RASMUSSEN SHOWS NM SENATE RACE TIGHTENING

The latest Rasmussen poll shows Democrat Tom Udall still 10 points ahead of Republican Steve Pearce in the race for U.S. Senate in New Mexico.

But the numbers show an improvement for Pearce, who last month was 25 points behind, according to the same polling organization.

When "leaners" are including, there is only 8 points separating Udall and Pearce.

Meanwhile Democrat Barack Obama is still leading the GOP's John McCain in this state 47 percent to 41 percent, according to Rasmussen. This shows little change since last month.

One difference in the Senate race is that since the last poll is that Pearce began advertising on TV.

Udall, who has been running TV ads since June until recently had only "positive" commercials. Only recently has he begun hitting back.

In general, Pearce's ads depict Udall as a tool of "environmental extremists."

Udall portrays Pearce as being a puppet of "Big Oil."

ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: MODESTLY SPEAKING

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
August 21, 2008

Is it just me, or did Gov. Bill Richardson seem rather detached from the special session that was so important for him to call?

He did have a party for legislators at the governor’s mansion Friday night, and he reportedly met with some lawmakers during the session.

But there was barely a peep from the Governor’s Office during the five-day session, at least not public peeps. Unlike past special sessions, there was no cajoling lawmakers, no threats to extend the session, no denouncing any special interests standing in the way of the legislation he wanted.

And there was no news conference at the end of the session, just a rather ho-hum e-mail statement in which the governor, apparently undaunted by the fact that the Legislature basically cut his proposals in half, said: “While the Legislature did not go as far as I would have liked to cover all children with health insurance, I believe modest, but solid gains were made toward that goal.”

He used the word modest three times in the statement. Has the roaring lion suddenly become modest mouse?

The question of why there was this huge need for a special session in August — a question frequently articulated by several legislators from both parties during the session — has never been answered.

Some lawmakers said the timing was somehow connected with the speech Richardson is scheduled to give next week in Denver at the Democratic National Convention.

On the first day of the session, Sen. John Grubesic, D-Santa Fe, a frequent Richardson critic, said the governor called the session so he would have “a couple of lines for a speech at the Democratic National Convention.” Others took up similar lines of attack, prompting a Richardson spokeswoman to release a statement Sunday saying Richardson doesn’t care about personal attacks.

“Rather, his focus, as it always has been, is on getting meaningful legislation passed to give 50 thousand uninsured children access to health care and provide relief to working families who are struggling because of high gas prices.”

Actually, Richardson seemed more focused Sunday on his old presidential rival Hillary Clinton. He appeared at a rally with her in Española and hosted fundraisers for Clinton in Santa Fe and Albuquerque that day. The next day, he seemed more focused on Barack Obama, with whom he met in Albuquerque before appearing with the presidential candidate at an Albuquerque rally.

But I don’t believe the special session did much to advance Richardson’s national political ambitions. If Obama happened to glance at any New Mexico papers during his stop Monday, he would have seen headlines about senators blasting Richardson.

And I seriously doubt the special session had much to do with Richardson’s convention speech. He’s bound to bring up some of his accomplishments as governor during the speech. But I doubt he mentions any of the “modest” bills that came out of this curious session.

Senate ad wars continue: The television rhetoric is heating up in the U.S. Senate race. The anti-tax Club for Growth — which was denounced during the Republican primary by both U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici and U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson for its ads attacking Wilson as a “liberal,” is now attacking Democratic candidate Tom Udall, who is running against CFG favorite Steve Pearce.

The new anti-Udall ad attacks Udall’s “strange views about property.” Udall believes, the ad claims, “If it’s private property, take it. If it dies, tax it. But if it’s American oil, leave it in the ground.”

Udall responded with his own ad calling the CFG “a Washington special interest” that “falsely attacked Heather Wilson.” But the ad is tougher on Pearce, blasting his votes against alternative energy and tying those votes to more than $600,000 in contributions from oil companies. Pearce has consistently denied his votes are connected to his campaign contributions.

Interestingly, Udall’s ad says he favors nuclear energy and “more domestic drilling, including some offshore” — as well as wind and solar energy. The Pearce campaign has attacked Udall for voting against offshore drilling in Congress.

Although Udall’s new ad doesn’t dwell on Club for Growth, recent e-mail from the Udall camp rips into the group, even quoting Republicans Domenici and Wilson.

