"Petroleum Strong" Backs John Arthur Smith -- Strongly

Chevron Oil is putting its heavy finger on the scales in some of our state senate races – to protect Chevron’s bottom line, not us or our environment. 

 

A conservative Super PAC that spent big on Republicans in 2018 is misleading Democratic primary voters with progressive-sounding communications that give the false impression that our Governor is endorsing state senate candidates it favors. “Stand with Michelle and Candidate X.”

Even the name “New Mexico Strong” is misleading. It should be “Petroleum Strong.” Top 2018 donors were Chevron ($2.5 million+), Occidental Petroleum ($100K), Mack Energy ($50K), and Devon, Marathon, and Hillcorp Energy. 

 

In 2018, “Petroleum Strong” gave $25,177 to Clarkson, a former Trump minion, toward his failed bid for the Republican nomination for the House of Representatives, and spent heavily to attack Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard.

Chevron ponied up $350,000 in February. That money is buying mailers and TV Spots for a few state senators, including John Arthur Smith and Mary Kay Papen. Former State Democratic Party Vice-Chair Neomi Martinez-Parra, a teacher from Lordsburg, is challenging Smith.

To size it, “Petroleum Strong” has $350K of Chevron’s money, and is spending bucks on Smith’s primary contest. Smith’s first primary report listed $61,700 in contributions. Martinez-Parra reported $24,707. 

 

The sources of these funds tell an important story. For October 16^th, 2019 through March 27, Smith’s reported $61,700 in contributions came largely from oil and gas ($18,750) and large health corporations / Big Pharma ($15,000). Small companies like Exxon Mobile. Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson, plus General Motors, Comcast, and Union Pacific, all of which must have southern New Mexicans’ best interests uppermost in their minds. Contributors included two ranchers and three other individuals among the plethora of lobbyists and businesses.

Martinez-Parra in October 2019 reported $9,000+ in contributions, ranging from $5 (an unemployed person) to $2,000 from a guy named Parra. Ignoring family, $5 to $250, all from individuals. No IBM or U.S. Steel. People. Professors, caseworkers, insurance underwriters, nurses, engineers, a physicist, a student working in a bookstore.. Martinez-Parra pledged not to accept corporate PAC money.

I’ve rarely seen such a stark contrast in funding.

Smith is smart, well-spoken, and experienced; and I’m all for fiscal prudence and common sense; but who is his top priority in applying his experience to our affairs? Nurses, engineers, and retired people – or “Petroleum Strong?” 

 

I hear this election is surprisingly close, perhaps because Smith seems somewhat out of step with increasing numbers of his constituents. For example, most New Mexicans wouldn’t put a woman in jail for getting an abortion. Smith played a key role in killing a bill to erase an old New Mexico statute criminalizing abortion. He says that he’s steadfastly “pro-life,” has thought that way for 35 years, and isn’t going to change to satisfy the latest fad. I respect convictions; but we should all keep growing as we age, and changing views when new information warrants that. If he’s saying he doesn’t care to learn and change, that’s sad.

Constituents also care about the environment. There’s a reason that Chevron wants Smith in office, a reason his contributors’ list is so overloaded with oil and gas and big pharma, and a reason the Sierra Club, in its endorsement of Martinez-Parra, said Smith “repeatedly . . . sided with Republicans to  block important environmental legislation.” 

 

Is Mitch McConnell right – that the three things that matter in U.S. politics are money, money, and money? 

                                            - 30-

[The above column appoeared this morning, Sunday, 10 May 2020, in the Las Cruces Sun-News, as well as on the newspaper's website (sub nom "Funders Big and Small Tell Story of State Senate Race") and KRWG's website ( sub nom "Oil and Gas Interests Are Big Spenders in New Mexico Politics.  A spoken version will air during the week on KRWG and be available on-demand Monday at the station's website. ]

 

[I recommend -- both to fact-check what I've said above and for general reference in future -- searching on-line candidates and PACs' contributions and expenditures.  You can also check by "Contributor" -- and, for example, if Joe Mule gave someone $2,000, you might want to see whom else Mr. Mule has supported over time.  One way you can search, for elections in New Mexico, is through the New Mexico Secretary of State's office.  The page where you do so is https://www.cfis.state.nm.us/media/ -- but I'm not sure this link will take you there directly.
If it doesn't, here's how to get there -- which can be a little unclear if you haven't done it before:

Go to the New Mexico Secretary of State's website:  https://www.sos.state.nm.us/

You'll see: 

Click on "MENU" in the upper left of the screen.
On the Menu Page, click on "GO" under "Candidates and Campaigns" -- which should be the second choice in the upper row.
On the Candidates and Campaigns" page, you'll find four black boxes: scroll down if you need to so that you see the one on the lower right, "Public Information."
That'll bring up a page headed "Search Public Information."  On the left, there's a list of choices, of which you'll usually want the second,  "Candidate & Political Committee Contributions & Expenditures." 

That takes you to this screen, where you'll want to click on "Public Reports," which will bring up  a screen on which you can search by candidate, election, PAC, contributor, etc. 

[I do NOT want to make it sound as if Smith is a bad guy or a Steve Pearce type.  I noticed under "Expenditures" he contributed $1,000 to Xochitl Torres-Small.  He is a conservative Democrat.  On many issues, we'd likely agree.  Where we wouldn't, we'd likely find each others' vies "in the ballpark."  However, the situation is what it is.  Particularly with climate change among us, we need new and agile thinking -- and a real appreciation of the depth of the danger and its imminence.  I fear that having ones bills paid by oil and gas and other large national and international corporations has an unhealthy affect on one's thinking and voting.  ]

[Regarding Smith's role in killing the bill this year that would have erased an old New Mexico statute criminalizing abortion. I believe that if the Supreme Court eliminates the U.S. Constitutional right to privacy (Roe v. Wade), New Mexicans should be free to make a reasoned decision in 2021 or 2025  regarding regulating or restricting abortion – not have girls and doctors suddenly facing jail today for something that was legal yesterday.

Smith says he's steadfastly “pro life.” I loathe that phrase, because I'm incredibly pro-life. I enjoy my life, plant and nurture vegetables, strongly advocate conservation and healthier environment for human and other life, and favor trying the best we can to help kids grow up toward healthy/happy lives.  My love of life includes not wanting to sentence girls who get raped or have careless sex, or women who simply have too many kids already to raise properly, to jail -- or to what could be death from botched back-street abortions. I take Smith at his word that he's pro-life.  So am I; but I do kind of resent the implication, by calling a movement against abortion "pro-life," that the rest of us are maybe "pro-death" or something.  If I get a chance some time, I'll see if he can explain that one to me. I''d also ask him about his explanation on this vote that morals had decayed during his lifetime.  I think morals have changed, in some ways that are good and healthy and some that probably aren't.  But a lot of it is recognizing and accommodating our human differences.  For example, people slept around, including acts of adultery, in prior ages, too, but just kept it quieter.  Should we go back to stoning adulteresses?  People were gay or bisexual -- but forced to be closeted.  Articulating and ceasing to punish folks with different sexual needs and desires seems like progress to me. (I celebrate our differences, our human variety, so long as it's between -- or among -- consenting adults.) Articulating, better understanding, and dealing appropriately with pederasty and incest seems like progress too.  Those problems started last year, or in the 1960's, and recognizing them seems a positive step.]