The Captains Spyglass

Monday, November 12, 2007

Unions 2, Children 1

Unions 2, Children 1
School choice goes down to defeat in Utah.

BY PETE DU PONT
Monday, November 12, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST

One hundred eleven years ago, in 1896, the state of Utah joined the Union. Today its Legislature is focused on enacting sound policies that will help improve its education system. Its citizens, though, have a different view, for in Tuesday's referendum they voted down a very strong parental school choice bill.

Last February the Utah Legislature enacted the Parent Choice in Education Act, giving parents the option of a $500 to $3,000 scholarship, depending upon their household income, to send their child to the private school of their choice instead of the public school they are attending. Since there are 120 private schools in Utah, with an average tuition of about $4,000, the scholarships would help low-income families get the best education for their children and give Utah parents substantial educational choice.

School choice is not a new idea--there are voucher programs operating in about a dozen states--but the Utah program reflected some fresh thinking. The average cost of the scholarships would be about $2,000 a student, so lawmakers decided to increase support of the state's public schools by allowing them to keep the difference between the cost of educating each of their students--about $7,500 per child--and the scholarships when a child left their school. For each student who chose to move to a private school, his former public school would get the $5,500 difference for five years, after which it would go back to the state's education budget. Utah State University estimated this would give the public schools about $1 billion in additional funding over 13 years.

The cost of the scholarships would be paid from the state's general funds, not from state school funds or local property taxes, costing the Utah government about $5.5 million in the first year and $8.5 million in the second as more children took advantage of the opportunity to go to the private school of their choice, and up to $71 million in the 13th year.

This scholarship program would make public schools better because class sizes would be smaller and more money would be available per pupil. Education would improve, and the scholarships would help level the playing field by giving educational opportunities to families with lower incomes.

School choice and charter schools have proved very effective in improving the quality of education. Milwaukee has had a school choice program since 1990, and a 2004 study showed that vouchers students the previous year had a 64% graduation rate, vs. just 36% for the public schools. A Texas study showed that students at charter schools had a significantly higher increase in performance than their peers in traditional public schools.

And Utah has been on the leading edge of school choice for many years. An initial charter bill was enacted in 1998, challenged and then upheld by the Utah Supreme Court. In 2001 school districts were given the right to approve charter schools. In 2004, lawmakers considered a bill providing a refundable income tax credit for a family's private school expenses. It didn't pass, but the Legislature approved a study of the bill which concluded it could save the state $1.3 billion over 13 years. In 2005, a law was enacted to provide vouchers for special education students, and a school-choice bill nearly passed. When it fell short, House Speaker Greg Curtis lamented, "We do not reward excellence in education. We don't fund it, we don't demand it, and don't encourage it."

That improved with the enactment of the Parent Choice in Education statute last February, but on Tuesday it all fell apart. Utah citizens voted down the voucher plan by 62% to 38%. That is too bad--educational choices by parents for their children is an important concept--but not surprising. While there are successful school choice programs operating in Milwaukee, Cleveland and Washington, 10 state referenda on various voucher proposals have been defeated since 1972, including two defeats each in California, Michigan and Colorado.

One reason for these defeats has been the work of the teachers unions, which oppose school choice of any kind because it limits their power. Passage of the Utah school choice statute earlier this year prompted a union call to arms. The national teachers unions went to war in Utah and won.

When the choice bill was passed by the Utah Legislature last winter, Nancy Pomeroy of Parents Choice in Education enthusiastically recited the score: "Parents and Children 1. Unions and Educrats 0." Unfortunately the score flipped on Tuesday. Patrick Byrne, CEO of Overstock.com and a major backer of the measure, was bitter, saying of Utahns: "They don't care enough about their kids. They care an awful lot about this system, this bureaucracy, but they don't care enough about their kids to think outside the box."

Mr. du Pont, a former governor of Delaware, is chairman of the Dallas-based National Center for Policy Analysis. His column appears once a month.

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Hatch: Boost Raptor Fleet
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Sunday, November 11, 2007

Thank God the Teamsters Haven't Tried This

The Student Labor Action Project, known for similar stunts, held a nude march in support of living wages at the University of Vermont yesterday.

Even here, commitment to the union cause was half-hearted. Only a few of the two dozen protesters went the full monty, and then for only 10 minutes. That's not going to get the job done against those ~~corporate~~ university evil-doers.

