McCain's man?
Visit spurs talk of political courtship
By DAVID KRANZ, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
Sen. John McCain gave Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce members some
political food to chew on Tuesday, but just the presence of the Arizona
Republican and former Vietnam prisoner of war got tongues wagging. He is
considered a favorite to win the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, so
his message was of interest to the crowd of 2,000. But the buzz about the
evening was away from the podium. On this night, the talk was also about
Sen. John Thune, who was never far away from McCain. It was commonplace to
hear this political theory: McCain came to Sioux Falls to court Thune as his
running mate.
Lawmakers still let firms pay travel tab
Microsoft leads the way as junket mentality continues
By DANIEL LATHROP, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle area's congressional delegation racked up plenty of
frequent-flier miles in the past year, with private interests footing the
bill. And Seattle-area companies -- led by Microsoft Corp. -- paid tens of
thousands of dollars to fly those members of Congress and their colleagues
around the country. "There is ample evidence that the junket mentality
continues, even after Abramoff," said Sheila Krumholtz, executive director
of the Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group that released its
own database of congressional trips this month. The database contains trips
taken from July 2005 until August this year.
If
elected, Friedman vows to offer subsidized healthcare for Texans
By the Associated Press, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
Independent Kinky Friedman said Thursday that he would offer subsidized
healthcare to all Texas adults and children if he is elected governor.
Friedman's TexasCare plan is modeled after a similar program in Minnesota,
where his friend and political mentor, Jesse Ventura, was governor. The
Texas plan would include four tiers of coverage, with the poorest children
getting the most benefits for the lowest price and childless adults paying
the most for the fewest benefits. "The first thing we need to do is put the
humanity back in healthcare," Friedman said in a statement.
Taking credit, or not, for pump price slide
News release by House speaker pours fuel on fire
By DAVID IVANOVICH, Houston Chronicle
Oil company executives have been cringing at the poll results,
economists all but screaming. Nearly a third of all Americans believe the
oil industry, in cahoots with the White House, is orchestrating the recent
drop in energy prices to help Republicans in November. So there was groaning
again on Thursday when House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., issued a news
release that was headlined: "Gas prices continue to fall during a Republican
majority." "Oh, that just fuels it," Jim Glassman, senior economist for JP
Morgan Chase in New York, said with a laugh. "That will just reinforce
suspicions. ... Leave well enough alone, for God's sake."
Senate hopefuls clash on Iraq and term pledge
By Tracy Idell Hamilton, San Antonio Express-News
U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said in a televised debate Thursday night
that if she had known in 2003 that Saddam Hussein did not harbor weapons of
mass destruction, she would not have voted to go into Iraq “the way we did.”
Nationwide Mormon 'network' might prove risky for Romney
By Bob Bernick Jr., Deseret Morning News
While Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's apparent plans to use members of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a national springboard to
a 2008 presidential campaign may go beyond what other LDS politicians have
done, it is unique only in its wide breadth and energetic goals.
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at the Leadership
Summit on Race in Detroit last week. Romney's connections with the LDS
Church could have an impact on his chances as a potential presidential
candidate.
Mitt's LDS
ties: Too close?
Report alleging the church plays a role in Romney's
likely bid for presidency may signal trouble ahead
By Thomas Burr and Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune
Reports that Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's political advisers
consulted with the LDS Church to boost his expected presidential bid could
have a "Manchurian candidate" backlash if voters perceive Romney as a church
surrogate, a prominent political scientist warns.
Dems vow to get Tester on Senate appropriations
By CHARLES S. JOHNSON, Helena Independent Record
The U.S. Senate’s top Democratic leader on Thursday promised Senate
candidate Jon Tester a seat on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee
“as soon as possible’’ if Tester defeats Republican incumbent Conrad Burns
next month. At a press conference in Billings, Democratic Sen. Max Baucus
released a statement from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.,
pledging to give Tester a coveted seat on Appropriations Committee,
regardless of whether Democrats wrest control of the Senate from
Republicans.
Matheson,
Christensen fire away in first big debate
2nd Congressional District debate
By Matt Canham, Salt Lake Tribune
In their first debate, Rep. Jim Matheson and his Republican challenger
LaVar Christensen showed their differences on immigration, the environment
and education - then repeatedly jabbed each other about partisanship. The
one-hour exchange between 2nd Congressional candidates took place late
Wednesday, but can be seen Friday at 9 p.m. on KUED Channel 7, as part of a
series of debates with congressional candidates. Matheson and Christensen
will participate in five other debates, most of which will be televised, as
they gear up for the Nov. 7 election.
