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Today's political briefing: Key developments
and analysis for Utah policymakers
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KSL Radio/Television: Vote For Prop. 3
KSL Radio/Television join a lengthy list of business, government, education, environmental, medical, news media and other organizations in endorsing Proposition 3 in Salt Lake County. Some excerpts from KSL’s editorial:
“Salt Lake County voters should not let the absence of a specific listing of priority projects scuttle a rare opportunity to do something truly significant for the future of transportation along the Wasatch Front.
“… while specifics may be lacking, there’s much more promise than apprehension that the money will be used as intended for adding critical TRAX lines, building Commuter Rail through the valley, and acquiring land for highway projects.
“The bottom line is this: each of the projects is integral to preventing gridlock and increasing mobility as the population grows, and ultimately, each will be built. Better to pass Proposition 3 now in order to accelerate the construction process, than to reject the measure and pay much more later on for what inevitably will be.”
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| | News Highlights
Article: "The rhetoric in Utah's 2nd Congressional District race is heating up, with GOP challenger LaVar Christensen saying Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson is a do-nothing guy who just tries to get along with everyone. ... Meanwhile, Matheson continues to claim endorsements by groups that normally support Republicans, not Democrats. He picked up the National Association of Manufacturers' endorsement Monday" (Deseret Morning News).
Beat the rush and vote today, suggests Salt Lake Tribune editorial. |
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| | Quote of the Day
“Normally, we would argue strongly against the state having any power to probe into the records of private businesses, absent compelling evidence that a crime has been committed. But the gasoline market in Utah does not bear any resemblance to a competitive field, and gas is a commodity vital to the movement of goods and services, as well as to the overall health of the economy.”
-- Morning News editorial suggesting that the state needs better tools to deal with anti-competitive forces in the oil industry. | |
| | Tuesday Buzz
Written by LaVarr Webb & Associates | 
Campaign Tip
Two weeks to election day, and early voting starts today. If you’re involved in a political campaign, getting your voters to the polls is your top priority. Today we publish another Campaign Tip (see below) by Joe Garecht about using good campaign literature to get out the vote.
TNC Contributes $100,000 to Vision Dixie
By all accounts, one of the most important regional planning efforts in Utah’s history is off to a good start in Washington County. Vision Dixie, a collaborative project by the Washington County Commission, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, Envision Utah, The Nature Conservancy and the Oquirrh Institute, launched a year-long effort last week before about 300 people in the Dixie Center to help shape the future of the county.
The planning effort, which will feature extensive public workshops and stakeholder involvement, will be costly. At the kickoff event, The Nature Conservancy announced a donation of $100,000 to support the growth planning process, in addition to contributing time, staff and other resources to assist the effort.
As the country’s fifth fastest growing county, Washington County faces multiple challenges dealing with growth. It features world-class scenery, but has limited private land, limited water, exploding housing prices and transportation congestion. The county has a wealth of rare and unique plans and animals, including 12 federally-listed species threatened by unplanned growth.
The Nature Conservancy has been active in the balanced preservation of important natural areas in Washington County for nearly 20 years. Scott Hirschi, a member of the Vision Dixie fundraising committee and director of the local economic and development council, said TNC’s financial contribution will help the county “have the chance to determine its future and preserve its wonderfully unique quality of life through a comprehensive, citizen-driven, collaborative planning process.”
