John Block

MLG mercilessly discredited by media over latest bizarre attack ad

Far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has recently been airing bizarre attack ads against her Republican opponent, Mark Ronchetti, claiming he supports “defunding the police.” The problem is the GOP nominee, who has multiple endorsements from law enforcers, does not support the position. On the contrary, Lujan Grisham actually has supported police defunding radicals.

As we previously reported:

But if Lujan Grisham was focused on eliminating crime, she would not have been a staunch supporter of many anti-police bills proposed last legislative session, including H.B. 4, which put targets on peace officers’ backs by stripping them of qualified immunity and opening police departments and localities up to frivolous lawsuits — bankrupting them.

H.B. 4’s sponsors, Speaker Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe) and state Rep. Georgene Louis (D-Bernalillo), just so happen to be “civil rights” attorneys who would directly profit off of their legislative proposals. Lujan Grisham signed the anti-police, anti-public safety bill anyway. 

Lujan Grisham’s allies in the Legislature, such as state Sen. Linda Lopez (D-Bernalillo), sponsored the most extreme anti-police bills in the nation, including S.B. 227, which would have implemented the “strongest” anti-police “use of force” standard in the nation.

Now, Lujan Grisham, amid record-breaking homicide rates in Albuquerque and some New Mexico streets looking like warzones, is trying to save face despite her support for Black Lives Matter protesters who want to defund the police. 

In her ad, a narrator reads, “Keeping New Mexicans safe is part of the governor’s job. But Mark Ronchetti will slash budgets for police and law enforcement agencies in every corner of New Mexico.”

On the screen, the words, “Mark Ronchetti is promising to defund the police” appear. The ad cherry-picks a short clip of Ronchetti during a KOAT 7 debate saying, “They don’t want more money. They don’t want more guns.”

But KOB 4’s fact-check mercilessly discredited the embattled governor’s false claims. The news station wrote, “The snippet is wildly out of context.”

According to the fact-check:

[Ronchetti said], “We have to back the blue. We have to tell them we will support them no matter what they need from us. We have some of the best law enforcement in the country here. And when you ask them, ‘What do you need? What would help you?’ the answer is simple: They don’t want more money. They don’t want more guns. They want to know that the governor of the State of New Mexico and their leaders backs them up.”

Whether police agencies truly do not want more money or guns might be debatable, but Ronchetti isn’t threatening to cut funding in full or in part. In fact, the crime plan posted on his campaign website says he wants to “fund and support police.”

As proof, the governor’s campaign points to a July 15 tweet from Ronchetti. He criticizes the $8.5 billion state budget, but makes no specific mention of state police pay raises.

A press release from the governor says the raises will cost $9 million this fiscal year –  which is one-tenth of 1% of the total budget.

The latest lies from Lujan Grisham come after she also claimed Ronchetti wants to ban all abortions in the state, despite him taking the stance that New Mexico should “permit” abortions up to 15 weeks.

WATCH:

Gabe Vasquez brags about Dem gerrymandering for political gain

On Monday, far-left Gabe Vasquez, the Democrat nominee for Congress in the Second Congressional District, sent out a press release bragging about the Democrats’ partisan gerrymandered maps making it easier for a leftist to reclaim the Second District from Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell.

Vasquez, in a press release, wrote regarding a new Democrat-funded poll that shows him leading by one point, “The poll was conducted by Global Strategy Group and shared exclusively to National Journal Hotline, which noted that, after redistricting, … Republican Herrell is one of the most vulnerable Republican members in the country.” 

“Redistricting moved the 2nd Congressional district from a Trump +12 to Biden +6 district and that is reflected in these results,” it concludes.

The Democrats rammed through maps drawn by the left-wing dark money group “Center for Civic Policy” (CCP), which gerrymandered New Mexico’s congressional districts to favor Democrats and steal the voice of conservatives, especially those living in the Second District.