Utah is
on track for hefty surplus
The state is on track for another big surplus, but
officials aren't counting on the money just yet
By Glen Warchol, Salt Lake Tribune
Utah's tax revenues, driven by a persistently strong state economy, have
continued to grow, leaping 13 percent in the first three months of this
fiscal year over the same period last year. While the economy nationwide has
cooled, Utah's remains hot, particularly in the housing sector. Total state
revenues grew by $132 million in the first quarter compared with the first
quarter of last year, bringing revenues to nearly $1.2 billion. If that
trend were to continue, the Legislature could be facing another banner year
in tax collections, following on the heels of last year's $380 million
surplus.
Is Utah budget tallying $500 million surplus?
By Bob Bernick Jr., Deseret Morning News
Utah state government could be running a $500 million surplus in the
new fiscal year that just started July 1. Or maybe not. The Utah State
Tax Commission, which is officially charged with collecting taxes and
comparing them with the current running budget, gave state legislators
their first official look at fiscal 2006-07 revenues Wednesday. But in
the commission's new revenue report, the four commissioners didn't
include any estimates of how collections compare with the budget. They
just compared this year's three-month collections with the same
collections the first quarter of a year ago.
Initiative update from the California Attorney General’s Office
Sacramento, California, October 19, 2006 -- An official Title and
Summary has been issued for the initiative listed below. It is now cleared
for petition circulation:
06-0034: Single-House Legislature. Term of Office. Salary and Travel Costs.
Procedures. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
You may view the title and summary on the Secretary of State's website by
surfing to:
http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_j.htm
MSU-B
poll shows Tester leading
Burns behind by 11 percent in statewide survey of
likely voters
By MARY PICKETT, Billings Gazette
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jon Tester leads incumbent Sen. Conrad
Burns by 11 percentage points in a Montana State University-Billings poll
released Wednesday. Forty-six percent of the 409 Montanans surveyed by the
poll said they would vote for Tester and 35 percent for Burns, a Republican.
Libertarian Stan Jones was supported by about 5 percent of voters, and
nearly 14 percent were undecided. The statewide, random-sample telephone
survey was conducted last week by MSU-Billings sociology and political
science students.
FBI asked to look into Beauprez ad
By Chris Frates, Denver Post
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation asked the FBI on Wednesday to join
its probe of an attack ad by Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez,
saying information about the ad's subject was accessed using a restricted
federal database. A statement from the CBI did not say who accessed the
National Crime Information Center computer database or from where. It simply
confirmed that someone had used that database to search the name of a man
who later turned up in the Beauprez ad.
Gubernatorial hopefuls Bob Beauprez,
left, and Bill Ritter, right, debate on KOA radio host Mike Rosen's show
Wednesday morning.
FBI joins investigation in guv race
Beauprez, staff expect to be queried on database
access
By Stuart Steers, Alan Gathright and Marilyn Robinson, Rocky
Mountain News
A criminal investigation that now involves the FBI sent shock waves
through the race for Colorado governor Wednesday. The Colorado Bureau of
Investigation announced that it had determined that someone accessed
information in an FBI database on Carlos Estrada Medina, who has been the
star of a TV attack ad against Democrat Bill Ritter.
Wal-Mart bringing $4 prescriptions to Texas
By MARIA HALKIAS, Dallas Morning News
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Thursday morning that it’s expanding a
program offering $4 prescriptions for some generic drugs to 14 more states,
including Texas – its largest single market. The decision comes two weeks
after it first offered the low-cost program in Florida. As of today, the $4
generic prescription program are available in the 415 Wal-Mart and Sam’s
Club pharmacies in Texas including more than 100 stores in the Dallas-Fort
Worth area. The other states added to the program today are Alaska, Arizona,
Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New
York, North Carolina, Oregon and Vermont.
Low-key in D.C., Hutchison a force in Texas
Senator prefers making deals to making hay, a style
that's paid off
By TODD J. GILLMAN and SUDEEP REDDY, Dallas Morning News
She's not a Sunday talk show regular or a bomb-thrower on the Senate
floor. She's no LBJ, twisting arms on legislation with national impact. You
won't find a long list of major laws with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's name
attached. But in her methodical, consensus-seeking way, she's viewed as one
of the more effective members of Congress, with a seat at the GOP leadership
table and an ability to win favors and funding for Texas. She touts her
success in getting the Wright amendment repealed – an issue mainly of local
interest and one that she initially resisted – as a crowning achievement.
