The Week Ahead
Welcome back to work after the long Thanksgiving weekend. The holiday season is a slow time for politics in Utah, although a lot is going on behind the scenes, and the presidential campaign is frenzied and intense. In Utah it’s sort of the calm before the legislative storm. A lot of work is being done writing bills and preparing for the legislative session. See the legislative calendar for a couple of legislative meetings this week and the Utah Policy.com calendar for all the week’s political events.
Back to the Historic Capitol
Utah’s State Capitol, one of the most beautiful capitol buildings in the country, has received a much-needed (and very expensive) facelift and seismic upgrade. The Capitol has been restored to close to its original splendor, but with all of its systems upgraded to state-of-the-art standards.
The Legislature, the Governor’s Office and a few other state offices will be somewhat distracted during December because they’ll be moving to new offices in the restored Capitol. The Legislature will be scrambling to get everything moved and all of its processes and systems up and running in time for the Jan. 21 session.
The Legislature has a web page about the move. It lists new addresses for some legislative offices. For much more about the restored Capitol, including dates of public open houses, click here.
Washington Watch
Hatch and the Democrats
The Politico takes an in-depth look at Sen. Orrin Hatch's record of bipartisanship.
Hatch Op-Ed
In an op-ed for Roll Call (subscription required), Hatch explains why information technology is the key to health policy.
Richard M. Nixon and the Mormons
Nixon had two LDS high priests in his cabinet, spoke at an LDS youth conference, and even attended the Days of ’47 Rodeo; but on one visit to Salt Lake City he remarked to an aide before a meeting with church leaders, “John, whatever I say in this next meeting, don’t you believe a word of it!” (From Mike Winder’s Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America’s Presidents and the LDS Church)
Today in Political History
Nov. 26, 1789: First national day of Thanksgiving is celebrated.
Nov. 26, 1942: President Franklin Roosevelt orders nationwide gasoline rationing, beginning December 1.
Nov. 26, 1988: Secretary of State George Shultz rejects Yasser Arafat's request for a visa to address the UN in New York because of the PLO's continued involvement in terrorism against Americans. (Source: Perspicuity)
Wise Words
“There are no hopeless situations; There are only men who have grown hopeless about them.”
—Clare Boothe Luce (Patriot Post)
Leadership Tip
Focus on Priorities
"If you are to manage your job, you must set priorities. Too many people let the job set the priorities. You must apply self-discipline to ensure your energy is applied where it is most needed."
-- Admiral Hyman G. Rickover U.S.N. (Ret.) (Source: Night Scribe)
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- New York Times: "As violence declines in Baghdad, the leading Democratic presidential candidates are undertaking a new and challenging balancing act on Iraq: acknowledging that success, trying to shift the focus to the lack of political progress there, and highlighting more domestic concerns like health care and the economy."
-- The Politico: "Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) cast himself Sunday as a natural and necessary heir to the civil rights greats, appealing to black worshippers to show the courage of their forerunners and back his candidacy for president."
-- The Hill: "Former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) suggested on Sunday that Fox News is biased against his campaign, charging that the network highlights commentators who have been critical of his run for the presidency."
-- Washington Times: "Democrats like to define themselves as the party of poor and middle-income Americans, but a new study says they now represent the majority of the nation's wealthiest congressional districts."
Blog Watch
-- At National Review Online's The Corner, Mark Hemingway disputes some elements of this Salt Lake Tribune story on supposed links between the Romney campaign and a Utah firm that is being accused of conducting anti-Mormon push polls. (See also this related post by Hemingway.)
-- Rep. Craig Frank disputes some elements of this Daily Herald story on widening S.R. 92 and splitting the Alpine School District.
Lighter Side
History’s Regrettable Quotes
(Great Quotes)
“If excessive smoking actually plays a role in the production of lung cancer, it seems to be a minor one.”
– W. C. Heuper, National Cancer Institute, 1954
“They couldn’t hit an elephant at this dist-“
– Last words of Gen. John Sedgwick, spoken as he looked out over the parapet at enemy lines during the Battle of Spotsylvania in 1864
“Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote.”
– Grover Cleveland, U.S. President, 1905 |
