When President Obama signed the health reform law, the Affordable Care Act, on March 23, 2010, it was a moment that was decades in the making. Presidents from both parties had attempted to reform our health care system and as President Obama said, he wasn’t the first President to try and pass health reform, but he was determined to be the last.

This year, Vice President Biden has recorded a new video looking at the work to pass reform and how the law is already helping the American people.

Passing the law wasn’t easy, but we knew that we were working to end the worst insurance company abuses and give Americans more freedom and control over their health care choices. And the law that is one year old today is already making the health care system better for millions of Americans. Thanks to the new law millions of Americans are already enjoying:

Lower health care costs

• Seniors have the freedom to get the care they need, including free preventive care, lower cost prescription drugs, and Medicare they can count on. Nearly 4 million Americans who hit the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap known as the “donut hole” received $250 tax-free rebates, and will receive a 50% discount on brand name prescription drugs if they hit the donut hole this year.
• Up to 4 million small businesses could receive tax credits to make employees’ health coverage more affordable.
• Insurance companies can no longer overcharge consumers just to boost profits and CEO salaries.

Better quality coverage

• People with insurance are free from worrying about losing their insurance due to a mistake on their application – protecting 15 million Americans who purchase individual-market insurance as well as those insured through their employers.  All Americans with private insurance are also free from having coverage  capped unexpectedly due to a lifetime limit if someone is in an accident or becomes sick.
• All Americans in new insurance plans will receive preventive services without being charged a deductible, co-payment, or co-insurance.

New coverage options

• Parents have the choice of providing health coverage for a child until their 26th birthday. An estimated 1.2 million young adults could gain insurance coverage as a result of the law.
• Children with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage.
• Adults who have been locked out of the insurance marketplace because of a pre-existing condition can now buy coverage through a new Pre-Existing Condition Plan.

To find out more about how the law impacts you, check out www.HealthCare.gov and its special section on Better Benefits, Better Health.

Nancy-Ann DeParle is Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff. 

Reposted from the White House Blog.

Re-posted from http://www.healthcare.gov/foryou/betterbenefitsbetterhealth/index.html By Richard Sorian This week, we will be marking the one year anniversary of enactment of the Affordable Care Act and kicking off the Better Benefits, Better Health Initiative. This initiative will highlight the important information consumers, families and businesses need to get the benefits of reform. We’re kicking off the initiative by highlighting some important information for small business owners. Small business owners and their employees have always gotten the short end of the stick, paying an average of 18% more for insurance that often covers less than the policies sold to their larger competitors. And small businesses lack the purchasing power that larger employers have. That's changing thanks to the health care law signed by President Obama one year ago. Thankfully, the Affordable Care Act is helping small business owners get quality affordable coverage for ...continue reading

This week was the final week for legislation to make it off of general file in the second body. It looks like the last day of the session will be next Friday (3/4). At this point in the session things begin to move rather quickly and it is easy to be confused about procedure. This is a quick explanation of certain procedure as mentioned below: If legislation passes third reading in both houses, without amendments, it goes to the Governor. If the second body passes amendments that the other has not it must return to the house of origin for what is called a "concurrence vote." If the house of origin does not concur a conference committee is appointed with 3 members from each body to make a compromise on the bill and then the compromise returns for a vote to both houses. Bills can die in conference committee if a compromise cannot be reached or a compromise can be brokered and the bill will move on to the Governor. Please continue speaking with your ...continue reading

Cheyenne, WY:  Legislation brought by Democrats during the 61st Legislative Session focused on solving specific problems that affect Wyoming citizens.  Democrats emphasized good government and practical solutions for the people of Wyoming and opposed legislation that interferes in the private lives of citizens and serves no public policy purpose.  Democrats supported and proposed legislation to enhance the economy and bring jobs to the state, strengthen Wyoming families with excellent education and equal opportunity, and protect the state’s natural and cultural resources.   House Minority Floor Leader Patrick Goggles explained, “Our time in Cheyenne during the General Session is limited and House Democrats focused on legislation to assist Wyoming citizens and voted on issues that we believed best served the interest of all people across the state of Wyoming" "Throughout this session, Democratic legislators have done a remarkable job of not only being an integral ...continue reading

Cheyenne, WY:  Today Wyoming Senate passed a bill that would refuse to recognize same-sex marriages from other states or nations.  In this unprecedented step the overwhelmingly Republican lawmaking body made the decision to explicitly condone the expansion of government by voiding legally binding, civil contracts.   The full Democratic Caucus opposed the bill and offered legislation that would create civil unions in the state of Wyoming as an alternative.  Marriage is already defined in Wyoming statutes as between a man and a woman.   House Minority Floor Leader Patrick Goggles said, “The Democratic Caucus is disappointed by the passage of HB 74, but will remain hopeful that equal rights will be extended to all Wyoming citizens regardless of sexual orientation in future legislative sessions.”   In debate Democratic Senators brought a myriad of concerns about the consequences this step will have for current and future Wyoming residents.  From harming ...continue reading

Money will be distributed to other states, denied to Wyomingites   Cheyenne, WY :  Today the Wyoming House voted down a measure that would have modified the state’s unemployment provisions to make the Wyoming unemployment system eligible for additional funds and unemployed Wyoming workers eligible for additional benefits.   “Over 18,700 Wyomingites are unemployed. This vote says directly to them, ‘We know you are having a hard time, but we don’t think you deserve this extra help.’  I am appalled anyone in the legislature would want to send that message,” said the legislation’s sponsor, Rep. Cathy Connolly (D-Laramie).   This legislation, explained Rep. Cathy Connolly, would have extended unemployment eligibility for an additional 13 weeks and would have benefitted 5,600 workers who could have collected $24 million in additional benefits at no cost to the state, employers, or the state employment trust fund.   Connolly continued, the proposal would ...continue reading

Today (Friday, 2/4) was the last day for bills to pass out of committee in the house of origin.  Monday (2/7) is the last day for bills to be moved off general file or they will die.  A significant amount of bills will die either in committee or on general file. Below is a highlight of bills that may be of interest and saw action this week. Please continue speaking up and contacting your elected officials.  Contact information can be found here for the House: http://bit.ly/eCT999, and here for the Senate: http://bit.ly/hCkqkR.  Tip Sharing (HB 131):   Rep. Tim Stubson (R-Casper) introduced a bill that would allow employers to pool tips for tipped employees such as bartenders and waitresses.  The full Democratic delegation voted no on this legislation and it failed on a vote of 27-31-2.   Student Assessment Measures (HB 182):  Legislation sponsored by Rep. Mary Throne (D-Cheyenne) would ...continue reading

Wyoming Democratic Party Chair Chuck Herz Criticizes Rep. Lummis' Vote to Repeal the Affordable Care Act   Moose, WY – Today, Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  Following that vote, Wyoming Democratic Party Chair Chuck Herz released the following statement:   "Today, House Republicans took a vote that would have two primary consequences: Americans would be stripped of patient protections, and health insurance would become more unaffordable for families and for our governments.   "The repeal legislation would, if actually enacted into law, enable insurance companies once again to take away individuals' insurance coverage when they get sick or deny it to them in the first place because of  "preexisting conditions". It would take Americans' health-care decisions out of the hands of their doctors and put them back into the hands of insurance companies with an overriding interest in maximizing profits by minimizing ...continue reading

Governor Mead, all elected officials, Mr. President, members of the senate, Good afternoon and best wishes from the Democrats on the success of your administration, and of our session. I am elated to be addressing you, my colleagues and the people of Wyoming here today I wish to extend special greetings to all my family & friend’s  in the gallery or listening in today on the internet, It’s very special to have you here in person or spirit Thanks Monica, I hope the New Year brings happiness to you all. I would like to first, introduce our Democratic leadership, Our Minority whip, Marty Martin, and our Minority Caucus chair Floyd Esquibel. I am confident each member of the minority party will serve the legislature, the people of Wyoming, with honor. I wanted to highlight a few items the Democrats would work toward: Investing in people, we believe investment of the taxpayer dollars should be done wisely, and part of that is investing in the infrastructure of Wyoming. We ...continue reading

Thank you Mr. Speaker.  Mr. Secretary of State and Madame Deputy Secretary of State, thank you for being here and for your dedicated service to Wyoming.  Mr. Speaker, fellow members of leadership, members of the House of Representatives of the 61st legislature, honored guests, friends and family of the House:    I am pleased to have this opportunity to speak to you today on behalf of the Minority, pinch hitting for our courageous and able Minority Floor Leader, Representative Patrick Goggles. I want to extend a special welcome to our large and energetic class of new members. I also want to thank my family, Kevin, Michael, Tarver and Patrick for being here and for their sacrifices that allow me to do this work I love.  As a Cheyenne legislator, I often come to this glorious chamber when it is completely empty and except for our ever-present and faithful LSO staff, the second floor of the Capitol is quiet   It is a much different scene ...continue reading

Cheyenne, WY – Senate Minority Floor Leader John Hastert and House Minority Whip Mary Throne released the following statement in response to Gov. Matt Mead’s first State of the State address:   “In Gov. Mead’s first State of the State address he outlined a number of critical priorities to the citizens of Wyoming.  He rightfully noted our vast resources from open spaces to mineral wealth to our citizens.   Gov. Mead highlighted the need to support state and local governments, build our infrastructure, and strengthen our connectivity. We look forward to the specifics of Gov. Mead’s proposal to invest our dollars in Wyoming’s Main Street rather than Wall Street.  He spoke of streamlining state government and supporting state employees.  He indicated his support for Wyoming workers when he called for legislation that will grant Wyoming contractors preference.  These are all proposals we support.   It is essential that we continue discussing Wyoming ...continue reading

By Chuck Herz From the Casper Star Tribune , 1/2/2011 Over President Barack Obama’s first two years in office he and Congress have: - Rescued our economy from the free fall it was in when he took office and laid the foundation for a much sounder future economy. - Enacted reforms that make us safer in our health and our finances. - Extended individual liberty and equality -- the hallmarks of American democracy. - Made strides to safeguard our country and restore respect for it in the world. Economy As Obama took office, we confronted economic collapse. People were losing jobs, houses, and savings at rates not seen since the Great Depression. Another depression threatened. The president, Congress, and the Federal Reserve took action to arrest the collapse and get the economy back on track -- but a sounder, more sustainable track. Sweeping financial reform curtails practices that brought on or deepened the Great Recession. The Recovery Act stimulus package, the rescue of the U.S. ...continue reading

Casper, WY – In honor of Veterans Day, November 11th, the Wyoming Democratic Party Chair, Chuck Herz, issued the following statement: “On Veterans Day the Wyoming Democratic Party joins the nation in thanking and honoring the brave men and women who have devoted themselves in the service of our country.   “To each of the 56,000 Wyoming veterans and the thousands of Wyoming men and women currently serving in the armed forces and Wyoming National Guard, we are so thankful for your dedication and sacrifice.    “At this time last year, nearly 800 Wyoming National Guard troops were deployed. Thankfully most have returned to us, but 45 remain serving overseas and in harms way. We will continue to pray for their safe and speedy return.”

Bryon Lee sent out the following reminder to voters: Good afternoon active Wyomingites, I hope you are rockin' in the free world today. It is glorious in Sheridan today. The purpose of this email is to remind us all of a couple things: 1. Wyoming's absentee/early vote begins tomorrow, Thursday, September 23. 2. In the spirit of dedicating our time and energy to voter outreach, helping candidates, and getting voters to the polls on election day, it may be wise for us all to engage in the early vote process. 3. If you have any questions about the process you can log onto the Wyoming Sec. of State site, http://soswy.state.wy.us/Elections/AbsenteeVoting.aspx or call your local County Clerks office. 4. Please let your ACTIVE volunteers know about the process, and let them know this process helps free up valuable time on election day to conduct our GOTV efforts. If any of you have any questions or comments, please let me know. Be well, Bryon Lee ...continue reading

There are many, many opportunities to check out a candidate forum before the primaries or even to watch debates! The primaries, in case you haven't been following closely, are on the 17th of August. Forums are a great opportunity for you to hear directly from the candidates and also to ask them the difficult questions! Here are a few, but more promise to arise: Regional Service Providers, Disabilities Forum   - Thursday, July 15, 7 pm at the Best Western Ramkota (800 N Poplar St) in Casper, Admission Free. For more forum information contact Chris Boston at 233-0401.   Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce Forum   Thrusday, July 15, 7:30-9 am at the Historic Plains Hotel in Cheyenne.Breakfast will be served. The cost is $15 for chamber members and $20 for non-members. Please call 307-638-3388 to RSVP. Fiind out more online at www.cheyennechamber.org. Casper Area Chamber of Commerce Forum   - Wednesday, July 21, 11-1 pm at the Casper Petroleum Club ($25 for ...continue reading

This Independence Day as you enjoy friends and family, firecrackers and barbeque take a moment to recognize your enormous contribution to making America and Wyoming better places to live and work.  It is because of your dedication that Democrats have a voice in Wyoming.  In 2002 Governor Freudenthal was elected and will soon leave office as the most popular Governor in the nation.  In 2008 we made history by electing Barack Obama as President.  The accomplishments of this time are just as extraordinary; from protecting the Wyoming Range to passing comprehensive health reform your voice has been instrumental in positive and lasting change.  Your momentum has led us to this point.  The 2010 elections are a crucial time for the Democratic Party in Wyoming.  We have excellent candidates across the state and they need your passion and support as they seek to bring a stronger voice to those values we cherish:  family, equality, integrity, and ...continue reading

The candidate filing period closes on Friday, May 28th.  If you are interested in following who the candidates are across the state you can check the Secretary of State's Primary List .  The document is updated several times a day and proves to be very useful.  There are many Democrats running for reelection to the legislature and a few new faces.  We are extremely excited about everyone who decided to put their hat in the ring! That being said, there is still time for you to do so.  We always need more people to be engaged whether that is on a board, as a precinct comitteeperson, or as a statewide elected official.  If you are curious about getting started or getting more involved let us know.  Getting involved by running for office is one the best ways to create positive and meaningful change in your community and country! ...continue reading

Guest blog by Ken McCauley, Vice Chair of the Laramie County Democratic Party   The US Supreme Court will soon address the case of Snyder v Phelps.   The case centers on the Rev. Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church. In Snyder v. Phelps, the 4 th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed an award of damages granted by a lower court, which awarded damages to the father of a US Marine killed in Iraq ( for intrusion and intentional infliction of emotional distress) .   The Rev. Phelps, and his church, frequently picket funeral processions and publish printed and on-line literature displaying anti-government, anti-gay, and what many offensive messages.   In overturning the award of damages, the Court of Appeals focused on the First Amendment.   Rev. Phelps argues that the First Amendment protects his actions (Congress shall make no law … prohibiting the free exercise [of religion]; or abridging the freedom of speech). In this case, he ...continue reading

Today Rep. Byrd (D-Cheyenne) announced he will seek reelection to the Wyoming House.  His statement is below.  A number of other democratic legislators have announced their intentions (mainly to not seek reelection).  Those who will not throw their hat in the ring for another round include:  Rep. Lori Millin (D-Cheyenne), Rep. Debbie Hammons (D-Worland), Rep. Pete Jorgensen (D-Jackson), and Rep. Ross Diercks (D-Lusk).  Also - Colin Simpson, as anticipated, has announced his candidacy for Governor on the Republican ticket.  Simpson vacates a House seat in Cody and also opens the running for a new Speaker of the Wyoming House.  Rita Meyer, Matt Mead, and Ron Micheli are also all contenders for the Republican nomination.  Stay tuned here for more election 2010 gossip as it becomes available.  Another great place to watch is Casper Star Tribune reporter Jeremy Pelzer's blog:  http://tribtown.trib.com/wypolitics .  ...continue reading

As you have surely read Governor Freudenthal announced he will not seek another term.  He made the announcement today at 10:00 AM and WDP put a statement out soon thereafter.  Succinctly, we were greatful for his service and leadership and are sad to see him go.  He thanked Wyoming and indicated he had been leaning in this direction since around Christmas.  He also said his children were universally in favor of his decision.  He said for the first time in 17 yrs he has the opportunity to make choices.  "Ain't no plan now," he joked.  There was talk about the poll he commissioned late last year, but he indicated that since the polling has not begun the poll will be turned over to the state party.  He also indicated he plans to stay out of the next race and will allow potential candidates to speak for themselves.  When asked if he expects to be a candidate for higher office he said he does not expect to be a candidate in 2010, ...continue reading

Every year during the legislative session we gather for meetings and the Nellie Tayloe Ross (NTR) Banquet.  This past weekend was our 2010 NTR and I think it turned out to be a success.  We had a number of great speakers, folks from all around the state, and a lot of enthusiasm. Our county chairs had a meeting that helped to evaluate what the basic function of a county party is and how they can expand, shape and fill that role.  The central committee had a successful meeting that included topics ranging from fundraising and fiscal stability to the current legislative session and the great work of the state marketing committee.  The rough cuts of four more really exciting ads were debuted and the group was able to give feedback.  Also there was a wonderful presentation from Brian Kuehl regarding opposition research and how it can be utilized in the upcoming campaign season.  The main event was in the evening and there were simultaneous cocktail ...continue reading

Today the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill (HB 61) that would create a statewide legal services funding program.  There is currently no program in the state the offers legal service in civil cases such as divorce, child custody, or domestic violence.  The program would be funded by raising court fees by $10. The committee room was packed and a variety of groups stood in favor of the bill.  Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justic Voigt stood in favor and explained that this will help the entire justice system to run more smoothly because even filing documents correctly is difficult for those representing themselves when they have no legal training.  Oversight of the program would lie with the WY Supreme Court. Justice Voigt said, "This is meat and potatoes.  We are talking about helping people in cases such as domestic violence or dealing with collections, often from medical bills."  AARP Wyoming, Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming State Bar, ...continue reading

A budget amendment was brought today in the Wyoming House that would provide funding for the school lunch program. The amendment was brought by Rep. Cathy Connolly (D-Laramie), but failed in a voice vote.  It would have provided $3.6 million in funding.  Connolly argued that this problem has come about because costs of programs have increased by 20% in the past few years and that there are often very few students in Wyoming schools.  She pointed out how 1/3 of all Wyoming students are eligible for free or reduced cost lunches.  Many families, she said, count on this program to feed their children because they cannot afford to.  Connolly noted that school districts could raise meal prices to cover the deficit, but noted, "A study done in 2007 for the Wyoming Department of Education indicated that the current charges for paid meals in the schools are generally considered to be the maximum that students and families can pay and they are among the highest ...continue reading

Guest blog written by James DuPont of Teton County.  James is serving as a high school intern for Rep. Pete Jorgensen (D-Jackson) during the first two weeks of the session.  Many thanks for his insight and perspectives. On February 12, 2010 House Bill 55 passed the House with a vote of 49 to 9. The bill was introduced by the Joint Education Interim Committee with the intention to eliminate elementary foreign language instruction as a component of the required state educational program.  Funding for this program was eliminated in the Governor’s recommended budget for the 2011-12 biennium, resulting in a decrease in funding of $1,894,184.  If this bill passes the senate it is likely elementary schools across the state will be unable to adequately continue their foreign language program. There have been countless studies proving adolescents are in many ways are better at learning a language than adults. Studying a second language brings an individual ...continue reading

Guest Blog written by Gus Harrison of Teton County.  Gus is serving as a high school intern for Rep. Jim Roscoe (D-Wilson) during the first two weeks of the session.  Many thanks for his insight and perspectives. House Bill 113 is one step closer on it’s way of becoming a law after the House Judiciary committee passed it with the recommendation it do pass the General Committee. The Bill first passed introduction last week with a strong 52-6 vote and was referred to the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Keith Gingery (R-Jackson). The committee discussed the bill, and passed it with a 6-2 vote, with the opposing votes coming from two of the same representatives who opposed the bill in it’s introduction (Rep. Barbuto, D-Green River and Rep. Patton, R-Sheridan). The bill, if passed into law, would allow anyone 21 years or older to carry a concealed firearm, providing they do not have a criminal record or, a substance abuse problem, or not be currently adjudicated ...continue reading

The AFL-CIO, Wyoming Contractors Association, ABC Wyoming, National Electrical Contractors Association and Wyoming Building and Construction Trades are supporting an important bill that is on general file in the Wyoming House.     HB 89, Resident Contractor Preferences, would support Wyoming jobs and the Wyoming economy by requiring all public contracts to be let to a Wyoming resident as long as the bid is not more than 5% higher than a lower non-resident bid.   All bills on general file must go on first reading by Friday or they will die on general file.   Wyoming projects, such as stimulus supported highway projects or capitol construction, should be let to Wyoming companies and subcontractors.   Let’s hope the majority leadership agrees and moves the bill up for first reading before it is too late.   ...continue reading

Wyoming's Legislature may have worked on being more transparent by making all bills available online and streaming proceedings live, but there is still a long way to go.  Last week the legislature took a big step by allowing people to testify by video conference.  According to the Equality State Policy Center, committee chairs are now questioning whether testimonies should be permitted by phone. There is a new feature available online that allows you to give an opinion on a piece of legislation in 140 characters or less.  Essentially you can tweet the legislature.  I encourage you to visit the Online Hotline . These are great first steps, but the system remains inaccessible for a majority of Wyoming's people, often because of geography.  One glaring issue is that voting is not immediately available online and those interested in the outcome of a specific bill cannot quickly and easily look up the roll-call vote on the floor.  Normally the votes are ...continue reading

Today in a morning press conference Gov. Dave Freudenthal discussed some of the pieces of legislation passing through the Wyoming Legislature.  The Governor's proposed excise tax on wind energy was one of the most discussed proposals since lawmakers amended the legislation to $1 per megawatt hour versus the proposed $3, but did not change the 60-40% split between state and local governments.  The Governor stressed that he does not need this tax revenue in order to balance the budget and since it was slashed he would prefer the counties recieve 100% of the revenues.  Gov. Freudenthal also commented on the lobbying push against the excise tax and noted that it is the most robust effort since the severance tax was enacted.  "If your business plan is so fragile that a few bucks is going to throw you off track them maybe you should produce wind in a different state," said Freudenthal.  He noted that many of these wind companies have local names, but none ...continue reading

The House Revenue committee met this morning to discuss the excise tax on wind energy (HB 101) brought forward by the Governor. The proposed tax was $3 per megawatt hour of energy produced, but following amendments it was reduced to $1 per megawatt hour. According to the Casper Star Tribune, “If a $1-per-megawatt-hour tax existed last year, wind companies would have paid just over $4.9 million.” There was also a proposed amendment to change the split of revenue between the state and counties to give all the counties. This amendment failed and the split will remain 40% to the counties and 60% to the state general fund. A final amendment made it so the excise tax will not take effect until 3 years after a wind farm has been in operation and taxes will not start being collected until 2012. The excise tax as well as regulation will continue to be central discussions in the upcoming weeks.

