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MARCH 2008 www.utdemocrats.org | Winter in the Wasatch (© Willie Holdman, www.willieholdman.com)
“I’d be less than honest if I didn’t admit there’s a good bit of ego involved. But more importantly, I was asked to run. It’s important to step up when you’re asked. It’s an honor and a privilege to represent the Democratic Party in this race.” – BOB SPRINGMEYER, Democratic candidate for governor, quoted in Holly Mullen's City Weekly column
KICKING ASS | THE BLOG OF UTAH DEMOCRATIC PARTY • Thanks, John McCain. We’re flattered your merry pranksters believe they can help your campaign by driving people from our Web site to yours. It’s a clear indication they recognize the growing influence of Utah Democrats. • Republican lawmakers are precisely the people who cannot be counted on to meet future challenges. Their political philosophy prevents it. Take the Republican representative from Harriman, a no-holds-barred partisan. He has stated publicly that government should play no role in health-care reform and was the lawmaker who kicked off the campaign to privatize our neighborhood schools via vouchers. And he’s not alone. • As our Republican-dominated Legislature remembers the actor who loved to take midday naps and clear brush, who can forget the 1986 centenary rededication of the Statue of Liberty? The Reagans, Ronnie and Nancy, were there next to the French Prime Minister and his wife. Bob Hope was on stage entertaining the all-star audience. • Criminal investigation of Murray and his company urged in wake of Crandall Canyon Mine disaster. • As the media report on the kind of sweet deal and access to backroom power that would make Speaker Curtis a valuable investment to any big developer (not just the biggest in Utah he works for), along comes a Democratic candidate, Jay Seegmiller, who says enough of this. Read more of these and other posts The Karen Shepherd Fund is accepting applications for upcoming campaigns. The fund provides stipends to interns for Democratic candidates running in local, state, and federal campaigns in Utah. Contact administrator Ann Floor at 355-4441 or ksf@xmission.com for more information. The fund's Web site is www.karenshepherdfund.org. CAUCUS NIGHT | Your chance to change the world On Tuesday, March 25, Democrats from all over the state will gather at local caucus meetings to select delegates and precinct officers. These meetings are essential to the functioning of healthy local Democratic parties and provide every single Utahn interested in becoming involved in our party old enough to vote in this year’s November election the opportunity to participate. Delegates serve two-year terms and are empowered to nominate local candidates for office. In Salt Lake County, those elected county delegates are automatic state delegates. Other counties usually choose to elect their state delegates at county convention. State delegates will vote at our state convention on May 9-10 on statewide candidates for office, congressional candidates, legislative candidates whose districts cover more than one county, and on delegates to the national convention. This year’s state convention will be held at the Cal Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. On the evening of May 9, state delegates will vote on delegates to the national convention. Following that vote the State Party will hold its annual Jefferson/Jackson Dinner. On Saturday, May 10 state delegates will return to the Salt Palace to vote on potential nominees for governor, attorney general, state treasurer, state auditor, congress, and some legislative races. Delegates will also select our DNC national committeeman and committeewoman for the coming four years. For a complete listing of caucus locations and local county convention dates and locations, please visit our Web site. You can also contact our office at (801) 328-1212, ext. 207, or e-mail Craig Axford at caxford@utdemocrats.org with any questions. GET INVOLVED | Mark your calendar MARCH 19, 20 Former Sen. Gary Hart of Colorado will speak at two events to benefit Utah Democrats. • MARCH 19: The executive committee of the Summit County Democratic will host an event at 7 p.m. at the Legacy Lodge, Park City Mountain Resort. A $75 contribution will include a signed copy of Sen. Hart’s latest book, “Under the Eagle’s Wing.” Appetizers will be served. A cash bar will be available. To RSVP, e-mail cindy.levine@comcast.net. If you are unable to attend but would like to make a contribution, you may send a check to SUMMIT COUNTY DEMOCRATS c/o Laura Bonham PO 976 Coalville UT 84017. • MARCH 20: The Big D Club of the Utah Democratic Party will host the second event with Sen. Hart beginning at 7 a.m. at the Alta Club, 100 E. South Temple, in Salt Lake City. Contact Tika Beard, party development director, at (801) 328-1212, ext. 204, or ttbeard@utdemocrats.org for details. Sen. Hart has had a long and prominent career as a Democratic political activist, scholar, policy adviser, and blogger (See a recent post on Huffington Post titled “Politics as Transcendence” ). Sen. Hart represented Colorado in the U.S. Senate from 1975 through 1987. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988. In 2001 Sen. Hart earned a doctorate in philosophy at Oxford and in 2006 accepted an endowed professorship at the University of Colorado at Denver. Sen. Hart and Republican Sen. Warren Rudman of New Hampshire co-chaired a Defense Department-chartered commission on national security – the U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century – that issued a report in Jan. 2001 that predicted a terrorist attack in the United States. The commission's recommendations were ignored by the Bush administration. APRIL 9 • Filing deadline to become a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. For more information contact Craig Axford, party organizational director, at (801) 328-1212, ext. 207, or caxford@utdemocrats.org. MAY 9,10 • The Utah State Democratic Party’s annual convention and Jefferson/Jackson Celebration will be Friday, May 9, and will continue through Saturday, May 10. After the election of national delegates on Friday, the state party will hold its annual Jefferson/Jackson Dinner. All events will be at the Cal Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. AUGUST 25-28 • The Democratic National Convention will be Aug. 25-28 in Denver. For more information go to www.demconvention.com. 2ND DISTRICT UPDATE | Congressman Jim Matheson WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congressman Jim Matheson on March 13 introduced a bipartisan bill to ban the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from authorizing importation of foreign-generated nuclear waste. Matheson — a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee — joined fellow committee members Bart Gordon of Tennessee and Ed Whitfield of Kentucky in sponsoring the legislation. “I’ve long said that Utah should not be viewed as the dumping ground for nuclear waste,” said Matheson. “Foreign countries should not see the United States as a convenient place to dispose of waste when our own considerable storage needs are limited.” Matheson has already written to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission about his opposition to a license application by EnergySolutions to import 20,000 tons of waste from decommissioned nuclear reactors in Italy, process it in Tennessee and dispose of the final product—approximately 1,600 tons of Class A waste—in its Tooele County disposal cell. Matheson’s bill would prohibit the importation of nuclear waste unless the material originated within the U.S. The president could grant specific exemptions only if an application showed importation would serve a national or international policy goal, such as a research purpose. Visit the congressman's Web site
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The Democratic Party of Utah 455 S. 300 East, Suite 301 | Salt Lake City, UT 84111 | 801-328-1212 www.utdemocrats.org Support your Utah Democratic Party through ACT BLUE www.actblue.com/page/utdemocrats THE MESSAGE is published and compiled by the staff of the Utah Democratic Party as a way to build a community of Democrats committed to political reform and common sense solutions to public policy. Submissions related to events, facts, figures, trivia, and idle chit-chat are welcome. Please contact Bill Keshlear, communications director, at bkeshlear@utdemocrats.org. Call (801) 328-1212, ext. 206 or (801) 699-7773. Paid for by the Utah Democratic Party, www.utdemocrats.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidates' party. |