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The Week Ahead
It’s a rather slow political week. See the Utah Policy Daily political calendar for all the political events. The most interesting political issue to watch over the next few weeks will be the UEA’s attempt to overturn Utah’s new education voucher law through the referendum process. The anti-voucher group must gather 92,000 signatures from 15 counties by April 10. (See more information below and lots of links to blog postings in Blog Watch.)
Monday Musing
Springtime Means Political Decisions
The high country on the North Slope of the Uintas, where I spent part of last weekend, is still deep in winter’s grasp. The snow is piled high, the temperatures are chilly, and the cross-country skiing and snowmobiling are terrific.
But even in the mountains, there’s a hint in the air that spring can’t be far off. The days are much longer now and the afternoon sun is warm. The magpies are squawking, the red-wing blackbirds are singing and I’m even seeing a few adventurous robins joining the mountain chickadees as they cavort in the black-and-white quakies. The bald eagles are staging for their flights north and before long the sandhill cranes will return to their breeding grounds in the river bottom meadows.
Down in Utah’s valleys, tulips and daffodils are aggressively pushing their way skyward and over-wintered pansies are perking up.
And if it’s springtime, it’s also time for political decisions. This year hundreds of city council seats are up for grabs in municipalities all across the state. It’s likely that more than a thousand candidates will respond to the call of politics. In terms of candidate numbers, Utah’s municipal elections are actually bigger than general elections held in even years.
Only two mayoral elections will be held this year, in Salt Lake City and Ogden, but they will be major events.
Right about now, a lot of people are deciding whether to seek a municipal post. It’s a hard decision. Running for a political office is a little like a shy 16-year-old boy asking the prettiest and most popular girl in class for his first date. The potential for ecstasy is great, but so is the potential for disaster.
Good candidates need to have a healthy ego and a touch of insanity. They have an intensity and drive—the proverbial fire in the belly—that most of us lack. They have a self-confidence that can’t be shaken by criticism or setbacks. Once they make the big decision, good candidates never look back. They have the go-for-broke, all-or-nothing gusto it takes to be a winner.
So if you think you have what it takes, now’s the time to act. It’s decision time and the political bugs are biting. One of those new, green political shoots popping up on the springtime election landscape could be you.
Utah Law Gets National Attention
The Heartland Institute’s School Reform News, a national publication promoting school choice, features Utah’s new education voucher law as the lead story on the front page of its March edition. It also includes a photo of House sponsor Steve Urquhart. With the Utah Education Association and the PTA challenging the voucher law through the referendum process, this fight is a long way from being over. If the issue lands on the ballot, it will be a monumental fight, attracting big money from national sources on both sides.
In my years of observing politics, I’ve seen the initiative process used many times, but never the referendum process. It will be interesting to see if the teachers’ union and the PTA are organized enough to obtain the required signatures in a short time.
Wall Street Journal Touts UESP
A Wall Street Journal article (subscription required) notes that a new report by Morningstar Inc. rates Utah’s 529 education savings plan as best-performing in the nation, along with Virginia’s. Says the report: “The Utah Educational Savings Plan, which is run by the state, remains a top choice due to a diverse lineup of portfolios and low annual expenses, which mostly range from .25% to .38% across its portfolios.” “There’s lots of different age-based tracks to meet different types of risk tolerances,” a Morningstar spokesperson says.
Regional Politics
Experts: West Might Elect Moderate Dem
Article: "Recent Democratic victories in Western state races have party leaders predicting they can win the West and, therefore, the White House. ... For a Democrat to overcome the historical voting behavior of a region stretching from Canada to Mexico, the candidate must present a message centered on economic populism, fiscal discipline and a balance between individual rights and governmental protection, say Western Democrats and others who have studied the region's politics. And it should be delivered with libertarian rhetoric" (Denver Post).
Arizona Backs River Pact
Article: "The Arizona Legislature has authorized state water officials to complete a proposed multistate agreement to allow lower Colorado River Basin states to each retain the rights to the water that each adds through conservation or other means to the supply in the basin" (Associated Press) (see also related Grand Junction Daily Sentinel story).
National Politics
Candidates Post on YouTube
YouTube and similar video-sharing web sites are becoming important communications tools in political campaigns, says a Washington Post story. Candidates are posting lots of videos, with Mitt Romney having the most (25 on YouTube). The web site has pulled the official candidate videos into a channel called You Choose ’08. Among the numerous unofficial candidate videos, you can listen to Hillary Clinton’s off-key rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner” (viewed more than a million times).