The Legislature has been in session for a week and things are moving along quickly. Friday was the last day for bill introductions and a number have moved through the three readings in their house of introduction and are being sent to the other chamber for consideration. If you are unfamiliar with the process you can learn under the “Legislative Process” section of the   Citizen's Guide to the Legislature . In short, a bill must pass three readings in both chambers before it can be sent to the governor, who can either sign it into law or veto the bill. Below is a summary of action on some of the higher-profile bills from Week 1 of the budget session. You can access the   2010 Bill Index   online. If you are interested in the breakdown of certain votes you can track it by selecting “Digest” next to the bill you are following.   Carbon Capture (HB 17) - Proposed by the judiciary committee, it would establish a procedure for requiring entities ...continue reading

Today a resolution asserting the US constitution 10th amendment and amending the Wyoming Constitution directly aimed at health reform and Wyoming opting out of any national health reform initiative was killed on a party-line vote. Rep. Debbie Hammons stood and spoke against the resolution saying that it is not a reasonable approach to amend the Wyoming constitution to completely “deal us out.” She stated, “I believe in my country and the ability of the citizens to listen and reason with judgment.” Minority Floor Leader Patrick Goggles also stood in opposition saying the house is a creative body and this resolution is premature as no national reform plan has been enacted. The house Democrats don’t always have the unity that we are seeing this session, but with their 19 votes in opposition the Republicans were unable to muster the 40 votes needed for introduction. This directly echoes some of the sentiments that members of the caucus expressed yesterday during a weekly meeting. ...continue reading

Rep. Lorraine Quarberg (R-Thermopolis) introduced a bill giving concealed weapon authority to Wyoming residents over the age of 21.   This would do away with the current requirement that residents show knowledge of firearm use and register and receive a concealed weapon permit from the state of Wyoming.   This proposal changes the standard considerably by making the requirements to carry a concealed weapon limited to “not suffering from a physical infirmity which prevents the safe handling of a firearm,” not being a convicted felon, not being an abuser of controlled substances or alcohol.     This bill has been referred to the Judiciary Committee.  It is sponsored by Representatives Quarberg, Brechtel, Buchanan, Davison, Diercks, Gingery, Illoway, Jaggi, Semlek, Simpson, Wallis and Zwonitzer, Dn. and Senator(s) Case, Coe, Jennings and Ross . ...continue reading

Rep. Bagby (D-Rawlins) introduced a bill to raise the minimum wage for tipped employees from $2.13 an hour to $5.00.   He brought this last year and it failed and the same with this year.   Three Republicans stood up in opposition and said things like:   “If a waitress is making $100/hour in tips why would we want to pay her more on top of that?”   Find me a Wyoming waitress that made that much money in an hour, consistently.   There isn’t one.   Find me one that makes $20 an hour consistently.   There isn’t one.   Sure there are good nights during a big event (Frontier Days, Jubilee Days, State Fair) when tipped employees have a really good showing.   I was a waitress and made great money on UW football game days, but in general my job was barely paying my rent.    I was a single college student.   How do single mothers with two children do it?   I know; they go get another job.     ...continue reading

The 2010 Budget session has officially begun and currently each house is considering which bills will be accepted onto the General File. It takes a 2/3 vote for bills to reach general file. A few to note: HB 37 and HJ 04 introduced by Rep. Keith Gingery (R-Jackson) – These bills would remove the current law that Wyoming Judges and Justices must retire by the age of 70. Passage of both would ultimately bring a Wyoming constitutional amendment and statutory changes. Both are referred to the Judiciary committee which will meet tomorrow morning. A rather controversial bill (SF35) being discussed tomorrow is the committee sponsored proposal to make I-80 a toll road. The Senate Transportation committee will be discussing it tomorrow, 10 minutes after adjournment. Rep. Ken Esquibel (D-Cheyenne) is sponsoring HB 11 to amend the Cancer Control program by allowing for follow-up screenings for colorectal cancer. The bill was accepted to general file and referred to the house ...continue reading

The budget session of the 60th Wyoming Legislature convenes today.  Governor Freudenthal will be delivering the State of the State at 10:00 AM and you can listen in here:  http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2010/audio/AudioMenu1.htm .  These blogs will be regularly posted throughout the budget session on topics important to Wyoming's Democrats, working families and informed citizens.  If you have any questions about a particular issue or post please feel free to contact me at brianna@wyomingdemocrats.com .  Happy legislative session all! Yesterday the Wyoming Democratic Caucus met and discussed the budget reccomendations coming from the Joint Appropriations Committee (JAC) as well as individual bills certain legislators are bringing forward.  The caucus was also addressed by Gov. Dave Freudenthal, Speaker of the House Simpson, Sec. of State Max Maxfield, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Jim McBride.  Some special topics of interest, ...continue reading

The following perspective by Brianna Jones was printed in the Casper Star Tribune, 12/20/2009,   http://bit.ly/5jF80y Our nation’s health care debate has gone from civil, to raucous, to downright ridiculous, but the truth is that there are millions of people across the nation -- more than 72,000 in Wyoming -- who cannot go to the doctor because they cannot afford or do not have adequate insurance. Each day someone falls through the cracks because they do not have the means to access care. This is not how it should be. Partisan rhetoric aside, Congress is working on real solutions to confront the health care crisis, several of which will make a tangible difference to Wyoming’s people. Supporting small businesses   -- In order to provide health care, small businesses currently pay up to 18 percent more per worker than larger firms. Local entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of Wyoming’s communities, and we need to ensure that the 17,144 small employers in Wyoming can ...continue reading

Please see below for a fact check on false claims made by Senator Barrasso on the Senate floor today on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act today: RHETORIC: Barrasso Said That The Senate Health Care Bill Would Add $1 Trillion To The Deficit. Sen John Barrasso: "The President said this wouldn't add a dime to the deficit. Well, it's going to add a lot of dimes to the deficit. This is going to add $1 trillion to the deficit." [Senate Floor, 12/21/09] RHETORIC: Barrasso Said The Senate Health Care Bill Would Cut Medicare. Sen. John Barrasso: "The President said we wouldn't see cuts to Medicare. The bill says $500 billion of cuts to Medicare, to the seniors who depend upon Medicare." [Senate Floor, 12/21/09] REALITY: THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT WOULD REDUCE THE DEFICIT BY MORE THAN $130 BILLION OVER THE FIRST TEN YEARS CBO Said Health Reform Reduces The Deficit By $132 Billion Over First Ten Years. “ CBO puts the ...continue reading

Please see below for a fact check on the erroneous claims made by Senator Barrasso on FOX News this afternoon: RHETORIC: Sen. Barrasso: Americans Don't Support Reform, Reform Cuts Medicare, Premiums Will Go Up: "That this is not the right prescription for america. The majority of people in america do not support this. The reasons are because it cuts medicare and health care for our seniors that depend on health- care by half of a trillion dollars, as Senator McCain just pointed out. For people that have insurance it will cause the cost of their premiums to go up. I think that we should take step-by-step measures in a responsible way." [FOX News, 12/1/09] REALITY: ALL THREE CLAIMS ARE COMPLETELY FALSE Since October Of 2008, Never Less Than 53% Of Americans, And Up To 62% Of Americans Has Said That “Given the Serious Economic Problems Facing The Country…It Is More Important Than Ever To Take On Health Care Reform Now.” In a poll conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation ...continue reading

This is a heads up that Senator Enzi’s staff will be holding sessions in the following communities over the next few weeks and starting tomorrow.  Please share this information!   Buffalo – Thursday, Dec. 10 – Town Hall – 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Cowley – Tuesday, Nov. 24 – Town Hall – 10:30-11:30 a.m. Kaycee – Thursday, Dec. 10 – Town Hall – 9-10 a.m. Torrington – Thursday, Nov. 19 – Platte Valley Bank – 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Wheatland – Thursday, Nov. 19 – Platte Valley Bank – 2:30-3:30 p.m.   This is a great opportunity to encourage community members to speak to Enzi’s staff, ask him about some of his recent votes and impart the urgent need for robust health reform.  ...continue reading

Components of the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) Increasing choice and competition. The bill will protect and improve consumers’ choices. If people like their current plans, they will be able to keep them. For individuals who aren’t currently covered by their employer, and some small businesses, the proposal will establish a new Health Insurance Exchange where consumers can comparison shop from a menu of affordable, quality health care options that will include private plans, health co-ops, and a new public health insurance option. The public health insurance option will play on a level playing field with private insurers, spurring additional competition. This Exchange will create competition based on quality and price that leads to better coverage and care. Patients and doctors will have control over decisions about their health care, instead of insurance companies. Giving Americans peace of mind. The legislation will ensure that Americans ...continue reading

Below is a letter we are circulating in support of a public option.  You can copy and paste the text below into a one-page word document and then circulate it to your friends and family.  Once you have the ten signatures please return the letter to the   Wyoming Democratic Party PO Box 1963 Casper, WY  82602   ___________________________________________________________________     Wyomingites In Support of a Public Option   To whom it may concern:   The heath care system of the United States is in crisis. Almost fifty million Americans completely lack health insurance, including more than 70,000 people in Wyoming. Tens of millions more lack adequate coverage, and the millions who do have private coverage are paying increasingly unaffordable premiums, resulting in inadequate access to care and premature death, illness, or financial ...continue reading

A public health insurance plan should be an option for everyone, alongside private health insurance plans. However, U.S. Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, along with U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis, are siding with Big Insurance and HMOs over the citizens of Wyoming and the American people. They have teamed up with private health insurers and are fighting to make sure no public health insurance plan cuts into private health insurer markets at a time when we're enacting reforms to cover everyone. The public supports a public health insurance plan option. A public health insurance plan is supported by 73 percent of voters, even when they hear the sharpest insurance industry attacks. This includes Democrats (77 percent), Independents (79 percent) and Republicans (63 percent), as well as urban (73 percent) and rural (71 percent) voters. The public health insurance plan would compete on a level playing field with private plans and would be administered by government but funded through premiums ...continue reading

By: Mike Bell, Vice Chairman of Wyoming Democratic Party http://www.trib.com/news/e ditorial/forum/article_730 3a04e-dfb2-556d-9905-46e40 36b02db.html A series of new reports from the Treasury Department, the Census Bureau and independent organizations underscore something we’ve known in Wyoming for a long time – we can’t wait another year for health insurance reform. Recent Census data reveals that 46.3 million Americans lack health insurance, up from 39.8 million in 2001. Most of these people are middle-class – working people who pay their bills but don’t get health benefits through their employers or can’t afford to buy it on the private market. In Wyoming, there are now 72,000 of us without insurance, who are just one accident or illness away from financial disaster. Even those of us who do have insurance are at risk under the current system. The Treasury Department found that nearly half of all Americans under 65 will lose their health coverage at some ...continue reading

Fellow Democrats,   Below are a number of ideas of how you personally can make an impact in the movement for health insurance reform.   I know many of you have done or are doing these things and for that, thank you!   It is through individual action that we accomplish our goals.     As President Obama has said, " Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."   Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance along the way!   Bri Jones Communications Director Wyoming Democratic Party brianna@wyomingdemocrats.com (307) 752-5288       Taking Action for Health Insurance Reform:   How you can have an impact Tell your story, speak your mind, make a difference          ...continue reading

Representatives from the Wyoming Democrats and the Young Democrats of Wyoming attended the first Project New West Summit in Denver, August 12-14.  The summit was designed to bring together leaders from around the West to discuss the opportunities, challenges, and important issues facing the West as we enter a new decade. Project New West (PNW), founded in 2007, is an organization dedicated to strategic planning and research in regards to the progressive movement in the West.  There was a number of high profile speakers including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Jeff Bingaman (NM), Governor Bill Ritter, Jr. (CO), Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (CO), Robert Redford, US Senator Tom Udall (NM), and Congressman Raul Grijalva (AZ).  There were many more local leaders and activists. Wyoming Senator Floyd Esquibel participated in a panel titled "Western Challeneges and Opportunities:  A Conversation with Western Leaders" and Wyoming Democratic Party ...continue reading

The Wyoming Democratic Party is excited that President Obama will be visiting our great state this coming weekend when he and the First Family come to Yellowstone as part of a greater tour of the West.  This trip falls on the free weekend meant to promote the country's National Parks and will also include stops in Bozeman, MT; Grand Junction, CO; and Phoenix, AZ.  It is great to have the President and his family coming to Wyoming! For a bit more information you can check out: Obamas visit Yellowstone (Casper Star Tribune) Obama to visit Yellowstone  (Jackson Hole News and Guide) Obama, First Family to visit Yellowstone (Yellowstone Insider)   ...continue reading

The Wyoming Democratic Party is very pleased to welcome Senator Saundra Meyer and Senator James Elliot to the Wyoming Senate.  The following is taken from a press release by the LSO: Following the administration of the oaths of office, legislators, legislative staff, family and friends welcomed Senators Meyer and Elliott to the Wyoming Legislature.   Senator Elliott addressed the well-wishers during the ceremony stating that he is thankful for his appointment and looks forward to serving the people of Wyoming, noting, "I am really humbled by this opportunity to represent the constituents of both Carbon and Albany Counties but one thing that I made as a vow to myself was that if I take on a task, I'm going to give it everything I've got."       Meyer was also thankful to have the opportunity to serve in the both the House and the Senate by saying "I really enjoyed my tenure in ...continue reading

Statements from the state party were featured in a few different media outlets today.  We were pleased that attention was drawn to the fact that both Wyoming Senators Enzi and Barrasso voted against Justice Sonia Sotomayor.  You can check those out below. Sotomayor gets her votes - KGWN Channel 5 Wyoming Senators vote no on Sotomayor  - Wyoming Public Radio If there are any others that you come across please let me know and I will include them!

As a follow-up to the previous post, here are a couple media reports on new Wyoming Democratic Party Chair Leslie Petersen and our other officers: Wilson resident to head Democrats  (Jackson Hole News & Guide) Democrats elect new state leaders (Casper Star-Tribune) Please let me know if you run across any more, and I'll add them to the list!  

Greetings from party central! The big news is that Leslie Petersen of Wilson was elected as the new state chair of the Wyoming Democratic Party during our State Central Committee meeting in Casper on April 18th. Other officers elected were new Vice Chair Mike Bell of Cheyenne, new Secretary Linda Barton of Lander, and re-elected Treasurer Chuck Herz of Moose (elected for a second term). I've worked extensively with all four of our officers since I started working for the state party in 2005, and I'm delighted and optimistic about the team we have in place. Leslie has been heavily involved in party affairs for decades. She has previously served as a Teton County commissioner and has been involved with various conservation, political and natural resource boards. She has been a Teton County Democratic Party activist for years, is a former Teton County party chair, and served as the county's state committeewoman for the previous election cycle. She also ...continue reading

Just a quick note to let you know that Democrats all across the state will be holding county meetings throughout the month of March to elect their local leaders for the 2009-10 election cycle. Then, on April 18, those county leaders will meet in Casper to hold state party officer elections for the positions of chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer. So tune in on April 18 to find out who will comprise the Wyoming Democratic Party's new leadership team!

Casper Star-Tribune   U.S. House candidates talk reform in Cheyenne “Under a big tent in front of the stately stone Union Pacific train depot, the candidates for Wyoming's U.S. House seat took part in a forum Friday as the crowd feasted on barbecued ribs…. ”   Judge will choose new SWC commissioner “And the winner for the open Sweetwater County Commission seat is .... none of the above….”   Canadian oil company lays off workers “A Canadian-based oil company that specializes in underground oil drilling is laying off more than half its work force, most of them in Wyoming….”   Petroleum industry cries foul “Representatives with the petroleum industry are unhappy with a newly proposed management plan for the Pinedale region, and they are calling for a do-over on the part of the federal government….”   Natrona County High School ...continue reading

Casper Star-Tribune   Uranium and wind industries short of workers “The growing uranium and wind industries in Wyoming both face constraints with finding workers, panelists at an energy economics summit said Thursday….”   BLM releases final oil shale plan “Federal officials are releasing a final plan for opening nearly 2 million acres of public land in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado to commercial oil shale development….”   Report: State loses millions due to tobacco use “Tobacco use costs Wyoming hundreds of millions of dollars each year in lost productivity and health care, according to a report released by the state on Thursday….”   *** Freudenthal: Complete uranium study “Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal is urging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission not to delay the completion of an environmental study on uranium mining….”   WHP seizes $10 ...continue reading

Casper Star-Tribune   LTE: Global ambitions replace diplomacy   by TOM BISHOP, Atlantic City Anti-Lummis “Now that Cynthia Lummis has been properly chastised for her could-have-been-expected blunder, perhaps we could get both Lummis and her opponent, Gary Trauner, to engage in meaningful comments. How about answering some relevant questions?  Do Lummis and Trauner support the George W. Bush doctrine of global democratization? Bush doctrine: "  we have begun a world democratic revolution that will continue until all the despotisms of the Middle East are overthrown and replaced by democracies." (Quotation taken from the book, "Where the Right Went Wrong," by Patrick J. Buchanan.)  Preemptive warfare: Bush doctrine: "No nation will be permitted, ever again, to rise to a position of power to where it can challenge the United States, global or regionally."  Or do she and Trauner support the admonitions of George ...continue reading

Do you know where your candidates are and what help and support they need in these final weeks?   Click here to check out their websites and get in touch!     MEET & SUPPORT WYOMING STATE LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES   ...continue reading

Wyoming Business Report   *** Congressional candidates to appear at Cheyenne forum   PLEASE ATTEND THIS EVENT TO SUPPORT TRAUNER!   He’ll appreciate friendly faces in the crowd! “The three candidates running for Wyoming’s lone congressional seat will appear in Cheyenne on Sept. 5 in the fourth of a series of congressional forums sponsored by Chambers of Commerce across the state.   W. David Herbert (L-WY), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Gary Trauner (D-WY) have all indicated that they will attend the forum, which will be held in a tent in Cheyenne’s Depot Plaza from 11:30 am until 1 p.m.   The forum panelists will include Dennis E. Curran, executive editor of the Wyoming Business Report, Mick Birge of the Cowboy State News Network/ KFBC Radio, and D. Reed Eckhardt of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. The moderator will be Rick Schum, board chairman of the Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce.  The forum is being held in ...continue reading

Casper Star-Tribune *** FORUM:  American energy for the American people by Gary Trauner “There has been a lot of posturing recently about the best way to secure America's energy future and, by extension, the strength of America's economy and leadership position in the world.  Since the day I started running for Wyoming's lone seat in the U.S. House, I have been saying that the search for sustainable energy independence is the issue of our time. It affects our national security, our economy, our environment and the legacy we leave to future generations….”   LTE:  Outsiders see state with fresher eyes by MARY LOU MARCUM, Cheyenne  Pro-Trauner “I am 71 years old and have spent many of those years in Cheyenne and consider this my home.…Many of us are here to absorb, to appreciate, to recognize, to celebrate Wyoming, to stand in awe of its vastness and emptiness, to respect its toughness and ...continue reading

Holy Torrential Trauner!!!  Check out the press for the last TWO days…   *** Trauner Releases Statement on Energy   MUST READ--Proposal has three key elements: Short-term, long-term and immediate action. (Office of Trauner Campaign) -- Since the day I started running for Wyoming's lone seat in the US House, I have been saying that the search for sustainable energy independence is the issue of our time.  It affects our national security, our economy, our environment and the legacy we leave to future generations. But over the past four months, as I have continued to campaign door to door, community to community, I have heard countless stories of the incredible burden that out of control gas prices have put on Wyoming's families, businesses, and particularly, seniors on fixed incomes.  As I attended forum after forum during the primary season, most of my opponents embraced the simple slogan of "Drill Here, Drill Now." That's ...continue reading

CSPAN will be covering the Convention LIVE from “Gavel to Gavel” C-SPAN offers gavel to gavel coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives. C-SPAN also offers a variety of public affairs programming including congressional hearings, press briefings from the White House, State Department and Pentagon, campaign and election coverage, and international programming.   Roll Call   Udall Urges Democrats to Stick to Center With the Democratic National Convention having kicked off in earnest Monday afternoon, Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) cautioned that the four-day Denver event could cause problems for Democrats running in the Mountain West region if the messaging veers too far left of center. Udall, who is running for Senate, lumped himself in that category during an interview last week and said that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) might also suffer ...continue reading

Gary Trauner, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, will hold a press conference tomorrow to unveil and discuss his energy proposal and you are invited!    It is an innovative new policy proposal….and you can be the first to hear the details.   American Energy for the American People   Tuesday, August 26th   9:30 AM at the Ghost Town gas station at 6680 W. Yellowstone Highway in Casper and  3:00 PM at the Trauner HQ at 211 W. 18th Street in Cheyenne   For further information contact Adam Ruff at 307.699.4956 or  adam@traunerforcongress.com ...continue reading

***Just in case you missed it, you can read Obama’s Prepared Text     Sheridan Press   *** Fulfilling Democratic duties:  Sheridan resident a superdelegate at convention   “Sheridan resident and Wyoming Democratic Party Vice Chair Nancy Drummond leaves today for Denver to fulfill her duties as a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention, which starts Monday…Drummond’s husband, Bruce, is Sheridan County committeeman for the Democratic Party and will accompany her to the convention. Sheridan County  Democratic Chairwoman Janet Maxwell will also go with Drummond to Denver.  Drummond is in her sixth year as Wyoming Democratic Party Vice Chair — her third term — and said this will be her last term. ‘When I first got involved,  people didn’t whine as much, and that whining really starts to wear on you,” Drummond said.’”     Casper ...continue reading

Politico   Lummis wins GOP primary in Wyoming “…Lummis heads into the general election against Democratic businessman Gary Trauner as the favorite to succeed retiring Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-Wyo.). But Democrats believe they have an outside chance at winning in this heavily Republican state, though without the controversial Cubin on the ballot, it will be a tough challenge.”   The Hill   State treasurer wins GOP nod in Wyoming “…Lummis defeated rancher and businessman Mark Gordon 46-37, while 2006 candidate and former Navy officer Bill Winney took 12 percent.  She will now face 2006 Democratic nominee Gary Trauner, who fell to retiring Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-Wyo.) by 1,000 votes and was set to face her again before she retired.”   Roll Call   Lummis Declared Winner in Wyoming Primary “It might be a perilous environment for ...continue reading

Monday, August 25: One Nation Click here to read the text of speeches delivered on Monday Tuesday, August 26: Renewing America's Promise Click here to read the text of speeches delivered on Tuesday Wednesday, August 27: Securing America's Future Click here to read the text of speeches delivered on Wednesday Thursday, August 28: Change You Can Believe In Click here to read the text of speeches delivered on Thursday ...continue reading

Where to begin in summarizing Tuesday's Democratic National Convention experience for your Wyoming delegation? How about at the very end, with Sen. Hillary Clinton's amazing speech to top off the night? Sen. Clinton is a fabulous orator on a normal day, but I've never seen her in this rare of form. She laid it on the line, in no uncertain terms: If you supported Clinton's candidacy and what it stood for - be that its historical ramifications or its policy significance - if you care about the things that Hillary was fighting for, then you must vote for Barack Obama this November. Our nation will be much better off in every imaginable way under an Obama Administration than it would with McCain as president. Arbitrary note: The "Hillary" signs that were passed around the convention hall were, in this blogger's opinion, the coolest signs we have seen so far in the convention. Check out this photo . It's a little hard to see the Hillary signs in all their ...continue reading

Actually, I'm writing this at the beginning of Day Two. As a special bonus part of the whirlwind of activity known as the Democratic National Convention, your tireless executive director has the dubious honor of being the designated Credentials Collection Agent for the Wyoming Democratic Party. This means I have to be in our hotel lobby between 4:45 a.m. and 5:15 a.m. every day to meet the nice folks from the DNC who deliver the credentials for our state delegation for that day. To their credit, both mornings the DNC folks have been here at 4:45 a.m. sharp, which leaves me with some down time I can use to appreciate the value of a full night's sleep - as a concept, but certainly not as a reality. Truth is, it's hard to go to sleep at bedtime when you've just spent six hours at the Pepsi Center for the first National Convention of your life. My personal highlight of the night was when Ted Kennedy took the stage in an unscheduled appearance. I mean, he wasn't on the evening's agenda, ...continue reading

