Broadband Battles
Interesting story by News.com
on how cities are fighting the large telephone and cable companies for the right to establish broadband networks. Utah’s UTOPIA is mentioned and Paul Morris is quoted.
Campaign Watch
Battle of the Bloggers?
I’ve heard from a few sources that Sen. Orrin Hatch is going to become a blogger. Rep. Steve Urquhart, who is challenging Hatch for the GOP nomination, has been blogging for some time, as has Democratic opponent Pete Ashdown. Hatch seems to be running at a fevered pace, issuing numerous press releases, most of which have been noted by UPD.
Urquhart says the fact that Hatch is campaigning so hard, and has been aggressively calling numerous political leaders to shore up support, shows that Hatch is taking Urquhart’s candidacy seriously. The Hatch side says the campaign is simply unfolding as planned, with Hatch engaged in long-scheduled campaign activities. Urquhart said he will begin cottage meetings around the state this week. He questions the value of Hatch’s seniority and clout in the Senate given that Hatch tried, but failed, to get language attached to a transportation bill that would have moved the Legacy Parkway project forward.
Update: Jim Hansen and His Cabin
One of Utah’s most venerable political establishments sits on a relatively quiet neighborhood on 200 West in Farmington. For some 30 years, political insiders have gathered there, plotting campaign strategy, making fundraising calls, mapping out grassroots tactics, and planning media buys. All but one of the numerous campaigns organized and executed there have been successful. Even better, a lot of fishing trips have been planned there, as well.
This institution happens to be a comfortable log cabin owned by former Congressman Jim Hansen. Most Utah politicians and many from out of state, including former Vice President Dan Quayle, have spent time in the cabin. I had occasion to visit with Hansen at the cabin just a few days ago. Hansen built the cabin in 1973 as a land development and insurance office. He used it as a campaign headquarters through innumerable legislative and congressional elections. Today, it looks more like a museum than anything else, as Hansen has decorated it with hundreds of items of political memorabilia, covering all phases of a 42-year political career. Hansen looks at each item with fondness, recalling story after story. He even has a collection of newspaper political cartoons featuring him in mostly unflattering roles. He’s given tours of the cabin and memorabilia to a number of youth groups.
Today, when he’s not traveling on business related to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, Hansen still hangs out at the cabin. Besides running his consulting business out of the cabin, he weeds his garden in the back yard and works in a large shop and garage housing his boats and recreational equipment.
Not to say that Hansen is retired. He’s as busy as ever, and has not yet left politics behind. After leaving Congress, Hansen couldn’t quite get politics out of his blood, of course, so he took at shot at the governorship last year. Losing was a blessing, he now says, but life hasn’t slowed. He was soon appointed to the BRAC Commission, and since then he’s traveled constantly, been lobbied heavily, and shoulders an enormous responsibility in helping determine which military establishments will be closed or realigned. The commission must make its report to Congress by Sept. 8, so right now is an especially intense period.
At age 72, Hansen is in good health, and after the BRAC adventure he isn’t planning to slow down, just divert more of his energy to activities like chasing cutthroat trout on Strawberry Reservoir.
Campaign Tip
A Winning Finance Plan
(Paige Marriott, the principal of Marriott Group, a fundraising, lobbying, and grass-roots communications company based in Utah and Washington, DC, is going to write a series of articles on campaign fundraising strategies for Utah Policy Daily. Marriott has raised more than $50 million for candidates at all political levels, from the state house to the White House. This is the first article.)
Cuba Gooding, Jr. won an Academy Award for his performance in Jerry McGuire for such famous lines as, “Show me the money.” Candidates have a harder time delivering the same line with such star quality.