Blog Watch
Paul Rolly says: "An e-mail apparently has been sent throughout the 2nd Congressional District signed by 21 Republican Utah legislators asking for campaign contributions for GOP Congressional candidate LaVar Christensen, who is challenging incumbent Democrat Jim Matheson. The e-mail is as a shrill warning about how life will be destroyed if Democrats take control of Congress and House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi becomes speaker. But one warning jumped out at me: If Pelosi becomes speaker, the Democrats 'would initiate frivolous impeachment proceedings against the president...' First of all, Pelosi has said publicly (most recently on CBS' '60 Minutes' Sunday) that the Democrats would not initiate impeachment proceedings against President Bush. But despite that, think about that warning from Republicans for a minute. They are worried Congress would initiate frivolous impeachment proceedings against the president. Roll that phrase over in your mind: 'frivolous impeachment proceedings against the president.' The Republicans are now saying they are against such a thing. Frivolous impeachment proceedings. Frivolous impeachment proceedings. Does that bring back any faint memories. Does anyone remember a few years ago when Clinton was president. Frivolous impeachment proceedings. In other words, the e-mail is saying, if you give the Democrats the majority in Congress, they might do what the Republicans did. For horrors"... At Out of Context, Robert Gehrke reports: "The non-profit, non-partisan group levees.org released a Black & Gold list this week, designed to identify those politicians who have helped New Orleans recover from the damage done by Hurricane Katrina and those who have added to the city's woes. Black-listed was Utah's Sen. Bob Bennett, for questioning the wisdom of rebuilding parts of New Orleans. 'I'm happy to appropriate money to help people who are in trouble,' Bennett said in March. 'But if we're going to appropriate money and then rebuild in a place that the laws of physics say doesn't make sense for people to live in -- building a city 10 feet below sea level does not strike me as inherently, basically a good idea.' The senator took a fair amount of heat at the time of his comment. But I got to tag along with the senator on a trip to New Orleans in July and sat in on a meeting with the influential recovery organization, Women of the Storm, who basically espoused the same viewpoint. Donna Fraiche, a member of Women of the Storm and the Louisiana Recovery Authority, which is spearheading the state's recovery efforts, said Louisiana owes it to taxpayers not to rebuild the city the way it was built in the past. She said the group is supporting new building standards to help New Orleans weather a future hurricane and flooding, and that might mean some areas are rebuilt differently or aren't rebuilt at all. Bennett felt vindicated by the group's stance. 'By no means do I support letting it wash away and forget it,' Bennett said. 'There may be places that should not be rebuilt. Don't just automatically assume that everything that was has to be rebuilt the same way'"... At NewsBusters, Mark Finkelstein, in response to this Boston Globe editorial, says: "I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. The same kind of folks who professed to find a non-existent right to abortion on demand in the Constitution have 'discovered' another imaginary constitutional provision. According to its editorial this morning: 'The First Amendment, with its injunction that Congress shall make no law restricting religion, carries an implied corollary that churches should not meddle in politics.' The context was the Globe's complaint that Mitt Romney is reaching out for support to his fellow BYU alums who -- oh, the horror! -- also happen to be his Mormon co-religionists. The Globe sternly warns Romney to 'make sure that the church stays out of his nascent presidential campaign.' Let's start by making clear the Globe's profound misreading of the Constitution. The Establishment clause is a two-part provision. On the one hand, 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.' The Founders wanted to ensure that there would be no state church comparable to the Church of England, from which most of them had come. But that same First Amendment equally prohibits Congress from 'prohibiting the free exercise' of religion. And part of that freedom is the right to engage in the give-and-take of democracy. But perhaps even more stunning than the Globe's misreading of our founding document is the paper's hypocrisy. Let's review some other examples of religious involvement in the public square:
- The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., whose civil rights organization was the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. King described SCLC as 'church-oriented because of the very structure of the black community in the South.'
- The Reverend Jesse Jackson, presidential candidate.
- The Reverend Al Sharpton, candidate for president and a number of state offices.
- Black churches and ministers nationwide, traditionally a mainstay of Democrat GOTV efforts.
- Then there's this article, Democratic Hopefuls Find Religion on Campaign Trail, which among other things documents the way that Dem senatorial candidate Harold Ford, Jr. has 'filmed a campaign commercial in his childhood church, with a large white cross looming over his right shoulder.' YouTube of Ford ad here.
- The liberal mainline Protestant denominations, which have become active extensions of the left-wing of the DNC. It was the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), for example, that recently published a book claiming 9-11 was orchestrated by the U.S. government.
If the Globe has ever editorialized about the need for these religious folks to 'stay out' of politics, it's news to me" (see also here, here, here, here, here, here, and here).
National Politics
If Democrats Control Congress
National Journal’s Congress Daily takes a look at what might happen if Democrats take over Congress. … Election guru Charlie Cook writes in his NationalJournal.com column that Democrats are poised to win a majority of governorships. He looks at the most competitive races.
Wise Words
Utah communications professional Jeri Cartwright has a nice, new Web site. One of her pages features wise words for decision makers, including this one by George Gallup: "Not everything that can be counted counts; and not everything that counts can be counted."
Campaign Tip
Effective GOTV Literature
By Joe Garecht, Local Victory
Campaign literature is an integral part of your get-out-the-vote (GOTV) campaign. Your campaign may decide to do a targeted mailing, organize a literature drop, or go door-to-door leaving palm cards and doorknob hangers reminding people to vote for your candidate. Here are several tips to ensure that your GOTV literature piece is successful.
