Campaign '10: It's TV Bloopers; Latest Martinez Ad Makes Miss List, Plus: Susana's Four Flubs And How She Can Right The Ship
By Joe Monahan, New Mexico Politics with Joe Monahan 

What is this? TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes? That's the only prime-time some of these campaign commercials for the 2010 Guv's race seem fit for. And the bloopers keep coming.

GOP Guv hopeful Susan Martinez delivers a double blooper in her latest tube offering. It is a pro-death penalty piece and not a bad one. But the 30 second spot makes the blooper list because she features testimonials from political lightning rod Darren White as well as Bob Martinez, the former executive director of the State Adult Parole Board who was fired from the job in 2004. See the ad here.

But there's more. Martinez was axed for failing to notify victims of a parole hearing for a sex-offender priest. And what TV ad has Dem Diane Denish been hammering for weeks against District Attorney Martinez? Why, it's this one that accuses Susana of being soft on sex offenders.

That's some unexpected luck for Di.

WHY WHITE?
Darren White

Of course, it isn't only luck in play. Why did Susana have to use White in her ad attacking Denish for not supporting the death penalty "not even for cop killers?" He is no longer Bernalillo County Sheriff although in the spot he wears a protective vest sporting the title "sheriff." White is the public safety director for the city of ABQ--a top position of power in a nonpartisan government.

KOB-TV asked Darren why he appeared in an attack ad against Denish when he is charged with ensuring that city law enforcement applies the law fairly and judiciously.

People know me as someone who has been involved in law enforcement--an outspoken public safety advocate for years...This is a very important issue. This is a very important race. 

But White, unlike past public safety directors, has direct command over the police and fire departments. The police chief refers to him as "my boss." Unlike his predecessors, White does not answer to the city's chief administrative officer, only the mayor. He has the power to order law enforcement action. He has also become the chief media spokesman (especially on TV) for the departments.

There's also the criticism that the public safety director should devote his time to arresting the city's ever spiraling crime rate, not playing in the political playpen.

Not that Darren is going to order that cops go soft or hard based on your voter registration, but appearances and perceptions count and such overt political campaigning in the media by ABQ police chiefs and/or public safety directors has no precedent.

Republican Mayor Berry has taken whatever leash he had on Darren, who is a favorite of hard-right Republicans, and let him run. But the mayor better watch what he runs into. Damages are ultimately payable by the office of His Honor.

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Martinez using White and generating news not about her ad, but about him, is another early mistake. In addition, as you would expect her to slide to the center, the death penalty ad keeps her on an issue that works best with R's. Remember, in 2008, White was shellacked by Dem Martin Heinrich for the ABQ congressional seat. His limited popularity does not extend to the independents and undecided Dems that Susana needs.

We're aware that Darren was sheriff during the 2006 slaying of sheriff's deputy James McGrane, a crime Micheal Astorga was found guilty of. And we also note that Astorga's mother put Denish on the spotwhen she said that Di as Governor would not allow her son to be put to death. (Denish says she would. The crime occurred before the state abolished the death penalty.)

But again, why do a death penalty ad at all at this point? We are five weeks into a general election campaign in which Republican Martinez seems unusually well-positioned with Hispanic Catholics. The church has been a key player in opposing the death penalty which was repealed by the 2009 legislature at the urging of Big Bill. Couldn't Susana showcase another issue at this point--one that appeals to moderates and complements, not threatens, the possible historic inroads she could make with Hispanic Dems?

Well, we don't have the polls these folks use but maybe they say the undecided voter is more interested in death sentences and illegal immigration than their jobs, life savings and their kids' college education. But we don't think so.

Or maybe the GOP wunderkinds see the conservative counter-revolution coming to New Mexico and you just get the base believers to the polls and not trouble yourself with nuance.

As for the use of the fired Martinez, where's the vetting? Isn't that TV production 101? That's egg you see spread all over the faces of Susana's media consultants for not checking it out.

But the egg is sticking to her apron as well. She is ultimately in charge of her campaign, but a brick-by-brick case against her competency could start to be built based on her early mishaps.

THE FOUR FLUBS

First, she undermined her anti-pay-to-play credentials by taking a $450,000 contribution from a Texas developer. The lack of perspective may have been panic-induced as GOP Guv challenger Allen Weh was outspending her heavily. Still, it defined her as another politician, not the outside reform she marketed.

Second, she comes with a TV ad that asserts she has taken on the most violent members of the Mexican drug cartels, but the ad generates newspaper stories exploring whether it is wholly based in fact.

Third, her reaction to a hate email "joke" in which a Mexican immigrant is shot to death in a bar comes up short. She understates the impact and dubs it "unacceptable," instead of roundly condemning the racist content. Also, she does not take a public role in disciplining the assistant district attorney in her office who forwarded the offensive screed.

Fourth is the death penalty TV ad that puts Darren White front and center as well as Martinez, the discredited parole board director.

Yes, it's still somewhat early. But not by much. Early voting is less than 90 days out. Voters have little to judge how Martinez would lead the state other than how she conducts her campaign. Those paying close attention in these early innings may be in need of some reassurance--or at least a week or two free of rookie errors.

MARTINEZ SPOKESMAN ARRESTED

The Martinez campaign sprouted another problem over the weekend when Susana's new spokesman was booked for DWI

Raj Shah was arrested on an aggravated DWI charge in Albuquerque early Sunday morning. Shah, 25, was pulled over by State Police just after midnight in a silver BMW near the intersection of San Mateo and Osuna and arrested several minutes later.. As of Sunday evening, Shah was in the Metropolitan Detention Center on a $5,000 bond The Martinez campaign took quick action after it found out about the arrest Sunday afternoon.

"Raj Shah … was immediately terminated," said Ryan Cangiolosi, Martinez's campaign manager...Shah had moved to New Mexico a little more than a week ago to work for Martinez's campaign. 

First, the assistant DA in Martinez's office forwarding racist emails and now this. Someone send Susana a fire extinguisher