On Monday, former acting National Intelligence Director and Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell roasted New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Twitter for her prohibition on in-person campaigning, while applauding Antifa and Black Lives Matter protesters and rioters.
Lujan Grisham in her press conference commented on in-person campaigning, saying, “don’t want it, don’t need it. It’s problematic. We are not going to use COVID or anything else to prevent a peaceful protest. But we are not going to allow them to be excuses for political organizing for the sake of a political party or individual getting ready for the election.”
Grenell characterized Lujan Grisham’s comment as hyper-partisan, writing on Twitter, “They aren’t trying to hide their politicization anymore.”
On Friday, after U.S. Senate candidate Mark Ronchetti blasted Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and her cousin, Ben Ray Luján for their actions banning in-person campaigning, Ben Ray distances himself from Lujan Grisham, claiming they two are not related.
Luján tweeted, “While I respect my friend, our governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, we’re not cousins. This may come as a surprise to you, but not all Hispanic people with the same last name are related.”
While I respect my friend, our governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, we’re not cousins.
This may come as a surprise to you, but not all Hispanic people with the same last name are related. https://t.co/PTQTzr056k
It appears Luján was trying to claim Ronchetti thinks every Hispanic with the last name “Luján” is related for linking the two together. Lujan Grisham also commented from her personal account, writing, “c’mon. do better.”
However, far-left reports claim Luján and Lujan Grisham are related, and Ronchetti hit back at Luján for correcting him but not correcting leftist members of the mainstream media.
Ronchetti wrote, “Do better? Then why didn’t you correct the AP and Washington Post, and multiple NM stories stating same?”
Do better? Then why didn’t you correct the AP and Washington Post, and multiple NM stories stating same?
Ben Ray Luján’s move could be him trying to distance himself from Luján Grisham after her unpopular leadership during COVID-19 appears to be tanking, from 64% approval of her response in April, to a 53% approval rating now.
Recently, a new account has appeared on Twitter called “Respect NM Fans,” which is weaponizing the conservative “Respect NM” branding to spread left-wing propaganda.
The account, which says it was created in July, is utilizing the “Respect NM” campaign’s images, logo and fonts to nefariously trick people into thinking the account is the real thing, but it isn’t. Instead of “Respect New Mexico,” the logo has been slightly changed to “Respect New Mexicans,” and other slight changes.
Some of the messages promote the use of solar energy, all mail-in elections, expanding welfare, and mandated mask-wearing.
So, before you share that “Respect NM” meme, make sure it came from the genuine Respect NM account (@RespectNM), and not the leftist campaign Respect NM Fans (@RespectNMFans). Also, it is encouraged to report the account for impersonation.
This is what a genuine Respect New Mexico meme looks like:
No one has been immune to the effects of the lockdown. It may not be business as usual, but we've got to get back to business. Now is the time to come together and support one another in every creative way we can. pic.twitter.com/VmyzGqD1A4
On Thursday, it was reported by the Hobbs News-Sun that Lea County Sheriff Corey Helton and the Lea County Sheriff’s Department had a Writ of Mandamus filed against them by Attorney General Hector Balderas for violating Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s strict public health orders.
The move came after the Sheriff and his deputies had eaten indoors at a local restaurant, which the Governor took issue with, as only outdoor dining at 50% capacity is allowed under her new orders.
During last week’s COVID-19 press briefing, Lujan Grisham lambasted the Law Enforcers for sticking it to her by eating at a local restaurant. In a post, the Sheriff’s Office wrote, “#heyleacounty ! Do not be alarmed when you see LCSO Deputies enter local restaurants. We’re not there to enforce the Governor’s mandate. We’re there to grab and support our local businesses!”
saying, “For local law enforcement: where you are also — it’s bad enough that you won’t help us cite folks who aren’t wearing masks and organizations and businesses and restaurants following public health orders — if you are violating a public health order, there are civil and criminal tools at our disposal. And local law enforcement — including the sheriffs who have been posting photos of themselves eating returns — should expect to be cited as such and to be held accountable.”