Burns, Tester spar over Iraq war
Billing, Montana, October 18, 2006 -- Sen. Conrad Burns said at a
debate Tuesday night that President Bush does have a plan for winning the
war in Iraq, but he isn’t about to share it with the world.
Democratic Senate candidate Jon Tester replied that Bush’s only plan is to
stay the course in Iraq, costing more American lives and billions of
dollars, and to pass the war on to the next president who will take office
in January 2009.
The two candidates’ answers about the war produced the most sparks at a
debate before about 800 people at Montana State University-Billings
sponsored by The Billings Gazette and the university. It was the two
candidates’ sixth debate; they face off for the final time in Great Falls
Friday night.
Immediately following the debate, Tester campaign spokesman Matt McKenna
likened Burns’ claim of a Bush plan to President Nixon’s secret plan in 1972
to end the war in Vietnam.
Democrats eyeing Denver
Denver, Colorado, October 18, 2006 -- The Democratic Party's
state leaders believe their party should select Denver over New York for the
2008 convention.
Of 36 state party chairs who gave a preference when surveyed by The Denver
Post, 31 chose Denver and five New York.
Democratic Party national chairman Howard Dean will make the final decision.
"Ultimately, it probably comes down to the deal - what the city is able to
provide in terms of logistics, money, security considerations, hotels,
transportation," one chairman told the Denver Post.
Denver will have to demonstrate that it can raise $70 million or more. Mayor
John Hickenlooper has pledged not to spend public money on Denver's bid.
Fox News v. Move America battle heating up?
San Francisco, California, October 15, 2006 -- Fox News Channel has
informed the pro-troop organization, Move America Forward, that they will
not allow an ad critical of President Clinton's handling of the war on
terrorism, to be broadcast on their network.
MAF maintains that the network falsely told an internet news website that
they had asked for documentation to support the ad, and having failed to
received it rejected the ad.
Move America Forward however says this is not true. Fox News Channel did not
ask at any time for documentation, otherwise the organization would have
been happy to provide it, and stands ready to do so.
MAF maintains that the network told Move America Forward's advertising
representative: "...we cannot run the Clinton commercial as there is no way
to defend the allegations"
The ad in question can be viewed online at Move America Forward's website or
at the YouTube website here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzTQMjkVtcI
Texas Democrats have Kinky in the cross hairs
Dallas, Texas, October 13, 2006 -- Democrats are preparing a media
and campaign offensive against independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky
Friedman, planning in part to portray him as a racist.
The blitz is aimed at not only stopping Mr. Friedman from poaching Democrat
Chris Bell's base voters but also at exciting Democrats who could determine
the outcome of local races, as well as statewide contests.
"It's designed to fire up the base," said state Sen. Royce West of Dallas,
who will record radio ads criticizing Mr. Friedman. "But just as important,
it's an issue of respect."
The plans follow Bell's earlier effort to persuade Mr. Friedman to abandon
his quirky campaign and unite behind the Democrat in an effort to dislodge
Republican Gov. Rick Perry. The Friedman campaign dismissed the new plans as
the work of "slime balls" on behalf of a desperate candidate; Bell's team
denied involvement.
Candidate's big advertising buy raises questions
Austin, Texas, October 13, 2006 -- Republican comptroller candidate
Susan Combs' Democratic opponent has no money, but Combs has bought $3.2
million of television advertising for the final three weeks of the campaign.
Combs campaign spokesman Reggie Bashur said the commercials will be
positive. Bashur said the ads will not be used as a surrogate for Gov. Rick
Perry's re-election campaign to attack opponent Comptroller Carole Keeton
Strayhorn.
"Somebody's spreading some B.S.," Bashur said. "They are positive issue ads.
There (is) absolutely no mention, no comment, no inference about the
incumbent comptroller or the incumbent's office."
Combs' Democratic opponent, Fred Head, said he believes her advertising is
either meant to help Perry by attacking Strayhorn or to "save" her own
campaign from voter doubts raised by a steamy romance novel Combs once
wrote.
O'Donnell journey provided by CBS, despite state job
Denver, Colorado, October 13, 2006 -- Republican candidate Rick
O'Donnell, who lists congressional ethics reform first among his priorities
if elected, flew this year to Panama with his girlfriend on a weekend trip
financed by a television network doing business with the state agency he
headed.
He also flew to Ireland and Israel on business while filling two of Gov.
