On February 17 APD Chief Harold Medina and his wife were in an unmarked APD truck on their way to participate in a press conference with Mayor Tim Keller when Medina decided to stop and call for APD to clear a homeless encampment.  According to Medina, he and his wife witnessed two men getting into a fight and a gun was pulled and pointed towards Medina and his wife and a shot was fired.  In response Medina fled from the scene and drove through a red light driving through 3 lanes of traffic and T-Boned a gold-colored Ford Mustang driven by Todd Perchert who sustained a broken collarbone, shoulder blade, eight broken ribs, and a collapsed lung. 

Medina admitted in an interview he did not have his lapel camera on and for that reason Medina referred the car crash to the Superintendent of Police Reform for investigation.  The APD Crash Review Board voted unanimously to deem Medina’s crash “non-preventable.”  The city announced that the Internal Affairs investigation and disciplinary review of APD Chief Harold Medina actions during the car crash resulted in two “letters of reprimand” and no other discipline was imposed.

The New Mexico Department of Justice decided not to charge Medina with careless driving  even after APD’s Internal Affairs found Medina violated the department’s policies for failing to safely operate his vehicle and failing to turn on his body camera.  The NM Department of Justic found that although Chief Medina’s actions might satisfy the elements of careless driving, prosecution would not be warranted because of substantial evidence showing that Chief Medina’s actions were the result of duress.

Chief Medina has never been charged with any traffic violations for the February 18 car crash. A civil cause of action for personal injury and damages has been filed against the city and Chief Medina by the victim of the crash.

NEW INTERNAL AFFAIRS REPORT

On Aust 23, KOAT TV reported that a new report from Internal Affairs says APD Chief Harold Medina intentionally did not have his lapel body camera recording on during the car crash he and his wife were involved in on February 17. On page five of the Internal Affairs report, it says that Chief Medina “intentionally and purposefully did not record the interaction of the crash.”  The report goes on to say the chief invoked his Fifth Amendment right to not self-incriminate.

On August 23, private attorney and former APD Officer Tom Grover was interviewed by KOAT TV after he reviewed the released Internal affairs report. Grover said this:

“The thing that jumped out at me like frankly a nuclear bomb was the fact that Medina admitted that he purposefully did not activate his lapel camera video. …  It blew my mind because it’s so preposterous. … The notion that [Chief Medina] has a Fifth Amendment right would suggest that he’s in custody  …  and, therefore, is required to make a statement. He’s not in custody. He’s at work.”

Grover said the Internal Affairs investigation report could be brought up in the future as it continues to be evaluated. Ostensibly, Grover was referring to pending civil  litigation for damages and personal injury  that has been filed by the victim of the car crash against the city.

KOAT Legal Expert John Day also reviewed the Internal Affairs report on the car accident.  He gave the opinion  that Medina’s actions of intentionally not turning his label camera on may also violate state law. Attorney Day said this:

“As the report states, that conflicts with APD operating procedures, and it certainly conflicts with the state law regarding police activating their body-worn cameras”.

Both Day and Grover argue this type of action of pleading the 5^th amendment against self-incrimination in a court of law could make a jury think Chief Medina and APD are trying to hide evidence. Day said he’s never heard of anything like this before and said this:

“And that totally defeats the purpose of this state law [mandating turning on lapel cameras]  and the department’s own policies.”

KOAT contacted APD for a reaction.  A spokesperson for the department said Chief Medina  agreed  to the disciplinary actions of letters of reprimand but disagreed with some of the conclusions made in the investigation by Internal Affairs.

https://www.koat.com/article/new-report-says-apd-chief-intentionally-did-not-have-body-camera-recording-koat/61950799

CITY COUNCILOR LOUIE SANCHEZ FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST CHIEF MEDINA

On Friday August 26, 2024, in a press release, it was announced that District 1 City Councilor Louie Sanchez has  filed a complaint with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety (DPS) to investigate potential misconduct by Chief Medina at the scene of the Chief’s February 2024 automobile crash. The press release reads in full as follows:

“For Immediate Release: August 26, 2024

Councilor Sanchez Files Complaint with NM Department of Safety Against APD Chief Medina Chief’s actions on accident scene appear to be in violation of state law.

 “[Albuquerque City] Councilor Sanchez submitted a formal request for a state investigation of the conduct of Chief Medina at the scene of the February accident.  The request, known as a LEA-90, comes in the light of Medina’s admission to APD Internal Affairs that he intentionally and purposefully did not activate his body-worn camera when involved in police action. Such action by Medina appears to violate Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s 2020 public safety accountability bill which requires police officers to wear the body worn cameras and record encounters with citizens.

The Law Enforcement Training Act (Section 29-7-1 through 29-7-16), grants the Law Enforcement Academy Board of Directors the power and duty to refuse, suspend, or revoke the certification of a police officer or telecommunicator for just cause as provided for under the Law Enforcement Training Act and Board Rules.

“As the chief law enforcement officer of the state’s largest police department, the chief should hold himself to a higher standard than that of his rank and file, not lower. We are at a crossroads where officer morale is at an all-time low and public trust might even be lower,” Councilor Sanchez stated. “Chief Medina’s actions are the type of actions that brought the U.S. Department of Justice oversight in the first place. Here, he openly disregarded state law.”

It is imperative to uphold the highest standards of integrity and professionalism within our law enforcement agencies, and this investigation aims to address any concerns or allegations with the utmost seriousness.

The request for investigation has been submitted to the Department of Public Safety, Law Enforcement Academy and will be conducted by the LEA Board of Directors. The findings of this investigation will be made public to ensure that our community is kept informed throughout the process.”

The link to the press release is here:

https://www.cabq.gov/council/find-your-councilor/district-1/news/councilor-sanchez-files-complaint-with-nm-department-of-safety-against-apd-chief-medina#:~:text=ALBUQUERQUE%20%E2%80%93%20District%201%20City%20Councilor,Chief’s%20February%202024%20automobile%20crash.

According to former Attorney General Hector Balderas, anyone can submit an LEA-90, or misconduct form, to the LEA Board.

KELLER ADMINITRATION LASHES OUT AT SANCHEZ

In response to the complaint filed by Councilor Louie Sanchez the Keller Administration issued the following statement:

“Louie Sanchez has publicly carried a grudge against Chief Medina for years, but his most recent publicity stunt is not only over the top, it’s redundant. Chief’s crash has been extensively reviewed and a final decision made, and APD is focused on fighting crime.”

The link to the quoted and relied upon news source is here:

https://www.koat.com/article/city-councilor-files-complaint-against-albuquerque-police-chief/61978117

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/city-councilor-files-complaint-to-investigate-police-chiefs-alleged-misconduct/

APD CHIEF MEDINA GETS A NEW $100,000 RIDE 

On August 21, it was reported by KOB 4 news that APD Chief Harold Medina is now driving an brand new, city issued $100,000 Ford Expedition to replace the city truck he totaled in the February 17 car crash that he admitted to causing and that critically injured another. During the August 19 meeting of the Albuquerque City Council, Republican first term Councilor Dan Champine, who is a retired APD Police Officer, called into question a vehicle that the city purchased with taxpayer money and issued to APD Chief Harold Medina.

Councilor Champine asked pointed questions of Chief Administrative Officer Samantha Sengel.  Champine asked:

“So 4×4, tow package, a sunroof, a premium sound system and aftermarket, 4×4 tires is needed for the chief of police of a city?”

Chief Administrative Officer Samantha Sengel responded saying this:

“The vehicles that we purchase are based upon the need and the demand related to the positions that we have. … When we purchased Medina’s vehicle, it was based upon the available vehicles with four-wheel drive and the available on the lot. …It was not the most expensive vehicle. Not that that is the parameter that we should be setting. But based upon the conditions, we want to ensure command staff and leadership are able to access any scene.”

Sengel said the new Ford Expedition the city bought for Chief Medina was in line with other APD vehicles. She added the chief needed a replacement fast.

The link to the quoted and unedited KOB 4 news story is here:

https://www.kob.com/news/top-news/apd-chiefs-new-vehicle-called-into-question-at-city-council-meeting/

NEW MEXICO STATUTE MANDATING ACTIVATION OF LAPEL CAMERAS BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

Chief Medina publicly admitted in news interviews that he did not have his body camera on during the February 17 incident and car crash and for that reason he referred the matter to APD Internal Affairs.

It was in 2020 that the New Mexico legislature enacted New Mexico Statute § 29-1-18 which mandates the use of body cameras by law enforcement.  The statute reads as follows:

“A.  A law enforcement agency shall require peace officers the agency employs and who routinely interact with the public to wear a body-worn camera while on duty …. . Each law enforcement agency subject to the provisions of this section shall adopt policies and procedures governing the use of body-worn cameras, including:

1. Requiring activation of a body-worn camera whenever a peace officer is responding to a call for service or at the initiation of any other law enforcement or investigative encounter between a peace officer and a member of the public;
2. Prohibiting deactivation of a body-worn camera until the conclusion of a law enforcement or investigative encounter;
3. Requiring that any video recorded by a body-worn camera shall be retained by the law enforcement agency for not less than one hundred twenty days; and
4. Establishing disciplinary rules for peace officers who … fail to operate a body-worn camera in accordance with law enforcement agency policies …

B.  Peace officers who fail to comply with the policies and procedures required to be adopted pursuant to Subsection A of this section may be presumed to have acted in bad faith and may be deemed liable for the independent tort of negligent spoliation of evidence or the independent tort of intentional spoliation of evidence.”

There are serious consequences for a law enforcement officer’s failure to abide by the statute. Under the statute, per Section 29-1-18(C), a law enforcement officer “may be presumed to have acted in bad faith and may be deemed liable for the independent tort of negligent spoliation of evidence or the independent tort of intentional spoliation of evidence.”

LAW ENFORCEMENT CERTIFICATION BOARD

The “Law Enforcement Certification Board” is administratively attached to the Department of Public Safety.  The board consists of eleven members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate.   The Law Enforcement Certification Board by statute is given the power to deny, suspend or revoke a peace officer’s certification for just cause.  The board is empowered to conduct investigations as necessary to make determination regarding fitness of a law enforcement officer to execute a law enforcement officer’s duties.

https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/chapter-29/article-7/

The “Law Enforcement Certification Board” may refuse to issue, or may suspend or revoke any police officer’s certification for a number of reasons including when the board determines that a person has committed acts that constitute dishonesty or fraud.

https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/chapter-29/article-7/section-29-7-13/

COMMENTARY AND ANALYISIS

The extent of preferential treatment Chief Harold Medina has been given by APD and that has been allowed by Mayor Tim Keller has been nauseating and obscene at best and on many levels. It has been a major injustice to the real victim of the car accident who Medina put in the hospital in critical condition.

MEDINA PLEADING THE 5^th AGAINST SELF INCRIMINATION

APD Chief Medina pleading his 5^th Amendment Right against self-incrimination during an internal affairs interview to determine violations of personnel policy made a mockery of the Internal Affairs civil investigation to determine if he had violated any APD standard operating procedures. Medina was not charged with any criminal offense.  It is well settled criminal law that any defendant at the time of an arrest is given their “Miranda Rights” which includes the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney.

A charged defendant has the right to refuse to talk to law enforcement, refuse to give any statements and to refuse to testify unless the defendant waives the right against self-incrimination, even after an arrest or in custody. Subsequent to the car crash, Medina made a series of public admissions against interests and admissions of liability including making a video statement to department personnel of his version of what happened which were a waiver of his right against self-incrimination.

As private attorney Grover pointed out, Medina was not in custody but was on the job when the crash occurred. The only logical explanation for Medina pleading the 5^th Amendment against self-incrimination with Internal Affairs is that he had something to hide, and he wanted to avoid having to answer direct questions on his prior admissions of liability. He knew full well he would have to answer questions such as why his wife was in the car with him, who was actually driving the vehicle at the time of the accident, why he did not have his emergency equipment on and why he would say there was no oncoming traffic.

MEDINA’S NEW RIDE

The city went out of it way to purchase Medina a $100,000 replacement vehicle for the vehicle he totaled simply because he is the chief.  Medina could have just as easily been assigned another low milage vehicle in the APD massive fleet of vehicles that would meet his needs. It’s common practice within the department when an officer totals a city assigned vehicle, they are not simply given a vehicle they can pick and choose, but assigned what may be available within the APD existing fleet. Confidential sources claim that Medina threw his weight around and made damn sure he got a brand-new vehicle off the lot to his likening.  Medina now lives in Corrales in a home he just recently built and has been seen exiting Corrales at excessive rates of speed in his new vehicle with his emergency equipment engaged as he speeds past motorist and disrupts the quiet community.

