8/24-25/2008 Wyoming Democratic Party Daily News Roundup
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Sep 1, 2008 Posted by Lauri Elbing
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.
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 politically in the region if this week’s convention appears to pander to liberal interest groups at the expense of trumping opportunity and individual freedom. Udall, providing an example, signaled that a convention that was to push the need for more gun control could cause problems for Democrats running in the Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions. Udall said he likes Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s (D) idea of gun control, which he said the Montanan describes as: “You control your gun. I’ll control mine.” “With all due respect to my coastal friends, the Democratic Party in the Rocky Mountain is different,” Udall said. “If we were to fall into the discussion of some things we did in the ’90s — talking less about opportunity and less about the future and more about interest groups in the party — I think that would be a mistake, frankly.” Sen. Ken Salazar (Colo.) and other Democrats fought to bring the Democratic presidential nominating convention here specifically to appeal to Centennial State voters and to Mountain West voters in general. However, some Democrats running in that region of the country are purposely staying away from Denver this week so as not to be defined by Obama, who is perceived to be too liberal by many of the conservative-leaning independents these Democratic candidates are attempting to appeal to. Among those Democrats who are skipping Denver are businessman Walt Minnick, who is challenging Rep. Bill Sali in Idaho’s solidly Republican 1st district. Minnick faces an uphill climb, but has performed well on the campaign trail, raised more money than the incumbent, and is seen as having a legitimate chance of pulling off an upset. Retired Air Force officer Charlie Brown (D), running for the open seat in California’s 4th district, is also staying home this week, choosing to campaign rather than celebrate Obama’s coronation. California is not considered part of the Mountain West, but the 4th district is one of the most conservative in the country, and Brown will need all the help he can get to beat state Sen. Tom McClintock (R). Internet entrepreneur Gary Trauner (D) is running for Wyoming’s open at-large seat against former state Treasurer Cynthia Lummis (R). Wyoming remains staunchly conservative, but Trauner’s chances are at least good enough that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee put him on its “Red to Blue” list of candidates targeted for national party help. Last week, following Lummis’ victory in the GOP primary, Trauner’s campaign failed to return several telephone messages and e-mails asking whether the Democrat would be in Denver this week.
Dean Vows To Compete In 50 States
“Banging the gavel three times, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean this afternoon officially opened the 2008 Democratic National Convention, saying his party would use the week to make a strong case for a Barack Obama presidency.
***Chris Rothfuss: The Perfect Candidate You Never Heard Of Excellent article on Rothfuss! MUST READ!
“Rothfuss says he has a chance of unseating two-term U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi. Talk to him long enough and you may begin to believe it yourself…. "It is frustrating at times," he said. "I get the feeling if people actually got a chance to compare us – to look at his record and my positions – I'd do well in November. My problem is that I can't talk to 200,000 voters face-to-face, now can I?....”
Environmental Analysis of GOP Primary
“Casper -- If there was a single message from Wyoming's Republican voters in last Tuesday's lightly attended primary election for U.S. Representative, it might have been that moderation in the pursuit of oil and gas is no virtue, and extremism, no vice. And the allusion to Barry Goldwater's signature 1964 campaign sound bite, no accident….”
Surge In Voters Could Mean Election Frenzy
“A nation-wide political trend toward increased voting by voters younger than 30 and by unmarried women will drive record turnouts in November…”
Drilling Impact Statement Gets Public Response
“The BLM released its final environmental-impact statement & a proposed land-use plan for 1.7 million acres in Utah, one of the nation's most active energy-exploration areas….”
“Research shows an enormous amount of sediment contaminated by mining wastes is moving downstream after a Montana dam was breached….”
Editorial: Water Inquiry Welcomed
“The state engineer's office questioning on how groundwater is being used for coal-bed methane production in the Powder River Basin is a welcome necessity….”
“Uranium mining companies are starting to recruit a new work force as the demand for uranium begins to build….”
