The Week Ahead
Today, Utah and the nation acknowledge progress, and work yet to be done, in overcoming bigotry and elevating human rights, with the celebration of Martin Luther King Day. (See KSL TV/radio editorial)
The 2008 legislative session kicks off today with pomp and ceremony and a flurry of substantive work. You don’t have to go to the Capitol to follow the session. The Legislature’s web site, perhaps the best in the country, allows you to track bills, be apprised of committees and agendas, check weekly schedules watch and listen to floor action. The site has numerous features making the Legislature more accessible to the public. Also check in at the Senate Site blog, which is almost becoming like a Senate news channel featuring audio, video, text and lots of essays from senators and links to more information.
On Tuesday, Gov. Jon Huntsman delivers his State of the State address at 6 p.m. from the House chamber. It will be televised widely. On Saturday, Democratic presidential candidates square off in the important South Carolina Democratic primary. For all the week’s political events, see the Utah Policy.com calendar.
Washington Watch
Hatch: No to Cloning
Sens. Orrin Hatch and Dianne Feinstein call for the passage of legislation they're sponsoring that would allow embryonic stem cell research to proceed under strict oversight from the federal government but ban outright human reproductive cloning (see press release).
Today in Political History
Jan. 21, 1908: New York City passes the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public. (NBC5)
Jan. 21, 1949: After the termination of American aid, Chiang Kai-shek is defeated and China is taken over by Communist forces under Mao Zedong.
Jan. 21, 1977: Pres. Jimmy Carter pardons almost all Vietnam War draft evaders. (Source: Perspicuity)
Wise Words
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”
-- Martin Luther King, Jr. (Quote Garden)
Leadership Tip
Lincoln on Leadership
"A house divided against itself cannot stand…our cause must be entrusted to, and conducted by its own undoubted friends -- whose hands are free, whose hearts are in the work -- who do care for the result."
-- Remarks from Abraham Lincoln's "A House divided" speech, in which he accepted the nomination for U.S. senator at the Republican State convention in Springfield, Illinois (June 16, 1858).
Lincoln’s Leadership Principles
-- Wage only one war at a time.
-- Spend time letting your followers learn that you are firm, resolute, and committed in the daily performance of your duty. Doing so will gain their respect and trust.
-- Etiquette and personal dignity are sometimes wisely set aside.
-- Invest time and money in better understanding the ins and outs of human nature.
-- Remember, human action can be modified to some extent, but human nature cannot be changed.
-- Showing your compassionate and caring nature will aid you in forging successful relationships.
-- When you extinguish hope, you create desperation. (Coach Thee)
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- Miami Herald: "One state now stands between an elbow-to-elbow Republican field and the Feb. 5 voting sweepstakes that could clinch the party's presidential nomination: Florida. ... But unlike in South Carolina, [John] McCain-leaning independent voters can't participate in Florida's Jan. 29 primary, and the heavily Republican Cuban-American community, whose leaders are split among the candidates, looms as one of the biggest prizes."
-- The Hill: With the early GOP contests split, "only ... Mitt Romney and McCain have been able to notch multiple wins as the inherent flaws of each of the candidates have come into focus more so than the state of the race."
-- The Politico: Hillary Clinton's victory in Nevada "reflected the key demographic realities that are coming to define the primary contest, according to early exit polls and observations. Exit polls showed 65 percent of Hispanic voters supported Clinton, while 83 percent of the state's smaller number of African-American voters largely backed Obama."
-- Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Editorial: "We interrupt what you likely think will be a regularly scheduled hand-wringing lament about the lousy shape of the economy and the looming 'recession' to offer something that's in woefully short supply these says: Perspective. We don't know of any valid way to measure how trash talking an economy adjusting itself out of a rough patch might actually negatively affect the economy. But there's certainly loads of shallow reportage that can't help but sour public perceptions and confidence."
Blog Watch
-- Paul Rolly reports: "While things have been quiet for months on Utah's political front, with no names surfacing to challenge Utah's incumbents in major races, the political landscape has suddenly become fluid. [I earlier] wrote that Salt Lake County Republican Chairman James Evans was considering challenging Democratic County Council member Randy Horiuchi in next November's election. ... But Evans just called me back because of a discussion he had at a luncheon. Now, he says, B Murphy is strongly considering a run at the County Council against Horiuchi. 'I won't do it if B does it,' says Evans. ... Meanwhile, Evans now says he may run against Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon. He says he is in continuous talks with party leaders about that possibility."
Lighter Side
“I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve immortality through not dying.”
-- Woody Allen (Quoted in The Economist)
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