Heather Wilson's Top-Down Economic Policies Crashed Our Economy and Hurt the Middle Class

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, August 1, 2012
CONTACT: Matt Ross (505) 263-4879

Albuquerque (August 1, 2012) – Republican Senate candidate Heather Wilson claims she supports fiscal responsibility, but her unwavering support for the Bush-era tax cuts that chiefly benefit the very wealthy indicates otherwise. Wilson is doubling down on her failed economic policies that put tax cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires ahead of New Mexico’s middle class families.

During her 10 years in Congress, Heather Wilson voted for the Bush Tax Cuts in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. Instead of supporting job growth, Wilson’s failed economic policies ballooned the federal deficit and added more than $1.6 trillion dollars to the national debt. Now, Wilson has joined the Republican chorus calling for the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthiest Americans to be made permanent.

“New Mexicans have seen the results of Congresswoman Wilson's tax cuts for the rich—a crippled economy and a mountain of debt. We simply cannot afford to go back to her failed economic policies,” said Scott Forrester, Executive Director for the Democratic Party of New Mexico.

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Wilson Consistently Supported Bush-Era Tax Cuts That Overwhelmingly Benefited Millionaires. In 2001,Wilson supported President Bush’s first round of tax cuts. In 2003, Wilson supported another round of tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy. In 2004, Wilson supported President Bush’s budget that permanently locked in multitrillion-dollar tax breaks that mostly benefit the nation’s wealthiest. In 2005, Wilson backed a Republican bill that extended capital gains and dividend tax breaks for the rich. And in 2006 Wilson backed another Republican tax break package that the Washington Post dubbed a “windfall for the rich, and a hole in the federal budget.” [HR 1836, Vote 149, 5/26/01; HR 2, Vote 225, 5/23/03; Center for Budget & Policy Priorities, 5/28/03; H Con Res 393, Vote 92, 3/25/04; Vote 621,12/8/05; Chicago Tribune, 12/9/05; HR4297, Vote 135, 5/10/06; Washington Post, 5/11/06]

Wilson Voted For $350 Billion Tax Cut For The Rich While Giving 50 Million Households Nothing. In 2003, Wilson voted for an irresponsible tax cut package that deepened the nation’s fiscal crisis and left middle-income households out in the cold. Some 53 percent of all U.S. households — or 74 million — will receive a tax cut of $100 or less in 2003 from the bill. Additionally, 36 percent of households — or 50 million — will receive no tax cut whatsoever in 2003, while tax filers who make $1 million or more per year will receive an average tax cut in 2003 of $93,500. The bill passed 231-200. [HR 2, Vote 225, 5/23/03; Center for Budget & Policy Priorities, 5/28/03]

Wilson Supported Bush’s 2004 Multitrillion-Dollar Tax Breaks for Wealthy. In March 2004, Wilson supported Bush’s budget that permanently locked in multitrillion-dollar tax breaks that mostly benefit the nation’s wealthiest. According to the AFL-CIO, “To finance these taxes cuts for millionaires and billionaires, the Republican budget resolution—which mirrored Bush’s proposal—inflated the record-high $477 billion U.S. deficit and by $120 billion shortchanged or cut funds for the domestic programs working families need most—from job creation to health care, transportation and education.” [H Con Res 393, Vote #92, 3/25/04; 2004 AFL-CIO Scorecard]

Wilson Supported GOP Capital Gains and Dividend Tax Cut Extension For the Wealthy. In December 2005, Wilson voted “to approve a $56 billion measure to extend capital gains and dividend tax cuts for another two years, until 2010. The extension would leave the tax rate on investment gains at 15 percent. Republicans said the tax bill was an important way to maintain investor confidence, encourage job creation and continue economic growth. Democrats, however, said that the GOP majority cut vital social programs for poor women and children in order to spend billions on tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.” [Vote #621, 12/8/05; Chicago Tribune, 12/9/05]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2012
CONTACT: Shripal Shah, 202-485-3129

Make No Mistake: Heather Wilson Wants To Privatize Social Security
Wilson’s Privatization Scheme Would Take Seniors’ Social Security And Gamble It Away On Wall Street

Make no mistake: Heather Wilson wants to privatize Social Security and gamble seniors’ benefits away on Wall Street. Those are the facts about Heather Wilson’s record and her risky privatization scheme that could devastate seniors who rely on a fixed income. Wilson has repeatedly supported privatization schemes in the past and now, she’s trying to mislead voters about her record because she knows her anti-middle class agenda is a political liability.

