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Join Legislative Tour On-Line
Every summer the Utah Legislature spends a couple of days getting to know a region of the state better. This year, Aug. 15-16, it is focusing on suburban and urban Davis and Salt Lake counties. See the Senate Site for schedules and more information. Sens. Michael Waddoups and Carlene Walker encourage citizens to post questions and join the site visit on-line.
Media Watch
Murdock Wins Wall Street Journal
Read what the Wall Street Journal itself has to say about being purchased by Rupert Murdoch. See also column by WSJ Publisher Gordon Crovitz and New York Times story, news analysis and column.
Washington Watch
Hatch Angling For A.G. Job?
Columnist Steve Kornacki says Sen. Orrin Hatch is defending embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in the media "so that when Mr. Gonzales inevitably steps down, President Bush will look favorably on Mr. Hatch and select him for a career-capping stint as Attorney General" (New York Observer).
Today in Political History
August 1, 1836: Colorado is admitted as the 38th U.S. state.
August 1, 1936: 100,000 salute Adolf Hitler on his entrance at the opening of the Berlin Olympics. (New York Times)
August 1, 1946: President Harry Truman establishes Atomic Energy Commission, which later became the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. (Source: Perspicuity)
Wise Words
"Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon and the deeper it sinks into the mind."
-- Samuel Coleridge (Salt Lake Tribune Cryproquote)
Campaign Tip
Raising Money in Difficult Times
By Mark Montini
Simply put, PRIORITIZE and PERSONALIZE. Let's start with PRIORITIZE. Prospecting (i.e. bringing in new donors) is not a good investment of time or money right now if you're a Republican candidate. It's just not working very well and you'll most likely end up losing money. The tide will turn and prospecting will pick up again before long, but right now you just need to weather the storm. While you're doing that, prioritize your fundraising activities on people with whom you have an existing relationship (i.e. friends, family, colleagues, customers, etc) and/or people who have given to your campaign before. In other words, you want to focus your fundraising on those who will give because of a relationship rather than an ideology. Once you prioritize, you need to PERSONALIZE. In difficult times like these, prioritizing isn't enough. You must also find ways to personalize your fundraising appeals. Traditional "mass marketing" to your prioritized list isn't going to work. You must talk with them personally, or have some with whom they have a relationship talk to them personally. The "talking" can be done by mail, phone, or in person -- but it needs to be personal. Bottom line: When times get tough, focus your fundraising almost exclusively on people who will contribute because of a relationship, not an ideology. (Source: Campaign Hot Tips)
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- Des Moines Register: Columnist David Ypsen: "And the winner of last week's Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama dust-up over talking to our enemies is ... John Edwards. And maybe Bill Richardson or Joe Biden. Whenever the front-runners in a contest decide to get into it with each other, they both can become odious and the real winners are often the back-in-the-pack candidates. That could happen in this flap between Clinton and Obama over talking to U.S. adversaries."
-- San Diego Union Tribune: Columnist Eugene Robinson: "Are white Americans really, truly prepared to elect an African-American president? Seriously, is a nation with such a long and shameful history of brutal slavery, Jim Crow segregation and persistent racism actually going to put a black man [like Obama] in the White House?"
-- New York Times: "Union leaders say they are so happy with the Democratic presidential aspirants, though unsure of whom to support, that they are unlikely to endorse any of them before the primaries next year."
-- RealClearPolitics: Columnist Russ Smith: "Rudy Giuliani's quest for the presidency isn't one I embrace, but the vitriol (perhaps born of fear that he could win in 2008) leveled against him by the elite media and left wing magazines is surely disproportionate."
SUWA: Don't Drill Near White River
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance is spearheading an effort by a coalition of conservation and outdoor recreation groups to stop a plan to drill 60 natural gas wells on federal and state lands just south of Utah's White River. Says SUWA attorney Stephen Bloch: "BLM can't allow natural gas development to trump all other resources on public lands but that is exactly what's happening here. This project may single handedly change the face of the White River for generations and leave a legacy of marred landscapes, polluted waters, and industrial noise." For more info, click here.
Blog Watch
-- Rob Miller’s Utah Amicus provides the latest Democratic news, including a new message from Democratic Chair Wayne Holland, who says presidential candidates visiting Utah have sparked energy and excitement.
-- Thomas Burr at Out of Context writes about a Washington Post crossword puzzle featuring “Hatch of Utah.”
-- Utah Taxpayer blog explains how Truth-in-Taxation works.
-- At Lincoln’s Legislative Blog, Cameron Diehl says goodbye after working as policy analyst for the Utah League of Cities and Towns.
Lighter Side
Favorite Headlines
(Source: James Taranto’s Best of the Web on OpinionJournal.com)
We Blame Global Warming
"Sun Has Profit for Third Straight Quarter"-- New York Times, July 31
His Dogs Have Lost Their Last Two Fights
"Sheriff Offers $10,000 for Dog Fighting Tips"-- Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 30
Someone Alert the ASPCA
"Man Leads Cops on High-Speed Chase Over Sick Cat"-- FoxNews.com, July 30
Bad News for the District's Trees
"Beavers in House District 101"-- Hattiesburg (Miss.) American, July 28
Church Will Never Be the Same
"Doc Accused of Hastening Death for Organs"-- Associated Press, July 31 |
