Davis County Clipper: Did Obama’s world tour change the race?

Party Lines - Did Obama’s world tour change the race?
Clipper 29.JUL.08
By Rob Miller, Utah Democratic Vice Chair

Future President Barack Obama’s “World Tour” has not only been worthwhile, it has helped present a new direction for both America and our allies. Unilateralism has been relegated to the dust bin of history and Obama had the opportunity to offer a vision of a future built on cooperation that recognizes the reality that we are all part of a global economy with a common interest in tackling extremism, climate change, and nuclear proliferation, just to name a few.

Throughout this tour, Senator Obama has been able to express the values the world remembers America for. By acknowledging that we have sometimes stumbled, the Obama administration has shown its commitment to a path that does not include torture and violations of the Geneva Convention will not be tolerated. Obama does not offer excuses, rather he gives people around the world a chance to remember why they love our great nation.

In the spirit of JFK and Ronald Reagan, Obama was able to articulate our common love for freedom and appreciation for the rule of law essential to liberty; he is thus laying the foundation for a renewal in relations with other countries that have been sorely lacking over the past 7 1/2 years. Simply said, Senator Obama has not only been able to define what “Change” means to Americans, he has been able to define “Change” to the world. His reception in Berlin reaffirms that the world is not only listening, but is also embracing, a movement that will undoubtedly put our country and its allies back on the right track.

Proof that this positive vision is taking hold can be seen in a recent Gallup Poll Daily conducted from July 24-26 that shows that Barack Obama now leads John McCain among national registered voters by a 49 percent to 40 percent margin which makes sense given John McCain’s repeated references to Czechoslovakia — a country that has not existed since 1993, and let’s not forget McCain’s statement that Afghanistan borders Iraq when in fact it does not.

Our country is at a political crossroads and as a Davis County Democrat who became involved in politics due to the current state of affairs caused by one-Party domination locally, and the failed policies of the current national administration, I can whole heartedly say that I am delighted to endorse and sustain Barack Obama’s candidacy.

Although Barack Obama is running on the Democratic ticket it is my opinion that his leadership represents an opportunity for all Americans. His message transcends party affiliation and that’s why I don’t see Barack Obama simply as the “Democratic” candidate, but as our “American” candidate whose message of “Change” will undoubtedly put our nation back on track both locally and abroad.


Party Lines - Did Obama’s world tour change the race?
Clipper 29.JUL.08
by Todd Weiler, Utah Republican Vice Chair

When I heard Donnie Osmond belt out “Puppy Love” in the Conference Center over the weekend, I was reminded of the media’s man-crush on the junior senator from Illinois. When McCain visited the Middle East a few months ago, the media hardly took notice. Yawn. But when Obama’s foot touched ground in Iraq, the news anchors were live on the scene. As though Neil Armstrong had just landed on the moon or something.

Not surprisingly, the Europeans simply adore the most liberal senator in Washington. Especially the French, who have embraced his cut and run strategy for Iraq. After all, no one knows more about surrendering than the French. Let’s face it, if the election was to be held in Europe, McCain wouldn’t stand a chance. (They didn’t like Reagan either.) But back at home, Barack is slipping in the polls — he is in a statistical dead heat with McCain.

Don’t get me wrong. I readily admit that Barack looked good on the road. He attracted a crowd in Berlin that was reminiscent of Kennedy. Americans saw Obama meeting with world leaders, which obviously made him look more presidential. Since many Americans (like me) view Obama as inexperienced, he needs to convince the electorate that he is capable of leading the free world.

So if the trip went “very well” (Barack’s words, not mine), then why is he losing support? Like all rock stars, Obama looks good on a stage. But what happens when the lights go down?

Obama’s ego trip exposed a serious weakness: pride. Take the troop surge in Iraq. Obama voted against it last year. He said it was a big mistake, and would only lead to bigger problems in Iraq. But he was wrong. Anyone with a pulse can see that the surge has worked, and in a big way. So what does Obama say when he visited Iraq? He said if he had it all to do over again he would still vote against the surge. Wow. What kind of president will he be if he cannot admit when he has made a mistake?

Pride and inexperience are not Barack’s only problems. Voters are beginning to realize that Obama is big on rhetoric but little on substance. In other words, he is an empty suit.

And then there’s his politics. As the campaign intensifies over the next couple of months, America is going to realize that Obama is the most liberal candidate ever nominated for president, far more liberal than Kerry or Gore.

They will discover that when Obama says he wants “change”, he means he wants us to become more like the French. And that isn’t going to sit so well with middle America.

Davis County Clipper: What is behind Walker investigation

What is behind the Walker investigation?
Clipper 15.JUL.08
Rob Miller, Utah Democratic Vice Chair

The Walker investigation is the tip of the iceberg. For 30 years, Utah has been a one-party state. The Republicans have used their growing majorities to draw district lines to create as many safe GOP seats as possible and reduce areas where Democrats could be competitive. With total party dominance and guaranteed job security, the far right wing of the GOP has felt emboldened to impose its ideological will on Utahns whether they agree or not — and too many legislators have succumbed to the notion that power equals entitlement.

If you chair a committee that controls the flow of bills, why not put the arm on lobbyists and tell them that they’d better contribute money to your special project if they want their bills to see the light of day? After all, if you can’t use power to throw your weight around, what use is it?

The story of Rep. Walker’s $55,000 salary increase proposal to Richard Ellis if Ellis would drop out of the treasurer’s race is a classic example of power’s hubris-inducing dangers. According to Ellis, Walker told him that his (Walker’s) good friend “has assured me we can make this happen” and that it could be done in stages and covertly so that no one would know about it. Ellis blew the whistle and asked for an investigation. When the Lieutenant Governor declined to act, some legislators stepped forward and called for an ethics hearing.

Clearly, this was an instance where the corruptive use of power spilled into the media in a very public way, and what makes this episode unusual is that Walker had talked with so many people about his clever idea to eliminate an opponent that there were too many people in the know to cover it up, and there was also a paper trail of corroborative e-mail messages.

It’s fair to say that too many years of single-party rule have bred a culture of corruption, where powerful legislators feel they can do anything they wish. What’s really going on when a powerful legislator asks a lobbyist to make a campaign contribution to the legislator’s good friend? The rule says, “members of the House shall not use their official; position to secure privileges for themselves or others.” When that lobbyist has a bill in front of the Legislature that’s important to his employer, what’s the lobbyist going to do? Of course. Ask how much is wanted and write the check. This goes on all the time. It’s how pro-voucher legislators financed a pro-voucher political issue committee in 2007 to tell voters to pass the voucher bill.

Why do we, the voters, put up with this kind of unethical strong-arming? Because the perps like to keep it secret. Who, after all, will blow the whistle? The lobbyists who always need legislators’ votes? Not likely. Thank goodness, in the Walker case, five courageous legislators, three Democrats and two Republicans said, “if not us, who; and if not now, when?”

Walker had made many public statements denying any wrongdoing, but when it came time to deny it under oath and in response to several witnesses who had heard him speak candidly, he didn’t want to defend himself — and he didn’t want to answer questions about which other legislator — most likely in the GOP leadership — had said “we can make it happen.”

I’m a Democrat in Davis County, and we work hard to find qualified candidates who’ll uphold the public trust. The best antidote against legislative corruption is the check and balance of a strong, competitive two-party system. We used to have that in Utah, and government worked better for it.

What is behind the Walker investigation?
Clipper 15.JUL.08
By Todd Weiler, Utah Republican Vice Chair

It is easy to make a snap judgment when you just read about something or someone in the newspaper. “That guy is guilty. He ought to go to jail.” Or, “I think that guy is lying. I don’t believe a word he says.” That used to me. I was that guy. But my perspective has changed. The more involved I have become in politics, the more people I have met. As a result, I know just about all of the key players involved with the Mark Walker investigation.

Mark Walker and Richard Ellis are both great guys: friendly, personable and competent. As a Republican, I was proud to have them both on the ballot because the way I figured it, we would be in good hands no matter who won.

Then everything changed. In late May, Ellis claimed that Walker had offered him an illegal bribe in March, in the form of a job with a big pay raise, to drop out of the race.

Walker denied the allegation, and explained that he only intended to dispel the notion that he wouldn’t fire anyone in the Treasurer’s office if he was elected.

Ellis filed a complaint, and then a lawsuit. On June 24, he won the primary election in a landslide.

Walker resigned from his job during the campaign, lost the election, and now has resigned his seat in the Legislature.

Since Walker is the subject of a criminal investigation, there is no way his attorney was going to allow him to testify before the ethics committee. I don’t blame him for resigning his seat to avoid the hearing. Regardless of his guilt or innocence, he would have been foolish to ignore the advice of his counsel.

As strange as it may sound, much of this controversy is tied to vouchers. The anti-voucher crowd was backing Ellis.

The pro-voucher crowd was backing Walker. Even though the state treasurer has little or nothing to do with vouchers, the battle lines had been drawn.

This all stems back to the referendum on vouchers. When vouchers were defeated last November, the anti-voucher advocates were emboldened. They believed that they had finally shown that the “emperor had no clothes”. In their minds, it was proof that the conservatives in the Legislature had lost touch with the electorate.

This same anti-voucher crowd is now suing the state over the education omnibus bill that was passed earlier this year.

Since they successfully overturned vouchers last year, they decided to take a shot at overturning the omnibus bill this go round.

All of these battles have exposed a deep and bitter divide within the Utah legislature.

Although I cannot predict what will result from the Walker investigation, I am quite certain that this political war is far from over.

My Reverend Wright Speech

Utah Democratic Vice Chair, Rob Miller
Welcoming Address
Utah State Democratic Convention 2008

Rob and Todd say, "ATTEND YOUR CAUCUS!"!

From abc4.com: SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Tuesday night, as many as fifty thousand Utah Republicans and Democrats will flock to their neighborhood political caucus meetings.

There, they will pick delegates to attend their party's county and state conventions. And, in turn, those convention delegates will help pick which candidates will be their party's nominee. Those candidates will then face off in the general election.

Anyone can show up at the neighborhood meetings to discuss issues that are important to them. The meetings begin at 7 p.m., and a list of caucus locations can be found on the Web sites of the two major parties.

The Lieutenant Governor's Office can also direct people to their caucus location.

Summing up the importance of these mass meetings, Democratic Party vice-chair, Rob Miller, told us: "This is what a caucus is: those who show up run the world and if you don't show up, you don't have a voice."

Sunday, the LDS Church read a letter during its Sacrament Meetings all around the state. Without endorsing any candidate or political party, the LDS Church urged its members to take part in the caucus process.

Click here to view ABC 4's video.
Click here to find the location of your local Democratic caucus.