I've got plenty of serious commentary on the progress of the campaign — which I'll get to soon enough. But why bemoan, when you can just laugh your arse off:
And then there's this one, from CNN… I'm not sure which is more amusing: Ben Stein (a major Republican strategist — and a man with a delightful cameo in Ferris Buehler's Day Off) gobsmacked by the choice of Palin — or the CNN talking head stunned at Stein's candor!
Showing posts with label elections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elections. Show all posts
Friday, September 05, 2008
Monday, August 04, 2008
Obama, Obama, Obama… That's all McCain Ever Talks about!
The Boston Globe recently indexed the official blogs for the presidential campaigns of both McCain and Obama. From the index, they created a word cloud for each. And wouldn't you know it… everyone's talking about just one man.Hat tip: Marbury.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
I Voted!
Okay, folks... time to belly-up to the bar. Time to be heard... to do your civic duty. Time to vote.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Yes We Can
Please watch:
http://www.dipdive.com/
Then, tomorrow (Tuesday), please vote.
If you're in Salt Lake County, you can find your polling place, here:
https://secure.slco.org/cl/elections/index.cfm
http://www.dipdive.com/
Then, tomorrow (Tuesday), please vote.
If you're in Salt Lake County, you can find your polling place, here:
https://secure.slco.org/cl/elections/index.cfm
Friday, November 02, 2007
I Voted Early... You Should Too
Here in Salt Lake county — as, I'm certain, it is in many parts of the country — it's possible to go to designated early-voter polling stations and cast your ballot. So I found out where I could vote early, and headed down and cast my ballot.
Election night (next Tuesday, November 6th) is, of course, the traditional time to vote. But why risk not voting because some emergency or other? Why fight the crowds? I voted early in the primaries... I did it again in the generals… and I'll likely vote early every chance I'm given.
So how'd I cast my ballot? Well, I spoke at-length before on the options, here's where it all fell:
Salt Lake City Mayor — I voted for Ralph Becker
Salt Lake City Council, District 4 — Luke Garrott
Vouchers — Against
Safety Department Bond — For
On the District 4 seat, I voted for change. It was a tough call, and I won't be in mourning if Nancy is reelected. On vouchers, I was only mildly against them until I went to a pro-voucher open house hosted by a dear friend. It was there that my mind was set against the whole program. I wish I weren't running out the door, or I'd spend more time on the issue. Maybe I'll revisit it tonight.
So there you go: I voted early, and you should too!
Today's the last day for early voting in Salt Lake county, but your own locality may be different.
Monday, September 10, 2007
I Voted Early!
It's primary season across the state of Utah, and in Salt Lake City, there are two races that have my attention. Mayor and City Council District 4. Districts 2 and 6 are also open, but they're not my concern.
I've already discussed the hard time I've had choosing who'll get my vote this year… and now, well, now I've pulled the lever.
For mayor, Ralph Becker has my vote. He's a little more progressive than I am, but he's even-headed and will do (I pray) a fine job. In the end, I just couldn't get over Keith Christensen's money trail or a smattering of other issues. Buehler and Wilson never had my votes — one's too conservative and the other doesn't have the depth of experience nor the grasp of the issues needed for a mayor.
For City Council, I voted for Brian Doughty. I haven't decided whether I want him as my final vote — but I definitely want him in to stay in the running while I make up my mind. It's a hard race, really. Councilwoman Saxton lost my vote a while ago when it was made apparent that we have differing opinions on several key issues. Which leaves me with Garrott and Doughty. Luke Garrott has the chops, for certain, but he's got a rep for being caustic — and that won't fly on the council. Brian Doughty doesn't have the policy experience I'd prefer, but he's got the personal skills you just can't pick-up on the job.
So there you go.
To find out where you should be voting tomorrow, check the Salt Lake City Votes site. For other municipalities, you'll need to check with your County Clerk (PDF, sorry).
And here's a how-to site for using the state's electronic balloting machines.
UPDATE: You probably already know this, but for mayor, Becker and Buehler have moved on to the general elections... and in the 4th district, Saxton and Garrott have advanced. I'm happy to see — at least among primary voters — overwhelming support for Becker... Bewildered that Nancy did as well as she did… Sad that Brian didn't advance. He had a strong showing, though, for having no name recognition. That's little consolation, though.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
So... Who Are You Voting For?
