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Republicans Debate
GOP presidential candidates debate tonight in New Hampshire. The debate will be carried live by CNN at 5 p.m. The debate will also be streamed live at CNN.com.
Utah’s Economic Boom: Credit the Private Sector
The latest issue of The Utah Banker magazine features an insightful essay by Howard Headlee, president of the Utah Bankers Association. Headlee credits Utah’s governor and legislators for having the foresight to focus on growing the economy as a means to generate more tax revenue for education. As a result of the booming economy, historic investment has been made in education, and tax cuts have also been granted.
Headlee notes: “But let’s not forget who really deserves the credit. As I sat in the gallery in the moments after the legislative session had concluded, I was pleased to hear several legislators and Gov. Huntsman respectfully and appropriately acknowledge the role of the private sector in creating the opportunities that led to their historic actions. Why is our economy so good? It’s because Utahns are incredibly hard working and productive. Utah businesses are well run by capable and professional executives. . . . Most states only dream about doing some of the things our legislature has just done in terms of investing in education and transportation infrastructure while at the same time adopting historic tax cuts and reforms.” Read a PDF version of the entire article on Page 4 of the magazine.
Today in Political History
June 5, 1933: The United States goes off the gold standard.
June 5, 1967: The Six-Day, Arab-Israeli War begins. (Source: perspicuity)
June 5, 1968: Sen. Robert F. Kennedy is shot and mortally wounded after claiming victory in California's Democratic presidential primary. (Source: NBC5)
Wise Words
“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.”
-- Winston Churchill (Source: Quote Garden)
Campaign/Communications Tip
Start a “Stories File”
Telling interesting and illustrative stories will do more to improve your campaign speeches than just about anything else. Lay the ground work by starting a “story file.” Simply create a file where you can catalog interesting stories you come across. If you find one in a newspaper, tear it out and stick in your file. If someone tells you one at an event, jot down some notes and put them in your file. Before long you’ll have a “real life” story that makes the case for just about every issue on your campaign. (Source: Campaign Tips)
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- Boston Globe: "Senator Hillary Clinton [Sunday] night [at the Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire] took a page from her husband's 1992 primary campaign and tried to emphasize the broad points of agreement among Democrats against Republicans. But several of the Democratic candidates on stage with her were not listening. 'The differences among us are minor,' she said of the Democratic candidates' stances on the Iraq war. 'The differences between us and the Republicans are major. And I don't want anyone to be confused about that'" (see also related John Dickerson column).
-- Wall Street Journal: "As a late entry into the crowded, expensive, presidential campaign, Fred Thompson's first big test of viability will be his ability to raise money quickly. A major part of the former Tennessee senator's strategy is a heavy reliance on the Internet to get his message out and to raise funds. He is also trying to tap into the large number of well-heeled Republican financiers who have yet to commit to a 2008 hopeful, amid widespread disaffection among party loyalists with the current field. Yet a late start and signs that Mr. Thompson may adopt an unconventional campaign style -- limiting in-person appearances by making extensive use of blogging and online video -- could crimp the television actor's ability to raise money over the long haul" (see also related John Fund column).
-- Christian Science Monitor: "In South Carolina last week during the congressional break, Sen. Lindsey Graham generally avoided crowds. Likewise Sen. Jon Kyl, back home in Arizona, scheduled no public appearances, instead huddling with party officials in Phoenix. It could not have been an easy week for the two GOP senators, key brokers of the compromise immigration-reform bill that has infuriated so many of their red-state constituents. How well they and other senators in the hot seat endured the heat may become clear when the Senate resumes debate on the bill this week – and whether the amendments to come are designed mainly to alter it or, rather, to kill it. The week at home made one thing evident: Senators who back this measure, especially Republicans, are taking a calculated risk."
-- Los Angeles Times: "Democratic congressional leaders, whose efforts to force a withdrawal from Iraq were stymied last month, plan a summer of repeated Iraq-related votes designed to force Republican lawmakers to abandon the White House before the fall. At the same time, antiwar groups are expanding their campaign to pressure GOP incumbents in their home states. Both efforts seek to ensure that anxious Republican lawmakers -- many of whom have said they want to wait until September to assess President Bush's Iraq strategy -- get no break from the war over the summer."
Lighter Side
Yesterday’s Dilbert cartoon from the Washington Post. |