“Heather Wilson’s record is crystal clear. She has repeatedly supported risky Social Security privatization schemes that would gamble seniors’ benefits away on Wall Street,” said Shripal Shah, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “Her plan is flat out dangerous and could have devastated seniors who rely on fixed incomes had it been in place in recent years when the stock market was struggling. It’s a shame that Wilson doesn’t understand that Social Security needs to be protected, not gambled away on Wall Street.”

What’s worse is that Wilson’s privatization scheme is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to her partisan, anti-middle class agenda. In addition to wanting to gamble Social Security benefits away on Wall Street, Wilson is also tacitly supporting a reckless Republican plan to gut Medicare and force New Mexico seniors to pay $5,900 more annually for their healthcare. She also has made it crystal clear that she wants to protect tax breaks for millionaires and corporations that send American jobs overseas. In all, Wilson would be a rubber stamp for reckless right wing priorities in Washington which is exactly why special interests are spending so much money to prop her campaign.

“Make no mistake about it – if Heather Wilson gets back to Washington, she’ll support dangerous Republican policies that gut Medicare and privatize Social Security in order to protect tax breaks for millionaires and companies that ship American jobs overseas,” added Shah. “New Mexico’s middle-class and seniors simply can’t afford Heather Wilson’s hyper-partisan agenda.”

BACKGROUND:

Despite Her Desperate Spin, Heather Wilson Has A History Of Support For Privatizing Social Security
BuzzFeed: “Former Congresswoman Heather Wilson says she's never supported privatizing Social Security, but her record indicates an openness to doing just that.”[BuzzFeed, 6/20/12]

Wilson Supported Private Accounts in 1998, And In 2002 Said She Was “Still Willing To Consider Such A Plan.” According to the Albuquerque Journal, “In 1998, Wilson told an Albuquerque newspaper she supported ‘innovative approaches that would allow working people to put at least some of their Social Security payments into personalized pension funds.’ A Wilson spokesman said the congresswoman is still willing to consider such a plan.” [Albuquerque Journal, 11/1/02]

Wilson Called for Private Accounts in 1999. In 1999, Wilson called for the creation of Social Security private accounts. Wilson called for Personalizing Social Security, “so that an account that you’ve been paying into your whole working life is yours - or in some way yours, with your name on it, which is not the way it is now.” Wilson added, “But at the same time it should remain a social insurance program, not a stock option fund. It is the safety net.” [AP, 1/9/99]

Wilson Supported Cut, Cap, & Balance Plan That Would Force Deep Cuts To Social Security And Medicare While Protecting Tax Breaks For Millionaires And Big Corporations. In June 2011, Wilson released a video announcing her signing of the Cut, Cap and Balance Pledge. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “It is inconceivable, however, that policymakers would meet the bill’s severe annual spending caps through automatic across-the board cuts year after year; if they did, key government functions would be crippled. Policymakers would have little alternative but to institute deep cuts in specific programs. […] Reaching and maintaining a balanced budget in the decade ahead while barring any tax increases would necessitate deep cuts in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.” [Heather Wilson Youtube Channel, accessed 8/15/11; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 7/16/11]
CBPP President: Cut, Cap And Balance “Protects Tax Breaks And Tax Subsidies For The Wealthy And Powerful.” In a July 2011 statement, Robert Greenstein, president of the non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said “The [Cut, Cap and Balance] bill overturns a feature of various bipartisan budget laws over the past quarter century, by subjecting programs for the poorest Americans to the specter of meat-axe across-the-board cuts. It does so even as it protects tax breaks and tax subsidies for the wealthy and powerful by erecting a constitutional barrier to any measure that would raise any revenue.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Robert Greenstein Statement, 7/16/11]

