Report on Trump’s new assault on women’s rights and Planned Parenthood, plus information on the an opportunity to meet Janene Yazzie, how to phone bank and canvass in support of all five candidates we support.

Before diving in, today at 11am on KSFR, 101.1 FM my guest on Retake Our Democracy is Speaker Brian Egolf, a show that was taped on Thursday. I don’t want to reveal too much, but Egolf did say that a committee of four legislators had reviewed the claims against Rep. Trujillo and determined that a full investigation is warranted and has begun. He is no longer involved in the investigation as it is the purview of the legislators appointed to the committee doing the work and so he could not venture a guess as to whether or not the investigation would be complete in time for the June election.

So, with early voting upon us, some and perhaps all voters will have to make their own judgments before due process has been completed. Ultimately people will have to determine whether six women, three claiming to have been harassed and three validating the claims of Laura Bonar, should be believed or whether to believe the denials of one man and lie detector results, the validity of which has been disputed by the American Psychological Association and in yesterday’s New Mexican. For centuries, women’s claims have been disparaged and men’s careers have been protected. The #MeToo movement is saying that it is time to begin believing women who step forward with nothing to gain and everything to lose. And here we have six women.

Retake had determined to welcome Romero’s challenge well before the harassment charges. There are just too many bad Trujillo votes for him to garner Retake’s support: loosening open carry, allowing NM to become a dumping ground for the nation’s spent uranium fuel rods, limiting women’s access to abortions, and being absent for other key votes, including to protect Chaco Canyon. Compound that with his serving as a co-plaintiff with the Bail Bonds Association and a Libertarian attorney to undo Sen. Wirth’s Bail Reform Amendment approved by 82% of the voters and these are too many Republican votes for Democrat in a safe district.  These are votes that Andrea Romero would not make.

Journey Santa Fe. Sunday, May 20, 11am-12:15pm, Collected Works, 202 Galisteo, Santa Fe. Retake Our Democracy presents its Local Action Strategies. Jennifer Johnson, Miguel Acosta and Paul Gibson present how Retake is organizing locally by implementing two basic strategies: 1) developing and advocating for evidence-based policies, implemented in other communities and successful in advancing social justice; 2) coordinating direct action in support of social justice principles.

All Out Assault on Women’s  Rights to Choose

According to NBC News and then from Planned Parenthood itself, the Trump administration is planning an all out assault on Planned Parenthood. First, NBC News: “The Trump administration moved forward with a proposal Friday that would effectively ban Planned Parenthood and similar organizations from providing abortion and related services under the same roof as operations funded by federal family-planning grants, according to an administration official.

The so-called Hyde amendment prohibits the use of competitive federal family-planning grant funds for abortion, but organizations like Planned Parenthood have traditionally used the federal money for other health services while using private money for abortions and related services — sometimes at the same facilities and with the same staff.”

Dawn Laguens, Executive VP of Planned Parenthood Federation of America commented:  “This is an attempt to take away women’s basic rights, period.” “Under this rule, people will not get the health care they need. They won’t get birth control, cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment, or even general women’s health exams.” Click here to read the full NBC News report.

It gets worse.

Late yesterday, I got an email from Planned Parenthood of a second and even more crippling attack.President Trump is preparing to push a “gag rule” — his most dangerous attack on women’s basic rights, ever. The administration’s gag rule includes two unprecedented attacks on patients and doctors:

1. Doctors and nurses across the country are forbidden from referring patients for abortion. Even if someone asks for information, even if their health is at risk, even if a safe and legal abortion is their best option.
2. There’s no guarantee that you’re getting full and accurate information about your health care. If someone discovers they’re pregnant after being diagnosed with cancer, for example, their health care provider may not tell them that abortion is even an option.

This rule is designed to block access to preventive care at Planned Parenthood health centers, which serve more than 40% of the four million patients who rely on Title X (the nation’s program for affordable birth control and reproductive health care). Together, these two initiatives threaten the very existence of Planned Parenthood.

Three Weeks Til Election Day and So Many Voters to Contact. So Many Ways to Do So

As we get closer to June 5, the importance of canvassing, calling and contributing is magnified. Every one of the candidates we support are underdogs, either facing incumbents with corporate support or with the Auditor’s race, Bill McCamley faces the challenge of being a legislator from southern NM facing a former DPNM Chair with tremendous statewide name recognition. We have three weeks. An enormous opportunity to change energy policy in NM (Yazzie and Fischmann for PRC), to create a more progressive Roundhouse (Romero and Herrera) and to ensure continuity from Keller to McCamley in the State Auditor’s office. These are huge opportunities.

Whether these tremendous candidates win or lose depends to a very significant degree upon you, because to overcome their challenges they need you to CONTRIBUTE, CANVASS AND CALL.

