New Mexico First

Citizens Create Questions for Congressional Candidates

New Mexicans take part in first-of-its-kind political debates

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, December 1, 2008-- Building on the 2006 election project, and in an effort to bring out more citizens’ voices, New Mexico First recently completed three special Town Hall debates to highlight policy issues important to residents in each of the congressional districts in New Mexico. In cooperation with New Mexico Public Broadcasters, the half-day forums concluded in live, statewide televised deliberations with the candidates. These forums mark the first time in New Mexico’s history that public television has collaborated to provide statewide television and radio coverage. Candidates from each congressional district participated, resulting in 100% compliance from the 2008 contenders. 

The events, held October 9, 14 and 23 throughout the state, enabled citizens to develop a slate of questions for the candidates in their districts. Between 20 and 30 people attended each forum, including a roughly equal mix of candidate supporters and undecided voters.  To encourage interest and generate citizen awareness, a comprehensive outreach campaign was employed. Applicants were notified of the events via mass email invitation, targeted radio public service announcements, newspaper advertisements, posted flyers, and direct telephone solicitation. In order to address candidate concerns that the town hall participants be politically balanced, each applicant was screened by Research & Polling, Inc., one of the southwest's largest public opinion research companies. To ensure audience diversity, screeners classified by gender, ethnicity, age, political association, and candidate affiliation. While New Mexico First made no claims about the group being statistically representative of the state or district, the screening enabled us to ensure a mix of people including Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and undecided.   

Participants were charged with the task of encouraging healthy dialogue that would generate useful, issue-based information for New Mexico voters. To that end, ground rules required that questions be answerable by both campaigns, and that they be considered fair and unbiased by supporters of all candidates.

By the end of the day the participants had developed between 50 and 70 questions for the candidates, on issues including healthcare, education, Iraq, energy, and the economy. Between 8 and 12 questions were asked of the candidates in each forum, and were posed by selected town hall constituents who also made up the live TV audience. The candidates were seated next to each other in a round-table format, and discussions were moderated by a local veteran news commentator. The full slate of questions devised in each town hall were released to the media and directly to the campaigns, and are attached at the end of this report. They were submitted for consideration in subsequent commercial television debates, and candidates have been encouraged to address the questions on-line or in upcoming media interviews.

As noted earlier, the events were telecast throughout the state on public television and radio, and the Oct 9 deliberation was also picked up by C-SPAN. New Mexico state media are listed below :

TELEVISION

KRWG-TV Channel 2 (southern NM)
KENW-TV Channel 3 (eastern NM)
KNME-TV Channel 5 (central and northern NM)
C-SPAN (CD2 forum only)

RADIO

KRWG-FM 90.7 (southern NM)
KENW-FM
89.5 (Portales)
93.5 (Clayton)
91.7 (Ft. Sumner)
91.1 (Roswell)
91.3 (Ruidoso)
92.1 (Wagon Mound)
104.5 (Tucumcari)
88.3 (Conchas)
98.7 (Maljamar)
KUNM-FM 89.9 (Albuquerque, Santa Fe)
88.7 (Socorro)
90.9 (Arroyo Seco – Taos)
91.9 (Las Vegas)
91.9 (Española)
91.9 (Nageezi)
91.1 (Eagle Nest)
91.1 (Cuba)
KANW-FM 89.1 (central and northern NM)
KMIN-AM 980 (Cibola county)

New Mexico First Congressional District / ALBUQUERQUE TOWN HALL QUESTIONS

Topic 1:  Education / Early Childhood / Higher Education

  1. What is your position on the role of the Federal Government in education versus the role of the State?
  2. What do you think constitutes an ideal educational system?
  3. What policies or programs would you support that would enhance the quality of education for New Mexico students?
  4. What policies or funding could the Federal Government put in place that could attract and retain more people to the teaching profession in New Mexico?
  5. How would you improve teacher education in New Mexico?
  6. How would you address the achievement gap between minority students and ‘anglo’ students in New Mexico?
  7. How would you address the achievement gap between New Mexico students and students in other states and countries?
  8. Given that NCLB is up for reauthorization, who would you consult and what would your recommendations be?
  9. Given NM’s teacher shortage, what would you do to attract and retain qualified teachers?
  10. What will you do to ensure that NM students can compete in a global economy?
  11. What will you do to ensure that adequate funding is allocated for education and that it gets to the classroom and where will the funding come from?
  12. What will you do to reduce the cost of higher education, reduce interest rates for student loans and increase grants and scholarships?