MEDINA SHOULD HAVE BEEN TERMINATED FOR VIOLATIONS OF STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

On February 17, APD Chief Harold Medina violated the following APD Standard Operating Procedure:

• Medina failed to activate his lapel camera in a timely manner.
• Chief Medina’s wife is not authorized for police ride-along. He involved his wife in a patrol and enforcement action when he decided to report for removal a homeless encampment and it escalated into a felony incident with Medina’s wife being placed in harm’s way.
• Chief Medina failed to take his wife to a safe, convenient location before he attempted to take action and investigate.
• Chief Medina did not have his vehicle’s emergency warning equipment engaged when he made the initiate stop to investigate, nor when he took off to flee from the scene.
• Chief Medina did not drive his vehicle with “due regard for the safety of others.” He drove with reckless disregard for the safety of others and ran a red light driving his vehicle without the vehicle’s emergency equipment on.
• Chief Medina did not follow Standard Operating Procedures dealing with the investigation of “Crashes Involving Department Issued Vehicles.”

The city and Mayor Tim Keller  should have held APD Chief Harold Medina 100% responsible for the car crash critically injuring a private citizen. Chief Medina should have been charged with reckless driving and should have be terminated “for cause” for the violations of APD’s Standard Operating procedures. Instead, APD Chief Harold Medina was given preferential treatment by APD and by Mayor Tim Keller.

The finding that the accident was “non preventable” and Medina given a slap on the wrist with two letters of reprimand and a new $100,000 Ford Expedition was an insult to the general public.  It was a major disservice and a real injustice to the real victim of the car accident who Medina put in the hospital in critical condition.

Chief Medina and Mayor Keller for their part had the nerve to declare Medina the victim of the accident ignoring the real victim and that Medina almost killed that victim.

LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY BOARD SHOULD DETERMINE IF MEDINA’S LAW ENFORCEMENT CERTIFICATIONS SHOULD BE SUSPENDED OR TERMINATED FOR HIS WILLFUL VIOLATION OF STATE LAW

Simply put, the investigation conducted by the APD Internal Affairs and the APD Crash review board reek of preferential treatment and lack of transparency and accountability. When Medina’s February 17 crash occurred, it should have never been investigated by APD given that it was his own agency he manages and oversees.  APD  investigating its Chief called into question legitimacy, fairness and impartiality. The case should have been handed over immediately to another law enforcement agency such as the New Mexico State Police to insure accountability and transparency.

Albuquerque City Council Louie Sanchez has every right to file his complaint against APD Chief Medina.  The Keller Administrations personal attack and lashing out against Sanchez for filing of his complaint is so very typical of its petty, nasty hostility Keller has  whenever the City Council challenges or exerts their legitimate oversight authority over the Albuquerque Police Department.  Mayor Keller for his part could have avoided all of this by doing the right thing by suspending Chief Medina when the accident occurred and referring the matter to an outside agency. Instead, Keller and Medina have portrayed Medina as the victim of the car crash Medina caused putting another in the hospital in critical condition.

APD Chief Medina’s failure to activate his lapel camera as required by state law amounts to an act of dishonesty or fraud.  The Law Enforcement Academy Board needs to take the complaint filed by Councilor Sanchez against Chief Medina very seriously.  It needs determine if Chief Medina’s law enforcement certifications should be suspended or even terminated for his willful act of bad faith and spoilation of evidence with his intentional failure to activate his lapel camera on February 17.

FINAL COMMENTARY

It is common knowledge that Mayor Tim Keller is seeking a third term in 2025.  Medina has also said he is going nowhere and will be retiring in December 2025 after the municipal elections.

Voters need to send a clear message to Mayor Tim Keller that he along with his Chief of Police need to move on.  Eight full years of Tim Keller giving preferential treatment to his executive staff has been more than enough as has been his mismanagement of APD.

_______________________________

POSTSCRIPT

PETITION CALLING FOR MAYOR KELLER TO TERMINATE CHIEF HAROLD MEDINA

On August 22, a petition calling for Mayor Tim Keller to terminate Chief Harold Medina began to circulate on the internet and by email. The petition was started by Citizenof Albuquerque using a free on-line petition organization identified as “change.org.”  

Change.org is a website that allows users to create and sign petitions to raise awareness and influence decision-makers on social causes. Chang.org does solicit contributions but does not require them to sign the petition. The site is owned by a nonprofit foundation and is a for-profit public benefits corporation. Change.org claims to be the world’s largest nonprofit-owned platform for social change.  Users can create petitions on a variety of topics, including general justice, economic justice, criminal justice, human rights, education, environmental protection, animal rights, health, and sustainable food.  The link to change.org is here:

https://www.change.org/login_or_join?redirectTo=%2Fu%2F1348170913

The petition has a photo of APD Chief Harold Medina and provides an update on the status of the number of those who have signed the petition.

The petition sent states:

“WHY THIS PETITION MATTERS

Started by Citizenof Albuquerque

As citizens of Albuquerque, New Mexico, we hold our public officials to a high standard of professionalism and integrity. Regrettably, one among them, Harold Medina, current Chief of the Albuquerque Police Department, has recurrently demonstrated his unsuitability for such an esteemed position. Cambridge’s Policing Project highlights that ethical leadership is integral to enhancing departmental functioning and citizen trust, which we believe is currently lacking under Medina’s leadership (International Association of Chiefs of Police, Policing Project).

His admissions concerning his crash, that seriously injured a citizen of Albuquerque, show that he is only concerned for himself and not the citizens he is sworn to serve. He was recorded during a citywide briefing attempting to downplay his actions and said that the investigation was to simply “appease everyone.” Furthermore, he was exposed during an internals affairs investigation saying that he intentionally did not turn on his camera so he would not incriminate himself. Is that really acceptable for someone who is supposed to be the pinnacle of public servant? The citizens of Albuquerque deserve better!

Mayor Keller, our demands rest on a pressing need for the termination of Harold Medina from his role as chief for the greater good of our community. By signing this petition, we take a collective step towards a safer and better governed Albuquerque. Sign this petition today and be part of the change we need.”

The link to the petition and to sign it is here:

https://www.change.org/p/mayor-keller-terminate-chief-harold-medina

The link to a related Dinelli blog article is here:

APD Chief Harold Medina Pleads 5th Amendment Right Against Self Incrimination In Car Crash Investigation; Medina Found He Intentionally Did Not Have Lapel Camera On; Given New $100,000 Ford Expedition; Citizen’s Petition Seeking Medina’s Termination Circulates | (petedinelli.com)

On February 17 APD Chief Harold Medina and his wife were in an unmarked APD truck on their way to participate in a press conference with Mayor Tim Keller when Medina decided to stop and call for APD to clear a homeless encampment.  According to Medina, he and his wife witnessed two men getting into a fight and a gun was pulled and pointed towards Medina and his wife and a shot was fired.

In response Medina fled from the scene and drove through a red light driving through 3 lanes of traffic and T-Boned a gold-colored Ford Mustang driven by Todd Perchert who sustained a broken collarbone, shoulder blade, eight broken ribs, and a collapsed lung.   Perchert was taken to the hospital in critical condition where he underwent 7 hours of surgery for his injuries. Medina and his wife were unharmed.  Both vehicles were totaled. Medina admitted he did not have his lapel camera on and referred the accident to the Superintendent of Police Reform for investigation. On April 3 it was reported to the City Council that the APD Crash Review Board voted unanimously to deem Medina’s crash “non-preventable.”  Chief Medina has never been charged with any traffic violations.

On July 18, the city announced that the Internal Affairs investigation and disciplinary review of APD Chief Harold Medina actions during the February 17 car crash resulted in two “letters of reprimand” issued to Medina by Superintendent of Police Reform Eric Garcia.  Chief Harold Medina was found to have violated APD policy by failing to safely operate his vehicle while on duty and not turning on his lapel camera as required by APD standard operating procedures. The letters of reprimand were placed in Medina’s personnel file.  No other disciplinary action was taken. APD spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said Medina accepted the discipline and signed the letters of reprimand.

On July 18, with the announcement of the results of the Internal Affairs Investigation, it was also announced the Medina car crash was referred to New Mexico Department of Justice and the Attorney General’s Office to review the Medina car crash “for potential prosecution” and to  determine if criminal charges should be brought.  APD announced that the New Mexico Department of Justice decided not to charge Medina with careless driving after investigating  the crash. Deputy Attorney General Greer Staley released a statement and said this:

“Based on our review of all available evidence, we conclude that, although Chief Medina’s actions might satisfy the elements of careless driving, a prosecution would not be warranted because of substantial evidence showing that Chief Medina’s actions were the result of duress. … We decline prosecution and consider this matter closed.”

“CARELESS DRIVING” VERSUS “RECKLESS DRIVING”

The New Mexico Department of Justice evaluated the car crash to determine if it was the result of “careless driving” and ostensibly declined to investigate if it was the result of “reckless driving”.  

It is Section 66-8-114 of the New Mexico Statutes that defines Careless Driving as follows:

1. Any person operating a vehicle on the highway shall give his full time and entire attention to the operation of the vehicle.
2. Any person who operates a vehicle in a careless, inattentive or imprudent manner, without due regard for the width, grade, curves, corners, traffic, weather and road conditions and all other attendant circumstances is guilty of a misdemeanor.

https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/chapter-66/article-8/part-2/section-66-8-114/#:~:text=Any%20person%20who%20operates%20a,is%20guilty%20of%20a%20misdemeanor.

It is Section 66-8-113 that defines and prohibits Reckless Driving and it states as follows:

1. Any person who drives any vehicle carelessly and heedlessly in willful or wanton disregard of the rights or safety of others and without due caution and circumspection and at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger or be likely to endanger any person or property is guilty of reckless driving.
2. Every person convicted of reckless driving shall be punished, notwithstanding the provisions of Section 31-18-13 NMSA 1978, upon a first conviction by imprisonment for not less than five days nor more than ninety days, or by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars ($25.00) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100), or both and on a second or subsequent conviction by imprisonment for not less than ten days nor more than six months, or by a fine of not less than fifty dollars ($50.00) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.
3. Upon conviction of violation of this section, the director may suspend the license or permit to drive and any nonresident operating privilege for not to exceed ninety days.

https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/2018/chapter-66/article-8/section-66-8-113/

APD policy for responding to calls says when officers are responding to a call they must “exercise due regard for the safety of all persons and property.” It adds that they have right of way while responding to a call, but it does not relieve them from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all others.

Surveillance video shows Medina cutting in front of another car before accelerating at a high rate of speed through the intersection. Medina’s actions and the car crash fit the very definition of reckless driving by a person who “drives any vehicle carelessly and heedlessly in willful or wanton disregard of the rights or safety of others and without due caution and circumspection and at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger … any person or property.”  Medina could have totally prevented the accident by turning right on Central but instead drove into oncoming traffic driving between 2 other vehicles and the accelerating over 3 lanes of traffic and plowing into Todd Perchert.

NEW INTERNAL AFFAIRS REPORT

A new report from Internal Affairs says APD Chief Harold Medina intentionally did not have his lapel body camera recording on during the car crash he and his wife were involved in on February 17. On page five of the Internal Affairs report, it says that Chief Medina “intentionally and purposefully did not record the interaction of the crash.”  The report goes on to say the chief invoked his Fifth Amendment right to not self-incriminate.

On August 23, private attorney and former APD Officer Tom Grover was interviewed by KOAT TV after he reviewed the released Internal affairs report. Grover said this:

“The thing that jumped out at me like frankly a nuclear bomb was the fact that Medina admitted that he purposefully did not activate his lapel camera video. …  It blew my mind because it’s so preposterous. … The notion that [Chief Medina] has a Fifth Amendment right would suggest that he’s in custody  …  and, therefore, is required to make a statement. He’s not in custody. He’s at work.”

Grover said the Internal Affairs investigation report could be brought up in the future as it continues to be evaluated. Ostensibly, Grover was referring to pending civil  litigation for damages and personal injury  that has been filed by the victim of the car crash against the city.