CBPP: “Because Taxes … Would Be Virtually Impossible To Raise As A Result Of The New Constitutional Barrier, Social Security Solvency Would Have To Be Restored Entirely Through Benefit Cuts.” According to a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities statement on the Cut, Cap and Balance Plan, “Moreover, because taxes — including payroll taxes — would be virtually impossible to raise as a result of the new constitutional barrier, Social Security solvency would have to be restored entirely through benefit cuts. Balanced Social Security packages that include measures to raise Social Security’s $106,000 payroll tax cap, so that higher-income Americans do not escape the tax on much of their earnings, would effectively be ruled out.” [CBPP,7/16/11]

By Continually Refusing To Give New Mexicans A Straight Answer, Wilson Is Giving Her Tacit Support For A Budget That Would End Medicare As We Know It, Raise Out-Of-Pocket Costs For New Mexico Seniors And Cut Taxes For Millionaires And Companies That Ship American Jobs Overseas
292,009 New Mexican Seniors Would Be Forced Onto Vouchers When They Retire. Starting in 2023, all New Mexico seniors will receive a voucher to purchase either private insurance or traditional Medicare. There are more than 292,009 near-elderly New Mexicans who are now ages 47-56 who, instead of getting Medicare as we know it when they retire, would only get a voucher to purchase their insurance. Private insurance plans will aggressively pursue the healthiest, least expensive enrollees, thereby allowing Medicare – currently the lifeline for 316,973 New Mexico seniors – to “wither on the vine.” [CBPP 3/20/12, Census, accessed on 3/20/12; CBPP 12/21/11; KFF, accessed on 3/21/12; NCPSSM, 3/20/12 via Democratic Policy and Communications Center,3/22/12]

For New Mexico Seniors, Republican Budget Will Increase Out of Pocket Costs By As Much As $5,900 Per Senior. The Republican budget would cap these vouchers for individuals at growth levels that are lower than the existing increases in health care costs. In other words, seniors could be forced to pay higher premiums in order to access the same benefits they would receive under the current system. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the plan could increase out of pocket costs by $5,900 and lead to diminished access to quality care. [CBO, 3/20/12; CBPP, 12/21/11; CAP, 3/20/12 via Democratic Policy and Communications Center,3/22/12]

Republican Budget Will Force 27,023 New Mexico Seniors Back Into the Prescription Drug “Donut Hole.” The Republican budget would “re-open” the prescription drug donut hole and cost the average senior who falls into the donut hole approximately $11,794 between 2012 and 2020. The “donut hole” forces seniors to pay the full cost of their prescription drugs after their yearly drug expenses exceed $2,840, and full coverage doesn’t resume until total drug spending hits $6,447 for the year. Since health reform was signed into law, 27,023 New Mexico seniors saved $14,727,323.14 on prescription drugs. [HHS, 3/19/12; State level data compiled by HHS, 3/20/12 via Democratic Policy and Communications Center,3/22/12]

Budget Would Cut Taxes for the Wealthy and Raise Taxes on the Middle Class. According to the Center for American Progress, “Hidden in the document released today by House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) is a proposal to cut taxes for the wealthy and raise taxes for the middle class. Nowhere in the document does it spell that out. But it’s a matter of simple math. Any tax plan that purports to hold revenues steady while massively cutting taxes for the rich must make up the lost revenue by raising taxes on people who are not rich… The result would be a massive tax shift from the wealthy to the middle class, accelerating the income inequality that plagues our economy.” [Center for American Progress, 3/20/12]

The Ryan Budget Would “Nearly Eliminate U.S. Taxes On American Corporations’ Earnings From Overseas Operations.” In March 2012, the Wall Street Journal reported, “House Republicans, searching for an election-year message amid a muddled political and economic landscape, will introduce a 2013 budget Tuesday that cuts tax rates and provides for just two individual brackets of 10% and 25%. The budget would end the Alternative Minimum Tax, which originally was aimed at the wealthy but ensnares a growing number of middle-class taxpayers each year. The plan would nearly eliminate U.S. taxes on American corporations' earnings from overseas operations” [Wall Street Journal, 3/20/12]

