***image2***A look back at life in a swing state.
I'm embarrassed to admit there are currently more than 6,000 e-mails in my inbox-nearly 800 of which are unread. (Actually, I'm not just embarrassed but slightly terrified of what the computer people in the office are going to do to me when they read this). All of the unread e-mails have accumulated in the last three days and they are all political. Their subject lines? "Bush's Accomplishments," "Bush's Cheap Theatrics," "How Can Kerry Protect Us?" "Republicans Weren't Always Like This," "This Country Needs a Flip-Flop" and, my personal favorite this week: "Bush+Antidepressants=Colossal Failure."
These are computer-generated letters, political action group newsletters, partisan alerts from both parties. They are political cartoons, links to political articles, satire, alerts, individual outpourings from voters here and across the country. If, as the New York Times magazine speculates this week, the geopolitical landscape has become a stateless cyber-reality, the American political sphere has followed suit.
But the political spammage is more than just another manifestation of political ghosts in the machine. Its prolificacy also indicates how pressurized the election climate has become-nationwide and certainly in New Mexico.
Depending on the depth of your short-term memory, the state first became important four years ago
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when Al Gore eeked out his notorious 366-vote win. Or perhaps it was when Gov. Bill Richardson successfully pushed through the measure for the state's first Democratic caucus, or finagled the first Democratic presidential debate in the state (or declined to be vice president or accepted the chairmanship of the Democratic National Convention or went on
Meet the Press
for the 30 millionth time).
Maybe New Mexico's importance crystalized when it became clear Bush was beatable and "swing states" like New Mexico really could impact the election. Whatever the case, our five electoral votes have garnered us repeat visits from pols and pundits all year, and they just keep on coming. Meanwhile, voter registration efforts and other forms of activism (including e-mail campaigns) have intensified.
Voting has begun already and will continue until Nov. 2, at which point we'll hopefully see all the excitement cumulate (and, just as hopefully, the e-mail situation will stop. Weirdly enough, all the porn disappeared when the political spam started, but that's another story).
Until then, here's a look back.
Swelling the Ranks
Al Gore's 366-vote triumph in the state, compounded by the neck-and-neck polling between John Kerry and George Bush this year, made New Mexico a focus for voter registration. At last count (with all the new registrations not yet entered into the system), the state had just over 1 million registered voters-an increase of more than 105,000 since the beginning of the year. Even more significant, recent
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polling by Albuquerque Research and Polling showed that 56 percent of those registrants were under 35, and a significant portion of those under 25 had chosen to remain independent in party affiliation.
Left:
San Francisco DJ Apollo made a Santa Fe appearance Oct. 1 for the last night of The Hip Hop Voter Project, a voter registration effort by SFR and ChicanoBuilt that began in January. "I'm not a registered voter and I'm 35," Apollo told SFR. "I wasn't really into politics until recently and now I regret that I didn't get registered.
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I'm realizing what an effect it has, and what an effect the hip-hop community can have. It's the voice of the youth of America."
Right:
Mona Blaber was the communications director for Howard Dean's New Mexico campaign. She served as a Dean delegate to the Democratic National Convention and afterward began working for Kerry's New Mexico campaign as a field organizer. "People were so passionate about Dean, but he spoke to all his delegates at the convention and did a good job of getting us excited about John Kerry, too. He talked about
how Kerry really represented all of our Democratic ideals, of speaking for people who don't have a voice and standing up for
what you believe is right." Blaber and other Democrats registered 31 people to vote Oct. 1 at The Paramount.
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Left, top:
Lise Prewitt grew up in Santa Fe but now lives in Oakland. She came back to Santa Fe to help with the Kerry campaign. As a swing state, New Mexico attracted numerous people and groups from states where either Kerry or Bush are expected to win. "Being in California, we don't get any real push. People are upset about what's happening in the country, but it's not the same as being here, where it's a swing state and there's a lot happening."
Left, bottom:
The issue of whether newly registered voters would be required to show ID at the polls was decided by the State Supreme Court at the end of September. Only newly-registered voters who registered by mail must show ID. The conflict arose
over interpretation of a 2003 law passed to bring the state into compliance with the federal
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Help America Vote Act.
Because New Mexico is considered a swing or battleground state, it's been the focus of 527 groups. A 527 is an advocacy group allowed, under IRS code, to be tax-exempt and focus on voter registration and mobilization. For example, Moveon.org's Voter Fund and Moving America Forward both are 527s. Other non-profits, or 501cs, also focused on New Mexico, such as The New Voters Project, which sponsored several of SFR's Hip Hop Voter nights. Other statewide groups that got out the vote were The Southwest Organizing Project, The Progressive Alliance for Community Empowerment and V-Day.
Of registered New Mexico voters, 51 percent are Democrats; 32 percent are Republicans; 1 percent are Greens; 2 percent are registered to another party; and 14 percent have no party affiliation.