KOAT Legal Expert John Day also reviewed the Internal Affairs report on the car accident.  He gave the opinion  that Medina’s actions of intentionally not turning his label camera on may also violate state law. Attorney Day said this:

“As the report states, that conflicts with APD operating procedures, and it certainly conflicts with the state law regarding police activating their body-worn cameras”.  

Both Day and Grover argue this type of action of pleading the 5^th amendment against self-incrimination in a court of law could make a jury think Chief Medina and APD are trying to hide evidence. Day said he’s never heard of anything like this before and said this:

“And that totally defeats the purpose of this state law [mandating turning on lapel cameras]  and the department’s own policies.”

KOAT contacted APD for a reaction.  A spokesperson for the department said Chief Medina  agreed  to the disciplinary actions of letters of reprimand but disagreed with some of the conclusions made in the investigation by Internal Affairs.

https://www.koat.com/article/new-report-says-apd-chief-intentionally-did-not-have-body-camera-recording-koat/61950799

NEW MEXICO STATUTE MANDATING ACTIVATION OF LAPEL CAMERAS BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

Chief Medina publicly admitted in news interviews that he did not have his body camera on during the February 17 incident and car crash and for that reason he referred the matter to Internal Affairs.

It was in 2020 that the New Mexico legislature enacted New Mexico Statute § 29-1-18 which mandates the use of body cameras by law enforcement.  The statute reads as follows:

“A.  A law enforcement agency shall require peace officers the agency employs and who routinely interact with the public to wear a body-worn camera while on duty …. . Each law enforcement agency subject to the provisions of this section shall adopt policies and procedures governing the use of body-worn cameras, including:

1. Requiring activation of a body-worn camera whenever a peace officer is responding to a call for service or at the initiation of any other law enforcement or investigative encounter between a peace officer and a member of the public;
2. Prohibiting deactivation of a body-worn camera until the conclusion of a law enforcement or investigative encounter;
3. Requiring that any video recorded by a body-worn camera shall be retained by the law enforcement agency for not less than one hundred twenty days; and
4. Establishing disciplinary rules for peace officers who … fail to operate a body-worn camera in accordance with law enforcement agency policies … .

B.   Peace officers who fail to comply with the policies and procedures required to be adopted pursuant to Subsection A of this section may be presumed to have acted in bad faith and may be deemed liable for the independent tort of negligent spoliation of evidence or the independent tort of intentional spoliation of evidence.”

There are serious consequences for a law enforcement officer’s failure to abide by the statute. Under the statute, per Section 29-1-18(C), a law enforcement officer “may be presumed to have acted in bad faith and may be deemed liable for the independent tort of negligent spoliation of evidence or the independent tort of intentional spoliation of evidence.”

APD CHIEF MEDINA GETS A NEW $100,000 RIDE 

On August 21, it was reported by KOB 4 news that APD Chief Harold Medina is now driving an bran new, city issued $100,000 Ford Expedition to replace the city truck he totaled in the February 17 car crash that he admitted to causing and that critically injured another. During the August 19 meeting of the Albuquerque City Council, Republican first term Councilor Dan Champine, who is a retired APD Police Officer, called into question a vehicle that the city purchased with taxpayer money and issued to APD Chief Harold Medina.

Councilor Champine asked pointed questions of Chief Administrative Officer Samantha Sengel.  Champine asked:

“So 4×4, tow package, a sunroof, a premium sound system and aftermarket, 4×4 tires is needed for the chief of police of a city?”

Chief Administrative Officer Samantha Sengel responded saying this:

“The vehicles that we purchase are based upon the need and the demand related to the positions that we have. … When we purchased Medina’s vehicle, it was based upon the available vehicles with four-wheel drive and the available on the lot. …It was not the most expensive vehicle. Not that that is the parameter that we should be setting. But based upon the conditions, we want to ensure command staff and leadership are able to access any scene.”

Sengel said the new Ford Expedition the city bought for Chief Medina was in line with other APD vehicles. She added the chief needed a replacement fast.

The link to the quoted and unedited KOB 4 news story is here:

https://www.kob.com/news/top-news/apd-chiefs-new-vehicle-called-into-question-at-city-council-meeting/

PETITION CALLING FOR MAYOR KELLER TO TERMINATE CHIEF HAROLD MEDINA

On August 22, a petition calling for Mayor Tim Keller to terminate Chief Harold Medina began to circulate on the internet and by email. The petition was started by Citizenof Albuquerque using a free on-line petition organization identified as “change.org.”  

Change.org is a website that allows users to create and sign petitions to raise awareness and influence decision-makers on social causes. Chang.org does solicit contributions but does not require them to sign the petition. The site is owned by a nonprofit foundation and is a for-profit public benefits corporation. Change.org claims to be the world’s largest nonprofit-owned platform for social change.  Users can create petitions on a variety of topics, including general justice, economic justice, criminal justice, human rights, education, environmental protection, animal rights, health, and sustainable food.  The link to change.org is here:

https://www.change.org/login_or_join?redirectTo=%2Fu%2F1348170913

The petition has a photo of APD Chief Harold Medina and provides an update on the status of the number of those who have signed the petition.

The petition sent states:

“WHY THIS PETITION MATTERS

Started by Citizenof Albuquerque

As citizens of Albuquerque, New Mexico, we hold our public officials to a high standard of professionalism and integrity. Regrettably, one among them, Harold Medina, current Chief of the Albuquerque Police Department, has recurrently demonstrated his unsuitability for such an esteemed position. Cambridge’s Policing Project highlights that ethical leadership is integral to enhancing departmental functioning and citizen trust, which we believe is currently lacking under Medina’s leadership (International Association of Chiefs of Police, Policing Project).

His admissions concerning his crash, that seriously injured a citizen of Albuquerque, show that he is only concerned for himself and not the citizens he is sworn to serve. He was recorded during a citywide briefing attempting to downplay his actions and said that the investigation was to simply “appease everyone.” Furthermore, he was exposed during an internals affairs investigation saying that he intentionally did not turn on his camera so he would not incriminate himself. Is that really acceptable for someone who is supposed to be the pinnacle of public servant? The citizens of Albuquerque deserve better!

Mayor Keller, our demands rest on a pressing need for the termination of Harold Medina from his role as chief for the greater good of our community. By signing this petition, we take a collective step towards a safer and better governed Albuquerque. Sign this petition today and be part of the change we need.”

The link to the petition and to sign it is here:

https://www.change.org/p/mayor-keller-terminate-chief-harold-medina

MEDINA DECLARES HE WAS A VICTIM OF A CAR CRASH HE CAUSED

On February 17 during a news conference after the car crash, Mayor Tim Keller reacted to the crash by heaping highly questionable claims and praises on Chief Medina by saying this in part:

 [Chief Medina is] arguably the most important person right now in these times in our city. … [The shooting incident is an example of] why we are never quitting when it comes to trying to make our city safer. … But it’s hard. It is extremely hard. It affects everyone, including our chief of police on a Saturday morning. … This is actually him on a Saturday morning, disrupting an altercation, a shooting, trying to do what’s right, trying to make sure that folks are okay after on scene. This is above and beyond what you expect from a chief, and I’m grateful for Harold Medina.

Keller made no mention of the injured victim of the car crash.   A full week after the crash, Mayor Keller was interviewed and said the driver of the Mustang “happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time … and it was also a beautiful gold Mustang.” Again, Keller made no  mention of the serious injuries inflicted on Todd Perchert  the driver of the classic Ford Mustang. 

APD Chief Medina had the audacity to declare that he was the victim in the car crash he caused.  On February 20, Chief Medina did a “Chief’s Corner” video briefing which was sent to all APD personnel.  He announced that it was a “special edition” of his Chief’s corner to discuss the February 17 car crash with APD personnel.

Medina said this this in part:

“I was the victim of this traffic accident, and it’s a direct impact of what gun violence is doing to our community. And we need to continue to work at it. I did call out I did submit to a drug test, as any officer would.”

Medina said on the video he thought the oncoming Mustang would pass through intersection before he got there.  Medina said in his video statement “I looked to my left, and the intersection was cleared. … And I thought that the car was going to pass before I got there, and it did not, and unfortunately, I struck a vehicle.”

Medina admitted he was the one responsible for the crash. He admitted he ran a red light and that he did not have the right of way. Medina also admitted as before that he did not have his body camera on at the time of the accident, so he referred the matter to Internal Affairs.

MEDINA’S FALSE CLAIMS EXPOSED BY VIDEO OF ACCIDENT

On February 21, APD released a surveillance video that shows Chief Harold Medina running a red light and crashing into the Ford Mustang seriously injuring the driver of the gold classic Mustang.  The surveillance video reveals a false statement made by Chief Medina in his version of events that he gave in his “Chief’s Corner” video statement which was that the intersection was clear when Medina ran the red light.

The surveillance video starts with the usual Saturday morning traffic on East Central. One man walks into the frame heading east while another man crosses Central, heading west. Within seconds they meet on the corner of Central and Alvarado and then you see the two men start fighting.  The two men can be seen fighting outside the Tewa Lodge motel, swinging their arms as the scuffle moves down the sidewalk. At the same time, Medina’s APD-issued unmarked truck can be seen inching out into Central and into oncoming traffic.

Medina’s truck drives into oncoming westbound traffic without his emergency equipment lights on nor ostensibly the siren, between two vehicles, one of which appears to stop to avoid a crash. Medina’s truck then accelerates to a high rate of speed and quickly across three lanes of Central and crashes into the classic Mustang headed east. One man who was involved with the fight appeared to watch the crash unfold before running down the sidewalk. Another man rushes to Medina’s truck, appears to look into the truck and immediately rushes off.

Medina said this in his Chief’s Corner video statement:

 “I looked to my left, and the intersection was cleared. … And I thought that the car was going to pass before I got there, and it did not, and unfortunately, I struck a vehicle.”

 Even though Medina said in his Chief’s Corner video that the traffic was clear on the North Lane on Central traveling West, the video shows it was not clear at all and there was oncoming traffic and he did not have his emergency equipment engaged.

The surveillance video shows Medina cutting in front of another car before accelerating at a fast rate of speed through the intersection. The video shows oncoming traffic with Medina first slowly inching between two vehicles traveling West on the North side lanes of Central and Medina then accelerating to cross to the South traveling lanes of Central at a high rate of speed and crashing into the Mustang that was traveling East on the South lanes of Central.

APD Chief Harold Medina could have totally avoided the entire crash by simply turning right to go West on Central as opposed to flooring his vehicle to go forward going South and attempting to turn left to go East. This would also have the immediate effect of driving the vehicle out of the line of fire with a motel building providing an extent of obstruction.

COMMENTARY AND ANALYISIS

The extent of preferential treatment Chief Harold Medina has been given by APD and that has been allowed by Mayor Tim Keller has been nauseating and obscene at best and on many levels.

MEDINA PLEADS THE 5^th AGAINST SELF INCRIMINATION

APD Chief Medina pleading his 5^th Amendment Right against self-incrimination made a mockery of the Internal Affairs civil investigation to determine if he had violated any APD standard operating procedures. Medina was not being charged with any criminal offense.  As private attorney Grover pointed out, Medina was not in custody but was on the job when the crash occurred. Subsequent to the car crash, Medina made a series of public admissions against interests and admissions of liability including  making a video statement to department personnel of his version of what happened.

The only logical explanation for Medina pleading the 5^th  Amendment against self-incrimination is that he has something to hide, and he wanted to avoid having to answer direct questions on his prior admissions of liability. He knew full well he would have to answer questions such as why his wife was in the car with him, who was actually driving the vehicle at the time of the accident, why he did not have his emergency equipment on and why he would say there was no oncoming traffic.

MEDINA’S NEW RIDE

The city went out of it way to purchase Medina a $100,000 replacement vehicle for the vehicle he totaled simply because he is the chief.  Medina could have just as easily been assigned another low milage vehicle in the APD massive fleet of vehicles that would meet his needs. It’s common practice within the department when an officer totals a city assigned vehicle, they are not simply given a vehicle they can pick and choose, but assigned what may be available within the APD existing fleet. Confidential sources claim that Medina threw his weight around and made damn sure he got a brand-new vehicle off the lot to his likening.  Medina now lives in Corrales in a home he just recently built and has been seen exiting Corrales at excessive rates of speed in his new vehicle with his emergency equipment engaged as he speeds past motorist and disrupts the quiet community.

