The New Campaigns

It is a fact of life anymore that most media involved in coverage of political campaigns is not about issues but about the latest TV ads the candidates put up. This morning the Albuquerque Journal served up several stories about candidate's TV ads and one story about the Congressional CD-1 candidates positions on Iraq. Republican Darren White was willing to say we need more time to do the impossible. He should go here and ride a Humvee around the cities if he feels things are on a right track. By the way, it will be interesting to see if White will release pictures of him and bush next week when bush comes to town to raise money for his former campaign chairman and unabashed supporter. Any bets?

In the northern Congressional District Don Wiviott and Ben Ray Lujan are slinging mud. In fairness to Lujan he had to respond to Wiviott's nasty ad about Lujan being a black jack dealer and a recipient of a boost from his dad, Speaker of the House Ben Lujan. (Aren't dads supposed to help their kids?)

But, I have to say that Lujan's theme of Wiviott's being a millionaire and intimating that is bad leaves me pretty cold. I think it is a mistake given that there are lots of millionaires living in Santa Fe who have given Ben Ray some money and will give more. They won't if Lujan turns this into a class war.

In the meantime a really good story on former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil Giron appeared in the New Mexico Independent last week. Why cant the mainstream media pick this stuff up? Just because they didn't originate it doesn't mean it is unimportant. She is running for Congress and this stuff should be known.