Regional Politics
Media Doesn't Get the West
High Country News: Ed Quillen, in a column about how the eastern media establishment doesn't understand Westerners, says: "The national media also seem perplexed by Mitt Romney's religion. ... Any lengthy story about Romney will attempt to explain the theology of the Mormon church, from Joseph Smith’s visions in upstate New York to the 1846 trek to the Great Salt Lake, as if Mormonism were as exotic as Zoroastrianism. This baffles me. I grew up in northern Colorado. From first grade on, I went to school with Mormons. I played with Mormons after school, and competed against them in spelling bees. At various laundries and newspapers, I worked with Mormons. They're our neighbors and about as exotic as a Chevy pickup. But if coverage of Mitt Romney is any guide, the West can boast of more religious diversity than the rest of the country."
Washington Watch
Delegation Reacts to SOTU
In press releases, Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett and Rep. Chris Cannon respond to Pres. Bush's State of the Union speech.
Hatch: Yes to FISA
Hatch urges Democrats "to work with Republicans to pass the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) modernization act, which empowers the government to monitor potential terrorist activity abroad" (see press release).
Today in Political History
Jan. 30, 1882: Franklin Delano Roosevelt is born this date (died April 12, 1945 at age of 63), become the 32nd U.S. President (1933-45).
Jan. 30, 1933: Weimar Republic President Paul von Hindenburg appoints Adolph Hitler Chancellor.
Jan. 30, 1948: Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political and spiritual leader, is assassinated by a Hindu extremist. (Source: Perspicuity)
Jan. 30, 1968: The Tet Offensive begins, led by U.S. Gen. William Westmoreland, marking a turning point in U.S. public support for the Vietnam War. (Source: NBC5)
Wise Words
“[T]he powers of the federal government are enumerated; it can only operate in certain cases; it has legislative powers on defined and limited objects, beyond which it cannot extend its jurisdiction.”
-- James Madison, Speech in the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 6, 1788, Elliot's Debates (in the American Memory collection of the Library of Congress) (Source: GMU.edu)
Campaign Tip
Campaign Staffing
The Telephone Supervisor is in charge of a key component of voter contact. If phone calls are being made by volunteers, it is important that the Telephone Supervisor have some experience in telemarketing. Developing the proper script, training people to make the calls and finding sufficient people to “man” the phones, requires expertise. Phone calls are made to ID voters, to follow-up on party invitations and finally for the Get Out The Vote effort. If the campaign is using professional phoners or automatic dialing systems, it is still important to have one person on the campaign who is the liaison to the telemarketing operation. It is critical to know the number of calls being made and the success rate to be able to evaluate the progress of the campaign. (Source: Political Resources)
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- CBS News: "After John McCain's squeaker win in Florida, the Republican campaign, with apologies to Thomas Hobbes, looks to be rich, nasty, brutish and long. The campaign is now one on one combat between McCain and Mitt Romney and they both have staying power."
-- The Politico: Rudy Giuliani is "very likely" to drop out of the race and endorse McCain today in California.
-- The Hill: Hillary Clinton's Florida victory "mathematically moves her no closer to the nomination but could boost her chances heading into Super Tuesday and lessen whatever damage was done by Sen. Barack Obama's (Ill.) landslide win in South Carolina."
Blog Watch
-- At The Senate Site, Sen. Curt Bramble says: "So, the Sierra Club and HEAL Utah have decided to oppose something else. They seem to have worked themselves into a degree of outrage over a bogeyman of an energy bill they say is 'nothing more than a wolf in sheep's clothing that could stall renewable energy development in Utah for decades.' They say it is full of 'handouts, caveats, and loopholes.' And so on, and so on. Problem is, the bill has yet to be written. All we have is a draft that will serve as a starting point for a stakeholders meeting [Tuesday] afternoon. A meeting to which they have been invited. Why not join the discussion? If there is something in the draft bill they think will be less than effective, why not roll up the sleeves and assist with the real work of getting the bill right? Taking to the streets when others are willing to engage doesn't seem to indicate a real desire to solve problems." (For more on the Legislature, see UtahSenateDemocrats, Paul Rolly, Out of Context, UAC Blog, Salt Lake Crawler, Lincoln's Legislative Blog, Pursuit of Liberty, KVNU's For The People, and Salt Blog.)
Lighter Side
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”
-- Author unknown
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