Hillary and the Media
How to deal with the news media is always a challenge in any political campaign.
The New Republic reports on how the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign deals aggressively with the media.
Economic ABCs
Utah economist Jeff Thredgold's Tea Leaf economic update this week features Thredgold's semi-annual alphabetic view of the U.S. economy. A sample:
A: Anxiety—constant "economy bashing” by much of the national media has heightened consumer and corporate angst. Would balanced reporting be soooooo bad?
B: Berrnanke—let's hope his skills as Federal Reserve Chair are up to the task in coming months. He must weigh concerns about oil, recession, inflation, the credit mess around the globe…and a weaker dollar.
C: Credit—lenders and investors simply got carried away…again…in recent years, with too much credit extended to too many weak borrowers. For now, many lenders have moved too far in the other direction.
Washington Watch
Hatch: Immunity for Service Providers
In a floor speech, Sen. Orrin Hatch calls on his fellow senators to support legislation that would grant immunity to communication service providers who allegedly assisted the government with terrorist surveillance activities after 9/11. Hatch says the service providers "deserve a round of applause and a helping hand, not a slap in the face and a kick to the gut" (see press release); Hatch announces that the USDA has designated Rich, Summit, and Daggett counties as qualifying for agriculture disaster assistance (see press release).
Cannon Act Approved
The House approves Rep. Chris Cannon's "Second Chance Act," providing funds to help transition offenders back into the community to reduce repeat offenses (see press release).
Harry S Truman and the Mormons
Truman and Church President George Albert Smith became pen pals of sorts, and the LDS leader especially enjoyed sending the White House outstanding Utah produce. "Thank you for that amazing apple from St. George," was a typical note from Truman. "It is the largest that I have ever seen!" (From Mike Winder's Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America's Presidents and the LDS Church)
Today in Political History
November 15, 1777: Articles of Confederation are adopted by Congress and presented to the states for ratification. (Source: Perspicuity)
November 15 1969: A quarter of a million protesters stage a peaceful demonstration in Washington D.C. against the Vietnam War. (Source: NBC5)
Wise Words
"It is only the warlike power of a civilized people that can give peace to the world.”
— Theodore Roosevelt (Patriot Post)
Communications Tip
On-line Constituent Services
Utah's executive and legislative branches both have excellent web sites that have won top national awards several times. The sites make it easy to locate information, do business with government, and communicate with constituents.
On one of his web pages, Gov. Jon Huntsman makes these comments: "For years now, it has been our ongoing objective to make state government more accessible through technology and innovation. Utah has helped lead the nation in customer service by using the Internet to bring government to the people. More than 150 online services are currently available and we plan to continue leading the way by offering this unique website to you.
"In the past, many of you have called, written a letter, or sent an e-mail sharing your thoughts and concerns with the Governor's office. Now, in addition to these more traditional methods of communication, you can log on to this website from the comfort of your own home and access needed information, offer feedback, or address your concerns regardless of the date or time.
"The team in Constituent Services works hard to help make government easy and accessible. Their job is to enable you with the information necessary to best address the issues facing you and your loved ones. In other words, we want to get you to the right people, at the right agency, with the appropriate authority to address your concerns. That means the state may not always be the most appropriate venue for you, so we've designed the website to help you locate the city, county, or federal agency that may provide a program or service more compatible with your concerns. (Source: governor.utah.gov)
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- The Hill: "The White House said Wednesday that President Bush would veto the latest effort of congressional Democrats to force the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq."
-- The Politico: "For the first time since losing control of Congress in 2006, Republicans are back on offense in the political struggle over the Iraq war ... Republicans are increasingly buoyed by perceived divisions among Democrats, seeming signs of progress on the ground in Iraq and the fact that the first brigade of U.S. troops started coming home Tuesday."
-- Newsweek: Columnist Howard Fineman: "Heading into yet another TV debate, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton faces a potent enemy -- not onstage, but in her own mind. She has a lifelong obsession with seeking out, and trying to control, unruly events and people. She often fails, and harms herself trying. If she doesn't ease up, she risks losing the race. Brainy women don't frighten voters; control freaks do."
-- Wall Street Journal: Columnist Peter Berkowitz: "Hating the president is almost as old as the republic itself. ... But Bush hatred is different. ... Bush hatred ... is distinguished by the pride intellectuals have taken in their hatred, openly endorsing it as a virtue and enthusiastically proclaiming that their hatred is not only a rational response to the president and his administration but a mark of good moral hygiene."
Blog Watch
-- Paul Rolly reports: "Utah's House of Representatives should have one more woman at January's general session than it had a year ago. Watch for community activist Rebecca Chavez-Houck to replace Ralph Becker in House District 24, which represents Salt Lake City's Avenues area. ... Chavez-Houck has been actively campaigning for [Becker's] seat, which will be decided by a vote of the delegates in that district sometime in December. ... If Chavez-Houck is successful, she will become the 16th woman in the 75-member House and for the first time, the 20-member Democratic Caucus will be evenly divided between men and women."
-- Rep. John Dougall explains the rationale behind his resolution "to make the Oreo the official state sandwich cookie."
Lighter Side
Best of Late Night Humor
David Letterman: "Top Ten Ways Hillary Clinton Is Trying to Improve Her Image” (submitted by ‘Late Show' viewers while Hollywood writers are on strike): She announced a new line of designer pantsuits (San Diego, CA); Promises to appoint Judge Judy to the Supreme Court (Houston, TX); Strongly endorses both sides of every issue (Middletown, NJ); Apologizes and checks into rehab for no apparent reason (Eagle River, WI); Borrowing John Edwards' conditioner (Crosby, TX); Promises pudding for all Americans. Everyone loves pudding! (Apopka, FL); After two weeks of practice, can now sustain a four-second smile (New London, WI); Helping Dennis Kucinich return to his home planet (Hagerstown, MD); Showing she's tough on drugs by throwing out Bill's Viagra (Mount Tabor, NJ); Offering to use her frigidity to combat global warming (Ottawa, ON).
Jay Leno: The writers are [still] on strike... They are calling this the toughest time for comedy writing since those three weeks back in the ‘90s when Bill Clinton stopped dating.
Bill O'Reilly: "What are we to make of the fact that NBC News wanted to hire Rosie O'Donnell as a show host? Was Hugo Chavez not available?"
|