It's coming up on election time in Salt Lake City — primaries are September 11th — and I'm still completely at a loss this year. Now, I'm hardly the political neophyte. I'm active in local politics and was publicist for a candidate running for the US House a while back. But this year is going to be tough for me...
The candidate pools for Mayor and for City Council District Four are — how shall I put it — uninspiring.
Now I stick by the comment I made over at Pete Ashdown's site a while back, that the caliber of candidates I see in Utah elections is — time and again — exceptional. In fact, except for the rarest of cases (Senator Chris Buttars, I'm looking at you) our elected representatives comport themselves with dignity and execute their duties with grace and skill. They are exemplars of citizen government. Now, I don't agree with all of their policies, but nor do I fear that Utah will soon become Louisiana or California. So, while I'm uninspired, I'm not exactly in sackcloth and ashes.
So what's my beef?
Let's take the Mayor's race. There are currently four viable candidates: Becker, Buhler, Christensen, and Wilson. Each are vying for office in a city whose liberal leanings have nothing on Berkeley California, but are still way left for Utah. Moreover, each must contend with Mayor Anderson's considerable (and contentious) legacy. Salt Lake City is — whether you like it or not — a profoundly different place than it was just eight years ago. And that's in large part due to Rocky's leadership and his leadership style. I don't envy the next mayor — who must rebuild the myriad bridges singed, burned, or completely incinerated by this administration… or who must attempt to own and enlarge upon the amazing greening of city government that Rocky fostered. The shoes left to fill are both large and uncomfortable.
Ralph Becker — Ralph has the political experience needed to navigate city government, and the planning and policy experience to do it well. But his politics are a little too progressive for me and he lacks the personal warmth that will make conveying his policy vision to the public and his allies/adversaries on the City Council, on the Hill, and in the County Government difficult. In short, he's a gifted policy wonk who comes off a little, um, cold.
Dave Buhler — Dave is running as the Mormon-friendly "anti-Rocky". I don't much care for his politics, but his approach seems genuine. He's a Big Money Republican… and I think that's because he truly believes in that approach. He'll do well with the Hill because he's one of them. And he's known to be a good administrator. I don't fear his politics because his vision for Salt Lake City will likely be tempered by the City Council and a heavy-hitting, vocal, and persuasive activist community.
Keith Christensen — Keith is warm and approachable and knows the issues. He has the administrative chops for the office and the connections to make rebuilding bridges, if not easy, at least manageable. He's also, inexplicably, the hand-picked successor to Mayor Anderson. On the other hand, he's Big Money's favorite. And whereas Dave's approach to Big Money seems to be genuine (if just a little doctrinaire), Keith's approach lacks that "fresh-laundered feeling". To be blunt, with Keith I feel like I'm being snookered — but it feels so good.
Jenny Wilson — Jenny comes across as an import with MADE IN TAIWAN stamped on her back side — which is odd, as she has deep roots in the city (her father was a beloved Salt Lake City mayor in his day).
Jenny recently returned to the valley after doing time in the hallowed halls of academia and cutting her teeth on the fringes of Big Name™ politics — followed by a short stint in the County Council. With such an impressive resume and all the fashionable slightly-left-of-center sound bites, you'd think she was the Second Coming (and looking at the polls, others certainly seem to think that, too). But she doesn't know the district, is a zero on the issues, doesn't have the substantive experience needed to be a solid mayor, and fails to impress when asked the simplest questions in forum after forum. She is a shell of a candidate just aching for someone else to pull the strings.
… So there you go. I'm stuck between Becker and Christensen. Not a terrible place. But I'd rather, well… I'd rather have someone I can actually root for — not just vote for.
For another's perspective, you should check-out the answers to Pete Ashdown's questionnaire given by Becker, Buhler, Christensen, and Wilson. In the end, Pete endorses Ralph Becker.
Of course, this isn't just a mayoral race.