For Compete State and Federal Primary Election Results: http://soswy.state.wy.us/Elections/ElectionResults.aspx   Casper Star-Tribune   Lummis wins GOP primary “Former State Treasurer Cynthia Lummis won Tuesday's Republican primary for Wyoming's lone seat in the U.S. House.  Unofficial results show Lummis defeating Johnson County businessman and rancher Mark Gordon 46 to 38 percent, with 99 percent of precincts reporting…A recent ad by the Gordon campaign depicted Lummis as a little girl digging herself into a hole in a sandbox, implying Lummis would support policies that would worsen the nation's problems. An ad by the Lummis campaign depicted Gordon's head pasted on a cartoonish body and mentioned Gordon's past contributions to Democratic candidates, including John Kerry.  Both candidates criticized the opposition for distorting the facts.  Campaign finance figures through July 30 ...continue reading

Casper Star-Tribune   EDITORIAL:   Primary voter turnout: Wyo can do better   “…Two years ago, the lack of contested Democratic races was singled out as the main reason for the lack of voter interest in the primary. The same complaint could be registered this year. Gary Trauner is unopposed for the party's U.S. House nomination, and the two Democratic contests to oppose Republican U.S. Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso haven't generated much excitement.  Some Wyoming Democrats may be tempted to switch parties, so they can help the GOP choose Trauner's opponent. It's difficult to determine how such a move might affect the Republican primary, because there's no general consensus about who would be a tougher foe for Trauner in the general election.  Because of the interest in the GOP's four-way U.S. House race and the hard-fought campaign between front-runners Mark Gordon and Cynthia Lummis, independents who wish to ...continue reading

Casper Star-Tribune   Wyoming briefs “Plans for ethanol plant stall….”    Farmers feel impact of increasing costs POWELL (AP) -- Wyoming farmers are receiving higher prices for their products this year, but it also cost them more to produce them.   Governor to ask for backup howitzer for Sylvan Pass “Gov. Dave Freudenthal said he will ask the Legislature for money to buy a backup howitzer to use for avalanche control on Sylvan Pass.”   Candidates differ on government involvement in economy “To help the economy, the government should develop a comprehensive energy policy, increase regulations for the mortgage industry and get its spending under control, said Nick Carter, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate.”   COLUMN: Change and the elections “…Between February and August, the total number of registered ...continue reading

Casper Star-Tribune   EDITORIAL: Dems should choose Rothfuss   University of Wyoming instructor Chris Rothfuss may be a political newcomer, but he's our clear choice to win his first election. His opponent is Torrington house and sign painter Al Hamburg, a perennial candidate whose presence on the ballot is difficult to take seriously, even though his main issue, what he calls "the stupid, wasteful war in Iraq," is a vital one. But Rothfuss also wants to safely withdraw our troops. Rothfuss, who has a doctorate in chemical engineering, brings a lot to the table. He says he wants to bring a scientist's perspective to the energy issue. He has called for a balanced, long-term energy policy that includes coal, oil, natural gas, wind, solar, geothermal and nuclear power. Rothfuss wants to double the domestic coal production -- which would obviously benefit Wyoming -- and liquefy that additional amount, to reduce our dependence on ...continue reading

USA Today   Military donations favor Obama “U.S. soldiers have donated more presidential campaign money to Democrat Barack Obama than to Republican John McCain, a reversal of previous campaigns in which military donations tended to favor GOP White House hopefuls, a nonpartisan group reported Thursday.  Troops serving abroad have given nearly six times as much money to Obama's presidential campaign as they have to McCain's, the Center for Responsive Politics said.  The results also are striking because they favored Obama, who never has served in the military. McCain meanwhile, is a decorated war veteran who spent nearly five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. The Arizona senator graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and had a 22-year career as a naval aviator Obama has opposed the war in Iraq and says he would withdraw combat troops within 16 months. McCain has been a steadfast supporter of the war, saying he would withdraw the troops ...continue reading

Casper Star-Tribune   Wyo drivers drive less, highway tax revenue holds steady “Many Wyoming drivers are heading in the same direction as those elsewhere in the nation by not going anywhere….”   BLM sets grouse protection zone “The greater sage grouse will receive special protection from oil and gas development on about a million acres in the Powder River Basin under an interim management plan announced Wednesday by the Bureau of Land Management….”   Injecting new life into old wells “In a sandy meadow just south of Riverton, Devon Energy Corp. is finishing construction on a $100 million carbon dioxide pipeline and injection facility, which company officials say will revive an aging oil field and help the environment at the same time….”   Forest Service mulls roadless ruling “The U.S. Forest Service said Wednesday ...continue reading

Casper Star-Tribune   Candidates focus on alternative energy “Alternative sources of energy and conservation efforts will play a large role in reducing fuel prices and fixing the current energy crisis, two Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate said in separate interviews.  One of candidate Nick Carter's major campaign issues is creating a comprehensive energy plan that would set a goal of becoming independent from the Middle East for energy in 15 to 20 years….Goodenough's solutions include not using military force as a first option, working toward a balanced budget and reducing the demand for oil in the United States.  Neither of the candidates see drilling in the Wyoming Range, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, or other "pristine places" as a viable option in the near future…. ”   *** Estimates of heating costs this coming winter “The Wyoming Public Service Commission says natural gas ...continue reading

Obama supporters to get VP announcement via text Be the first to know!  Sign up to receive an e-mail or a text message the moment he announces his decision. You can text VP to 62262 to receive a text message on your mobile phone. Or go to the link above and sign up to receive an e-mail alert.   Casper Star-Tribune   EDITORIAL: House hopefuls: Focus on vision for Wyoming by the Star-Tribune Editorial Board “Wyoming's Republican U.S. House primary is in danger of deteriorating into a "he said, she said" debate about candidates' records. With only a week to go before the Aug. 19 election, we urge both Mark Gordon and Cynthia Lummis to refocus their efforts on how they each plan to serve Wyoming if they win their party's nomination and the general election….But we'd like to remind both candidates that it's their party's nomination they're seeking, and Republicans already have their work ...continue reading

Casper Star-Tribune   Sweetwater commissioner dies Sweetwater County Commissioner Joe Oldfield died Thursday after a sudden illness.  County spokesman Garry McLean said Oldfield died at 2:30 p.m. McLean said at this time they did not know the cause of death other than noting the sudden illness.  Oldfield served as a commissioner for five years and seven months.  The county commission has three members.   Columnist A popular job -- in most counties One of the three Democratic candidates is Dale Groutage of Lander. Groutage, you may recall, was a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2006, but lost the general election to the late Republican U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas.  The other Democratic candidates are Daniel Cardenas of St. Stephens and Ernie Over of Pavilion. Over is a former newspaper editor and broadcaster.   Gordon, Lummis probe past records Republican U.S. ...continue reading

***ACTION ALERT*** It is August Break, so US Senators Enzi and Barrasso will be all over the news.  Our candidates need to be all over the streets knocking doors to combat the excessive press.  I would urge you to volunteer to walk with your candidates every day.  Never let them knock doors alone.  Cultivate and assign volunteers to go with our candidates EVERY day.  Consistent support, moral and otherwise, on the campaign trail will equal victory in November!   For August 8, 2008   Casper Star-Tribune   Enzi stresses energy, health care in Casper visit  “Energy, health care and education are the three areas U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., would concentrate on if elected to another term in November.”   *** Wyoming is growing younger And young people are our voters! ...continue reading

We begin this day with very sad news about the untimely death of our dear friend Joe Oldfield, Sweetwater County Commissioner.  As you know, Joe had a zest for life following the “work hard, play hard” adage.  He was an avid skier, an educator who served with distinction and his passion public service improved the lives of everyone he touched.  He prepared young people to meet the world’s challenges, he made certain that the aged live comfortable and secure lives, and he addressed all the challenges life laid before him and his family with grace and grit.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and the citizens of Sweetwater County.    Details about Joe’s funeral will be forthcoming and I will keep you informed. ...continue reading

WyoFile.com   'Purple' States Get VIP Seats At DNC 30,000 seats at Obama's acceptance speech at the DNC are for Coloradans, and 30,000 are open to other critical battleground state residents.  E -mail:  commcredentials@demconvention.com   or call:  (720) 362-2500 to apply for tickets.     Casper Star-Tribune   Newcomer challenges incumbent on property taxes “Political newcomer Al Snell is challenging longtime state senator John Schiffer in the Republican primary for District 22 on the issue of rising property taxes.  Snell favors a property value assessment system based on the most recent purchase price.  Schiffer calls that the "California" system of assessing property values, and maintains that he and other legislators have provided relief for elder and lower-income homeowners in recent years.  The relief includes a ...continue reading

I am still trying to identify people to sign Letters-to-the-Editor as we enter the general election.  Two people have responded thus far, but we need many more from every county to step forward.  Can I count on your help to volunteer or identify volunteers?   The news is filled with coverage on Monday’s Primary Debate, Wyoming schools’ poor showing on the No Child Left Behind test, conservation, health and energy issues.    As you read these articles and go through your day think about the top issues on people’s minds:  ·          job and financial security now through retirement,   ·          access to affordable health care, ·          a sound education for our children, and · ...continue reading

To apply for tickets: Call:  (720) 362-2500 or E-mail:  commcredentials@demconvention.com and write WYOMING in Subject line.   L eave the following information: Name Telephone number (including area code) E-mail address State where you reside How you plan to get to Denver If and where you plan to stay during the Convention http://www.demconvention.com/invesco ...continue reading

Casper Star-Tribune   Feds set wind farm public meetings The Bureau of Land Management's Rawlins field office has scheduled four public meetings as part of its analysis of the proposed Chokecherry and Sierra Madre wind energy project in Carbon County.   Group agrees on combo enrollment process A group of Natrona County teachers, principals and administrative staff members will recommend a combination of centralized and decentralized enrollment processes for the district.   City may approve program for transportation improvements The city council may approve a Transportation Improvement Program for 2009 through 2012 in its meeting tonight. The program outlines future projects for roads, highways, public transportation and pedestrian traffic.  Many of the projects will be funded through local governments, as well as money from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal ...continue reading

Letters to the Editor supporting Republican candidates have been surfacing all across the state.  We need to be prepared to support our candidates in the news and other creative ways as well once the Democratic Primaries are complete.   ACTION ITEM:  I am looking for volunteers, so please get in touch if you are ready and willing to author a LTE in the very near future!       Don’t forget to watch the Debates TONIGHT!  Wyoming Public Television, Wyoming Public Radio and the Wyoming Business Report are cosponsoring the three consecutive debates scheduled to begin Monday evening, August 4, at 7:00 p.m. in the Little Theater on the campus of Central Wyoming Community College in Riverton. The debates will be broadcast live on Wyoming Public Television and Wyoming Public Radio and will be streamed on the Internet via www.WyomingPublicRadio.net .   ACTION ITEM:   Be alert for ...continue reading

  Letters to the Editor supporting Republican candidates have been surfacing all across the state.  We need to be prepared to support our candidates in the news and other creative ways as well once the Democratic Primaries are complete.   ACTION ITEM:  I am looking for volunteers, so please get in touch if you are ready and willing to author a LTE in the very near future!   Don’t forget to watch the Primary Debates MONDAY, August 4th at 7 pm   Wyoming Public Television, Wyoming Public Radio and the Wyoming Business Report are cosponsoring the three consecutive debates scheduled to begin Monday evening, August 4, at 7:00 p.m. in the Little Theater on the campus of Central Wyoming Community College in Riverton. The debates will be broadcast live on Wyoming Public Television and Wyoming Public Radio and will be streamed on the Internet via www.WyomingPublicRadio.net . ...continue reading

Casper Star-Tribune   Editorial:   Divert mineral revenue to help fund highways A legislative proposal to create a new funding source for multi-lane highway construction in Wyoming should win approval.  The Joint Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Interim Committee has decided to sponsor a bill that would earmark a portion of severance tax revenue to widen and expand some of Wyoming's busiest highways.   Letter to the Editor:   Campaign efforts bespeak leadership “I've read a few letters in these pages recently supporting Keith Goodenough and bashing Nick Carter for supposedly not being a "real" Democrat….It is time for the people who have been writing in to get real. Let's stop worrying about who is a real Democrat or a real Republican and focus on who is a real candidate.”   Mental injury bill moves forward Legislation aimed at extending coverage ...continue reading

Casper Star-Tribune   Billionaires bank on Wyo wind Wyoming's future role in wind energy became a lot less speculative this week with the announcement that The Anschutz Corp. plans to take over the TransWest Express Transmission Project.   Pro Lummis LTE:     Candidate shows fiscal responsibility   Pro Obama (response to McCain supporter spin) LTE:     Campaign hardens stubborn viewpoints     Wyoming Public Radio   Enzi And Barrasso Will Keep Stevens Donations WASHINGTON D-C (2008-07-30) Wyoming's two senators, John Barrasso and Mike Enzi, are holding on to campaign cash donated by indicted Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska. Stevens' political action committee has donated $6,000 to Barrasso since he was nominated to the Senate in June 2007 and $10,000 to Enzi since 2001. Both ...continue reading

I f there is anything interesting, controversial or relevant happening that the media is not reporting on, please drop me a note ASAP.  Thank you!     For July 30, 2008   Casper Star-Tribune   Electrical utility seeks rate hike CHEYENNE -- The state's largest electrical utility is asking for permission to boost its rates by about 7 percent, an increase company officials say is needed to cover the cost of Wyoming's growing demand for power.   Council chooses new members A former state legislator and a Casper Star-Tribune community news assistant will be the two new members of the Casper City Council.   Government announces quarterly borrowing WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration gave details Wednesday on how it plans to borrow the billions of dollars it will need to cope with the soaring budget deficits.  Those ...continue reading

For Tuesday, July 29, 2008   Casper Star-Tribune   Two Dems vie to challenge GOP incumbent LARAMIE -- Two candidates who are longtime residents of rural Albany County, and who have been unsuccessful in previous runs for public office, are vying in the Aug. 19 primary election for the Democratic nomination to represent south Laramie and south and west Albany County in the state House.   Council considers candidates to fill seats A radio announcer, Presbyterian pastor and a former state legislator are among seven Casperites vying to fill two vacated Casper City Council positions.     Editorial :  State does right with safety net for vets The Legislature and the governor deserve credit for the effort. As Sen. Mike Massie, D-Laramie, put it: "It didn't make sense to me that the wealthiest state in the country could not jump in ...continue reading

Back in the saddle again! And big news while I was gone: Chris Rothfuss, who has a doctorate in chemical engineering, announced his intention to run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Mike Enzi:   UW instructor launches Senate campaign against Enzi   NOTE: Chris is an “instructor,” but not a “professor,” at UW. This distinction probably doesn’t mean much to most of us, but it’s important to those in the academic world. This will all be moot in eight months, when the appropriate term will become “Senator-elect.”   America's chief health educator will make his first appearance in Wyoming this week, in Riverton, said first lady Nancy Freudenthal:   Acting Surgeon General Steven Galson plans Wyoming visit   Wyoming's justice system is gradually becoming more accessible online. In February, the Wyoming Supreme Court began offering its case schedule to the public on its Web site, said Judy Pacheco, clerk of the ...continue reading

Spring calls, and I listen. As such, I’m taking a road trip over the next five days with my lovely wife to see where the birds go for the winter and to see where the defending National League champion Colorado Rockies go for spring training. Sadly, this means that there will be no more news roundups until next Monday. In the meantime, here’s what’s cookin’ for today.   Starting with John “100 years war” McCain, whose um, “interesting” election strategy is to continue down the Bush Administration’s path of one of this nation’s worst foreign policy debacles (justified by 935 false statements ). Lame-duck Rep. Barbara Cubin hits the campaign trail, begging Republicans to support the GOP nominee-apparent, according to this Associated Press piece:   Cubin urges Republicans to support McCain   I can’t remember if I had this one in yesterday’s news roundup or not. As Gov. Freudenthal puts it, “Be it my old libertarian or populist bones, I ...continue reading

The Gillette News-Record leads off the news roundup today with this excellent piece on a wounded Marine’s struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder as he tries to return to a “normal” life in Gillette:   Slipping through the cracks   The Casper Star-Tribune is examining our state’s workers’ compensation system in a series of stories this week. Here are a few:   Do injured workers get enough? What’s a leg worth?   ‘They turn their backs on us’ (a worker’s story)   Nowhere to turn A smack in the head with a pair of tongs compressed rig worker Richard Johnson's spine.   ‘I’m blackballed’ (a worker’s story)   ‘They starve you out’ (a worker’s story)   Workers’ comp fraud difficult to measure   Evolution of workers’ compensation in Wyoming (timeline)   In other news, Wyoming Conservation Voters Director Jason Marsden writes on ...continue reading

Not too terribly much in the news today. Maybe all the papers are saving their really good stuff for the weekend. Or maybe it’s been a slow news week, after all the excitement of LAST week.   The U.S. Senate has passed an amendment that would encourage – but NOT require – Congress to preserve states' share of oil and gas royalties:   Senate passes amendment to ENCOURAGE preserving Wyo’s share of royalties   Gov. Dave Freudenthal said construction could start as soon as this summer on a coal research plant the University of Wyoming is developing with General Electric:   Gov: Coal plant work could begin in 2008   Declaring that Wyoming residents have a right to defend their homes, Gov. Dave Freudenthal signed a bill Thursday that spells out in statute that citizens may use deadly force on intruders:   Governor signs ‘castle doctrine’ bill   The state of Wyoming took another step Thursday in ...continue reading

After his first tour of duty in Iraq in 2003, local soldier David Julian joined other veterans and servicemen in dedicating a new Fallen Comrade monument in downtown Evanston. Sadly, now his name will be added to the memorial statue:   Evanston soldier dies in Iraq   The Jackson hole News & Guide has this piece on Republican U.S. House hopeful Mark Gordon’s first campaign stop in Jackson Hole on Sunday and Monday:   Gordon stops in valley to campaign for House   The Laramie Boomerang reports that three of Laramie’s state lawmakers attended a luncheon Wednesday to discuss the progress that was made during the biennium budget session that ended last week:   Legislative session less contentious   Gov. Dave Freudenthal signed into law Wednesday a measure that will allow counties to regulate large-acre land developments -- but he said the law may not do enough to protect land buyers:   ...continue reading

As exciting as our county caucuses were last Saturday, unfortunately some people did not get to participate because they were either not registered as Democrats by the Feb. 22 deadline or they arrived at their caucus sites late. We did our best to inform people of these rules, and our friends in the media did an honorable job of helping spread the word. The Casper Star-Tribune chimes in:   Voters have a duty to understand rules   The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in nearly three decades at 2.7 percent, according to figures released Tuesday by the Wyoming Department of Employment, Research and Planning Section. It was the second lowest rate in the nation, trailing only South Dakota at 2.6 percent, and at its lowest point since June 1979 when Wyoming's unemployment rate stood at 2.6 percent:   Wyo jobless rate hits lowest point since ‘79   Wyoming's water is not currently tested for the ...continue reading

Frankly, it takes a great state like Wyoming to command the attention of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The Comedy Central news parody program offers this report on our caucuses and an accompanying analysis piece by Samantha Bee, complete with cute Cowboy State graphics and other jokes. Warning: Enjoying these videos will require a healthy sense of self-depreciating humor at times, but it’s still a lot of fun:   Wyoming 2008   Wyoming analysis   Now on to the real news, like this Casper Star-Tribune wrap-up of the “stunning turnout” at our presidential preference caucuses. “This was the biggest thing Wyoming has seen for years,” said Natrona County Clerk Renea Vitto, a Republican. “That’s all people are talking about.”:   Dems bask in caucus glow   The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reports that our state shouldn’t feel bad that the presidential campaigns have left us in their rearview mirrors while they move on to ...continue reading

The moment we’ve all been waiting for! And Wyoming Democrats turned out IN FORCE. We had more than 8,700 people participate in our county caucuses on Saturday, for a record 15 percent turnout of registered Democrats. By comparison, in the last presidential race four years ago, 675 people voted across the state for a turnout of just over 1 percent. Oh, and Sen. Obama won the day. Here’s the Associated Press story that appeared in most of the nation’s papers:   Obama defeats Clinton in Wyoming caucuses   Here are some on-site caucus reports from:   Cheyenne: Barack on (Wyoming Tribune-Eagle)   Laramie (two stories): Albany knows who it likes (Laramie Boomerang); Sweet dreams (Casper Star-Tribune)   Jackson: Obama wins Wyoming behind avalanche from Teton County (JH Underground)   Green River: Clinton wins big in Sweetwater County (Casper Star-Tribune)   Sheridan: Local Dems turn out ...continue reading

Too much fantastic news today not to spread the word. Hope you don’t mind if I stick only to the campaign trail, but really, that’s the theme of the day. First off, of course, is that our party’s two magnificent candidates for president spent Friday traveling across the state, talking to Wyoming Democrats and asking for their support in today’s votes:   Obama, Clinton rustle up support in Wyoming (CNN)   Clinton seeks Equality State backing for first woman president (Casper Star-Tribune)   Obama defends his readiness to lead (Casper Star-Tribune)   Clinton: Wyoming has place in ‘clean’ energy future (Casper Star-Tribune)   Obama endorses clean coal (Casper Star-Tribune)   Big crowd greets Obama in Laramie (Casper Star-Tribune)   Hillary cheers Casper crowd (Casper Star-Tribune)   Clinton stops in Cheyenne (Wyoming Tribune-Eagle)   Obama: ‘We’ll ...continue reading

Yes, folks, the whole world really is watching. I know this, because today, I fielded calls from Japan’s largest daily newspaper, a French national news service, and a gentleman who identifies himself as a “Spanish correspondent,” whose native language was certainly not English. Every 24-hour news channel, all major television and radio networks, and several of the nation’s most respected newspapers have all been in touch in the past couple of days, along with, of course, the wonderful Wyoming media. This level of activity on the Communications Desk has had the effect of delaying your daily news roundup to this ridiculous hour, so with apologies in tow and with no further adieu, here you go …   ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL   Guess who’s coming to town!   Clinton, Obama to visit   Clintons, Obama to visit Wyoming   The Equality State is suddenly ground zero in the hottest race for the Democratic Party presidential ...continue reading

Seriously, I never imagined when I took this job that we would see the day when the two front-runners for the Democratic presidential nomination would hold events in Wyoming on the eve of our county caucuses. Not to mention the fact that one of them will almost certainly be president a year from now. And as an added bonus, the greatest president of the 21 st Century (so far) would be touring the state to join in the fun. Breaking today from the Casper Star-Tribune:   Hillary Clinton to visit Casper   Barack Obama sets Casper, Laramie visits   Campaign sets Wyo schedule for Bill Clinton   This is what it’s all about! Although I’ve got to admit, it’s been all I can do to keep up with the volume of phone calls today from nearly every national media outlet you can think of, and of course our brave reporters in this state and region. For the most part, they’re all interested in covering our county caucuses/conventions this ...continue reading

Clearly, today is an important day in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, with primaries in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont. CNN.com has this piece:   Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont hold contests Tuesday   Casper Star-Tribune State Editor Chad Baldwin reports that what happens today in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont could determine how much national attention our county caucuses/conventions on Saturday will command, according to observers:   Wyo Dems watch votes today   The Jackson paper reports that Democrat Jim Roscoe, a Teton and Sublette county contractor, plans to run for the House District 22 seat now held by Republican Monte Olsen:   Roscoe eyes state House bid     FROM THE LEGISLATURE   Carbon sequestration bill heads to governor (Gillette News-Record)   Gov. Freudenthal signs dogfighting bill (Wyoming ...continue reading

