| 
Housekeeping Matters
Welcome to the longest day of the year, and one of the hottest. The dog days of summer are upon us. Some readers received their UPD late yesterday due to bulk e-mail glitch. Somehow the send was interrupted part way through and we didn’t realize it until mid-morning. We apologize.
Nancy Drew & Economics
In his Tea Leaf economic update this week, Utah economist Jeff Thredgold uses movie titles to address the current status of the housing bubble, stock market, war on terror, the election, etc. He writes: “… trying to present weekly economic and financial information with an unusual twist can occasionally be a most welcome change. … My sincere apology in advance to anyone I might offend.”
Washington Watch
Hatch: Stem Cell Veto 'Disappointing'
Sen. Orrin Hatch vows to continue his fight for increased federal support of embryonic stem cell research following Pres. Bush's veto of S.5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. Says Hatch: "This veto was expected, but it's still disappointing. Support continues to grow -- both in Congress and in the public -- and it's only a matter of time before the federal government gets fully behind this research" (see press release).
Matheson: Airspace Proposal Dropped
Rep. Jim Matheson says says the FAA has notified him "that it has dropped -- for now -- a controversial plan to re-route incoming jet airplanes over the east side of the Salt Lake Valley" (see press release).
Today in Political History
June 21, 1788: New Hampshire becomes a state and ratifies the Constitution, making it operative. Congress declares it to be in effect on July 2, 1788.
June 21, 1964: 3 Civil rights activists disappear in Mississippi. (Source: perspicuity)
June 21, 1989: The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Texas v. Johnson that flag burning is protected speech under the Constitution. (Source: NBC5)
Wise Words
“The content of a man’s character is not where he stands in times of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
-- Martin Luther King Jr. (Source: Quotes)
Political Trivia
Only eight members of Congress are World War II veterans. The “Greatest Generation” is aging and mostly gone. In the House, John Dingell, Michigan; Ralph Hall, Texas; and Ralph Regula, Ohio, are WWII vets. Senators include Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye, by the Hawaii; Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey; Ted Stevens, Alaska; and John Warner, Virginia.
National Politics
Best Stories From …
-- New York Times: "Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced Tuesday that he was dropping his Republican affiliation, a step that could clear the way for him to make an independent bid for the presidency" (see also related Politico story, Mark Halperin column, and New York Daily News editorial).
-- MSNBC: "Democratic presidential contender Sen. Hillary Clinton got a decidedly mixed reaction Wednesday morning at the Take Back America conference in Washington when she blamed the Iraqi government for the chaos in that country. 'The American military has done its job. Look at what they accomplished: they got rid of Saddam Hussein, they gave the Iraqis a chance for free and fair elections ... The American military has succeeded. It is the Iraqi government which has failed to make the tough decisions,' she declared. This sparked a raucous reaction in the crowd of mostly self-proclaimed progressives, with much booing and heckling, and Clinton's sign-toting supporters cheering."
-- Boston Globe: Columnist Jeff Jacoby: "On one important issue after another, the [political right] churns with serious disputes over policy and principle, while the left marches mostly in lockstep. ... In the liberal imagination, conservatives are blind dogmatists, spouters of a party line fed to them by (take your pick) big business, their church, or President Bush. Yet almost anywhere you look on the right these days, what stands out is the lack of ideological conformity."
-- The Hill: Columnist Dick Morris: "Anyone who wonders why Congress has a job approval rating of 23 percent, seven points lower than even Bush's, need only look at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) failure to change the ethics of the Congress."
Blog Watch
-- At The Senate Site, Sen. Allen Christensen, in response to this Rebecca Walsh column, says: "Our aging population is increasing rapidly and can become dangerous if they refuse to recognize when it is time to hang up their car keys. ... The bill I now plan to bring back would allow confidential reporting [of impaired drivers]. ... I don't love the idea of people ratting out friends and family. But I like it better than reading the obituaries and wishing we had done something more. A small tweak of existing law might make the difference between life and death for a family member, friend, the impaired driver, or even you."
-- Paul Rolly reports: "New State Republican Chairman Stan Lockhart has persuaded veteran political organizer and strategist Dave Hansen to serve as the party's executive director until a permanent director is found. It is the third time Hansen has assumed that job, with the first dating clear back to the 1970s. ... Hansen is a paid political consultant for Sen. Orrin Hatch and said Hatch endorsed his move to GOP headquarters as a way to help the party out. ...The party has been without an executive director since former Chairman Enid Greene fired Jeff Hartley earlier this year."
-- The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza solicits reader feedback on "whether [Mitt] Romney's Mormonism is a legitimate campaign issue or a private matter. In other words, are the specifics of Romney's faith important for voters to hear in order to make an informed decision when assessing the Republican presidential candidates?"
Lighter Side
“Americans are getting stronger. Twenty years ago it took two people to carry $10 worth of groceries. Today, a five-year-old can do it.”
-- Henny Youngman |
