Bush, Kerry Trade Jabs, Rally Supporters in New Mexico
By Barry Massey
The Associated Press
SANTA FE — President Bush and Sen. John Kerry traded jabs from across New Mexico while rallying supporters Monday in their respective strongholds of this evenly divided battleground state.
In Santa Fe, Kerry drew cheers and a standing ovation for his criticism of Bush's energy policies. He said higher gas prices mean higher profits for "this president's friends in the oil industry."
"For most middle-class Americans, the Bush gas tax increase is a tax increase that they can't afford," Kerry said in a speech at a packed convention center.
Democrats hold a more than 3-to-1 advantage in registration in Santa Fe and Kerry should easily carry the community and most of northern New Mexico in the general election.
Three hundred miles away in Hobbs, an oil and natural gas producing center that traditionally votes Republican in statewide elections, Bush accused Kerry of a "shift in the wind" on an administration-backed forest law.
Legislation signed by Bush last year makes it easier for timber companies to cut wood from national forests. Bush contends that thinning forests will help prevent wildfires that hit New Mexico and other Western states nearly every summer.
"My opponent was against it. Now, he says he likes parts of the law," Bush said. "I guess it's not only the wildfires that shift in the wind."
Kerry favors thinning parts of forests that pose the most immediate fire threat to communities and criticizes Bush's broader approach as a boon to timber companies.
Bush was accompanied by daughter Jenna Bush as well as George P. Bush, the president's nephew who often helps the campaign court Hispanic voters.
Hispanics account for 42 percent of New Mexico's population — the highest percentage of any state. Hispanics — traditionally a reliable Democratic-voting constituency — represent 36 percent of the population of Hobbs, according to the 2000 Census, and 44 percent in Santa Fe.
In Hobbs, police estimated 15,000 turned out for Bush's appearance. A car lot along the presidential motorcade route had the flashers on its cars blinking in welcome and the event was expanded to accommodate all those who wanted to come.
In Santa Fe, 1,000 tickets were handed out for people to attend Kerry's speech. Outside the convention center, about two dozen protesters stood across the street in a steady rain, waving placards and shouting, "Four more years!" People lined up to get into the rally responded, "Four more months!"
One Kerry supporter, John Murphey of Santa Fe, said he was worried that Bush's "neo-conservative vision" on foreign policy would lead to years of conflict in the Middle East and more terrorism.
Another supporter, Katie Busch of Santa Fe, said, "He's (Bush) made the world more dangerous. The atomic clock is closer to midnight," she said.
But one of the anti-Kerry demonstrators, Virginia Taylor, also of Santa Fe, praised the president for his resolve.
"He is everything Kerry isn't. Kerry flip flops. Bush, he is real steady in what he believes," she said, holding a U.S. flag.
The visits come amid a flurry of campaign activity in the state this week, kicked off late Sunday by a Kerry rally in Albuquerque.
New Mexico is considered a swing state that's being aggressively courted by both men. Bush lost the state's five electoral votes four years ago by 366 votes to Vice President Al Gore.
In his Santa Fe speech, Kerry said Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories would play a critical role in developing energy technology to help the nation reduce its dependence on foreign oil. Kerry pledged support for expanding renewable energy sources and noted there was a wind-powered electric generating farm in eastern New Mexico.
Although Kerry was critical of high energy costs, he did not mention that state government has enjoyed a revenue windfall from rising oil and natural gas prices.
Largely because of higher-than-expected revenues from taxes and royalties on oil and gas production, the Legislature and Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson have been able to balance the state's budget while cutting income taxes and increasing spending on education and other programs.
First lady Laura Bush will be in Las Cruces Tuesday afternoon as part of a Republican tour of the Southwest. Ralph Nader, who is running as an independent in New Mexico, will visit the University of New Mexico where he will deliver a rebuttal to the final presidential debate Wednesday night.
Associated Press Writers Mary Dalrymple in Santa Fe and Heather Clark in Albuquerque contributed to this report.
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