Balderas’ lawsuit reads, “Despite the spike in new cases, Respondent Corey Helton, the Sheriff of Lea County, and his deputies have requested that restaurants open their facilities in violation of the State’s public health emergency orders. According to television reports, the Sheriff’s Office patronized local restaurants that have opened despite public health orders, and that are operating without a valid food service permit.”
“Therefore, the State, through its Attorney General, petitions the Court for a writ of mandamus, directing Sheriff Helton and LCSO to cease violating the State’s executive and public health emergency orders, including by issuing orders to city businesses that countermand state law,” it continues.
The suit also lists two local restaurants that have had their food license suspended, and the coordinated effort between the Governor and the Attorney General appears to be a targeted campaign against the people of rural New Mexico — specifically Hobbs. Lujan Grisham berated a Hobbs business in her weekly presser, even going after the workers at the restaurant, claiming they were not wearing masks. “Those workers” in the photo “are not wearing masks. You cannot tell, but I can tell,” she said in a paranoid tone.
It’s no secret that during her entire time in public life, Xochitl Torres Small rarely, if ever, has answered a question with a straightforward answer, consistently pivoting, deceiving, and even lying to the voters of New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District.
I spoke to Torres Small at one of her carefully-orchestrated events in Deming in August 2019. I posed a straightforward question regarding her refusal to sign onto the bipartisan Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which gives an infant born alive after a failed abortion basic medical care.
I asked her, “if [a] baby survives an abortion, don’t you think it deserves the same standard of medical care [as] any other baby?” Torres Small answered, “That already exists. If a child is born, they have the right to – that exists.”
I pushed back, explaining to her how “in Albuquerque, there was a case that showed that this baby… did survive an abortion, and it was left to die on the table there, and it didn’t get that standard of care that we need to have.” She responded, “The law already exists to protect them. So, I deeply appreciate your advocacy on this issue, and we are in more agreement than we realize.”
But she did not tell me how infants who survive abortions are already protected. Despite being given examples of infanticide in our state where babies have succumbed to the horror of a botched abortion without proper medical care, she refused to acknowledge it.
To make matters worse, Torres Small used to work for Planned Parenthood, which takes the lives of thousands of babies every day and spoke at fundraisers for the organization while in Congress. She called abortion a “life-saving procedure,” and is a member of the “pro-choice caucus,” as well as a co-sponsor of extreme pro-abortion bills.
But Torres Small often says, “let’s work together,” or some iteration of that phrase intended to push difficult issues under the rug. However, Torres Small has proven to us that she says one thing and does another.
For example, despite her gun-toting 2018 campaign ad implying she supports the Second Amendment, she voted for H.R. 8, also known as the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, the partisan anti-gun “universal background check” bill. Now, Emily Caccamo, an ex-lobbyist for Michael Bloomberg’s dark money anti-gun group “Everytown” is her new campaign manager.
Torres Small also voted to impeach our duly-elected President, despite President Donald Trump winning the Second District by 10 points in 2016. She supports New Mexico’s version of far-left New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “Green New Deal,” which would eliminate all oil and gas production by 2050 in New Mexico, annihilating lucrative industry in the Second District. Torres Small helped strip away religious liberty by supporting H.R. 5, also known as the Equality Act, which would put men in women’s sports, disadvantaging biological females, enabling sexual assault, and violate First Amendment rights of businesses, charities, and other organizations.
New Mexico’s Second Congressional District has so much potential, from the sprawling forests of the Gila and the Sacramento Mountains to the blinding beauty of White Sands, the towering spires of the Organ Mountains, and the desert prairies alive with diverse wildlife and fertile farmland. However, Torres Small’s corrosive leadership, which has taken the path of partisanship (voting with Nancy Pelosi over 94.5% of the time), is proof that she has no interest in “working together” to solve issues that affect us all. We must take back the Second Congressional District and elect someone who has the people in mind – not Washington, D.C. bureaucrats.
On Tuesday, U.S. House of Representatives candidate, Alexis Martinez Johnson, who is running in the Third Congressional District, announced that conservative Republican Representative and Freedom Caucus member Paul Gosar of Arizona has endorsed her run for Congress.