Topic 2:  Healthcare Access

  1. What would do to ensure that individual healthcare needs are prioritized over insurance or pharmaceutical industry needs?
  2. What is your position on allowing small business groups or association health plans to negotiate healthcare costs nationally, like big business, unions and government do now?
  3. How do you define healthcare accessibility and what would you do to ensure accessible healthcare?
  4. What is the role of Federal Government in Health Care?
  5. What could you do to insure that every community in New Mexico, large and small, has access to quality and affordable healthcare?
  6. Do you see healthcare as a right; and if so, why or why not?
  7. How will you work to decrease the cost of healthcare while maintaining quality and access?
  8. What steps would you take to insure we have sufficient healthcare professionals in our State?
  9. How can you help the public become more knowledgeable about the reality of the financial condition of our healthcare entitlement programs?
  10. How would you propose to address the needs and cost of citizens with pre-existing conditions?

Topic 3: Energy & Environment: New Energy, Fuel Economy (role of USA as superpower) nuclear energy, LABS, global warming

  1. What role do you see NM playing in national energy policy?
  2. How will you work to bring the public and private sector together to develop new clean energy
  3. What will you do to create new clean energy jobs in NM
  4. What can you do to bring bipartisan cooperation between the legislature and executive branches regarding energy policies?
  5. Given current economic conditions, how can we fund clean energy?
  6. What should the government’s role be in providing more funding and incentives for R & D and commercialization for alternative fuels and technology?
  7. What would you do to reduce legal obstacles for connecting energy sources to the transmission grid?
  8. What is your position on the US signing on to an international climate change agreement?
  9. How do you view energy as an opportunity to create jobs for New Mexicans?
  10. What position, if any, should the federal government take in promoting further development and research of nuclear energy?

Topic 4: Economy

  1. What is your position on tax increases or cuts in this time of economic (crisis / instability) – and who would be affected by these increases or cuts?
  2. With all the warning signs along the way (Enron), how do we prevent this from happening again- What are solutions from preventing keeping this from happening again?
  3. How do we help small and medium size businesses survive and grow in these difficult economic circumstances?
  4. What role should the fed government play in regard to the outsourcing of jobs?
  5. What is your position on the Fed Government role in recovering from this current economic downturn?
  6. What steps would you take to ensure that the bailout meet its objectives?
  7. How would you establish a more equitable trade balance with our foreign trade partners to increase exports and reduce imports?
  8. What economic steps should be taken to improve the lives and opportunities of all New Mexicans?
  9. As a freshman congressman how would you lead government toward fiscal responsibility and a balanced budget?
  10. What is your position on early childhood education as an investment for the future economy of New Mexico and the US?
  11. What is your position on the US transitioning from carbon based economy to a world leader in alternative fuel and technology?
  12. What is your position on the current income tax system and what changes would you support?
  13. What changes, if any, would you make to the alternative minimum tax to ensure revenue neutrality?

Topic 5: Open

  1. How would you discourage and /or prevent proliferation of nuclear and other WMD weapons around the world?
  2. What do you think the Federal governments’ role should be in this current global environmental and economic crisis?
  3. What is your position on the role of the US in cooperating with other nations to solve worldwide problems?
  4. What can everyday citizens do to help our communities and our nation / how do we leverage government with citizen involvement?
  5. With all the issues facing our country right now, what will be your top priority when you get to Washington?
  6. If you don’t have a clear mandate in the election (50 / 50 election), how will you lead from the middle (non-polarized)?
  7. If elected what is the most important thing you want to accomplish and what is your plan how are you going to implement it?
  8. What is your position on securing our borders?
  9. What is your position on applying the fairness doctrine to all media?
  10. What is your position on reforming federal immigration policy?

New Mexico Second Congressional District / LAS CRUCES TOWN HALL QUESTIONS

Topic 1: National Defense/Foreign Policy 

  1. What specific ways can our federal government learn from our past experiences to better solve nuclear proliferation and terrorism?
  2. Where do you feel the primary front of the war on terror is, or should be, and how do you feel we should address it?
  3. When should we get involved in military confrontations, and when should we not?
  4. How do you feel about existing foreign aid policies?
  5. Please explain your position on how long troops should remain in Iraq.
  6. If you had free range, what would you do differently when it comes to our nation’s foreign policy?
  7. What would be your priorities in foreign policy?
  8. What would you do to support our military installations here in southern New Mexico?
  9. In light of today’s economy, what priority would you place on the future defense budget?
  10. When there are attacks against U.S. citizens abroad how should we react?
  11. How important do you feel that installations, particularly Guantanamo Bay, are to our national defense?
  12. What would be your position if Iran developed nuclear weapons?
  13. How might our nation interact with Iran to prevent their desire to develop nuclear weapons?
  14. How can we interact with other countries to help stop nuclear proliferation?
  15. What steps would you take to prevent other countries from developing nuclear weapons and disarming countries that currently have nuclear weapons? 
  16. What steps could we take to help the United Nations promote world peace?

