NM Impeachment Update - 3/1/2007

[reprehensor]

http://mothermedia.org/

Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Saturday 3/3/2007 for NM Impeachment Resolution.

The Saturday hearing will probably be after the floor session, however, we do not know exactly when that will be. The best guess is after 3PM, but maybe in the morning and possibly not until 7PM, as we are at the back of the agenda. Stay in touch with Senator McSorley's office for updated time information: 986-4485. Please continue to call Senators Michael Sanchez, Lidio Rainaldi and Richard Martinez, the swing votes on the Judiciary Committee. If you have not already memorized the phone number for the Capitol Switchboard which can connect you with anyone in the Roundhouse, it's 986-4300. Click the image above right to view the Rules Commitee hearing. The Public Affairs hearing will be online shortly. Basic Impeachment Background Here.

The below action items are still relevant, but I want to make a commentary on the proceedings. Senator Michael Sanchez, as the Majority Leader, is supremely important to the success of this initiative for more than just the reasons given below: swing vote on Judiciary and in charge of the Senate Floor hearing. Because he is in charge of the Senate Floor schedule, he also decides which House Bills get heard on the Senate floor, giving him enormous leverage with House members. What this means is that we will need his support not just to get the resolution onto the floor of the Senate, but to get it through the House. We will need him, for example, to recommend to House Majority Leader Ken Martinez that it receive only one committee if possible. If it must receive two committees, we will need his support asking the Chairs of those committees to schedule it quickly. As the session winds down, the competition for passage gets intense, and the question is no longer do the Legislators support the bill, but how much do they support it? Are they willing to take the chance that it will be a "showstopper," as House Majority Leader Ken Martinez worried.

Controversial bills such as this one become hot potatoes, and the horse trading gets heated over them. Republican procedural moves like boycotts and filibusters become likely. We could get pressure from allies who have other bills that are in danger because of our resolution. Absolutely the only way to make sure that we succeed in the face of such resistance will be massive citizen pressure, both on the legislators themselves as well as on the press. These two "estates" must be lobbied with equal skill and dedication in order to create the synergistic effect known as "the story," wherein the entire population suddenly becomes involved in a kind of collective consciousness event. The energy around the initiative is already moving in that direction, with television producers beginning to focus on it and radio, print and internet audiences already well-attuned.

The Rules Commitee documentary has been seen nearly 8,000 times since it was first uploaded, and is ranked five stars...

Continued...
http://mothermedia.org/

[confuddled]

1. Thanks ...

for keeping us up to date on this. Looks like it's getting pretty serious.

[reprehensor]

2. Sure thing.

Not like you're gonna hear about it on the news.

[burrowowl]

3. K&R

[EFerrari]

4. Take it to them, NM! K&R

:applause:

[autorank]

5. K&R New Mexico shall lead the way...we are ready to follow.

Wouldn't that just be great. Right smack dab in the middle of the Sun Belt.
Arizona might even tag along;) Get the spirit, save the world,

IMPEACH BUSH....

[reprehensor]

6. Update - Friday March 2

(Moderators: permission to post in full granted by Lehrman. -r.)

Urgent Update: Impeachment Resolution May Bypass the Judiciary Committee and Go Straight to the Senate Floor Vote During Friday, Saturday Sessions.

There is speculation that action may happen on Friday, March 2nd to take SJR 5 out of the Judiciary Committee. Attorney Randall Cherry - Senator McSorley's staff analyst - is the source of this information as directly relayed by citizen Terrence McCarthy of Vivo Studios. Jim Williams of KUNM and Dorothy Fadiman, Concentric.org, co-producer of the video linked at right above provided corroborating statements.

Since both the bill sponsor and the Committee Chairman are already in favor, they can make a motion on the floor in open session that the Resolution bypass Judiciary. However, this motion must receive unanimous consent - not likely - or then win either a voice or roll-call vote. According to Charlotte Roybal, longtime Democratic Party delegate, if the Senate votes to take the resolution out of Judiciary, floor debate on the resolution will still have to wait until Saturday, perhaps around 10AM. Stay tuned via either the sponsors Ortiz y Pino and Grubesic's office, Judiciary Chairman McSorley's office or the Majority Leader Sanchez' office. Again, all can be contacted at 986-4300. Did you memorize the number yet?

It is now time to count our votes on the entire Senate floor. If all the Republicans vote together and are present (likely), we can afford to lose only three Democratic votes against or five abstentions. We know that John Arthur Smith D - Hidalgo, Luna and Sierra was solid against. Tim Jennings D - Chaves, Eddy, Lincoln and Otero may take his cue from Smith, but is on the fence, having told me personally: "You can't impeach someone for stupidity." Sen. Lidio Rainaldi is known for conservatism, and declined an information packet recently offerred saying that he already knew how he was voting, but not saying how that was. Senator Phil Griego, D-Los Alamos, Mora, Sandoval, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Taos is also well-known for skepticism and the following Senators' votes are not known: John Pinto, Lynda Lovejoy, Nancy Rodriguez, Pete Campos, James Taylor, Shannon Robinson.

Given that that the timetable for the floor vote has been accelerated, it is now time for the full-court press. Every Democratic undecided Senator, all the time, especially the swing votes: Sanchez above all, the rest of the above undecideds and some say Altamirano. Although he voted for the resolution in Rules Committee, Senators do not always vote for a bill on the floor the way they did in Committee, for various reasons.

Please also note decorum without feeling overly restricted. No clapping after speeches or votes in committee or from the gallery, in particular. Although I find the thought that decorum should have an impact on a meaningful vote abhorrent, I must admit that as a father, there have been times when my children's unruly behavior has brought my anger upon them. I'm not proud of it, and there can be one hell of a fuss when they don't get to watch a movie, but sometimes it happens and I have to end up apologizing later if I was out of order.

We won't get a second chance.

I am going to leave the number and type of speakers to the sponsor and the Chair this time. The sponsors are now suggesting that we focus on the "asking for an investigation" part and avoid rendering verdicts in our testimony. I agree there may be some merit to the cautious approach at this time. Apparently it may help us with swing voters. Take this under advisement, but it is not meant to stifle your initiative, which is the most precious of all the human qualities found on this team.

If you have not already memorized the phone number for the Capitol Switchboard which can connect you with anyone in the Roundhouse, it's 986-4300. Citizens will be onsite at the Roundhouse tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday to assist if you would like to hit any of the key offices in person. Please look for us either on the floor, outside the Majority Leader's office, or in the Media Gallery overlooking the House floor on the East Side of the Capitol Building. I can be paged at the Information Desk on the East Side. I will be also be leaving updates with Arwen Gwyneth Hubbard at [phone] and may be reachable at that number. Click the image above right to view the Rules Commitee hearing. The Public Affairs hearing will be online shortly.

by Leland Lehrman h: [phone] o: [phone]