“Alexis Martinez Johnson is conservative, hardworking, and a patriot. My decision to endorse Alexis Martinez Johnson was an easy one. I know Alexis will be the right person for the job and will work tirelessly for New Mexico and will be an ally for conservatives in the House and President Trump,” wrote Gosar.
Gosar continued, “Elites from the east and west coast want to determine the fate of New Mexico’s elections. I want you to know that Alexis will bring true conservative representation to New Mexico’s 3rd District. Choosing to support Alexis in the General Election will help fight off the elites from the east and west coast.”
— Alexis Martinez Johnson (@alexisjohnsonnm) July 28, 2020
“I know a lot of people have said that New Mexico’s 3rd district is too much of a battleground seat. I have personally reviewed Alexis’s strategy for winning and met with her campaign strategists, and she can win…with your help,” wrote Gosar, giving some hope for Republicans to reclaim the District after years of Democrat rule.
Martinez Johnson will face Democrat Teresa Leger de Fernandez, a longtime leftist attorney who worked alongside the Obama Administration. Martinez Johnson is an environmental engineer and mother who says on her website, “I do not come from wealth or privilege, but through hard work I have built a life to be proud of.”
Democrat Teresa Leger de Fernandez’s donations include those of Johnathan Soros, former New MExico Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish, former U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, as well as dark money abortion up-to-birth groups NARAL and EMILY’s List. Over half of Leger De Fernandez’s campaign donations come from out-of-state.
On Monday, the Santa Fe New Mexican’s loudest mudslinging columnist Milan Simonich wrote an op-ed trying to pit Republican against Republican in the apparent attempt to hurt the GOP in their strong efforts to take back the New Mexico state House and Senate.
In the op-ed, Simonich tries to pit Sen. Stuart Payne against Rep. Gregg Schmedes, who is running for the New Mexico Senate, claiming Schmedes is “waging war on the opposition without regard to decency,” although he is asking tough questions and loudly standing up for the rights of the marginalized, and that includes the unborn.
However. Simpnich’s column, which appears to be another desperate attempt at staying relevant, mercilessly critiqued Schmedes for questioning the New Mexico Supreme Court’s unprecedented rapid action last week to overturn a lower judge’s ruling in favor of the NM Restaurant Association that eateries could open for indoor dining. The lawsuit against Gov. Michelle Luja Grisham’s office was not even warned by a response from Lujan Grisham, which is partially why the lower judge ruled in favor of the restaurants.
However, Simonich took issue with Schmedes asking relevant questions about the Supreme Court’s ruling with came within hours of the lower judge’s. Schmedes wrote on social media, “Bad news: New Mexico Supreme Court just overturned the restraining order issued against the governor. Must be nice to be able to pick up the phone and influence the judicial process. Corruption?”
Simonich critiqued, “Schmedes had no evidence of anything illegal, unethical or corrupt. Proof isn’t a standard he adheres to. Innuendo will do. Schmedes’ use of it was clumsy, even for a novice politician.”
The bottom-of-the-barrel straws Simonich is grasping for don’t seem to stick, especially since Schmedes never alleged anything. He asked questions, and also, it does appear that the Supreme Court has a back-channel to the Governor, especially with such swift action on the case that, if upheld, would be a striking blow to Lujan Grisham and her cruel reign upon the people of New Mexico — not allowing most businesses to open while corporate out-of-state big box stores like Walmart, Costco and Sam’s Club are allowed to stay wide open.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court Justices on New Mexico’s Supreme Court are, indeed, party insiders, such as the Lujan Grisham-appointed David K. Thomson, who was the Santa Fe judge who just so happened to rule the unfair “ranked-choice voting” system in favor of Democrat politicians who would benefit from it, i.e., now-Mayor Alan Webber. Also, the lawyer on that case just so happened to be the current Democrat nominee for U.S. House of Representatives in New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District, Teresa Leger de Fernandez. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is backing both Justice Thomson and Leger de Fernandez in their respective races. Coincidence that these party insiders all work together? Highly doubtful.