Posted by Mike Antonucci on Thursday, November 08, 2007 at 10:54 | Permalink

Utah Influence Index this Week

Utah's Most Influential Political blogs

Rank	Blog	Prev
1	THE UTAH AMICUS	1
2	KVNU's For The People	2
3	JM Bell	3
4	Mark Towner's Political Spyglass	4
5	The World, According To Me	6
6	The Senate Site	14
7	Pursuit of Liberty	5
8	SLCSpin	9
9	Jeremy's Jeremiad	-
10	Voice of Utah	-
11	Utah State Democratic Party	-
12	The SideTrack	8
13	Wasatch Watcher	10
14	A Liberal Mormon	-
15	Weber County Forum	16
16	Davis County Watch	18
17	Simple Utah Mormon Politics	-
18	The Third Avenue	7
19	GenRolly Speaking	11
20	Utah Stories	-

Put your BNN blog rank on your blog.

BlogNetNews' Blogosphere Influence Rating combines a variety of data sets to determine which blogs are most powerfully influencing the direction of the Utah political blogosphere. The exact method BNN uses to calculate influence scores must remain proprietary in order to prevent attempts to game the system. BNN's methodology takes into account the fact that all Internet data is profoundly limited in its reliability by using multiple data sets that, when combined, reveal a fair picture of activity in the blogosphere.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

So's Your MotherMcCain v. Giuliani gets personal

By John Dickerson
Posted Saturday, Nov. 10, 2007, at 9:36 AM ET

John McCain and Rudy Giuliani have had a cozy little truce for much of the presidential race. On background, the candidates and their aides tell supporters and the press why the other man can't get elected. In public, though, they've been sweet to each other. Giuliani even said McCain would be the man he'd vote for if he weren't running.

The era of good feeling was bound to disappear, since McCain's aides will tell you that much of his support drifted over to Rudy once the mayor got into the race. And now it's getting very personal very fast.

For the last week McCain and Giuliani have been engaged in a quasi-policy dispute over waterboarding. Giuliani suggested that he was sympathetic to the complexity of whether the tactic is torture, as a former prosecutor who sometimes had to use harsh interrogation techniques. McCain responded that such a careless comment about torture suggested Giuliani wasn't ready to lead the country.

http://www.slate.com/id/2177793/

GIULIANI'S 'SURPRISE' OVER MCCAIN COMMENTS

From NBC/NJ’s Matthew E. Berger
HENDERSON, NV. -- On the day of Bernard Kerik’s indictment, Giuliani faced the media and received four questions about Kerik. While the indictment’s timing had been known for days, Friday brought new attacks from Democrats and John McCain, questioning Giuliani’s judgment and leadership because of his association with his former police commissioner, now accused of tax fraud.

But when asked about McCain’s remarks, Giuliani feigned disbelief that his longtime friend -- and someone Giuliani has been careful not to criticize on the campaign trail -- had attacked his leadership.

“I'd be very surprised if John did that,” he said. “John is a very good friend. I probably have about 20 quotes from John since all of this became public ... [describing] me as a hero.”

He went on to say he believed McCain saw him as a hero, and would be surprised if he said anything on the contrary. “John prides himself on being a straight shooter and nothing has changed, and John has made all these comments since these things have come out,” he said. “I really doubt that he's changed his mind about that. I'd be really surprised if he did.”

Giuliani couldn’t have been that surprised, though. His campaign had already responded with a snarky quote from Communications Director Katie Levinson, mocking McCain for his campaign’s poor financial standing. And that was followed up by an e-mail with 12 quotes from McCain praising Giuliani. It seemed unrealistic that no one had told the candidate what McCain had said.

After eating a chicken pita sandwich and spending a long period of time chatting with the restaurant owner’s family, Giuliani seemed relaxed in relaying both his mistake in not vetting Kerik more thoroughly and his view that it was just one mistake in a long record.

“This was a mistake,” he said. “I've made mistakes. This is not the only one I've made. But if you look at the full context of the decisions I've made, and look at the amount of correct decisions, I really doubt there is anyone running for president that has the concrete results that I've had.”

He also said he did not believe the Kerik trial would be a distraction throughout the race. “No, not at all,” he said. “I think that I have a very, very long and complete public record with numerous decisions that I've made. And people evaluate you in the context of all of the decisions that you've made.”

Giuliani was careful not to comment on the trial directly, including whether or not he would be called to testify.

It did not go unnoticed that the retail stop at Crazy Pita, about 15 minutes off the Las Vegas Strip, occurred at 3:15 p.m. Pacific time, or 15 minutes before the start of network evening news on the East Coast. It allowed for Giuliani to not look like he was avoiding the media, but also to not get his reactions on the news all day Friday.