MEDINA SHOULD HAVE BEEN TERMINATED

APD Chief Harold Medina should have been held 100% responsible for the car crash critically injuring a private citizen. Chief Medina should have been charged with reckless driving and should have be terminated “for cause” for the violations of APD’s Standard Operating procedures. Instead, APD Chief Harold Medina was given preferential treatment by APD with a finding that the accident was “non preventable” and a slap on the wrist with two letters of reprimand and a new $100,000 Ford Expedition. Chief Medina and Mayor Keller for their part had the nerve to declare Medina the victim of the accident ignoring the real victim and that Medina almost killed that victim.

MEDINA’S VIOLATIONS OF STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

Medina violated the following APD Standard Operating Procedures:

• Medina failed to activate his lapel camera in a timely manner.
• Chief Medina’s wife is not authorized for police ride-along. He involved his wife in a patrol and enforcement action when he decided to report for removal a homeless encampment and it escalated into a felony incident with Medina’s wife being placed in harm’s way.
• Chief Medina failed to take his wife to a safe, convenient location before he attempted to take action and investigate.
• Chief Medina did not have his vehicle’s emergency warning equipment engaged when he made the initiate stop to investigate, nor when he took off to flee from the scene.
• Chief Medina did not drive his vehicle with “due regard for the safety of others.” He drove with reckless disregard for the safety of others and ran a red light driving his vehicle without the vehicle’s emergency equipment on.
• Chief Medina did not follow Standard Operating Procedures dealing with the investigation of “Crashes Involving Department Issued Vehicles.”

FINAL COMMENTARY

It is common knowledge that Mayor Tim Keller is seeking a third term in 2025.  Medina has also said he is going nowhere and will be retiring in December 2025 after the municipal elections. Voters need to send a clear message to Mayor Tim Keller that he along with his Chief of Police need to move on.  Eight full years of Tim Keller giving preferential treatment to his executive staff has been more than enough as has been his mismanagement of APD.

A link to a related blog article is here:

Injuries Inflicted To Mustang Driver By APD Chief Medina In February 17 Car Crash Revealed; Medina Admits Liability; Reckless Driving Law, Body Camera Law and SOP’s Violated By Medina; Chief Medina Should Be Charged With Reckless Driving And Terminated For Cause For Violating APD Standard Operating Procedures | (petedinelli.com)

Vice President Kamala Harris made history Thursday when she accepted the Democratic party’s presidential nomination on the fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention. Harris’ ascension makes her the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead a major-party ticket.   On August 23, the national news agency CNN published on the internet the following news article entitled “Takeaways from the third  night of the Democratic National Convention” written by CNN staff reporters  Eric Bradner, Arit John and Gregory Krieg:

“Vice President Kamala Harris capped one of the most extraordinary months in modern political history Thursday night with a speech that rallied Democrats around themes of patriotism — and cast Donald Trump as the enemy of classic American principles.

“In the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand. And I know where the United States belongs,” she said.

With the cadence of a courtroom prosecutor, Harris delivered on the promise many Democrats saw in her when she launched her first presidential campaign five years ago, and when Joe Biden chose her as his running mate in 2020.

Harris went directly at her Republican rival. She laid out the former president’s legal troubles. She blamed him for the horrors some women have faced amid the implementation of strict state-level abortion laws. She issued a reminder of what she called the “chaos and calamity when he was in office.”

“In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man,” she said. “But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious.”

Harris also delved deeper into her own policy positions, particularly on foreign policy. She said she’d be a president who is “realistic, practical and has common sense” — a clear rebuttal to Trump’s effort to brand her as too liberal.

The differences between Harris’ speech in Chicago and the one Trump delivered last month at the Republican convention in Milwaukee could not have been more stark — and set the stage for the sprint to the November 5 election, with head-to-head confrontations in debates yet to come.”

[Following are  eight takeaways from the fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention]:

1. HARRIS OFFERS A RETURN TO PRE-TRUMP NORMALCY

 “Harris delivered a simple message to Americans: You don’t have to live like this anymore.

At times explicitly and always written into the subtext of her remarks, Harris offered voters a clean break from the Trump era and its grinding uncertainty and political upheaval.

“We are not going back,” Harris said, repeatedly, as she and others – including the chanting thousands inside the United Center – have done since she became the presumptive nominee. But as much as the slogan is a rebuke of Trump’s policies and a promise of progressive change, it also resonates more narrowly as an assurance for the immediate term.

To “not go back” to even a few weeks ago, before her campaign took flight.

Harris’ campaign has also talked at great length about “freedom,” seeking to reframe issues such as reproductive rights as a question of government interference.

At stake in the election, Harris said, were “the freedom to live safe from gun violence, in our schools, communities, and places of worship; the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride; the freedom to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis; and the freedom that unlocks all the others: The freedom to vote.”

On this night, though, it was hard not to also hear the offer of “freedom” from the anger and divisions, both fundamental and petty, that have defined much of the past decade of American life.”

2. HARRIS GETS PERSONAL

“Harris has long struggled to open up about her personal story. Not anymore.

Over the course of her short campaign, she has talked more about her mother, about her childhood growing up middle class, the daughter of two immigrants and academics, and her journey into political office.

On Thursday, Harris talked about how her father, economist Donald Harris, encouraged her to run free on the playground when her mother cautioned her to be careful. She told the audience about her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, a biomedical scientist who wanted to cure breast cancer and raised her two daughters after her divorce. And she talked about the tight-knit community that helped raise her and her sister, Maya.

“My mother was a brilliant, five foot tall, brown woman with an accent, and as the eldest child, I saw how the world would sometimes treat her,” Harris said. “But my mother never lost her cool.”

The vice president didn’t explicitly compare her upbringing with the former president’s, but other speakers this week have made a more direct contrast between her childhood and Trump’s life as the son of a real estate mogul.

Harris again recalled a childhood experience that helped shape her career path. In high school, her friend Wanda Kagan confided in Harris that she was being sexually abused by her stepfather, Harris said that her friend should stay with her family.

“This is one of the reasons I became a prosecutor, to protect people like Wanda,” she said.”

3. ALLIES BACK UP HARRIS’ RESUME

 “Throughout her 2020 presidential campaign, Harris sought to escape the label that she was a “cop” and out of step with the left on criminal justice reform issues. But as she’s sought to introduce herself to the public as a presidential candidate, she’s leaned into her resume as a strength. Each night has highlighted her work fighting transnational gangs, sexual abusers and corporate bad actors.

Several of her former colleagues, from her time in the Alameda County district attorney’s office to her years as California attorney general, appeared Thursday night to make the case that she approached her job with compassion and grit.

“For Kamala, practicing law was always about protecting the vulnerable and giving the victims a voice,” said Amy Resner, a former deputy district attorney for Alameda County and a longtime friend.

Lisa Madigan, the former attorney general of Illinois, spoke about working with Harris during the financial crisis to prevent families from being foreclosed upon. Nathan Hornes, a former student at Corinthian Colleges, a defunct for-profit school, addressed her successful effort to prosecute the school for defrauding students.

One of the most striking testimonies came from Courtney Baldwin, a youth organizer and human trafficking survivor, who spoke of how Harris worked to shut down the website that traffickers used to force her and others into sex work.

“She’s protected people like me her whole life,” Baldwin said.”

4. MEET THE HARRIS CLAN

 Trump and many other Republicans for years have made a show out of mispronouncing Harris’ first name.

Thursday night, Harris’ two young grandnieces, Amara and Leela Ajagu — with an assist from actress Kerry Washington — appeared onstage to send a message: It’s so easy that children can do it.

“First you say comma, like a comma in a sentence,” Amara said.

“Then you said la, like la, la, la, la, la,” Leela added in a sing-song voice.

Several Harris family members followed.

Amara and Leela’s mother, Harris’ niece Meena Harris, said that the vice president “guided me; now she’s guiding my own children.” Harris’ stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, said that when the two met when she was 14, Harris “was patient, caring and always took me seriously.”

“She taught me that making a difference means giving your whole heart and taking action,” said Harris’ goddaughter, Helena Hudlin.

Later, Maya Harris, the vice president’s sister, talked about their mother, who died in 2009.

“I so wish that Mommy could be here tonight,” she said. “I could just see her smiling, saying how proud she is of Kamala. And then, without missing a beat, she’d say, ‘That’s enough, you’ve got work to do.’”

5. POIGNANT MOMENT FROM PEOPLE AFFECTED BY GUN VIOLENCE

 “Even before Biden ended his reelection campaign, Harris was a leading voice in the administration on gun control. Thursday night cemented that, as the convention highlighted the personal stories of people affected by gun violence – from mass shootings to murders at the hand of abusive partners.

The strategy mirrored the use of abortion storytellers through the week. Against a black backdrop, speakers shared their experiences of loss.

In a video, Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath shared her story spoke of becoming a parent before her son was murdered in 2012. McBath, who has pointed to her son’s death as her inspiration for running for office, said she learned “firsthand the power of telling our stories” when she worked for gun control groups like Moms Demand Action.

“You’ve just heard mine, but there are many more to tell,” she said, before turning to mothers who lost their children in the mass shootings at the Sandy Hook and Uvalde school shootings; Melody McFadden, who lost her mother to domestic violence; and Edgar Vilchez, who lost a classmate.

The gun violence portion of the night closed with former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived a shooting at a campaign event in 2011.

“I almost died, but I fought for my life, and I survived,” Giffords said.”

6. ‘CENTRAL PARK FIVE’ MEMBER: TRUMP ‘WANTED US DEAD’

Trump has a long history of weaponizing racial resentments for political gain — including pushing “birtherism” during Barack Obama’s presidency and imposing a ban on travel to the United States from six majority Muslim countries.

But the first instance of Trump utilizing that brand of politics was the “Central Park Five.”

In 1989, five Black and Latino boys were wrongfully convicted of raping and assaulting a woman jogging in New York City’s Central Park. Trump, then just a New York real estate developer, took out and signed full-page newspaper ads calling for the boys to be executed.

“Bring back the death penalty. Bring back our police!” the ads read in huge type.

Those boys were later exonerated — four of them in 2002; the last in 2022 — after another man confessed to the attack and DNA evidence confirmed his involvement.

And on Thursday night, four of the five appeared on stage at the DNC.

“Every day as we walked into courtroom, people screamed at us, threatened us, because of Donald Trump,” Korey Wise said.

Yusef Salaam, who is now a New York City councilman, said Trump “wanted us dead.”

“He has never changed, and he never will,” Salaam said. “That man thinks that hate is the animating force in America. It is not. We have the constitutional right to vote. In fact, it is a human right. So let us use it.”

7. GAZA WAR OPPONENTS DENIED SPEAKING SPOT BY DNC

 In the end, “Uncommitted” delegates elected by primary protest votes against the Biden administration’s policy in Israel and Gaza were shut out of the convention.

Leaders of the Uncommitted National Movement – who all said they were committed to voting for Harris – publicly agitated to have a Palestinian American address Democrats inside the United Center.

Then, on Wednesday night, they got word from convention organizers that, as an Uncommitted spokesman told it, the campaign “says the answer is no.”

The group reacted by beginning a sit-in outside the convention. It lasted for about 24 hours and attracted a raft of progressive lawmakers and antiwar activists. Still, despite a surge of support from the United Auto Workers and other influential groups, Democrats stood by their decision.

Abbas Alawieh, an Uncommitted co-founder, called it a self-defeating move – one that would only make it more difficult to win back voters in swing states like Michigan.

“I feel bad for (the DNC and Harris campaign) because they’re out of step with the majority of the Democratic base,” Alawieh said. “The majority of Democratic voters believe that Palestinian human rights are a priority alongside every other priority we have.”

Harris herself did not ignore the issue. She pledged to support and defend Israel, condemned the atrocities of Hamas’ October 7 attacks and insisted that the administration was determined to secure a lasting peace in the region.

“At the same time,” she continued, “what has happened in Gaza over the last 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety over and over again The scale of suffering is heartbreaking.”

8. CELEBRITIES MAKE THEIR MARK

How do you measure momentum? Political observers refer to crowd size, donations and voter registration, but this convention offered another standard: celebrity appearances.

The DNC has seen several stars this week, from Lil Jon’s surprise appearance during the star-studded roll call to Oprah Winfrey’s speech Wednesday night. Celebrities such as Mindy Kaling and Tony Goldwyn hosted various nights of the convention, and progressive country artists such as Mickey Guyton, Maren Morris and Jason Isbell performed throughout the week.