Simonich’s accusations against Rep. Schmedes as a radical right-winger with no regard for facts and careless slander fall flat on their face, as Schmedes has worked with Democrats before on multiple bills and has stood up for Republican values even when times get tough. In times of crisis some more squirrely, “moderate” Republicans in safe Republican districts abandoned their party, such as some who were conveniently absent on votes such as on New Mexico’s “Green New Deal” or “Energy Transition Act,” or straight-up-voted for the radical leftist measure that would annihilate the oil and gas industry. Schemes has loudly and proudly stood up to debate on critical issues, and it is clear that the washed-up opinion column at the Santa Fe New Mexican has shriveled up and died after the departure of Steve Terrell, a more likable, talented, and less pretentious columnist who shewed left but did make good points from time to time.
On Thursday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham held a press conference, which escalated into more of a rant against people she claimed were causing the spread of COVID-19.
During the presser, she claimed New Mexicans were “breaking ranks,” with public officials questioning inaccuracies in her Health Department’s data while berating those leaders for claiming Lujan Grisham’s mask mandate is a way to “control or manipulate individuals in our state.”
She insisted, “I need folks to not do that!” She went on to claim President Donal J. Trump “didn’t meet his responsibility” to force every American to wear a face mask, as the Governor has done.
Lujan Grisham then went on to compare random photographs from Taos and Hobbs, one showing a sunny, bright day in Taos, where people were wearing face masks as far as the eye could see. However, the other photograph Lujan Grisham showed was one of an unnamed establishment in Hobbs, which appeared to be a snitch photo submitted to her office picturing people eating inside and not wearing masks.
She said the actions in the picture were “not allowable,” touting how her team had altered the snitch photo to add blue/purple masks onto the subjects. Lujan Grisham also claimed, “those workers” in the photo “are not wearing masks. You cannot tell, but I can tell,” she said in a paranoid tone.
As well, she said, “I don’t think the individuals were trying to support a local business,” then claiming “we’re getting… those photos and many calls and many complaints, and we’re going out.”
Other than threatening local law enforcers with fines and citations after her rant at the Hobbs business, Lujan Grisham then claimed, “Nobody wishes that restaurants have a situation where they have a situation where they are challenged to make it. Every business — every small business is worthy of New Mexico’s attention and support.” It may not appear that way, with the New Mexico Restaurant Associaton estimating that 20% of restaurants across the state will close forever.
Lujan Grisham continued, saying, “And I know that New Mexicans also know we are also debating these issues in front of fact-finders — judges — statewide, and I believe in the independence and authority of judges. And we will adhere to whatever judicial action comes down any number of these. But we are citing. We are closing, and I will tell you this. For local law enforcement: where you are also — it’s bad enough that you won’t help us cite folks who aren’t wearing masks and organizations and businesses and restaurants following public health orders — if you are violating a public health order, there are civil and criminal tools at our disposal. And local law enforcement — including the sheriffs who have been posting photos of themselves eating returns — should expect to be cited as such and to be held accountable.”
The statement seems a bit hypocritical that Lujan Grisham “beleive[s] in the independence and authority of judges,” when the New Mexico Restaurant Associaton’s lawsuit to allow in-person dining was met with radio silence from her office. Not only that, right after the Court sided with the Association, Lujan Grisham had the New Mexico Supreme Court fast-track the case — shutting down the lower Court’s ruling within hours. Is that what Lujan Grisham claims is being respectful toward the “independence” of judges?
As well, Lujan Grisham’s targeting of Sheriffs, claiming her State Police will have to turn on fellow law enforcers and cite them, undermines the duly-elected sheriffs and local law enforcement operations trying to uphold the written law — not necessarily Lujan Grisham’s edicts. But Lujan added insult to injury, and said, “shout out to the State Police” for putting the hammer down and prioritizing her mandates as gospel. She continued, “We don’t want to do it — New Mexicans are making us do it. And so are out-of-staters who are being cited.”
But despite the bad optics of the forcible masking, she claims the militant tactics have “increased mask-wearing” while berating Texas and Arizona, which she claimed were not wearing as many masks as New Mexico.
