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National Politics
Bush Speech Tonight
In his State of the Union speech tonight at 7 p.m., President Bush tonight will seek to revitalize his domestic agenda with a focus on health care and energy independence. See New York Times story. The speech will be broadcast on several local and cable news stations.
Death Knell for Public Financing?
With presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s rejection of public financing (and spending limits) for both the Democratic primary race and the general election, public financing of presidential elections is probably dead, says a New York Times story. See also Wall Street Journal editorial.
The anti-tolling group Utahns for Safe and Efficient Transportation is purchasing ads on cable television to You can view that ads at the organization’s web site. You can also contact your legislator.
Taxpayers Assoc. Position Papers
The Utah Taxpayers Association has begun updating its Position Papers for the 2007 General Session page, where you can read the Association's stances on various bills before the Legislature.
Sierra Club Seminar
The Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club will be holding "a social and global warming seminar on Wednesday, January 24th from 6 to 9 pm at the Provo City Library, 550 N University Ave, in Provo. ... Tim Wagner will discuss Smart Energy for Utah County from 7 to 8:30. Discussions will include Utah's current energy picture, how recent events in California might help us here and global warming issues."
Wise Words
“Politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and for the same reason.”
-- Author Unknown (Source: the Quote Garden)
Today in Political History
Jan. 23, 1845: Congress mandates that all national elections will be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. (Source: National Journal 2007 Calendar of American Politics)
New Media Watch
Video is Key Campaign Tool
Web site video is quickly becoming a significant campaign tool. Presidential candidates are pioneering the use of video for both defensive and offensive purposes, according to a Washington Post story. Says the story:
“The accelerated use of campaign video is likely to continue throughout the 2008 campaign as technology opens new opportunities and challenges, with even more significant changes likely by 2012, when Internet Protocol television -- the equivalent of television channels based on the Web -- becomes more technically and financially feasible. For now, the race is on to exploit today's technology and compete for attention not just against other campaigns but also against other Web sites. ‘You'll see a technology Internet primary with people trying to do interesting things and move the ball forward,’ (Mathew) Gross (chief Internet strategist for the John Edwards campaign) said. ‘There is so much creativity on the Internet, as a campaign, how do you reach that level of creativity and interest?’"
Blog Watch
The Senate Site reports: "The 21 members of the Senate Majority met on Saturday and finalized some worthy goals for this legislative session. First of all, we decided that public education is the priority. The House Majority suggested funding Public Education at $300 million. The Governor wants $320 Million. After crafting a priority list and checking it twice we decided that the Governor's $320 Million was the absolute minimum we would be willing to commit this year. ... Second, the caucus decided to continue the state's work on tax reform. ... Third, avoiding unnecessary public debt has to be a top priority. ... Fourth, a pay increase for our state employees is a top priority -- we need to keep up with inflation and retain our qualified workforce. Fifth, we support a funding boost for Utah's transportation infrastructure. Sixth, it's time to significantly increase the state's investment in Higher Education. This is just a start. ... We need to hear from the public and let the appropriations & prioritization process run its course. Bottom line: this is going to be a great year. We're looking forward to working with our colleagues downstairs and on the other side of the aisle to hammer out all the details" (for more Legislature-related posts, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here).... Ed Partridge says: "Over the weekend Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. appeared on KUTV and not only voiced support for Bush's escalation, he said what we needed were 'twenty to fifty thousand additional troops in Baghdad alone' (if memory serves). Wow. That's a page right out of John McCain's script (which makes sense ... Huntsman is on record as supporting McCain for the GOP presidential nomination). Huntsman should consider getting a military advisor or, if he already has one, get a better one. As the Bushies themselves admit, this was a political decision, not a military one".... Tyler Farrer explains why "[i]t really is time for Utah Policy Daily to put 'Blog Watch' out of its misery".... TPM Cafe's Eric Kleefeld notes: "Mitt Romney appears to be outdoing John McCain in efforts to build a coalition of conservative House members -- and may be close to securing the support of the House GOP leadership, Roll Call reports. The paper says that 'early signs' show that Romney is the 'likely favorite' of more and more Republicans, including House GOP leaders John Boehner and Roy Blunt. As one source put it of Boehner's leaning towards Romney: 'He likes him -- a lot -- but he's not there just yet.' Meanwhile, ... Matt [Blunt], the Governor of Missouri, has already endorsed Romney, and other sources tell the paper that Roy is strongly considering following his son's lead" (see also here).
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