A GOP congresscritter spoke to me: "if you are flipping the channel back and forth between football and CSPAN, and you only are hearing the majority speak, it sounds like a great bill...." I am probably one of the few people he is talking about.

Shurtleff drops out for the right reasons

Faithful readers know I get a kick out of beating up on Mark Shurtleff. And I usually don't like the "family reasons" excuse for sudden political moves (not running for reelection, dropping out of race etc.) However, after reading a few articles about the AG's situation with his daughter, I got to say my heart goes out to him and his family. Although maybe he shouldn't have ran for the Senate in the first place if his daughter's mental health was such an issue.

I also feel bad for the daughter whose struggles with depression, which would otherwise be totally private, have been splashed on the pages of the newspapers for all to read. Her suicide attempts, her therapy, her medications, a story of the AG having to forcibly take a knife away from her after she had cut her wrists at a church youth group outing.... I am purposely calling her "the daughter" because I don't know if she wants to be a spokeswoman for mental illness or it was foisted upon her because of her dad's political ambitions.

Sadly, the whole thing doesn't make me think much more of the AG as person. Although I am glad he used the family reason when it actually was a family reason. Politicans shouldn't use that excuse unless it is actually true. I just hope that his family can get through this and that his daughter can get better.

Remember in 2001 when Dems won the VA Gov and NJ Gov races a few weeks after 9/11 and then Democrats went on to win legislative and electoral battles in 2002-2004? Me neither.

Point is, you can overlearn lessons from off-year elections. This year, Obama voters stayed home in VA. What does it mean? I leave that for other pundits to read too much into.

The similarities between a section 341 meeting for chapter 7 bankruptcies and a criminal arraignment are striking. And in both cases, most of these people have no money and their attorneys don't know them.

I need a hobby.

Every good attorney has a side obsession to relieve the stress of the job, whether it be woodworking, gardening, river-rafting, fishing, skiing, hiking, scouting, astronomy, etc. Not that if I have one I will be good, but I think you go crazy if your life is just work, eating, and sleeping.

So what should it be? I haven't blogged much lately because I haven't felt like I had anything original to say. Is there an area you would like me to blog about? Any hobby suggestions?

Correction

In a prior post via SMS, I stated that Dallin H. Oaks equated the current and former treatment of Mormons to the Holocaust. Not so, he equated the current treatment of Mormons with regard to Proposition 8 to the treatment that African-Americans in the South in the 1960s faced. I still think it is a stupid analogy, one that he should have stayed away from. And I still think that comparing the current persecution and discrimination of Mormons to that of Slavery, Jim Crow, or the Holocaust is not wise. Bagley nicely summarizes a reply I wish I had come up with.


(Copyright 2009, Pat Bagley for the Salt Lake Tribune)

As for how the Mormons were treated in say Missouri in the 1840s when there were attempts by the state government to wipe them out, well, perhaps that is closer to the Holocaust, where Hilter attempted to wipe Jewish people off the face of the Earth and murdered 6 million of them. Nevertheless, if you start talking about the Holocaust and Hitler, you start distracting from your argument that your people have been treated very badly.

Godwin's Law is a good one for all speakers to keep in mind. Hitler and Holocaust have become to mean the worst of the worst. By comparing the Missouri period to the Holocaust, you are inviting people to dismiss your argument as being over the top.

It is better to point out the fact of say the Missouri period and all can agree that what the Governor did was genocide without having to argue whether this atrocity measures up to the systematic murder of 6 million Jews.

And remember, Oaks is whining about the grassroots response to the LDS Church's heavy handed intervention into California politics, not about the events that lead up to the Saints migrating to Utah.

Telephone Townhall with Congressman Jim Matheson Today

Website - Services - D.C. Tours - Legislative Info - Signup for my e-newsletter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 19, 2009

Dear [Oldenburg],

 

Tomorrow! Tuesday October 20, 2009.  Telephone Town Hall Meeting

with Congressman Jim Matheson.

 

What:  Telephone Town Hall Meeting to discuss pressing national issues.

 

Who:    Congressman Jim Matheson and Utah constituents.

 

When:  October 20, 2009 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

 

How:    To join the call at or after 7:00 PM, call (877) 229-8493.  When directed, enter the PIN # 13304.  You'll be able to listen in toll-free for as long as you like and, when prompted, ask the Congressman questions on the topic of your concern.

