Presidential Politics
’06 Will Impact ‘08
In a NationalJournal.com column, Hotline Editor Chuck Todd analyzes what impact the 2006 elections may have on the 2008 presidential candidates, including Mitt Romney. This year’s midterm elections are going to be referendums on one or all of three things, Todd writes: “President Bush, Iraq and/or GOP governance.” But the elections will also frame the ’08 presidential election cycle.
Romney Hangs in There
NationalJournal.com also released its monthly White House race rankings with John McCain still leading the GOP pack and Romney maintaining the No. 2 position. Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s endorsement is mentioned as a McCain highlight, and McCain is described as a “solid frontrunner.”
GOP Losses in Congress
Charlie Cook, in his NationalJournal.com Off to the Races column, predicts “medium to large” Republican losses in the House and Senate this fall, “with the Senate somewhat less likely to turn over than the House. But a Senate switch is still very plausible.”
Impact of Real Salt Lake
Utah's Center for Public Policy & Administration has posted its latest Policy Perspectives newsletter. This month's edition analyzes Utah's sports economy, featuring articles on the economic impact of the 2002 Winter Olympics and the long-term economic impacts of stadiums and sports teams. With the Real Salt Lake soccer team trying to find a home, it is a timely report. To read the newsletter, click here.
People, Land Water – and Growth
The Oquirrh Institute has released a new publication, Utah's Growth Issues—People, Land, Water, coinciding with the unveiling of The Nature Conservancy's Living Lands and Waters initiative. The initiative launch was kicked off by Gov. Jon Huntsman in what was called the largest land preservation and restoration campaign in Utah history. In his address, Huntsman quoted from the Oquirrh publication and called on state government to work collaboratively with local government, federal government agencies and conservation organizations to do more to preserve Utah's critical lands and water. Spearheaded by Brad Barber, senior fellow for Oquirrh Institute’s Center for Environmental Management, the Growth Issues report brings together some of the most important data concerning Utah’s scarcest natural resources—land and water—with the intent of identifying some potential ways in which critical constraints can be addressed. Click here to download the full document.
What Would be Nice
Check out Jeff Thredgold’s “Wouldn’t it be nice, if . . .” commentary in his weekly Tea Leaf Economic Update.
Washington Watch
Bennett on Line-Item Veto
Sen. Bob Bennett says he thinks a proposal to give Pres. Bush line-item veto authority will be brought to the Senate floor, and that he's "leaning toward voting for it" (The Hill).
Matheson, Reid Team Up
Utah public school districts would be eligible for $60 million in zero-interest bonds to pay for renewable energy under a bill introduced in the House and Senate this week by Rep. Jim Matheson and Nevada Sen. Harry Reid (Las Vegas Review-Journal, Associated Press, and Matheson press release); Matheson says yesterday's passage of the National Security Foreign Investment Reform and Strengthened Transparency Act of 2006 will "bolster national security while preserving opportunity for foreign investors who also create jobs here" (press release).
Blog Watch
At the Senate Site blog, Sen. Carlene Walker reports some "good news for small school districts"... alt-tag discusses the scarcity of Utah math and science teachers (see also here)... Educating Utah says the "issues surrounding [Utah's student] achievement gap have become very politically charged. It is becoming clear that, at least to a certain extent, the achievement gap is stabilized by political extremism. By that, I mean simply that the issue itself has become too important to some political sectors to solve. It almost looks as if they hope the problem will not be solved because then they would lose their 'issue'. I view the achievement gap, however, as a major drag on our economic engine. With a significant portion of our population underperforming, our economic growth is severely limited. It's as if our eight-cylinder engine is missing two spark plugs. To move ahead and compete in this global economy, we need all cylinders working at maximum capacity"... Congressional candidate Steve Olsen asks: "[W]hen was the last time you heard anything positive about labor unions in the media? Conservatives complain about media bias, but no group suffers more from media bias than unions. The only time we hear anything in the news about unions is when some official embezzles money or when there's a threat of a strike. The effect of this media bias over the last few decades is significant misunderstanding among our citizens about the labor movement"... Article VI Blog responds to this article on Mitt Romney's Mormonism (see also here, here, and here).
-- Compiled by Golden Webb
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