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2012
CONTACT: Shripal Shah, 202-485-3129

Heather Wilson Tries to Re-Write Her Record on Social Security

The Real Wilson Agenda: Privatize Social Security, Tax Breaks for Wealthiest Americans, Rubberstamp Republican Policies

Heather Wilson knows that her agenda is wrong for New Mexico’s middle class so she’s now trying to cover it up. This weekend it was reported that Heather Wilson falsely claimed she has never supported privatizing Social Security even though she has supported Social Security privatization plans repeatedly in the past. Wilson also continues to give her tacit support to a dangerous Republican plan to gut Medicare which would force New Mexico seniors to pay $5,900 more annually for their health care. However, Wilson is making one thing clear: she wants to protect tax breaks for millionaires and corporations that ship American jobs overseas.

“Congresswoman Heather Wilson can run but she can’t hide from her misplaced priorities that put billionaires ahead of New Mexico’s middle class,” said Shripal Shah, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “The fact is that Wilson would be a rubber stamp for the partisan Washington Republican agenda which includes privatizing Social Security, gutting Medicare, and protecting tax breaks for millionaires.”

Wilson and her fellow Republicans in Washington are pushing policies that would be disastrous for New Mexico’s middle class and Heather Wilson knows it. That’s why she’s trying to cover her tracks with misleading rhetoric. But New Mexico voters won’t be fooled. They know that her long record in Washington speaks for itself and that right-wing special interests are propping up her campaign because they know she’ll do their bidding in Washington.

“If New Mexicans send Heather Wilson back to Washington, there is no doubt that she would support the dangerous Republican agenda that calls for deep Medicare cuts and privatizing Social Security in order to preserve tax breaks for millionaires and companies that ship jobs overseas. That’s exactly why right wing special interests are spending so much money to prop up her campaign,” added Shah. “She’s not fooling anyone when she falsely claims that she’d be bipartisan and independent because her record speaks for itself.”

BACKGROUND:

Despite Her Desperate Spin, Heather Wilson Has A History Of Support For Privatizing Social Security
BuzzFeed: “Former Congresswoman Heather Wilson says she's never supported privatizing Social Security, but her record indicates an openness to doing just that.” [BuzzFeed, 6/20/12]

Wilson Supported Private Accounts in 1998, And In 2002 Said She Was “Still Willing To Consider Such A Plan.” According to the Albuquerque Journal, “In 1998, Wilson told an Albuquerque newspaper she supported ‘innovative approaches that would allow working people to put at least some of their Social Security payments into personalized pension funds.’ A Wilson spokesman said the congresswoman is still willing to consider such a plan.” [Albuquerque Journal, 11/1/02]

Wilson Called for Private Accounts in 1999. In 1999, Wilson called for the creation of Social Security private accounts. Wilson called for Personalizing Social Security, “so that an account that you’ve been paying into your whole working life is yours - or in some way yours, with your name on it, which is not the way it is now.” Wilson added, “But at the same time it should remain a social insurance program, not a stock option fund. It is the safety net.” [AP, 1/9/99]

Wilson Supported Cut, Cap, & Balance Plan That Would Force Deep Cuts To Social Security And Medicare While Protecting Tax Breaks For Millionaires And Big Corporations. In June 2011, Wilson released a video announcing her signing of the Cut, Cap and Balance Pledge. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “It is inconceivable, however, that policymakers would meet the bill’s severe annual spending caps through automatic across-the board cuts year after year; if they did, key government functions would be crippled. Policymakers would have little alternative but to institute deep cuts in specific programs. […] Reaching and maintaining a balanced budget in the decade ahead while barring any tax increases would necessitate deep cuts in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.” [Heather Wilson Youtube Channel, accessed 8/15/11; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 7/16/11]

