Have a Happy 2008
Welcome back to work, welcome to the new year, and good luck remembering to write 2008 when you date checks and other documents. I’ve been too busy to think about resolutions, other than my perennial resolve to work less, which ain’t likely to happen. The big political year starts off with a bang as Iowa holds its caucuses tomorrow, followed by lots more presidential events. For political junkies, it doesn’t get any better than this.
Dispatch From the Front
Phone Blitzkrieg
Jared Whitley, who works for Sen. Orrin Hatch in Washington, D.C., is taking some personal time to volunteer for Mitt Romney in Iowa this week. He is blogging about his experiences at Rapier Whit and Utah Policy Daily will link to his posts from the front lines. An excerpt from Jan. 1: “I must say that, as a people, the Iowans are remarkably patient with phone calls from Presidential campaigns. In a season such as this, these folks doubtlessly get pounded relentlessly with political phone calls. What surprises me is how cheerfully they receive said calls. Most of the people I spoke to today were good natured, eager to talk, and remarkably open to political pitches from complete strangers. It’s as though they understand the mantle that they carry as Iowans in making the first lever-pull of the Presidential season. The eyes of the nation are upon them and they don’t seem to mind the attention.”
Regional Politics
Wolves to be Delisted
New York Times reports that gray wolves in the West are scheduled to be delisted as an endangered species beginning in March, which will lead to hunting wolves in some states. “From the 41 animals that were released inside Yellowstone from 1995 to 1997, mostly from Canada, the population grew to 650 wolves in 2002 and more than 1,500 today in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. The wolves have spread across an area twice the size of New York State and are growing at a rate of about 24 percent a year, according to federal wolf-counts.”
Today in Political History
Jan. 2, 1974: Pres. Richard Nixon signs a bill lowering the maximum U.S. speed limit to 55 mph. (Source: NBC5)
Jan. 2, 1788: Georgia joins the Union
Jan. 2, 1971: Congress bans all cigarette ads on radio & TV. (Source: perspicuity)
Wise Words
"The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite."
-- Thomas Jefferson (Source: GMU.edu)
Communications Tip
Guidelines for Effective Feedback
McGill and Beatty (in "Action Learning: A Practitioner’s Guide", London: Kogan Page, 1994, p. 159-163) provide useful suggestions about providing feedback to employees or subordinates:
1. Clarity -- Be clear about what you want to say.
2. Emphasize the positive -- This isn’t being collusive in the person's dilemma.
3. Be specific -- Avoid general comments and clarify pronouns such as “it,” “that,” etc.
4. Focus on behavior rather than the person.
5. Refer to behavior that can be changed.
6. Be descriptive rather than evaluative.
7. Own the feedback -- Use ‘I’ statements.
8. Generalizations -- Notice “all,” “never,” “always,” etc., and ask to get more specificity -- often these words are arbitrary limits on behavior.
9. Be very careful with advice -- People rarely struggle with an issue because of the lack of some specific piece of information; often, the best help is helping the person to come to a better understanding of their issue, how it developed, and how they can identify actions to address the issue more effectively. (Source: Management Help)
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- Des Moines Register: "Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has widened his lead in Iowa over Hillary Clinton and John Edwards heading into Thursday's nominating caucuses, according to The Des Moines Register's final Iowa Poll before the 2008 nominating contests."
-- The Politico: "Ralph Nader unleashed on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton Monday -- criticizing her for being soft on defense spending and a chum of big business -- and expressed his strong support for John Edwards."
-- The Hill: "Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) told his supporters to caucus for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) if the congressman does not reach viability in the country's first contest Thursday night."
-- Weekly Standard: Columnist Irwin Stelzer explains why 2007 "was hardly an annus horribilus for Americans."
Sierra Club Supports McCoy
The Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club is endorsing Sen. Scott McCoy's efforts to thwart a "crafty plan" by Rocky Mountain Power to "roll out a fake renewable energy bill in the Utah legislature during the 2008 session." For more info, click.
Blog Watch
-- At Out of Context, Thomas Burr reports: "Both Sen. Bob Bennett and Rep. Chris Cannon will be in Iowa this week pushing for Mitt Romney. The two Utah Republicans are part of a slew of surrogates the Romney campaign is bringing in for a final effort to get the vote out. A Cannon spokesman said his boss would be talking to voters and even driving people to the caucuses if need be. Let's hope Rep. Cannon can drive in the snow."
Lighter Side
Top Regrettable Quotes of All Time
(Great Quotes)
-- "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." (Western Union internal memo, in 1876)
-- "The Earth is the center of the Universe." (Ptolemy, the great Egyptian astronomer, in the second century)
-- "Nothing of importance happened today." (Written by King George III of England on July 4, 1776)
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