The gerrymandered CCP map segregates the South Valley of Albuquerque into the Second District and lumps a large chunk of Albuquerque into a strange district that sprawls all the way to Roswell. The strange shape of the districts also lumps Hobbs with communities like Española and Santa Fe, which have astronomically different cultures and needs. The snake-like figures in the Democrats’ gerrymander denote signs of extreme partisan redistricting for political gain.

But despite that, Vasquez is bragging about the partisan ploy to steal back the Second District by hook or by crook. The map is currently in litigation. 

Vasquez believes the United States is a racist country, believes in abortion up-to-birth, and supports sweeping socialist policies, such as the destructive Green New Deal.

NM leads the country in local government job loss: Pew report

According to a new Pew Charitable Trusts research, New Mexico once again is first in another bad category — this time local government job loss. 

As the economy continues to lag following the pandemic lockdowns, most in the private sectors are regaining employees. However, in the public sector, not counting in education, New Mexico trails all the rest of the U.S. in hiring and keeping local government employees.

According to Pew, “Surprisingly, employment in this sector has dipped slightly even as the recovery lengthens, down 0.6% since December.” The report continues, “By comparison, private employment is up 3.4% since that month, though still not fully recovered from its losses since the pandemic struck earlier in 2020.”

“Fourteen states recorded declines of more than 5% over that period. New Mexico experienced the sharpest loss (-8.5%),” the group wrote. New Mexico was only bested by states, including New Hampshire and Connecticut at -7.6%, Louisiana at -7.5%, and Illinois at -6.9%. 

The Pew report noted, “Even governments with adequate budgets to hire are having trouble filling positions because of pandemic-related closures or recruitment hurdles. Some of the toughest jobs to fill are in health care, corrections, and highway maintenance.” 

“[B]oth the public and private sectors suffered steep employment declines shortly after the pandemic began disrupting daily life and the economy.”

New Mexico led all other states, excluding the District of Columbia, in overall unemployment at a rate of 4.9%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Dems’ anti-police law that stripped qualified immunity now costing taxpayers big time

Despite pleas from local governments and concerned citizens over the extreme increases in insurance costs to municipalities, along with other issues, Democrats in the legislature rammed through 2021’s H.B. 4, which threatened to bankrupt localities by stripping away their qualified immunity rights. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the disastrous piece of legislation.

This dangerous move impacted every level of city and municipal government, with negative consequences facing police departments most. The law allowed workers to be sued personally for alleged infringements to one’s “civil rights,” which now creates a massive problem for local governments.

As we reported in March 2021:

The bill has the ability to bankrupt local communities with slews of frivolous civil rights lawsuits, end qualified immunity and put a target on law enforcers’ backs. Local governments from all across the state are vehemently opposed to the measure, as well as many local law enforcement officials from all over New Mexico.

“More money for insurance or claims means less money for essential services or higher taxes,” said Santa Fe County Attorney Greg Shaffer during testimony against the bill. “This shifting of risk impacts all citizens,” he said. “More money for insurance or claims means less money for essential services or higher taxes.”

In a previous hearing of the bill, Detective Shaun Willoughby of the Albuquerque Police Officers’ Association said, “This particular bill takes away our ability. This is basically a tax increase. We are taxing the public all over the state of New Mexico. Hurting budgets that can be used for training on the mental health, can be used for resources and social programs in the poorest state in the nation.” 

Proponents of the police-attacking bill came sponsored by dark money groups like billionaire Mike Bloomberg’s “Moms Demand Action,” the Soros-funded “Sierra Club,” “ProgressNow New Mexico” and “Equality New Mexico.” These groups’ supporters claimed H.B. 4 was a necessary reform for civil rights while not addressing how it would cripple local municipalities’ budgets, open these localities to million-dollar frivolous lawsuits, and put targets on peace officers’ backs. 

Now, as predicted, municipalities’ insurance rates are skyrocketing through the roof, being characterized as a “problem,” according to A.J. Forte of the New Mexico Municipal League.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports:

Forte said the new law is shaping up to be a problem for local governments. Though the Civil Rights Act does not allow plaintiffs to file lawsuits against individual government employees and caps a payout for each claim at $2 million, agencies in New Mexico that pay into self-insurance pools expect higher fees as a result of the law.

