6-22-2023 7:54pm

Commentary Special Series Democratic In-Fighting the Republican Alliance with Moms of Liberty in Otero County, New Mexico.

Chris Edwards Editor

It's the beginning of a long hot summer and soon the election cycle for municipal and county offices will kick into full gear. Does either party really respect the will of the average voter in Otero County New Mexico? Does either party really put local well-paying jobs creation, local public safety, control over blight, healthcare access and affordability, quality education from elementary to collegiate level and roads, sidewalks and infrastructure as a priority? Really in their daily actions and their rhetoric on social media and in person?

The Democrats of Otero County, a local party machine, most view as absolutely irrelevant; due to a lack of wins in Otero County, New Mexico, and COMPLETELY out of touch with the mainstream. This local chapter has been embroiled in constant internal conflict, and a campaign of vengeance, a purge of sanctions and reprisals, with the candidate screening committee chair making "personal posts" but referencing DPOC that read such collaborative and community building posts as, "another one bites the dust."

This Otero County Democratic infighting, abuse of power and lack of real leadership has got the attention of state Democratic party leadership. (More on that in tomorrow's focus on the Democrats of Otero County infighting, social media outburst and the multiple police calls to "headquarters" resulting in state level involvement to "reel in the drama and to re-focus on winning elections".)

The Republican Party of Otero County under with the departure of Couy Griffin and the methodical voting of Amy Barela on sensitive issues such as her approach to garner broadband access, has shown a calmer, more approachable and amendable style of leadership,of recent.

That is with a few exceptions, such as the invitation on 6-22-23 by the Republican Party of Otero County to host Sarah Jane Allen, from the "moms for liberty", to a meeting of the membership at 2930 White Sands Blvd.

According to Sarah Jane Allen's online biography ,she claims to have founded the first Moms for Liberty chapter in New Mexico to organize parents and combat leftwing indoctrination in schools.

When reading her platform, she sounds like a passionate program leader with a plan for winning that is simplistic and nothing to extreme.

(The Democrats instead of purging and dividing should take note or it will be yet another bloody election cycle for the local party. Rather one agrees or disagrees, with Mrs. Allen, she is showing real leadership, and is packaging a program, and a plan, for victory that credible, common sense, simple, and powerful.)

"REBRAND- For too long—nearly 90 years—the Republican Party of New Mexico has been in the minority. With recent losses across all levels of government, now is the time to reevaluate RPNM and its unengaging image. Improving our image and public perception is the crucial first step in turning around the Republican Party of New Mexico and increasing our efficacy across the board.

REORGANIZE - The Republican Party of New Mexico needs fresh leadership and energy. The state party should provide more resources, including training and research, for county parties and candidates. We need to provide more support on the ground, helping to share our message and help voters understand Republican solutions and how they will improve lives across the entire state. Our messaging should be consistent up and down the ballot to help reinforce in voters’ minds how electing Republicans will help them.

RECRUIT- We need to recruit credible, committed, and coachable candidates and support them with training and other resources. We need to do more than just give candidates a pat on the back and “good luck.” We need to train them, work with them, and give them the tools to be successful. When we provide structure and support, more Republicans will be willing to step up, knowing we have their back and that they can win.

RESULTS - The 2022 election shows that Democrats have built a turnout machine, and “Election Month” is the reality, whether we like it or not. At the same time, turnout in Republican counties lagged behind Democratic counties in 2022. Heavily Republican Lea County—where Steve Pearce is based—only had 38% voter turnout, far less than the 52% average statewide. But it’s not just Lea County. The five most conservative counties in the state had significantly lower turnout than average. If our voters had turned out at a higher rate, we could have won several races we lost, including the critical CD2 seat. New Mexico no longer has Republican representation at the federal level. This is a basic failure of state leadership. I will invest heavily in voter registration and turnout. We can beat Democrats at their own game and can be competitive in more races, instead of losing up and down the ballot."

Sounds harmless, passionate and inviting to many potential voters.

However, when one looks a bit deeper into Moms for Liberty, a nonprofit 501C4 claiming to advocate for “parental rights,” it appears to be using parents as pawns to advance a far-right agenda. The red flag for some moderates is the actual tenacles of the Moms for Liberty.

The group, which has quickly gained substantial media attention, becoming a right-wing sweetheart and mainstream spectacle, has attempted to paint itself as a grassroots entity driven entirely by passionate parents. But in reality, it benefits from right-wing funding and ties to traditional Republican political figures.

As issues related to parents, schools, and so-called “critical race theory,” (a hot button in Otero County, New Mexico that in reality is a college level curriculum and NOT taught in the local schools), drives local organizing and elections, it is essential to understand the Moms for Liberty and similar groups with the appropriate context. In fact, these well-connected partisans are opportunistically manufacturing outrage and selling it to parents under the guise of empowerment.

Moms for Liberty has county-specific chapters across the country that target local school board meetings, school board members, administrators, and teachers. The group advocates to strip districts of power, create uproar using the talking points of the teaching of “critical race theory” (CRT) and sex education, all in the name of “parental rights.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland released a memo condemning a “disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff.” Although Moms for Liberty is not the only factor in this spike in harassment, the group grew in membership during this same time period that school board members across the United States started facing an increase in threats from angry parents and community members.

Moms for Liberty also enjoys the partnership and support of a number of right-wing and even far-right organizations. The organization has partnered with Parents Defending Education, a group of “corporate school privatizers going hard right to attack school boards, superintendents, principals, and teachers.” PDE President Nicole Neily has been described as a “veteran political operative affiliated with the Koch network.

To aid in the goals of Moms of Liberty, the group has hosted online and in-person school board trainings in partnership with the Leadership Institute. Additionally, during the national summit in 2022, a special session was offered on how to build and run a school board campaign.

In 2022, Moms for Liberty endorsed over 500 school board candidates across the country. Of this, 76% were first-time candidates. This activity was part was the organization’s stated goal to have a foothold in all 13,000 school districts in the United States.

In its efforts to combat anything that it considers “woke ideology,” Moms for Liberty commonly propagates conspiracy theories about public schools attempting to indoctrinate and sexualize children with a progressive Marxist curriculum.

As self-anointed “joyful warriors,” Moms for Liberty has adopted the slogan, “we do not co-parent with the government,” which adorns their lawn signs and merchandise sold on the website.

While Otero County Democrats are infighting, local Republicans energize the base, learn and establish a plan for the local school board elections. Tune in tomorrow for the Democratic chaos that continues while local Republicans focus on the prize.