Fred Thompson's stunning error

November 8, 2007

BY ROBERT NOVAK Sun-Times Columnist

Fred Thompson was well into a prolonged dialogue about abortion with interviewer Tim Russert on NBC's ''Meet the Press'' on Sunday when he said something stunning for social conservatives: ''I do not think it is a wise thing to criminalize young girls and perhaps their parents as aiders and abettors.'' He went further: ''You can't have a [federal] law'' that ''would take young, young girls . . . and say, basically, we're going to put them in jail.''

Those comments sent e-mails flying across the country reflecting astonishment and rage by pro-life Republicans. No anti-abortion legislation ever has proposed criminal penalties against women having abortions, much less their parents. Jailing women is a spurious issue raised by abortion rights activists.

Thompson's comments revealed astounding lack of sensitivity about the abortion issue. Whether the candidate blurted out what he said or planned it, it reflects failure to realize how much his chances for the presidential nomination depend on social conservatives.

Thompson was a former senator working as television actor when on ''Fox News Sunday'' on March 11 he made himself available for president. I started to take him seriously a month later when a religious conservative activist (call her Miss Jones because she works for a nonpartisan organization) surprised me by telling me she favored Thompson to fill a void among announced presidential hopefuls. She complained that no first-tier candidate -- Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney or John McCain -- fit her model and that overt social conservatives -- Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback -- could not be nominated.

After Thompson's unannounced candidacy got off to a shaky start, I checked again with Miss Jones shortly after Labor Day. She still supported Thompson, though she seemed less enthusiastic. But Sunday's ''Meet the Press'' changed everything. ''It was the last straw,'' Miss Jones told me.

In his first question on abortion, Russert asked Thompson whether, as a candidate, he could run on the 2004 Republican platform that endorsed a ''human life'' constitutional amendment banning all abortions. ''No,'' Thompson replied, suddenly monosyllabic. ''You would not?'' ''No,'' said Thompson, adding ''that's been my position the entire time I've been in politics.'' In fact, every Republican platform starting in 1980 has endorsed such an amendment and every Republican candidate has been able to run on it.

Thompson thought better of this position after the program. His campaign manager Bill Lacy told me Tuesday that Thompson ''does not want to change the platform'' in 2008. But there was no apology for raising the criminalization chimera. Neither Thompson nor Lacy seemed to understand that what he said had antagonized the social right.

Miss Jones told me she switched off ''Meet the Press'' after Thompson's talk about jailing women. If she had continued, she would have heard him reiterate positions that previously had disturbed social conservatives: opposition to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and to congressional intervention to save the life of Terri Schiavo.

Thompson's performance coincided with Republican perception of weakness in Sen. Hillary Clinton as the Democratic candidate. But where will Miss Jones go? Giuliani still defends a woman's right to choose. Romney has made the switch from pro-choice, ending previous opposition to a human life amendment. Huckabee is described by one national conservative leader as a member of the ''Christian left.'' That leaves McCain as the major candidate with the clearest position against abortion.

Clinton and Giuliani: Each is What the Other Is Not

By David M. ShribmanFri Nov 9, 7:57 PM ET

Can you win your party's presidential nomination by running against someone in the other party as if she already were in the White House? Can you be nominated on your leadership qualities even if major chunks of your party's political base find your views on the issues repugnant?

These are questions that can only be asked this year and next, that can apply only to the Republican presidential race, that can be directed only at Rudolph W. Giuliani. No matter how many alternative universes there are, there very likely is no one quite like the former mayor of New York. Who else could remotely qualify as the person whom rivals consider the most dangerous man in America and whom supporters think is best suited to keep America safe?

The Rudy phenomenon -- the spectacle of a man being praised for strength in a party that disavows many of his strongest positions -- illuminates some important features of next year's election. They can be summarized in two contradictory sentences that, together, explain the political scene a year from Election Day:

(1) The entire 2008 election is about leadership qualities; and (2) the entire 2008 election is a referendum on Hillary Clinton, who isn't even president.

Ordinarily, with an economy in confusion if not upheaval and with an unpopular war being prosecuted by an unpopular president, you might think that the election would be about the sitting president. But, apart from anti-Bush barbs tossed to the Democratic masses like pieces of raw meat, President Bush is the missing man from the 2008 contest. That is in part because his vice president, Dick Cheney, isn't running for office, but it is also in part because the Bush presidency has ended before Mr. Bush's term has come to a close.

We've seen this before in modern times. Ronald Reagan was president for at least a year before he defeated Jimmy Carter, and if you doubt that for a moment, take a look at the last budget Carter proposed. The election of 1980 simply made the Reagan ascendancy legal.