Where will the money come from? Forte said potential sources include “pay raises, quality-of-life programs, basic services. Our municipalities are going to have to make some hard choices.”

He added insurance coverage increases are already coming in anticipation of actual lawsuits.

Displaying two reinsurance contracts between his organization and NLC Mutual Insurance Co., Forte pointed out the yearly difference in insurance premiums between July 2021 and July 2022 — a jump of about $700,000, from $1.1 million to $1.8 million.

The “woke” bill carried by civil rights attorney Rep. Brain Egolf (D-Santa Fe), who personally benefits from his bill’s passage, now is creating destruction and carnage in local governments — many still trying to pick up the pieces following the Democrats’ stringent lockdowns during the pandemic that killed the workforce and set progress back years. 
“We live in a world with finite dollars, and if you put them all in the claims bucket, there’s fewer dollars for providing services to the community as a whole,” said Association of Counties attorney Grace Phillips. Although the so-called “social justice” activists are pleased with the law, local governments continue to suffer through the bad lawmaking which threatens to bankrupt their communities.

MLG claims to support Dem, GOP ‘women’ — a term most Dems can’t define

Despite most Democrats not being able to define the simple term “women,” far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham now claims to be placating not only Democrat women but Republican women also with one issue — abortion.

The scandal-ridden governor who paid off $150,000 to an alleged sexual assault victim and former staffer, is tripling and quadrupling down on what she perceives to be her number one issue: abortion.

Constant fundraising emails her campaign expels insist her GOP opponent, Mark Ronchetti, is an “anti-choice extremist” despite Ronchetti saying New Mexico must “permit” abortions up to the 15th gestational week. 

But most New Mexicans and Americans disagree with Lujan Grisham’s abortion up-to-birth policies that, through 2021’s S.B. 10, stripped all protections for women, babies, and medical professionals while allowing abortion up to the baby’s date of birth — possibly after.

But now, in a Saturday Tweet, Lujan Grisham claims, “I’m not talking to Democratic women or Republican women. I’m talking to ALL women. Think hard about your right to make decisions about your body. We’re 100 days out from election day. Your vote will matter.” 

The governor ignores the fact that an expectant mother’s body has different DNA than that of the baby in her womb, and therefore, the baby is a person. She still uses the “your body” trope to peddle her pro-abortion message.

One New Mexican replied to the governor, writing, “Did you support our rights when you closed schools houses of worship and local businesses? You threatened healthcare workers nurses and state employees with getting fired unless they got vaxxed. You’re a tyrannical hypocrite.”

The commentator is correct that Lujan Grisham threw out her supposed caring for “bodily autonomy” during the pandemic when she fired state workers for not taking the jab while mandating desperately needed health care workers to be inoculated. She also forcibly ejected elderly nursing home patients from the care and housing they desperately needed to push virus-positive patients into these centers. Now, the scandal-ridden potential one-term governor is claiming to stand for bodily autonomy. 

But still, it is unclear if Lujan Grisham can define the word “woman.” Maybe someday, New Mexicans will have an answer to that question. But with reelection right around the corner, the Governor’s shot at reelection has dropped with her GOP opponent outraising her. The polls show New Mexico’s governorship is in a dead-heat to the finish line.

U.S. rep joins ethics probe into Deb Haaland over shady financial disclosures

On July 20, the watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust filed a complaint with the Interior Department’s Departmental Ethics Office over Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s financials claiming to report zero in assets despite drawing a six-figure congressional salary.

On Thursday, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) called for the Office of Inspector General to conduct an audit into the “efficacy and effectiveness” of DOI’s Ethics Office. According to the Washington Times, Westerman cited “unanswered questions about Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s financial disclosures.”

“Last week, the completeness of Secretary Haaland’s disclosures were again called into question,” he said. “In addition to raising concerns about Secretary Haaland’s compliance with federal ethics standards, this complaint triggers additional questions about the operation of the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Departmental Ethics Office (DEO).”