CBPP President: Cut, Cap And Balance “Protects Tax Breaks And Tax Subsidies For The Wealthy And Powerful.” In a July 2011 statement, Robert Greenstein, president of the non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said “The [Cut, Cap and Balance] bill overturns a feature of various bipartisan budget laws over the past quarter century, by subjecting programs for the poorest Americans to the specter of meat-axe across-the-board cuts. It does so even as it protects tax breaks and tax subsidies for the wealthy and powerful by erecting a constitutional barrier to any measure that would raise any revenue.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Robert Greenstein Statement, 7/16/11]

CBPP: “Because Taxes … Would Be Virtually Impossible To Raise As A Result Of The New Constitutional Barrier, Social Security Solvency Would Have To Be Restored Entirely Through Benefit Cuts.” According to a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities statement on the Cut, Cap and Balance Plan, “Moreover, because taxes — including payroll taxes — would be virtually impossible to raise as a result of the new constitutional barrier, Social Security solvency would have to be restored entirely through benefit cuts. Balanced Social Security packages that include measures to raise Social Security’s $106,000 payroll tax cap, so that higher-income Americans do not escape the tax on much of their earnings, would effectively be ruled out.” [CBPP, 7/16/11]

By Continually Refusing To Give New Mexicans A Straight Answer, Wilson Is Giving Her Tacit Support For A Budget That Would End Medicare As We Know It, Raise Out-Of-Pocket Costs For New Mexico Seniors And Cut Taxes For Millionaires And Companies That Ship American Jobs Overseas
292,009 New Mexican Seniors Would Be Forced Onto Vouchers When They Retire. Starting in 2023, all New Mexico seniors will receive a voucher to purchase either private insurance or traditional Medicare. There are more than 292,009 near-elderly New Mexicans who are now ages 47-56 who, instead of getting Medicare as we know it when they retire, would only get a voucher to purchase their insurance. Private insurance plans will aggressively pursue the healthiest, least expensive enrollees, thereby allowing Medicare – currently the lifeline for 316,973 New Mexico seniors – to “wither on the vine.” [CBPP 3/20/12, Census, accessed on 3/20/12; CBPP 12/21/11; KFF, accessed on 3/21/12; NCPSSM, 3/20/12 via Democratic Policy and Communications Center,3/22/12]

For New Mexico Seniors, Republican Budget Will Increase Out of Pocket Costs By As Much As $5,900 Per Senior. The Republican budget would cap these vouchers for individuals at growth levels that are lower than the existing increases in health care costs. In other words, seniors could be forced to pay higher premiums in order to access the same benefits they would receive under the current system. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the plan could increase out of pocket costs by $5,900 and lead to diminished access to quality care. [CBO, 3/20/12; CBPP, 12/21/11; CAP, 3/20/12 via Democratic Policy and Communications Center,3/22/12]

Republican Budget Will Force 27,023 New Mexico Seniors Back Into the Prescription Drug “Donut Hole.” The Republican budget would “re-open” the prescription drug donut hole and cost the average senior who falls into the donut hole approximately $11,794 between 2012 and 2020. The “donut hole” forces seniors to pay the full cost of their prescription drugs after their yearly drug expenses exceed $2,840, and full coverage doesn’t resume until total drug spending hits $6,447 for the year. Since health reform was signed into law, 27,023 New Mexico seniors saved $14,727,323.14 on prescription drugs. [HHS, 3/19/12; State level data compiled by HHS, 3/20/12 via Democratic Policy and Communications Center,3/22/12]

Budget Would Cut Taxes for the Wealthy and Raise Taxes on the Middle Class. According to the Center for American Progress, “Hidden in the document released today by House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) is a proposal to cut taxes for the wealthy and raise taxes for the middle class. Nowhere in the document does it spell that out. But it’s a matter of simple math. Any tax plan that purports to hold revenues steady while massively cutting taxes for the rich must make up the lost revenue by raising taxes on people who are not rich… The result would be a massive tax shift from the wealthy to the middle class, accelerating the income inequality that plagues our economy.” [Center for American Progress, 3/20/12]

