Oh, and to his assertion that his is “the most respected, most quoted and most read political web site in New Mexico,” here’s this:

Sure, right now his site is on top (likely because all the other blogs in the state are linking to his whining about those scary “progressive bloggers” and “quasi-secret, out-of-state nonprofit ventures.” But back during the election, you can see it was Matt at NMFBIHOP who was pulling in the big numbers. Heck, if you toss in the SF Reporter and and the NM Independent (two more of his recent targets) you get this:

If you really want to get a sense of the man, check out his Twitter stream:

I’ve got two bloggers stalking me. One makes pancakes–NMFBIHOP–The other–Beltway Baca–makes crazy!

Leave it to Joe to respond to legitimate criticism with actual name-calling. It just doesn’t get any more juvenile than this. Monahan is the worst of bloggers: he doesn’t link to anybody else in the state, even when responding to direct criticism, robbing his readers of even more context. He also doesn’t allow direct comments, preventing readers from responding in the light of day. Instead, he filters criticism and praise alike, publishing only the bits and pieces that advance his own agenda.

His attacks on Heath Haussamen are even more ludicrous: Heath is a guy who has established not only a comments policy, but has an entire section on his own ethics responsibilities. Long before criticizing Monahan for his use of anonymous sources, Heath had a clear policy in place for when he would use un-named sources. Monahan, on the other hand, relies on them almost entirely, and there’s no rhyme or reason.

Oh, and one last thing Joe: it’s pretty easy to nail an “exclusive” if you’re willing to publish anything and everything that pops into your inbox.

For more on the whole affair, start where everybody else did at m-pyre, then check out Matt and Julia.

Now how am I going to waste time at work?

• Keep track of me on Twitter
• See my photos on Flickr
• Follow the conversation on Summize

The netroots is playing a big role in elections this year, and I give some serious props to Matt and Barb for stepping up and getting this effort going. I think it’s a testament to their hard work, and a recognition of the role they’re playing, that each of the New Mexican candidates are posting guest blogs this week (you can see Heinrich’s posts here and here).

Matt has a great post introducing the project, highlighting the unique situation in New Mexico this cycle:

In 2008, New Mexicans have a chance for a true change — a golden opportunity to make a True Blue New Mexico.  There are more Democrats than Republicans registered in the state, and Democrats control both the state Senate and House.  Yet in federal offices, Republicans hold a 3-2 advantage, including a 2-1 advantage in the House. This year, that can change — and change dramatically.

I couldn’t agree more. I’ve thought that some additional attention in southern New Mexico from groups like the DCCC could help push the district closer toward the “Democratic” column, and with the right candidate Rep. Steve Pearce might have had a fight on his hands. With changing demographics, who knows what would have happened?

But with Pearce facing what could charitably be called an uphill battle with Udall, there’s no incumbent and a wave of anti-Republicanism sweeping the country. The Third congressional district is safe, and I think Martin Heinrich will have a solid advantage over Darren White. The second district would be tough regardless, but Teague can self-finance to a certain degree and that will help.

There’s some signs that New Mexico is trending more Democratic, and all of these candidates should have a great surrogate in Gov. Bill Richardson. But they need some help, and the best way to help is to donate early. Every dollar donated now is worth twice as much as money given later – early money will help the campaigns canvas voters, place ad buys sooner rather than later, and build their operations.

So, head on over to the ActBlue page and give some money, and help turn New Mexico blue this November.

Reich said, as a consultant, he grew so tired of trying to explain to organizations why they should truly embrace a technology strategy, he decided to write a book about it. From an original idea of 15 chapters centered on the same number of “rules” came the final text, which he says is more about strategy and organizational management.

The discussion was intriguing, and the book is definitely going on my “To Buy” list. One of the first things he stressed was that “the audience” – be it consumers, voters, residents, etc. – today have the ability to truly demonstrate what they want and expect. Underestimating your audience (whether it’s how much work they’re willing to do or how readily they’ll digest the information you’re providing) is a no-no, Reich says. Marketers, political organizations and others are still trying to convince people “We’re right,” rather than actually listening to what people want. Whether through their spending decisions or through blogs, voting, etc., the new world of communication is no longer a one-way street. I know – this isn’t groundbreaking in itself. For the good stuff, you’ll have to click through…

The problem is the “shiny object syndrome,” as he calls it: organizations want to get on the bandwagon, but don’t know why. “We want a blog – get us a blog,” the companies tell him. So many people are focusing on technological advances as a tactic rather than incorporating them into a strategic vision.