WEB RESOURCES
Explanation of the Electoral College:
www.wordiq.com/definition/U.S._Electoral_College
New Mexico Secretary of State:
New Voters Project:
Project Vote Smart:
Santa Fe County Clerk's Office:
www.co.santa-fe.nm.us/clerk/index.php
Taking it Further
The bumper stickers have flourished,
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but 2004 election activism strayed far beyond pithy sayings. Street theater, elaborate protests at both parties' conventions and a ton of books and films (see
"Read and Watch All About It,"
below) have helped shape the political zeitgeist. But the Internet really transcended all of the above. It also helped put Howard Dean on the map and catapulted blogging to an influential journalistic medium.
Right, top:
Mark Licht joined the Friday lunchtime war protest at Cerrillos Road and St. Francis Drive two years ago. His sign on the day after the first presidential debate read: "Put the Ass Back in Texas George." About that debate, Licht said, "I thought Kerry was very strong and showed he'd make a good president. I thought Bush looked pathetically weak and confused."
Right, bottom:
Phillip Chavez, 43, and his 4-year-old son Jacob joined the pro-Bush protesters for the first time. Chavez had just gotten back from active Guard duty in Iraq. "I'd go again in a heartbeat," Chavez said. A lifelong resident of Santa Fe, Chavez said it can be hard to be a Republican in a town like Santa Fe. "Democrats drive by and give you the bird," he said.
Below:
Bill Christison and Charlotte Cooke protested the war but aren't thrilled with either Kerry or Bush as
presidential candidates. Christison, who worked for the CIA for 28 years, said the first presidential debate was a prime example of why the US
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needs more than two political parties. "Neither Republicans nor Democrats are pursuing decent policies," he said, particularly when it comes to nuclear proliferation and foreign relations. Both Christison and Cooke said they hadn't made up their minds which candidate they would vote for on Nov. 2.
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Right:
Bush v. Gore focused on the hand-counting of supposed "undervotes"-those votes that voting machines had recorded as not voting for president. This, coupled with numerous other voting problems, helped lead to the Help America Vote Act, one component of which is consistent voting technology. But voting machines themselves, particularly Direct Recording Electronic machines, have become a target of much criticism, from computer scientists to politicians. In New Mexico, Verified Voting New Mexico has led the charge. Los Alamos National Laboratory Computer Scientist Charlie Strauss (above), a VVNM member, says his concern is not with the Nov. 2 election but with the longer-term decisions made by the state regarding what kinds of machines it purchases. Don't stress out if you personally are forced to vote on a touch screen. In an e-mail response to voters, he wrote, "…If you want to take action, worry less about your own vote and more about the state policy as a whole. That said, if your county uses Touchscreens on Election Day and you want to vote on paper, see if they are offering this for early voting. However, I don't recommend absentee voting as anything other than a way to register a protest against DREs. It's not a particularly secure means of assuring your vote is counted, as it lacks checks for overvoting and other safeguards."
Thirty states offer some form of early voting for the 2004 election. Only 11
did in the 2000 election.
WEB RESOURCES
http://billionairesforbush.com
Frequent Flyers
Political visits to New Mexico, along with celebrity appearances and national media drop-ins, all have been one aspect of life in a swing state.
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Left, top:
After a rousing introduction by Gov. Bill Richardson, John Kerry spoke to Santa Feans at Sweeney Center Oct. 11 about making the US energy independent. "Here in New Mexico, in places like the new wind farm in Quay County, you've seen how investments in renewable energy protect the environment while they also produce new jobs," Kerry said.
Left, bottom:
Kerry and all the other previous contenders had their first presidential debate in Albuquerque Sept. 4, 2003.
Below, left:
John Edwards' Sept. 13 appearance on Museum Hill was in the form of a "town hall"-style meeting on healthcare. The sun was so hot at the event that several attendees made hats out of newspapers and wore them. Edwards talked about the millions who had
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lost healthcare and jobs during Bush's administration and blasted both the president and vice president as he would later do during the vice presidential debate. "I have come to the conclusion," he told Santa Feans, "that they will say absolutely anything."
Far right:
The State Supreme Court ruled at the end of September that Ralph Nader qualified for New Mexico's ballot. Previously, it had been ruled he didn't because he was running as a minor party candidate in other states. Nader will run as an Independent in New Mexico. In 2000, Nader received approximately 21,000-4 percent-of the vote in New Mexico.
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Left, top:
President Bush visited New Mexico Oct. 11, as did John Kerry. Bush began in Hobbs and made his way to Albuquerque for a "Victory '04 Rally."
Left, bottom:
Howard Dean had a strong Santa Fe support system. He held a question and answer session at the University of New Mexico following the Sept. 4 Democratic debate. Dean later came in third in the Feb. 3 Democratic caucus.
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Right, top:
Gov. Bill Richardson has also been in the spotlight during the election year. He was mentioned (repeatedly) as a contender for the VP position and chaired the DNC convention in Boston in July.