Three City Council chairs are up for re-election, including District Four — which is my district. In that race there are five candidates: Brian Doughty, Carol Goode, Luke Garrott, Jack Gray, and the incumbent Nancy Saxton. Goode and Gray have both run previously (I believe several times, each, actually), but I've yet to see any campaign literature. So it's hard to judge them, except to say that they don't appear to be viable candidates.
I've been lucky enough to speak at-length with each of the other candidates. Yet, as with our mayoral candidates, I'm at a loss. Each have their strengths — but in this year's election, I'm finding it difficult to overlook any of their deficiencies.
Brian Doughty — Brian is a good-natured man with a solid head on his shoulders. He's running because it's a chance for him to make the world a little better. And I like that about him. But he has absolutely no experience and his grasp of the issues is tentative. If this were a smaller town's council seat in question, I'd vote for him in a heart-beat. But he's not prepared for the big time. Put him on a city board or a community council and he'll be ready to run in a couple years.
Luke Garrott — Luke is a seasoned political junky, and a professor of political science at the U. He's passionate about serving and he's got a grassroots resume that should serve him well. But Luke lacks the finesse that's so important in the collaborative environment of the City Council… and the sense of decorum/chairos that might otherwise render his bite a little more, well, useful. We all appreciate the political bulldog… but this one isn't housebroken.
Nancy Saxton — Nancy has been in office for eight years. She knows how the machine works and she drives with two hands on the wheel. She is a consummate administrator and a savvy public servant with pluck. But she's dead-wrong on issues that are important to me. And not just a little wrong… on the handful of issues that mean a great deal to me, I oppose her almost completely and fail to fathom the logic she's used to come to her decisions.
So who do I vote for? The newbie that might be really good in two years… the wonk who's bound to alienate the people he needs to work with… or the savvy incumbent whose recent policy initiatives make no sense? I guess it's time to take my first impressions and my first round of homework and dig a little deeper...
Who are you voting for?
The candidate pools for Mayor and for City Council District Four are — how shall I put it — uninspiring.
Now I stick by the comment I made over at Pete Ashdown's site a while back, that the caliber of candidates I see in Utah elections is — time and again — exceptional. In fact, except for the rarest of cases (Senator Chris Buttars, I'm looking at you) our elected representatives comport themselves with dignity and execute their duties with grace and skill. They are exemplars of citizen government. Now, I don't agree with all of their policies, but nor do I fear that Utah will soon become Louisiana or California. So, while I'm uninspired, I'm not exactly in sackcloth and ashes.
So what's my beef?
Let's take the Mayor's race. There are currently four viable candidates: Becker, Buhler, Christensen, and Wilson. Each are vying for office in a city whose liberal leanings have nothing on Berkeley California, but are still way left for Utah. Moreover, each must contend with Mayor Anderson's considerable (and contentious) legacy. Salt Lake City is — whether you like it or not — a profoundly different place than it was just eight years ago. And that's in large part due to Rocky's leadership and his leadership style. I don't envy the next mayor — who must rebuild the myriad bridges singed, burned, or completely incinerated by this administration… or who must attempt to own and enlarge upon the amazing greening of city government that Rocky fostered. The shoes left to fill are both large and uncomfortable.
Ralph Becker — Ralph has the political experience needed to navigate city government, and the planning and policy experience to do it well. But his politics are a little too progressive for me and he lacks the personal warmth that will make conveying his policy vision to the public and his allies/adversaries on the City Council, on the Hill, and in the County Government difficult. In short, he's a gifted policy wonk who comes off a little, um, cold.
Dave Buhler — Dave is running as the Mormon-friendly "anti-Rocky". I don't much care for his politics, but his approach seems genuine. He's a Big Money Republican… and I think that's because he truly believes in that approach. He'll do well with the Hill because he's one of them. And he's known to be a good administrator. I don't fear his politics because his vision for Salt Lake City will likely be tempered by the City Council and a heavy-hitting, vocal, and persuasive activist community.
Keith Christensen — Keith is warm and approachable and knows the issues. He has the administrative chops for the office and the connections to make rebuilding bridges, if not easy, at least manageable. He's also, inexplicably, the hand-picked successor to Mayor Anderson. On the other hand, he's Big Money's favorite. And whereas Dave's approach to Big Money seems to be genuine (if just a little doctrinaire), Keith's approach lacks that "fresh-laundered feeling". To be blunt, with Keith I feel like I'm being snookered — but it feels so good.
