No Rest For Politicians
With the Legislature in session for 45 days, and the Western States Primary on Feb. 5, politics in Utah gets hot and heavy and won’t slow down until after election day Nov. 4. After lawmakers go home on March 5, the political intensity only heightens with the 2008 political office filing period beginning two days later, March 7, and running through March 17. Political party caucuses are scheduled shortly thereafter, on Tuesday, March 25. County conventions then begin, running through the month of April, with state conventions held in May (May 10 for the Republicans; Democratic convention was not on the Democratic Party calendar). The primary election is June 24 and the general election is Nov. 4. All this means that serious candidates in contested intra-party races have no time to lose in contacting delegates and preparing for the party caucuses.
Tuesday Musing
Global Chilliness
I don’t know why it’s so cold and snowy out there, but this is a helluva way to run global warming. Looks like January is going to expire without a thaw.
Mormon Media Observer
BYU communications professor Joel Campbell has posted another Mormon Media Observer column at the Morning News’ LDS Newsline. “Along with the oft-referenced polls that say many would not vote for a Mormon president, there is a more troubling misunderstanding about religious freedom in the United States. Just 56 percent of Americans believe that the freedom to worship as one chooses extends to all religious groups, regardless of how extreme, down 16 points, from 72 percent in 2000, according to the State of the First Amendment 2007 report released in September 2007. Americans seem to have a problem with religious tolerance and a basic understanding of the religious freedom clause of the First Amendment.”
Stephenson Praises Bennett
State Sen. Howard Stephenson, in an Enterprise column (not posted on-line), thanks Sen. Bob Bennett for his vote on the recent Energy Bill, and criticizes Sen. Orrin Hatch. Says Stephenson: “Many Utahns who followed the recent Energy Bill in the U.S. Congress were grateful for Senator Robert Bennett's vote against cloture on the bill, but were profoundly disappointed in our Senior Senator, Orrin Hatch's vote. The Energy Bill (HR6) as proposed and passed by the Democratic House was fraught with problems. The bill contained the usual Big Government solutions for what should remain market problems, down to what light bulbs we all shall use from now on. One of the major concerns about the bill was the proposed federal mandate that utilities produce 15% of their power using renewable sources within just a few years (a fraction of that amount is currently commercially viable.) This appeared to be potentially ‘anti-coal’ as well as unrealistic and costly. It could have done damage to our Utah coal industry in Carbon and Emery Counties. … The courage of Senators like Robert Bennett stopped the HR6 energy tax boondoggle last month.”
Today in Political History
Jan. 22, 1905: The Russian Revolution begins in St. Petersburg when troops fire on a defenseless crowd of workers, who, led by a priest, were marching to the Winter Palace to petition Czar Nicholas II.
Jan. 22, 1973: The "Roe v. Wade" Supreme Court decision is handed down, legalizing abortion in the U.S.
Jan. 22, 1997: The U.S. Senate confirms Madeleine Albright as Secretary of State, the first woman to hold that office. (Source: Perspicuity)
Wise Words
“If men are so wicked with religion, what would they be if without it?”
-- Benjamin Franklin (to Thomas Paine) (Patriot Post)
Campaign Tip
Responding to Criticism
Some people are not going to like what you have to say or how you say it. The best way to respond to them is to be diplomatic and polite – even if they are neither. When people see you remain calm they will be impressed. You can practice this with a friend who can play the role of an aggressive opponent.
Use language that will diffuse a tense situation such as “I respect your opinion on the issue, I simply don’t share it.” “You are entitled to disagree with me.” “Let’s focus on ideas.” “The voter’s will decide who is right on this.”
Do not attack the person; do not suggest ulterior motives; do not comment on who they know, how they look, or their level of intelligence. Stick to the issue. Debate the pros and cons of the position being considered. (Source: York University)
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- New York Times: "For nearly a year ... [Barack] Obama has strived to run a race-neutral campaign. Yet this week, as the campaign converges on South Carolina, a new test is at hand for Mr. Obama: Can he draw significant support from African-Americans while maintaining the appeal of a candidate who seeks to transcend race?"
-- The Hill: Obama "had harsh words on Monday for Bill Clinton, saying that the former president's campaigning on behalf of his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), has risen to a 'pretty troubling' level. 'I completely understand him wanting to promote his wife's candidacy,' Obama said. But he added that there 'should be some standards of honesty in any political discourse.'"
-- The Politico: Columnist/blogger Jonathan Martin: "The coverage of the chaotic and compressed GOP race has diverted attention away from a remarkable development: [Rudy Giuliani's] fall. ... Finishing at or near the bottom of every initial contest -- something nobody on his campaign team ever envisioned -- has had a devastating effect on his chances."
-- TIME: "For as long as anyone can remember, Republicans have wired their presidential primary process in order to produce strong and unstoppable front-runners at a very early stage in the election calendar. But this year, all that intricate circuitry is going haywire. ... What if, as is suddenly becoming clear, the rules that were designed to produce a sturdy front-runner conspire to produce the opposite?"
Sutherland Open House
The Sutherland Institute will host Edwin J. Feulner, president and founding trustee of The Heritage Foundation, at an Open House on February 5. Dr. Feulner will present the keynote address at the opening of Sutherland's new offices in the historic Crane Building (307 West 200 South, Suite 5005). For more info and to RSVP, click here.
Blog Watch
-- Jessica Sellers says: "Four years ago ... I started my 2-month internship with the Utah Legislature. I got up before dawn to catch a bus from Orem to Salt Lake and walked up the hill to the Capitol, where I worked as the only staff member for two Representatives. Each morning I faithfully clipped newspaper articles and got copies of proposed bills for my rerpresentatives to read, and then during the afternoon I researched issues, relayed communications from reporters and constituents, and sat in on committee meetings. Then it was back down the hill, on to the bus, for the long ride home. While this might seem rather mundane for a day job, there was an electric current at the Capitol, knowing that decisions made there affected every Utahn, and that my representatives, along with others, were solely responsible. Sappy, I know, but it's true. [Monday] morning, as I listened to the sessions via the webcast, I realized that this was the first session of the Legislature in the Capitol since I left it! Memories of our own legislative battles, four years past, ensued. I watched as the interns filed in for introductions, eager to make their own small footprint in Utah history. I was filled with appreciation for the legislators who truly want a better future for Utah." (For more posts on the Legislature, see The Senate Site, Out of Context, Salt Blog, The Utah Amicus, Salt Lake Crawler, Lincoln's Legislative Blog, and Jeremy's Jeremiad.)
-- At Out of Context, Thomas Burr reports: "Utah's Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has a new friend in supporting Sen. John McCain's presidential bid: former University of Utah President Bernie Machen. Machen, now the president of the University of Florida, [yesterday] endorsed McCain as he battles for the all-important Florida primary election. Machen, by the way, is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, but didn't send his support the way of that one candidate who, ya know, ran the Games." (See also related Salt Lake Crawler post.)
Lighter Side
“Well, these three birds all said they would not vote for me on caucus day. You see what happened?”
-- Mike Huckabee, after shooting three pheasants in an Iowa hunting trip (Quoted in The Economist)
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