Stevie Wonder performed “Higher Ground” and John Legend paid tribute to Prince – of Gov. Tim Walz’s home state of Minnesota – with his performing partner Sheila E. Pink performed “What About Us” on the final night, which was hosted by “Scandal” star Washington.

Only the convention organizers know who sought an invite after Harris become the nominee, but it’s clear that her ascension coincided with a burst of energy that was clear in the programming.

And then there was the question of whether Beyoncé would perform. Her song “Freedom” has become the anthem of Harris’ run and the soundtrack of a few campaign videos. Speculation grew throughout the week that Beyoncé would make an appearance, and several sources close to convention planners said they believed she would come. But late Thursday, the artist’s team went on the record.

“She was never scheduled to be in Chicago,” the singer’s representative told CNN.

The link to the full unedited CNN report with convention photos is here:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/23/politics/takeaways-dnc-day-4/index.html

COMMENTARY AND ANALYIS

The last 30 plus days have without any doubt been one of the most remarkable months in American political history. There is absolutely no doubt that this election has gone from a likely landslide victory over a disliked incumbent Democratic President to an election where there has been a complete reversal of fortunes for Democrats.

There is now a chance that the first Black woman and first Asian American President of the United States will be elected over a lying, racist, misogynistic, fascist billionaire and convicted felon known as Donald Trump who stands for division, chaos and hate.

Many political analysts are saying that this will be one of the closest elections in American history as they look to the polls. Polls do not take into account the basic decency of the American people.

There are 73 days left until the November 5 election and that is an eternity in politics. This country cannot and must not go back to chaos and the dumpster fire known as Donald Trump and must move forward. Harris represents the future and the true meaning of what this country and our democracy is all about: freedom!

On August 21, the national news agency CNN published on the internet the following news article entitled “Takeaways from the third  night of the Democratic National Convention” written by CNN staff reporter  Eric Bradner:

“Democrats are betting that within the American electorate is a deep desire to leave behind the bitterness of a decade dominated by former President Donald Trump.

And so, at the party’s convention Wednesday night in Chicago, a “joy” strategy — portraying Vice President Kamala Harris as the candidate who can move the nation forward — was on full display.

Former President Bill Clinton said Harris brings “sheer joy” to the 2024 race. Oprah Winfrey urged Americans to “choose joy.”

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg contrasted Trump’s “darkness” with the brand of politics offered by Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — which he said “just feels better to be part of.”

The message underscored how rapidly the 2024 presidential race has evolved since last month’s exit of President Joe Biden — whose campaign had been built around dire warnings that electing Trump would jeopardize democracy itself. Harris hasn’t abandoned those warnings, but has rewrapped them in a more forward-looking message emphasizing themes of freedom and joy – and Democrats paired it with a party.

Singer John Legend and drummer Sheila E. played Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy.” Stevie Wonder performed “Higher Ground.”

And as alumni from the Mankato West High School football team, which won a state championship with Walz as an assistant coach, strode on stage in jerseys that no longer fit, a pep band blared the school’s fight song.

“Thank you for bringing the joy to this fight,” Walz told the crowd.”

[Following are the 6 major takeaways from the second night of the Democratic National Convention]:

1. TIM WALZ, THE HAPPY WARRIOR, INTRODUCES HIMSELF

 “A moment of this magnitude was new for Walz. Prior to his selection as Harris’ running mate, not only had he never delivered a high-stakes speech in front of a national audience — he’d never even used a teleprompter.

So in a convention filled with former presidents, congressional leaders, celebrities and more, Walz opted to be something else entirely.

He’s a two-term governor and a former congressman, but he leaned into earlier portions of his resume: High school teacher. Football coach. Hunter. Neighbor.Enter your email to sign up for CNN’s “What Matters” Newsletter.

He used his speech to make the case that Democrats are the party of freedom.

“In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and the choices that they make. And even if we wouldn’t make the same choices ourselves, we’ve got a golden rule: Mind your own damn business,” Walz said.

Walz touched on Harris’ policy positions on issues such as health care, abortion rights and homeownership. And he did so in populist tones at times reminiscent of the late Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone.

“When we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean the freedom to make a better life for yourself and the people you love. Freedom to make your own health care decisions. And yeah, your kids’ freedom to go to school without worrying about being shot dead in the hall,” Walz said.

“That’s what this is all about: The responsibility that we have to our kids, to each other and to the future we’re building together in which everyone is free to build the kind of life that they want.”

And in a nod to his experience on the gridiron, Walz, urging Democrats to work hard over the 76 days remaining in the campaign, said, “We’re gonna leave it on the field.”

Still, the most memorable moment of Walz’s speech might have come when he discussed the fertility struggles he and his wife, Gwen Walz, faced.

“Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world, and I love you,” he said, naming his daughter, son and wife.

Gus Walz stood up, tears streaming down his face, and applauded his father.

Walz left the stage as Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” blared through the United Center. Young had personally allowed the Harris campaign to use it — notable because four years earlier, he’d sued Trump’s campaign to stop it from doing so.”

2. OPRAH CONNECTS THE HISTORICAL DOTS

 “If other Democrats led a generational change Wednesday night, talk show legend Oprah Winfrey connected the historical dots — portraying Harris as emblematic of “the best of America.”

She told the story of Tessie Prevost, who died last month, and three other Black girls who faced hate and harassment when, as 6-year-old girls, they began the desegregation of New Orleans elementary schools in 1960.

Drawing the connection to Harris, the “New Orleans Four,” Winfrey said, “paved the way for another young girl who nine years later became part of the second class to integrate the public schools in Berkley, California.”

Now, she said, Harris is poised to make history.

“Soon and very soon, we’re going to be teaching our daughters and sons about how this child of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, two idealistic and energetic immigrants — immigrants — how this child grew up to become the 47th president of the United States,” Winfrey said.

“That is the best of America,” she said, as the crowd erupted into a “U-S-A” chant.

She invoked the Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who in a 2021 interview with Tucker Carlson complained that the United States is being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives.”

“We are not so different from our neighbors, Winfrey said. “When a house is on fire, we do not ask about the homeowners’ race or religion. We don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No. We just try to do the best we can to save them. And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady — well, we try to get that cat out, too.”

3. ‘FOR THE PEOPLE’ VS. ‘ME, MYSELF AND I’

 “Bill Clinton, who former President Barack Obama once dubbed the explainer-in-chief, framed the election as a choice between Harris being “for the people” or Trump being “about me, myself and I.”

“I know which one I like better for our country,” the former president said.

Though Clinton’s influence within the party has waned in the more than 23 years since he left office, no Democrat has been able to replicate his appeal to White working-class voters who have slipped away from the party since Clinton’s heyday — a reality that makes his once-every-four-years appearance at the convention an anticipated moment.

He touched on Harris’ positions on housing and health care policies, and he credited Democrats for job growth. But for the most part, Clinton used his speech to cast Trump as self-obsessed and Harris as a clean break from the drama that encompasses the former president.

He said Trump “mostly talks about himself.”

“So the next time you hear him, don’t count the lies. Count the I’s,” he said. “His vendettas, his vengeance, his complaints, his conspiracies.”

     4.  DON’T STOP THINKING ABOUT TOMORROW

“In the Democratic Party, it’ll soon be here.

While the main job of the party’s convention is to propel Harris into the fall with momentum, this year’s gathering in Chicago has also served as a generational hand-off.

Several of the party’s aging figures — including Biden, Clinton and his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton; and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — acknowledged the twilight of their influence and the emergence of new faces.

Bill Clinton — who at 78 is keenly aware that he has lived longer than his father, grandfather and great-grandfather — told the crowd Wednesday night that he’s been to every Democratic National Convention since 1972 and has “no idea how many more of these I’ll be able to come to.”

“But here’s what I want you to know,” he said. “If you vote for this team — if you can get them elected and let them bring in this breath of fresh air — you’ll be proud of it for the rest of your life. Your children will be proud of it. Your grandchildren will be proud of it.”

Evoking memories of the 1992 convention in New York where the Hope, Arkansas, native was first nominated, he said: “Take it from the man who once had the honor in this convention to be called the man from Hope: We need Kamala Harris, the president of joy, to lead us.”

Clinton also praised Biden, saying that voluntarily relinquishing political power will enhance his legacy. He was followed on stage by Pelosi, the most powerful woman in American political history, who played a role in ushering Biden aside for Harris.

Pelosi, 84, had of course already facilitated a generational change on Capitol Hill. She stepped aside as House Democratic leader in 2022 and was replaced by New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who is 30 years younger.”

   5.  HOSTAGE PARENTS SHARE ‘AGONY ON ALL SIDES’ OF ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

“Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin — an Israeli-American who was kidnapped by Hamas while attending the Nova music festival on October 7 — shared their “anguish and misery” Wednesday in one of  the night’s most poignant moments.

“Since then, we live on another planet. Anyone who is a parent or has had a parent can try to imagine the anguish and misery that Jon and I and all the hostage families are enduring,” Goldberg-Polin said.

The two said they’ve met “numerous times” at the White House with Biden and Harris.

“We are all deeply grateful to them,” Jon Polin. “We’re also profoundly thankful to you, the millions of people in the United States and all over the world, who have been sending love, support and strength to the hostage families. You’ve kept us breathing in a world without air.”

Acknowledging the deaths of civilians in Gaza, Polin also said that “there is a surplus of agony on all sides” of Israel’s war with Hamas.

Their comments came as Democrats grapple with tension over US support for Israel’s war with Hamas and the civilian casualties that have resulted. Progressives’ criticism of Biden on the issue led to campus protests and “uncommitted” votes in some states’ presidential primaries this spring.

About an hour before the family spoke, Abbas Alawieh, a co-founder of the Uncommitted Nation Network, said he welcomed the hostage parents’ speech – but pressed again for a Palestinian-American voice to be given the same time.

Hours later, Uncommitted received the news that their request for a speaking spot had been denied, and members reacted by staging a sit-in outside the United Center. They held banners that said “Arms embargo now” and “Not another bomb,” urging an end to US military supplies for Israel’s war effort. Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar briefly joined the group.”

6. CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER SAYS TRUMP ‘BETRAYED US’

“Though Harris has put her own spin on the Democratic message since replacing Biden atop the ticket, the theme that had been at the core of the president’s reelection campaign — defending democracy — remains key.

Aquilino Gonell, a former US Capitol Police sergeant, said that Trump “summoned our attackers” who rioted at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as Congress was gathered to count electoral college votes.

Gonnell, who immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic when he was 12 and served in the Army, said that Trump “betrayed us.”

“We officers risked everything to protect innocent people. We were beaten and blinded. I was assaulted with a pole attached to an American flag.”

Democrats made the insurrection, and Trump’s broader effort to overturn the 2020 election results, a focus on Wednesday night.

Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican, and Olivia Troye, a former national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, also took the stage in Chicago.

“To my fellow Republicans, you aren’t voting for a Democrat; you’re voting for democracy,” Troye said. “You aren’t betraying our party; you’re standing up for our country.””

The link to review the full CNN report with photos is here:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/22/politics/takeaways-dnc-day-3/index.html

GUS WALZ CAPTURES LOVE OF FAMILY 

“Gus Walz sat in the front row for the biggest moment of his father’s life, and his pride exploded out of him. “That’s my dad!” the 17-year-old could be seen saying. He stood, tears streaming down his face, and pointed to his father, Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, who was accepting the Democratic nomination for vice president in a speech to thousands of people in a packed arena and millions more watching at home.

The teen’s exuberance captured hearts and went viral, becoming perhaps the defining image of his father’s address and further humanizing a running mate picked by Vice President Kamala Harris in no small part for his everyman appeal.  Gus wept through much of his father’s speech, and when it was over, climbed on stage with his family and wrapped his dad in a tight bear hug, burying his face in his shoulder.

Gus is a high school senior. His parents recently disclosed to People magazine he has a non-verbal learning disorder, ADHD and an anxiety disorder. But they called his condition “his secret power” and said he’s “brilliant” and poised for success. He got his driver’s license last fall.”