Topic 2: Workforce/Poverty/Economy

  1. What role should the federal government play in aiding workforce development and poverty reduction in southern New Mexico?
  2.  As successful businessmen, what are some of the economic principles, ideas and policies that you will take from your businesses and implement in Congress?
  3. What specific measures or steps are needed to stabilize and grow our economy?
  4. What federal spending do you feel should be cut in light of the deficit and financial crisis?
  5. To what extent should the federal government regulate CEO compensation packages?
  6. What is your position regarding the bailout of banks and other financial institutions?
  7. What can be done to address the needs of those New Mexicans below the poverty level?  
  8. How could you help the three most vulnerable groups: children, the working poor and senior citizens?
  9. Today the Secretary of the Treasury announced loans to banks, in exchange for equity positions in those banks; how do you feel that policy would help solve the financial crisis? 
  10. How would you help in attracting higher paying jobs to New Mexico?  How do you rank Spaceport America in this regard?
  11. In your opinion, how has illegal immigration affected the economy in New Mexico? 
  12. How can the public airwaves be used to educate the public about those things that are important, like our economy?
  13. How could we make the political system more affordable to the average citizen to run for elected office?

Topic 3: Healthcare Questions

  1. What is your position on including all Americans on the same healthcare system that Congress is on?
  2. What is your position on Medicare Part D program which does not allow price negotiations with pharmaceutical companies and how might you change it?
  3. What is your view on SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) and do you feel the program should be expanded?
  4. In light of recent publicized shortcomings of our VA hospitals, what proposals if any, would you make to improve veterans healthcare?
  5. Please explain your position on the current free market healthcare system, and is it an appropriate role for government to ensure healthcare availability to everyone?
  6. As Congressman, how would you guarantee those with chronic illness would have affordable healthcare?
  7. What are your ideas for improving the healthcare system to address rising costs and lack of healthcare coverage and insurance?
  8. How would you attract physicians to the state of New Mexico?
  9. How would you increase the number of individuals covered by health insurance in the state?
  10. How could you as a congressman help citizens in rural areas get adequate access/ transportation to treatment?
  11. How would you make healthcare insurance available to all children in New Mexico? 
  12. What would be your position in putting a higher priority on prevention vs. treatment of illness? 
  13. Who should pay for healthcare in New Mexico, employers, state government, federal government, or individuals?
  14. What is your position regarding stem cell research and other new developments and why?
  15. What is your position on the recent cutbacks on Medicare and Medicaid coverage?
  16. What is your position on universal healthcare?

Topic 4: Energy/Environment

  1. What proposals do you have to keep energy prices at affordable levels so the economy can continue to function?
  2. How would you encourage renewable energy development to create jobs in southern New Mexico?
  3. As a Congressman, how would you vote on domestic drilling in southeastern New Mexico knowing that your vote could very easily eliminate or create New Mexico jobs?
  4. What is your position on drilling for oil or gas on the Otero Mesa?
  5. What are your plans to reduce oil dependency and what are your specific alternate energy sources?
  6. What is your position on drilling on the Otero Mesa?
  7. What is your position on drilling on ANWR?
  8. What is your position on expanding exploration for new sources of fossil fuels within the U.S.?
  9. What are the best alternatives for New Mexico in developing alternative sources of energy?
  10. What is your position on providing incentives (earmarks) for companies to explore and develop alternative technologies for energy?
  11. What is your position on nuclear energy?
  12. Some people are concerned about the environmental impact of the border fence project, what is your opinion about that?  
  13. In light of our dependence on fossil fuels and concerns about global warming, would you discuss your position on developing alternative sources of energy?  
  14. What is your position on cyclical climate change as opposed to man-made global warming?
  15. What are your ideas for increasing our energy resources and lowering the cost?
  16. What is your position on the use of taxes or tax incentives for companies and individuals to be more energy efficient?
  17. How can we influence countries like China to be more environmentally sound?

Topic 5: Open Topic

  1. What would be your policy regarding goods and people moving freely across our borders?
  2. What would you do to reduce the influence of big money interests on Washington?
  3. What role should the federal government play in enabling access to high speed internet for all New Mexicans?
  4. What is your view on the current tax structure?  If elected, would you propose any changes?
  5. How would you ensure fairness to all taxpayers?
  6. Senior citizens often must choose to buy food or gasoline or to heat and cool their homes.  How could you work to provide additional nutritional assistance federally?
  7. What is your position on providing healthcare and education benefits to illegal immigrants?
  8. What are your concerns about illegal immigration and its effects on the United States?
  9. What is your position regarding No Child Left Behind?
  10. How would you promote early childhood education? 
  11. How can we focus better on providing education and healthcare for our young children?
  12. How can we make college more affordable for a greater number of students?