Design Across Mediums
Design of your GOTV literature is important. For many campaigns, this will be the last contact the voters have from your campaign before they go to the polls. It is imperative that this contact be positive. Because it is so important, this design should be started well in advance of the start of your GOTV efforts.
Let’s Be Friends
Be sure to keep the tone familiar. Your copy should read like a note from an old friend. If you have campaigned right, the voters have heard your message and they know who you are. The tone of your GOTV literature should say “You know me and I know you – so vote for me on Election Day.” If you are mailing a letter, consider having a local leader from each neighborhood or precinct as a signer of the letter so the letter truly is coming from a friend. Keep the copy conversational and friendly. Get out the vote pieces are generally not the time to bore with statistics and issue minutiae. Unless you have a compelling reason to do otherwise, keep it “big picture.”
Short and Sweet
Your final campaign piece should be short and to the point. Whether you are mailing a letter, doing a lit drop or handing out palm cards, keep it no more than a page long, easy to read. Break it up into manageable chucks, using bold and underlining to create headlines and highlight key points.
Stay on Target
When designing your piece, remember your campaign message. It should briefly and compellingly summarize your message, bringing the campaign all together for the voter. But avoid getting into details. Instead say, “You know me. You know that I stand for safer streets. You know that I am uniquely qualified to make our streets safer. Vote for me on Election Day.”
Make the Sale
Somewhere in your GOTV literature, preferably more than once, be sure to make the sale – ask the voters to vote for your candidate, and tell them when and how to do it. Be sure to include this vital call to action. Remind voters when Election Day is, and where the polls are. Remember, not every one is as politically minded as you are.
Summary: Your GOTV literature may your last contact with voters. Design your literature carefully; incorporating your message in a friendly, short piece that calls the voter to action, and you can be sure that this final contact will be a positive one. |
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| Tuesday
October 24, 2006
Please submit calendar items to Daily@UtahPolicy.com
- Oct 24: Early voting begins, contact your county clerk for times and locations.
- Oct 24: Lt. Gov. Herbert to address attendees of the 2nd Annual Medical Reserve Corps for FEMA Region VIII Conference, 8 a.m., Red Lion Inn, Salt Lake City.
- Oct 24: Midday Metro at 10 a.m. on KCPW 88.3 FM will be hosted by Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. His topic: immigration. Guests include community advocate Temma Martin; immigration amnesty opponent Barry Hatch; and Luis Alberto Urrea, author of The Devil’s Highway. To participate, call 801-355-TALK or email midday@kcpw.org during the show.
- Oct 25: Green Party Candidate for Congress, Bob Brister, and his Committee to travel to Roosevelt, Vernal and Heber City to meet the voters in those cities.
- Oct 25: Women’s State Legislative Council Meeting, 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., State Office Bldg Auditorium. Candidates running for United States Congress representing both Parties will speak. Question/Answer. Delegate members are invited & visitors are welcome. Visitors may call for a guest pass to Suzanne Merrill, President, 787-9372, suzannemerrill@comcast.net. For more info and calendar, visit www.wslcofutah.org.
- Oct 25: Water Issues Task Force, 1 p.m., room W135.
- Oct 25: Speaker Greg Curtis' World Series Tailgate Party, 6:00 p.m., Skybox restaurant. For more information contact Kat Dayton at 801-580-4743 or katdayton@gmail.com.
- Oct 26: Lt. Gov. Herbert to offer opening remarks at the State of Our Health Forum, 8 a.m., Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City.
- Oct 26: Gov. Huntsman's KUED Monthly Press Conference, 10 a.m., KUED Studios.
- Oct 26: ChamberWest General Membership Meeting, 11:45 a.m., The E Center Centennial Room, 3200 South Decker Lake Drive. Topic is Meet the Candidates (Any Federal, State, Local candidate that represents any area of West Valley City, Taylorsville and Kearns). Cost is $15 with RSVP. To RSVP, call 801-969-8755 or e-mail rsvp@chamberwest.org.
- Oct 26: Lt. Gov. Herbert to address attendees of the 12 Annual Utah 100 Awards Program Luncheon, 11:45 a.m., Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City.
- Oct 26: Subcommittee on Oversight, 3 p.m., room W140.
- Oct 26: KSL's "Let Me Speak to the Governor," 6 p.m., KSL Studios.