Now, a few months into the post-Bush era, the two parties' nomination fights are dancing to the same tune. The soundtrack is leadership and Hillaryship.

The former New York mayor is leading the Republican pack (though by less than any GOP front-runner has led his nearest competitor since 1979) by emphasizing his leadership qualities and emphasizing that he is not Mrs. Clinton. The New York senator is leading the Democratic pack by emphasizing her own leadership qualities and is profiting from the unusual phenomenon of being the most incendiary influence in both parties' nomination battles.

The most recent poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press shows that many Giuliani supporters cite their opposition to Mrs. Clinton as the main reason for backing him -- almost as many as those who cite their affinity for him.

That underlines this notion, apparent since the aborted first confrontation between the two in the 2000 Senate race in New York: They are matter and anti-matter. Love one and you hate the other. Or, more precisely: Love one because you hate the other.

Another matter of matter and anti-matter: The two candidates have reverse profiles.

Mrs. Clinton's supporters cite her stand on the issues as the biggest reason for their views. Mr. Giuliani's supporters cite his leadership abilities, not his stand on the issues. Indeed, Giuliani's views are less important to his political base than they have been for any presidential candidate in 16 years.

These two candidates need each other like the flowers need the rain. They define each other. Mr. Giuliani is intuitive; Mrs. Clinton is cerebral. Giuliani is deeply emotional; Clinton is deeply rational. Giuliani has a habit of demonizing his opponents; Clinton is accustomed to being demonized. Giuliani says he is a Red Sox fan even though he's not; Clinton says she is a Yankees fan but can't even believe that herself. She's everything he isn't. He's everything she isn't. Look for spontaneous combustion if they ever occupy the same debate stage.

They do have one thing in common: Only about half of the voters, according to the Pew survey, see the two as trustworthy.

One thing more. Both candidates have strong opponents waiting in the background if they stumble. Giuliani's is former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, who has a credible chance of winning both Iowa and New Hampshire, which ordinarily is a formula for success. Clinton's is Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, who lags in the polls and in the money race but not in optimism or eloquence.

Meanwhile, let's not let the rich color of the personalities involved in the 2008 race blind us to some larger events happening within both parties and within the political system.

Once again, we are faced with opposites: a Republican Party that seems to be pulling apart, a Democratic Party that seems to be pulling together. That occurs as the sitting president seems to be a bigger asset to his rivals than to his allies. And it occurs as the two parties have front-runners who are polarizing figures.

All that is a reminder that this will be an election unlike any other -- not only because of the presence of a former mayor at the front of one party (so far) and of the presence of a woman at the front of another (so far). Either of these would be important departures. But let's not lose sight of the fact that in the next year we are going to witness the shifting of all sorts of assumptions, changing not only our politics but also our country.

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Play of the Day: McCain's Mom on Mormons

Sometimes the Truth about peoples real bias comes out through their parents. I think there is more here than meets the eye, and this could spell a real problem for McCain.

MEREDITH, N.H. (AP) — John McCain's 95-year-old mother, in a swipe at her son's rival Mitt Romney, said Friday that Mormons were to blame for the scandal that rocked the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

During an appearance on MSNBC, Roberta McCain laid out why her son, John, deserves to win the Republican presidential nomination. But in evaluating McCain's primary rivals, she criticized Romney's Mormon faith and his time in Salt Lake City.

"As far as the Salt Lake City thing, he's a Mormon and the Mormons of Salt Lake City had caused that scandal. And to clean that up, again, it's not a subject," Roberta McCain said.

John McCain quickly stepped in: "The views of my mothers are not necessarily the views of mine."

"Well, that's my view and you asked me," Roberta answered.

The Salt Lake Organizing Committee had enticed International Olympics officials with lavish gifts and accusations of bribery mired the Games in scandal while resignations sullied the region's reputation.

Utah officials tapped Romney to lead the effort and as president and CEO of the organizing committee he pared the budget, boosted revenues and worked to repair the committee's reputation.

A Romney campaign spokesman said the McCains made a mistake.

"I would disagree with any candidate or any campaign surrogate that chooses to disparage someone based on the faith that they hold, and instead implore other candidates and their campaigns to make a case to voters based on the important issues facing the nation," said Kevin Madden.

Roberta McCain immediately apologized to her son.

"I didn't mean to say it," she said as they stepped away from the cameras.

McCain told The Associated Press after the interview that his mother misspoke.

"Mormons are great people and the fact that Mitt Romney is a Mormon should play no role whatsoever in people's decision," McCain said.

"What she meant was the Olympics were screwed up by the people in Salt Lake when Romney came in and fixed the problems there. But I know my 95-year-old mother is certainly in favor of Mormons."