Jenny Wilson — Jenny comes across as an import with MADE IN TAIWAN stamped on her back side — which is odd, as she has deep roots in the city (her father was a beloved Salt Lake City mayor in his day).
Jenny recently returned to the valley after doing time in the hallowed halls of academia and cutting her teeth on the fringes of Big Name™ politics — followed by a short stint in the County Council. With such an impressive resume and all the fashionable slightly-left-of-center sound bites, you'd think she was the Second Coming (and looking at the polls, others certainly seem to think that, too). But she doesn't know the district, is a zero on the issues, doesn't have the substantive experience needed to be a solid mayor, and fails to impress when asked the simplest questions in forum after forum. She is a shell of a candidate just aching for someone else to pull the strings.
… So there you go. I'm stuck between Becker and Christensen. Not a terrible place. But I'd rather, well… I'd rather have someone I can actually root for — not just vote for.
For another's perspective, you should check-out the answers to Pete Ashdown's questionnaire given by Becker, Buhler, Christensen, and Wilson. In the end, Pete endorses Ralph Becker.
Of course, this isn't just a mayoral race.
Three City Council chairs are up for re-election, including District Four — which is my district. In that race there are five candidates: Brian Doughty, Carol Goode, Luke Garrott, Jack Gray, and the incumbent Nancy Saxton. Goode and Gray have both run previously (I believe several times, each, actually), but I've yet to see any campaign literature. So it's hard to judge them, except to say that they don't appear to be viable candidates.
I've been lucky enough to speak at-length with each of the other candidates. Yet, as with our mayoral candidates, I'm at a loss. Each have their strengths — but in this year's election, I'm finding it difficult to overlook any of their deficiencies.
Brian Doughty — Brian is a good-natured man with a solid head on his shoulders. He's running because it's a chance for him to make the world a little better. And I like that about him. But he has absolutely no experience and his grasp of the issues is tentative. If this were a smaller town's council seat in question, I'd vote for him in a heart-beat. But he's not prepared for the big time. Put him on a city board or a community council and he'll be ready to run in a couple years.
Luke Garrott — Luke is a seasoned political junky, and a professor of political science at the U. He's passionate about serving and he's got a grassroots resume that should serve him well. But Luke lacks the finesse that's so important in the collaborative environment of the City Council… and the sense of decorum/chairos that might otherwise render his bite a little more, well, useful. We all appreciate the political bulldog… but this one isn't housebroken.
Nancy Saxton — Nancy has been in office for eight years. She knows how the machine works and she drives with two hands on the wheel. She is a consummate administrator and a savvy public servant with pluck. But she's dead-wrong on issues that are important to me. And not just a little wrong… on the handful of issues that mean a great deal to me, I oppose her almost completely and fail to fathom the logic she's used to come to her decisions.
So who do I vote for? The newbie that might be really good in two years… the wonk who's bound to alienate the people he needs to work with… or the savvy incumbent whose recent policy initiatives make no sense? I guess it's time to take my first impressions and my first round of homework and dig a little deeper...
Who are you voting for?
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Power to the People
So it looks like local start-up Politic2.0 is launching its next-generation political site this morning with an event they're billing as ConventionNext. Should be interesting to see how it works...
This is what I got in an e-mail from Daniel Holsinger, Politic2.0's president and founder:
This is what I got in an e-mail from Daniel Holsinger, Politic2.0's president and founder:
Politic 2.0 will host its first ConventionNEXT -- a forum for bloggers to interact with politicians.We have had a tremendous response from the local Utah political community. Congressman Chris Cannon is extremely excited to interact with bloggers. Off-site participants will be able view real time streaming video of the event and ask/vote questions.
1) Please Register at ConventionNext at Politic2.0
2) Apple's video/media player is required for streaming video.
The Agenda
8:50-9:00
Technology Overview, Introductions by Randall Bennett, VP Community
9:00-9:15
Congressman Chris Cannon remarks
9:15-10:15
Questions & Answers with Congressman facilitated by Daniel Holsinger, President/Founder of Politic2.0 Submitted Questions will be voted up/down by on-site/off-site participants (in real time). An alpha version of the question/voting system can be seen at conventionnext.politic20.com after 8:00PM Tuesday night.