The Roundhouse

Canvass and Call from Andrea’s home, 1101 Hickox St. Santa Fe, NM 87505.  Get routes, call lists, scripts, flyers and a bit of training at the times below.

District 41: Susan Herrera

Dist. 41. Rodella vs. Herrera.The Albuquerque Journal published an interview with Susan Herrera where she explained her position on a number of key NM issues. If you aren’t familiar with Herrera, this article is a great place to start. Click here.

For Retake Our Democracy’s analysis of both candidate’s positions on the issues, click here.  If you missed it the Daily Kos has endorsed Susan.

• Click here to find out how to contribute, call, canvass or otherwise support the Herrera campaign.

Public Regulation Commission

Currently the PRC routinely votes 3-2 on everything, ignoring advocacy on the part of environmentalists and even ignoring the recommendations of the PRC’s own Hearing Officers. This June, we have the opportunity to remove two of the three Commissioners who routinely vote with PNM and El Paso Electric. By electing Steve, we would unseat Sandy Jones in District 5 and flip the balance to a 3-2 environmentally aligned majority. If we were also to win in District 4 where Janene Yazzie is challenging incumbent Lynda Lovejoy, we could achieve a 4-1 super majority.

You have to know that PNM and other utilities will pour money into this campaign. They simply can’t afford to lose their stranglehold on the PRC.  But, we can do this. But only if you get involved: canvass, call, contribute. This is no time to sit on the sidelines. We badly need to flip the PRC and we need to win at least one of these primaries.  We feel this election is the second most important race in NM after Governor. The PRC ‘regulates’ our utilities, transportation, telecommunications, and more. The five commissioners have far more power than any one NM Legislator and for environmentalists their role in determining when and how we transition to renewable energy is critical. 

Public Regulation Commission Dist. 4: Janene Yazzie

Flip the PRC for a Swift, Just Transition to a Sustainable, Renewable Future.  There will be canvassing, calling and donation opportunities over the next four weeks.  As currently comprised, the PRC Commissioners consistently vote 3-2 in favor of whatever our utility providers request (e.g. PNM).   

Santa Fe Activity for Janene Yazzie.  Contact Paul at paul@retakeourdemocracy.org. We are canvassing every Sat and Sun. We want to return to houses where no one was home, so we need you.

In Santa Fe, Two Opportunities to Meet Janene Yazzie:
Tuesday, May 22, 2018, 5-7 PM, At the Home of Marilyn and Ed Winter-Tamkin in Santa Fe. Please contact Marla Painter at 505-220-3969 to RSVP and for directions. Join us for beverages, appetizers and great conversation. Contributions will be welcomed.

Canvassing in Other Parts of the State (especially ABQ).  For more information about how to support the campaign, visit janeneyazziefornm.com. We have canvassing every Sat and Sun in ABQ, as well. He can set you up with routes, scripts and flyers and connect you with others with whom you can walk.

Click here to start you phone banking experience. Click that link and you’ll have a script and prompts to begin calling immediately.

Public Regulation Commission Dist. 5: Steve Fischmann

Steve Fischmann has been a NM State Senator and a lobbyist advocating for banning payday lending programs. He has always been on our side. His opponent, Sandy Jones is running a PNM-funded campaign. He has voted with PNM pretty much every time during his four years. To read more about how consistently three PRC Commissioners have sided with utility companies and their shareholders, at the expense of ratepayers and the planet, click here for a one-page summary that includes three specific examples where PRC majorities of 3-2 have resulted in ratepayers being levied hundreds of millions of dollars in rate increases over the objection of the PRC Hearing Officers.

To find out more about each candidate’s views and how to support their campaign:

•  Steve’s campaign stretches from the Mexican border up to Los Lunas and covers the southwest quadrant of the state. For more information on Steve, his campaign, and how you can support it, click here.

State Auditor:  Bill McCamley

Bill McCamley for State Auditor

We hosted a fund raiser for Bill some weeks ago, but have not written much since. In this statewide race, every precinct is in play. Bill faces an enormous challenge: his opponent, Brian Colon, who waged a very negative campaign for ABQ Mayor against Tim Keller. Colon lost despite raising over $700,000 and benefiting from a massive and horribly negative and misleading media campaign led by sprawl developers targeting Tim Keller. During the campaign, Colon said he did not support sanctuary cities, a minimum wage increase, and would not say if he would support a massive sprawl development on Albuquerque’s westside. Click here to find out more about Bill McCamley and Brian Colon. In  Bill McCamley has been an incredible legislator in the Roundhouse, as the link above reveals. He needs your support because name recognition is huge and Colon has been in the fray for decades and is a former DPNM Chair. Click here to contact his campaign to find out how you can canvass, call or contribute.

In solidarity,

Paul & Roxanne

Categories: Women and Girls, Women's Rights

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