Let me be the first to tell you – since none of Wyoming’s print media seemed too keen on reporting – that Saturday night’s Nellie Tayloe Ross banquet will go down as one of the most successful Wyoming Democratic Party functions in recent history, if not longer, by several measures. Attendance at the dinner topped 200 people. My good friend Jason Marsden (director of Wyoming Conservation Voters) told me he has been going to the state party’s dinners since he was a teenager, and Saturday’s NTR banquet marked the most people he has ever seen at such an event.   Our magnificent lineup of speakers included the youngest woman in Congress, the first female lieutenant governor in New Mexico history, the governors of Iowa and Wyoming, our state’s brilliant first lady (Remember: “Jobs, health care, education and Wyoming’s unique quality of life!”), and hopeful future Democratic members of Congress.   We honored former Wyoming Department of Employment ...continue reading

Happy Leap Day! Since this is, after all, a bonus day (there’s only supposed to be 365 days in a year, right?), I’ll start off with a fairly important story I missed yesterday, because the Casper Star-Tribune placed it on its “city” page.     ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL   Democrat Keith Goodenough, a Casper City Council member and former state legislator, is seeking his party's nomination to run against Republican U.S. Sen. John Barrasso in the November general election:   Goodenough bids for U.S. Senate   Meanwhile, the race for the presidential nomination continues to make headlines in Wyoming (while Gov. Freudenthal expresses fondness for his friends but not for any specific presidential candidate over another):   Dem hopefuls step up efforts   The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reports that “It's been many years since we've seen a Wyoming Democratic caucus that was this exciting:”   ...continue reading

First up today: Another WyoFile.com article on voter registration shows that we’re up more than 2,000 voters since Jan. 10. Viva Wyoming’s Democratic county caucuses and conventions!   Dems, Libs gain voters; GOP drops     FROM THE LEGISLATURE …   Subdivisions bill survives first House vote (Casper Star-Tribune)   Panel backs gun confiscation bill (Casper Star-Tribune)   Slimmed-down library endowment bill advances (Casper Star-Tribune)   Panel backs stiffer DUI penalties (Casper Star-Tribune)   Parties debate need for bill that cuts services to illegal immigrants (Casper Star-Tribune)   ‘Castle doctrine’ bill heads to Senate (Wyoming Public Radio)   Senate works on campaign finance bill (Wyoming Public Radio)   Carbon storage bill stays afloat (Wyoming Public Radio)     IN OTHER NEWS …   ...continue reading

FROM THE LEGISLATURE …   State senators working on CO2 storage bill (Wyoming Public Radio)   Supporters expect heavier opposition to business fraud bill (Casper Star-Tribune) The bill comes up Thursday before the House Corporations Committee.   Bill targets gang activity (Casper Star-Tribune)   Juvenile justice bill heads to Wyoming House (Wyoming Public Radio)   Dogfighting bill clears Senate panel (Casper Star-Tribune)   Legislative briefs (Casper Star-Tribune) Issues include driver’s license fee increases and veteran tax exemptions   Bill to recruit doctors passes House (Torrington Telegram)   Lawmakers scrutinize Douglas school expansion (Douglas Budget)   IN OTHER NEWS …   Wyoming Public Radio reports that the coal industry is doing some public relations work in reaction to the industry’s coming under fire because of climate ...continue reading

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL …   WyoFile.com has this look at the Clinton campaign’s announcement earlier today that it will have grand openings Wednesday at campaign offices in Wyoming’s two largest cities:   Clinton to open Cheyenne, Casper campaign offices     FROM THE LEGISLATURE …   Just the mention of new regulations on private property can cause a stir in the Wyoming Legislature:   Land reg bill advances   A health care reform bill moving through the Legislature was created without the help of a state board charged with addressing the cost, quality and accessibility of health care for Wyoming citizens:   Group questions health care bill   The House passed a bill Monday that would prohibit illegal immigrants in Wyoming from receiving state services such as welfare, public housing and organ-transplant assistance:   House OKs limits on services for ...continue reading

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL   Leading off today is this Associated Press report on the Clinton campaign’s arrival in Wyoming:   Clinton to open two campaign offices in Wyoming   (Corrected link!)   Wyoming Public Radio, meanwhile, reports on Obama staffers’ caucus training in Laramie:   Obama campaign explains caucus process to young Dems   Beyond that, and because I just can’t tear myself away from my journalistic roots, I am pleased to offer my own report on some encouraging voter registration figures. I got this information from the Secretary of State’s Office on Jan. 10, and I collected updated figures Friday afternoon, Feb. 22, about an hour before the official deadline to register to participate in our March 8 county caucuses/conventions. In that Jan. 10 to Feb. 22 time span:   Democratic registrations are up 1,711 voters. Republican registrations are up 12 voters. Libertarian ...continue reading

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL   What a wild, wild, wild, wild week! This morning, I strolled down to the Laramie County Clerk’s Office with Brodie Farquhar, managing editor of WyoFile.com , who is researching a story on new voter registrations. Just because (*wink*). Laramie County Clerk Debbye Lathrop counted all of the new Democratic Party registrations FROM THIS MORNING ALONE, and we were approaching 80, and that’s just in under three hours. The numbers are astonishing really. About 400 in Albany County this week. Another 368 in Natrona County. Between 250 and 300 in Teton County. When you consider that these are all the NEW people, to say nothing of those who were already registered as Democrats from the last election, you can begin to get a picture of what kind of turnout we could see at our March 8 county caucuses/conventions. For more, here’s Brodie’s story:   County clerks report new registration activity     FROM THE ...continue reading

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL:   The Casper Star-Tribune has this front-page story package on our county caucuses/conventions:   ‘Once in a lifetime:’ Wyo Dems could make a difference   Some superdelegates wait to commit   The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle also has a piece on our March 8 statewide spectacular:   Hordes of Democrats expected at caucus   The Buffalo Bulletin – yes folks, the Buffalo Bulletin is online now! – has a piece on an upcoming event for a presidential campaign and some details on our March 8 caucuses/conventions:   Obama rep coming to Buffalo today   And the Jackson Hole News & Guide has this preview of a campaign event in that area:   Obama supports to rally in Teton village     FROM THE LEGISLATURE:   Self-defense bill stripped of amendments (Wyoming Public Radio)   Lawmakers debate ...continue reading

I’m terribly sorry about getting this out so late today, but every day keeps getting busier than the last as we approach our county caucuses. And really, it’s another feather in my hat every time some random guy calls me up and asks me what he needs to do to change his registration from Republican to Democrat, because he registered as a Republican last year to vote against Barbara Cubin in the primary, but now he wants to vote in the March 8 caucus (true story). If someone had told me when I took this job that my biggest problem would be that TOO MANY people would be eager to get involved with Democratic Party politics in Wyoming, I would have jumped for joy. In fact, I’d do that right now if I didn’t have to get you all a news summary, so let’s get to it.   (By the way, don’t miss the total lunar eclipse tonight . I heard kick-off time is 6:43 p.m. … so hurry!)   ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL:   The Gillette News-Record has this report on an Obama ...continue reading

FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL:   This piece reminds everyone that “robocalls” are prohibited in Wyoming, and it looks at their recent history while mentioning that the Obama campaign also announced some legislative endorsements yesterday:   State gets Obama calls complaint   This Jackson Hole News & Guide reports on a local phenomenon that is actually taking place in many counties across Wyoming – Democratic county parties are securing larger sites for the March 8 county caucuses/conventions, in light of the record turnout Democratic caucuses and primaries have seen all over the country in this wild campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination:   Teton County Democrats choose bigger convention site   Shifting gears a bit, the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle has this piece on a former state legislators looking to return to the State Capitol Building:   Pederson announces state House bid   ...continue reading

The Los Angeles Times leads us off today with a story on superdelegates that features, among others, the Wyoming Democratic Party chairman. The item sent in by alert reader John from Cheyenne:   Who are these Democratic superdelegates?   The state party has been able to piggy-back on some of the coverage of the presidential race to broadcast our very important Feb. 22 deadline for people to register as Democrats to participate in the March 8 county caucuses. Here is a piece from the Laramie Boomerang:   Democrats open local Obama office   From what I understand, the Clinton campaign will be bringing some people to Wyoming as well. I’ll send you anything I find on that.   And one more purely political story, from the Cody Enterprise, which reports that Mike Enzi still isn’t ready to tell us if he’s running for re-election:   Enzi mum about third term     FROM THE LEGISLATURE: ...continue reading

FIRST UP, PRESIDENTIAL SELECTION:   The Jackson Hole News & Guide examines the role of the Wyoming Democratic Party’s national committeeman, who will be a superdelegate to our national convention and thus could single-handedly determine the fate of the free world (and I’m only mostly kidding about that):   Rep. Jorgensen part of super group   And tip-of-the-hat to Park County Chair Margaret Whited, who forwarded me this recent story from the Powell Tribune on our March 8 caucuses:   County Democratic caucus coming up     FROM THE LEGISLATURE:   Big news breaking this morning from the Cheyenne paper:   Committee kills governor’s property tax relief proposal for seniors   Wyoming Public Radio has a piece on the complicated world of natural gas taxation:   Natural gas tax structure considered   Some Wyoming legislators want to ...continue reading

I’d like to kick off today’s news roundup with a look at a couple new online media offerings. The first one is called WyoFile, which can be found at www.wyofile.com . A self-described “non-profit, public service journalism enterprise, focused on politics and public policy issues in Wyoming, for Wyoming citizens and news media,” WyoFile employs a handful of insightful columnists and offers some different viewpoints than we usually find in the traditional media. For today, I’ll just refer you to the WyoFile main page , and starting tomorrow I’ll add WyoFile to the list of sources I scan to compile the news roundup.   The other one is a Casper Star-Tribune legislative blog written by Jared Miller , the fine reporter who now has my former job covering politics and state government for the Casper daily. If you, like me, appreciate stories that are sometimes a little off the beaten path and written in a more conversational tone than what you will find in the ...continue reading

Two Wyoming newspapers fully cover the Legislature: the Casper Star-Tribune and the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. Unfortunately, the Tribune-Eagle posts three stories  a day on its Website, and they’re not always fit for this politics-and-policy news roundup. And worse, today the Casper Star-Tribune’s legislative Website has only one new story posted this morning, and the defeat of the proposed community college tax:   House rejects tax increases   I talked to the Star-Tribune’s editor this morning about this, and he said he will try to get it fixed. So if you’re really hungry for legislative news, and you don’t have a hard copy of the Casper or Cheyenne papers, it might be worth checking back with the Star-Tribune’s legislative Website later today.   So what do we do? Wyoming Public Radio to the rescue! Here are the legislative stories posted by News Director Bob Beck’s crew:   Property tax relief bills killed, then ...continue reading

Good luck finding the Casper Star-Tribune’s legislative Website . I had to use the link I sent you yesterday (also highlighted in the previous sentence), because the legislative page is not otherwise displayed or advertised on the paper’s main news pages. Still, the news roundup today will begin with a healthy dose of legislative coverage from the Casper paper and elsewhere; other politics and policy news will follow.   First up, a story on bill introductions (the main item of business conducted on Day One). The two highest-profile bills are strongly supported by the governor. One would give the state Department of Environmental Quality authority over carbon injection and sequestration, and the other would give surface owners rights to any subsurface space that could be used for carbon injection:   Carbon bills win introduction   This Wyoming Public Radio piece mentions a few bills that failed introductory votes:   ...continue reading

Welcome to Day One of the 2008 Wyoming Legislature! Either late today or early tomorrow, I hope to post a blog entry on the state party Website with a more in-depth look at the Legislature. I’ll let you know when that’s up. For now, first up is this Associated Press article on Gov. Freudenthal’s State of the State Address to legislators this morning:   Freudenthal emphasizes strength of state’s position   The Casper Star-Tribune has created a Web page devoted to legislative coverage. For time’s sake, I won’t list all of the stories on it today, but they have several articles from their Sunday legislative preview on that site for your perusal. Here’s the link to their legislative news page:   Wyoming State Legislature 2008   The paper also offers this editorial advice for state lawmakers:   Some helpful dos and don’ts for our legislature   In addition, here is a story on health care bills ...continue reading

First up, for those of you who haven’t seen it, here is a press release I sent out this morning on our county caucuses:   Democrats release info on March 8 county caucuses   Here’s a look at the usefulness Wyoming’s Republicans got out of their caucus, in which no one voted for McCain, their apparent eventual nominee, and the people they did vote for – Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter – are all now out of the race:   Wyo GOP’s favorite, Romney, bows out   By the way, the Casper Star-Tribune today also ran a short piece called “Wyo Dems expect attention” on page A5, in which a reporter interviewed yours truly, but for some reason they didn’t bother to make that story available online (just as they did with their Jan. 4 story on our organizing efforts). Check it out if you come across a copy of today’s Casper Star.   Not to be confused with the presidential preference caucus, our Democratic ...continue reading

Props to Democrats in Sheridan, Albany, Laramie and Teton counties for holding public events on Super Tuesday, and to anyone else who watched the returns that night with fellow Democrats. The Sheridan Press did a nice front-page write-up of the event in my hometown, sent in by alert county party Secretary Liz Howell, which I will use to lead off the news roundup:   Sheridan County Dems hold Super Tuesday event   These kinds of events help us stay energized. Front-page write-ups in the local paper send the message to everyone in the area that local Democrats are active and excited, and they help us to recruit activists – both Democrats who see that the party is vibrant and independents who are finding out where the real action is.   Now on to other news. The Gillette News-Record examines fuel tax proposals state lawmakers will address in the upcoming budget session, which begins next week:   Gillette legislators differ on fuel ...continue reading

How about those elections yesterday! Most observers believe that neither Clinton nor Obama gained an upper hand. If this race stays close, or gets even closer over the rest of the month as one analyst says it will , the Wyoming Democratic caucuses on March 8 could attract more national attention than we could have realistically imagined just a couple months ago. Stay tuned.   Now on to other news. A federal plan to keep a bigger share of federal mineral royalties is designed to recoup costs for paperwork and manpower required for collection and distribution of the money, a federal Minerals Management Service spokesman says. Gov. Dave Freudenthal, meanwhile, says the change is “an absolute crime”:   Governor again slams royalty cut   Another story on the FMR split:   Bush plan cuts split for states   The Gillette News-Record has this follow-up piece on a recent visit to California by several state leaders, ...continue reading

Honestly, I’m giddy today to see what happens with all the primaries nationwide. I’ll start today with the following excellent analysis piece for those of you who (like me) really enjoy tracking the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. I can justify this by noting that there is a reference to our state, which, while technically “tiny,” more importantly, may “actually matter” in this exciting election year:   Is Obama’s mo’ enough?   Wouldn’t it be ironic if Wyoming Democrats were to attract more national attention by playing by the rules and holding our convention in March than our GOP counterparts received by breaking their national party rules and sacrificing half their delegates just to get attention?   Speaking of our friends across the proverbial aisle, Wyoming Public Radio reports on the GOP delegates who backed Fred Thompson or Duncan Hunter, both of whom have dropped out of the race:   Wyoming Republican ...continue reading

Campbell County Democratic State Committeeman Nick Carter, a Gillette attorney, talks to the Casper Star-Tribune about his exploration of running a U.S. Senate campaign for the seat now held by John Barrasso. Meanwhile, former Wyoming House Speaker Randall Luthi ducks out of the U.S. House race:   Democrat ponders Senate race   Gary Trauner has more than $350,000 on hand to run for Wyoming’s open U.S. House seat, while most of the Republicans in the race have just begun to ramp up their fundraising. Most of his donations came from individuals. This news, along with the recent poll showing him ahead of the Republican front-runner, demonstrates that his message is connecting with people, who just might be ready to elect someone who will think for himself and represent all of us instead of always doing the bidding of special interests:   Trauner gets head start   Here’s the Jackson paper’s story on Trauner:   ...continue reading

We’re leading off with a national political story today, but only because it mentions Wyoming in the very best sentence of the article, which I’ll repeat here in case you’re too busy to read the whole thing: “As if it could get any worse (for the Republican Party), a recent poll showed Democrat Gary Trauner, a second-time candidate, leading a Republican who had been elected to statewide office by one point in normally ruby-red Wyoming .” More here:   House Republicans face late exodus   U.S. Senators moved forward Thursday with two bills promoting the capture and storage of carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired plants, but sharply questioned the administration's commitment to developing such technologies:   Senators press carbon projects   Some legislators want to make sure authorities won’t try to confiscate our weaponry in the event of a disaster:   Bill targets seizure of guns   Two ...continue reading

The Hill newspaper in Washington, D.C., reports that Sen. Mike Enzi’s low fundraising numbers and the Senate GOP leadership’s repeated snubs of his bid for a coveted seat on the powerful Finance Committee have fueled speculation that the senator may leave Congress, although some Republicans say he is raising just enough money to run a race:   Enzi keeps GOP guessing about November   Another day, another Republican running for U.S. House. This one’s name is Mark Gordon:   Buffalo rancher bids for house   The Laramie Boomerang makes a foray into covering presidential politics by sending a reporter to Denver to cover Barack Obama’s rally there:   Obama: Hope, unity and change   Gov. Freudenthal opposes a plan sponsored by the Joint Education Committee to impose a statewide property tax to fund community colleges, saying rising home values are already making property taxes quite difficult for ...continue reading

Our “ representative ” in the U.S. House made a rare appearance at work yesterday to cast a vote, this one against the bipartisan plan to rescue the nation’s economy. Why? Because it helps poor people too much . Gosh, we’re lucky to have her for the whole rest of the year. (It’s the third story in this string of briefs):   Cubin votes against stimulus package   Here’s a look at the legislative proposal to make it a felony to harbor or transport illegal immigrants, with reports from a couple other states, including Oklahoma, where critics say a similar law has terrorized Hispanics there and driven thousands of people -- documented and undocumented workers alike -- from the state:   Bill backers say Wyoming could become haven   The Casper Star-Tribune’s poll du jour shows that 76 percent of Wyomingites think severe cases of animal cruelty, including dogfighting, should be classified as felonies:   Poll: ...continue reading

Gov. Freudenthal leads us off today with his op/ed piece on property tax relief for seniors. He takes issue with the Joint Revenue Committee’s refusal to consider helping out elderly people whose property taxes have in some cases doubled this decade, while the panel also refused to subject helium to the same taxes as other minerals.   “The net effect of those two decisions: Exxon avoids an estimated $3 million a year in taxes, and folks over 65 receive no meaningful property tax relief as a result of the committee's decision to punt on both of the bills,” the governor writes. “I am taken aback by the irony inherent in the committee's decision. … A break for Exxon and no real break for Wyoming's seniors leaves me wondering whether the members of the Revenue Committee shouldn't take another look at their action - or inaction.”   Here is the full piece:   $3 million for Exxon, but what relief for Grandma?   The Casper paper ...continue reading

The weekend's big news, of course, was a new Casper Star-Tribune poll which says that, in a head-to-head matchup, Gary Trauner would get 41 percent of the vote, while GOP front-runner Cynthia Lummis gets 40 percent. This is big news, because there has been a false perception out there that a generic Republican would fare better against Trauner than the unpopular Barbara Cubin did. Now we know that Trauner does better against the current Republican front-runner! Or at least statistically tied. Either way, this is surprising news to some, and it should dispel the outlandish fantasy some partisan Republicans had about winning this race solely due to party affiliation. Here is the link:   Trauner leads Lummis 41 to 40 percent in latest poll   Really though, the Casper Star confuses me. First of all, I understand that they polled Trauner against at least a couple other candidates – and he polled better against them than against Lummis – but that part was ...continue reading

Don’t miss Sunday’s Casper Star-Tribune. That’s all I’ll say. As for today’s news …   Our senior U.S. senator gets passed over for a coveted finance committee seat by a guy who has NO CHANCE of winning reelection . As his spokesman put it, “Sen. Enzi is angry”:   Enzi doesn’t get finance seat   More on the new proposed federal wolf management rule:   Feds loosen wolf rules   Groups object to wolf rule   Who says they never get anything done in Washington? After 136 years, it looks like they’re on the verge of amending the 1872 hardrock mining law:   Too much?   Ranchers operating around the Bighorn National Forest say ongoing drought, tougher environmental oversight, disputed monitoring techniques and growing legal challenges are making it increasingly difficult to effectively use their federal grazing allotments:   Ranchers say they’re being ...continue reading

Breaking this morning from the Associated Press, details about the new proposed federal wolf management rule:   States offered more latitude to kill wolves   The Green River Star tells us how Rock Springs and Green River work to cope with massive growth:   Cities deal with growing pains   The Jackson paper reports that the real estate business is thriving in Teton County:   Real estate tops $1.5 billion   Converse County is moving from a three-member county commission to a five-member board:   ’08 election to increase number on county commission   The Gillette News-Record tells us that, while coalbed methane production is still rising, indicators are that it may level off or decline soon:   Methane production up   Two Casper Star-Tribune pieces on the impacts – or lack of – of the national economic situation on us here in Wyoming: ...continue reading

Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day (or “Equality Day” in Wyoming), and here’s an AP piece on the annual march in Cheyenne:   ‘A dream deferred’   Gov. Dave Freudenthal has recommended to the JAC that Wyoming spend the first round of money it stands to receive from the federal Abandoned Mine Lands program on research into clean coal technology and to build a road to a planned coal plant in Carbon County:   Gov presents AML proposal   In case there was still anyone out there who thought this administration gave the slightest hoot about the environment, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reports otherwise:   Opposition reacts to losing forest planners   The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reports that a state economist says that new employment figures suggest that a major downturn in Wyoming's economy remains unlikely even as investors nationwide remain nervous about the possibility of a recession: ...continue reading

Just a heads up – I will be on vacation tomorrow through Monday, so I don’t anticipate writing any news reports during that time. I put in a requisition for an assistant about two-and-a-half years ago (the day I started this job), so I’m hopeful that any minute now, we can ramp this up to a full-time, round-the-clock service. Meanwhile …   Unexpected news from the Associated Press: Rep. Barbara Cubin has returned to work after just about only four months off. In that time, she has taken in over $50,000 in salary, and Wyoming has had no voice in the people’s house:   Cubin casts first vote since October   However, the Washington Post’s “congressional votes” database keeps records for the two-year term of each congress, rather than the calendar year, securing Cubin’s notoriety as the living member of the 110 th Congress with the worst voting record for some time to come:   Congress votes database – vote missers   ...continue reading

Wyoming's average daily spot price of $7.13 per thousand cubic feet at the Cheyenne Hub on Monday was just $1 behind the Henry Hub in Louisiana, which the industry uses as a market barometer. A dramatic comparison could be made by listing low points of the daily spot price of below $1 per thousand cubic feet for Wyoming gas -- even as low as 10 cents -- recorded on some days in 2007, which represented a deficit of $5 and more behind the national average at the time:   Natural gas prices recover   Rockies Express Pipeline represents a lifeline for Wyoming's natural gas industry, which provides about one-third of state government revenue:   Big pipeline gives Wyo a boost   In federal and state courtrooms across the country, environmental groups are putting coal-fueled power plants on trial in a bid to slow the industry's biggest construction boom in decades. At least four dozen coal plants, including two in Wyoming, are being ...continue reading