The Ryan Budget Would “Nearly Eliminate U.S. Taxes On American Corporations’ Earnings From Overseas Operations.” In March 2012, the Wall Street Journal reported, “House Republicans, searching for an election-year message amid a muddled political and economic landscape, will introduce a 2013 budget Tuesday that cuts tax rates and provides for just two individual brackets of 10% and 25%. The budget would end the Alternative Minimum Tax, which originally was aimed at the wealthy but ensnares a growing number of middle-class taxpayers each year. The plan would nearly eliminate U.S. taxes on American corporations' earnings from overseas operations” [Wall Street Journal, 3/20/12]

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Democratic Party of New Mexico (DPNM) Chairman Javier Gonzales Responds to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus’s False Attacks on New Mexico Radio This Morning

March 20, 2012

For Immediate Release

Contact: Matt Ross; (505) 263-4879

Albuquerque, NM – Democratic Party of New Mexico (DPNM) Chairman Javier Gonzales today released the following statement in response to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus’s false attacks on President Obama’s “all-of-the-above” energy strategy during an interview this morning on “News New Mexico”:

“This morning, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus falsely claimed that the President has ‘done absolutely nothing to get ourselves closer to being energy independent.’ Nothing could be further from the truth.”

“The President is focused on an all-of-the-above strategy to develop all of America’s natural resources – domestic oil, gas, wind, solar and biofuels – and encouraging fuel efficiency so that we can reduce our dependency on foreign oil over time. Oil and gas development has increased every year of the Obama administration and domestic oil production is now at an eight-year high – and our dependence on foreign oil is now at a 16-year low.

“President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy is reducing our dependence on foreign oil and helping families save at the pump. He knows that rising gas prices are hitting families hard. As long as America has been dependent on foreign oil, consumers have been subjected to unpredictable price swings at the pump.”

“While the President is helping families save money at the pump, Mitt Romney is proposing the opposite. As governor, Romney increased a tax on gas by 400 percent and he opposes increasing fuel-efficiency standards that are helping hardworking New Mexico families get relief right away. Instead of spreading falsehoods, Chairman Priebus should look at the facts and scrutinize his own Republican presidential frontrunner’s record.”

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For Immediate Release
Contact: Matt Ross, (505) 830-3650

Democratic Party of New Mexico Statement Decrying Mitt Romney’s War on Women and Support of the Blunt Amendment
Albuquerque, NM – The Democratic Party of New Mexico released the following statement decrying Mitt Romney's war on women, and support for the "Blunt Amendment" – a measure being voted on in the Senate today that would allow an employer to deny female employees health coverage because of that employer's beliefs.

“Mitt Romney may have set the world record for fastest flip flop yesterday, going from opposing the extreme and dangerous Blunt Amendment to supporting it in under two hours. Unfortunately for Romney, and women across the country, the position he has (for the time being) settled on takes away a woman’s ability to make her own decisions about her own health.

“Mitt Romney keeps ending up on the wrong side of every issue important to New Mexicans. He’s taken one extreme position after another. With his support of the Blunt Amendment, Romney would take decisions critical to women’s health away from women and give them to their bosses. This extreme legislation is opposed by health care groups from the American Cancer Society to the American Academy of Pediatrics to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. And they aren’t the only ones who disagree with Mitt Romney: many women in New Mexico do, too.

“This is a direct attack on women's health. This wouldn’t just apply to contraceptive coverage, but any aspect of health care an employer chose, from mammograms to cervical cancer screenings to maternity care—everything is on the table. With another one of his trademark quick flip-flops, Mitt Romney has doubled down on the latest effort to turn back the clock for millions of American women. Romney has shown time and again that he is willing to say anything to get elected, even if that means putting himself between a woman, her family, and her doctor.”

Para publicación inmediata
1º de marzo, 2012

Contacto – Matt Ross, (505) 830-3650

Declaraciones del Partido Demócrata de Nuevo Mexico en oposición a la guerra de Mitt Romney contra las mujeres y su respaldo a la enmienda Blunt
Albuquerque, NM – El Partido Demócrata de Nuevo Mexico emitió las siguientes declaraciones en oposición a la guerra de Mitt Romney contra las mujeres y su respaldo a la "enmienda Blunt", medida que el Senado sometió hoy a votación y que permitiría que los empleadores, en base a sus propias creencias, les nieguen a sus empleadas cobertura médica.