 

Sincerely,          JIM MATHESON        Member of Congress   Please do not reply to this email, as this box is unattended.  Instead, please use the webform on my website if you have any further comments Contact Information: 2434 Rayburn HOB | Washington, DC 20515 | Phone: (202) 225-3011 | Fax: (202) 225-5638 240 East Morris Ave. #235 South Salt Lake, UT 84115 Phone: (801)   486-1236 Fax: (801) 486-1417 321 North Mall Dr., #E101B St. George, UT 84790 Phone: (435)   627-0880 Fax: (435) 627-1473 Carbon County Courthouse 120 East Main Street Price, UT 84501 Phone: (435) 636-3722 Fax: (435) 613-1834 Toll-Free Number 1 (877) 677-9743

 

Dear Elder Oaks,
No matter how badly you think Mormons have been treated, comparing their treatment with the Holocaust just makes people belittle and ignore your point. The Holocaust and Slavery (or Jim Crow era Lynchings) are two things people should never compare their situation to if they want to be taken seriously.

Oh and the Church should be criticized for their support of Prop 8. Harry Reid, the most powerful Saint, agrees with me.

Join me in not watching cable news channels, makes you angry and dumb. I feel much better after stopping.

Can someone explain to me why every day there is an article in a local paper that is essentially "Hatch spews partisan talking point"? Why is that news? All I have to do is watch cable news (which I have quit and my sanity has vastly improved), find some GOP hack's statement, and call it Hatch's statement. If you compare his actual statements, there is little if any difference. That's because Hatch is a partisan hack. The times he stopped being a hack was when he worked on stuff with Kennedy. Now that Teddy is dead, that good part of Orrin died with him. That too is sad. Sadder still is the local media's fawning over the old, bitter man that is our senior senator.

Exchange of the day

At today's Senate Finance Committee's markup of the Baucus health care bill:

ROCKEFELLER: This is a very very important amendment, and it’s a very very bad amendment. If there’s anything which is clear, it’s that the insurance industry is not running this markup, but it is running certain people in this markup. [...]

CORNYN: With all due respect, senator, I don’t know what amendment you’re referring to —

ROCKEFELLER: I’m referring to yours.

CORNYN: — you’re certainly not referring to my amendment —

ROCKEFELLER: I am.

Wow, Jello Jay, I didn't know you had it in you.

Still too large for an insane asylum

"South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum"

-- James Louis Petigru, 1860.

While that famous quip was made in response to South Carolina's succession from the Union in 1860 upon the news of the election of Abraham Lincoln, the quip seems to be relevant again in 2009.

Exhibit A: South Carolina Mark Sanford (R). He rises to prominence by refusing stimulus money for his state that desperately needs and wants it. The Republican-controlled Legislature overrides his veto, he still refuses to allocate the money, contorting the bill to only authorize him to accept the money. The South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously disagrees, and orders him to comply.

And then he goes "hiking on the Appalachian Trail" to see his lover in Argentina, whom he has visited in the past using taxpayer dollars. The Legislature seems to have started floating trial balloons about impeachment.

Exhibit B: US Senator JIm Demint (R-SC)

When [Glen] Beck said that we are seeing “a fundamental transformation into a new system where the executive branch is almost if not all powerful,” DeMint replied:

DEMINT: We’re just, we’re coming down to a matter of days. If we lose the health care battle, I think we’ve lost it all. [...]

And that’s why I’ve said strong things like Waterloo and other things. This is, the nation has to focus on this because the czars and other things are secondary in a way if we lose health care, the president’s going to be so emboldened, we’re going to see so much more of the growth at the executive branch level that, I don’t think we’ll be able to stop it. But if we stop him on health care then I think we have the opportunity to maybe realign the whole political system in our country.

DeMint then said that he doesn’t “care which party it ends up being,” but quickly added, “I hope it’s the Republicans.” Listen here:

Exhibit C: US Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) Yells out "You Lie!" during a joint session of Congress when President Obama says that his health insurance reform bill will not give coverage to undocumented workers. However, Obama wasn't lying and Sen. Baucus (D-MT) changed his bill to be doubly sure that no such persons could get health care.

And to tie it back to 1860, Rep. Wilson, while a state legislator in 1999, was one of only seven who voted in favor of keeping the Confederate flag flying over the state capital.

I rest my case.

it gets more interesting (part duex)

(Image/Fair Credit: Greater Avenues Community Council)

Ah, the Avenues Street Fair, a place where you can sign petitions (single payer health care and redistricting commission), join the ACLU, buy organic clothes of Obama turned into Che, along with lots of food options. I foolishly pushed the stroller up I Street from 3rd Avenue to 9th and thanks to my new lifestyle, I was a tad winded by the time I got up to the fair.


(you can see Obama/Che in the middle of the left side. Image credit: GACC)

All of the candidates for city council had a presence there.


(JJJ's booth; Image credit: GACC)

Some had volunteers/staffers roaming the fair for potential supporters, others had a cooler full of water to lure in potential voters. State Sen. Scott McCoy had a big booth even though he isn't up this fall. I saw my friend Yossof (I didn't see the other candidates but i just glanced at the candidates' booths) and he said that my last post on the race wasn't exactly very favorable to him.