Twenty stories from today and the weekend! Although at least half are from the Casper paper. Beginning with …   Gov. Freudenthal hosted the "Building the Wyoming We Want conference, but he wants the participants to take the lead in planning for the state's future:   Governor seeks bottom-up growth debate   Wyoming Public radio has these two reports on the conference:   Zoning gets attention at governor’s conference on growth   State geologist warns of greater energy demand   And these two come from the Gillette News-Record:   Think regionally of strategies on impacts   Gillette used as an example of how to do things right   Barbara Cubin apparently doesn’t see any reason to let five hundred thousand people know whether they get representation in Congress this year:   Cubin stays mum on her status   The Casper ...continue reading

Nearly 500 decision-makers, stakeholders and other interested people gathered in Casper yesterday for Gov. Freudenthal’s “Building the Wyoming We Want” conference, intended to examine the challenges and opportunities Wyoming faces in this current era of relatively fast growth. The conference concluded this morning at Casper College. The Casper Star-Tribune offered these reports:   Wyoming charts growth   Development conference addresses resource issues   The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle has this take:   Governor to create structure for furthering conversation about growth   I did not see this coming: Mike Enzi is claiming credit for part of Hillary Clinton’s health care plan :   Enzi likes health care focus   Yet he is not yet ready to outright endorse her for president:   Senators wait on presidential picks   The Tribune-Eagle tells us some senators are ...continue reading

Lotsa news today! To begin, Gov. Freudenthal wants to generate ideas to answer this question: “ How do we continue to enjoy a thriving economy and still keep in mind the kind of Wyoming we want our children and grandchildren to enjoy?” To suggest some answers, the governor’s office is sponsoring the “Building the Wyoming We Want” conference today and Friday at Casper College's Gertrude Krampert Theatre. Topics will include roads, subdivisions, development patterns, open spaces and wildlife, water, sewers and septic systems, and the increasing costs for local governments:   Conference charts growth   ‘Building the Wyoming We Want’ agenda   Meanwhile, the governor is among three undecideds in this Associated Press story on where your five Wyoming Democratic Party superdelegates stand on the 2008 presidential race (the other two back Obama):   ‘It’s too early’   The Jackson Hole paper reports that action is ...continue reading

First up is this exciting news from Rep. George Bagby, D-Rawlins, who reports that James Elliott Jr., a Democrat from Saratoga, has been selected as the newest Carbon County commissioner . Congratulations to Commissioner Elliott, and thanks to Rep. Bagby!   Next, we have this piece from the Jackson Hole News & Guide, which demonstrated to all the people of Teton County just how out of touch their local Republican leaders are (I’ve included the entire piece below, because it’s just two sentences):   GOP goals   Abolish the federal income and estate taxes, deport illegal immigrants who are stopped by police, dissolve the Teton County Housing Authority, and begin planning for another bridge over the Snake River to the west bank. Teton County Republicans voted for these and other positions Saturday as they set their platform for the upcoming election cycle.   The Casper Star-Tribune reports that, by generally finding the ...continue reading

Honestly, I don’t know all the ins and outs of the GOP caucuses, but some people are clearly displeased with the way it went down:   Some question Romney ‘victory’   Power to the people – that is, only in situations that can be described as “ The people vs. {defendant’s name here} ”:   Bill: Give prosecutors more power   The Wyoming Water Development Commission plans to take public comments Wednesday in Casper on possible sites for a dam on the Upper Green River:   Upper Green Dam gets another look   National Public Radio reports that the governor is pleased with the changes the BLM has made to its development plans for the Pinedale Anticline:   Freudenthal happy with BLM’s Pinedale plan   Public Radio also has a look at the federal law that allows Wyoming residents to deduct the money they spend on sales tax:   Wyoming worries about sales tax break ...continue reading

The state GOP’s presidential caucuses took place on Saturday, and the main issue seems to be whether the Republicans’ controversial decision to break their own national party’s rules and sacrifice half their delegates to their national convention was worth it. By and large, most media outlets answered that question with a resounding “no.” The Casper Star-Tribune notes that our state got virtually no national attention for its early caucus, and no candidates bothered to come here and woo the Wyoming delegates (well, not at least since superstar Duncan Hunter stopped by the first week of December):   Is anyone watching?   The Gillette News-Record, however, apparently got this headline straight from Republican Party headquarters (which I find odd, because as a former journalist, I’ve long considered the News-Record to be among the top-quality papers in the state):   Candidates’ visits a clear sign it worked   I’ve got to tell you, ...continue reading

Something is wrong with the Casper Star-Tribune’s Website today, and I can’t link to the THREE stories they have on Wyoming politics, INCLUDING a nice story on the impressive Wyoming Democratic Party organization and our upcoming house parties. So I scanned the story on the Democrats. Check it out:   Democrats plan house parties, organize brilliantly   The Laramie Daily Boomerang reports that state-shared revenue, loss of revenue from the food tax exemption and a potential seventh-cent tax were at the forefront of Laramie’s lawmakers’ minds Thursday.   Lawmakers plan ahead for 2008   Here is the Gillette News-Record’s look at Saturday’s GOP caucus. Apparently, there will be 14 Wyoming Republicans who would have been able to attend the national convention if their state party played by the rules. I wonder if any of our esteemed media outlets want to interview one of those people? Maybe we can find someone to write that ...continue reading

Sorry so late today! It’s been nuts. Phone ringin’ off the hook, and a surprising amount of good news today. A presidential candidate here (OK, it was his ballot access person), a newspaper reporter there, a new inspiring candidate from way up there, etc. Anyway, let’s start off the news roundup with the newest declared U.S. House candidate, the lady famous for telling other Republican Party insiders that Gov. Freudenthal is no gentleman:   Lummis makes it official   The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, meanwhile, takes a look at who’s running for what in Laramie County:   Who’s thrown their hat in the ring?   Wyoming Public Radio has this analysis of the Wyoming GOP’s master plan (that guy from Law & Order has virtually nothing on his schedule, but even he can’t make it out here):   Wyo gets little attention despite early caucus   The Gillette News-Record reports that Pine Haven’s embattled mayor ...continue reading

Happy New Year! This year, the Casper Star-Tribune greeted us with a couple stories on the upcoming U.S. Senate elections. This story notes that no one from either party has yet thrown a hat into the ring to challenge John Barrasso or Mike Enzi:   Where are the races?   This companion piece examines the history of Wyomingites who have been appointed to the U.S. Senate, as Barrasso was last June:   Only one Senate appointee won election   The Laramie Boomerang reports on an upcoming meeting of local officials and legislators to talk about the year ahead:   Council, legislators to discuss 2008   Here are the Casper Star’s endorsements in the presidential primaries. Notice how this right-wing newspaper devotes about three times as much space to its favorites in the Republican Party:   Romney, Obama should get party nominations   Wyoming Public Radio has some ...continue reading

First up is this important story from the Casper Star-Tribune, which reports that the new Democratic Congress has been quite productive . The Democratic-controlled 110 th Congress was more active than its predecessor looking at the amount of time in session, committee meetings, oversight of the executive branch, votes and measures passed. "In terms of new laws enacted, it compares favorably with the 104 th Republican Congress which took office following the 1994 elections," said congressional expert Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. "The latter failed to enact all but one provision of the 'Contract With America' during its first year. By contrast, most of the items on the Democratic new direction agenda found their way into law ." (Emphasis added):   ‘It looked worse than it was’   It’s that time of year: The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle announces its top 10 stories of the year:   10 biggest newsmakers of ...continue reading

Top story today (or tonight, as the case may be) comes from the Riverton Ranger, whose interview with Fremont County Chair Linda Barton provided the meat for this story (and might I add that Linda did a wonderful job with the interview!):   State Democrats prepare for 2008 presidential caucuses   The Casper Star-Tribune has a follow-up story on Wyoming’s 2007 population boom (we grew by 2 percent, or about 10,000 people):   Will Wyo keep growing?   Meanwhile, CNN.com looks at the state’s population issue this way:   Why the West is booming   The Casper paper also has a story on the Dec. 31 deadline for changing Medicare plan options. Apparently, most people enrolled in Wyoming can save money by making changes:   Medicare enrollment deadline nears   The Laramie Boomerang reminds us of a new law that will take effect Jan. 1. Fun Bill Luckett trivia fact: When I was ...continue reading

Let’s hear it for the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, for Cheyenne’s daily paper is featuring an Associated Press story on the presidential race today. The Iowa caucuses take place Jan. 3, and less than five weeks after that is Super Duper Tuesday, Feb. 5, when more than half the delegates will be selected:   It’s getting confusing   The ninth-largest state in the country (in area) was the ninth-fastest-growing state in the country in 2007 (this info came from my hardcopy of the Casper paper, which for some reason included a sentence that I don’t see in this online version):   Wyoming population climbs   Wyoming Public Radio has this related story that says the number of jobs in the minerals industry decreased last month for the first time in four and a half years, but unemployment remains below 3 percent and the number of jobs overall is up:   Mining-related jobs decline   The Jackson Hole News & ...continue reading

Today we’ll begin with Gary Trauner’s campaign for U.S. House, and two notable blog entries on the topic. I want to call your attention to this first one, because the blog, hummingbirdminds , is written by Wyoming’s own Michael Shay, an activist from Laramie County. Here’s his take on the latest Trauner news:   Act blue! Contribute to Trauner!   I told you a few days back that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recently named Wyoming’s U.S. House race as one of the most competitive in the country. Here is an article posted Sunday on Daily Kos – the world’s most widely read politics blog – about that development:   DCCC goes on offensive, embraces netroots candidates   After that, the news is running a little thin, which is par for the course for this time of year. However, there are some fireworks in far northeast Wyoming. The Gillette News-Record tells us that many residents of one of Wyoming’s fastest growing ...continue reading

Not much at all today. To start, the Sierra Club and the Powder River Basin Resource Council want a court review of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality's handling of an air quality permit for the proposed Two Elk coal-fired power plant in southern Campbell County. The groups have asked a district court judge to review of an administrative decision by the Environmental Quality Council, which governs the DEQ. They claim the agency reversed its own determination that the air quality permit was invalidated for lack of meeting construction requirements and other actions required to maintain the permit:   Groups challenge plant permit   Wyoming Public Radio reports that the BLM in proposing allocating 2 million acres of public land in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah for potential commercial oil shale development:   BLM moves forward with oil shale plan   Public Radio also has this story on the Pew Charitable Trusts’ ...continue reading

Some good stuff today! Roll Call, the newspaper that covers Congress, reports that Gary Trauner’s race for Wyoming’s U.S. House seat is on the short list for those across the country that Democrats plan to win in November:   DCCC targets 40 GOP seats   Gov. Freudenthal just released this opinion piece on the upcoming “Building the Wyoming We Want” conference, scheduled for Jan. 10 and 11 at Casper College:   Building the Wyoming we want   The Cody Enterprise has more evidence that the Wyoming Republican Party did the right thing in sacrificing some of its delegates to its national convention by breaking its own party’s rules and holding its presidential caucuses early. Hugh Cort – yes, THE Hugh Cort, of Mountain Brook, Alabama – will be in Greybull for the Big Horn County Republican caucus tonight:   He’s no Rudy or Mitt (or Obama or Clinton or Edwards or Richardson, for that matter)   The ...continue reading

Not too much today. First up is a new story today in the Casper Star-Tribune on Chairman Millin’s recent letter to the Denver Post:   Dem leader ruffles feathers   Sens. Enzi and Barrasso sound off on the energy bill:   Senators don’t like energy bill   Mattoon, Ill., has been picked as the location for the FutureGen power plant that will burn coal without emitting greenhouse gases. This is the site Wyoming favored after a site in our own state was knocked off the list:   Wyo’s favorite site wins plant   The Gillette News-Record has this story about Wyoming being among a handful of states that have “critical gaps” in its influenza pandemic preparedness:   Some states not stocking up on pandemic medicines   The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports that 17 well pads proposed for the Hoback Rim would put miles of new roads in one of the Bridger-Teton’s largest ...continue reading

Casper-area lawmakers sound off on the possibility of a statewide smoking ban:   Split opinion on statewide move   As the Casper Star-Tribune points out, if state spending has increased too sharply for some people’s tastes, they have only the Republican Party – which has controlled the Legislature for decades – to thank:   Hey big spenders, stay away from Legislature   Wyoming Public Radio reports that Rep. Colin Simpson, R-Cody, wants the state to have a database of everyone’s prescriptions:   Simpson wants new database   WYDOT has determined that the only way Wyoming could get intrastate air service is if the government were to step in, according to the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle:   Wyoming air travel explored   Meanwhile, passenger boardings are slightly down at Yellowstone Regional Airport, as reported by the Powell Tribune:   Airport numbers ...continue reading

Here you can see that the Wyoming Republican Party’s strategy to break its national party’s rules and hold an early primary has reaped rewards – stacks of glossy messages from Ron Paul:   GOP activists get more attention   The Gillette News-Record has this report on Campbell County Republican caucuses, held Saturday:   County GOP readies ideas for change   Has anyone else noticed that the Casper Star-Tribune waited until Barbara Cubin announced her retirement before the paper dared to complain that Cubin has completely refused to answer to the people of Wyoming in any way, all year, while she continues to take a salary that pays five times as much as the average Wyomingite and pretends to be functioning as our representative in Congress?   How can we cover silence?   Here’s a news story on that very issue that the paper published on Saturday:   Cubin misses more votes   ...continue reading

A letter from Chairman Millin has generated a story in today’s Denver Post which will hit the Wyoming media today. The story can be found here (please give it a look):   Wyo Dem chief: Clinton would hurt party   And a slightly different version, with excerpts of an interview with John, can be found here:   Wyoming Democratic Party chairman says Clinton effect in the West “a dirty little secret”     Please note that the opinions expressed by Chairman Millin in the Denver Post article are his personal opinions only, and they do not reflect any official position of the Wyoming Democratic Party. The party remains neutral in all Democratic primary elections, and the party will enthusiastically support our presidential nominee. Every one of our party’s major candidates for president would make a better president for this country than any one running on the Republican side. As a state party chairman and ...continue reading

Here is a look at some of the major Wyoming politics and government news from the state’s media and other sources today:   First up, Gov. Freudenthal announces that he will be joining us for the Democratic National Convention in Denver next August, according to the Associated Press. We at the state party remain very excited that the convention will be in Denver, and we’re delighted that the governor will be there:   Gov relents on Dem convention   This next one is a delight: apparently, some people in Kaycee, Wright and Midwest want to form a new county! Let’s hope this doesn’t lead to another Johnson County War . The Casper Star-Tribune has the details:   Seeking secession   In Congress, John Barrasso didn’t get getting anywhere with a driver’s license bill aimed at illegal immigrants:   Barrasso floats driver’s license bill, without success   Meanwhile, Mike ...continue reading

As promised, I have several links at the bottom of this post to different stories on Gary Trauner's entry into the 2008 U.S. House race. Suffice it to say people are excited. But first, here's an encouraging story on Gary's fundraising report for third quarter 2007, which gives him a nearly 20-to-1 cash-on-hand advantage over the incumbent ($165,411 for Gary, compared to Cubin's $8,651, according to the FEC). Here are some links to stories across Wyoming and the nation on Gary's announcement that he is running for U.S. House: Casper Star-Tribune: Trauner tries again for House Wyoming Tribune-Eagle: Trauner retries Congress run Jackson Hole News and Guide: Trauner to seek House New West: Trauner announces bid for Wyoming's at-large House seat Congressional Quarterly: Deja vu contest for Wyoming House seat The news is also splashed throughout the blogosphere. Let's make sure Gary wins this time ! ...continue reading

It's official: Gary Trauner is the first Democrat to announce his candidacy for U.S. House. Here's a same-day story on his announcement - an announcement, by the way, which has attracted nationwide attention. Among the national media that have contacted state party headquarters today are Congressional Quarterly ( here's the story ) and Roll Call. Meanwhile, at Gary and Sue Berchenbriter's house in Casper today, all the major Casper-area news outlets were on hand, and several others from across the state joined us by teleconference. There's no doubt about it: Gary's candidacy for next year's race is already drumming up a lot of excitement. I'll post some more links tomorrow when more of the media across Wyoming and the nation have their reports available onine. Meanwhile, it's never too early to help get Gary's campaign started off on the right foot by contributing to his campaign . Or, you can visit his Website at www.traunerforcongress.com . Let's make sure that this ...continue reading

Today, Gary Trauner plans to make an exciting announcement about the 2008 elections. Stay tuned for an update this afternoon after Gary tells us his plans for the coming year. I have a feeling that this time, things are going to work out like we hope.

Two must-read pieces this week in the Casper Star-Tribune almost perfectly capture the essence of why we need to get rid of Barbara Cubin. The first piece, an editorial called "Cubin should help override Bush veto," reveals a picture of a representative who votes with the extremist fringe of her party, while the good people of Wyoming suffer. The SCHIP program would provide health insurance for more low-income children across the state. When faced with a choice of what is best for Wyoming, and what the far right wing leadership of the Republican Party tells her to do, Cubin ALWAYS caters to the far right. Never mind that she didn't vote on the bill; the editorial explains that she has expressed support for Bush's veto. About that missed vote, the paper also ran a news article, "Cubin misses nearly half of votes," which tells us that Cubin now had the poorest attendance record of every living member of Congress. She is our state's only representative in the ...continue reading

For pretty much this entire decade, state leaders have enjoyed revenues that significantly surpassed expectations. But Gov. Freudenthal says that won't be the case this year . Quoth the governor: "I don't believe that anyone should be expecting the kind of revenue in excess of projections, or what people call a surplus, this year," he said. "It's going to be a good, solid budget. But the kind of revenues over projections that we've become accustomed to, it's not going to be there." The story points out that the state had roughly a $1.13 billion surplus heading into the 2006 budget session, a $1.5 billion surplus in 2004 and a $727 million surplus in 2002, according to Steve Sommers, budget and fiscal manager for the state Legislative Service Office. There are at least a couple reasons why this is important to people who follow state government. First, obviously, is that if the governor's prediction is right, we won't be spoiled like we have in recent years. There might not be ...continue reading

I traveled up to Sheridan last weekend to join area Democrats to celebrate the 150th of former Wyoming Gov. and U.S. Sen. John Kendrick. Despite the rain and wind, about 50 Democrats from Sheridan County and neighboring counties made it to the event, which is no small feat for a mid-August event during a non-election year. The dynamic duo of state party Chairman John Millin and freshman Rep. Lori Millin made the trip up from Cheyenne and inspired the crowd with their insights into legislative elections. Rep. Lori shared the tale of how she went from citizen activist to legislative candidate running against an incumbent to newly elected state representative in the span of less than a year. We only need to win four seats in the state House for the Democrats to be able to sustain any veto by Gov. Freudenthal, she said, and we can achieve that goal in 2008 if we find enough good people to run. Chairman John struck a similar chord in his speech. He noted that our party ...continue reading

I just got the word that Laramie County Democratic Party Chairman Mike Bell and his wife Amy are the proud parents of a newborn baby boy! Details forthcoming, but meanwhile, congratulations to Mike and Amy on the birth of their son. *UPDATE* Wyoming welcomes Jonathan Thayer Bell, who entered the world on Aug. 1 weighing in at 8-plus pounds and measuring 21 inches. Quipped the new father: "We're building the Democratic Party one baby at a time!"

I'm a bit late with this post, but in case you missed it, I put together this op/ed column for the Casper Star-Tribune on Saturday, July 21, in response to the paper's disturbingly misinformed editorial that had run Wednesday, July 18. The column I wrote represents the valuable input of a few party officials and staffers, and considering that it was half written by committee, I think it provides an excellent counter-point to the fish-wrap journalism from earlier in the week. It is a snapshot of some of our party's most high-profile leaders, some (but not all) of our most important issues, and other reasons why Western voters have increasingly supported our party in recent years. Your thoughts?

Our chairman's and executive director's efforts to reach into every corner of the state have garnered notice in the state's largest newspaper. Click here for the Casper Star-Tribune's profile on the Wyoming Democratic Party , where we're at and where we're headed. The story by Jared Miller takes a look at Chairman John Millin's 23-county plan, describes some of the party's fund-raising successes, and explores the possibility of a Democratic majority in Wyoming down the road. That story, which ran on page A1 of the Sunday paper, was accompanied by this sidebar by Noelle Straub examining the rejuvenation of Democrats in the West through groups such as Democrats for the West, Project New West, Western Majority Project and WesternDemocrat.com. These groups are indicative of the momentum swing Western voters have given our party, evidenced by Democratic gains in recent elections and the DNC holding its 2008 National Convention in Denver. It is an exciting time to be a Democrat in ...continue reading

Congratulations to Mary Hales, Wyoming's newest state representative! The Natrona County Commission has appointed Mary to fill the vacancy in state House District 36 left by the resignation last month of Liz Gentile of Evansville. Mary has served the Wyoming Democratic Party as state party secretary for a number of years, and she is a long-time local real estate agent. Now, the people of Evansville and parts of east Casper will be able to enjoy the benefits of Mary's service as we in the state party have for some time. I also want to congratulate the other two finalists for the position - Gretchen Wheeler and Penney Miller, who both showed over the course of the selection process that they, too, would make fine legislators. Let's hope the two of them will stay involved in politics and public affairs, as it is clear that they both have a lot to offer. Now, Mary can look forward to half-year's worth of committee meetings and becoming acquainted with the ...continue reading

The Natrona County commissioners plan to meet today at 1 p.m. to interview the three finalists to fill the House District 36 vacancy left by the recent resignation of Liz Gentile of Evansville. The meeting, which will be in room 115 in the Natrona County Courthouse, will be open to the public. By the end of the day, we should know who are new representative is going to be (or, at the very least, we should know WHEN we will know). We'll keep you up-to-date as information becomes available.

Monday night, the Democratic precinct committee men and women selected Gretchen Wheeler, Penny Miller and Mary Hales as our three finalists to fill the state House District 36 vacancy left by the recent resignation of Rep. Liz Gentile of Evansville. Now, those three names have been submitted to the Natrona County Commission, and the commissioners have five days to appoint one of them to fill the legislative seat. Apparently, they're planning to meet at 1 p.m. Monday, July 9, for the purpose of interviewing the candidates and making their appointment. Meanwhile, congratulations to our three excellent finalists, and let's hope that all three will remain active in the party (Mary, our state party secretary, has a great track record at that, as you well know) and consider running for office in the future.

We are pleased to announce that our party has seven quality candidates who have applied to fill the House District 36 vacancy left by the resignation of Rep. Liz Gentile of Evansville. Thursday night, the candidates introduced themselves at the Natrona County Democrats' meeting and answered a few questions, and all seven pledged to seek election in 2008 if appointed. Our candidates are: Bill Sisco, a Casper businessman Dan Coey, a bricklayer and conservation activist Gretchen Wheeler, a Casper College communications instructor Mary Hales, state party secretary and real estate broker Mel Hamilton, an education administrator Penny Miller, a union office manager Zach Gentile, the Evansville police chief Natrona County Democrats spent nearly two hours last night getting to know the candidates, and to a person, each came across as strong legislative material. While we don't know yet who our new House member is going to be, it's safe to say at this ...continue reading

The Wyoming Democratic Party is seeking applicants to replace state Rep. Liz Gentile of Evansville in the Legislature. Gentile resigned to pursue carer opportunities. The party is accepting expressions of interest through 5 p.m. Thursday from people interested in filling out the remaining year-and-a-half in Gentile's term, representing House District 36, which includes Evansville and parts of East Casper. Interestingly, as Republican John Barrasso resigned his state Senate seat for his new U.S. Senate position, the residents of House District 36 find themselves without either a state senator or a state representative, as Barrasso's Senate District - SD 27 - includes HD's 35 and 36. But state law requires the positions to be filled within 20 days, so the good people of east Casper and Evansville won't have to go to long without legislative representation.