How to turn things around: focus on well-defined, discreet goals. Organizations should be organic, with every decision flowing from the question: “How does this help us achieve our goals?” Reich also stressed organizations should re-evaluate how they define success, at least internally until others (like foundations that fund projects) catch up.

According to Reich, 10 million signatures on a petition is not success: it’s an impressive tactic, yes, but did it actually achieve the goal of your organization (i.e. ending hunger or reducing carbon emissions)?

Success, says Reich, has to be meaningful and memorable change:

“When funders realize there’s all these organizations out there not achieving anything but flashy Web sites and YouTube videos, they’ll stop funding.”

He said too many organizations today are about “being the organization,” and singled out the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as an example of something that is striving to achieve goals but is designed to cease operation after its founders are dead, rather than continue in perpetuity.

So, once a company or non-profit or advocacy group redefines its goals and mission, how does it proceed? According to Reich, you can’t be dictatorial, and you have to decide whether you’re serving the cause or solving the cause (which, he admitted, is loaded language that might instantly offend some non-profit types). Listen to the audience and don’t underestimate them: they want to solve the problem, and they want to help. Organizations should first raise awareness, then connect and engage, before finally mobilizing. Focus on true participation, and demonstrate a commitment to achieving the goals.

I’ll have a few further thoughts on this later – for now, hit me up with questions, theories, suggestions, best practices, stories, etc. in comments.

You have to let them experience things and explore their world. Little by little, as they grow, you have to allow them to range a bit further, reach a bit farther, climb a bit higher, and, yes, even take some risks–within reason.

Add your two cents here.

[Haussamen]: The benefits of the online format are immediacy, depth and multimedia opportunities. I can publish articles that don’t run in newspapers until the next day. I can have a written article accompanied by photos, video, comments, links to other sites that contain more information, etc. The possibilities are nearly endless. And the only space constriction is the attention span of the readers. So there’s more opportunity for exploring the complexities of issues than in print or on television.

Heath is an incredible asset to the state, and especially to residents in Southern New Mexico. His prediction that Doña Ana County may one day rival Bernalillo in size is a bold one, but he makes the case. If it comes to pass, he’s going to be primed to take advantage of the increased importance of the area.

In addition, Heath is a great advocate for increased openness in government and reducing the role of corporate money in politics, and who can’t get behind those principles?

His site should be daily reading, and I hope you’ll give him a read if you haven’t already. You can always find his latest headlines in my sidebar, though you’d do well to bookmark him or add his site to your feed reader.

Long time readers might remember the blog-spat back in October, when the GOP-backed blog New Mexico For Sale blamed the media for Americans’ dim view on the strength of the economy.

I noticed there was a brief hiatus after the election, but the site was up and running recently. Looks like something happened last week.

Hat tip to NewMexiKen (whose blog should be worth much more than mine).

The Fancy Food Show in Chicago is just four days away and we’re gearing up for the big event. We use this show each year to find the hottest and newest food products, and bring them back to Grant County. This is also when we take a shopping list written by an entire city! All of the requests that you’ve made with us that we have not been able to find will be on our shopping list this weekend. But enough about the show…we’re back in our old stompin’ grounds.

Rob received his Doctorate from Purdue, and Tyler earned his Masters from Earlham. We lived in Indy for a while which is just a short day drive to the Windy City. We think this one of the best big cities anywhere.

We only have a few short days in Chitown and much of our time is booked with the show. On Monday we’ll be presenting at the show on building community. Tuesday we’ve dedicated to walking the floor and eating as much food as we can – we do it just for you ;)

So, if you’re interested in an inside peek at some of the food we’ll soon find in the Curious Kumquat, stay tuned to the Blogquat.