News Highlights

Rocky Anderson to ask City Council to adopt his legislative agenda (Deseret
Morning News).

Marty Stephens says some lobbyists break internal legislative rules in
trying to influence leadership elections (Morning News).

Are Orrin Hatch, Mike Leavitt candidates for Bush's new Cabinet? (Salt Lake Tribune.)

Quote of the Day

Bitterness from the Left

“W.'s presidency rushes backward, stifling possibilities, stirring intolerance, confusing church with state, blowing off the world, replacing science with religion, and facts with faith. We're entering another dark age, more creationist than cutting edge, more premodern than postmodern. Instead of leading America to an exciting new reality, the Bushies cocoon in a scary, paranoid, regressive reality. Their new health care plan will probably be a return to leeches.”

- New York Times Columnist Maureen Dowd (Salt Lake Tribune)

News Notes

Losers in the various races a week ago ought to be coming out of depression about now. If you're still deeply disturbed, give me a call and I'll tell you a joke or something. . . . Tonight, Utah lawmakers select their leadership for the next two legislative sessions. While leaders in Utah, including committee chairs, don't have quite the dictatorial power as leaders in the national Congress, they still are very important in shaping the tone and priorities of a legislative session. The Republican caucuses have clear choices between John Valentine and Michael Waddoups in the Senate and David Ure and Greg Curtis in the House.

Finance Laws Flop

If federal campaign finance laws were intended to keep big, unaccountable money out of politics, once again those laws are a joke. Individuals and businesses are severely limited in what they can contribute to campaigns. And federal candidates are limited in what political contributions they can take.

But rich people like George Soros, independent expenditure groups, and congressional campaign committees can pour hundreds of millions of dollars into independent campaigns for and against candidates with little accountability. We saw that again this year in the 2nd Congressional District race between John Swallow and Jim Matheson. Independent campaigns were an enormous factor in the presidential election.

I believe we'd have better politics and a lot more accountability if we threw out all the campaign finance laws and simply required candidates and contributors to immediately report contributions, with the information posted on the Internet within 24 hours, with severe penalties for non-compliance. That would help direct the flow of money back to candidates, who are a lot more accountable than the independent groups.

We should also eliminate the phony firewall between candidates and independent expenditure groups. Allow candidates and these groups to freely collaborate. That way we can hold candidates more accountable for the actions of the independent groups. Presently, the candidates can claim they have nothing to do with the sometimes detestable activities of these groups.

Bottom line: Let the money flow to candidates. Make them immediately report every dime. Let them be accountable. Then let voters judge. They're smart enough to make good decisions if they have good information.

Words to Live By

Give a person a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a person to fish and he'll always want to borrow your boat and he'll drink a lot of beer and throw up in it.

Attorney General Mark Shurtleff showed in this past election that it is possible to make hard decisions, even take positions that a majority of constituents disagree with, and be re-elected by a wide margin.

Shurtleff was forthright throughout the campaign in his oppositions to Amendment 3, arguing that it was flawed and needed to be redrafted. The amendment won with 66% of the vote. But Shurtleff also won with almost 68% of the vote. It shows you can make a decision on a high-profile issue that your constituents disagree with, and survive politically. Voters are sophisticated enough to know they won't agree with every decision a leader makes.

Here are some guidelines on making hard decisions:

• Be forthright about it. Don't try to hide your position.

• Make sure all sides feel you've listened to them before making the decision public.

• Explain the rationale behind the decision and acknowledge that others may disagree with you.

Shurtleff was helped, obviously, by the fact that his main opponent also opposed Amendment 3, so Republican voters really had no other place to go.

"Leadership is the ability to get men to do what they don't want to do, and like it." - Harry Truman

"Leadership is discovering the organization's destiny and having the courage to follow it." - Joe Jaworski

"A leader is someone who translates intention into reality and sustains it." - Warren Bennis

Rep. Neal B. Hendrickson, District 33, November 15
Rep. Rebecca D. Lockhart, District 64, November 20
Rep. Jeff Alexander, District 62, November 28
Rep. Jack A. Seitz, District 55, December 25

Entire Birthday List

Utah Policy Daily is a service
of Utah Policy.com

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

Rocky Mountain News
- West warned of longer drought
- Water coalition in making

Salt Lake Tribune
- Envision Utah taps water project founder
- Utahns to get positions in Bush Cabinet?
- 10th Circuit halts SUWA's lawsuit over seismic testing
- Editorial: Meeting the challenge
- Editorial: Paying the freight

KSL
- Editorial: Governor-elect Huntsman

Daily Herald
- Legislators running for leadership positions

Deseret Morning News
- Rocky seeks backing of council for his agenda
- Tax bite less in Utah County
- Lobbyists violating Utah law
- Oveson named a top official in the U.S.
- Financial task force divided over resolution
- Election was unfair, candidate Judy says

Please submit calendar items to Daily@UtahPolicy.com

- Nov 9: Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Panel, 10 am, Rm W025, State Capitol.
- Nov 10: Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Interim Committee, 9 am, Rm W125, State Capitol; Health and Human Services Interim Committee, 2 pm, Rm W015.
- Nov 10-12: Utah Association of Counties 2004 Annual Convention, Dixie Center, St. George.
- Nov 11: Sutherland Institute seminar "Bridging the Gap between Principle and Practice--Understanding Analytical Frameworks" 8:30-11:30 am, 6th Floor 150 E Social Hall Ave, SLC. Register: 801-355-1272.
- Nov 11: Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee, 9 am, Rm W020, State Capitol.
- Nov 11: Hinckley Institute of Politics presents “U.S./Singapore Relations” a talk by Her Excellency Chan Heng Chee, Singapore’s ambassador to the United States, 10:45 am, KUER-FM 90.1.
- Nov 11-12: Utah State Association of Parliamentarians (USAP) annual workshops, Salt Lake County Government Center North Building, 2100 S State St. $55 registration deadline by Nov 5th, Reta Pehrson 801-532-5212.
- Nov 12-13: Utah Federation of Republican Women Annual Conference, Springville, UT. Keynote address by Shirley Foote, National Federation Board Member.
- Nov 13: 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.
- Nov 23: Green Party of Utah Roots Local Monthly Meeting, 12 pm, Sprague Library, 1100 E just past 2100 S, Salt Lake City. Contact: 486-2558.
- Nov 30: Energy Policy Task Force, 10 am, Rm W130, State Capitol.
- Dec 2: Progressive Democratic Caucus Meeting, 6:30 pm to 8 pm, 455 South 300 East, Suite 102, Salt Lake City. Contact: Craig Axford 801-918-6017.
- Dec 2: Professional Republican Women's Holiday Luncheon and Tour at the Governor's Mansion, Noon, Reservations: dianney5@aol.com.
- Dec 7: Utah Log Cabin Republicans Monthly Meeting, 7:30 pm, Room N4010, Salt Lake County Building, 2001 South State Street, Salt Lake.
- Dec 9: Sutherland Institute seminar "The Public You--Applications in Effective Communication" 8:30-11:30 am, 6th Floor 150 E Social Hall Ave, SLC. Register: 801-355-1272.
- Dec 9: Davis Co. Democrats 2nd Annual Christmas Dinner, 6:30 pm.
- Dec 11: Davis County Democrats No-Host Breakfast, 8:30 am to 10 am, Joanie's Restaurant, 286 North 400 West, Kaysville. Contact: Richard Watson 801-292-6772.
- Dec 28: Green Party of Utah Roots Local Monthly Meeting, 12 pm, Sprague Library, 1100 East, just past 2100 South, Salt Lake City. Contact: 486-2558.

- See the entire calendar