What does it mean to be a Democrat in New Mexico?<\/p>\n
That may be a more pressing question than usual because New Mexico has open positions for several major offices in the 2018 election: governor, two of our three seats in Congress and, we learned recently, land commissioner. Is there a common vision or set of principles shared by all Democratic candidates? As citizens and voters, what can we count on?<\/p>\n
So I decided to go to the closest thing to an official source, the current platform of the New Mexico Democratic Party.<\/p>\n
It turns out there isn\u2019t one. The most recent attempt to draft a state platform, in Hillary-vs-Bernie 2016, ended in a stalemate. The 2016 document is identified as a draft and therefore not official. There is, however, a 2014 platform. Both documents are on the website at dpnm.net\/dpnm-platform.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a brief review. I will do a similar review of the most recent Republican platform in the near future.<\/p>\n
The 2014 New Mexico Democratic platform calls to mind the famous quote by Will Rogers: \u201cI am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.\u201d You can see the heated arguments and fist pounding that must have occurred, reflected in both the content and the inconsistent writing style. You can also see a great deal of idealism and quite a few goals that are worth pursuing.<\/p>\n
The 2014 platform covers 20 areas, each with several bullet points: agriculture, arts, civil rights, \u201cEarth first,\u201d economy, education, elections, energy, government, healthcare, immigration, international relations, labor, lands, media, Native Americans, public safety, taxation, veterans, water.<\/p>\n
In addition to New Mexico-specific issues there are national and international issues, including opposition to NAFTA, support for certain international treaties, and securing the future of Social Security by raising the income cap.<\/p>\n
Readers will not be surprised that the platform endorses many ways to spend public money, comments little on how to obtain that money, and includes predictable platitudes about economic development.<\/p>\n
It contains a few charming illogical terms like \u201cmandatory whenever possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
On a few points, it appears someone at the table was a serious subject matter expert, such as in a detailed proposal to increase the staff of the state\u2019s Oil Conservation Division. Someone understood that issue in depth.<\/p>\n
The platform takes direct aim at the state Public Education Department by proposing that future secretaries be appointed by a public education commission instead of the governor. Also under Education, the platform supports the study of civics, teaching the U.S. Constitution, proficiency in second languages, all admirable goals, but it does not mention reading, which is a well identified problem in New Mexico.<\/p>\n
The draft 2016 platform is shorter and easier to read, covering the same general topics with less detail.<\/p>\n
Platforms are sometimes regarded as the unappreciated stepchild of the state political convention. Platform committees toil in obscurity and their work is often not taken seriously. But if you\u2019re thinking your party needs a robust set of values to commit to, this platform is a good place to look.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re a Democrat, you might want to look at these documents as a checklist for issues you will consider in evaluating candidates next year. Whether you agree or disagree with the positions taken, you can appreciate that both the 2014 platform and the 2016 draft provide a comprehensive list of issues that you might care about.<\/p>\n
The 2018 election campaign is already well underway, at least for the higher offices. We\u2019re seeing frantic emails from candidates telling us they desperately need our money today to meet some artificially created deadline. These party platforms may offer a way for you to increase your influence as a citizen by talking to candidates and asking them to commit to meaningful answers. It\u2019s not too soon.<\/p>\n
Triple Spaced Again, \u00a9 New Mexico News Services 2017<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What does it mean to be a Democrat in New Mexico? That may be a more pressing question than usual because New Mexico has open positions for several major offices in the 2018 election: governor, two of our three seats … Continue reading