I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
Former Republican Representative Heather Wilson does not believe that the Republican Party going negative in the 2010 elections will hurt the Republican Party in November.
“Being the non-incumbent party will be enough for Republicans to win quite a few seats this year,” Wilson said in a Washington Post “Topic A” forum, a feature similar to Independent Forum. “Irresponsible spending by President Obama and congressional Democrats and a health-care law that a majority of Americans didn’t want have underscored real differences between the parties.”
Wilson narrowly lost in the 2008 Senate primary to Steve Pearce. Pearce went on to lose handily to Tom Udall in the general election.
The Topic A forum featured four Republicans and two Democrats, along with Scott Keeter, the Director of Survey Research at the Pew Research Center.
Keeter said that “there’s no indication right now that [going negative] is hurting them politically.”
Keeter warned against comparisons to 1994, when Republicans took control of both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, even if Republicans win seats in November. Keeter says public opinion polling finds that the Republican Party is much less popular than they were in 1994, even if they are on even terms with Democrats in generic-ballot polls.
“This makes the fall election more of a referendum on the incumbent party than a choice between Democratic and Republican ideas,” Keeter wrote. “If the economy rallies, what the GOP offers and how the party is viewed is likely to become more important to voters.”
Wilson disagreed with the notion that Republicans are the “Party of No,” as many Democrats have dubbed them, and says that things will swing their way in November.
We are a center-right country with a left-leaning government in Washington doing everything it can to jam through an unpopular agenda. In November, Republicans of character who show that they know a better way on jobs, defense, spending and health care will win.
Former Democratic Congressional Committee chairman and Representative from Texas Martin Frost gave some reluctant advice to Republicans.
“I am reluctant to give Republicans advice, but they will need to join the debate on the economy if they expect to make significant gains,” Frost said. “It won’t be enough for them simply to be against health-care reform and against large deficits — particularly the latter, since their party was spending freely when they were in control.”