( Our interactive question process uses a system like digg.com )
Daniel Holsinger, President of Politic 2.0 will moderate the questions from the voting system, working the questions from the top down. The system will continue to be live and as he finishes each topic, and he'll continue to ask questions from the top.
While this is going on, two other things will be happening:
The bloggers in the room and those paying attention on the net will be encouraged to write blog entries on each of the topics Congressman Cannon is addressing (instead of one big blog entry about the whole thing, although they can do that if they want).
These posts will be automatically discovered by TagJungle and reported to Politic20, causing them to automatically show up on Politic20.com under the topic that is being blogged about. Participants will also be strongly encouraged to participate in rating, writing and commenting on the Politic20 wiki pages about the event.
The event pages on Politic20 will have two columns; the left column will be the wiki side, showing sections for ratings, reviews, comments, discussions, etc. The right column will show the most recent blog posts that are relevant to the topic of the page you are on. TagJungle will also be harvesting links from all blog posts and will be providing Politic20 with lists of the most popular video, audio, documents and urls related to the topic you are viewing. These lists will be displayed above the blog posts from TagJungle.
10:15-10:30
Wrap-up and networking
10:30-11:00
Finish-up blog posts, talk with other bloggers, talk with us about Politic2.0, etc.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
I voted! (With Updates)
Have you?
I'm in district 2228, and I voted at the Multi-ethnic Senior Highrise, at 120 South 200 West — the pink building behind the Salt Palace:
US Senate ( At Large ): Pete Ashdown — Lost to Incumbant, *mumble*
US House ( District 1 ): Steve Olsen — Lost to Incumbant, *mumble*
State Senate ( District 2 ): Scott McCoy — Won
County Council ( At Large ): Janice Auger — Lost to Incumbant, Jim Bradley
County Clerk: Sherrie Swensen — Won
County Sheriff: Jim Winder — Won
District Attorney: Sim Gill — Lost to Lohra Miller
Judiciary: NO on Leslie A. Lewis — Austed
Constitutional Amendment Number 1 ( Tax Exemption ): FOR — Passed
Salt Lake County Prop 1 ( ZAP Projects ): FOR — Passed
Salt Lake County Prop 2 ( Open Space ): FOR — Passed
Salt Lake County Prop 3 ( TRAX & Transit ): FOR — Passed
And while I was there, I shot a few snapshots for the AIGA Polling Place Photo Project.
PS... If you're in Salt Lake County, the County Clerk's elections website is really really helpful.
I'm in district 2228, and I voted at the Multi-ethnic Senior Highrise, at 120 South 200 West — the pink building behind the Salt Palace:
US Senate ( At Large ): Pete Ashdown — Lost to Incumbant, *mumble*
US House ( District 1 ): Steve Olsen — Lost to Incumbant, *mumble*
State Senate ( District 2 ): Scott McCoy — Won
County Council ( At Large ): Janice Auger — Lost to Incumbant, Jim Bradley
County Clerk: Sherrie Swensen — Won
County Sheriff: Jim Winder — Won
District Attorney: Sim Gill — Lost to Lohra Miller
Judiciary: NO on Leslie A. Lewis — Austed
Constitutional Amendment Number 1 ( Tax Exemption ): FOR — Passed
Salt Lake County Prop 1 ( ZAP Projects ): FOR — Passed
Salt Lake County Prop 2 ( Open Space ): FOR — Passed
Salt Lake County Prop 3 ( TRAX & Transit ): FOR — Passed
And while I was there, I shot a few snapshots for the AIGA Polling Place Photo Project.
PS... If you're in Salt Lake County, the County Clerk's elections website is really really helpful.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Time to Vote!
Make a difference!
( Oh, PLEASE make a difference! )
Find polling places in Utah.
Find polling places throughout the US.
( Oh, PLEASE make a difference! )
Find polling places in Utah.
Find polling places throughout the US.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
On to Weightier Matters
I'm a little disgusted with myself.