At the end of her press conference, Lujan Grisham said “New Mexicans are traveling out-of-state. They are not adhering to a 14-day quarantine — and you’re not supposed to be going out! Why are you going out of state? Vacations, family gatherings, unnecessary, unrequired business travel — I can see you at the airports, I can see it on Facebook. Our modelers and folks who look at that aggregate data, we know about it and we can see it coming up in contact tracing. You are taking the virus to other places, you are bringing that virus back. You are being unfair to New Mexico’s economy. Worse, you are putting new Mexicans in the hospital and some of them are losing their lives. Unacceptable.”
.@GovMLG presser reel 2/3: MLG claims she supports “independence and authority of judges” despite having NM Supreme Court overrule local judge MLG claims State Police will cite Sheriffs and local Law Enforcers MLG says militant mask enforcement increases mask-wearing.@GovMLG presser reel 3/3: MLG goes on a rant against New Mexicans leaving the state, citing her tracking of peoples’ phones to know where they are coming from and going to.
New Mexicans’ latest scolding by the Governor proves that there is no telling what the Governor will do to take control and usurp power from local law enforcers, as well as shame small businesses and citizens she deems as threats to her political plans.
On Friday. Lujan Grisham claimed she had a “heartbreakingly hard” decision to stave off opening New Mexico’s public schools, despite not seeming remorseful or heartbroken in the slightest in her Thursday press conference.
On Thursday evening, The Roswell City Council passed a directive to the city manager directing him not to enforce Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s emergency health order.
City Councilor Jacob Roebuck said, “While we certainly have a continuing crisis on our hands, the emergency part has passed. There has been ample time for the governor to make her case to the people, to get their support through the lawmaking body,” he said.
He also said his reason for supportng the measure was not partisan in nature.
“I think there’s a clear line between political and partisan. This is a political process,” said Roebuck. “I think one of the reasons we need to do this is because it needs to be on us, the political body, and not the staff to decide.”
City Councilor Jeanine Best said, “I think we have more important fish to fry. You know, (the governor) she wants us to pay $100 or go sit in jail for six months when she’s letting people out of jail in Santa Fe that shouldn’t be let out of jail,” regarding the strict mask mandate imposed by the Governor. “She’s not making sense in the decisions that she’s making,” she continued.
Councilor Barr Foster said, “I’m not sure the governor is acting in the best interest of our state, more in the best interest of her party,” he said. “Her actions by not responding to the restaurant association shows me she has contempt for our system and she doesn’t care about our Constitution, so that is why I’m for this.” Foster was referring to Lujan Grisham not responding to a lawsuit from the New Mexico Restaurant Association, which was decided in favor of them, but overturned just hours later by the New Mexico Supreme Court.
After an hour and a half discussion, the Council voted 6-4 to pass the order.
On Wednesday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham released a new ad pushing for her mask mandate, which comes with $100 fines and up to 6 months in jail for non-compliance.
The lighthearted video featuring a female voiceover shows people of all different ages — including a New Mexico State Police officer and a child — wearing masks.
The ad says, “Masks are mandatory in New Mexico. The men and women called to serve and protect you want to thank you for wearing one. For those of you who are diligently wearing a mask everywhere you go, during every activity… keep up the great work! You’re setting an example by doing your part to stop the spread of COVID-19 and you are appreciated. When you wear a mask, you show support and respect for others. That’s the New Mexico way.”
The video then shows a young man wearing an American flag cap being cited for not wearing a mask, as the police officer holds up a blue mask and a citation. “Please don’t waste law enforcement’s time. They have more important things to do than cite you for not wearing a mask. Do the right thing. Always wear a mask. Protect New Mexico,” says the ad.
When you wear a mask, you show support and respect for others. You're doing your part.
This is just the latest attempt by the Governor to try and build public opinion for her strict mask mandate, on Tuesday, retweeting a post talking about President Trump touting the use of masks as “patriotic.” She wrote in a presumably sarcastic tone, “Thanks for joining us, Mr. President.”
