Grassroots Democracy
The Cedar Hills election Tuesday on Sunday closing and beer sales was a terrific example of local democracy in action. The campaign was robust and hard-fought on both sides. Voters were well-educated and turned out in high numbers. The majority has now spoken (and made good choices, by the way) and now it’s time for the community to come back together. Hopefully, a lot of young people were engaged in the campaign and became excited about politics.
Political Power Couples
Most of us who are involved in politics have spouses who think we’re basically nuts to be such political junkies. They have other interests and no desire to engage politically, although they’re usually OK being dragged to a fundraising dinner or two. In a way, having a non-involved spouse is good, because they keep us grounded in what’s important and help us keep politics in proper perspective. They are also actually good sounding boards for what typical people are thinking.
However, there are some political power couples in Utah where both spouses are heavy into politics. At least they have plenty to talk about over the dinner table. I came up with the following list off the top of my head. Please send me an e-mail at daily@utahpolicy.com if you can think of any I’ve missed.
- Gov. Jon Huntsman and First Lady Mary Kaye (by the nature of the job)
- Cap and Sue Ferry (lobbyist team; He: Former ag commish and state senator)
- Ted Wilson and Holly Mullen (He: longtime Demo involvement; She: Tribune columnist)
- Dan and Pat Jones (Both: pollsters; She: Demo state rep)
- Frank and Darcy Pignanelli (He: lobbyist and former Demo rep; She: Huntsman cabinet)
- Fred and Christine Finlinson (lobbyist team and former legislators)
- Stan and Becky Lockhart (He: lobbyist and GOP activist; She: state rep)
- Eric and Ally Isom (He: lobbyist; She: campaign manager)
- Alan and Kat Dayton (He: lobbyist; She: fundraiser and outgoing Speaker assistant)
Bleak Getting the Job Done
I had lunch the other day with Chris Bleak, new chief of staff to House Speaker Greg Curtis. He’s been on duty for only a few weeks, but seems to be settling in and enjoying the job. It’s clear that he’s already reducing some of the time pressures on Curtis and is increasing the capacity and effectiveness of the Office of the Speaker. As was expected, this appointment by Curtis raised some eyebrows and some controversy, but I think it’s going to work out well for all concerned.
2nd District GOP Contender?
Rep. LaVar Christensen likes to quote baseball Hall of Famer Leo Durocher, who could have been talking about politics when he said, “The trouble with being a good sport is you have to lose to prove it.” Durocher was a fierce competitor (he coined the phrase, “Nice guys finish last”) and was nicknamed “The Lip.” Christensen has a pretty fast lip himself. He can pull out a quote for any occasion and he loves to debate the issues.
But Christensen was pretty quiet in a recent meeting when I noted that I have been hearing his name mentioned as a possible opponent to Democrat Jim Matheson in the 2nd Congressional District. He said he has a great life and has no ambition to go to Washington. Still, he didn’t rule it out and he acknowledged that a lot of people have been encouraging him.
Political Trivia
Women In Congress
The number of women in Congress has increased gradually since the 96th Congress (1979-81) When two women (1R, 1D) served in the U.S. Senate and 16 (5R, 11D) in the U.S. House. Today, 14 women serve in the Senate (5R, 9D) and 60 serve in the House (21R, 39D). (Source: The National Journal Political Calendar)
Washington Watch
(Edited by Gaylen Webb)
Hatch Joins Stem Cell Therapies Media Event
We received an alert from Sen. Orrin Hatch’s office that the Senator will join four co-sponsors today in a media event to discuss “their legislation to create an integrated system for stem cell therapies developed through umbilical cord blood and bone marrow.” Hatch will join Senators Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and John Ensign (R-Nev.).
Hatch Provisions in Energy Bill
Yesterday, the Senate passed the energy bill, which included several provisions sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch designed to address American energy independence, cleaner and more efficient energy, and lower energy prices. “We’re tackling three of the most significant factors in the current energy crisis: increasing domestic oil production, closing the bottleneck at our refineries, and promoting alternative energy resources. This all translates into one thing — greater supply, which will directly impact prices and our energy security,” said Hatch.
Matheson Protests Cuts
Meanwhile, Indian Country.com reports today that Rep. Jim Matheson and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) are among prominent members of Congress protesting slashes to federal housing funds for American Indians. The proposed cuts amount to a net drop of $107 million, or about 15 percent.
Blog Watch
Should Campaign Rules Extend to Bloggers?
John Fund in OpinionJournal.com says a swarm of Internet bloggers will descend on Washington today for a Federal Election Commission hearing on whether the McCain-Feingold campaign finance rules should be extended to the Web. Several bloggers have been asked to testify, and they are expected to argue for inclusion in the media exemption from McCain-Feingold's restrictions on political advocacy. Last year, a federal judge ruled that campaign finance and spending limits should be extended to political activity on the Internet -- activities that have grown to the point where one-third of voters used the Web in 2004 to read political news, share views on candidates and issues, volunteer for a campaign or make a donation.
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