Bill Owens' Cabinet posts, O'Don-nell said Thursday.
O'Donnell stood behind his travel decisions, saying he broke no laws and
didn't violate any policies or ethical expectations.
In fact, he said, the trips ultimately benefited the state of Colorado.
The 7th Congressional District candidate came under fire Thursday for the
Panama trip from his Democratic rival, Ed Perlmutter, who held a news
conference in front of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education in Denver
alleging that O'Donnell violated the ethical principles he espouses.
Close race in Colorado gets DNC notice
Colorado Springs, Colorado, October 13, 2006 -- Democrat Jay Fawcett
is getting a welcome boost from national party officials who believe he may
have a shot at succeeding retiring GOP Rep. Joel Hefley in one of the most
conservative districts in the nation.
The move comes as an independent poll conducted for The Denver Post
by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research showed Fawcett in a dead heat with his
Republican opponent, Doug Lamborn.
Fawcett, a retired Air Force officer, has benefited from division in the
Republican Party and his opponent's performance in a recent debate.
Hatch in lobbying scam?
Salt Lake City Utah, October 13, 2006 -- Utah's former Board of
Pardons chairman tapped Sen. Orrin Hatch to help pass legislation virtually
guaranteeing a multimillion-dollar windfall for a Sandy-based company that
sells ankle monitors for parolees, according to a state court lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims to lay bare how the former pardons chairman, lobbyist
Michael Sibbett, and other former public officials purportedly sought to
secure no-bid federal and state contracts for their client through their
congressional ties and their connections with Utah officials.
One of their main vehicles was a sex offender bill Hatch shepherded through
Congress this summer. The bill included minimum requirements for ankle
monitors taken "verbatim from a description" of Secure Alert's product,
TrackerPAL, according to the suit.
Sibbett and his partner Robin Riggs, who worked as legal counsel in former
Gov. Mike Leavitt's administration, wrote the language and pushed the
product to Hatch and his staffers.
Gun class for Utah teachers
Salt Lake City, Utah, October 13, 2006 -- More than a dozen teachers
and public school employees will spend part of their classroom refresher
courses learning how to us a firearm. Clark Aposhian is offering a free
class today to public school employees seeking to get their concealed-
weapons permit.
"It is self-defense," he told the Deseret Morning News.
The concealed-weapons instructor's offer was met with opposition from some
teachers and union representatives at the Utah Education Association.
Aposhian said the recent school shootings across the nation prompted him to
offer the free training. In addition to being a concealed-weapons
instructor, he is the owner of FairWarning Firearm Training, the chairman of
the Utah Shooting Sports Council and the husband of a schoolteacher.
"Teachers are always complaining that they don't get support from the
community," he said. "Here we are."
Two-thirds of Texans want someone other than Rick Perry as governor
Austin Texas, October 5, 2006 -- Two-thirds of Texans want someone
other than Rick Perry as governor, but none of his three major challengers
has emerged with enough support to beat him, according to a Dallas Morning
News Poll.
With just over a month to go until Election Day, 38 percent of likely voters
back Mr. Perry's re-election, according to a statewide poll conducted for
The Dallas Morning News.
Normally, an incumbent unable to muster support from at least 50 percent of
the voters would be in serious jeopardy.
But Mr. Perry benefits from a fractured field of opponents mired in the
teens.
None of his challengers has been able to gain any momentum and become the
main alternative to the Republican incumbent, according to the poll.
If the election were held today, independent Carole Keeton Strayhorn would
get 18 percent of the vote, Democratic nominee Chris Bell would get 15
percent, and independent Kinky Friedman would get 14 percent, according to
the poll.
Mr. Perry would be vulnerable if voters were to coalesce around a single
challenger, but there's no indication that is happening.
Robert Black, a spokesman for the Perry campaign, said he's confident the
governor will win re-election with a margin larger than that in the poll.
Eminent domain taking center stage
October 5, 2006, Sacramento, CA -- Libertarian activists, tapping
into voter anger as well as outside money, have helped propel property
rights referendums onto 12 state ballots - making it the single biggest
ballot issue this November.
The measures aim to overrule a 2005 US Supreme Court decision that homes can
be seized and handed over to private developers.
At stake is the momentum of "smart growth" planning in recent decades that
has provided public interests like open space and environmental protection
at the expense of private property owners. Supporters of the changes say
they want those costs made transparent. Opponents argue that individual
property rights will trample on the rights of neighbors and the collective
good.