The Times reports:

The disclosure form reported no assets over $5,000 from bank and investment accounts. The only asset listed was an annual per capita payment of $175 from her enrolled tribal membership in the Laguna of Pueblo.

She was not required to report federal income from her two years as a congresswoman from New Mexico, during which her annual salary was $174,000.

“The American public grants incredible authority to Cabinet officials such as the Secretary of the Interior in return for full transparency,” said Protect the Public’s Trust’s director Michael Chamberlain. “It is extremely difficult to believe, in fact, strains credulity, that someone who had been making a congressional salary of $174,000 and was to be entrusted with overseeing a budget of more than $17 billion would not herself have a bank account.”

“Yet we are asked to believe precisely that, with no supporting evidence. Instead, Protect the Public’s Trust believes that an investigation to discover the truth is warranted,” he continued.

“While her 2021 Form 278e indicated a net worth of $0, the financial disclosure Secretary Haaland submitted after marrying her long-time partner reported assets of between $970,000 and $2.125 million,” said in a July 20th statement. “This range did not include two residences on which the couple has mortgages, one of which reportedly is a New Mexico home worth in excess of $1 million that has been her registered voting address for several years.”

Dems continue eating fellow Dem alive

Democrats continue their onslaught against their fellow Democrat, state Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-Bernalillo), over accusations of sexual harassment to a former Michelle Lujan Grisham staffer, Marianna Anaya, who has made false sexual assault accusations before.

Around 25 dark money far-left groups, including OLÉ, the Center for Civic Policy, Equality New Mexico, New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, New Mexico Native Voters, the New Mexico Working Families Party, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, ProgressNow New Mexico, Emerge New Mexico and the New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, all signed a letter demanding the Democrat be stripped of his interim committee assignments.

“We understand that the internal investigation, begun in March, has now been completed by an outside attorney and referred to the legislative subcommittee charged with making a determination on whether there is adequate evidence to [take] action on the multiple charges made against Ivey-Soto,” the groups wrote in a letter, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

They claim some of his accusers are appearing before the same committees “on which Ivey-Soto sits. As a committee member, he has the power to cross examine, embarrass, and even intimidate the very same advocates who have accused him of harassment. He can also influence the outcome of the bills brought by these women.”

Ivey-Soto told the New Mexican, “Certainly, if I were acting in any manner in these interim committee meetings that would be deemed as retaliatory or otherwise unprofessional, singling out people who have filed a complaint, I think at that point it would be cause for leadership to take action.”

Senate Pro-Tempore Mimi Steward (D-Bernalillo), who has animosity toward Ivey-Soto, reportedly said, “The subcommittee work is not yet completed and until it is we must follow the procedures, confidentiality and due process required by policy.”

“The subcommittee leads this process, not outside [counsel] or leadership, and they must be afforded the time to gather all the information they need before any decisions or further action related to this matter will be made,” she added. “I respect the concerns of the advocates and will take them into consideration at the appropriate time.”

The interparty fighting with Democrats comes as the November 8 election will decide the governorship and the fate of the state House of Representatives, where Republicans have a shot at flipping the chamber and reclaiming the Governor’s Mansion.

Despite the cries about supposed sexual assault by Ivey-Soto, these so-called “advocates” have been radio silent on Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham paying off a former staffer, James Hallinan, $150,000 over claims the governor poured water over his crotch and then groped him.

Alamogordo City Commission meeting Tuesday to vote on pro-life sanctuary measure

On Wednesday, the Alamogordo City Commission announced it will consider a resolution brought forward by Commissioner Karl Melton of District 3 to make Alamogordo a sanctuary city for the unborn. 

The resolution affirms that “each and every innocent human life is unique and precious to God,” while “human life begins at the moment of conception and continues, uninterrupted, until the moment of natural death,” according to scientific evidence.

