Tuesday Musing

July is Magical Month
It’s July 1, and awfully hot outside. But, believe it or not, the days are getting shorter and we’re in the 3rd quarter of 2008. Autumn will be here before we know it. July, with its two big holidays, was always a magical month for me as a kid. With parades, fireworks, patriotic speeches, camping trips to the high Uintas, warm nights, and long days hauling hay and working in the fields in the Lakeview area of Orem, July seemed to come and go in an instant.

Presidential Race Analysis

How is the presidential race shaping up? Check out interesting analysis by Lou Jacobson and graphic at Stateline.org. Bottom line: The race is still tight.

Washington Watch

U. of U. Interns Blog
Hinckley Institute of Politics students serving summer internships in Washington, D.C., are blogging about their experiences at DCInterns08.

Hatch: Help Defeat Obama

Sen. Orrin Hatch, who is vice chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Sunday sent out an e-mail fundraising message to a conservative list provided by GOPUSA, painting a scary picture if Obama wins. "Right now you have a unique opportunity to go head-to-head with Barack Obama," Hatch writes....

"Just imagine what a President Barack Obama -- the most liberal U.S. Senator according to the non-partisan National Journal -- working with an unstoppable 60-seat Democrat majority to implement his agenda would do... The stakes are real: higher taxes, wasteful spending, more regulation on small businesses, more liberal-activist judges on the Supreme Court and much more hang in the balance should Democrats secure 60 seats in the Senate in the fall." See related Tribune story.

Hinckley Journal of Politics

How Far-Reaching is the War on Terror?
In the latest edition of the Hinckley’s Institute’s Journal of Politics, U. of U. student JJ Haglund, in an article titled, "The Tri-Border Area’s Link to the War on Terror," discusses the war on terror in an area of South America. His abstract:

"Just how global is the Global War on Terror? For both IR theorists and US foreign policy makers, this question is a major concern. Never before in history has the United States taken such extensive action against a non-state enemy. Most of the current focus lies on the war in Iraq, as well as Afghanistan, but recent activities of Islamic terrorists in the Tri-Border Area of South America shows just how far-reaching the War on Terror needs to be. This paper attempts to examine the implications of the War on Terror for international relations theory and US foreign policy while doing a case study of terrorist activities and counter-terrorist measures in the Tri-Border Area." Read the Journal on-line here.

Tribute to Renteria

A web site dedicated to Utah Latinos, Brown Views: For Us, By Us, About Us, pays tribute to John Renteria, who passed away on Sunday. The site is administered by Lee Martinez. See also Tribune story.

Presidential Candidate Visits Utah

Chuck Baldwin, Constitution Party presidential candidate, is visiting Utah this week. He will attend events in Salt Lake and Utah counties, and also Logan, Nephi, Richfield, Southern Utah, and Layton. Here is his itinerary, provided by Michael Richards:

July 1: St. George: 8- 9:30 a.m., Zion Youth Academy 25 North 100 East; Cedar City: 10:30-Noon, Main Street Park Main Street and 200 North; Richfield: 2-3:30 PM, Sevier County Administration Bldg., basement auditorium Room B46 250 North Main Street; Nephi: 7-9 PM, Juab County Building upstairs auditorium 160 North Main .

July 2: KTLK Radio: 10 AM, live one hour interview; Salt Lake City: 7-9 PM, Little Theater of the Free Enterprise Bldg on Miller Campus of Salt Lake Community College Campus, 9750 South 300 West.

July 3: Logan: 7:30-9:30 PM, rally at Garden Court Apartments 935 North 800 East prior the Annual Fireworks Show at Romney Stadium.

July 4: Layton: 8:30 AM, guest speaker at annual Flag Raising Ceremony at the Ed Kenley Amphitheater in Layton Commons Park. Across from the Layton High School on Wasatch Drive (About 150 Wasatch Drive); Provo: Noon to 8 PM, Constitution Party booth at the Freedom Festival at Center Street and University Avenue.

Today in Political History

July 1, 1863: The Civil War Battle of Gettysburg begins.

July 1, 1968: The United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and 58 other nations sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

July 1, 1997: Hong Kong reverts to Chinese rule after 156 years as a British colony. (Source: NY Times)

Wise Words

"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader."
-- Samuel Adams, 1779 (Source: Patriot Post)

Communications Tip

Bad Feedback vs. Good Feedback
Bad Feedback: Demotivates, focuses on blame; creates defensiveness and confrontation. Is problem-oriented; does not improve skill. Undermines confidence and self-esteem. Leaves a person guessing about performance or direction and leaves them feeling judged.

Good Feedback: Encourages and focuses on improvements. Creates trust and cooperation. Is solution-oriented with an emphasis on improving skills. Increases confidence in abilities and potential. Serves as a way to clarify the status quo and give direction as to what is on the horizon. Leaves the employee feeling helped and inspired.

The choice is ours when it comes to constructive or destructive feedback. The way to improve any company regardless of mission or purpose is to inspire, empower and educate a skilled workforce. (Source: 1000 Ventures)

National Politics

Best Stories From...
-- Politico: "In a surprise to many Republican insiders, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is at the top of the vice presidential prospect list for John McCain. But lack of personal chemistry could derail the pick. 'Romney as favorite' is the hot buzz in Republican circles, and top party advisers said the case is compelling."

-- New York Sun: General Wesley Clark said Sunday that McCain "has oversold his military and national security experience. The Arizona senator 'has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and he has traveled all over the world, but he hasn't held executive responsibility,' ... Even the squadron in the Navy that Mr. McCain commanded 'wasn't a wartime squadron,' General Clark said. 'He hasn't been there and ordered the bombs to fall.'"

-- RealClearPolitics: Columnist Reid Wilson: McCain "should be able to rely on one key voting bloc that overwhelmingly favors his party: evangelicals. But Barack Obama is doing more than any Democrat in recent memory to win over religious voters and, facing an opponent in McCain who has been historically shy about his own faith, Obama could close the 'faith gap' better than any Democrat come November."

-- The Hill: "The White House on Monday said it agreed with Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-Conn.) warning that terrorists could test the new president with an attack next year. Lieberman ... said on 'Face the Nation' that 'our enemies will test the new president early.' Asked about that statement, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Lieberman could be right."

Blog Watch

-- In his latest in a series of posts related to the Richard Ellis/Mark Walker controversy, Rep. Steve Urquhart responds to Rep. Steve Mascaro's accusation, left in the comments section of this post, that Mascaro's bills didn't get a fair hearing this past legislative session because Urquhart buried them in the Rules Committee. (See also related Out of Context post.)

Lighter Side

"The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised."
-- George Will (Reader’s Digest)