OPINION: The bold politicians cannot be contained

Aug. 29—Originality doesn't impress politicians. They spew the same four-letter word while claiming to be distinctive.

Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says she "made New Mexico a national leader in fighting climate change by setting bold standards and investing in clean energy."

Republican Mark Ronchetti, who's challenging Lujan Grisham in the November election, favors a similar style. "We are ready to bring bold new leadership to Santa Fe," he wrote one recent day.

One of Ronchetti's paid advisers served as the strategist for Susana Martinez, New Mexico's last Republican governor. Martinez's slogan was "bold change."

Wordsmith that she was, Martinez would tilt that theme to guard against boring herself with the same line. "We must be bold and bring real change to New Mexico," she said in one television advertisement.

Martinez sounded a lot like fellow Republican Mitt Romney when he became governor of Massachusetts in 2003: "There will be an enormous effort to continue the old ways, with year-after-year tax increases. But I will fight for bold change."

Romney appeared to imitate former Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, a Democrat who ran for president in 1992. "I'm not into symbolism, a little bit of change here or a little there. I'm for bold, innovative change," Harkin said.

Then-Congressman Newt Gingrich, a Republican from Georgia, tried to top Harkin. Gingrich said Americans wanted "dramatic, bold, consistent change."

Newt should have realized continuous change might cause instability, even chaos. But I digress. Let's get back to New Mexico's trailblazing governors.

Martinez once showed her bold side by refusing to explain 10 of her vetoes to the state Legislature. Democrats sued the governor over her intransigence and won. The New Mexico Supreme Court placed into law the bills Martinez had attempted to kill without explanation.

It was just as well. A former drug-fighting prosecutor, Martinez had vetoed a research program for industrial hemp, a tame cousin of the marijuana plant.

Democrat Bill Richardson, Martinez's predecessor as governor, made no small plans. He ventured beyond New Mexico's borders by entering the 2008 race for president. One of his early handouts to press corps was headlined: "Governor Bill Richardson unveils bold, innovative national health care plan."

After two terms as governor, Richardson accepted a visiting fellowship at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Harvard's publicity machine wrote: "Richardson's bold governing style moved New Mexico forward in several important areas."

One of those, according to the school's media handout, was the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, a commuter train that runs between Belen and Santa Fe. Its annual ridership peaked at 1.2 million in 2010. It fell by more than 400,000 even before the coronavirus pandemic. The train should be known as Richardson's Excess Express.

In what Richardson saw as another example of thinking big, he hired a company to determine what it would take for New Mexico to land an NFL team.

Richardson's pursuit of a pro football franchise was more wacky and wasteful than bold. With only 2 million people and an abundance of poverty, New Mexico was in no position to compete for an NFL franchise. Richardson didn't need a paid consultant to state the obvious, but taxpayers footed the bill anyway.

His predecessor as governor, Republican Gary Johnson, also aimed high. After declaring his candidacy for president in 2012, Johnson bolted to the Libertarian Party because Republicans wouldn't allow him in their televised debates.

One of Johnson's first publicity handouts galled many a Republican. He titled it, "Libertarian Gary Johnson's bold and consistent stand on gay marriage." He said any attempt to stop gay couples from marrying was discrimination.

Johnson showed the same old verve when he revived a personal complaint. His headline read, "Change the presidential debates: Gary Johnson and Our America's bold new lawsuit."

When Martinez was governor, everything she touched turned to bold — or so she said. Lujan Grisham is almost as bad.

Here is a sample from her publicity releases: "Lujan Grisham commits New Mexico to bold clean car standards at Climate Week event."

Of a broadband grant program, Lujan Grisham said: "This effort will help bridge the digital divide across New Mexico through a bold new investment."

And one of Lujan Grisham's recent fundraising solicitations stated: "Will you contribute before our midnight deadline to help the governor pass her bold, progressive agenda?"

It seems new frontiers don't exist in politics. The candidates boldly go where just about every other politician has already traveled.

Ringside Seat is an opinion column about people, politics and news. Contact Milan Simonich at msimonich@sfnewmexican.com or 505-986-3080.