In 2010, when then-Congressman Harry Teague was running for re-election again Steve Pearce, I checked his campaign web site looking for a position statement\u00a0 on a certain issue.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t get past the front page.\u00a0 To get into the site, the reader had to sign in and provide an e-mail\u00a0 address.<\/p>\n
What?\u00a0 A candidate for public office won\u2019t let an undecided voter look at his position statements?<\/p>\n
I checked again recently.\u00a0 The \u201cHarry for Congress 2010\u201d web site is still online, and\u00a0 you can now click a \u201cskip\u201d button and go to the site without signing in.\u00a0\u00a0 The site doesn\u2019t appear to have been updated since the 2010 election. \u00a0It looks like a 2010 campaign office frozen in time \u2013 but now you can see it.<\/p>\n
A suggestion to any 2012 New Mexico Congressional or Senate candidate whose \u00a0site won\u2019t let readers get past the \u201csign up\u201d page:\u00a0 bag it.\u00a0 I won\u2019t mention your names just yet.\u00a0 One site with this gimmick has a \u201cskip this page\u201d\u00a0 button in very small print but when I skipped it, I found nothing but importunities to like him on Facebook, tweet him on Twitter, and so on. Not a word about what the candidate stands for.<\/p>\n
Another suggestion:\u00a0 no doubt some self-proclaimed political website guru is concocting these creations.\u00a0 Whoever that is, bag him or her, too.\u00a0 Don\u2019t spend your supporters\u2019 hard-earned campaign contributions paying idiots.<\/p>\n
And if your website genius wants to open your site with a You Tube video, try to set it up so the big black arrow is not positioned in the middle of your face.<\/p>\n
The serious question for the voters is what we can find on candidate web sites to help us decide whom to support.\u00a0 Unlike brochures and yard signs, candidate web sites are still a developing medium.\u00a0 It\u2019s not clear whether the candidates and the voters are in sync on how to use them.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s early days yet, but so far, it appears that the web sites are primarily for voters who are already supporters.\u00a0 You can click to volunteer, donate, and otherwise sign up.\u00a0 Some have \u201cevents\u201d listings so you can find out when and where the candidate is speaking.<\/p>\n
Incumbent Congress members have robust Congressional web sites with plenty of information about the members\u2019 issue positions \u2013 much more complete than their campaign sites.\u00a0 Check out lujan.house.gov; pearce.house.gov; and heinrich.house.gov. With such resources maintained by Congressional staff, it\u2019s hardly surprising that Steve Pearce and Ben Ray Lujan have done little or nothing with their campaign sites so far.\u00a0 Martin Heinrich, now running for Senate, has done more.\u00a0 Pearce has an announced opponent, Evelyn Madrid Erhard of Las Cruces, who has no web site as yet.<\/p>\n
All the activity so far is coming from the US Senate and First Congressional District candidates, where there are hot primary contests in both major parties.<\/p>\n
A few of the sites have a list of issues. The issue statements tend to be in gauzy, consultant-approved language and short on specifics, but they indicate the candidate\u2019s top priorities and reveal something about the candidate\u2019s position.\u00a0 And there are exceptions where the statements are very specific indeed \u2013 including (regrettably, in this writer\u2019s opinion) a few \u201cpledges\u201d where the candidate is locked into an inflexible position.<\/p>\n
This year we are seeing lists of endorsements, some handsomely posted with photos and statements.\u00a0 The endorsements are a guide to \u201cwho\u2019s supporting whom\u201d and may be very informative to party insiders.<\/p>\n
For hardy voters willing to get an early start, here are the web sites I have found so far:<\/p>\n
For U.S. Senate, www.heatherwilson.com<\/a>; www.sanchezforussenate.com; www.martinheinrich.com<\/a>; www.hectorbalderas.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n For the First Congressional District: www.martychavez.com<\/a>;\u00a0 janice2012.us;\u00a0 michellelujangrisham.net;\u00a0 griegoforcongress.com; and danlewis2012.com.<\/p>\n The not yet updated campaign sites for Pearce and Lujan are peopleforpearce.com<\/span> and benrlujan.com<\/span>.<\/p>\n Triple Spaced Again, \u00a9 New Mexico News Services 2011<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In 2010, when then-Congressman Harry Teague was running for re-election again Steve Pearce, I checked his campaign web site looking for a position statement\u00a0 on a certain issue.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t get past the front page.\u00a0 To get into the site, … Continue reading