COLUMN: Convention coverage by Chad Baldwin (Editor)
“…Another opportunity has presented itself with the National Democratic Convention in Denver this week. Though it's not in Wyoming, it's close enough to demand our attention. In addition to today's advance coverage, we plan to send a reporter and a photographer to Denver for a day or two. As editor, I'm responsible for making sure our political coverage is balanced. I anticipate we'll get some grief for sending a reporter to Denver but not to more distant Minneapolis, site of the Republican National Convention next week, so I thought I should share some of the thoughts behind our plan. First, as I noted before, the Democratic convention's proximity to Wyoming is a major consideration. Proximity is a big factor in determining what is news. For example, a story about a tragic jet crash in Spain last week went on an inside page of the Star-Tribune, but it if had happened in Colorado, it probably would have been on the front page. (Note to you Dems out there: I'm not comparing the Democratic convention to a plane crash -- honest.) …”
COLUMN: Technology changes elections
“Technology is changing the face of politics and elections more and more. Everything is faster, more immediate. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama alerts his supporters to his choice of vice president through e-mail and text messaging. Text messaging clearly is one way to get the word out to lots of people instantly. The polling industry, meanwhile, is faced with the proliferation of people, particularly young people, who use cell phones exclusively -- no land lines with phone numbers in an easily accessible directory. In years past the waits for election returns at the courthouse could be long. In Cheyenne, a couple of rural districts were always the last ones to trail in. The outlier women election clerks, inevitably wearing tennis shoes, carried in the ballots in shoe boxes. Today, this seems quaint….”
FORUM: Finding a way forward on wolf management
LTE: Lies flourish into administrations by HAROLD BOVEE, Casper
I'm banking on voters being less gullible than they were four years ago. I think that the Kansas City Star editorial said it best: "Jerome Corsi's smears against Sen. Barack Obama are classic gutter politics: unsupported and sometimes ludicrous claims stated so boldly that gullible people may assume there must be something to them." Sadly, there will be millions of dollars spent on the hope that voters are so gullible that lies and innuendo will be more effective than facts and information. It worked for Bush. You want more of that mess?
LTE: Delegation fails everyone but patrons by MIKE CRAIG, Jackson
“Recently, Sens. Enzi and Barrasso and Rep. Cubin voted against a bill that would have given our military personnel a slight cost of living raise. The bill would have funded more mine resistant armored vehicles, research into brain injuries and suicide prevention -- all of these are desperately needed by our troops. When it comes to backing our troops they are long on talking the talk but fall hypocritically short when walking the walk. From lying this country into a war, to cutting veterans medical benefits, to veterans in rat infested VA hospitals, this president has shown nothing but contempt for those who serve, and our congressional delegation has been with him every step of the way. The Republicans kill every bill Congress brings up until their pro-big oil bill gets passed. That's right, the Republicans are holding our service personnel hostage until their master big oil gets its way. How many of our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan will be killed or wounded, brain-injured because of inadequate armor? Who knows, but our congressional delegation cares more about allowing offshore drilling than protecting our troops. Oh, they'll lie through their teeth why they did it but the record shows they voted against our troops, period, just like they voted against health insurance for poor kids. Utterly despicable. For too long Wyoming this totally morally bankrupt, anti-people, pro-big-corporation party have taken Wyoming voters for granted and for six years controlled all branches of government. During that time they lied us into a unnecessary war, undermined the dollar, let inflation run amok in the wake of record big oil profits, ran up a debt and totally destroyed this nation's moral credibility. Time and again these so-called representatives have voted against the interests of the people of Wyoming and nation, from our vets to our poor kids and against our environmental concerns for wildlife and clean air and water. After someone has betrayed you and taken you for granted for years on end, a time comes to when smart people say, enough! In this rigged two party system the Democratic Party is the only way we have to take the Republicans to task for having brought this country to where it is today. It's a nasty job but it has to be done; come November we have to change Washington's dirty diapers.”
Public is welcome at convention“Interested Wyoming residents will have plenty of opportunities to experience the Democratic Convention this week in Denver if they have the fortitude to brave the crowds. Free concerts, dozens of Hollywood celebrities and replicas of the Oval Office and Air Force One are among the offerings promised to those who venture into the city, said Rich Grant, communications director for the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. The public also may attend for the first time the daily delegate caucuses. Events about climate change, women’s issues and regional issues will take place at the Colorado Convention Center. More details can be found on the convention web site. "There’s going to be a lot of hoopla, and it’s only 100 miles away," said Grant, adding that information about limited remaining lodging is available at denver.org by clicking on the DNC link….”