Gov. Freudenthal on Friday chose state Sen. John Barrasso of Casper to represent Wyoming in the U.S. Senate, to fill the vacancy left by Craig Thomas' death earlier this month. Monday, Barrasso was sworn in to his new job. State law required Freudenthal to choose one of the three names submitted by the Republican Party, as that was the party to which Thomas belonged. This story looks at Barrasso's background and possible committee assignments.

Although the procedure to replace the late Craig Thomas in the U.S. Senate is restricted almost entirely to the other party, there is understandably considerable interest across the political spectrum in who that person will be, so I thought I'd note it here in our blog. There are 31 applicants for the position, a field that will be whittled down to three when the Republican state central committee meets at the Ramkota Inn in Casper at 8 a.m. Tuesday, June 19. That meeting will be open to the public. There is also a candidate forum scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday at Krampert Theater at Casper College, and the fourm will be broadcast on Wyoming Public Television. A list of the candidates is on the Wyoming Republican Party's Website, which I will not link to for several reasons. But for some good background info and comments from some of the candidates, you can read today's Casper Star-Tribune story here . Once the GOP names its three finalists, state law gives Gov. Freudenthal ...continue reading

Reflections on a couple of road trips: First, the Converse County Democrats held a fundraiser on June 2, in conjunction with Jackalope Days in Douglas. The fundraising idea was a chilling (literally) concept affectionately called Dunk-A-Democrat. Among the dunkees were recent (and hopefully future) U.S. House candidate Gary Trauner, state Rep. Lori Millin, local activists Sissy Goodwin and Jay Wright, and yours truly. While I was hoping for a 90-degree day, the temperature barely cracked 70, and it didn't help that the dunking booth was sitting in the shade. Still, it was for a good cause, and the Converse County party raked in more than $400 on the event. I've got a couple wonderful pictures of Gary Trauner going into the water, so as soon as I can get those posted, I will update this post. On June 12, Executive Director Brandon Owens, Field Director Tom Schwarz and I drove up to Gillette for dinner with a few activists and to attend a county party meeting. Considering that ...continue reading

Just a quick announcement about some new faces at party central. The state party Executive Committee has hired a new executive director and new field director, both of whom started working for the state party on June 1. Executive Director Brandon Owens brings extensive experience in rural politics to the position, having served as the campaign coordinator for the Alabama Democratic Party during the 2006 election cycle. He has over 10 years working for Democratic candidates and causes in the Southeast. Brandon worked with the Alabama Restaurant Association and founded the Alabama Beverage Licensees Association to lobby the state legislature and municipalities. He has also handled legislative matters for the speaker of the Alabama State House and the chamber's Ways and Means Committee. Brandon attended Auburn University as an undergraduate and taught classes on state and local government at the University of Alabama while completing graduate coursework. But to be sure, he is an ...continue reading

National political analysts are keeping Wyoming's lone U.S. House seat on their radar. Congressional Quarterly just published this story predicting a possible rematch between 2006 Democratic nominee Gary Trauner and incumbent Republican Barbara Cubin . The story generated some excitement in the form of this post on the popular political blog DailyKos, which took note of some of Gary's recent public activities. Such activities include these regular contributions to the New West Network, which focuses on the politics and culture of the Rocky Mountain West. I've talked to Gary a few times since he came within an eyelash last fall of vastly improving Wyoming's representation in Congress. He is definitely considering running again for the seat, but he has not yet decided what he will do. I do know that if he runs again this year, we're going to have another exciting race on our hands, only this time, Gary will have the experience of a statewide campaign ...continue reading

A White House PowerPoint presentation from January lists Barbara Cubin as one of the 20 most vulnerable Republican incumbents in Congress. When Karl Rove says that the Wyoming Republican is in trouble, you know that Cubin has to be getting worried. This week, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has been holding a series of hearings to investigate allegations of misconduct at the the Government Services Agency . The scandal involves GSA chief Lurita Doan and Rove's deputy, Scott Jennings. In January, General Services Administration chief Lurita Doan and Karl Rove deputy Scott Jennings held a video conference with top GSA political appointees, “who discussed ways to help Republican candidates.” Jennings, the White House’s deputy director of political affairs, gave a PowerPoint presentation on Jan. 26 of polling data about the 2006 elections. When Jennings concluded his presentation to the GSA political appointees, Doan ...continue reading

As you probably already know, county parties across the state meet during the month of March in odd-numbered years to elect their officers who will serve for the next two years. These get-togethers also give me an opportunity to drive around Wyoming meeting activists and finding ways for the state party to help build and strengthen our party’s local presence. I thought that I would take a few minutes to tell you about some of the people that I’ve met and the exciting things happening at the grassroots level. Sweetwater County Last month I drove to Rock Springs to lead a training on precinct organizing at the White Mountain Library. With the present boom, Rock Springs is a town that seems to have grown every time I’m there, and what was great about this meeting were the new people getting involved with the party and the number of ideas for bringing even more people into the party. We had a great conversation about outreach and registering new ...continue reading

Here is a look at some of the major pieces of legislation lawmakers passed this year: Sales tax on groceries (House Bill 93) - Legislators built on last year's success, when they took this tax off the books for the first time ever. Last year's action only lifted the tax for two years, and this year, they voted to make it permanent. This is real tax relief for all the people of our state, and it helps our poorest citizens the most. However, legislators did not provide reimbursements for cities, towns and counties for the tax revenue they would lose, beginning in July 2008, so they will spend the next year working to find a method to make sure local governments are held harmless. Quality child care (HBs 95 and 96) - This is sort of a mixed bag. On the bright side, lawmakers created a quality child care initiative that provides education grants to child care providers, education programs for parents, technical assistance for providers, and family strengthening programs. On the ...continue reading

The quality child care legislation, House Bills 95 and 96, are heading to Gov. Freudenthal's desk after the House on Tuesday concurred with Senate amendments to the legislation. The bills cleared third reading in the Senate on Monday. This story describes some of the details of the legislation. The main thing is that our state government is finally going to take some concrete steps to address one of the most pressing needs facing thousands of Wyoming families, the affordability and availability of quality child care. These bills and this program, well over a year in the making, have enjoyed the unanimous support of legislative Democrats and Gov. Freudenthal. A significant amount of opposition to the legislation has come from the extreme right, people who preach that a woman's place is in the home. The passage of these bills this week is a tribute to mainstream governing. Sadly, legislators cut a large share of the money out of the original legislation, so it will ...continue reading

As we head into the Legislature's final week, those pesky wolves have once again taken center stage. This story takes a look at House Bill 213, which is scheduled for its initial debate and vote on the floor of the Senate today. The bill has already cleared the House and the Senate Travel, Rec, Wildlife Committee. Meanwhile, the quality child care bills, House Bills 95 and 96, are up for third reading in the Senate today. On Friday, both chambers OK'd the compromise version of the budget bill ( story here ), so now it awaits action by the governor. The budget conference committee simply split the difference in the spending proposals of the House and Senate, for the most part. That is not usually how the budget conference committee works, but it helps explain why the committee got its work done in just a couple of days, and why both chambers voted to approve the compromise version of the budget bill. Gov. Freudenthal has until Tuesday to sign the bill into law or veto parts of ...continue reading

Moments ago, the Senate passed House Bill 93, the bill to permanently eliminate the sales tax on food, on third and final reading. However, after passing an amendment Thursday to reimburse cities, towns and counties for their lost sales tax revenue, senators on Friday deleted the amendment. Many want to spend the next year coming up with the "right" formula to properly reimburse local governments. Some, obviously a minority, wanted to get at least something in the law this year to assure local governments that they will be reimbursed one way or another. But it looks like the locals will have to wait until next year to see how, and if, they will be reimbursed. Meanwhile, Thursday morning, the House Rules Committee killed Senate File 13, the bill that would have allowed Wyoming to void other states' same-sex marriages. House Speaker Roy Cohee, R-Casper, cast the deciding vote to kill the bill, which came as a pleasant surprise to this observer. Story here . The Senate also passed ...continue reading

Many of the high-profile pieces of legislation are still working their way through the legislative process at the Legislature heads into its last week of the 2007 general session. Here is a look at some of those bills and where they stand now (Note: every bill still alive at this point in the session has cleared third reading in one legislative chambers and is currently moving through the second chamber): House Bills 95 and 96, quality child care: The meat of the legislation, HB 95, is up for a debate and vote in the Senate Committee of the Whole on Thursday after clearing committee. HB 96, the companion bill, is also on its way to the Senate floor within another day or two after the Senate Appropriations Committee stripped some funding from the bill. HB 93, food sales tax exemption: Cleared Committee of the Whole in the Senate on Wednesday. The bill still does not include a mechanism to reimburse local governments for lost revenue from the tax break. HB 124, eminent domain: ...continue reading

The Legislature has returned after a three-day President's Day weekend for the final two weeks of the 2007 general session. Among the hot topics this week will be wolves and same-sex marriages, according to this Casper Star-Tribune story . For more on the wolf issue, click here . Also this week, the House speaker and Senate president will each appoint five members of the joint conference committee on the supplemental budget bill. They will try to reach a compromise between the two versions of the bill. Then, each chamber will then have to sign off on the compromise version before the bill heads to Gov. Freudenthal. Meanwhile, here's a story on this year's class of freshman legislators, a class characterized in part by its members' eagerness to participate in debates. ...continue reading

President Bush's budget would severely and negatively impact the quality of life of rural Wyoming residents, according to a new report issued by the Democratic Policy Committee . Since 2001, the committee has issued reports on the failure of the president's policy to address the issues important to rural Americans. The report confirms that the president's cuts in funding for law enforcement, health care, education, and economic development will have a harmful impact on working families, farmers, ranchers, small businesses and local economies across the West. At the same time, the budget would put affordable health care further out of reach for many working Americans in Wyoming. Furthermore, the president's budget would underfund children's health care and do nothing to reduce the ranks of Wyoming's 14,000 uninsured children. "President Bush is engaging in gimmickry in order to justify his misplaced priorities such as tax cuts at expense of rural Wyoming residents," said Wyoming ...continue reading

The budget bill has made it through second reading in both chambers this week, with third reading tentatively scheduled for tomorrow (Friday). Read here for news on some of this week's budget action. There's some good news in there for highway funding and the Wildlife Trust Fund. As a reminder, all of this week's budget amendments will set the stage for the work of the budget conference committee, which will reconcile differences in the versions of the bill that pass the House and Senate. Meanwhile, more good news for the quality child care bills, House Bills 95 and 96, which cleared the Senate Labor Committee on Wednesday. As they stand now, there would be no rating system for child care providers, thus limiting the "quality" aspect of the legislation. Still, child care in general is scarce in many parts of the state, and this legislation is a step toward improving the situation, so it's good to see the bills still making their way through the process. ...continue reading

The Rocky Mountain Democrats at the University of Wyoming have been actively engaging the campus community and building an energetic organization. Earlier this month, three members of the group were in Washington, DC for the College Democrats/Young Democrats Leadership Summit. While they were there, incoming UW College Dems President Samy Tolsted and Vice President Martha Tate went to a rally for Sen. Barack Obama at George Mason University. You can read more about the rally ( and see Samy and Martha greeting Sen. Obama ) on the New York Times political blog.

You wouldn't know it, but our legislature technically meets once every two years to craft the state's biennial budget. This is not one of those years. Yet, for most of the past decade, state government has enjoyed substantial surplus revenues, and figuring out what to do with those revenues has become pretty much an annual, rather than biannual, tradition. The budget "mirror bill" - so-called because identical bills will be introduced on the House and Senate floors - hits the chambers today for the first of three readings before the full House and Senate. In this article from Sunday , Gov. Freudenthal discussed some of the rationale for investing in such areas as local governments, water development and wildlife. Our state highway system also has massive needs that the governor wants the Legislature to address. Meanwhile, there remain some lawmakers who would rather stash as much extra money as they can into long-term savings instead of take care of today's pressing needs. As ...continue reading

First, a correction from yesterday's blog. Lawmakers are scheduled to begin their work on the supplemental budget bill next week, not this week. I was misinformed. This is a good exemple of the constant state of flux that governs the legislative session. What ever the plan may have been five days ago is not necessarily the plan today, and things may be entirely different again tomorrow. But as of right now, the tentative plan is for the budget bill to hit the House and Senate floors on Monday. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, one day after killing the state lottery bill, the House took a more relaxed position on another gambling measure , Senate File 23, which would re-open the door to holding poker tournaments in bars, among other things. A Wyoming attorney general's opinion from a few years ago declared that such tournaments and other gambling activities - a friendly game of dice or cards with financial stakes - violated state law, because the businesses that hosted them ...continue reading

The major legislative news this week will be the supplemental budget bill. Last year, lawmakers crafted the state's budget for fiscal years 2007 and 2008. This year, they will work on a supplement to that spending measure. Some of the main topics of discussion will be money for infrastructure, especially state highways, and funding for local governments. Meanwhile, a few bill updates are in order. The quality child care bill, House Bill 95, made it through the House on third reading Friday, so it will head to the Senate for more work. The bill to make the sales tax exemption on groceries permanent has cleared the Senate Revenue Committee, and its next stop will be the floor of the full Senate. The proposal, HB 93, still does not include any method of reimbursing local governments for the sales tax revenue they will lose beginning in July 2008. A bill that would have opened the door to a lottery, HB 128, in Wyoming died Monday on the House floor by a slim 31-27 margin. The ...continue reading

House Bill 95, the quality child care bill, cleared a significant hurdle Wednesday afternoon when the bill made it through its first vote before the full House. Unless the bill's progress gets delayed for some unusual reason, we should know by the end of the week whether the bill will clear all three readings in the House and move over to the Senate. The bill has been tweaked somewhat since it was first introduced, mainly to satisfy some legislators who are concerned that the quality child care initiative doesn't become an expensive social program that doesn't make real differences in people's lives. The bill now emphasizes education and money for providers, staff and parents, and it increases the emphasis on parental control. At least a couple Republican legislators called HB 95 a "conservative bill" Wednesday. House Labor, Health and Social Services Committee Chairman Jack Landon, R-Sheridan, made a particularly lengthy and passionate plea for his colleagues to pass the bill. ...continue reading

Slithering their way through the legislative process this week are two bills we can all do without. House Bill 144, misleadingly labeled "women's right to know," would require Wyoming doctors who perform abortions to tell their patients about alternatives and inform them of potential risks and side effects before performing the procedure. I don't know very many people who think politicians should make it their business to decide what kinds of conversations they are going to have with their doctors, but apparently, some politicians think it's their business. Meanwhile, Senate File 13, "same sex marriages," would give Wyoming the authority to void other states' gay marriages, this year's attempt to legalize discrimination against gay people. The Casper Star-Tribune chimed in on these issues in this editorial , wisely suggesting that we expect our legislators to work on issues of real importance instead of engaging in this kind of divisive culture war. "If lawmakers truly want to ...continue reading

The federal government, in its infinite wisdom, has concluded that wolf populations are rebounding successfully enough that the feds announced they would remove wolves from the endangered species list in the Great Lakes region (Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin) in about a month and possibly take the same action for the wolves in the Rocky Mountain region (Wyoming, Montana and Idaho) in about a year. Story here . Gov. Freudenthal welcomed the news, although he pointed out that the real issue is whether Wyoming will ever be able to manage wolves to protect our wildlife. Here is his statement on today's news. It remains to be seen what impact, if any, the feds' decision will have on the wolf management bills moving through the Legislature (stories here and here ). ...continue reading

House Bill 93, the bill to make the sales tax exemption on food permanent, cleared third reading in the House on Thursday and now heads for the Senate. For most Democrats, they had to hold their noses a little bit when they voted for the bill, because while everyone favors removing the sales tax on food for good, most of them want to include a provision to reimburse local governments for the lost sales tax revenue. Right now, the bill does not have any way to provide this "backfill" to cities, towns and counties. However, the local governments will be OK until July 2008 (because the two-year food sales tax exemption now in the law allocated $46 million for backfill), so technically, "no harm done" as long as the Legislature comes up with a backfill provision over the next year. Still, Democrats would feel better supporting the bill if it guaranteed local governments they will be held harmless. We'll see if the Senate can amend the bill to take care of local governments. The House ...continue reading

Today, updates on two major bills. First, House Bill 93, the bill to make the sales tax exemption on food permanent, sailed through the House in Committee of the Whole on Tuesday. There were no amendments offered, and observers report that the discussion on the bill was very short. Second reading is currently scheduled for Wednesday, and if all goes well, it should be up for third and final reading in the House on Thursday, and if it passes, it will head over to the Senate. A more controversial bill is House Bill 95, the quality child care bill. The House Labor, Health and Social Services Committee took testimony on the bill Monday and began working on the bill Tuesday morning. For now, the panel plans to continue working on the bill for at least one more meeting later this week or early next week. Here is the Casper Star-Tribune's report on the public comment session from Monday. ...continue reading

So, the food sales tax exemption bill will head to the House floor again , this time without any mechanism for reimbursing local governments for the sales tax revenues they will lose. Last year, when the Legislature first passed the exemption, but only for two years, they allocated $46.6 million for state payments to local governments to keep them "whole." It seems like lawmakers could just keep the system they have in place now for reimbursing local governments, if nothing else. Plus, no matter what happens to the food tax bill this year, the existing food tax exemption won't expire until June 30, 2008, so the Legislature has one more year to figure out how to reimburse local governments. We'll see what happens when the bill, House Bill 93, hits the House floor this week. Meanwhile, as the Casper Star-Tribune reported Sunday , there seems to be widespread support for Gov. Freudenthal's agenda on how the state can best invest its surplus revenues. K-12 education was atop the list ...continue reading

The House Revenue Committee made such a complicated mess out of the food sales tax exemption bill that the full House on Tuesday voted to send the bill back to committee for more work. House members' frustrated reactions to the measure, House Bill 93, prompted House Revenue Committee Chairman Rodney "Pete" Anderson, to apologize for bringing it to the floor is the shape it was in. He said the committee will probably rework on the bill on Friday. More here . It is extraordinarily rare for a legislative chamber to send a bill back to a committee. Normally, the chamber would simply kill the bill if it is in bad shape. But there is such a high level of interest in the food tax exemption that the House isn't ready to give up on HB 93 just yet. Frankly, if House Revenue Committee members are serious about wanting to make the food sales tax exemption permanent, they could accomplish that with the most simple piece of legislation you can imagine. However, some of them are interested in ...continue reading

It looks like the state House is going to take on the food sales tax exemption this week. House Speaker Roy Cohee, R-Casper, said he expects House Bill 93 to come up on the House floor either today or Tuesday. That bill is sponsored by Rep. Rodney "Pete" Anderson, R-Pine Bluffs, who last year was one of the staunchest opponents of exempting food from the sales tax. Anderson's bill would make the food sales tax exemption permanent. Under current law, the exemption will expire on June 30, 2008. Another measure to exempt food from the state sales tax, House Bill 154, is sponsored by 14 different lawmakers representing both parties and both chambers of the Legislature. That bill would exempt food from the sales tax through 2013. However, the House Revenue Committee, which Anderson chairs, voted Friday to send his bill to the House floor and did not vote on HB 154. Presumably, if Anderson's bill doesn't make it through the legislative process, HB 154 could still be sent out to the ...continue reading

Just a quick note on Wednesday's State of the State address: Republican legislative leaders conspicuously did NOT hold a "Republican response" press conference after Gov. Freudenthal's speech. That was a fairly visible example of events that are contributing to a general feeling of bipartisanship in Cheyenne as the 59th Wyoming Legislature goes to work. Several reporters noted that this is the first time since Freudenthal has been governor that the Republicans have not offered a coordinated response to his yearly adress. Some suggested that the governor has a particualrly good working relationship with the Republican leaders - Senate President John Schiffer of Kaycee and House Speaker Roy Cohee of Casper. Of course, Schiffer and Cohee did individual interviews with reporters Wednesday afternoon, but even in those interviews, the leaders mainly agreed with most of the governor's priorities, as you can see in this story  from the Casper Star-Tribune. Aside from that, ...continue reading

In his State of the State address today, Gov. Freudenthal urged legislators to invest in Wyoming's future as they pore over the dozens and dozens of issues they will face over the next eight weeks. Among the several initiatives the governor specifically identified, he asked lawmakers to make the food sales tax exemption permanent, to make sure "fair market value" is a key component of any eminent domain bill they pass, to ban all open containers of alcohol in cars on state highways, to implement a "two strikes and your out" bill for sexual predators, and to consider greater state funding for local governments - cities, towns and counties - as well as allow tribal entities to share in such local government funding. He spoke at some length about budget philosophies, and he warned legislators against propagating the false perception that Wyoming residents can become "trust fund babies" if state government keeps stashing money into the Permanent Wyoming Minerals Trust Fund. It is ...continue reading

At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Gary Trauner announced that he will let Wyoming's election certification process run its course before he concedes the election or claims victory. Gary said provisional ballots are still being counted in some counties, though he's not sure exactly which ones. As of Wednesday, Gary trailed Barbara Cubin by 970 votes out of more than 190,000 cast statewide in the U.S. House race, or one-half of one percent. If the provisional ballot count or any other adjustments to the current totals add a net of 38 votes to Gary's total, that event would trigger an automatic statewide recount of the votes in the U.S. House race. Gary said he believes Wyoming's election certification process is an important tool to protect the integrity of democracy in Wyoming, and he will let that process play out before declaring an end to the election. Gary also noted that running the positive, issues-oriented campaign that he ran is no easy task, but he did it because he ...continue reading

By all accounts, this was a good election for Democrats. Our party has taken control of both houses of Congress; Gov Dave Freudenthal won re-election by one of the largest margins in the nation; and we won a net total of three seats in the Wyoming House of Representatives. It remains to be seen what will happen with the U.S. House race in Wyoming. But we have cause for celebration, and we must keep in mind that at the end of the day, it's not what's best for any particular party. It's what's best for the working people of this state and this nation. The next two years should be fairly interesting. Let's keep focused on the needs of the people, and we will continue to make headway with Wyoming's voters.

Vote today! Bring three people with you. Then call everyone you know and make sure they have voted. Keep alert for anything fishy at the polls or on your phone - and let us know if something seems amiss (800-SAY-DEMS). Today is the day when we can take control of our future and enact the kinds of changes we need in Wyoming (in the case of our congressional representation) or keep our state on the right track (by re-electing Gov. Dave Freudenthal and sending more Democrats to Cheyenne for him to work with). The Internet's No. 1 independent politics site, DailyKos.com, has this 11th-hour report on Gary Trauner's election-ending tour across western Wyoming . Gary's campaign has excited and inspired a lot of people, people from all over who thought Wyoming voters would never oust an incumbent Republican from Congress, no matter how poor of a job she has done. But voters can see that Gary Trauner offers exactly what Wyoming needs: someone who vows to represent regular people ...continue reading

The state's largest paper has endorsed both Gov. Dave Freudenthal AND future U.S. Congressman Gary Trauner on its editorial page today. If you recall, the Casper Star-Tribune inexplicably endorsed Cubin in 2004, so their endorsement of Trauner is especially good news. Troubling note: I'm in Wamsutter today, and one of the convenience stores reported that they didn't get their Casper Star-Tribune deliveries today. I was unable to contact anyone at the paper to find out how extensive this paper-delivery problem is. I'm just concerned that as many people as possible can read the paper's endorsements, so please, feel free to share the link with people you know: http://www.casperstartribune.net/editorial/ Meanwhile, I dropped by the Sweetwater County Democratic Party rally in Rock Springs last night, which was a rollicking good time. Among the speakers were Trauner and state auditor candidate Bill Eikenberry, and the event was headlined by Gov. Freudenthal and first lady ...continue reading

As we head into the last weekend before Election Day, national political observers keep finding good news for Gary Trauner. First, the nation's premier politics Website, DailyKos, reports that Gary was greeted enthusiastically in Cheyenne while going door-to-door this week . The article includes a telling look at both of the personalities in the U.S. House race. Check it out. Meanwhile, Congressional Quarterly has moved the race into the toss-up column , after taking into consideration the events of the past couple weeks. CQ joins the Cook Political Report in declaring the race to be too close to call at this point. Both of these changes in the race predictions show that Gary has all the momentum with four days left to go. Finally, don't forget to tune in to the rebroadcast this Saturday of the Oct. 15 debate among the House candidates. It will air at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, on KCWY, Casper's channel 13. This is the debate where Gary points out that ...continue reading

In this Associated Press feature on Gary Trauner's campaign , he offers a simple and compelling choice to voters: You can vote for change, or you can vote for continued negativity and partisan bickering which has poisoned politics for such a large share of the people. And, if Trauner fails to deliver the promised change, voters can hire someone else at the end of his term. I particularly like this Trauner quote: "You know it's hard when you're 13-year-old son calls you up and says, 'Dad, I just saw a TV ad, and they're saying things about you that aren't true.' I mean what do you do, and how has our system come to that?" he said. "That's a really difficult thing to have to deal with." Wyoming must elect this man.

For the first time since probably the 1970s, the race for Wyoming's only U.S. House seat is now officially considered a toss-up by one of the nation's foremost political analysts. Many experts have changed their rating of the race to indicate that it's close, in the wake of Gary Trauner's fine debate performances, Cubin's recent bizarre behavior, and Gov. Freudenthal's endorsement of Trauner. But the Cook Political Report - widely regarded as one of the best prognosticators in the business - is the first one to declare the race to neither side has the edge heading into the Nov. 7 election. Cook relies heavily on something called the "partisan voter index," which takes into consideration party registration and past voting habits, and in our state, that of course tilts heavily Republican. But this year is unique in that voters across the board, regardless of party, are beginning to realize that it is time for a change in our U.S. House seat, and they can see that Gary Trauner ...continue reading

Gary Trauner is statistically tied with Barbara Cubin in a new independent poll. The survey conducted by the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle shows Trauner at 40.4 percent, Cubin at 44 percent, Libertarian Thomas Rankin at 5 percent, and 8 percent of the voters undecided. The 3.6-point difference between Trauner and Cubin is within the poll's 4.2-percent margin of error, which means the race is considered a virtual dead heat. Only two weeks ago, Cubin's lead in another poll was 7 percent (44-37). Trauner is gaining support; Cubin is not. One important revalation from the poll is that news events of the past week ( such as Trauner soundly defeating Cubin in the Oct. 22 debate , Cubin's subsequent bizarre behavior , Gov. Freudenthal's endorsement of Trauner , and Trauner's latest excellent TV ad) seemed to have boosted Trauner's support. The poll was conducted from Oct. 18 to 25, so only a fraction of the survey captures the impact of the Oct. 22 debate. Still, the poll shows a ...continue reading

Wyoming's U.S. House race is trending toward a Gary Trauner victory on Nov. 7, according to national experts. Two of the country's foremost political prognosticators have changed their official ratings of the race to reflect the increasing likelihood that Gary Trauner will take Wyoming's only House seat from Barbara Cubin. It's encouraging to see that the national experts are finally catching on to something that those of us who know Gary and who know Wyoming have known for a long time: Wyoming's people are ready to make a serious upgrade in their congressional representation. The Cook Political Report, an independent, nonpartisan, highly respected political analyst, has changed its rating of Wyoming's congressional race from "likely Republican" to "lean Republican." Robert Novak, another one of the nation's most revered political analysts, has upgraded the race from "likely Republican retention" to "leans Republican." Yet another respected outfit, Congressional ...continue reading

Listen to the press conference: Gov Dave backs Gary Trauner Gov. Dave Freudenthal explained why he is supporting Gary Trauner for Congress this year during a press conference Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the State Capitol Building rotunda. "It is time for a change, and the change did not occur in the Republican primary," Freudenthal said. "Gary Trauner is passionate about serving Wyoming and our citizens. If you have any doubts, simply examine the hard work, openness, and statewide nature of his campaign. Gary Trauner is bright, hardworking, business-oriented, and articulate. I believe Gary Trauner will make us proud as our representative. If not, we can vote him out in a short two years." In response to questions from the press, Freudenthal praised Trauner for his willingness to listen and travel the state. Trauner has visited more than 15,000 homes across Wyoming. "There's no better education than going door-to-door in the state," Freudenthal said. The governor also said ...continue reading

After Sunday night's debate among Democrat Gray Trauner, Repubican Barbara Cubin and Libertarian Thomas Rankin, Cubin reportedly told Rankin, a wheelchair-bound multiple sclerosis patient, that she would slap him if he weren't "sitting in that chair." This story was first published on the Casper Star-Tribune's Website, but it quickly made waves across the state and country. In the Jackson newspaper, Rankin called on Cubin to resign . The Associated Press moved the story on its national politics wire, and this morning, popular politics blog MyDD posted this piece about the hullaballoo , and here is a posting on popular politics blog DailyKos , as well as this follow-up post . It is the Quote of the Day on Taegan Goddard's Political Wire , and it has been mentioned on several other political sites. One thing I'd like to point out about this is that if she did not tell Rankin she wanted to slap him, she clearly would have immediately denied doing ...continue reading

We are in the middle of the second round of debates among candidates for statewide office. Sunday afternoon, Dale Groutage and Craig Thomas squared off in the U.S. Senate race , and then last night, Gary Trauner, Barbara Cubin and Tom Rankin participated in the U.S. House debate . Monday night,  Gov. Dave Freudenthal and challenger Ray Hunkins debated the issues in their race , followed by superintendent of public instruction candidates Michelle Hoffman and Jim McBride . Tuesday night, candidates for state auditor (7 p.m.) and state treasurer (7:30 p.m.) debated at the Parkway Plaza Hotel in Casper, events that were broadcast live on both Wyoming Public Television and Wyoming Public Radio. The final event was an hour-long show featuring this year's proposed state constitutional amendments and the races in general, beginning at 8 p.m. As they did the previous week, Democrats Dale Groutage and Gary Trauner clearly out-debated their ...continue reading

This week's big news is the Casper Star-Tribune poll on the Trauner-Cubin race . It shows that Cubin is leading 44-37 percent, with 15 percent still undecided and the other 4 percent planning to vote for the Libertarian candidate. So the score here in the fourth quarter is that we're down by one touchdown with just enough time to catch up and win. It's going to take a lot of work, but we can do it, and we have several reasons to be optimistic. First of all, everyone knows who Cubin is, but after 12 years in office, only 44 percent of the voters still think she deserves to be sent back to Washington. The fact that she is that far under 50 percent this late in the game, when everyone knows what she is all about, shows us that it is unlikely she will get a majority of the votes on election day. Meanwhile, half of the people surveyed are still forming their opinions about Gary Trauner. Gary has the resources to get his message to these voters over the next three weeks - which is ...continue reading

What an exciting weekend full of Wyoming political news! We've got debates, we've got polls, we've got endorsements. First off, we had the debates in Casper yesterday among the candidates for governor, U.S. House, and U.S. Senate. Here are the links to the news articles that the Casper Star-Tribune published about the debates: - Governor debate: Gov. Dave Freudenthal talks about his impressive record of earning bipartisan support for accomplishments that move Wyoming forward, both today and for our future, including the Hathaway Scholarship program, the Business-Ready Communities program, the Wildlife Trust Fund, and school capital construction, to name a few. Meanwhile, his opponent exposes himself as one of the few people across the state who just doesn't get it. - U.S. House debate: Gary Trauner offers the state a MUCH-NEEDED CHANGE from politics as usual in our congressional representation, while the crowd can't contain its laughter at Barbara Cubin's ridiculous ...continue reading

The Casper Star-Tribune has a nice story today on Dale Groutage's campaign , in which a reporter followed him around while he campaigned in Cheyenne recently. Dale raises several issues people need to keep in mind this campaign season: - Our country is off-course. - Our government is dysfunctional. - A culture of corruption controls Congress. - The federal government represents special interests, not you and me. The bottom line: People want a change. And this year, that is exactly what our party has to offer.

Barbara Cubin and a fellow congressional Republican visited F.E. Warren Air Force Base to campaign for Cubin yesterday, presumably at taxpayer expense, during something billed as "an official congressional delegation visit," according to this story in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle . The story points out that Cubin's traveling partner, Rep. Terry Everett of Alabama, took a Nancy Pelosi quote out of context. Trauner rightfully pointed out that people don't spend time worrying about who the next House speaker will be, but they DO care about the war in Iraq, health care, and the price of gas. Then, Cubin makes the prepostrous statement that people are not interested in and don't want to hear about the war in Iraq, to which Trauner replies that it makes no sense to say people don't care about a war our country is actively engaged in. Oh, Cubin also wrongfully claims she has voted for every possible bill to benefit our troops, but the Tribune-Eagle reporter notes that she indeed skipped a ...continue reading

Our state's current U.S. senators and representative earned a notorious distinction this week by being ranked the worst congressional delegation in the United States when it comes to protecting our environment . Despite the fact that pretty much everyone who lives here says Wyoming's uniquely beautiful environment is one of the main reasons why they like living here, Barbara Cubin, Craig Thomas and Mike Enzi do not seem to share our values. I hope this message gets through to enough people to make some changes in our delegation this year.

I didn't notice a lot of politics news skimming through the papers today, so I'll link to the Associated Press story on Wyoming's new lawsuit over wolf management . It sounds like the state may yet one day get its day in court over whether the feds had the right to reject our wolf management plan. My concerns about the success of the wolf reintroduction program were put to rest one night a few years ago when I heard one of the nation's top wolf scientists speak on the issue in Cheyenne. He was one of those the federal government had hired to review Wyoming's plan. Almost every scientist said our plan, in conjunction with Montana's and Idaho's plans, was a scientifically sound strategy for wolf recovery, including the guy who visited Cheyenne. He said three things that stick with me. 1) He didn't personally like Wyoming's plan, because he is a fan of wolves and wants them to recover as quickly as possible. 2) In his work for the federal government, despite his personal feelings about ...continue reading

Wyoming Republican Party leadership provided further evidence Monday that it is totally bereft of useful ideas by issuing a press release stating that Gov. Freudenthal is a Democrat. This is so inane on so many levels it's hard to know where to start. Apparently, the Wyoming GOP leadership's approach is to insult the intelligence of Wyoming's voters by assuming that they will blindly vote for everyone with an "R" next to their name on the ballot, when the fact is that Wyoming's voters have a proud history of independence and voting for the best candidate in every election. The GOP's press release then launches a "criticism" of Gov. Dave by reporting that he has given money to past respected state leaders like former Gov. Mike Sullivan and former Secretary of State Kathy Karpan, as well as Democratic presidential candidates. At the same time, as the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reports, gubernatorial challenger Ray Hunkins has also donated money to Guv Suv and Kathy Karpan , leaving ...continue reading

Wyoming Public Radio will broadcast a debate tonight at 7 p.m. between Gov. Freudenthal and challenger Ray Hunkins. The debate took place in real time Monday night at a convention of Wyoming's travel, hospitality, merchants and liquor dealers' associations in Cody. Public Radio's Renny MacKay is the moderator.  This Casper Star-Tribune article lists the frequencies for Wyoming Public Radio across the state, if you want to tune in.

Here are the first extended public comments from Gary Trauner and Barbara Cubin on the Foley scandal and the House Republican leadership's handling of it. Trauner is right: this situation needs to be investigated, and anyone who knew what was going on and failed to fix the problem needs to be held accountable. This is a serious issue that should not be politicized, yet some are trying to do just that by suggesting that this information was released for political reasons. The facts so far are that the only people who were aware of the problem were House Republican leaders, and they covered it up - pointedly not sharing this information with any Democrats. For them now to blame someone else for blowing their cover-up is prepostrous. Here are many more details of the story from CNN.com.

I don't know all the details of what is going on behind the scenes here, but I bet 99 percent of the public is glad to see that Wyoming 8th District Judge Keith Kautz restored public access to Hawk Springs Reservoir in south Goshen County. This isn't exactly an election story, but it's a pretty interesting political one. As Gov. Freudenthal points out, "Hunters, anglers and everyone who enjoys the outdoors have every right to access a public recreation site that was purchased and maintained with their tax dollars."

On Thursday October 12, the Fremont County Democratic Party is hosting a volunteer rally at the Lander Arts Center on Main avenue.   Live music, catered food, and speeches from Gary Trauner for US Congress and Dale Groutage for US Senate. The Fremont County Democratic and Republican party have set a new precedent of bi-partisan cooperation by co-hosting a forum with county commissioner candidates.  To be held on Wednesday October 11 at The Inn Lander Best Western, 200 Grand View Avenue, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Come out from the mountains wilderness lovers.  Join the energized Democratic Party in Lander, and help make a difference in America.

Craig Thomas gave the Casper Star-Tribune this insight into the kind of litmus test he thinks we need to govern our country by vowing to use his power to assure that no Democrat will be appointed to the seat on the U.S. District Court bench being vacated by Judge Clarence Brimmer. By contrast, remember  Gov. Dave Freudenthal's thoughts on similar matters , which he shared with the audience when he announced his reelection bid in May: Governor Freudenthal stressed that during the past four years he put partisanship aside and emphasized participation and progress when working with the Republican dominated Legislature. He also emphasized that "seldom do I know and never care how someone is registered when I read their letter or talk with them. Problems and opportunities do not come labeled as Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent, or unregistered. Whether appointments to state agencies and boards or task forces, the key has been to look for people ...continue reading

I've managed to gather some of the details of the major debates taking place this campaign season. There seem to be two big ones. The first will be held Sunday, Oct. 15, in Casper, sponsored by the Casper Star-Tribune and KCWY-TV, Casper's Channel 13. In addition, Wyoming Public Television is sponsoring a series of debates Sunday, Oct. 22, through Tuesday, Oct. 24. More details: The Star-Tribune/KCWY debate will be held in the Gertrude Krampert Theater at Casper College on Oct. 15. The event will be open to the public. The tentative schedule is for the gubernatorial candidates to start at noon, the U.S. Senate candidates to start at 1:15 p.m., and finally the U.S. House candidates at 3 p.m. Moderators will be Star-Tribune Editor Clark Walworth and KCWY News Director Shauna Bales. The newspaper and TV station will run subsequent news reports on the debates, but Channel 13 will also tape them and show them in their entirety over the next three Saturdays. KCWY ...continue reading

Casper Star-Tribune editor Clark Walworth recently offered this explanation for how Gary Trauner said something in July, the newspaper printed its version of his comments, and the Cubin campaign has misconstrued them ( I found this online here but not in the actual pages of the paper): A July story in the Star-Tribune regrettably has lent confusion rather than clarity to the U.S. House race. TV ads from Rep. Barbara Cubin accuse Democratic challenger Gary Trauner of advocating higher taxes and lower military spending. Trauner's campaign says that's not accurate. I wish I could give you a definitive explanation. But, like so much in politics, this issue swims in nuance. And our story, I'm sorry to admit, was less clear than it should have been. According to our story, Trauner held a press conference in which he called for making taxes "fair" to all economic classes. The story continued, "He said reversing a tax cut is not increasing taxes if the cut 'shouldn't have ...continue reading

The recent negative ad from Barbara Cubin's campaign doesn't square with reality, according to this report from Cheyenne's NewsChannel 5. The TV station did some quality research last week and concluded that the negative Cubin ad "doesn't check out." Her ad draws from a Casper Star-Tribune article that mischaracterizes Gary Trauner's position on the Bush tax cuts and military spending. This is, sadly, not a new practice for the Cubin campaign. In her first race for Congress in 1994, the campaign ran a television ad accusing her opponent, an attorney, of having once represented a certain notorious character. When her opponent denied that he had represented the notorious character, AND the notorious character's real attorney affirmatively stated that Cubin's opponent had nothing to do with the case, the Cubin campaign said they stood by the ad, although it had been proven conclusively that it was false. If Cubin intends to run her campaign that way again this year, we must make ...continue reading

There have been a couple news items relating to the governor's race in the past few days, so I thought I'd mention them here. The newest one comes from yesterday regarding the candidates' positions on abortion. The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle published this story , which is about the same as the AP's story here (from the Casper Star-Tribune).  Ray Hunkins, understandably overcome with emotion at the birth of twin granddaughters, decided he wanted to make a statement about his pro-life position, but as the stories point out, he refused to say anything about what that would mean to his governorship. So really, what was the point? By contrast, Gov. Freudenthal pointed out the obvious fact that a candidate's stance on the issue is irrelevant unless voters know what that candidate might do with it from the standpoint of governing. Gov. Dave added that Wyoming's current laws "are a fair compromise on strongly-held beliefs in the state," and he advocates leaving them the way they are. ...continue reading

Senate hopeful Dale Groutage held a press conference yesterday in Cheyenne and got a couple of good pieces of news coverage out of it. Although Dale's press conference was intended primarily to shed light on the fact that Craig Thomas is trying to avoid debating him, the Associated Press seems to have been in a wolfish state of mind, so they ran this story, spreading Dale's message on Endangered Species Act reform. Part of the story hits on a recurring theme of this election year: Do you ever notice that the Republicans are constantly blaming Democrats for the fact that the Republicans haven't gotten anything done in Congress, although the Republicans control both chambers as well as the White House? It is time for voters to hold them accountable. Meanwhile, the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle printed this story , which focused on the initial topic of Groutage's press conference, namely that Craig Thomas is doing everything he can to keep from debating Groutage. And Barbara Cubin is ...continue reading

This week, USA Today published this story about the gains Democrats have been making in the West over the past few years. It notes Gov. Freudenthal's win in 2002 and Gary Trauner's strong U.S. House run this year. It also lists a few other races this year in which Democrats are looking good in the Rocky Mountain region. In semi-related news, the popular blog Daily Kos has entries on Wyoming's House race here and here . In the second one, blog author Markos points out some of the issues on which Republicans in Congress are losing support of conservatives, such as the budget deficit, government growth, states' rights and congressional pay raises. These are NOT the same people who took control of the U.S. House in 1994. They've changed.

Two good pieces of news reported in the Casper Star-Tribune (via the AP) , the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle , and various newspapers, radio stations and TV stations across the state. First of all, Barbara Cubin is running scared in the U.S. House race. She admitted in a letter to Republicans that she's nervous. As such, she has decided to start spreading falsehoods about Gary Trauner's positions, both in the letter and quite possibly through a "push poll," a tactic in which a candidate conducts telemarketing to spread false rumors about one's opponent. Two things about these stories are telling. First, the Cubin campaign is intentionally trying to deceive the public about Gary's positions on the issues, such as gun ownership and tax cuts. The thing is, when the Cubin camp is caught trying to deceive people, they won't rescind their deceptive comments. It's as if they can't handle the truth, because the truth will put Gary Trauner in Congress, so they try to continue living in ...continue reading

We want to hear what ticks you off. And we want to know how you would fix it. As a community, what can we do to make Wyoming a better place? Jennie Blackton will be in Southern Wyoming during the first week of May to lead workshops for Democratic grassroots activists. Jennie is a nationally recognized trainer, who coaches political candidates in public speaking. She’ll help us organize to strengthen our community. Laramie Workshop - Monday, May 1, 2006 Albany County Public Library 8th Street and Grand Avenue Monday, May 1, 2006 7:30 PM (follows monthly county central committee meeting at 6:30 PM) Rock Springs Workshop - Wednesday, May 3, 2006 Room 1005 Western Wyoming Community College Wednesday, May 3, 2006 7:00 PM You don’t need to be a candidate to attend this workshop. Whether you’re running for office or just hoping to make a difference, you’ll gain new tools and have fun. So come join the Wyoming ...continue reading

Gary Trauner's U.S. House campaign is making waves on the national political scene! That's no small feat being a Democrat in a "red" state running against a Republican incumbent. First, here's a story from Congressional Quarterly from over the weekend: http://www.cqpolitics.com/2006/04/wy_atlarge_wellfunded_trauner.html And then today, the Democratic National Committee, which doesn't exactly spend a lot of time, energy or resources focusing on Wyoming, put this on the front page of its Website today (Monday): http://www.democrats.org/ If that page doesn't still feature Gary, the full story is at: http://www.democrats.org/a/2006/04/wy-at_large_con.php Nice to start off the week with some good news as our activists across the state gear up for this Saturday's Democratic Vision Canvass . It sure feels like the momentum is swinging our way in so many different areas right now. Let's hope we can keep it up through November!   ...continue reading

In Newcastle over the weekend, 30-40 Weston county democrats gathered to visit with Governor Dave, who took time to answer their questions on topics ranging from healthcare to wildlife.  State party officials stayed on with the Weston dems to discuss supporting their organization.  The group decided that Kaydee will soon return to Newcastle to help them organize a door to door canvass as outreach to the 900 registered democrats in the area.

Just as he did four years ago, Gov. Dave Freudenthal held press conferences Monday in his hometown of Thermopolis, Casper and Cheyenne to formally announce his intention to seek another four years in office. I attended the Casper announcement at the Parkway Plaza Hotel, and there were more than 100 people there to show their support for "four more years," as some of them periodically chanted. The governor began his remarks by noting how many people in the audience have "picked up the oar and helped move Wyoming forward," stressing that he couldn't have accomplished very much without the active involvement of so many other people. He recalled several of the issues he focused on in his first campaign for governor four years ago. Among those were open government, water storage, a wildlife trust fund, a Business Ready Communities program, increased tourism, economic diversification, strengthening environmental protection agencies, and increased commitments to education and to ...continue reading

In my elation that the legislative session has ended and the post-session work that ensued and the Wyoming Cowboys' Mountain West Conference tournament championship basketball game Saturday night (what a heart-breaking loss!), I somehow forgot to post a blog entry on Saturday's activities. So I'll update you now. I began the morning at the Laramie County Democratic Party Convention at the Hitching Post. The first part of the morning was dedicated to candidate speeches. We heard from first lady Nancy Freudenthal, on behalf of the governor, who has not yet made his candidacy for a second four-year term official. We also heard from U.S. Senate candidate Dale Groutage and some potential local candidates, and we saw a video presentation from U.S. House candidate Gary Trauner. Mrs. Freudenthal talked about the legislative session and many of the good things that happened this year thanks to the work of Democrats. She said it is sad that legislators had to be backed into a corner, ...continue reading

Over the past week I attended the Sheridan and Fremont county conventions, both well-attended by active and concerned local citizens.  The platforms of the county parties were thoughtfully deliberated, as people sought to define and refine government procedure, articulate their values, and outline their vision.   I am currently working on the field strategy by inputting all grassroots volunteer information into our central PT database, for future use in activities, canvassing, and campaign targeting. This week I will also mobilize and assist those precinct leaders inclined to take leadership roles over teams of volunteers.