(McCoy's Booth; Image credit: GACC)

After my post, I did notice his "Vote Yo!" signs, which are eye-catching and memorable despite their diminutive size. He explained to me his micro-targeting strategy, but I don't think he gave me permission to put it on the internet, so I will just leave it at that. And before I forget, congratulations Yossof on having a little one on the way. I was too hot to remember my brain and manners.

A saw another friend from church who is now a 3L at the University of Utah in full Kenyan garb. She explained that she has been selling stuff at this booth for 7 years now. I said she should have stolen Lisa Allcott's Obama cardboard cutout since he is an adopted son of her native Kenya. [That's right Birthers, ADOPTED. He was born the in 49th state of the union, Hawaii] Then I realized that all of the people I saw and recognized at the fair were associated with law school and felt like a big dork. Even while I was trying to feed my baby after leaving the fair, I saw Prof. Medwed.

Yossof reminded me and I will in turn remind my readers that tomorrow is election day for the city council...it is runoff day! Feels like it will be a low turnout affair, even less than 2007. Becker started to pull ahead right about this time and understood that his target audience was Democratic primary voter, and it took him over the top. Who will it be this year? Without polls, the only metric I have to go by without putting in some serious effort are signs I see walking the dog/baby. That portends a close race, but it is completely unscientific. Best of luck to all of the candidates.

deja vu

In the beginning of the year, Obama demanded a big stimulus and that Congress pass it before he was sworn in. They delayed a few months, it got watered down, GOP talking point line items were removed, it got a bit smaller, and the Maine Senators and soon to be Dem Spector were the only GOPers who voted for it. But it passed.
Call me crazy, but it seems like the same thing is happening again: getting watered down, slightly smaller, delayed past pre-Aug. Why won't pass by 60 votes and be signed into law?

the lessons of 9/11

My parents will never remember where they were when they learned President Kennedy was shot, and my generation will never forget where they were when they learned of the terrorists attacks in the morning of September 11, 2001.  We will never forget the clear, sunny skies, and the feeling of losing something beyond the lives of those who were murdered by Al Qaeda.   

President Bush stated that the lessons of that horrible day were that Americans are no longer protected by having the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans between us and our foes, and that we must be vigilant to prevent future attacks.  And for the most part (Pearl Harbor) I agree with him.

But there is another big lesson that was learned.

Americans and America at times is accused of being hopelessly selfish and demanding of instant, ever increasing demands for gratification.  Yet there were countless tales of people carrying others down hundreds of flights of stairs to safety while the Towers burned. Of firefighters and policemen and -women who weren't even called to the scene, yet stopped to lend a hand.  And of course, the courageous and selfless actions of the passengers of Flight 93, who stormed the cockpit and stymied another airplane strike aimed at Washington, D.C. 

While certain parts of America reared its ugly head in the weeks that followed (e.g. the assaults on Sikhs because of the religious turban the men wear), the aftermath of the attack also showed that Americans can be kind and selfless to strangers.  The Red Cross received millions of dollars, the blood banks were overwhelmed, and volunteers were turned away from clearing the rubble in lower Manhattan.  Many of my generation enlisted in the armed services or applied to a military academy.  

I would like to get that feeling back.  Along with the knowledge that the world was behind us, mourning with us, and vowing to help us exact revenge.  Much of that good will was squandered.  Even the organic urge for service was converted into a plea to go shopping and take a vacation.  

We know we have it in us.  It just takes a dramatic moment or a leader to actualize it.  Many were hoping that President Obama would be that leader.  So far, his feet are firmly planted on the ground, either by choice or by the realities of the legislative process.  Yet glimmers of hope arise, when, like Wednesday night, Obama gives a rousing speech and reminds those of us who voted for him why we waited for hours in line to do so.  

Senator Reid, call their bluff

All this talk about 60 votes versus 51 votes in the Senate misses a big point. Let the minority filibuster health care reform. Let them read the phone book for insurance companies. Let the Nelsons and the Liebermans of the Senate vote against cloture and make them read the OED. How many times can you talk about "socialized medicine," "death panels," and "a thousand pages long" during that pajama party? Go ahead pompous windbags, I dare you. If Harry Reid wants to get reelected he will stand up and make these self-proclaimed moderates put their butts at their desks for days straight and stand in the way of the people who want their health care not to suck.

it gets more interesting

So my local city councilman Eric Jurgensen decided to not run again this year because his family business was facing some serious legal troubles. And while these city positions are technically non-partisan, it was pretty clear that he was a Republican (although he voted very liberally, at least for a Utah Republican). There are many people running for this open seat race, including a classmate and friend of mine from law school--Yossof Sharifi. Yossof is running as a libertarian. There are two obvious Democrats in the race--LIsa Allcott, whose signs and mailings say Democrat on them--and Stan Penfold.