Wyo Dems struggle to find Obama tickets
“For Democrats, the hottest ticket out there right now is for Sen. Barack Obama’s Thursday night presidential nomination speech at INVESCO Field in Denver. But getting one is proving tricky, even for well-connected Wyoming Democrats. INVESCO Field, home of the Denver Broncos, seats more than 75,000 people, but just 50 seats were reserved for Wyoming Democrats. "It hurts to have to say no to so many people, but we just don’t have the ability to get people in," said Bill Luckett, executive director of the Wyoming Democratic Party. "It’s really tough with the convention just up the road" in Denver. A spokeswoman for the Obama campaign said each state received a limited number of tickets to the speech, which was opened to the public for the first time this year. Rocky Mountain states got a higher prominence in the ticketing process than other states, but demand was extremely high and many were turned away, she said. More than 60,000 ticket requests were received in the initial 48 hours just from Colorado residents, who were promised more than half of the tickets. With such a small number of tickets to distribute, the scramble to secure one has been fierce. Wyoming Democrats have been calling the state party headquarters, the office of Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal and others rumored to have tickets. Most with little success. The state Democratic Party posted a notice at the top of its web site to preempt requests, but more than 100 have called anyway, including longtime party activists and appointed and elected officials, Luckett said. Michelle Sullivan, Obama's campaign coordinator in Wyoming, said each of the Wyoming Democratic Party’s 18 delegates received tickets for themselves and their spouses. Three tickets went to Gov. Dave Freudenthal’s office. Some of the remaining ones went to "key people who were representative of Wyoming and had been supportive of different efforts," Sullivan said. As of Thursday, former Wyoming Gov. Mike Sullivan, a Democrat, still did not have a ticket, even though Michelle Sullivan is his daughter. "If I get a ticket I’ll probably go, but I haven’t been falling on my sword to try to get them," Gov. Sullivan said. "I’m sure there are other people who would wish to go." There has been speculation that the Obama campaign purposely directed more tickets to other western states such as Colorado and Montana, which could play a decisive role in the November election. Wyoming’s three electoral votes are expected to go to Republican Sen. John McCain. Colorado residents received more than half of the tickets, according to the convention web site. A staff member at Obama’s campaign headquarters in Montana said that state received a "few dozen" tickets. She declined to provide a more specific number. Luckett said the campaign distributed tickets based on state population size, and no consideration was given to proximity to the convention. "Unfortunately, the state closest to Denver is the state with the lowest number of registered Democrats and the lowest population, and they have to be fair to everybody," Luckett said. "It’s just tough." Wyoming Democrats are not the only ones who won’t get a seat at the Thursday speeches. The Rocky Mountain News reported last week that some Coloradans were unhappy by what they perceived as favoritism in the ticket-allocation process. Some who signed up for tickets almost as soon as they were announced complained that they missed out, while others who volunteered for the campaign were granted access. A spokeswoman for the campaign insisted that the tickets were distributed in Colorado on a first-come-first-served basis, as advertised. She could not explain the complaints from those who applied for tickets soon after they were made public and did not get them, the Rocky Mountain News reported. The campaign also would not reveal how many would be set aside for volunteers or donors, the newspaper reported. Michelle Sullivan said Wyoming actually received a higher number of tickets relative to the number of convention delegates than some other states. She noted that all of Wyoming’s 18 delegates and spouses were offered tickets, while some states with 300 delegates received only 100 tickets. "They did their best, given their short time window, to figure out a way that was as even handed to everyone as they possibly could be, recognizing that they wanted to recognize Colorado and the people there hosting the convention," Sullivan said. ‘They’re really tried to be systematic to be fair to everyone,’ she added.”