Leadership Tip
Feeling Ownership
"A person doing a job -- any job -- must feel that he owns it and that he will remain on that job indefinitely. Lack of commitment to the present job will be perceived by those who work for him, and they will also tend not to care. If he feels he owns his job and acts accordingly, he need not worry about his next job."
-- Admiral Hyman G. Rickover U.S.N. (Source: nightscribe.com).
Today in Political History
March 4, 1829: In celebration of his inauguration, President Andrew Jackson invites the American public to the White House; an unruly crowd trashes the White House and forces Jackson to make a getaway through a window. (Source: National Journal 2007 Calendar of American Politics)
March 5, 1770: The Boston Massacre. British troops fired on boys in Boston who had provoked them.
March 5, 1849: The U.S. Department of Interior is created.
(Source: perspicuity.net)
Wise Words
“Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation. It is better be alone than in bad company.”
-- George Washington (Source: brainyquote.com)
Blog Watch
Rep. Steve Urquhart notes: "Borrowing a thought from Allison Fine, 80% of Americans are hesitant to participate in civic life. Well, now there's a chance for Utahns to change that. I've created a discussion page on the proposed referendum challenge to vouchers over on Politicopia. Join the discussion there and do whatever else you think is appropriate to jump into this one with both feet and work toward accomplishing what you think is best on the proposed referendum" (for more on the voucher referendum issue, see Tammy Bruce, CoolestFamilyEver, Jeremy's Jermiad, The Utah Amicus, and JuniperWest).... The Utah Senate Democrats recently joined the Utah blogosphere.... Holly Mullen says: "[A] big high-five for sheer chutzpah goes to the Honorable Rocky Anderson, globetrotting Salt Lake City mayor. Anderson [Thursday] called for the impeachment of President George W. Bush before a state senate committee in Olympia, Washington. Yeah, that’s right -- the state, not the D.C. After the hearing, a bystander urged Anderson to run for president. Of the whole bleepin’ United States! Anderson told Salt Lake Tribune reporter Heather May, who flew to Olympia to cover the big event, he frequently hears that request in his forays around the country. Here's the best quote of the day, from Heather's story: '"I'm not really inclined to do it right now," [Anderson] said of a presidential bid. Instead of being flattered, he said it is "disturbing to me [that] there's so little leadership."' Oh dear. Why am I feeling we may have another ego-crazed Dennis Kucinich on our hands?".... WaPo's Chris Cillizza includes Utah's 2nd District in a list of "the ten [House] races likely to be most closely-contested in 2008," and notes: "It's tough for Republicans not to target a district where President Bush won by 35 points in 2004. But, they did exactly that in 2006 and Rep. Jim Matheson racked up his biggest re-election margin yet. Matheson, whose father was a popular Utah governor, is an extremely savvy politician who has beat back repeated attempts by Republicans to knock him off. He has also benefited from the lackluster candidates Republicans have put up against him. Is it possible that there are no Republicans willing to run for the 2nd district who can walk and chew gum at the same time? Maybe. The National Republican Congressional Committee should be double-checking just to make sure".... Human Events' Ivy J. Sellers reports: "Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts now running for President, was announced as winner of the Conservative Political Action Conference 2007 presidential straw poll Saturday afternoon -- a victory some say was 'crucial' to his being taken seriously as a top-tier candidate. Asked who would be their first choice to be the Republican nominee for President in 2008, 21% of registred conference attendees selected Romney. ... 1705 ballots were cast -- the largest number in CPAC history -- by registered conference attendees from 49 states and the District of Columbia" (see also Redstate, Power Line, UNCoRRELATED, and SouthernUtahBlog).
Favorite Headlines
(Source: James Taranto’s Best of the Web at OpinionJournal.com)
Maybe Al Gore Should Try This
"Snails Save Energy by Re-Using Mucus Trails"--headline, LiveScience.com, March 1
Say What?
"Hepatitis Scare Dogs Puck"--headline, Boston Herald, March 1
That Sounds Painful!
"Inspector General Says School That Uses Shock Therapy Overcharged"--headline, Associated Press, March 1
Unless You're Really Tall, in Which Case Stand Behind Them
"Robinson Urges Episcopalians to Stand by Gays"--headline, Washington Times, Feb. 28
And an 'F' for Editorial Effectiveness
"Del. Earns 'C' for Educational Effectivness [sic]"--headline, News Journal (Wilmington), Feb. 28 |