The Club, Udall’s camp points out, has received funds from Houston home builder Robert Perry. Perry is one of the major funders of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which ran controversial ads in 2004 against Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. Many Swift Boat charges against Kerry turned out to be false.

Perry also has been a major contributor to several New Mexico Republican candidates since 2002.

The Udall campaign turned the Club For Growth/Perry connection into a fundraising e-mail. But when I saw the subject line — "Despicable" — I wasn’t sure whether it was from Udall campaign manager Amanda Cooper or Daffy Duck.

Here's the Club for Growth ad followed by the Udall response:

BREAKFAST WITH T. BOONE

Check out my story on T. Boone Pickens hosting a breakfast for New Mexico's delegation at the convention in Denver next week. CLICK HERE.

Seems like only yesterday that Pickens was better known for swift boats than wind farms. But like Bob Wills would say, "Time changes everything."

BEYOND BORDERS PLAYLIST

Monday, August 18, 2008
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Mondays Mountain Time
Guest Host: Steve Terrell (subbing for Susan Ohori)
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

Babulu Music by Desi Arnaz (Weird Al remix)
My Guru by Anandji & Kalyanji Shah
Romano Dance by DJ Click vs. Mahala Rai Banda
Fogt Fogt by Rachid Taha
Better Change Your Mind by William Onyeabor

Hold the Line by Queen Sea Big Shark
Little City Woman by Nightlosers
Soba Song by 3 Mustaphas 3
Warlord by Babylon Circus
Forgotten Sex by Zvuki Mu
Old Pine Box by The Dead Brothers

Do the Wahtusi by Cat
Midnight Mover by Free Beats
Summertime Blues by Lolita # 18
Sputnik Thema by Die Sputniks
I'm All Skinny by Sinn Sisamouth
Al Capone by Salvajes
Who's Your Buster Dolly by Dicky B. Hardy
54321 and Rock 'n' Roll to Go by The Jerry Lee Phantom
Kaw Liga by Silver Sand
You Don't Love Me by The Teenagers
No Puedo Amar by The Yorks

Dancing is Beautiful by Vijaya Anand
No Threat by Gogol Bordello
There Will Be No Better Days by Kult
Beaten Metal by Antibalas
Tiger Phone Card by Dengue Fever

Don't Gag Me by Fela Kuti
Out of What? by Frnk London's Klezmer Brass All Stars
Wings of Dawn by Monsoon
Borneo by Firewater
Livin' in America by Black 47 with Mary Courtney

Arawan by Tinariwen
Im Nin'alu by Ofra Haza
Anay Yo (Otebi) by Cankisou
El Arco Isis by Cordero
Set Alamenem by Girma Beyene
Terra by Caetano Veloso
I Bid You Goodnight by Joseph Spence

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, August 17, 2008
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org


OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Your Haunted Head by Concrete Blonde
Don't Want to Be Ruled by Women and Money No More by Thee Mighty Ceasars
Going Back to School by The Fleshtones
It's Bad, You Know by R.L Burnside
Wigglin' Room by Bob Log III
I'm a Martian by Hollywood Sinners
Wait a Minute by Pussy Galore
It's So Useless by Jay Reatard
Flower Punk by The Mothers of Invention

VOODOO RHYTHM SET


Jesus Christ Twist by Reverend Beat-Man
Blind Eye by Hipbone Slim & The Knee Tremblers
Seasons of Love by The Juke Joint Pimps
Three Hairs and You're Mine by King Khan & The Shrines
The Sinner by King Automatic
Dark Sunday Evening by Roy & The Devil's Motorcycle
Tiger Man by John Schooley
Greek Swing by The Dead Brothers
The Clown of the Town by Reverend Beat-Man

ELVIS SET
All songs by Elvis Presley


King of the Whole Wide World
Trying to Get to You
Reconsider Baby
Loving You
(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame
One Night
My Baby Left Me
Crawfish
It Is No Secret What God Can Do
Shake, Rattle and Roll
Baby Let's Play House




I Want to See You Belly Dance by The Red Elvises
Amazons and Coyotes by Simon Stokes
Losing Ground by P.J. Harvey
Sharkskin Suit by Wayne Kramer
It's Five o'Clock Somewhere by The Jack & Jim Show
Old Time Religion Golden Gate Quartet
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis