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Out of Context :
The Tribune's political writers' blog.
Corroon Coliseum?
Late Gov. Calvin L. Rampton got his name on the Salt Palace. So how about Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon's name on Real Salt Lake's soccer stadium? That was the tongue-in-cheek suggestion of Republican County Councilman Michael Jensen when debating whether Rampton -- Utah's chief cheerleader for tourism -- deserved name recognition on the Salt Palace Convention Center. Jensen didn't question the late Democratic governor's credentials -- "he was a great man and a great statesman," he said -- but he did wonder if the county was bestowing naming rights willy-nilly without a policy to determine worthiness. "Maybe we should name the [RSL] soccer stadium after you, Mr. Mayor," Jensen said, alluding to Corroon's smack-down of stadium funding earlier this year that elevated him from political obscurity to power player. But GOP Councilman Mark Crockett deflated the Democratic mayor's prospects. "While it would be nice to name it after the mayor," he said, "I think XanGo has paid for the rights." Not exactly. XanGo simply paid for the jersey promotions. So keep your head up, mayor, the stadium's naming rights are still up for grabs -- provided you can cough up about $2 million a year. -- Jeremiah Stettler
Cheney's double, super-secret trip
Vice President Dick Cheney will drop into Salt Lake City on Friday to speak to the Council for National Policy, a group so private even its members are encouraged not to mention the name. Ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will also address the group as will the Czech Republic president and Congressman Chris Cannon. But don't expect to see any coverage of the event as the meeting of hundreds of the nation's most powerful conservative activists is confidential. The council is a "private membership group whose meetings are closed to the media," director Steve Baldwin informed me this morning. But there is a bright side. Several readers have asked me why taxpayers should be footing the bill for Cheney to give what would be a political speech to a private group -- and the answer is, they aren't. "Taxpayers do not cover political activity costs," Cheney's office said this morning. Federal law restricts taxpayers from paying for any event held by a candidate for the Senate or House or political events unrelated to official business. So while you may see television images of Air Force Two on Friday, your tax dollars won't be paying for it to fly. Of course, there are ancillary costs which Joe and Jane Taxpayer ARE paying. Those include Secret Service protection, the Air Force 2 crew and personal staff of the VEEP. -- Thomas Burr
Easier Than Working
On Tuesday, award-winning Deseret Morning News columnist Doug Robinson "wrote" a column under the headline "Silly suit just makes miner look crazier," about Crandall Canyon mine co-owner Robert Murray's threat to file a defamation suit against a Penn State engineer who wrote a column in The Salt Lake Tribune, and the trade publication Coal Age. It was a bang-up piece of work, and immediately a front-runner for "2007 Best Use of The Cut-And-Paste-Function Award." The facts that Robinson sprinkled with his typical pithy asides were lifted from our story on Saturday, but he didn't bother with the uncomfortable step of crediting the original reporting. Robinson quotes Jane Connor, founder of Utah News Clips, who, he says "reports" that her company was swamped with calls from organizations who wanted a copy of the briefing and started referring to it as "How Not To Do A Press Conference 101." Actually, she didn't report that. I did. And Robinson jokes that "he didn't get his copy of Coal Age this month." But he still "saw an excerpt." Now where could he have seen an excerpt -- the same excerpt quoted in The Trib? He may not be getting his copy of Coal Age, but D-Rob's lucky he still gets The Trib. It makes his job a lot easier. -- Robert Gehrke
Drink one for Mitt
In Washington, even the bar scene is all about politics. So it isn't a surprise that a D.C. hotspot charged up its menu with cocktails named for the 2008 candidates. The Lotus Lounge, located in the heart of lobbyist-filled K Street, features a Hillartini, a Cosmopolitan that is, like Hillary Clinton, "pink and feminine, yet strong and bold;" John McCain and his Straight Talk Express get a straight-up Martini; and Barack Obama has the "Obama-rama," made with Gray Goose O, Malibu rum, orange juice, cranberry and pineapple -- an ode to Obama's youth spent in Hawaii. Keeping with the theme, Utah's adopted son and Mormon Mitt Romney has "The Romney," a concoction of pineapple juice, cranberry juice and soda. There's no liquor in it though patrons can add a shot of vodka if they want. (Hat tip: www.brightestyoungthings.com) -- Thomas Burr
Voucher propaganda
As the debate over vouchers escalates in the run-up to the Nov. 6 referendum, the stupidity of the rhetoric may have already red lined. (Yeah, right.) In his lengthy essay on Utah education values, voucher-lovin' Paul Mero of the Sutherland Institute tenuously linked the American public school movement to the Ku Klux Klan. here A little over the top, you say? The Utah Democratic Party, which opposes vouchers, has launched on its blog a series of "facts" attacking vouchers. "Fact #2" connects education vouchers with "white-flight academies" that emerged in Virginia in the 1950s. Below a photograph of voucher supporters holding a sign at the Capitol is an archive photo of some bozos waving a Confederate flag. here It doesn't take an Imperial Wizard to recognize propaganda when he sees it. Somebody out there apparently thinks Utah voters are knuckleheads. -- Glen Warchol
Why settle for a Temple snow globe?
A foreign delegation from Kyrgyzstan recently visited Utah to learn how democracy works. Living in a country surrounded by nations with friendly names such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pauliewalnutsstan and the People's Republic of China -- the delegates' choice of a Utah keepsake to take home isn't surprising. A shotgun. The only problem is getting a firearm from Utah to central Asia isn't as easy as it might seem. The Good Ol' USA can hold its own against any runaway republic when it comes to bureaucracy and red tape. National Rifle Association lobbyist Clark Aposhian offered to lend a hand in navigating the mess that required clearance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Customs and the StateDepartment. On this end, the gun dealer had to have an export license. The State Department had to confirm a Kyrgyzs can possess a firearms. And Customs and ATF . . . well, say no more. "It was just one thing after another," Aposhian says. "I had never done it before and even the folks at ATF don't know the exact procedure." On the Senate blog, President John Valentine said, "We hope they take something good with them as they return to their beautiful country. Wonderful people." read it here. All we can say is, Fugetaboutit! "They didn"t go with their gun as far as I know," says Aposhian. -- Glen Warchol
It's the 'stache
Murray's Dan Snarr landed in the recent edition of Esquire magazine, one of several U.S. mayors featured in the hip men's publication. "It was because of the mustache -- I was the strangest of all the mayors," Snarr said in self-deprecating style. Perhaps the Old West handlebar mustache had something to do with it. At the time, Snarr was attending a national mayors convention near Hollywood. While other "hizzoners" wore suits and ties, Snarr stayed comfortable in a $15 Hawaiian shirt from Murray's Costco. "[Esquire] asked if I felt out of place. I said no; I felt like I was just being myself," Snarr said. The glossy magazine printed Snarr's political hero -- the leader of the LDS Church -- and the best thing to do in Murray -- hang out at Costco. "I joked about how I have a table over there and people meet me there to chat." As far as political heroes, Snarr felt the current pool has dried up. So he praised the LDS Church for the aid it spreads worldwide and talked up Gordon B. Hinckley, a former neighbor, as a leader he could respect. Appearing with the rich and famous in Esquire hasn't gone to Snarr's head. After all, this is the guy who personally sprays weeds along State Street to spruce up the city. "I'll tell you how cheap I am," Snarr grinned. "I didn't go buy a copy -- they mailed me one a couple of weeks after it came out." -- Cathy McKitrick
No respect on 9th & 9th
Praise for the purple lamps, new signposts and green benches was plentiful last weekend during the dedication of the revamped 9th & 9th retail district. Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson thanked all the forces that helped refurbish the popular corner as a street-festival crowd perused the booths on newly designed pavers. Except the mayor left out the City Council. And Councilwoman Nancy Saxton is livid. "That was disappointing to say the least," Saxton fumed at Tuesday's council meeting. "It was our baby. We were the ones who funded it." She went on to call the mayor's move "weak" and a "grave oversight." Saxton argued that she, along with council colleagues Jill Remington Love and Dave Buhler, fought for the makeover dollars and deserved to be recognized. In response, Anderson's chief of staff, Sam Guevara, noted the administration was not in charge of invitations. "That's not true," Saxton barked. Relations between Saxton and Anderson have been chilly for years. Perhaps surprising: There was no name-calling -- and no mention of Rodney Dangerfield. -- Derek P. Jensen
River of no respect
The poor Jordan River. Even at a gathering geared to help the much-maligned waterway, it still winds up suffering a few dings -- albeit inadvertently. It happened last week at the inaugural meeting of Blueprint Jordan River, a group consisting of various players seeking to establish long-term plans for the corridor that stretches from the Great Salt Lake in the north to Utah Lake in the south. As Envision Utah unveiled a series of logos for the project, some group members began to murmur. First, they pointed out that "Jordan" was misspelled; two of the four options read "Jordon River." Then one person noted that the river was not even the focus in any of the logos. Instead, they touted the mountains and a city skyline more than the waterway. And even when the group selected one of the four options, several people complained about the color scheme. The logo features a large, green glow in the foreground of the mountains. Some in the back of the room asked, "What's that supposed to be?" A few suggested it might be Tooele. "Maybe it's supposed to be EnergySolutions," said another. -- Steve Gehrke
When in Doubt, Blame the French
Apparently Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, couldn't help himself when he chaired a subcommittee hearing Tuesday about the Statute of Liberty. The National Park Service has not yet reopened the crown of the Statute of Liberty following the 9-11 terrorist attacks and Congress isn't too happy about it, according to an ABCNews.com story. The park service director said the crown's closure had nothing to do with terrorism, rather he was concerned about fire safety. Bishop's response: "So what you're telling me is the French did a lousy job in the design of the statute?" (For those who have no idea why this is kinda funny, the statue is a gift from France way back in the day.) -- Matt Canham
Flaunt it
We think the idea of displaying the VIP gifts from China is such swell idea that we'd like to carry it a bit further. Why not display all the gifts our lawmakers receive? What an education that would be for constituents! Imagine a display case containing touching handmade cards from elementary schools, bean portraits of Brigham Young, Jazz ticket stubs, golf score cards, Utes ticket stubs, menus from the New Yorker, Cougar ticket stubs, parade floats, a heap of key chains and pens and maybe a nondescript (and empty) envelope or two. -- Glen Warchol
Lead paint check!
At a recent meeting of the Utah International Trade Commission, lawmakers were tossing around ideas on what to do with the pile of gee-gaws their Chinese hosts bestowed upon them during their tour of Liaoning Province in July. Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Lehi, said the objects had educational value and pointed out, rightly, that the gifts, including commemorative plates, porcelain and wood elephants and other knickknacks, "were given to the people of the state." The committee is looking into displaying the treasures in the refurbished Capitol. Naturally, we couldn't wait to see our presents from China. Trade mission leader, Sen. Curt Bramble, graciously let us paw through a large cardboard box of China booty that was delivered to his office. Senate chief of staff Ric Cantrell was delighted to help, saying it "feels like being Indiana Jones -- I don't know if something's going to explode." Sadly, Indiana would have been disappointed. A few gaudy plates, a coin embedded in glass that looked suspiciously like an ash tray, a couple carved elephants -- those Commies obviously know how to suck up to Republicans -- and a red gizmo with artificial ivory on it that may or may not be a love toy -- Bramble wasn't sure. But here's the part that hurts, the box of goodies cost about $600 to ship back from China. -- Glen Warchol
Webb watch
Over at the Deseret Morning News, LaVarr Webb is at it again. Once more he is using his Sunday column to further the interests of his lobbyist business clients without disclosing the conflict. In the most recent column, with the title, "Voters, approve vouchers in November," Webb devotes the entire piece to saying why vouchers are good for public schools. Calling himself, public education's biggest fan, Webb laments the "ideological purity" that deludes the education establishment. Their voucher opposition -- "a near religious doctrine" -- crowds out facts and common sense, he says. Webb delivers a convincing, forceful argument for vouchers, coming across as an open-minded fellow who has considered all sides. Only problem -- he doesn't come clean with the fact he is a devout pro-voucher activist with business interests in the issue. Webb is listed in state corporate filings as a director of the pro-voucher group Parents for Choice in Education Inc. His Exoro lobbyist/political consulting group has in the past received thousands of dollars from the Parents for Choice political action committee. And his Utahpolicy.com web site has published paid advertorials promoting vouchers. Nothing wrong with any of that -- Except one thing. Deseret Morning News readers of the column aren't told about it. -- Dan Harrie
Start lighting candles
A class from the parochial school St. Vincent's was touring The Salt Lake Tribune's offices recently. When a reporter asked the young scholars for some background on the school's namesake -- was he a martyr? -- the kids gave him a blank look. A parent chaperone Paul Bruno helpfully supplied the answer: "He's the patron saint of vouchers." -- Glen Warchol
Super Orrin?
Utah's Orrin Hatch has a friend in Eleanor Holmes Norton, the non-voting delegate representing Washington, D.C. in the House. The two participated in a press conference vowing to fight on to get D.C. a voting seat in the House. Hatch jokingly commented that Norton, a Democrat, beat up on him regularly. Norton went even further in thanking Hatch for his support of D.C. voting rights. "I have to say again that Orrin Hatch is a superhero to me," she said. "Even though I haven't got him to vote right on another single bill." -- Matt Canham
Cloak and Swagger
Congressman Chris Cannon needs either a tailor or an editor -- or an editor cloaked as a tailor. Following President Bush's address to the nation last night, the Utah Republican warned against "retreat" from Iraq "cloaked" as strategy. On the other hand, the sooner we listen to General Petraeus, he says we can bring our troops home "cloaked in victory." So which is it? Is it good to be "cloaked" or not? The dictionary says "cloak" means something that covers or conceals, but it also means "dissemble; hide under a false appearance." It's also a loose outer garment. Can victory not be cloaked in strategy cloaked as retreat? And if so, is that retreat cloaked as victory? Or does it mean being "cloaked in victory" is the same thing as actually winning a war, in which case retreat would be cloaked as victory, thanks to a strategy of listening to Gen. Petraeus? One thing seems certain: U.S. soldiers will spend several more months cloaked in body armor. Here's the congressman's dispatch, which he probably sent from the House Cloak Room: "The American people are rightfully frustrated with the Maliki government and the slow pace of political progress in Iraq. However, the President clearly understands that retreat, no matter what euphemism it is cloaked in, is not a strategy. The fact is Iraq is the central front in the war against jihadism. For the sake of our children and our way of life, it is a war that we cannot afford to lose. The sooner the Democrat leadership starts listening to General Petraeus instead of kowtowing to moveon.org, the sooner we can bring the troops home cloaked in victory and assured that Al Qaeda knows that Americans will not accept defeat at the hands of extremism." -- Robert Gehrke
Scary
This just in from a new survey for the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center: Only one in seven Americans (15 percent) can correctly name John Roberts as Chief Justice of the United States. At the same time, two-thirds of Americans (66 percent) know at least one of the judges on the Fox television show American Idol. Survey results were released today in advance of Constitution Day, Monday. Maybe they should consider changing it to Idol Day. -- Dan Harrie
Hatch flip-flop
Sen. Orrin Hatch totally flip-flopped Wednesday on the Iraq War. But his reversal wasn't really about the military strategy now employed. Or his support for Gen. David Petraeus. Or his constant jabbing at Democrats who want to reduce the number of troops there. But he flip-flopped on the floor of the Senate just the same. Check this out: "We as Americans are known for asking 'what is the bottom line?'" Hatch said. "I believe we all know the sensible answer to that question. We must not yield. Mr. President, I yield the floor." Gotcha!!! -- Matt Canham
KSL's Dewey-defeats-Truman moment
KSL's Web site called Salt Lake City's mayoral race just minutes after the polls closed Tuesday, reporting that Ralph Becker and Jenny Wilson would duke it out in November. Only, Wilson lost. Oops. The daughter of former Mayor Ted Wilson slipped more than 1,000 votes behind second-place contender Dave Buhler late Tuesday to finish third. But you would have had to watch the poll numbers until 10:30 p.m. to learn of that outcome. KSL's blooper came just after 8 p.m. when the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office posted its absentee ballots and early-voting returns online. The station -- maybe misled by a glitch in the clerk's Web site showing that 100 percent of the city's precincts had reported -- scrambled for this scoop on the capital's winners. That early tally showed Becker topping the mayoral bunch with 32.75 percent of the vote. Wilson had with 29.29 percent followed by Buhler with 22.62 percent. But if the Eyewitness News team had looked a little closer, its writers might have realized that only 3,700 people had voted. That's just 3.9 percent of registered voters and 13.6 percent of the actual turnout in Tuesday's election. Or maybe the writers should have wondered about the vote tallies showing up just minutes after the polls closed (now that's efficiency -- even with the new electronic machines). But unlike the Dewey-defeats-Truman headline of Chicago Daily Tribune fame, KSL fixed its foul-up before broadcast. -- Jeremiah Stettler
Bradley plunges into pool politics
Salt Lake County Councilman Jim Bradley could be in toddler trouble. The councilman pooh-poohed his youngest constituents Tuesday, suggesting that the recent outbreak of a stomach-churning parasite known as cryptosporidium is reason enough to ban children younger than 5 from public pools. "The last thing we want is these huge assets (namely swimming pools) not being used," said Bradley, urging colleagues to consider an indefinite toddler swimming ban "very strongly." But the idea held little water among colleagues -- despite reports that the water-borne parasite has infected more than 1,300 Utahns this summer. They preferred more politically palatable solutions, such as super chlorination or ultra-violent light treatments. Ultimately, area health departments opted to extend the pool restrictions on the smallest swimmers for another two weeks. As for Bradley, he doesn't have much to worry about. His tiny constituents probably won't remember in 2021 that he once thought of leaving them high and dry. -- Jeremiah Stettler
Predictions For Deedee Day
Salt Lake City residents go to the polls today to narrow the field for the new mayor, but the old mayor has a somewhat surprising take on who will emerge from the primary. Former Mayor Deedee Corradini told me Tuesday that she expects Republican Dave Buhler to make it through today's primary election. Corradini beat Buhler when she ran for mayor in 1991. "I think Buhler will come out and either (Rep. Ralph) Becker or (Jenny) Wilson," Corradini said. She said she's seen it happen before, where Democratic competitors split the vote in the city and a Republican survives the primary. "I just have felt that a Republican would come out, even though it's a non-partisan election," Corradini said. -- Robert Gehrke
How Quickly They Turn
It's hard to know who your friends are these days. Take Bob Murray, for example. The Ohio mine owner got quite a scolding Sunday from the Deseret Morning News editorial page for not showing up at the first congressional hearing last week on the Crandall Canyon mine disaster. "Murray should have attended. His absence sent a troubling message about his own willingness to confront the facts at Crandall Canyon," the editorial board wrote. "It wasn't the first such message. . . . . In the first news conference, Murray seemed at least as concerned with absolving his company as with finding the lost miners." Whoa. Slow down there a second, folks. This is the same group of people that, on Aug. 14, praised Murray for being "refreshingly open," after the took reporters into the treacherous mine and let them experience a mine bounce first-hand. "His worn-on-the-sleeve emotions have been a comforting reminder that he and the rescuers care deeply about what they are doing," they gushed. "As for the tour he offered into the mine, we disagree that it was unprofessional. It was, instead, a welcomed glimpse into both the daunting nature of the operation and the feelings of those involved." It was, of course, two days later that another bump killed three rescuers and injured six others. Now the DNews says there are tough questions that Murray needs to answer. Of course, if you read that paper, you might not know what any of those questions are. -- Robert Gehrke
The blue and the Gray
Politics is a precarious business, just ask Salt Lake City Council candidate Jack Gray. Gray, a conservative running in a liberal-leaning, blue-hued capital, has chosen to keep his home address secret -- opting for a post office box instead -- to prevent political foul play. Just look at what happened to sitting Councilwoman Nancy Saxton, he said, whose Anderson Commons reception center burned in 2003 for undetermined reasons. So Gray -- whose chief campaign issue is deporting undocumented workers -- is watching his back. At least until Tuesday's primary election. He calls himself a "real alternative" to the four candidates in the race for Saxton's District 4 seat. If you don't believe it, take a look at his blog: www.jackgrayforcitycouncil.blogspot.com Here's a sneak peek: "If you don't like the far left running Salt Lake City with their anarchist-only public libraries, gay-pride rallies and anti-war rallies, it's time to vote for change. Vote for a veteran, vote Jack Gray." -- Jeremiah Stettler
Cannon conversion?
So, by now you've probably heard about Rep. Chris Cannon's summer tour preaching the virtues of nonproliferation to government officials in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan? Really? Odd. But nowhere near as bizarre as Cannon espousing nonproliferation, considering it was just more than two years ago that Cannon was supporting renewed nuclear testing in Nevada, development of nuclear bunker busters and using nuclear weapons as a deterrent against terrorist attacks. "To the degree that we have people blow up our skyscrapers and hiding underground we have to have the ability to respond to them," Cannon told me in March 2005. "I don't ever expect we'll end up using a bunker buster, but the other side needs to know that we have them." It should go beyond bunker busters, he went on, to include testing of the nation's nuclear stockpile. "What we really want here is deterrence. We want people to get out of their holes and into the democratic process and we want to scare them out," Cannon said. "We need to give them the fear of destruction and hopefully over time people will recognize that the democratic system works." Apparently, that was the old Chris Cannon with the itchy trigger finger. During his speech last week, Cannon said nuclear testing cost the lives of people across the West. But Kazakhstan's decision to disarm, he said, "should be a clarion call to those who would delude themselves into thinking that nuclear weapons represent a back door to legitimacy." Because only someone delusional would think nuclear weapons bring legitimacy, right? They are, of course, tools to instill fear in developing countries and show them how well democracy works. Once you've kicked in the front door, legitimacy is just an additional benefit. Hello. I am Borat. This is my congressman. He is third best congressman in all of Utah. -- Robert Gehrke
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