To write that the elections held in the United States of America in the year 2018 are important and must be engaged is an understatement. After the debacle of 2016 one thing becomes clear: It is up to the citizens of this nation to restore and maintain democracy through the tools that were provided by the founders of this nation. To do otherwise is to admit defeat, to allow the forces of darkness and division continue to have their way with us, our children, our families, our world.That said, primary elections, like the one happening here in Albuquerque on Tuesday, June 5 are generally partisan affairs. Surely they lay the groundwork for what will happen come November, but to some citizens, they seem a trifle, a mere partisan simulacrum of what what will come in the general election.Despite these feelings of complicity with a complex, sometimes overwhelming system, we here at Weekly Alibi urge you to vote in the primary election, whether you are Democrat, Republican or Libertarian. There is much at stake and your decision will help set the stage for either triumph or tragedy. You can create and view a sample ballot for your voting area at the BernCo Clerk’s office website, bernco.gov/clerk/elections.aspx.Here in New Mexico for instance, your choice will determine—from progressive to centrist—the character of the congressional representative we’ll send to Washington, the quality of candidate Democrats will put up against Republican strongman Steve Pearce for the title of governor, the shape and basis of community policing in Bernalillo county and many other important, nay essential features of a democracy that, ultimately, the people control.Davis Returns to CouncilJust as Weekly Alibi began the cyclic process of going to press on Tuesday, some of us here received texts and emails confirming that City Councilor Pat Davis—who tested at five percent in this past weekend’s Albuquerque Journal poll—was dropping out of the race and encouraging his supporters to fall in line behind Deb Haaland.The ideals and platform planks that Davis espoused and continues to espouse as a member of our local city government team are always going to be issues that Weekly Alibi supports. Evidence of Pat’s progressivism is best experienced through the lens of his legislation. As a City Council member and citizen he will continue to have important influence on what happens in this city. His brave, no-holds-barred stance against the NRA and against gun violence will remain a memorable highlight—and guidepost—for this year’s campaign against Trumpism.Who Speaks for District 1?It turns out that all of the humans vying for the open seat in the New Mexico section of the US House—recall, Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham has given up the seat as part of her campaign to become our state’s next governor (I’ll get to that soon)—are all bona fides, citizens whose intelligence and acumen as part of the political and leadership class of this nation are inscrutable, as far as I can see. That is to say, none of them are Trumpistas, as far as I can reckon.I’ve had the opportunity to work with all eight candidates (six Democrats, one Republican and one Libertarian) and must say that all present as knowledgeable, affable and professional. In such a case, I’m reminded of local political commentator Joe Monahan’s assessment of this particular House district in this particular state: Democrats have a lock on this one, always have. Republicans—and I suppose the same goes for Libertarians—lack that key and never will find it in their collection. Thanks Joe.So, as I wrote this, I decided to give Pat a bell to find out what was what, exactly. We talked about all the candidates, how solid each was in stature and platform. We talked about Damon Martinez. We talked about Deb Haaland. Other members of our editorial team and the publisher chimed in. And came up with this.In concordance with our traditional, progressive Weekly Alibi value set, whereby we support grassroots efforts to make progressive and lasting advancements to our national governance model, we hereby support Deb Haaland for the position of US Representative for District One in the State of New Mexico. Thank you very much.And Now on to GovernorI really did my best to frighten voters away from helping get Trumpista Steve Pearce elected to the office of governor. The Republican candidate is unopposed in the primary election and so is busy filling his war chest with objects designed to destroy whomever the Democrats send against him in November. Besides that distinct advantage, Pearce can also say his efforts contributed to the state’s economy. It’s true that Mr. Pearce is deeply involved with the oil and gas industries in the land of enchantment and that’s one of the reasons he must be stopped.As Jed Clampett himself damn well knows, there’s money in that black gold. But it comes at a price. Think about how Jethro grew more greedy and outlandishly so over time. In reality, our own state Legislative Finance Committee warned—in strong language—that reliance on such income could eventually have negative consequences for our state’s economy.The preceding argument fails to digress into Pearce’s radically discriminatory beliefs. But if you want to go there voters, then head on out by stopping here, first.If the next governor of New Mexico is not a Democrat, recreational marijuana will not be legalized. Our state will move closer into the orbit defined by a reckless and haughty right-wing determined to roll back the clock on everything from human rights to mineral rights.Therefore, some not unexpected advice:Vote for Michelle Lujan Grisham if you are Democrat. This candidate’s experience in government as well as her educated, eloquent elucidation of progressive principles—as well as a solidly developed plan for making such ideas reality, today—here in the land of manaña—provide residents with the aegis to actually begin to change things for the better on a state-wide level.Weekly Alibi liked her opponents fine, they’re Democrats after all—and are especially enamored of Jeff Apodaca’s maverick plan to draw much needed revenue out of existing, long-held funds but we can’t vote for the dude. The same goes for Joseph Cervantes. We dig his successful tenure as a state legislator, pos it’s still gotta be Lujan Grisham, sabes?
The New Mexico 2018 Primary ElectionsTuesday, June 5, 2018 at locations throughoutBernalillo County www.bernco.gov/clerk/elections.aspx