New Mexico Third Congressional District / RIO RANCHO TOWN HALL QUESTIONS

Topic 1: Healthcare

  1. How would you address the shortage of healthcare providers in our state? (including physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, dentists, facilities)
  2. With respect to healthcare, what is your understanding of price elasticities of healthcare?
  3. What kind of system would you suggest for allowing veteran’s choice?
  4. Do you support a veteran’s right to go to any hospital in the country?
  5. What is your position on the legislation before congress on fully funding the VA system for physical and mental health?
  6. What can you suggest to modify the healthcare delivery system that would address its shortcomings (cost, access, patient directed care, and indigent care) today?
  7. What is your position regarding who provides payment for healthcare?  (Government, government guarantee for private providers, for-profit insurance companies)
  8. What role should insurance companies have in making medical decisions?
  9. How would you address rural and tribal healthcare needs in your district?
  10. How would you contain healthcare costs and improve quality?
  11. What can we learn from the healthcare delivery systems of other major industrial nations?
  12. What would you do to promote prevention and wellness in our healthcare system?
  13. What is your position on the possibility of renegotiating the current medicare pharmaceutical plan?

Topic 2: Economy

  1. How would you address our national debt?
  2. How would you address our economic challenges in our district?
  3. How do you define a living wage, and should the federal government be involved in setting it?
  4. How do you feel about multinational agreements such as NAFTA?
  5. What reforms should be made to Social Security to insure that it is viable for future generations?
  6. What is your position on a separate stimulus package, including the extension of unemployment, extension of credit to small businesses?
  7. How would you balance debt and monetary policies to maintain low inflation?
  8. What specifically would you do to improve the economic health of the middle class?
  9. Given the debt and financial pressures the nation is facing, what spending issues would you put aside or at a lower priority?
  10. What would you do to make government more efficient, including force reduction, customer focus, and better delivery of services?
  11. Explain how you would have our nation become a leader in developing renewable energy resources?
  12. With the foreclosure crisis, what are your plans to address the expansion of affordable, accessible rental housing, and/or keep people in their homes?
  13. Recently Nobel prize winning economist Joseph Steieglitz estimated the cost of the war in Iraq & Afghanistan to be $3 trillion. How does this affect your priorities in dealing with US economic problems?

Topic 3: Education

  1. What changes should be made to No Child Left Behind and it’s funding?  Do you support it? Why/why not?
  2. How would you attract and retain the best and brightest to enter the teaching profession? 
  3. What can the Federal Government do to address the educational inequality of rich and poor school districts nationwide?
  4. What is the Fed Government’s role in delivering K-12 education in the United States?
  5. What should be done to increase the number of students who major in science and math?
  6. How can we ensure that vocational technical education is provided to students who can benefit from them?
  7. Please explain whether or not you would agree to penalize higher education institutions who continue to increase tuition?
  8. Do you support plans like loan forgiveness or service for new teachers or what other plans do you have to bring in new teachers? 
  9. What is your position on parental choice options such as public school choice, charter schools, and/or vouchers?
  10. What would you do to provide sufficient funding for small schools in the 3rd District so they can provide quality education?
  11. How much emphasis should the Federal Government have on the state’s right to educate students?
  12. What is your opinion about involving parental responsibility for student behavior?
  13. What is your opinion regarding the Federal Government’s role for providing funds for school districts with high numbers of non-English speaking students?

Topic 4: Energy

  1. How would you promote incentives for US companies to create renewable energy resources?
  2. How would you diversify NM’s economy to reduce our dependence on oil and gas revenues?
  3. What are your thoughts about protecting the overall US economy and NM economy from the uncontrolled high cost of energy?
  4. What will you do to help ensure that emerging energy technology is commercialized in a way to create jobs for New Mexicans?
  5. Discuss the linkages between our dependence on foreign oil, our national security and our economy?
  6. How would you change the current energy transmission grid to accommodate renewable energy generation?
  7. Most agree that “all of the above” are needed, but what energy sources will you focus on and support?
  8. When the auto companies ask for their bailouts, precisely how will you get them to move faster to greater fuel efficiency?
  9. Given our dependence on foreign energy sources, what foreign policy changes would you make to ensure that those resources will be there for us?
  10. With high energy costs and environmental issues, what are your plans to support and expand public transportation – nationally & locally?
  11. What will you do to prevent our potable water resources from being used in energy generation?
  12. To what extent would you support nuclear power for the country and New Mexico?
  13. The state of Texas drilled in Dona Ana County. How can we preserve the water in the Ute water basin and keep what belongs to us?
  14. What are your thoughts on offshore drilling and drilling in ANWR province?
  15. To what extent do you support the production of domestic oil and gas, particularly in New Mexico?
  16. What would you do to reduce our reliance on energy sources that produce pollutants that cause global warming and global dimming?
  17. What is your opinion on tribal sovereignty to generate power? (45% coal, 65% uranium are on tribal lands in US?