The link to the full quoted news source is here:

https://apnews.com/article/gus-walz-thats-my-dad-dnc-523c5add372384a810af9e8501dc07ba

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

Although this has been a convention filled with former presidents, congressional leaders, celebrities and award-winning entertainers for the last 3 nights, it was the images of Gus Walz who stood up, tears streaming down his face, applauding his father that will be remembered the most.  If you are one who was not moved seeing the 17-year-old Gus Walz in tears watching his dad Tim Walz Walk on stage as the Vice-Presidential nominee, then you have no real understanding of the true meaning of love of family nor the struggles families go through in this country raising and caring for a child with a disability.

Simply put, Governor Tim Walz knocked it out of the park with his speech. This coming from a politician who had to be taught how to use a tele prompter. Governor Walz is a high school teacher, football coach, family man, neighbor and who has served his country for 20 years in the military and who became an elected official to serve his community. Walz left no doubt why Vice President Kamala Harris chose him as her running mate.  He is more than qualified and will make an excellent Vice President.

On August 21, the national news agency CNN published on the internet the following news article entitled “Takeaways from the second night of the Democratic National Convention” written by CNN staff reporters  Eric Bradner and Arit John:

“Barack Obama and Michelle Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, delivering back-to-back speeches that eviscerated Donald Trump and urged Americans to reject the Republican nominee once and for all.

The former first lady, in one of the most memorable speeches in convention history, called on Democrats to drop the “Goldilocks complex” and work hard to elect Vice President Kamala Harris.

EDITOR’S NOTE: You can read the transcript of Michelle Obama’s speech in the postsript below.

“We cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala, instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected,” she said.

Then, the former president — in a speech that evoked memories of his emergence into the American political consciousness and his own winning campaigns — said that the “vast majority of us do not want to live in a country that’s bitter and divided.”

“We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos. We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse,” Obama said.

Their speeches closed a night during which Democrats had sought to introduce Harris in more personal terms to Americans who are only now learning about the vice president, just a month after she ascended to the top of the party’s 2024 ticket.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff told the story of their relationship and why his children call the vice president “Momala.” Maryland Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks explained how Harris came to be someone she considered a friend and mentor.

It set the stage for the two closing nights of the convention: Wednesday night, when the party’s vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will take the stage, and Thursday, when Harris will close the gathering as the final sprint to Election Day begins.”

[Following are the 8 major takeaways from the second night of the Democratic National Convention]:

1. KIDS WITH FUNNY NAMES

“Twenty years after Barack Obama, then a state senator, burst onto the political scene with his 2004 DNC speech, he delivered its bookend.

“This convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible,” Obama said.

The 44th president’s remarks were filled with references to his own campaigns — including familiar calls-and-responses the “Yes we can” chants once so omnipresent at Obama rallies now returning as “Yes she can.”

It’s no wonder why: Obama remains so popular with American voters that even Trump now passes on opportunities for confrontation with the former president. He told CNN’s Kristen Holmes on Tuesday that while he has differences with Obama on trade policy, “I happen to like him. I respect him, and I respect his wife.”

Obama took swings at Trump, to be sure — trying to deflate the figure that has so dominated American politics since Obama left the stage.

“Here is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. There’s the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes,” Obama said.

But he also urged Democrats not to direct similar rancor at regular Americans.

“If a parent or grandparent occasionally says something that makes us cringe, we don’t automatically assume they’re bad people,” he said. “We recognize that the world is moving fast — that they need time and maybe a little encouragement to catch up. Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they’ll extend to us. That’s how we can build a true Democratic majority, one that can get things done.” “

2. BARACK OBAMA’S FAMILY STORY

“The former president also put a new twist on the familiar story of his own family — comparing his grandmother, a White woman from Kansas who helped raise him, and his mother-in-law, a Black woman from the south side of Chicago who died earlier this year.

“They knew what was true. They knew what mattered,” Obama said. “Things like honesty and integrity, kindness and hard work. They weren’t impressed with braggarts or bullies. They didn’t think putting other people down lifted you up or made you strong. They didn’t spend a lot of time obsessing about what they didn’t have.”

Then, he drew the connection to Harris — pointing to her Indian mother and Jamaican father, who both immigrated to the United States.

“Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, or somewhere in between, we have all had people like that in our lives — people like Kamala’s parents, who crossed oceans because they believed in the promise of America,” he said.”

3. HOPE MAKES A COMEBACK

“Few people have as much of a hold on the hearts and minds of the Democratic base as Michelle Obama, who was greeted with one of the loudest, longest rounds of applause as she took the stage in her hometown Tuesday.

“Hope is making a comeback,” she said, echoing the theme of her husband’s 2008 presidential run.

The former first lady spoke to the optimism that Harris has created since she became the Democratic nominee and described her as the best choice to lead the nation, based on both her experience and her character.

“My girl Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment,” Michelle Obama said. “She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency, and she is one of the most dignified.”

She spoke of the middle class backgrounds and values she shared with Harris and painted a sharp contrast with Trump, noting that they would never “benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.”

4. WARNINGS OF ‘FOOLISHNESS’

“The key role Michelle Obama played Tuesday was to urge the audience to keep their eyes on the prize. Obama told Democrats to avoid the “foolishness” of waiting to be asked to act and made a personal appeal for everyone to “do something” between now and Election Day.

“Yes, Kamala and Tim are doing great now. We’re loving it. They pack arenas across the country. Folks are energized. We are feeling good,” she said. “But remember, there are still so many people who are desperate for a different outcome.”

She laid out the stakes, and the challenges, facing Harris as a Black woman seeking higher office in starker terms than any other convention speaker to date. Obama alluded to the years Trump spent spreading the false, racist birther conspiracy theory against her husband.

“We know folks are going to do everything they can to distort her truth,” she said of Harris. “My husband and I, sadly, know a little something about this. For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us.”

She also took a jab at Trump’s June debate claim that migrants are stealing “Black jobs.”

“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs,” she said.”

5. EMHOFF INTRODUCES ‘MOMALA’

“Emhoff, the second gentleman, sought to show America a personal side of his wife — telling stories about how they met and how she became “Momala” to his two children.

Emhoff, an attorney who left his law firm after Harris was elected vice president, stepped into the role he’s seeking as America’s dad — one who has a group chat with boyhood friends and a fantasy football league (team name, Nirvana, “yes, after the band,” he said) with law school buddies.

He said he’d gotten her phone number and called at 8:30 a.m. He left a rambling voice mail that he instantly regretted — and Harris saved that voicemail. “She makes me listen to it on every anniversary,” he said.

Still, he said, she called back, and the two talked and laughed for an hour. “You know that laugh. I love that laugh,” he said.

Emhoff’s up-front role for Harris was a vivid contrast with the Republican National Convention. Two of Trump’s sons spoke, but they did not delve deeply into personal stories about their father. His wife, Melania Trump, did not speak at all, and has kept her involvement in his third presidential run to a minimum.

But Emhoff’s speech wasn’t purely personal anecdotes. He also described Harris as tough.

“Here’s the thing about joyful warriors: They’re still warriors. And Kamala is as tough as it comes,” he said.”

6. GOP SPEAKERS SHOW UP FOR HARRIS

“Democrats weren’t just working to appeal to their own party. Throughout the night, the DNC featured former Republicans making the case for independents and Trump critics to vote for Harris.

One of the prime-time speaking slots went to Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Arizona, a self-declared lifelong Republican who said the Biden-Harris administration had delivered results for his conservative community.

“I have an urgent message for the majority of Americans who, like me, are in the political middle: John McCain’s Republican Party is gone, and we don’t owe a damn thing to what’s been left behind,” Giles said. “So let’s turn the page. Let’s put country first.”

Giles’ speech capped off a series of appearances Tuesday by Republicans, or people who’d left the party, rallying support for Harris.

In a short video, three former Trump voters said they believed the former president didn’t respect the Constitution and criticized his felony convictions. On stage, Kyle Sweetser – a Nikki Haley supporter who plans to vote for Harris – said that he voted for Trump three times before growing concerned about his tariff policies.

“Costs for construction workers like me were starting to soar,” Sweetser said. “I realized Trump wasn’t for me.”

Stephanie Grisham, a former Trump White House press secretary and chief of staff to former First Lady Melania Trump, described herself as a “true believer” who spent her holidays at Mar-a-Lago. But she resigned on January 6, 2021, after Trump failed to immediately move to stop his supporters from attacking the US Capitol.

Grisham used her remarks to condemn Trump’s behind closed doors, telling that audience that he mocks his supporters in private and has called them “basement dwellers.”

“He has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth,” she said.”

7. ‘THIS IS NOT A RADICAL AGENDA”

“Since his 2016 presidential campaign, Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders has maintained a strong following among young and progressive voters – the same voters Harris will need in November.

Sanders used his remarks Tuesday to endorse what the Biden administration has accomplished over the past three and a half years, while also laying out a list of proposals for the next Democratic administration: campaign finance reform, protections for unions, improving health care access and lowering drug costs, and improving public education.

“Let us be clear: This is not a radical agenda,” Sanders said. “But, let me tell you what a radical agenda is. And that is Trump’s Project 2025.”

For the vice president, Sanders’ remarks weren’t just about rehashing how the administration navigated the pandemic.

Harris has spent much of her fledgling campaign trying to distance herself from the progressive campaign she ran in the 2020 Democratic primary, specifically her support for “Medicare for All” and a ban on fracking.

That pivot to the center risks angering or disappointing the left, making endorsements from Sanders – and Monday night’s remarks from New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – that much more important.”

8. ‘VP HARRIS, GOVERNOR WALZ’

 “Democrats interrupted the party’s convention Tuesday night to throw a party.

The roll call, a tradition of political conventions, was turned into an hourlong, prime-time mash-up led by DJ Cassidy of songs associated with each state, while representatives from the states delivered short speeches as they cast their delegates’ votes for the vice president.

Some of the song picks were by musicians who are synonymous with their home states, including Eminem (Michigan), Prince (Minnesota), Bruce Springsteen (New Jersey), Jay-Z and Alicia Keys (New York) and Petey Pablo (North Carolina).

A few were less obvious. (Did you know, for example, that Portugal. The Man is from Alaska?)

Harris’ home state of California got several songs — a rap mix of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur and Kendrick Lamar. Gov. Gavin Newsom cast the state’s votes for Harris to the tune of Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”

But Georgia stole the show. Lil Jon started the party by rapping “Turn Down for What.” Then, as the track to “Get Low” played, Lil Jon tweaked the words. “To the window, to the wall” became “VP Harris, Governor Walz.”

It was an hour of music and vibes with no actual consequence. Democrats conducted their roll call virtually two weeks ago; Harris was already officially the nominee. Tuesday night’s roll call was purely ceremonial.

“This roll call is unapologetic earnestness and unironic cringe without one ounce of shame. It’s perfect,” Amanda Litman, a Democratic strategist and writer, said on social media.

It ended with Democrats cutting from the roll call to a live video of Harris and Walz stepping onstage a 90-minute drive north, in Milwaukee, where they held a rally Tuesday night.

“I’ll see you in two days, Chicago,” Harris said.”

The link to the full, unedited CNN story with photos is here:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/21/politics/takeaways-dnc-day-2/index.html

GOV. MLG’S UNREMARKABLE PRIME TIME SPEECH SHORT AND SWEET

Starting at 9:58 P.M. Eastern Time, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham took to the national stage to deliver “prime time” speech to the Democratic National Convention.  The speech lasted for 4 minutes and 22 seconds.  The speech was about health care and she made only a brief reference to “reproductive rights”. You can listen to the entire speech here:

Watch: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham full speech at DNC convention (indystar.com)

Notwithstanding the shortness of the speech, Governor Lujan Grisham gave emphatic backing of Vice President Kamala Harris’ record on health care while blasting Republicans for trying to restrict abortion access. The democratic governor said Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance would, if elected, seek to repeal the Affordable Care Act and eliminate protections for pre-existing conditions. Lujan Grisham said this:

“Either these guys don’t get it, or they don’t care.”

Lujan Grisham described access to affordable health care as a personal issue, citing her family’s struggles with the health issues of her sister, Kimberly, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she was 2 years old and died at age 21.

Lujan Grisham cited Vice President Harris’ past efforts as California’s attorney general to hold drug companies and hospitals accountable for rising prices.  She also touted her own efforts, as a member of Congress, to lower prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients.

The governor sought to contrast those efforts to Trump’s record on health care issues, as the former president pledged to repeal the landmark 2010 health care law and replace it with a new law. Lujan Grisham said this:

“You know what Donald Trump delivered? Junk plans, higher premiums and abortion bans. … And if you don’t think a second term would be worse, then I’ve got a bunch of Trump Steaks to sell you.”

