Domenici was always for the people

In a state where nearly every fiber of our political being has long been partisan, Pete Domenici stayed above it all.

I always scratched my head at how such a legendary man, a man who spent 36 years in Washington, could have stayed so approachable and down-to-earth. He really did go to Washington to work for the regular man and woman and he never forgot them. More incredibly, in a time when Republicans never won statewide races in New Mexico, he literally creamed all takers who got in the political arena with him.

I was fortunate enough to still be in an editor’s chair the last couple of times he rolled through the Clovis/Portales area as a Senator. I saw him at a ceremony at Cannon Air Force Base in the fall of 2008 and wondered how the man would ever make it through another six-year term. Sure enough, a few weeks later he made the announcement he would be retiring because of his health.

I got to sit around a table with him and some of my colleagues after he announced he wouldn’t be running. His mind was as sharp as I remembered it from my earlier days in New Mexico newspapers and it was hard to believe he was suffering from a brain ailment.

He later speculated that his condition might have been misdiagnosed. It was clear that day the man wasn’t about to quit fighting for New Mexicans as he outlined the work he had left to accomplish. He went on to accomplish even more than we expected after he retired to his home state and the friends he loved.

The first time I ever met him I was a student at ENMU and working in the pressroom at the Portales News-Tribune. I didn’t much care for it when politicians toured the building so they could introduce themselves to potential voters. He was running for his second term in the Senate and he was easy to recognize with those dark-rimmed glasses he wore back then. He had his coat off, sleeves rolled up, and was going to shake my hand despite the fact that I had ink up to my elbows.

My wife says her Pete story is about the time he stopped into her dad’s hospital room when he was sick to say hello and wish him well. Never mind that his doctor was the county Republican chair, Senator Domenici had made his day and he proudly wore his “People For Pete” campaign button every election after that.

The first time I sat down for an interview with him, my managing editor offered him my chair before I got into the office, which wasn’t exactly the way I wanted to square off with this Washington power broker. His answers were direct, educated and thoughtful. I interviewed him a few times over the years and I don’t ever remember catching him telling me what he thought I wanted to hear. He described policy and politics like it was, warts and all.

He knew more about the federal budget than anyone in Congress and regularly showed up on the Sunday morning talk shows where he espoused a balanced budget. But most importantly, when something needed to be accomplished in government at any level he rolled up his sleeves and went to work, met with whatever bureaucrat needed straightening out, made a deal across the aisle when necessary and always stayed responsible to the people he represented.

Rest in peace St. Pete.

Karl Terry writes for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at: [email protected]