You see, when I started this blog, I had a mind to use it as a place for me to opine on some of the larger issues our society faces... and, if all went well, I hoped that my posts might foster some dialog. But I've only tackled a couple of larger issues ( being gay and Mormon, gay marriage ) in any depth — and off-site, no less! And the couple of times that I've discussed issues of import here ( Israel's opportunistic attacks on Lebanon, and America's lack of moral authority on the matter ), it's only been in passing.
I want to change that. So here goes: I'm going to raise a couple issues here that I'll address in the weeks to come — hoping that having this post out there will prod me to overcome my inertia.
You see, when I started this blog, I had a mind to use it as a place for me to opine on some of the larger issues our society faces... and, if all went well, I hoped that my posts might foster some dialog. But I've only tackled a couple of larger issues ( being gay and Mormon, gay marriage ) in any depth — and off-site, no less! And the couple of times that I've discussed issues of import here ( Israel's opportunistic attacks on Lebanon, and America's lack of moral authority on the matter ), it's only been in passing.
I want to change that. So here goes: I'm going to raise a couple issues here that I'll address in the weeks to come — hoping that having this post out there will prod me to overcome my inertia.
- National Security: This will likely be a several-part series... as it's a topic I've thought about for some time.
- Gay & Mormon: This is the essay I promised several months back that would revisit and fine-tune the ideas I put forward during my first guest blogging stint over at Nine Moons.
- Re-engaging the Electorate: This is an issue that's dear to my heart, and I'd like to chat about it, at length.
- The Power Matrix: I have a pet theory about how nation's operate that I've been noodling for nearly 15 years... I think it's time to let it see the light of day.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
A fourth congressional seat for Utah?
In a KUTV news story that just hit the wires, I learn that there is a bill in the US House of Representatives which would (among other things) give Utah the much-wished-for fourth congressional seat — but would leave it as an at-large seat until the next redistricting (which I assume means 2010, after the next census... though if Texas is taken as a harbinger of things-to-come, that doesn't necessarily hold-true).
At any rate, the article is short on details — including an HR number — so I have little to say.
My gut reaction is four-fold: it's about time that DC gets a representative; it's about time that Utah gets a fourth seat; something doesn't feel right about this, and it may be filled with nasties; and I don't know whether this will pass constitutional muster.
Comments?
(Does anyone have the HR number, so this can be read in-full?)
Thanks to Last Lemming for getting the HR number... here's the text of HR 2043.
At any rate, the article is short on details — including an HR number — so I have little to say.
My gut reaction is four-fold: it's about time that DC gets a representative; it's about time that Utah gets a fourth seat; something doesn't feel right about this, and it may be filled with nasties; and I don't know whether this will pass constitutional muster.
Comments?
Thanks to Last Lemming for getting the HR number... here's the text of HR 2043.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Off to the (2005) Races!
The Daily Herald has a listing of Utah County political races — including, of course, the Provo mayoral and council races.
Looks like it's time I start doing a little research.
: )
Looks like it's time I start doing a little research.
: )
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Senator Pete Ashdown
It's pretty early to be thinking these things... but I'm considering giving my vote in the 2006 Utah Senatorial Race to Pete Ashdown.
It's funny, I go to Pete's site from a link over at Ethan's blog, and take his little survey — which is mostly a tool for collecting contact information. No problem. So I get to the question of what issues matter most to me, and I jot down a few: privacy, intellectual property, national security, the patriot act, environment, and corporate welfare. Then I wander over to his issues page... and look what he has listed: copyright, economy, education, nuclear testing & weapons, privacy, patents & trademarks, and technology. It's a happy coincidence, sure... but one that piqued my interest.
More (I am certain) on this issue, in the months ahead.
It's funny, I go to Pete's site from a link over at Ethan's blog, and take his little survey — which is mostly a tool for collecting contact information. No problem. So I get to the question of what issues matter most to me, and I jot down a few: privacy, intellectual property, national security, the patriot act, environment, and corporate welfare. Then I wander over to his issues page... and look what he has listed: copyright, economy, education, nuclear testing & weapons, privacy, patents & trademarks, and technology. It's a happy coincidence, sure... but one that piqued my interest.
More (I am certain) on this issue, in the months ahead.
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