Last week Chair Shreddin’ Sam Bregman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico made light of his fight with fiscally responsible members of his own party– namely veteran Senator John Arthur Smith.
Democrat chair attacks his own party
The rift went public when chair Sam Bregman called a press conference and attacked Sen. Smith. Bregman warned Smith to shape up and vote as Bregman wants or change his party affiliation.
Senate Majority Leader defends fellow-Democrats
In defense of his fellow-Democrat, Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez spoke on the Senate floor this past week berating Bregman for going after his own party members. He also called out Bregman’s attack-dog Joe “Ho Jo” Monahan saying he knew a certain blogger would be blogging about him and criticizing his statements. Sanchez’ message to Monahan– run for office and see how tough it can be in Santa Fe. (See my blogpost here.)
Monahan lashes back
Sen. Sanchez predicted correctly– Monahan’s attack-dog lashed out and ranted in response to Sanchez’ comments:
And, Mr. Leader, if you in the Senate are “family” why is one member of that family allowed to prevent all other family members from voting on the early childhood amendment?
Senator Sanchez, you are not defending the “family” or the Senate as an institution, you are defending one man’s dictatorship and his “right” to block all of you from voting. In turn, he is voting to keep you as majority leader.
The supreme irony is that Senator Sanchez is the chief sponsor of the childhood amendment that Smith is determined to kill…
There is, as Senator Sanchez states, a “family” involved here, but he misidentifies it as the comfortably affluent 42 members of the state Senate.
(Monahan’s rant as reposted on the DPNM website is available here.)
What made the tie-in all the clearer was that the Democratic Party of New Mexico actually reposted Monahan’s rant. The Democratic Party of New Mexico is using Monahan as a tool to go after their independent thinking members who are willing to reach across the aisle to get things done.
What is Bregman’s response?
Chairman Sam Bregman has fed this fight, and now he uses another media tool of his, Milan Simonich to ensure everyone watching that the fight is actually good for the party:
Bregman said — and continues to say — that Democratic Sen. John Arthur Smith should become a Republican because he acts like one.
Smith, of Deming, chairs the Senate Finance Committee, where last year he blocked a vote on an initiative to increase funding for early childhood education.
Smith opposes dipping into the state’s $12 billion land-grant endowment to pay for the program.
Nothing is wrong with that, Bregman said. But the fact that Smith stopped other senators from voting on the bill rankled Bregman.
He says Smith is a Democrat in name only, and that he ought to bolt the party.
In an interview Saturday, Bregman said Democrats who had contacted him overwhelmingly supported his stand against Smith.
“People are happy somebody spoke up. It has energized the grass roots of the Democratic Party of New Mexico,” Bregman said.
In addition to rank-and-file party members, Bregman said, more than a dozen Democrats in the state Legislature had called to say they appreciated his rebuke of Smith’s tactics.
Shreddin’ Sam says infighting is good for the party– he started the fight and he’s still feeding it. Can there be any doubt that Shreddin’ Sam relies on his media operatives?
Not a lot of unity coming from the Democrats. Why would anyone want to be part of a political party that has bullies for leaders?!
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Political Fireball 