The Mark Rudd Endorsement

I suspect that the Alan Webber/Mark Rudd flap will be a one-day story. (HERE is my contribution.)

But in case anyone was wondering what sparked the whole kerfuffle, it was a letter that Rudd sent to friends a couple of weeks ago. I quoted from it in today's story.

The entire text is below:

Rudd then and now
(from www.markrudd.com )

Dear Friends:  Yesterday Marla held a meet-and-greet at our house for Alan Webber for the Democratic nomination for Governor.  I limited my role in the event to cooking and listening since I'd been skeptical of Alan's chances (as a newcomer and "demographically challenged" outsider) and been looking at the other more conventional politico candidates, Howie Morales in particular because a few good friends have endorsed him.  However, in his talk at our house Alan said something that clicked with me:  that he'd run against not just Susana Martinez, but against the Koch Brothers behind her.  In his own words, he'd "nationalize the race," make it a test-case for stopping the Kochs.  He could raise money, he asserted, from out of state to wage the fight.  

That alone would have been enough, because at last a NM Democrat will be making the difference between himself and Susana crystal clear.  But a further thought popped into my head:  Alan can win the Demo nomination by nationalizing the primary, too.  Since it's a five-person race, it will take only about 35,000 votes to win in June.  (Turnout is abysmal in party primaries, alas: 35,000 in a state of 2 million).  There have got to be 35,000 progressives in New Mexico who already know who the Koch Brothers are and don't like them or their minions, like our governor.  The problem is to motivate these few people to actually vote in the primary.  

Alan Webber is a strange duck for me to be supporting:  for 10 years he edited the Harvard Business Review (!!!??), then, based in Portland, he founded an innovative entrepreneur's magazine, Fast Company, which he sold for a gazillion dollars: he and his wife, Frances, moved to Santa Fe 11 years ago.  Along with this shady part of his past--which may actually be quite useful to defining a new path to economic development for the state--Alan seems to be a compassionate and open and respectful person who genuinely wants to listen and learn from the people of New Mexico, then figure out how to help.  Yesterday he talked, among other issues, of ending child hunger in the state, reforming education by eliminating high stakes testing, using his knowledge of business to create jobs in renewable energy development and 21st century tourism (something about apps), preserving the cultural heritage and the environment of the state.  He's outstanding on his understanding of the dangers to the environment, including global warming.  Oh, yes, he's not afraid to say he's for regulating and taxing the sale of marijuana, based on studying Colorado's experiment.  

One of the first things that impressed me about Alan is that he knew precisely whom to hire to run his campaign-- the absolute very best young people from within the state, starting with Neri Holguin as campaign manager, Leanne Leith (formerly of CVNM) as political director, and Ariel Bickel as field director.  He's also engaged the services of a national voter identification consultant, Hallie Montoya Tansey, who is from Albuquerque.  This is no small matter.  I can't tell you the number of otherwise decent candidates I've seen who have hired clueless out-of-state bozos to manage them, with terrible results.  You may want to check out Alan's social media presence, which his young and smart staff has created.

So...here's the pitch:  please don't sit this one out.  This is our only chance to get rid of our disastrous Tea Party governor who guts human services, allows the destruction of our environment, blames the poor, incarcerates as many people as possible.  A good Koch Bros. ideological conservative, Susana Martinez doesn't believe in such a thing as the common good.  Alan is rational:  he knows that we're all in this together.

Help elect a pro-jobs, pro-environment progressive Democrat as Governor.  Check out Alan Webber's website at http://www.alanfornm.com/at.  Make sure you're a registered Democrat, for God's sake, so you can help where it counts, which isJune 3, only seven weeks away.  Tell all your friends:  by voting for Alan Webber for the Demo nomination for Governor, we can kick the Koch Bros. out of Santa Fe!

It's only going to take 35,000 people to win in June.  This counts.  Please get mobilized.

ALAN WEBBER FOR THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION FOR GOVERNOR.

June 3.  35,000.  Koch no mas.