Thanks and Good-bye

Gotta thank and respect U.S. Sen. Tom Udall both for his twelve years of service to New Mexico in the U.S. Senate and for not seeking to turn 12 years into 18 or 24.  I'd have supported him in 2020; but it'll also be interesting to see how he goes forward serving certain causes -- notably, preserving the environment and minimizing the dmage we suffer from climate-change, as well as helping New Mexico, with its unique mix of sun, drought, oil and gas, and population sparseness, do the best it can under changing circumstances.  

As a Democrat and a New Mexican, I'd probably have preferred Udall run for re-election, because we'll need all the resistance we can get to the environmental carelessness and general incompetence of the Trump Administration and a Republican Senate, each of which could survive the 2020 election.  But I respect his decision.  He served 12 years longer than I'd want to.

The "who will run" speculation so far is both predictable and amusing.   So far, most of the Democrats (including "Democrat" Jeff Apodaca) underwhelm me, either because I have objections to them or because they are somewhat inexperienced.  But the Republicans are worse:  Steve Pearce would be good for Democrats, given his track record in statewide races so far, but would be a disaster as U.S. Senator; Gavin Clarkson would be fun, and would make for a clear choice between a diehard Trumpist and whomever the Democrats nominated; the serious journalists aren't even mentioning our recent former governor, although Facebook acquaintances from her party think she'd be a great idea.  (I think she would too: Democrats and independents were pretty appalled, and the Republican Party seemed bitterly split over and by her, so where would her votes come from.)  And the opening quote attributed to Mark Rich, that he's "done with politicians who think their wealth or family name entirle them to elected office" struck me as comical.  I thought he was the wealthy businessman without much of a background in government who ran solely based on his wealth, without any legislative or public-interest credentials at all.

Here's hoping the Libertarian Party will feel the need to put up a candidate too, just to help spit the conservative vote.