The “Trump Steaks” remark was an attempt at politcal humor that fell flat and was a reference to Trump’s failed effort to launch a line of steaks over 15 years ago.

Most important, she did not flub her lines, got on and got off quickly as ordered and landed a couple of attacks on Trump/Vance.

https://www.abqjournal.com/news/lujan-grisham-blasts-trumps-record-on-health-care-in-prime-time-dnc-speech/article_93bfdbde-5f3d-11ef-b413-b708cb16e568.html#1

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s convention speech will go down as one of the most eloquent convention speeches in history.  The speech even had staunch MAGA Trump news commentators pointing out the speech was indeed the highlight of the evening and marveling how it hit all the high notes. It’s no wonder that Democrats early on after President Biden withdrew whished that somehow she would become the nominee of the party.

Governor Lujan Grisham’s speech was short, sweet, it will not be remembered but she did not flub her lines, and she did not embarrass the state, and it can be deemed a success.  There is little doubt the convention speech by Governor Lujan Grisham has raised her national political profile and will contribute to speculation about a possible federal Cabinet post. After President Joe Biden withdrew from the race the governor was among 9 candidates asked to undergo vetting as Harris mulled over her running mate.

While Harris ultimately picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice-presidential nominee, the vetting of Lujan Grisham for vice president solidified the personal connection she has with Vice President Kamala Harris.  Harris also officiated Lujan Grisham’s wedding to Manny Cordova in May 2022, and the Vice President traveled to Albuquerque later that year to drum up support for the governor’s reelection campaign.

WHERE WAS MARTIN, BEN RAY AND GABE?

New Mexico Democrats Senior Senator Martin Heinrich, Senator Ben Ray Lujan and Congressman Gabe Vasquez are all designated delegates, as is Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, to the 2024 National Democratic Convention. Notwithstanding Senators Heinrich, Lujan and Congressman Vasquez are not attending the convention. However, New Mexico US Representatives Melanie Stansbury and Teresa Leger Fernandez are attending the convention and were front and center along with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham during the roll call announcing the State’s convention delegate vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Political pundits have been very quick to point out the absence of Heinrich, Lujan and Vasquez from the convention. Both Heinrich and Vasquez are viewed by some as in tight reelection bids, while Lujan is not.  The national political news outlet  Roll Call offered this explanation for federal candidates distancing themselves from the national party ticket:

At a time of decreased ticket-splitting between the presidential race and congressional races, there’s a bipartisan fear of being coupled with the national party and being subsequently dragged down by the top of the ticket. So party strategists unofficially recommend candidates running in competitive districts stay home and stay away from the conventions. 

Bullish on candidates who are bearish about Chicago attendance – Roll Call

Senior Senator Martin Heinrich’s absence from the National Democratic convention is difficult accept. His failure to show more likely than not offended more than a few within the New Mexico delegation seeing as he is the state’s Senior Senator. He should have been there to lead.  Speculation is Heinrich was offended by not being given time to speak during the national convention because his reelection loss would contribute to the Democrats losing the Senate majority, yet Governor Lujan Grisham was given time, and she is now a lame duck.

Least anyone forgets, it was reported in July that Senior Senator Heinrich, who is up for reelection to a third term, became the third Democratic US Senator to publicly call on President Joe Biden to leave the presidential race. Heinrich said this at the time:

“This moment in our nation’s history calls for a focus that is bigger than any one person. The return of Donald Trump to the White House poses an existential danger to our democracy. We must defeat him in November, and we need a candidate who can do that.  While the decision to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is in the best interests of our country for him to step aside. … By passing the torch, he would secure his legacy as one of our nation’s greatest leaders and allow us to unite behind a candidate who can best defeat Donald Trump and safeguard the future of our democracy.

There is little doubt that Polling conducted by the National Republican Senatorial Committee and GOP nominee Nella Domenici’s campaign showing  her in a margin-of-error race with Heinrich, has made Heinrich skittish to the point he does not even want to show up to the Democratic National Convention to see the nomination of the replacement of the person he help push out of the race. Heinrich’s “call for a focus that is bigger than any one person” reeks of self-preservation.

_______________________________________________________

POSTSCRIPT

Former Fist Lady Michelle Obama’s 2024 DNC speech

“Hello, Chicago! 

Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn’t it? Not just here in this arena, but spreading all across this country we love, a familiar feeling that’s been buried too deep for too long. You know what I’m talking about? It’s the contagious power of hope.

The anticipation, the energy, the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day. The chance to vanquish the demons of fear, division, and hate that have consumed us, and continue pursuing the unfinished promise of this great nation — the dream that our parents and grandparents fought and died and sacrificed for. America, hope is making a comeback.

To be honest, I’m realizing that until recently, I have mourned the dimming of that hope. 

Maybe you’ve experienced the same feelings — a deep pit in my stomach, a palpable sense of dread about the future. 

And for me, that mourning has been mixed with my own personal grief. The last time I was in Chicago was to memorialize my mother —the woman who showed me the meaning of hard work, humility, and decency, who set my moral compass high and showed me the power of my voice. 

I still feel her loss so profoundly. I wasn’t even sure I’d be steady enough to stand before you tonight.  

But my heart compelled me to be here because of the sense of duty I feel to honor her memory, and to remind us all not to squander the sacrifices our elders made to give us a better future. 

You see, my mom, in her steady, quiet way, lived out that striving sense of hope every day of her life. She believed that all children — all people — have value, that anyone can succeed if given the opportunity. 

She and my father didn’t aspire to be wealthy. In fact, they were suspicious of those who took more than they needed. They understood that it wasn’t enough for their kids to thrive if everyone else around us was drowning. So my mother volunteered at the local school, she always looked out for the other kids on our block.  

She was glad to do the thankless, unglamorous work that for generations, has strengthened the fabric of this nation. 

The belief that if you do unto others, if you love thy neighbor, if you work and scrape and sacrifice, it will pay off — if not for you, then maybe for your children or your grandchildren, those values have been passed on through family farms and factory towns, through tree-lined suburbs and crowded tenements, through prayer groups and National Guard units and social studies classrooms. 

Those were the values my mother poured into me until her very last breath.  

Kamala Harris and I built our lives on those same foundational values. Even though our mothers grew up an ocean apart, they shared the same belief in the promise of this country. 

That’s why her mother moved here from India at 19. 

It’s why she taught Kamala about justice, about our obligation to lift others up, about our responsibility to give more than we take. 

She’d often tell her daughter, “Don’t sit around and complain about things — do something!” 

So with that voice in her head, Kamala went out and worked hard in school, graduating from an HBCU, earning her law degree at a state school, and then she went on to work for the people.  

Fighting to hold lawbreakers accountable and strengthen the rule of law, fighting to get folks better wages, cheaper prescription drugs, a good education, decent health care, childcare and elder care. 

From a middle-class household, she worked her way up to become Vice President of the United States of America. 

Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment. 

She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency, and she is one of the most dignified — a tribute to her mother, to my mother, and probably to your mother too, the embodiment of the stories we tell ourselves about this country. 

Her story is your story, it’s my story, it’s the story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life. 

Kamala knows, like we do, that regardless of where you come from, what you look like, who you love, how you worship, or what’s in your bank account, we all deserve the opportunity to build a decent life, all of our contributions deserve to be accepted and valued. 

Because no one has a monopoly on what it means to be an American. No one.

Kamala has shown her allegiance to this nation, not by spewing anger and bitterness, but by living a life of service and always pushing the doors of opportunity open for others.  

She understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward, we will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.  

If we bankrupt a business, or choke in a crisis, we don’t get a second, third, or fourth chance.  

If things don’t go our way, we don’t have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead, we don’t get to change the rules so we always win.  

If we see a mountain in front of us, we don’t expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top. No, we put our heads down. We get to work. In America, we do something. 

And throughout her entire life, that’s exactly what we’ve seen from Kamala Harris: the steel of her spine, the steadiness of her upbringing, the honesty of her example, and yes, the joy of her laughter and her light. 

It couldn’t be more obvious, of the two major candidates in this race, only Kamala Harris truly understands the unseen labor and unwavering commitment that has always made America great.

Unfortunately, we know what comes next, we know folks are going to do everything they can to distort her truth. 

My husband and I, sadly, know a little something about this. 

For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black. 

Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those “Black jobs”?  

It’s his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better. 

You see, gutting our health care, taking away our freedom to control our bodies, the freedom to become a mother through IVF, like I did — those things are not going to improve the health outcomes of our wives, mothers, and daughters.  

Shutting down the Department of Education, banning our books —none of that will prepare our kids for the future. 

Demonizing our children for being who they are and loving who they love — that doesn’t make anybody’s life better. 

Instead, it only makes us small. And let me tell you, going small is never the answer. Going small is the opposite of what we teach our children. Going small is petty, it’s unhealthy, and quite frankly, it’s unpresidential. 

Why would we accept this from anyone seeking our highest office? 

Why would we normalize this type of backward leadership?  

Doing so only demeans and cheapens our politics, it only serves to further discourage good, big-hearted people from wanting to get involved at all. 

America, our parents taught us better than that, and we deserve so much better than that. 

That’s why we must do everything in our power to elect two of those good, big-hearted people. There is no other choice than Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

But as we embrace this renewed sense of hope, let us not forget the despair we have felt, let us not forget what we are up against.

Yes, Kamala and Tim are doing great right now, they’re packing arenas across the country. Folks are energized, we’re feeling good.  

But there are still so many people who are desperate for a different outcome, who are ready to question and criticize every move Kamala makes, who are eager to spread those lies, who don’t want to vote for a woman, who will continue to prioritize building their wealth over ensuring everyone has enough. 

No matter how good we feel tonight or tomorrow or the next day, this is still going to be an uphill battle, so we cannot be our own worst enemies. 

No, the minute something goes wrong, the minute a lie takes hold, we cannot start wringing our hands. We cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right. 

We cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected.

Kamala and Tim have lived amazing lives, I am confident they will lead with compassion, inclusion, and grace. 

But they are still only human. They are not perfect. And like all of us, they will make mistakes. 

But luckily, this is not just on them. No, this is up to us — all of us — to be the solution we seek, it is up to all of us to be the antidote to all the darkness and division.  

I don’t care how you identify politically, whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, independent, or none of the above, this is our time to stand up for what we know in our hearts is right. 

To stand up not just for our basic freedoms but for decency and humanity, for basic respect, dignity, and empathy, for the values at the very foundation of this democracy. 

It’s up to us to remember what Kamala’s mother told her: Don’t just sit around and complain — do something.

So if they lie about her, and they will, we’ve got to do something. 

If we see a bad poll, and we will, we’ve got to put down that phone and do something. If we start feeling tired, if we start feeling that dread creeping back in, we’ve got to pick ourselves up, throw water on our faces, and do something. 

We have only two and a half months to get this done, only 11 weeks to make sure every single person we know is registered and has a voting plan.  

So we cannot afford for anyone to sit on their hands and wait to be called upon, don’t complain if no one from the campaign has specifically reached out to ask for your support, there is simply no time for that kind of foolishness.

You know what we need to do.

 So consider this to be your official ask: Michelle Obama is asking you to do something.

Because this is going to be close. In some states, just a handful of votes in every precinct could decide the winner. 

So we need to vote in numbers that erase any doubt, we need to overwhelm any effort to suppress us. 

Our fate is in our hands. 

In 77 days, we have the power to turn our country away from the fear, division, and smallness of the past. We have the power to marry our hope with our action. We have the power to pay forward the love, sweat, and sacrifice of our mothers and fathers and all those who came before us. 

 We did it before and we sure can do it again. Let us work like our lives depend on it, 

 Let us keep moving our country forward and go higher — yes, higher — than we’ve ever gone before, 

As we elect the next president and vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

And now it is my honor to introduce somebody who knows a whole lot about hope, someone who has spent his life strengthening our democracy. Please welcome America’s 44th president and the love of my life, Barack Obama.”

https://www.today.com/news/politics/michelle-obama-dnc-speech-2024-rcna167519

The link to a related blog article is here:

Key Takeaways From The First Night Of The Democratic National Convention; Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham To Speak In Prime Time Second Night Of Convention Prompting Speculation Of Cabinet Appointment | (petedinelli.com)

On August 20, the national news agency CNN published on the internet the following news article entitled “Takeaways from the first night of the Democratic National Convention”  written by CNN staff reporters Eric Bradner and Gregory Krieg:

”Democrats opened their convention in Chicago on Monday by sending off Joe Biden. And then the president closed the night – which ran significantly behind schedule – with a hand-off to Vice President Kamala Harris.

