Allen Weh, Victim

In other posts I have expressed my belief that Allen Weh is an unacceptable candidate for governor. From the way that he campaigns as a neophyte politician while serving as the head of the New Mexico Republican party to framing himself as a truck driving everyman even though he has loaned his campaign a million dollars to touting his successful business without ever mentioning its name or what it does. Perhaps most troubling about Weh is as a candidate is that he seems to be considerably thin skinned. In interviews, when questioned about his stances and behaviors as state Republican Party chair he reacts angrily and refuses to answer the question. This demeanor has seemed to worsen as the campaign has gone on and it is my belief that in a long general election, Weh’s apparent short fuse will be taken advantage of and he will appear contentious and difficult to work with. This is not the kind of persona that bodes well for a candidate running for executive office.

Last night I received an email from the Weh campaign that demonstrates his tendencies to be petulant and holding back what I think is critical information. The message:

Dear Friend,

Today I called on my opponent, Susana Martinez, to reconsider the path she is on and take down the negative, false television ad that she is currently spending tens of thousands of dollars to keep on the air.

Republicans in this state are weary of nasty, last-minute attack ads that serve only to divide our party and distract us from the real issues at stake -- like securing our border, fixing our education system and putting New Mexicans back to work.

Up until yesterday, this Republican Primary had been a positive discussion of the issues, with each candidate abiding by Reagan's 11th Commandment to not attack a fellow Republican.

But the career politicians just don't get it.

Less than a month ago, Mrs. Martinez pledged to not attack fellow Republicans, saying, "I'll definitely not be getting into that negativity in the Primary."

But yesterday, in an act of desperation, Mrs. Martinez pulled the plug on civility and went back on her word to not attack a fellow Republican.

Just like they do in Santa Fe, Mrs. Martinez says one thing and does another.

I have always said that I would not air a single negative attack ad against a fellow Republican. Mrs. Martinez said the same thing. But with yesterday's attack, she went back on her word and broke a promise to all Republicans.

I call on Mrs. Martinez to take down the ad because it is not just negative; it is false.

The assertion that I support amnesty for illegal immigrants is laughable.

Democrats like former Mayor Marty Chavez attacked me on many occasions, because they said I was too tough on illegal immigrants.

On border security , my position has always been pure and simple --I will end sanctuary policies and make sure our police enforce all our laws. I'll rescind the executive order that prohibits State Police officers from reporting illegal immigrants to federal agencies, and I'll stop the issuance of driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

It's too bad Mrs. Martinez has decided to take her campaign down the old, tired road of political deception.

Let the record show that Mrs. Martinez has decided to take a negative turn in this race, and we will defend ourselves in an appropriate fashion.

The message is troublesome because it contains too much posturing and does not outline the content of the Martinez ad. I do not recall any recent Susana Martinez commercial that “attacks” Allen Weh for any reason. If Weh wants to accuse the Martinez campaign of making false statements he must specify what the ad states that is false clearly and in what way and link to the ad if it exists online and if not the ad must be clearly outlined so the reader can truly understand what the problem is and judge for themselves.

This message seems to attack Martinez for attacking another Republican, something the sender assures us he would never do. Is anyone’s head spinning from the lack of irony on display here? Self labeled “Reagan Republican” Allen Weh also invokes President Reagan’s oft quoted “11th Commandment to not attack a fellow Republican”, which makes me wonder if this was true why did President Reagan run against President Ford in 1976?

He did it because he believed that he was a better candidate than Ford. And he was. If anything, Martinez (and I have not seen the ad so I am guilty of conjecture here) is doing voters a service by pointing out inconsistencies in Weh’s positions and helping to bring out Weh’s behavior when he responds poorly.

I reiterate my position that Allen Weh is the poorest Republican primary candidate and it is imperative that every Republican primary voter understand that a vote for Weh is the same as a vote for Diane Denish and four more years of the Bill Richardson administration.