Sanders is surging, leading in Iowa, New Hampshire, and California, but Warren has also surged and could continue to do so. We encourage you to support them. Plus a brief Roundhouse update.
Before our commentary on the Democratic Primary race, a Roundhouse Roundup.
Roundhouse Roundup: We had another good day yesterday, with both of our Priority Bills passing: SB 29 Solar Market Development Tax Credits sailed through Senate Corporations and Transportation and HB 65 School Based Health Clinics passing through House Health & Human Services. We have’t had a bill killed yet. One week down, three to go. And today is epic.
Today, we have Senate Public Affairs hearing recreational marijuana and the Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order at 1:30 in the Senate Chambers. Talk about motivation to come to the Roundhouse. On Wednesday there is HB 25 Pregnant Worker Accommodation Act and HB 100 NM Health Information Exchange Act, a critical bill for preparing for adoption of the Health Security Act. Thursday, House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources will hear three bills we support: HB 9, a good Community Solar bill and two great bills (HM 9 and HB 99) that together would focus state investment on renewable energy generation, storage and transmission infrastructure. These are huge issues, huge opportunities and we need you in the game.
Lastly, and this almost got past us, Equality New Mexico sent out an alert yesterday that State Representative Gregg Schmedes(R-22) has introduced House Joint Resolution 2, a constitutional amendment on Parental Rights in Child Upbringing. According to EQNM – “this bill is a thinly-veiled attempt to circumvent the ban on conversion therapy” that EQNM worked so hard to pass in 2017. HJR 2 is being heard in House Consumer and Public Affairs today at 1:30pm. Since you can’t easily attend both the hearing on marijuana legalization and gun violence prevention and this hearing, we are posting contact info for the five members of the committee in our Actions & Events page. Please take the time to call and email each of these representatives. A bit more info is also included to help you frame your opposition, although simply saying you oppose this effort to permit “conversion therapy” is likely sufficient
If you haven’t been to the Roundhouse yet, it is definitely time to get in the game. We have too much at stake and too many transformative bills being introduced. Yes, there are headlines daily about Trump and impeachment, but what is happening at the Roundhouse right now is our house, our state, our chance. So, to check out our 2020 Roundhouse Priorities, click here where you’ll see all the bills we are advancing. If you subscribe to our statewide Alerts, you’ll get almost daily reminders of bills that are coming to committees for hearings and votes. Click the “Get Legislative Alerts” on the right side of our home page to get Alerts with all you need to be an effective advocate for justice in the NM state legislature: bill number, title, speaking points, and contact info.
Twitter Request: Is there anyone out there with semi-serious Twitter skills? Many folks have told me that Twitter is one of the best ways to communicate with legislators in the Roundhouse, so I need to beef up my nearly non-existent Twitter skills. I suspect we’d need 45 minutes to an hour. Beer or coffee is on me. If you can help, write to RetakeResponse@gmail.com.
Bernie, Elizabeth & All the Rest
As an unapologetically progressive group, Retake is certainly excited to see the recent successes of both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in the presidential primary. Our Leadership Team sees two strong, progressive candidates, either of which we would support with tremendous enthusiasm.
Bernie and Elizabeth clearly best express our progressive values; however, we are also very clear that we will support any of the Democratic candidates should they win the nomination.
When Warren surged about two months ago, the media went on the attack, discrediting her plans and sending the message that the US is not ready for socialism. This, no doubt, contributed to her slight decline in recent polls. Now that Bernie is surging, similar attacks are being levied against him. See, for example, this piece from the Atlantic.
As these two progressives begin to eclipse the more moderate candidates, we are going to see more and more media attacks on both. We feel it is important for progressives to stand behind these two excellent candidates and so we are going to provide information on how to support either candidate.
Both campaigns are seeking volunteers to make phone calls or texts to voters in early states, organize friends, etc. (Unfortunately campaigning for New Mexico’s June primary isn’t terribly useful just now). Sanders’ and Warren’s websites for volunteering are:
In keeping with the Retake Our Democracy mission to engage, educate, organize, and activate, we see this campaign as an opportunity for you to help put your progressive values into action. We also really hope to have a presidential campaign that continues to be about the best path forward for our country, without the kind of personal attacks that will only make it harder to come together in opposition to Trump. So we ask that you refrain from bashing any Democratic candidates and focus on the issues.
It is important that all of us realize that when we see Bernie and Elizabeth getting bashed in the media, it is because the powers-that-be are afraid. They don’t want justice, they want control, and they fear losing it. Please get involved in one or both of these campaigns. And then when Elizabeth or Bernie win the nomination, let’s work like hell to get them elected.
In solidarity,
Paul & Roxanne
Categories: Uncategorized
Encourage Sanders and Warren to join forces
They are really going after Sanders, the multiple articles about Joe Rogan’s endorsements, are just the tip of the iceberg here. Rogan gets a lot of media attention, thus sponsors and money for his views, so his endorsement of Sanders is somehow Sanders fault.
Local news did not cover the connection between the NRA and the NM Sheriffs. http://nmethicswatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/NMEW-Lobbying-Report-Final-.pdf
https://www.newsweek.com/nra-lobbying-new-mexico-sheriffs-1431949
Ihttps://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/senate-prohibits-firearms-for-major-hearing-on-guns-cannabis/article_265a48b0-4163-11ea-a577-2f140f76e7f2.html#tncms-source=article-nav-next
No one stressing that the Red Flag Bill, is a compromise, only taking guns away from certain individuals, while what we really need to to get weapons of war off of our streets, and out of our homes.
Not much about this either, “Some close NRA allies say the Butina-Torshin efforts to woo the NRA was fueled heavily by Moscow’s interest in boosting Russian gun exports and easing sanctions, a key Putin goal.”
This is not just about domestic gun sales, this is about international gun sales, opening up markets.
https://www.usnews.com/news/world-report/articles/2019-04-26/trump-to-withdraw-us-from-key-international-weapons-pact
“This announcement is a misguided blow to efforts to promote international peace and security,” Adotei Akwei, deputy director for advocacy and government relations at Amnesty International, said in an emailed statement. “With this announcement the Trump administration will re-open the floodgates for arms sales with weakened human rights criteria, which could potentially fuel brutal conflicts, and make everyone less safe.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/01/nra-russia-investigations-gun-lobby
So the New Mexico Sherrifs, and the republicans that support them, are just unwitting dupes for Trumps efforts to support the export of more guns to conflict zones across the globe. The U.S armed the drug cartels in Mexico, making everything even more dangerous. Of course no one paid attention when they were offering a ticket to a gun raffle, at voter registration drives, and petitions were available at street fairs and convenience stores in southern NM.
https://thinkprogress.org/nra-and-russian-cousin-18f607d40240/
Just a long line of republican dirty stunts, to mislead the American people and take advantage of the ignorance.
I just read that Tom Perez (Dem. Nat’l Committee) is all-out against Bernie Sanders. Sheesh.
nice article, waiting for your another