Biden said choosing Harris as his running mate in 2020 was “the best decision I made my whole career.”

“She’ll be a president our children can look up to. She’d be a president respected by world leaders, because she already is. She’d be a president we can all be proud of. And she’d be a historic president who puts her stamp on America’s future,” Biden said.

His passing of the torch demonstrated the shift for Democrats. The party, which was deeply fractured just last month as pressure mounted on Biden to exit the race, was united Monday night behind Harris – and against her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump.

Democrats attacked the GOP nominee over abortion rights. They highlighted the former president’s legal troubles and questioned his morality. And they argued that his policy beliefs would benefit the wealthy while Harris’ would better serve working people.

“A vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and our children, and our prayers are stronger when we pray together,” said Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, who is also a pastor at the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr. once preached.

The party also emphasized – in personal and historic terms – the potential for Harris to become the first woman to win the presidency.

Hillary Clinton said that though she’d fallen short eight years ago, she wanted her grandchildren and their grandchildren to know she’d been there for Harris when the “glass ceiling” finally shatters.

“This is when we break through,” she said. “The future is here.”

[Following are six major takeaways from the first night of the Democratic National Convention]:

1. BIDEN TAKES A BOW

“A month ago, they were clamoring for him to go. But on Monday night, Democrats in Chicago were singing – and chanting – a different tune. One of gratitude for his decades of public service, personal kindness and, less comfortably, for passing the baton to Harris.

Biden in his own speech, which only began after a four-minute ovation, delivered a spirited message of support for Harris and running mate Walz, before dedicating his remarks to familiar yet scathing criticism of Trump and a detailed recollection of his administration’s legislative achievements.

He began by recalling the angst that gripped the country in 2020, as he campaigned during a global pandemic and national racial reckoning.

He then began a valedictory wave, weaving in jabs at Trump and, in true Biden fashion, an assortment of aphorisms about the value of good government and the scourge of greed, guns, disease and authoritarianism.

“Because of you – and I’m not exaggerating – because of you, we’ve had one of the most extraordinary four years of progress ever, period,” Biden said. “When I say we, I mean Kamala and me.”

And when the president flagged, or stumbled over a phrase, the audience willed him through. The anxiety and gripes of the spring and early summer, in the wake of his ultimately campaign-dooming debate with Trump, were gone. Democrats once again had a chance to enjoy Joe being Joe.

“I love my job,” Biden said at one point, “but I love my country more.” It was the closest he came to explaining why he chose, in the end, to give up his own campaign.”

2. HILLARY CLINTON: “THE FUTURE IS HERE”

“Eight years after Clinton made history as the first woman to be a major party’s presidential nominee, she was back at the Democratic National Convention, urging Americans to finally break the “glass ceiling.”

She said Americans who backed her in 2016 had “voted for a future where there are no ceilings on our dreams.”

And after her loss, “we refused to give up on America. Millions marched. Many ran for office. We kept our eyes on the future,” Clinton said. “Well, my friends, the future is here.”

“I wish my mother and Kamala’s mother could see us. They would say, ‘Keep going,’” Clinton said. She invoked Shirley Chisholm, the first woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination, and Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman nominated for vice president. “Shirley and Geri would say, ‘Keep going,’” Clinton said, as the crowd echoed her with chants of “Keep going!”

She also connected her own life – and her loss, and legacy – with Harris’ hopes in November.

Clinton said she’d put many cracks in the “highest, hardest glass ceiling,” and now Harris is “so close to breaking through once and for all.”

“When a barrier falls for one of us, it falls – it falls and clears the way for all of us,” Clinton said. “I want my grandchildren and their grandchildren to know I was here at this moment, that we were here, and that we were with Kamala Harris every step of the way. This is our time, America. This is when we stand up. This is when we break through. The future is here. It’s in our grasp. Let’s go win it.”

3. CLINTON ON TRUMP’S ATTACKS: “SOUNDS FAMILIAR”

“Though Clinton’s speech was largely an affirmative case for Harris, she seemed to revel in taking a few shots at her 2016 rival.

Referring to Trump’s convictions in New York, she said that the former president “made his own kind of history: the first person to run for president with 34 felony convictions.”

The crowd responded with chants of “Lock him up!” – Democrats’ spin on the “Lock her up” chants about Clinton that were omnipresent at Trump’s 2016 campaign rallies.

Clinton paused and smiled.

Later, she said it was “no surprise, is it, that (Trump) is lying about Kamala’s record. He’s mocking her name and her laugh.”

“Sounds familiar,” Clinton deadpanned.

“But we have him on the run now,” she said. “So no matter what the polls say, we can’t let up. We can’t get driven down crazy conspiracy rabbit holes. We have to fight for the truth. We have to fight for Kamala as she will fight for us.”

4.  A FOCUS ON ABORTION RIGHTS

 “Among the most poignant moments of the convention’s first night came as Democrats lambasted Trump for appointing conservative Supreme Court justices helped undo Roe v. Wade’s protections for abortion rights – resulting in a state-by-state patchwork of reproductive rights laws.

Amanda Żurawski, a Texas woman who underwent life-threatening pregnancy complications but couldn’t have an abortion in the deep-red state, said Americans “need to vote as if lives depend on it, because they do.”

Kaitlyn Joshua, a Louisiana woman who was denied health care after a miscarriage in another state with a near-total abortion ban, said that “no woman should experience what I endured, but too many have.”

Hadley Duvall, who was raped by her stepfather and became pregnant when she was 12, said she “can’t imagine not having a choice.”

“But today, that’s the reality for many women and girls across the country, because of Donald Trump’s abortion bans,” Duvall said.

Support for abortion rights has been Democrats’ most potent issue at the ballot box since Roe v. Wade’s reversal two years ago.

Duvall’s story was featured last year in a powerful ad by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat who won reelection in one of the nation’s most heavily Republican states in large part by emphasizing his support for abortion rights.

“Donald Trump brags about tearing a constitutional right away from Hadley and every other woman and girl in our country,” Beshear said Monday night. “That’s why we must tear away any chance he can ever be president ever again.”

5. DEMOCRATS DOWNPLAY WAR IN GAZA

 “There are few issues that have divided Democrats – by age, by ideology, sometimes by identity – than Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.

Not that you would have known it from watching Monday night.

Earlier in the day, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to a “bridging proposal” that could lead to a ceasefire. The next step in the negotiations, Blinken said, “is for Hamas to say yes.”

In Chicago, it was Biden who spoke at the greatest length about Israel and Gaza, striking a sympathetic chord for all involved, from Israelis killed by Hamas on October 7, 2023, to civilians in Gaza now.

“Those protesters out in the street, they have a point,” Biden said. “A lot of innocent people are being killed, on both sides.”

Biden’s remarks capped a day in which anti-war protesters filled the streets outside the convention; ceasefire advocates from the Uncommitted National Movement, so far unsuccessful in wresting a speaking slot from convention organizers, held a sanctioned panel about the issue earlier in the day; and activists in the hall unfurled a banner demanding the US government “STOP ARMING ISRAEL.”

But for most of the speakers in prime time, the conflict in Gaza barely warranted a mention. Pro-Palestinian voices were absent, as were, in large part, mentions of support for Israel or condemnations of the antisemitism that has arisen during some protests. It is, quite clearly and unsurprisingly, an issue Democrats see little electoral upside in highlighting.

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive lawmaker most likely to address the matter, largely kept on message during her remarks, only veering into talk of Gaza to cheer Harris’ work to end the fighting.

“She is working tirelessly to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and bringing hostages home,” Ocasio-Cortez said to loud cheers.”

6. SPOTLIGHT ON PROJECT 2025

 “Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow stepped onstage Monday night with a large prop: a book containing the conservative Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025” agenda, so big that it barely fit on the podium.

The moment reflected how eager Democrats are to tie Trump to what McMorrow called “a Republican blueprint for a second Trump term.”

Though the former president has disavowed it, Democrats have framed Project 2025, a 900-page playbook for a second Trump term drafted in part by six of his former Cabinet secretaries and at least 140 people who worked in his administration, as the former president’s agenda.

“Whatever you think it might be, it’s so much worse,” said the 37-year-old McMorrow, who shot to stardom after a viral 2022 speech pushing back against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric from a Republican colleague.

She highlighted one portion of the agenda that would give the White House more control of nonpolitical government jobs. Another, she said, would allow Trump to weaponize the Justice Department and “turn the FBI into his own personal police force.”

“That is not how it works in America,” she said. “That’s how it works in dictatorships. And that’s exactly what Donald Trump and his MAGA minions have in mind: an expansion of presidential powers like no president has ever had or should ever have.”

McMorrow left the stage with a pledge that the book would return Tuesday night, with an emphasis on what the Project 2025 agenda would mean for “your pocketbook.”

The link to the unedited CNN report with accompanying photos is here:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/20/politics/takeaways-dnc-day-1/index.html

GOVERNOR MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM TO SPEAK IN PRIME TIME SECOND NIGHT OF CONVENTION

A spokesperson for Governor  Michelle Lujan Grisham has confirmed that she will deliver a prime-time speech focused on health care issues at the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in downtown Chicago on Tuesday evening, August 20. Governor  Lujan Grisham will join a select group of high-profile Democrats including former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama in delivering speeches.  The governor’s speech is expected to take place sometime around 6 p.m. Mountain Standard time although the exact timing is not certain.

Lujan Grisham’s remarks have initially billed as focus on health care. However, abortions rights are expected to big a big part of the speech. As governor, Lujan Grisham has staunchly advocated for abortion rights, including signing a 2021 bill that overturned a long-dormant state abortion ban. Recently, the governor’s administration has launched a campaign seeking to recruit Texas doctors and nurses to New Mexico, as the state has struggled with a chronic health care provider shortage.

Governor Lujan Grisham was among 9 candidates who were asked to undergo vetting as Vice President Kamala Harris began the process of selecting a running mate.  While Harris ultimately picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential nominee, the Lujan Grisham’s vetting showed connections between Lujan Grisham and  Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris officiated Lujan Grisham’s wedding to Manny Cordova in May 2022, and she traveled to Albuquerque later that year to drum up support for the governor’s reelection campaign.

In addition to the governor’s prime-time speech, Lujan Grisham is also expected to take part in a panel discussion with actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus and the nation’s seven other female Democratic governors on Wednesday, August 21 at the DNC.

A spokeswoman for the governor said that the Governor’s political campaign committee, New Mexicans for Michelle, will pay for the travel costs of the governor and her staff.

The link to relied upon and quoted news source material is here:

https://www.abqjournal.com/news/governor-to-speak-about-health-care-issues-in-prime-time-dnc-slot/article_910e4852-5e44-11ef-ba1f-1f70de813988.html

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/harris-vetted-lujan-grisham-for-vp-slot/article_c3e63f80-5405-11ef-82b3-b747ee07e547.html

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

There is little doubt that the first night of the Democratic National Convention was a success. The only glitch was the fact that President Biden’s speech occurred late in the evening. Notwithstanding, he delivered a very powerful and effective speech highlighting his accomplishments as President and successfully passing off the torch to a new and younger generation of Democrat to take this nation into the future. One notable and emotional  remark that  summarized the span of his politcal career was when he said that he began his political career he was not old enough to be sworn in as a U.S. Senator, at age29,  and he is now too old to be President at age 82.

As for Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham being given a prime-time spot to speak at the convention, it has already begun speculation that she will be tapped to serve as a cabinet secretary should Kamala Harris win the Presidency. When President Biden was elected 4 years ago, it was common knowledge that Lujan Grisham was under consideration for a cabinet position but a cabinet appointment went to Debra Haaland as Interior Secretary. Lujan Grisham is now a second term Governor and a lame duck who has a deteriorating relationship with the New Mexico Legislature. Given her close personal ties with Vice President Kamala Harris, watch the Governor say goodbye to New Mexico. If that in fact happens, Lt.  Governor Howie Morales would become Governor and serve out the remaining 2 years of Governor Lujan Grisham’s second term and he would likely run for Governor in 2026.