New Mexico's Democrats
by M. Garcia
| New Mexico
is often called the "Land of Enchantment" with its varied landscape; climate
and culture give the State a style of its own. The state is home
to one of the earliest inhabited cities in the United States Acoma, home
to the Anasazi Indians, along with the newest in high technology weapons
research at the Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories. It contains
four distinctive geographic regions, each supporting different populations
and industries. New Mexico is one of the fastest growing states in the
U.S. with a projected growth of 20% in the next 25 years, many of which
will be newcomers to the state. These differences have brought about
various rivalries in the state. In many ways, the Democratic Party
of New Mexico is like the State itself, serving a population from vastly
different incomes, regions and cultures sometimes with various conflicting
interests.
The largest part of the state's economy comes from farming, livestock and mining. Not as large but equally as important are energy, construction, high technology and tourism. Agriculture drives many of the issues of the state: over half of the farms are irrigated by rivers or underground aquifers. Making the availability of water the key environmental issues in the state. Livestock makes federal grazing rights a major interest in the state, since cattle and sheep make-up over two thirds of farm income. New Mexico is a major mining center. Extraction of copper, uranium, oil and gas are some of the many natural resources supporting the state's economy. One of the New Mexico's biggest exports is electricity, much of which goes to its neighbor Arizona. Military bases such as Cannon, Holloman, and Kirkland and weapons research at Sandian and Los Alamos National Laboratories provide many jobs. The state's rising population has brought about a construction boom. The beautiful vistas and different cultures draw visitors from all over, thus supporting the tourist industry, another important part of New Mexico's economy. The environment is a very important issue in New Mexico. Only about 250 square miles of the state is surface water. In a state heavy dependent on this water for farming and livestock, as well as personal consumption, water pollution is a big problem. The U.S. Department of Energy has located a radioactive waste storage facility, Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP), near Carlsbad in the southeastern corner of the state. WIPP is the burial site for all the nuclear waste produced by the weapons research facilities throughout the state. The balance between protecting the environment without sacrificing economic growth is a difficult one. Most other states cultures are based on what the early white settlers brought to the land. New Mexico's Peublo Indians had established a stable agricultural society that predated Colombus. The Spanish established Santa Fe in 1609 and their influence can be see in the adobe/mission style architecture which is still popular today. A large minority of the population claims decent from the Pueblo Indians and/or Spanish settlers. Nearly a third of the population speaks Spanish everyday. Over one third of state elected offices are held by Hispanics which is very close to their percentage in the general population. Native Americans, the first inhabitants comprise 9% (or more) of the state's population. The Gathering of Nations pow-wow, held in Albuquerque, attracts 39,000 Indians annually. When combined, all minority groups in the state make up a majority of its total population. The culture of the New Mexico is a unique mix of vastly different cultures, each maintaining their identities but contributing to the state's identity as a whole. Democrat's control the New Mexico State government, holding a solid majority of seats in the States House and Senate. With the exception of the Governor's office, they hold all of the statewide elected offices: Secretary of State, State Treasure, Commissioner of Public Lands, State Auditor. The Republicans control the Governor's office as well as the congressional delegation. One of two Senators and two of three Representatives are Republicans, thus dominating Representation on the national level. The Democratic Party of New Mexico's (DPNM) 1996 Platform and 1996 Plans of Action, the latest available, are focused mainly on local issues and deal in general terms or not at all with nation wide issues. According to Chris Mann of the DPNM, the Party Platform represents areas of consensus; when there is no plank there is no consensus. In New York State there is an upstate downstate division in the political make up of the state. The Republicans dominate the upstate and the Democrats the urban downstate region, each favoring the issues that interest their constituents. Unfortunately, geography does not break down as easily [in NM] as in New York. Sometimes it means urban Albuquerque against the rest of the State. Sometimes it means the Rio Grand Corridor against the rest of the state [or] Eastern New Mexico (Little Texas), North Central (historically Hispanic), Northwest (oil & gas), Southwest (mining). It [can be] very regional [at times] (Mann 10/8/99). In foreign policy and America's global role the only statement was "We support free and fair trade with Mexico." The DPNM does not expand in anyway on defense needs, military intervention or humanitarian aid abroad. This is surprising due in large part to the number of military installation in the state. According to Mann, in the case of the military bases and national laboratories they are popular because of the job they provide to their local area but are not favored in all areas of the state. The DPNM has a Civil/Human Rights plank in their platform supporting the elimination all forms of discrimination based on race, gender religion, mental or physical handicap, national origin, age, or sexual orientation. They have a plank to raise the minimum wage to $5.15, which has since been enacted. In their Plan of Action the party states opposition to all English only laws. The Democrats support a system that would make health care available through a system of private and public insurance. The DPNM is in favor of a woman's right to choose. Welfare reform with "child care and health care as essential components," according to the Families and Communities plank. Also part of the health care plank is "continuation of full funding for Medicare and Medicaid" by the state. The education plank is extensive, supporting higher academic standards; higher salaries for teachers, and an urge to spend tax dollars in a fair and equitable way, while opposing school vouchers. Youth issues are partially tied to education, but also according to the platform New Mexico is facing a rise in juvenile crime. The party supports legislation adopted by the New Mexico Legislature in 1996, which is a combination of prevention and punishment. The DPNM supports a balanced federal budget without burdening any one group. "The Democratic Party supports a fair taxation policy that is progressive and based on ability to pay, including property tax relief for eligible, low-income New Mexican." The environment is a big issue in NM and clean water is very important. The party advocates long term planning and opposes regulatory reform. However the party is contradictory in what it has not included in its platform. The DPNM supports clean safe environment but it does not have a plank opposing WIPP, the nuclear waste storage facility, perhaps the reason is that it would split the party. "WIPP divides Democrats geographically and philosophically, some see it as a tremendous job engine, others see it as an environmental danger - hence no platform plank", according to Mann of the DPNM. The DPNM does not have a strong plank on Campaign Finance Reform because the rules vary with in the state. "There are certainly some who favor it," according to Mann, "but other who prefer the state's current free-wheeling system with no contribution limits. On the other hand some of our cities have spending caps as well as contribution limits." With no consensus on the state level it is likely that there would be no platform plank on Federal Campaign Finance Reform. Chris Mann of the DPNM, "We are focused on the mechanics of getting Democrats elected," leaving much of the policy making to the elected officials. Geographic division shift from issue to issue - which makes partisanship less relevant to policy making. Although it maddens the GOP chair in this State when people do not walk lockstep with the agenda he had defined, we welcome the diversity of opinions as representative of the diversity of the people of New Mexico (Mann 10/7/99). By staying away from issues that would divide the party the New Mexico Democrats have succeeded in representing the largest cross section of people, and in that way, dominating the political scene on the state level. Work Cited Barone, Michael, Grant Ujifasa, Richard E. Cohen. The Almanac of American
Politics 1998.
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