Well, THIS was a laid-back day, legislation-wise, though not entirely without drama. That's to be expected, as we're into the tail end of the session, but not yet at the tip of the tail. That is to say, the leadership finally decided they will meet again tomorrow (Saturday) for what I am confident will be the last day of the 2006 budget session (and, barring a special session between now and January, the last day of the 58th Wyoming Legislature). Lawmakers spent a lot of time taking breaks today, some of which were filled with entertainment. In between, they carried on with the signing of enrolled acts (bills that passed both chambers), votes on conference committee reports (compromise versions of bills), and one veto override. The main thing I was waiting for today didn't happen - not completely. The compromise version of House Bill 92, the quality child care bill, came up for a vote in the House (it passed), but not in the Senate. I spent the day on the Senate side. It appears to ...continue reading

Sorry for this oh-so-brief and oh-so-late blog post, but somehow my life is getting busier as the budget session is starting to wind down. Among the biggest news of the day was that Gov. Freudenthal issued his first veto of the session Thursday. He vetoed Senate File 5, which would specify that legislators' communications with their staff, constituents and consultants don't have to be disclosed. In his message accompanying his veto, the governor said the measure "creates curtains of secrecy at the expense of the average citizen. ... We are all proud of the privilege of service granted us by the citizens of Wyoming. Why then should that honor be exercised in secret? This bill suggests that in a democracy, the citizen operates on a need-to-know basis and each legislator decides what they need to know." We'll see today (Friday) if the Legislature attempts to or succeeds at overriding his veto. Lawmakers need two-thirds support in both houses to force the bill into law without ...continue reading

First things first: the compromise version of the budget bill easily passed both chambers of the Legislature today and has headed to Gov. Freudenthal's desk. My understanding is that he has told lawmakers he will try to take action on the bill by Friday, so the Legislature doesn't have to remain in session on Saturday to find out whether the governor vetoes any part of the budget. I haven't received any indication that he plans to use his line-item veto on anything in the bill, but we should know for sure sometime on Friday. House Bill 92, the quality child care bill, barely cleared third reading in the Senate, 17-13, but only after senators adopted several amendments that leaves the legislation in rather odd shape. Last week, the House had scaled back the program to spend a year and $1.4 million setting it up and postpone its implementation for a year, which restricted the other $12.9 million in the bill. But today, the Senate moved the program from the Department of Family ...continue reading

  The 10 budget conference committee members finally wrapped up their work about 5:30 p.m. this evening after starting their day at 8 a.m. So tomorrow, both chambers will cast votes on the compromise version of the budget bill. If either side votes not to adopt the compromise version, another conference committee will be appointed, a "free committee," which will be able to change any part of the budget in hopes of coming up with something that will pass in both chambers. But I don't see anything in the compromise budget version that should imperil the budget in either chamber. Plus, legislators want to go home. Yesterday, there was talk of extending the session into Saturday, the idea being that lawmakers would get the budget bill to Gov. Freudenthal's desk tomorrow (Wednesday), he would have three days to act on it, and the Legislature would have a chance to override any line-item vetoes he might issue. But apparently, the governor told the legislative leadership that he ...continue reading

Just a quick note to say that our Nellie Tayloe Ross Banquet on Saturday at the Hitching Post was fabulous. Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack gave a wonderful keynote address, talking mainly about the importance of community. "The current policies of our national government are undermining our sense of community," Vilsack said. He pointed out how our nation is at war, yet we aren't making any sacrifices. In fact, the richest people in our country are paying less in taxes now than they were before 9/11. "Americans know this is not right," Vilsack said. Our nation needs leadership with integrity. We should be the safest place on earth. We need a healthy, self-reliant economy, and we should feel no fear of sharing, to increase our sense of community. Those were among Gov. Vilsack's comments. His speech got rave reviews from many of the people who heard it. His biggest line of applause came when he said Congress should not take another pay raise until our representatives there balance the ...continue reading

Today, the budget conference committee began its work. Members got about halfway through the budget, and they continue tomorrow (Tuesday) at 8 a.m. Highlights from the first day included the Wildlife Trust Fund and the food tax exemption. As for the food tax exemption, it went like all the other identical amendments that cleared both chambers. All of those were adopted, so that means the grocery tax exemption will be in the budget version that goes back to both chambers. So far, so good. As for the Wildlife Trust Fund, the budget conference committee basically took a compromise position on that. The Senate had voted to put $36.5 million into the trust fund, $3 million on which was for a "challenge" account that would match donations from private donors. The House position was $23 million, with $3 million for the challenge account. The conference committee went with $28 million, $3 million of which would be for the challenge account. Gov. Freudenthal had requested $35 million for ...continue reading

The budget bill cleared both chambers of the Legislature today on third reading, setting the stage for the next step in the process: the budget joint conference committee. More on the conference committee in a moment. One of the biggest stories of the budget's final reading in the House and Senate was what DIDN'T happen. Neither chamber amended the language that takes the sales tax off groceries for two years. So the conference committee will quite likely approve that language in its compromise version of the budget that the committee will create next week. As was the case Thursday, there were gobs of proposed budget amendments in both chambers today, and both chambers worked past 5 p.m. to get through the budget and some of the other work they had before them. I couldn't tell you - there are probably not 10 people on earth who could - where each chamber's version of the budget stands right now on every issue (although this information can be gleaned from the Legislature's Web ...continue reading

They did it! Both the House and Senate adopted budget amendments today to remove the sales tax on groceries for two years. These votes took place near the end of the longest day yet of the 2006 budget session. The House voted first, after about 20 minutes of debate. Rep. Ann Robinson, D-Casper, the primary sponsor of the amendment to remove the tax on groceries, told her colleagues that the amendment offered them a genuine chance to improve the lives of Wyoming's people. "Tonight, we have a tremendous opportunity to pass legislation that will have a truly positive impact on the very Wyoming families that we were sent here to represent," she said. She added that the move would give a family of four between $287 and $518 of tax relief per year, and if lawmakers lift the tax on groceries, they will be able to tell their constituents that they listened to them and did something to improve their lives. Rep. George Bagby, D-Rawlins, also spoke briefly in favor of Robinson's amendment, ...continue reading

Eliminating the state sales tax on groceries is emerging as perhaps the biggest issue of the Legislature's 2006 budget session, and tomorrow (Thursday) will be a pivotal day for the idea. Casper Democrat Ann Robinson in the House and Casper Republican John Barrasso in the Senate are planning to introduce budget amendments tomorrow to lift the tax off food. If the amendment succeeds in both the House and Senate, that will give clear direction to the conference committee that will meet next week to work out the differences between the versions of the budget that clear both chambers. That scenario would give the tax cut an excellent chance of taking effect. If the amendment passes in only one chamber but not the other, then it will be a bargaining issue for the conference committee, and its chances of taking effect are anybody's guess. If the amendment fails in both chambers, that will just be depressing. Tomorrow is a pivotal day for the issue, but by no means is it the last word. ...continue reading

I think the big news today was the debate between the executive branch and legislative branch over tax cuts. In case you haven't heard, our state government is dealing with a massive budget surplus, enough to fund government at its current levels and still have enough left over to pay for the state General Fund share of state government for another two years. Of course, Gov. Freudenthal's budget recommendations would use some of that extra money to invest in the people of this state. He also proposed substantial amounts of savings, including $415 million into the state's "rainy day account," which is formally called the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account, which would bring that account's balance to $500 million. Another $600 million-plus will automatically flow into the Permanent Wyoming Minerals Trust Fund. In his State of the State address, Gov. Freudenthal asked legislators to make good on a 11-year-old promise to reduce the state sales tax by a half of a cent if ...continue reading

Legislators began their budget work today, but it wasn't as exciting as it's going to get. I focused on the Senate, where they had all of four amendments on their first reading of the budget, and they were all "technical amendments," according to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman John Hines, R-Gillette, who sponsored all four amendments. That means the amendments weren't very interesting as far as policy questions go. Tomorrow (Tuesday), they'll continue with first reading of the budget in the Senate. Most of what it involves is different members of the Appropriations Committee describing each of the agencies' budget requests. So apparently, they won't get to second reading of the budget in the Senate until Wednesday, which is when we'll see the interesting amendments introduced for votes. I didn't listen to the House work on the budget today, but I understand that they didn't get very far either. However, unlike the Senate, the House apparently is entertaining amendments ...continue reading

We've reached the halfway mark of the 20-day budget session, and to tell the truth, we haven't seen a lot of fireworks so far. Not that that's a bad thing. When we see, as I said, "fireworks," what that means is that people's passions and emotions can become larger factors in the decision-making process, and they can wind up making different decisions than they might otherwise under calmer conditions. We could consider ourselves lucky that we don't have doctors and lawyers at each others' throats this year, and we don't have federal officials holding emergency meetings about wolves while our legislative and executive branch officials grow increasingly impatient. And mainly, we can be grateful that lawmakers aren't strapped for cash just to keep the government afloat for another two years. That situation can make things very intense and very difficult for everyone involved in the session very quickly. Instead, part of the public debate this year is over what kind of tax relief to give ...continue reading

You've got to give Rep. Ann Robinson credit for trying. Thursday, the Casper Democrat resorted to a rarely-if-ever used procedural maneuver to revive House Bill 117, the "heat and eat" bill that would remove the sales tax from groceries and home utility bills. After the House Revenue Committee voted 5-4 against sending the bill forward to the full House, Rep. Robinson asked the full House to trump the committee's recommendation and bring the bill back to life. And it almost worked - "almost" being the key word. The House voted 33-25 against reviving the bill. All 14 House Democrats voted to bring the bill back, but they were joined by just 11 of the 46 House Republicans. Two Republicans were excused from the vote. Because of the two excused absences, The bill needed 31 votes to make it onto the floor of the full House, but sadly, it fell six votes short. Rep. Robinson said she is not about to give up on the idea. "We need to keep the issue before the Legislature as often as we ...continue reading

Several pieces of legislation were the focus of much of the discussion during the House Democrats' caucus today. Naturally, this being a budget session, part of the talk focused on the budget. Specifically, the number of new government positions in the budget, which is about 780. Chris Boswell, a former House Democrat himself and now Gov. Freudenthal's chief of staff, explained how the vast bulk of those positions are either A) related to the opening of a new prison in Torrington (that's more than half the jobs right there), or B) positions that already exist but, for technical reasons, could not be listed in state agencies' "standard budgets," and so they show up in the documents as new positions. About 50 more are related to increased mineral development in the state, a development that makes our communities - and state coffers - richer in many ways, but one that also requires increased manpower to handle. The point was that, at first glance, 780 new government jobs seems like ...continue reading

I guess this will qualify as the first slightly depressing post I've made this session (which is slightly odd). Today, Rep. Ann Robinson's "heat and eat" bill, as several people around the Capitol Building were calling it, died on a 5-4 committee vote. This was House Bill 117, which would have eliminated the sales tax on groceries permanently and would have suspended the sales tax on home utility bills for two years. Both Democrats on the House Revenue Committee, Reps. Mary Meyer Gilmore of Casper and John Hastert of Green River, voted for the bill, but only two of the panel's seven Republicans joined them. I don't know right off hand if there's another bill this session to drop the sales tax on home heating bills, but I'm pretty sure this was the only chance lawmakers will get this year to remove the sales tax from food. And, as they do every year, they decided against it. Wyoming is one of only about 12 states that tax groceries. For years, Democrats have fought in vain to remove ...continue reading

This is just part of the "fun." Sen. Kathryn Sessions, D-Cheyenne, specifically invited me to the Senate Judiciary Committee meeting this afternoon to see how the panel handled her bill on registration of sex offenders. Obviously, she was excited about her bill, which she and Attorney General Pat Crank said also had the support of the governor. Have you ever been to a legislative committee meeting? They can be a little trying. There were four bills on the agenda this afternoon. Sen. Sessions' bill was fourth. Third on the list was another sex offenders' registration bill, sponsored by Sen. Bruce Burns, R-Sheridan. And the first two were unrelated. Here's how it went. First up was a highly unexciting bill sponsored by Sen. Jayne Mockler, D-Cheyenne. It was about criminal background checks for firefighters and related emergency workers. I'll spare you the details, except to say that the FBI had an issue with a recent law the Legislature passed, so this was kind of a ...continue reading

Vice President Dick Cheney's address to the Legislature today struck a positive and bipartisan tone by all accounts, and it was well received by all of the Democrats in attendance who I talked to later in the day. Cheney began by expressing his appreciation for the warm welcome six days after his hunting accident that has been the main national news story all week, and he reported that his hunting partner's recovery is going well. "It's a wonderful experience to be greeted with such warmth by the leaders of our great state," Cheney said. "That's especially true when you've had a very long week. Thankfully Harry Whittington is on the mend and doing very well." Rep. Bill Thompson, D-Green River, said he led the applause when Cheney shared the good news about Whittington. Thompson also said a lot of people in Wyoming who hunt and fish may have had close calls, and they recognize the inherent dangers in those kinds of activities. Thompson also said it's time for an end to people ...continue reading

Let me start off with just a tad about today's legislative business before I get into the REAL talk of the town: the vice president's visit. Some of this year's more eagerly anticipated votes for introduction took place today on a swarm of bills that could give people relief in the form of tax breaks or expanded financial assistance in this era of massive state government surplus and massive utility costs. A good number of these bills received the required two-thirds support to get introduced into the budget session. One of these bills is House Bill 105, low income energy assistance program, sponsored by Cheyenne Democrats Wayne Reese in the House and Kathy Sessions in the Senate. It would expand eligibility for the program to people with incomes at or below 250 percent of the poverty level. Democrats have supported ideas like this for years, but now that energy costs are hitting record highs, this may be an idea whose time has come. Another bill, HB 117, consumer tax relief, is ...continue reading

The budget session is beginning to hit its stride. Enough bills have now been introduced that most of the committees have enough work to keep them busy during their scheduled meetings. And Wednesday was the first day that the full House or Senate got their first looks at some bills that have made it out of committee. These weren't exactly what you would call "high-visibility legislation." The House discussed three bills related to workers' compensation, while the Senate had eight bills on various topics (such as electrical board membership and drivers' education course certification). This is not unusual. Legislators generally start their sessions off with less controversial or difficult topics, and they save the more heavy lifting for after they've had a few days to warm up. Still, in a 20-day budget session, there always seems to wind up being more work to do than human beings can do in that time, so things can get quite intense by, say, the middle of Week Two. This is ...continue reading

And we're off! The 58th Legislature's 2006 budget session kicked off at 10 a.m. yesterday, highlighted by Gov. Freudenthal's State of the State address. Speeches by the governor and legislative leaders were the main events of the day, sprinkled with some choral entertainment. By the day's end, legislators had begun the laborious process of bill introduction, a topic that deserves its own paragraph. During budget sessions (even-numbered years), every bill except for the budget bill needs to survive a two-thirds vote in either the Senate or House to even be introduced into the session. The idea is that our lawmakers should spend this session only on the budget bill and other issues that are of immediate importance. The reality is that hundreds of bills are drafted, and each one comes up for an introductory vote. This means that a bill sponsor or supporter speaks in favor of the bill for a minute or so, and then there is a short time allowed for one legislator to offer a ...continue reading

I have just returned from several days of meetings and training sessions sponsored by the Democratic National Committee and the Association of State Democratic Chairs. It has been exciting to hear about the grassroots energy that state parties all across the country are witnessing. Almost every state has stories to tell like Kaydee's. With growing numbers of activists and volunteers spread out in precincts across Wyoming and the United States, 2006 really does look like a good year for Democrats. I also wanted to tell folks who might be reading our blog about what's on the horizon for the state party. In case you haven't read it other places on the blog, let me mention that we will be hosting our annual Nellie Tayloe Ross Banquet in Cheyenne on March 4th. The keynote speaker for the event, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, is frequently mentioned as a potential 2008 presidential candidate. Vilsack was twice elected as the Governor of Iowa. During that ...continue reading

On Wednesday, February 1st, in Laramie WY on the UW campus, Deanna Frey of the Wyoming Children's Action Alliance came to speak at the Grassroots meeting on behalf of House Bill 92, "Quality Childcare." The Federal Reserve Bank conducted a multi-year research on economic stimuli that are most effective in spurring and sustaining a vibrant economy.  Art Rolnick concludes that investment in early child development is the single wisest investment for economic growth. House Bill 92 contains the following items: 1) rate all of the early child-care providers across Wyoming according to a five-star system 2) Invest in training and education of early child-care providers 3) subsidize the early child care programs up to the national standard of "quality" childcare. House Bill 92 is asking for 14 million during the upcoming budget session. They will have to negotiate money with the competing education proposal of the Hathaway scholarship. At the conclusion of last ...continue reading

You may have noticed that the Casper Star-Tribune is publishing the results this week of major polling the paper conducted recently, and there is plenty of good news in there for Democrats to celebrate. First, Gov. Dave Freudenthal's job performance was rated as good or excellent by 81 percent of the people surveyed. This is in line with the tracking poll of SurveyUSA.com, which shows the governor's job approval rating consistently in the mid-60s for the bulk of the past year. Meanwhile, Democratic U.S. House candidate Gary Trauner and U.S. Senate candidate Dale Groutage, who are just at the beginning of year-long campaigns against incumbents, are starting out with solid bases of support, and we can only expect that support to grow as people learn more about Gary and Dale while they travel the state to meet with voters. The poll also shows that education and the economy are the top two issues people most frequently mentioned when asked what they thought the single most important ...continue reading

The grassroots meetings of January 23- 31 in Sheridan, Casper,  and Cheyenne saw the participation numbers more than double since the first meeting in late 2005.  Old party activists, new residents, young people; including high school, college age, and young professionals.  Even registered Republicans turned out to listen to the Wyoming Democrats new grassroots strategy.  Representative Mary Gilmore spoke about the legislative session to her constituents in Casper, and Senators Mockler and Sessions, and Representatives Reese and Esquibel addressed the plenary in Cheyenne.  These Wyoming legislators discussed the implications of saving more of the budget than constitutionally required.  They also spoke about energy and education bills in depth. The grassroots meeting further mobilized those present to write letters to the editor. Dozens of participants pledged at the meeting to write to the paper about issues they felt were important ...continue reading

January 23 meeting in Sheridan: Participants in the grassroots meetings more than doubled since the first meeting.   High school and young professionals began trickling into the field meetings.  Participants openly discussed their points of view in realms of local, state and and national concern.  Throughout the course of the meeting, participants proposed to hold a community forum on points of pertinent political concern in a central, community environment.  The points of dicussion will primarily concern the contested seats in the upcoming election.

*********** Grassroots Field Organization, Democratic Party: Phase II Date: Monday January 23rd Time: 6:30 - 8 p.m. Where: Inner Circle in the Fulmer Public Library   1.. "What's at Stake" in the upcoming legislative session: analysis by State Executive Director Kyle DeBeer   2.. Mini-workshop on writing effective letters-to-the-editor   3.  Identify leadership for Sheridan county Young dems chapter   4.. Brainstorm on community service activities the month of April   5.  Political feedback and discussion among participants

The meeting with longtime party activists in Jackson was inspiring and positive.  Convened in front of a fire at Leslie and Hank's beautiful home, former social workers, foreign correspondants, environmental justice and conservation lawyers and scientists, substance abuse cases caseworkers and founders of equality-inspired NGOs, all discussed what's at stake for Wyoming and the nation. From this point, we will work to develop active precinct teams, and foster a youth contingent. 

Last year, Rep. Barbara Cubin supported changes to the 1872 Mining Law, which would have opened thousands of acres of public land to potential private development. The proposed changes were roundly condemned by Western politicians, including Wyoming Senator Craig Thomas, also a Republican. Now Congress is considering another scheme that would force the sale of millions of acres of the public lands managed by the Department of the Interior (except for National Parks and tribal lands). Given her past positions, I wasn't surprised to see Cubin listed a co-sponsor of the legislation. Now, Cubin is seeking to distance herself from the bill. To that end, her spokesman has offered a couple of different explanations. First, he claimed that it was all a mistake: WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., said Monday that she is mistakenly listed as a cosponsor of a bill that would sell off millions of acres of public lands in the West to raise money ...continue reading

The first year of our field program targets seven counties.  Those include Teton, Natrona, Albany, Laramie, Sheridan, Fremont, and Sweetwater. As of this week, I will have visited all of them for the introductory and initiatory phase I.  This month, I look forward to revisiting each county for phase II, including an issue-by-issue discussion of the upcoming legislative session, and a mini-workshop on writing letters to the editor. I have enjoyed getting to know the active players and the local specificities in all seven counties.  I look forward to the growth of our meetings and projects, and making new friends!  I'll see you in your town!

That's the question that the Casper Star-Tribune recently posed to their readers and 56 state leaders. Some of us at the state party also wrote into the paper to offer our thoughts on what Wyoming needs in the year ahead. Mike Gierau (our chairman) wrote about small business promotion. Nancy Drummond (our vice chairman) focused on equality in pay . And I commented on the need to help young adults who want to start a family in Wyoming. We would like to know what you think too. What does Wyoming need in 2006? What should the state's top two or three priorities be? Tell us in the comments section!

If you've met Nancy Drummond, it won't come as a surprise that she was named the 2005 Volunteer of the Year by the Sheridan Chamber of Commerce. (You can find her bio here .) Nancy gives an incredible amount of time and energy in community service. At the moment, she is a member of her local school board. She delivers hot meals to senior four days a week for meals on wheels. She has been a Chamber Ambassador for over twenty years in Sheridan. And, of course, she is active in the Democratic Party at the county, state, and national levels. Congratulations, Nancy!

Earlier this week, Bill Luckett (our communication's director), Kaydee Dahlin (our field director), and I got together to talk about where the state party is headed and what projects are on the radar for the start of the next year. One thing that the three of us agreed on was the need to let people know what is happening at the state party. To that end, we are starting this blog for the Wyoming Democratic Party . At least once each week, Bill, Kaydee and I will try to give you an insider's view of state party politics. We'll tell you about the folks we meet as we travel around the state and the projects that we're working on. Some of our more recent posts will appear on the homepage of the party's website, and you can read all of our posts by clicking on the link to the "Official Blog" on the left-hand side of the homepage. We also expect to be joined from time to time by members of the state party's executive committee, elected Democrats, candidates, ...continue reading

Washington, D.C. – On the eve of Memorial Day Weekend, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Terry McAuliffe was joined at a press conference by several Veterans to highlight George W. Bush’s plan to cut nearly $1 billion from the Department of Veterans Affairs – should he win a second term in November. “This weekend, we as a nation will honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in their service to our country,” DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe said today. “And while now more than ever, we should ensure that promises made to our Veterans are promises kept, we discover that President Bush has a secret plan that far from honors those who served. In fact, he actually has a secret plan to ambush America’s Veterans if he wins in November.” An internal White House memo surfaced yesterday revealing that the Bush Administration quietly notified various government agencies that should Bush win a second term he would cut spending for virtually all agencies in ...continue reading

Since the Bush Administration took office, Wyoming's working families are worse off. Here a few of the ways in which the failed policies of George W. Bush and Barbara Cubin have hurt Wyoming's working families: 1,300 of Wyoming's workers have lost their unemployment benefits since January 2004. 42 percent of Wyoming taxpayers will receive less than $100 from the latest Bush tax cut in 2004. Wyoming's families face a rising share of the national debt burden - $20,449 over the next six years. 22,000 Wyoming children were abandoned by Bush and left out of the Child Tax Credit. 86,000 Wyoming residents have no health insurance - up 11.3% under Bush. 6,700 Wyoming seniors are worse off under Bush's Medicare Prescription Plan. The complete report, The State of Wyoming Under President Bush , is available by clicking HERE . ...continue reading