Police arrest armed Wyoming man at Pelosi's hotel
“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was briefly evacuated from her downtown Denver hotel on Saturday when a man carrying two hunting rifles and two pistols tried to check in to the hotel.”
Wyo police patrol on horseback
CHEYENNE -- Officers from some smaller police departments in the West are saddling up to patrol the streets of Denver during this week's Democratic National Convention.
Uranium regulators prepare for mining rush
When PowerTech Uranium Corp. began drilling exploration wells in northern Colorado, landowners scrambled to gather baseline water quality information and to learn all they could about the in-situ leach uranium mining process being proposed throughout several western states.
Quest for statewide smoking ban continues
GILLETTE -- A coalition of health care workers and others will make another attempt at persuading the state Legislature to institute some type of statewide smoking ban.
Officials: NCAR layoffs shouldn't affect Cheyenne supercomputer
CHEYENNE n Budget problems at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., should not affect the proposed $60 million Cheyenne supercomputer project, officials said this week.
BLM labels wild horse adoption program a success
In a highly successful first-time competition, 26 formerly wild mustangs were adopted to suitable homes during the Wyoming Mustang Challenge, a program sponsored by the Mustang Heritage Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's Wild Horse and Burro program.
State program helps pay for procedure
“The Wyoming state Legislature saved her life, according to Patty Harper, a retired nurse of Mills. Harper said she knew she needed a colonoscopy, but as an uninsured woman on a fixed income, she would never be able to afford $4,000 for the colon cancer screening procedure. During the 2007 legislative session, the state set aside $1.2 million as part of the Wyoming Colorectal Cancer Early Detection Program to help low-income residents pay for colonoscopies. After making a few phone calls and filling out some light paperwork, Harper didn't pay for her colonoscopy. "I am very lucky I did it," Harper said. "They found a precancerous polyp and removed it. They saved me from having cancer…Since the program began in November, more than 350 Wyoming men and women have been screened for free. About 50 percent of those screened had polyps removed and about 76 of that group had precancerous polyps. About 52 percent of the eligible population, those 50 and older, receive a colonoscopy in Wyoming, which is just above the national average, Rogers said. The state hopes to reach 60 percent with the program. The program received another $1.2 million this summer to continue. There are about 205 Wyoming providers who work with the program and the state has paid about $600,000 to them….”
Reed Eckhardt Column: Lummis won't let Wyoming pedigree argument go away
Every fall about this time, my father-in-law in Louisiana rids his garage of mice, rats and other rodents. He sets traps and checks them on a regular basis, and before long he has a pretty good body count. The in-laws live near a bayou, and rodents easily find their way into the garage's shelter. Anyway, one of Big Jim's pleasures - whether out of simple curiosity or as a means of measuring population control - is to check out the rodents' "credentials." Male or female? And if male, just how "male" is the little fellow? Apparently this is where Wyoming politics now is headed too - to the checking of credentials. Or at least that appears to be the way that the winner of the Republican primary for U.S. House of Representatives, Cynthia Lummis of Cheyenne, wants it. Ideas? Political philosophies? Solutions to problems? To heck with all of that. Either you've got credentials or you don't. Of course, Ms. Lummis will tell you that she has them. And her Democratic opponent, Gary Trauner of Jackson Hole? Afraid not. He just doesn't, er, measure up. Said Ms. Lummis of Mr. Trauner, "It is very difficult for someone who was raised on the coasts, in dense urban areas ... to really have those rural values integrated fully into their psyche, into their soul." Here we go again, having the old tired Wyoming argument about pedigree. Apparently Ms. Lummis believes no one can represent this state in Washington, D.C., unless they are a native. It seems only someone born here can "really" know what is going on and know what is best for its people. What a bunch of baloney. Just when it looks like this state's leaders are beginning to pull the state into the 21st century, someone who would represent them to the rest of the world wants to pull it back to the 1800s again. This idea that only Wyomingites know Wyoming is ludicrous on its face, especially in a global economy where not only state, but national, boundaries have been erased. Indeed, the belief that Wyoming can continue to go its own way is just plain