“Ayer, Mitt Romney posiblemente logró el récord mundial por el más rápido cambio de opinion. Ni habían pasado ni dos horas y pasó de oponerse a la enmienda extrema y peligrosa de Blunt, a apoyarla. Desafortunadamente para Romney y las mujeres en todo el país, la posición que escogió (al menos por ahora) intent negarle la capacidad a las mujeres de tomar sus propias decisions medicas.

“Mitt Romney siempre termina en el lado equivocado de los asuntos que le importan a los residents de Nuevo Mexico. Está adoptando una opinión extrema tras otra. Con su respaldo a la enmienda Blunt, Romney le negaría a las mujeres la capacidad de tomar decisiones cruciales sobre su salud y, en vez, le daría el poder de tomar estas decisions a sus jefes. Muchos grupos dedicados a la atención de salud están opuestos a esta enmienda, desde la Sociedad contra el Cáncer, de Estados Unidos hasta la Academia de Pediatría de Estados Unidos y el Congreso de Obstetras y Ginecólogos de Estados Unidos. No son los únicos que no están de acuerdo con Mitt Romney. Muchas mujeres en Nuevo Mexico también están en desacuerdo.

“Que no quede la menor duda: este es un ataque directo contra la salud de la mujer y no se aplicaría solamente a la cobertura de anticonceptivos, sino a todo aspecto de la atención médica de muujeres, desde mamografías hasta pruebas preventivas de cáncer cervical y atención de embarazadas. Todo está sobre la mesa. Romney ha demostrado una y otra vez que está dispuesto a decir cualquier cosa para ser elegido, incluyendo declararle la Guerra a las mujeres incluso si eso significa interponerse entre una mujer, su familia y su médico”.

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State of New Mexico

House of Representatives

Ben Lujan, Speaker of the House

Ken Martinez, House Majority Leader

Sheryl Williams Stapleton, House Majority Whip

PRESS ADVISORY

For Immediate Release Contact: Justine Freeman

February 16, 2012 justine.freeman@nmlegis.gov / 202-906-9296

House Majority leaders to hold press conference at session’s end

WHAT: The majority leaders of the House of Representatives will host a press conference after the legislative session adjourns. Representatives will discuss key accomplishments from the 2012 Regular Session. The House Majority has made great strides during this highly demanding 30-day session. Come hear House leaders speak about the implications for New Mexicans moving forward.

WHEN: 12:30pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012

WHERE: Office of the Speaker, Room 104

WHO: House of Representative leaders including Speaker of the House Ben Lujan, Majority Leader Ken Martinez, Majority Whip Sheryl Stapleton, and Committee Chairs

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Grandiose House Republican Centennial Plan Falls Flat On Jobs

Nothing more than wedge issues and failed policies

Immediate Release Contact: Scott Forrester

January 24, 2012 505-934-5681

Albuquerque, NM - Today House Republicans announced their "Centennial Plan" for New Mexicans. But somehow they managed to almost completely overlooked what we think is the number one issue for all New Mexicans today and, presumably, well into the future: JOBS.

The following is a statement from DPNM Executive Director Scott Forrester on the House Republicans grandiose plan for the next 100 years:

"This is just a repackaging of the same old tired ideas that New Mexicans have been rejecting for years. No one is fooled by more of the same, and no one is looking forward to 100 more years of a GOP establishment that is more focused on politics and wedge issues than policy and progress.

And to barely even mention jobs, particularly in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression, is more than just bad policy. It's shockingly bad political strategy.

What the House Republicans presented today is nothing more than a partisan laundry list of policies that have failed on both a national and a local level. They aren't even giving their usual lip service to job creation, and according to their own document they don't even plan on getting started until 2013. New Mexicans need action now.