- Oct 26: Salt Lake County Libertarian Party Meeting, 7 p.m., Grecian Garden, 4816 South State Street, Murray.
- Oct 27: Gov. Huntsman to meet with the Ambassador of Albania, 9 a.m., Governor's Office.
- Oct 27: Gov. Huntsman to attend the 8th Annual Utah Technology Council Hall of Fame, 6 p.m., The Little America Hotel, Salt Lake City.
- Oct 28: Green Party Honk 'n' Wave for Peace, 10 to 11 a.m., 6400 South State Street. Come out and meet Bob and pick up a Brister For Congress Yard Sign, or visit www.bristerforcongress.org to order one.
- Oct 31: Financial disclosure reports are due for all Candidates, PAC's, PIC's and Political Parties.
- Oct 31: Hinckley Forum "Campaign 2006: The Race for Senate District 7," 2:00 p.m. Ross Romero (D) v. Bryce Jolley (R).
- Nov 1: Special Districts Subcommittee of the Political Subdivisions Interim Committee, 9 a.m., room W125.
- Nov 1: Native American Legislative Liaison Committee, 9:30 a.m., 130 House Building.
- Nov 1: Hinckley Forum "The Axis of Evil: A Foreign Policy Briefing on Iraq, Iran, and North Korea," 10:45 a.m. Guest is Senator Bennett.
- Nov 2: Downtown Alliance 12th Annual Achievement Awards Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m., Hilton Salt Lake City Center, 255 South West Temple. The awards are designed to pay tribute to those individuals and organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to downtown Salt Lake City during this past year.
- Nov 2: Water Issues Task Force, 9 a.m., room W125.
- Nov 3: Early voting ends, contact your county clerk for times and locations.
- Nov 3: Last day to apply for an absentee ballot. Also last day to postmark absentee ballot. Ballot must be received before the last day of canvass, 7 to 14 days following election.
- Nov 4: Green Party Honk 'n' Wave for Peace "U.S. Out of Iraq, Now," featuring Bob Brister, Green Candidate for Utah's 2nd Congressional District, 10 to 11 a.m., NW corner, intersection of State Street and 6400 South. For more information see www.bristerforcongress.org.
- Nov 6: Last day to apply for and vote an absentee ballot in-person at your county clerk's office.
- Nov 6: Hinckley Forum "Confucius Beliefs and the Effectiveness of Local Governance," 12 p.m. Guest is Da-chi Liao, President of the Taiwan Political Science Association.
- Nov 7: 2006 General Election
- Nov 8: Hinckley Forum "Who Won and Why," 11 a.m. Live RadioWest with Doug Fabrizio. Kirk Jowers, Director, Hinckley Institute of Politics, Dan Jones, Professor Lecturer, Political Science Department; President Dan Jones and Associates, Dave Buhler, Adjunct Professor Political Science Department, U of U; Chair, Salt Lake City Council.
- Nov 8: Hinckley Forum "What We Give Back: A Conversation about our Responsibility to our Community," 6 p.m., Libby Gardner Hall. Guests include Rev. Trace Browning, Episcopal Chaplain, Rowland Hall Saint Marks, Ruby Chacon, local artist, Ron Yengich, criminal defense attorney, Ted Wilson, former Salt Lake City mayor, Honorable Judith S. H. Atherton, Utah Third District Court Judge, Steve Ott (moderator).
- Nov 10-11: Independent American Party Annual National Conference, Salt Lake County Complex, 2100 South State Street, North Building, 4th Floor, Rm. N4010. Public Welcome - floor participation restricted to Elected Officers and Committee Members. See detailed agenda here.
- Nov 10: Hinckley Forum "Immigration," 12 p.m. Guests include Charles Hirschman, Boeing International Professor in the Department of Sociology, and Professor at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington.
- Nov 13: Retirement and Independent Entities Interim Committee, 9 a.m., room W135.
- Nov 15-17: Utah Association of Counties Annual Convention, Dixie Center, St. George.
- Nov 15: Legislative meetings scheduled throughout day. See Legislative calendar for details.
- Nov 15: Salt Lake Chamber 30th Annual Women and Business Conference and Athena Award Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., The Grand America Hotel, 555 South Main Street, Salt Lake City. Cokie Roberts, senior news analyst for NPR as well as political commentator for ABC News, will be the keynote speaker. To learn more or register, visit www.saltlakechamber.org.
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- See the entire calendar
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