I’ve seen candidates who are my clients strongly defend their positions in a debate and then when asked to make a fundraising call, slump their shoulders in preemptive defeat. It doesn’t need to be that painful. Fundraising, next to asking for votes, is the most important task in running for office. More than one of my clients has given me the deer-in-the-headlights response of “Why would anyone give me money?” With all the Dr. Phil I can muster, I tell candidates they just don’t get it. People want to give candidates money! Just like a solid stock tip for Coca-Cola, constituents want the opportunity to invest in candidate or cause that will serve them well. By asking for money, candidates are giving individuals or corporations the opportunity to join a cause bigger than themselves. Not everyone has time to volunteer on a campaign, and writing a check is a lot easier. And if I write a check to a candidate, you can guarantee that he or she will get my vote.
The first step in raising money is knowing how much the campaign will cost. I like to call this, the “cost-per-vote.” The “cost-per-vote” is the cumulative cost of running the campaign divided by the number of voters who need to be contacted in order to win. The cost of the campaign runs lockstep with the campaign plan. If you don’t know how much a successful campaign costs, ask someone who has run for the position previously, or look at records in the Utah State Elections Office, where candidates are required to file finance reports. Remember that most of the money in a campaign is spent in the last three months, which is why it is important when producing a finance plan to count backwards from Election Day. The finance portion of the campaign plan should be specific enough to outline the cost-per-day of the campaign. Include everything from yard signs and direct mail to gas, cell phone bills, postage and snacks for hard-working volunteers.
When producing a finance plan, candidates often get carried away with spending money on inconsequential items. Candidates should ask themselves if the item they are spending money on generates votes. I have never known anyone to go into a voting booth and vote for a candidate because they were given a key chain with a candidate’s name on it. And although my thirst has been quenched by a water bottle with the name of a candidate boldly printed on the side, it has never quenched my vote. Unless you are a multi-millionaire and want to completely self-finance your campaign, candidates should only spend money on items that communicate their message to the voters. This kind of specific planning gives candidates an edge on their opponent and allows them to target their fundraising efforts to meet the campaign’s needs.
Washington Watch
President Orders Aid for Utah
On Monday, Pres. Bush declared several Utah counties disaster areas that were struck by flooding and landslides in April, May and June. The declaration makes federal funding available to state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of damaged facilities in the counties of Beaver, Box Elder, Iron, Kane, Sevier, Tooele, Uintah, and Wasatch; and the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation, says a White House press release.
Tax Credit For Gun Safe
Sen. Orrin Hatch has proposed a bill that would provide a 25% tax credit toward the purchase of a gun safe, up to $250. “The bipartisan Child Protection and Home Safety Act of 2005 has widespread support among Utah and national law enforcement organizations,” says a Hatch press release.
Hatch Supports Bolton
Regarding Pres. Bush’s recess appointment of John Bolton as U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Sen. Hatch issued a quick press release saying: “The President’s decision today was necessary and well within his rights. John Bolton’s nomination was turned into a circus by a handful of senators who— once again — abused the filibuster to prevent a qualified man to serve the president.”
Salute to CAFTA Democrats
TruthAboutTrade.com salutes Rep. Jim Matheson and the other 14 Democrats who defied the union lobby and voted for CAFTA.
Grant For Rural Teachers
In a press release , Sen. Bob Bennett announced that a $400,000 grant will be delivered in time for back to school this fall to help rural educators meet state standards and prepare for state-approved assessment tests.
Bioterrorism Planning Guides
The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) is now distributing a free emergency planning guide entitled, “Battling Back: Taking on Bioterrorism in Utah,” says All American Patriots.com. The guide is designed to help Utahns prepare for a bioterrorist attack or a natural disease outbreak and is now available at UDOH, local health departments across Utah and online at www.health.utah.gov/bt/video.
Editor Generals
(It seems the press has been second-guessing military operations for a long time.)
"Why, it appears that we appointed all of our worst generals to command the armies and we appointed all of our best generals to edit the newspapers. I mean, I found by reading a newspaper that these editor generals saw all of the defects plainly from the start but didn't tell me until it was too late. I'm willing to yield my place to these best generals and I'll do my best for the cause by editing a newspaper." – Gen. Robert E. Lee (Source: The Federalist Patriot) |
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