silly as the rest of the world quickly passes it by. Besides, Wyoming no longer is rural state, even if Ms. Lummis wants to pretend it is. For example, agriculture now makes up less than 5 percent of the state's gross domestic product. Meanwhile, all the issues of the 21st century have wormed their way into the fabric of Wyoming: energy development, sprawl, degradation of the environment, mediocre public schools, meth, gangs, even the war against terrorism. No rancher's daughter ever had to face any of that. Indeed, one could argue that anyone with a rural perspective is unprepared to even think about most of those, much less to deal with them. Given the present state of the world, it is silly for Ms. Lummis to perpetuate this old canard about having or not having a Wyoming pedigree. That means as much in 2008 as does, say, a candidate's gender. Besides, if Ms. Lummis is right, where does that leave U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, who is seeking election to the last four years of the late Sen. Craig Thomas' seat? Mr. Barrasso has lived in Wyoming just 25 years compared to Mr. Trauner's 18. Oh, that's right. Mr. Barrasso is a fellow party member. At least "Republican" and "rural" both start with an "r." It also would be fair to say that fresh ideas from outsiders can shake things up and get a state moving. Too often Wyoming is led by those who have sat only at the feet of the leaders who came before. While that provides continuity, it also causes politicians to reject new ways of thinking that might work here. No one is saying that describes Ms. Lummis - voters will need to figure that out for themselves. But for her to pretend that only Wyomingites can solve the problems of Wyoming, much less of America, shows the kind of hidebound thinking that will not do this state well in a global environment. Now that Ms. Lummis has gotten this foolishness out of the way, perhaps she can get down to the business of laying out what she believes and how she might solve the problems that are facing the state and nation. Clearly, Mr. Trauner brought fresh ideas to the state's voters two years ago, and they responded: He lost to retiring U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin by the thinnest of margins. He no doubt will get a similar response this go-round. The people of Wyoming deserve a debate on issues, not on credentials. That Ms. Lummis has chosen to launch her general election campaign on this sour note is not a good indicator they are going to get that. D. Reed Eckhardt is the executive editor. If you have thoughts on this column or anything else in the WTE, please contact him at: D. Reed Eckhardt, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, 702 W. Lincolnway, Cheyenne, WY 82001; or at (307) 633-3125; or at reckhardt@wyomingnews.com.
Casper Boomer Study Complete
“Researchers at the University of Wyoming have found that a large number of baby boomers in Casper do not have enough money to retire….”Injured workers face toughest test in Wyo.
“Wyoming pays some of the lowest death benefits in the country to families of workers killed on the job….”Branding... commentary from Chuck Twardy
“Remember the 1969 bestseller by Joe McGinniss "The Selling of the President?" They're at it again.. or still at it, depending upon your level of cynicism. Branding... commentary from Chuck Twardy…”Kennedy to appear, may speak at convention
“Ailing Sen. Edward M. Kennedy prepared to attend, and possibly speak at, the opening of the Democratic National Convention on Monday as Barack Obama unleashed a mocking ad seeking to link rival John McCain with President Bush and what it suggested were his failed economic policies….”
“Barack Obama says Joe Biden is ready to step in as president. He’s not bad in the role of attack dog, either, wasting no time gnawing at GOP rival John McCain. “He will have to figure out which of the seven kitchen tables to sit at” when considering his own economic future, Biden said — a blistering reference to McCain’s embarrassing admission, particularly during a period of financial turmoil, that he didn’t know how many homes he and his ultra-wealthy wife own….”
Wyoming Man Causes Trouble at DNC
“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was briefly evacuated from her downtown Denver hotel Saturday when a man carrying two hunting rifles and two pistols attempted to check into the hotel. Calanchini remained at the Denver City Jail Sunday on $10,000 bond. Authorities were investigating a report that Calanchini was in town on business and had the weapons worked upon, to prepare for an upcoming hunting trip.”Democratic National Convention Underway
The Mile Hi City is now the focus of the entire nation as the Democratic National Convention kicked off this afternoon. Newschannel 5’s Tom Livingston was with Wyoming’s delegates this morning.Ralph Nader To Appear On Wyoming Ballot
Ralph Nader will appear on the November ballot here in Wyoming.