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Tuesday's Buzz

It’s back to work after a long Memorial Day weekend. With American soldiers fighting and dying in a foreign land, and the dedication of the World War II memorial, our remembrances of those who have sacrificed so much was especially poignant this year. If you missed the political news over the weekend you can catch up with all the links at the right. A number of interesting and important stories were published. And take a look at Bob Bernick's story this morning on gubernatorial candidates' potential conflicts of interest.

Wake-up Call for Sen. Orrin Hatch?

The conservative Web operation National Review Online has taken Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch to task for not playing hardball with Democrats on judicial appointments. An article by Manuel Miranda, who was senior counsel on Hatch’s Judiciary Committee, claims that Hatch caved in, alienating the White House, Senate Republican leadership and a lot of conservatives. Miranda said some Republican strategists are so angry they are trying to find a strong conservative Republican to challenge Hatch in 2006.

So is Hatch in any trouble in 2006? He will be 72 years old, will have served for 30 years and will be seeking his sixth term. That is a lot of years of faithful service to Utah and to the nation, but it’s also plenty of time to lose touch with Utah and its people. Hatch is clearly an institution in the U.S. Senate. He has seniority, clout, and is an able soldier in Washington’s political wars. But he has also become a creature of Washington and needs to reconnect with grassroots Utah politics or risk a conservative uprising.

Hatch and his staff need to reconnect with state legislators, county commissioners, mayors and city council members. They need to attend gatherings of these groups, talk frequently with their leadership, determine what’s important to them and help them achieve their goals. Hatch and his staff need to reconnect with party leaders at all levels, attend party functions and build the party. He needs to focus on Utah priorities and demonstrate he has a vision for Utah and can help state leaders and Utah citizens win in Washington. Hatch and his staff may already think they’re doing those things, but my discussions with local leaders indicate there’s plenty of room for improvement.

On paper, Hatch should waltz to an easy re-election in 2006. But the National Review Online article should be a wake-up call. There are a number of Utah conservatives who wouldn’t be bashful about taking him on.

—LaVarr Webb

Communications Tip :
Dealing with the News Media

Timing is Important

There are plenty of nuances and variables in getting a story placed in the news media. Timing is one of them. Here’s what Clarence Jones had to say about timing in his book, “How to Speak TV, Print & Radio” (page 173):

“Timing can be everything when it comes to news coverage. On a slow news day, they still have to fill the print pages and the broadcast minutes. If there is still empty space on the page as the deadline approaches, a feature story on the people who make up the Water Buffalo Lodge executive committee gets more and more attractive to the editor. But the day the space shuttle explodes, a five-alarm fire may get two paragraphs.

“Newspaper editors need a lot of copy to fill the big Sunday edition. Saturday can be a good day to break a story. Because business and government are away for the weekend, broadcasters have difficulty finding stories for their weekend newscasts. The same is true for Monday morning’s paper. It may be easier to place a story then.

“The downside is that both newspapers and broadcast stations work weekends with a skeleton staff. One solution: release the story on Friday, with an embargo. The media agree to hold it until Sunday (but there needs to be a good reason for the embargo).

“Some newspapers traditionally have a large ‘news hole’ on Wednesday or Thursday because those are big days for advertising, and generally more advertising means more space for news.”

The Earlybird is a service of Utah Policy.com

Publisher: LaVarr Webb
Editor: Bart Barker
News: Golden Webb
Calendar and Subscriptions: Paul Hollingshead

Tuesday, June 1, 2004

Today's Headlines

Political Calendar

Please submit calendar items to Earlybird@UtahPolicy.com

June 1: Utah Log Cabin Republicans Monthly Meeting—7:30 pm, Room N4010, Salt Lake County Building, 2001 South State Street, Salt Lake.
June 2: Utah Stonewall Democrats monthly meeting, 5:30 pm GLBT Center 355 N. 300 W. (first Wednesday of every month).
June 2: Kitchen Table Talk with Nolan Karras, 8 pm at the Osmonds' Home 8908 Sunridge Drive in Sandy, Hosted by Dr. Joseph and Anne-Marie Osmond & Dr. Harold and Ranae Olafsson.
June 3: GOP Primary Debate (gubernatorial and congressional), 6:30 pm at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 W. 300 S. in Salt Lake City. Questions for candidates may be submitted to PrimaryDebate@aol.com. Hosted by John D. Jacob, moderated by County Recorder Gary W. Ott.
June 3: Salt Lake County GOP Gubernatorial Debate, 5:30 pm at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center 138 W. 300 S. Salt Lake City.
June 3: Kitchen Table Talk with Enid Greene, 6 pm at Greg & Lynell King's Home, 145 W. 3960 N., Provo.
June 3: Washington County Republican Women meeting and luncheon—11:30 am to 1:00 pm RSVP 435-688-0777
June 3: Progressive Democratic Caucus Meeting—6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, 455 South 300 East, Suite 102, Salt Lake City. Contact: Craig Axford (801) 918-6017.
June 4: Debate between John Huntsman Jr. and Nolan Karras, Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce and Daily Herald, First Friday Forum lunch—noon at the Provo Marriott Hotel . Lunch reservations, 379-2555; debate questions, Michael Mower 852-6103.
June 4: Davis County Republican Women Gubernatorial Debate, 6 pm at West Point Junior High School.
June 6: Gubernatorial Debate: On the Record with Chris Vanocur—KTVX Channel 4, 9:30 am, Contact Chris Vanocur, (801) 975-4444.
June 7-8: Innovations in Education Conference—8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastmont Middle School, 10100 South 1300 East, Sandy. $30 registration, including 2 box lunches and breaks. www.iie-edu.org.
June 10, 11: Government Affairs Advisory Committee of the Salt Lake Chamber—11am, Eccles Board Room, Salt Lake Chamber.
June 12: Davis County Democrats No-Host Breakfast—8:30 am to 10:00 am, Joanie's Restaurant, 286 North 400 West, Kaysville. Contact: Richard Watson (801) 292-6772.
June 13: Gubernatorial Debate: Take Two with Rod Decker—Live on KUTV Channel 2 at 5:30 pm, Contact Rod Decker, (801) 973-3000.
June 14: Lt. Governor Debate: KCSG and Bonneville Radio in St. George—Live at 7:00 pm, Contact: Dan Matheson, (435) 467-7452
June 15: Gubernatorial Debate: KCSG and Bonneville Radio in St. George—Live at 7:00 pm, Contact: Dan Matheson, (435) 467-7452.
June 16: Ogden Rotary Gubernatorial Debate, noon at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center.
June 21: Gubernatorial Debate: KUED Channel 7—Live at 9:00 pm.
June 22: Utah Primary Election—7:00 am to 8:00 pm.
June 22: Green Party of Utah Roots Local Monthly Meeting—12:00 pm, Sprague Library, 1100 East, just past 2100 South, Salt Lake City. Contact: 486-2558.
June 24: Legislative Golf Tournament—Thanksgiving Point. 533-9777.
June 26: Republican Central Committee Meeting.
June 27: Green Party of Utah Roots Local Monthly Meeting—12:00 pm, Sprague Library, 1100 East, just past 2100 South, Salt Lake City. Contact: 486-2558.
July 19-23: National Conference of State Legislatures— Salt Lake City.

See the entire calendar.