“[A]s recently as March 2017, the American College of Pediatricians published an Abstract stating that “The predominance of human biological research confirms that human life begins at conception – fertilization. At fertilization, the human being emerges as a whole, genetically distinct, individuated zygotic living human organism, a member of the species Homosapiens, needing only the proper environment to grow and develop. The difference between the individual in its adult state and in its zygotic state is one of form, not nature,” the resolution continues.

It concludes, “The City commission hereby declares itself a Sanctuary City for the Unborn.”

“I am incredibly proud to introduce this resolution to secure the most important right there is: the right to life. This issue has never been more important than it is today now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. Pro-life public servants must do their part to keep abortion facilities out of their communities,” said Commissioner Melton about his proposed resolution. “With this measure, we are standing strong alongside our friends in the County to declare that the City of Alamogordo is a sanctuary city for the unborn. I could not be happier to stand up for the right to life.” 

New Mexicans are urged to show up in support of the resolution, which is 2022-38. The meeting details are below:

WHERE: Sgt. Willie Estrada Memorial Civic Center, 800 E 1st St, Alamogordo, NM 88310

WHEN: Tuesday, August 2nd at 6:00 p.m.

WHAT: Stand in support of Resolution 2022-08 to declare Alamogordo a sanctuary city for the unborn.

ALERT: There is another resolution being proposed, 2022-37, which merely agrees with another resolution passed by the Otero County Commission. It does not, however, declare Alamogordo a sanctuary for the unborn. It is not the strongest resolution the commission could pass to boldly declare support for the unborn.

Commissioner Melton’s resolution is necessary since the Dobbs v. Jackson case decided on June 24, 2022, by the U.S. Supreme Court sent the abortion issue back to the states. Because of this, abortion centers have been targeting New Mexico as a “safe haven” for killing babies in the womb. Many abortion facilities have been making plans to move or are actively moving to New Mexico to kill more unborn children. With Resolution 2022-38, the City will boldly declare abortion is not welcome in the City of Alamogordo.

Anti-gun bills to be presented Tuesday in legislative committee

In Tuesday, far-left Democrat Reps. Dayan Hochman-Vigil and Pamelya Herndon (D-Bernalillo) will be presenting radical anti-gun bills in the interim Legislative ​​​​​​Courts, Corrections, and Justice Committee at the Capitol in Santa Fe.

Herndon and Hochman-Vigil will be joined by gun control activist Miranda Viscoli of “New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence,” an extremist dark money group. 

At 9:05 p.m., there will be a discussion about the “states’ ability to regulate guns” by the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Criminal Justice Program director Anne Teigen. Then, at 10:15 a.m., a discussion with the Senate Judiciary Committee’s  Analyst, Brandon Cummings, about the U.S. Supreme Court case ​​New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, which struck down the state’s anti-gun law. 

At 10:45 a.m., there will be an “Update on the Effectiveness of Current Gun Violence Initiatives” with many groups.

Then, at 12:30 p.m., there will be public comment where New Mexicans can make their voices heard in the state Senate chamber. Testimony via Zoom will not be accepted.

Later, Viscoli and others will be pushing anti-gun proposals at 1:30 p.m. At 4:00 p.m., the anti-gun bills will be presented by Hochman-Vigil and Herndon. According to state Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park).

The New Mexico Shooting Sports Association, “Based on comments made on social media by Senator Soule and what other Democrats are pushing for across the nation, we can anticipate bans on guns and magazines, mandatory locking up of firearms, felony charges against parents, expanded red flag laws, banning AR-15s, and more.”

Find the agenda here and watch live here.

FEC reports: Pelosi, disgraced state Rep. Georgene Louis donate big to Vasquez

Federal Election Commission reports recently hit for candidates running for U.S. House. We analyzed the donations and expenses of all three Democrat nominees. Here’s how much money they raised and spent in the second quarter. 

Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico’s First Congressional District brought in a total of $136,878.94. Her donors include the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians ($2,900), the Solar Energy Industries Association PAC ($1,000), the George Soros-funded League of Conservation Voters Action Fund ($40), Ted Lieu for Congress ($1,000 – Democrat U.S. representative from California), Progressive Majority PAC ($1,000), Democrat Santa Fe-area state Sen. Liz Stefanics ($250), and Democrat Santa Fe-area state Sen. Peter Wirth ($500).