Penfold was the director of the Utah AIDS Foundation, his black on yellow signage is a subtle sign that he is indeed supported by Mayor Ralph Becker. A number of other prominent Dems support Penfold as well, including former Congresswoman Karen Shepherd.

Allcott has more cash behind her, and has a raft of endorsements from the Democratic establishment as well, including Peter Corroon. And although Penfold is a gay man and ran the Utah AIDS foundation, Allcott has the support of the Utah Stonewall Democrats and Equality Utah (although these gay rights groups appear to be supporting both Allcott and Penfold).

These two appear to be the front runners, but it could be that they split the Democratic vote and someone else squeaks into the runoff (that's Yossof's plan). Both Allcott and Penfold have been sending mailings and flyers. I have had door knocks from Allcott's campaign (once with her personally, another with a staffer/volunteer) and Penfold has called my parents house for me twice, once even with a colleague from work. And while I have seen some signs for the other candidates, Jennifer J. Johnson and Phil Carroll, I have not seen any other forms of on the ground presence from them (and nothing from Yossof).

I wish all of the candidates the best of luck and will be following this race closely.

In thinking about Teddy K, it is important to note that we learned of his flaws in real time, unlike his slain brothers. Also unlike RFK and JFK, he was able to live a full live and achieve much more than inspiration. He has effected lives from South Africa to Poland to Norther Ireland. And while his dream of universal healthcare is yet unfulfilled, it shall never die.

SC Sen. Jim DeMint has joined the illustrious company of fellow SC Sens. John C. Calhoun and Strom Thurmond in advocating for Nullification. Calhoun wanted to keep Slavery alive, Thurman wanted "Segregation forever," and DeMint wants to keep our broken health care system. What is wrong with South Carolina senators?

Shurtleff is shameless

So if you are a politician, and you took money from and appeared to give favorable treatment to a ponzi schemer like Utah outgoing AG Mark Shurtleff, one would think that you wouldn't criticize your opponent for his choice of contributors, lest people be reminded of said lax prosecution of ponzi schemer (although to be fair, Rick Koerber had friends in the legislature too) But if you are Shurtleff, such naked displays of hypocrisy are not troubling.

Shurtleff's campaign, in a news release, said that Bennett's top five donors received $178 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds.

The attorney general is "using TARP to demagogue without understanding the issue," said Jim Bennett, the Senator's son and campaign spokesman. He referred additional questions to Utah Bankers Association President Howard Headlee.

The American Bankers Association was Bennett's fifth-highest donor, Shurtleff's campaign said, although the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics lists the association as Bennett's ninth-biggest contributor.

Headlee said those donations came well before TARP.

"Unfortunately we find ourselves in the middle of a fierce campaign," Headlee said, "and we're concerned about any attempt by any candidate to tie our financial support to specific issues."

So Shurtleff is going to pitch his campaign tent with TARP (sorry, couldn't resist a pun)...let's look at their contributors in detail:

Shurtleff received much of his money through huge donations (much larger than allowed by federal law in Senate races) from corporations, which by law cannot give directly to federal candidates. The cash usually came from local groups interested in his local work as attorney general, ranging from local law firms to payday lenders.

Bennett, meanwhile, received the lion's share of his donations from national political action committees interested in national issues, with donations coming in the smaller amounts authorized by federal law.
...
EnergySolutions. Its PAC gave Bennett $6,000, and the corporation gave Shurtleff $10,000.

CitiGroup (banking and securities). Its PAC gave Bennett $5,000 and gave Shurtleff $1,000.

JP Morgan Chase (banking and securities). Its PAC gave Bennett $2,000 and gave Shurtleff $1,000.

Reagan Outdoor Advertising. The company gave Shurtleff $5,000. Corporations cannot directly give to federal candidates. But the company's principals, William and Julia Reagan, individually gave Bennett a combined $4,800.

Union Pacific Railroad. Its PAC gave Bennett $2,300, and the corporation gave Shurtleff $5,000.

Frank Madsen (former top aide to Sen. Orrin Hatch) gave Bennett $500 and gave Shurtleff $400.

Former U.S. Rep. Howard Nielsen gave $2,000 to Bennett and $100 to Shurtleff.

Hy Saunders (a developer) gave $2,300 to Bennett and $100 to Shurtleff.

So Shurtleff attacks Bennett for taking money from TARP recipients like CitiGroup and JP Morgan Chase...which also gave money for Shertleff. I guess he is mad that they gave him less money than they gave Bennett?

Next time, I hope a reporter doesn't just copy and paste a press release, then go on to opensecrets.org, and then call the other side and call it a day. I pieced this together with google in a manner of minutes.

And they wonder why journalism is not as respected as it once was.