By comparison, yesterday Senate Democrats presented an 11-point H.I.R.E. Comprehensive Jobs Package that will address every sector of New Mexico's economy, and within the next few days the House Democrats will be introducing a comprehensive legislative agenda. Democrats in both houses of the Legislature are focused on the priorities of the people of New Mexico. "

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January 23, 2012

For Immediate Release

Contact: Scott Forrester, (505) 934-5681

Albuquerque, NM - Recently Governor Susana Martinez held a press conference at which she touted her support for ethics reform in New Mexico and claimed to be a champion of ethical government. Sadly, her actions clearly do not live up to what she said, at the press conference or on the campaign trail before she was elected.

The following is a statement from Scott Forrester, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of New Mexico:

"Any New Mexican who has followed the coverage of the Governor's first year in office - especially her work to steer millions of dollars in contracts to her political donors - must have had a good laugh today when the Governor claimed to be a champion of ethics.

We shouldn't be surprised. Sadly this Governor's actions just don't match her words. She says "I'm for job creation" but attacks proven incentives; she says "I'm against cronyism" but wastes no time arranging jobs for Darren White, Jon Barela and a dozen others; she says "I'm against judges who contribute to politicians" but she appoints her contributors to the bench.

And, Lord knows, she never stopped shouting from the rooftops that Pay-to-Play would end when she took office. Now that's become the biggest broken promise of them all.

Democrats have taken the lead on ethics reform in New Mexico for years, carrying legislation to cap political contributions, end contributions from lobbyists and government contractors and create unprecedented access to state government
.
Somehow, Susana kept a straight face through the entire press conference, at one point even saying she was appalled that elected officials would abuse their power. But just two weeks ago, the Governor rigged a bid process that gave millions to one of her donors.

The hypocrisy of it all is enough to make you think that the Susana Martinez who convinced New Mexicans to elect her and the one who showed up in Santa Fe last year are two completely different people - with opposite beliefs."

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Why Does Mitt Romney Continue to Operate in Secrecy by Refusing to Release His Tax Returns? New Mexicans Deserve An Answer From The Republican Presidential Frontrunner
New Mexicans Should Know How He Made His Money and Deserve to Know Whether He Benefits From Special Tax Breaks for the Wealthy

Romney’s Father Was Ironically The First Presidential Candidate to Make His Income Tax Returns Public in 1967

For Immediate Release Contact: Scott Forrester
January 18, 2012 505-934-5681

Albuquerque - Today, Democratic Party of New Mexico Executive Director Scott Forrester released the following statement in regards to Mitt Romney’s continual refusal to immediately release his tax returns, which all presidential candidates since 1976, including President Obama, have done:

“Mitt Romney continues to operate in secrecy by refusing to immediately release his tax returns,” said Forrester. “It’s perfectly fair for New Mexicans to ask exactly how the Republican presidential frontrunner made his money. It’s even more shocking that Romney has called on other candidates to release their returns in previous campaigns, but has never once done so himself. This is the height of hypocrisy, and New Mexicans deserve a straight answer.”

During the last presidential campaign, President Obama released his tax returns from the previous eight years. Since taking office, he has diligently made his tax returns public.
Concerns about Romney’s persistence in refusing to immediately release his tax returns were echoed in an editorial in yesterday’s New York Times.

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January 11, 2012

Contact: Scott Forrester, (505) 934-5681

Albuquerque, NM - The following is a statement from Javier Gonzales, Chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, on the approval of a compromise redistricting plan for State Senate districts:

"This compromise plan is not a victory for one political party or another, it's a victory for New Mexicans and the constitutional principle of one person, one vote. Judge Hall chose a map based on fairness and equality for every voter.

"While this is a victory in the Senate, the fight to protect the power of the vote in New Mexico continues. It was a shame to see the Governor's cynical game plan to not participate in redistricting, hire a partisan map-drawer and attempt to win the favor of the court when there were multiple other plans that were less partisan, more fair to voters and more reflective of the massive population shifts we are experiencing.

"The Governor vetoed the democratically drawn map, forced the taxpayers to pay for her lawsuit, then pulled a fast one to rig the game in Republicans' favor. That never should have flown with the judge, and we will continue to fight for every New Mexican until all of our legal options have been exhausted."

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