Stansbury spent $60,190.06 in the second quarter, most of her expenses being donations to other far-left Democrats’ political committees. Those included $500 donations to Tony Vargas for Congress (NE), Caraveo for Congress (CO), Scholten for Congress (MI), Susan Wild for Congress (PA), Christina Bohannan for Congress (IA), Sharice for Congress (KS), Jay Chen for Congress (CA), Rudy Salas for Congress (CA), E​​milia Sykes for Congress (OH), Nevadans for Steven Horsford (NV), and Brittany Pettersen for Colorado (CO). 

The far-left Democrat also gave $1,000 to Gabe Vasquez, running for New Mexico’s Second Congressional District, $1,000 to incumbent Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico’s Third Congressional District, and $1,500 to state Rep. Andrea Romero of Santa Fe. 

Rep. Leger Fernandez raised a grand total of $350,702.25 in the reporting period. Her donors included End Citizens United PAC ($5,000), Bringing Everyone Together Through Advocacy PAC ($3,000), AIPAC ($2,900), Santa Fe attorney and former congressional candidate Rani McGinn ($2,900), the Pueblo of Isleta ($2,800), “Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin ($1,500), Veronica Escobar for Congress ($1,000 – Texas), The Wilderness Society Action Fund PAC ($1,000), Jamie Raskin for Congress ($2,000 – Maryland), NRDC Action Fund Inc., PAC ($1,000), LRA PAC ($1,000), Indivisible Action ($1,000), Castro for Congress ($1,000 – Texas), Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut ($1,000), former U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman ($1,000), state Sen. Peter Wirth and his wife, Nancy ($1,000 combined), and Albuquerque late-term abortionist Curtis Boyd’s wife, Glenna Halverson-Boyd ($1,000).

Leger Fernandez’s expenses totaled $57,855.56, with payments of $3,201.83 to partisan operative Kyra Ellis-Moore, consulting fees to Elections in Motion for $9,708.75, and MRM & Co. for $3,500, among other expenses. The far-left congresswoman also spent a lot on food, with a payment of $281.00 to District Taco and $233.60 to Chopsmith, both restaurants in Washington, D.C. She is left with $1,219,829.45 cash-on-hand.

Extreme far-left candidate for New Mexico’s Second Congressional District, Gabe Vasquez, raised a total of $411,876.96 in the reporting period, with help from Democrat U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ($2,000) Ted Lieu for Congress ($4,000), House Majority PAC ($10,000), Elect More Democrats PAC ($1,000), PAC to the Future ($5,000), Veronica Escobar for Congress ($1,000), Progressive Turnout PAC ($1,000), and former U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman and Cynthia Bingaman ($1,250 combined).

Vasquez also received a $1,500 donation from disgraced state Rep. Georgene Louis (D-Albuquerque), who was arrested and charged for driving while under the influence. She was the subject of an ethics complaint for using her office for personal gain by noting how she was a legislator during the encounter with police. 

Vasquez spent a massive amount on polling, with a $44,000 disbursement to the New York City-based Global Strategy Group. He also spent big on printing, with disbursements of $19,165.18 and $17,906.52 to the Arlington, Virginia-based Deliver Strategies LLC. His total expenditures for the period came to $145,278.13, leaving him with $623,230.37 cash-on-hand. Vasquez is endorsed by the abortion up-to-birth group NARAL.

Notably, the finance reports show tighter races in the Second and Third Congressional Districts due to the volume of donations and expenditures, while Stansbury looks more comfortable due to her large number of contributions to other Democrat candidates and not her own race as much. In Vasquez’s race, the establishment Democrat machine has clearly noticed the race as a pickup opportunity, and Pelosi has put her full power behind flipping the seat back to Democrat control. Incumbent U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell, however, has strong allies who will pour much money into the state to keep her in the House.

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