Bingaman Endorses Obama

Bingaman Backs Obama:

Today, New Mexico's Democratic Senator Jeff Bingaman threw his support behind Democratic presidential front-runner Barack Obama (see Bingaman's statement- http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gGCpYk). With Obama locked in a neck-and-neck race for superdelegates with New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Bingaman's support could not have come at a better time for the first-termer from Illinois, whose campaign has come under fire in recent weeks after a sizable defeat in the Pennsylvania Primary and a continued focus on his ties to controversial Pastor Jeremiah Wright.

Bingaman is seen by many as a quiet leader of the Democratic Party, whose thoughtful approach to shaping policy and willingness to work with lawmakers on the other side of the aisle embodies the devotion to progress on which Obama has based his campaign. Moreover, the New Mexico leader, who has served in the Senate for more than 25 years and won his previous election by a larger margin than any other Senatorial candidate in the '06 election, shows other long-time Democratic Senators with strong ties to the Clintons that bucking their party's first couple in order to back a candidate by whom they feel more compelled is an acceptable, indeed responsible, move.

Obama and New Mexico: A Winning Pair

Bingaman's support of Obama is also meaningful for New Mexicans. While nearly identical in terms of policy, Senator Obama possesses a superior ability than his rival from New York to bring lawmakers of different minds together to create forward-looking legislation that positively impacts people's lives. This statesmanship could play a major role in advancing the currently stagnated Congressional debate on immigration, an issue of particular significance to those in the Land of Enchantment.

Obama believes, as do many across our state, that the vast majority of immigrants who decide to make their home in the U.S. contribute meaningfully to our country's economic and cultural fabric. As key players in our diverse society, peaceful and productive immigrants deserve a path to citizenship without first having to return to their country of origin. Requiring them to do so, of course, would encourage many undocumented workers to remain in the shadows, continuing their inability to both pay taxes and receive critical services, which benefits nobody.

As the son of a Kenyan father, who himself traveled to the United States as an immigrant to take advantage of an academic scholarship, Obama understands the importance of creating safe and reasonable legal avenues for foreign nationals to enter and live in the U.S. However, what sets him apart from his New York rival is a personability and devotion to identifying commonalities in his and others' approaches to issues that would create the necessary consensus to advance effective and comprehensive immigration legislation.

Obama's ability to bring people together would also benefit New Mexico's children. Today, thousands of our youngsters live without access to quality health care. Not only has Obama voted repeatedly in favor of S-CHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program), but his healthcare platform also mandates that all children across the country be insured. Clinton supporters would country that her plan features a mandate to insure all people, but only Obama has refused the conmtributions of powerful pharmaceutical companies, who make passing legislation like S-CHIP so difficult in the first place. How can we expect Clinton to win the delicate consensus necessary to pass much-needed universal healthcare legislation for our children, when her first attempt at doing so during her husband's administration was a disaster and she continues to welcome substantial contributions from pharmaceutical companies?

While Senator Clinton is seen by political pundits as perhaps the most polarizing figure in the Democratic Party, whose candidacy would be a boon for a GOP party struggling to find its voice, Senator Obama has proven throughout the primary season that he can attract the votes of Democrats as well as Republicans. In Iowa, where Republicans can switch their vote to participate in the Democratic Caucus and switch back immediately after, Obama captured the votes of thousands of GOP party members frustrated with business as usual in Washington. Indeed, across the country, Obama has proven time and again that his message of hope and change appeals to voters of all backgrounds, which bodes well for not only his prospects in November, but also his ability to forge consensus and pass meaningful legislation once coming to 1600 Pennsylvania. In his timeless wisdom, which has helped Senator Bingaman become one of the most popular and effective lawmakers in New Mexico's history, our state's soon-to-be senior Senator decided to cast his vote as a superdelegate for Senator Barack Obama. In less than nine months, these honorable leaders will have an opportunity to take their professional relationship to the next level in a way that will improve the lives of good folks across New Mexico.

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