigrants
I do love the fact that the dems are hammering home the point that dubya’s “policies” have made us LESS safe.
So if people persist in feeling fearful (gop is good at stirring that shit up) then the gop is NOT the answer and they are NOT going to keep you safe.
He may be Mr. 28% – but, there are still plenty of Republican faithful out there and we have to fight back!
Thanks for your support!
There will definitely be a coordinated campaign. New Mexico is going to be hot this year! Three open House seats, an open Senate seat and a competitive Presidential race. Should be an interesting year.
We wish you well in your campaign! Thanks so much for joining us today, and please keep us posted.
bwahahaha! you should have seen KD in an emergency room taking a place behind mexicans with gunshot wounds. His imaginary symptoms had to wait. He was soooo pissed. Never mind who’s dying.
I’m telling you KD is a piece of work.
Oh, good on you for having Regina Thomas. She’s a very special lady.
Martin will replace Heather Wilson in the House. That means one more vote for bringing this war in Iraq to an end! Our next Democratic President is going to need all the help they can get. And, that’s why we can’t forget the Congress.
Thanks for being here as well as Martin. Good luck and will do what I can in support. Together we all can make it. Not an easy fight, but a most necessary one.
I look forward to watching the developments from here in California. the current stalemate in Congress is definitely not getting the job done, that’s for sure. glad to know NM is pushing forward. way to go.
It is so hard when those in our immediate lives aren’t getting it… are not even close to living in the solution.
I’m signing off. Thanks again for all your support and encouragement! We’ll be back.
Thanks, Matt, for all your hard work. Good luck!