Right, bottom:
John Kerry's stepson, Chris Heinz, spoke with voters at the Santa Fe County Courthouse on the first day of in-person early voting Oct. 5. Heinz told the group that the women associated with the Democratic ticket are strong, adding, "Maybe not as strong as Lynn Cheney, though," and then shuddered to himself. When asked by SFR if he planned to run for office himself, Heinz said he planned to run for dogcatcher.
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Left, top:
Santa Feans gathered together to watch the debates in various venues, such as this Oct. 8 gathering at The Inn at Loretto.
Left, bottom:
CNN broadcast live from Santa Fe this week with Judy Woodruff's
Inside Politics
(above) and
Anderson Cooper 360º
.
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Below:
George Bush and Dick Cheney both have visited New Mexico numerous times, mostly concentrating on the southern part of the state, as well as Rio Rancho and Albuquerque. First Lady Laura Bush came to Santa Fe in May, 2003 as the guest of honor for National Dance Institute of New Mexico's grand opening of its Santa Fe facility.
Three congressional representatives plus two US senators equals five electoral votes for New Mexico. And you thought it was complicated, right?
WEB RESOURCES
Major Parties in New Mexico:
State Democratic Party:
New Mexico Green Party:
State Republican Party:
Minor Parties:
Constitution Party of New Mexico:
http://members.ispwest.com/davebatch
Independent Coalition Party:
www.independentcoalitionparty.org
Libertarian Party of New Mexico:
Read and Watch All About It
If you're one of those important undecided voters who could determine which way New Mexico swings, perhaps it's time to turn off the talking heads and crack open a book. You're in luck. The political titles have proliferated and taken over, with everything from non-fiction to satire crowding out almost every other subject (although, somehow, Paris Hilton's autobiography still manages to remain on the best seller list. Yes, the country is doomed.)
Here's a look at some of the reading materials out there, as well as media sites worth checking out before you cast your swing vote. (And be sure to check out slate.com this week to find out who America's writers are voting for.)
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America (The Book).
By Jon Stewart, Ben Karlin and David Javerbaum. Presented in the form of a civics textbook, this excessively funny book is on the top of the bestseller list, proving that, despite all evidence to the contrary, America does have a sense of humor. Laugh while you can.
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The American Congress, The Building of Democracy.
Edited by Julian E. Zelizer. This book of essays by distinguished historians traces key decisions, legislation and court cases in Congressional history, looking at everything from the signing of the Constitution to the creation of the Homeland Security Department.
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Stand & Deliver, Political Activism, Leadership, and Hip Hop Culture.
By Yvonne Bynoe. This is a fascinating look at not just hip-hop, but at the importance of having a political voice and the different ways in which minority groups and regular citizens can influence the political process.
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Generalissimo el Busho; Essays and Cartoons on the Bush Years.
By Ted Rall. From the introduction by Tom Tomorrow straight through to the last chapter ("Don't Stop Bereaving"), this book is a good compendium of Ted Rall's laugh-out-loud satiric humor and knife-sharp reporting.
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How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office.
Edited by Adrienne Maree Brown and William Upski Wimsatt. This book, if you'll pardon the antiquated expression, kicks major ass. It's a compilation of real stories about young people who took matters into their own hands, around the country, and actually changed things. They won elections, swung elections and oh, so much more. Don't get frustrated by the system. Beat it on its own terms. (More info at
.)
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Crusade, Chronicles of an Unjust War.
By James Caroll. A look at how the Bush administration took the events of 9.11 and reshaped the geopolitical landscape.
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The Family. By Kitty Kelley.
Drugs, womanizing, nepotism, drinking. And you thought politics was boring.
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Doing Democracy, the MAP Model for Organizing Social Movements.
By Bill Moyer. OK, kind of more of a long-term picture of things but, hey, there's always life after the election. We hope.
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Behind the War on Terror.
By Nafez Mosaddez Ahmed. Ahmed's last bestseller was
The War on Freedom: How and Why America was Attacked
,
September 11, 2001
. If the situation in Iraq is the most important factor in deciding your vote, Ahmed's insights and reporting into the US war in Iraq is a must-read.
WEB RESOURCES
's New Mexico political page-with special reporting from SFR.
for stories from alt.weeklies around the country
An anti-Bush site with good music
Headlines up the wazoo, links to articles, as well as links to just about every news source there is.
progressive news website
because it's never too late to read up on Halliburton
This "information clearing house" is a good place to go if you get the feeling that CCN and Fox News are leaving things out.
This independent media service provides coverage from hundreds of independent journalists. But get there while you can-it recently had several of its servers confiscated by the FBI for unknown reasons.
A political satire site where you can hear that "This Land is Your Land" song all your friends keep talking about
News in a larger and more intellectually global context. Like articles on why Islam is punk, for example.
independent reporting on all the hot topics
This is a leave-no-prisoners approach to politics based on the mountain of evidence that most people are idiots.
news stories in English from publications in every country you can think of