Compiled by Philip Elliott.

Friday, November 09, 2007

Battle Won. Pillaging Begins.

Having handily defeated the voucher referendum, the Utah Education Association and its allies want to get their hands on the money the state legislature had budgeted for the program.

The money resides in the general fund - put there purposely so that opponents couldn't claim vouchers would reduce funding to public schools (they did anyway). Now the debate is on whether to spend the general funds for general purposes or to drop the spoils into the K-12 bucket.

The Daily Herald quotes Kirk Jowers, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, as saying failure to deliver the tribute "would really be seen as sour grapes."

Posted by Mike Antonucci on Friday, November 09, 2007 at 07:54 | Permalink

Coming Up on 'FOX News Sunday': Bill Richardson and John McCain

Friday , November 09, 2007

By Chris Wallace

FC1

Our guests this week include:

• Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., presidential candidate
• Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

We’re just under two months away from the first in the nation caucuses in Iowa and beginning the process of determining the nation’s next president. As the race heats up, "FOX News Sunday" continues its ongoing series “Choosing the President.”

This week, we start with one hopeful that a columnist named the Democratic candidate with the most appealing resume. He’s a former congressman, ambassador and secretary of Energy. And now he’s the sitting governor of New Mexico. Democratic presidential hopeful, Bill Richardson, is live only on "FOX News Sunday."

Then we bring you someone from the other side of the aisle with another storied career: Vietnam War hero, prisoner of war, former congressman and now sitting senator for Arizona. How can the comeback kid put himself back on top? We’ll ask Sen. John McCain, live, only on "FOX News Sunday."

Clinton and Giuliani took a few hits this week — our panel will discuss how the two frontrunners weathered the storm. They will also go into the increasing turmoil in Pakistan. Joining us will be Juan Williams and Mara Liason of National Public Radio, Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard and Brit Hume, Washington managing editor of FOX News.

Plus, our Power Player of the week: White House Social Secretary Amy Zantzinger takes us behind the scenes of the White House Dinner with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

So check your local listings and we'll see you on the next "FOX News Sunday."

McCain Gets Outside Help As Polls Rise

By JIM KUHNHENN and LIZ SIDOTI – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican John McCain, climbing in polls but lagging in money, is negotiating a $3 million loan while some of his backers launch an independent advertising effort seemingly at odds with his years of fighting outside influence in campaigns.

The steps under way inside and outside the campaign indicate a degree of urgency as the first nominating contests draw near and as McCain shows signs of resurgence after a dismal spring and summer.

Campaign aides said they hoped to finalize arrangements within days for a line of credit of about $3 million to help pay for expenses as well as for ads, mailings and other means of voter contact. The campaign also is considering taking public matching funds, but some aides fear the attached spending limits could hinder McCain if he does secure the nomination.

Separately, a newly created group was airing an ad Friday in South Carolina that portrays the Arizona senator and two of his congressional allies as "leaders who share our priorities" of supporting funds for U.S. troops and opposing pork-barrel spending.

Financed mainly by McCain backers, the Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America was created with the help of Republican admaker Rick Reed. He called himself a volunteer with McCain's presidential effort earlier this year, and he is close to McCain's campaign manager.

McCain wrote a strict 2002 campaign finance law and has criticized independent advertising in the past. His aides said they had no knowledge of or involvement in any outside efforts.

Reed is not new to independent advertising efforts during presidential campaigns. He was the media strategist who co-produced a series of ads in 2004 by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, who questioned Democratic nominee John Kerry's service in Vietnam. McCain, at the time, condemned those ads.

The new group, a 501(c)4 nonprofit corporation under IRS regulations, is not required to disclose its donors, unlike political campaign and political action committees the Federal Election Commission covers.

Reed would not disclose how much has been raised or the identity of donors. Asked if they were McCain supporters, he said, "Some are, maybe even all at this point."

He said the group is designed to promote a strong national security, limits in spending and vigorous anti-terrorism efforts while identifying leaders who best reflect the group's positions.

"Right now Senator McCain seems to be the closest to the group's views," Reed said. Others, he said, include South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Arizona Rep. John Shadegg; both appear in the first ad and both have endorsed McCain.

A disclaimer at the bottom of the group's Web site states: "As a qualified nonprofit organization, Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America may on occasion use some of its funds for political purposes such as supporting or opposing persons who happen to be candidates."

Said McCain spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker: "The McCain campaign does not coordinate with any outside groups that are making or planning to make independent expenditures in the presidential election."

The campaign paid Reed's firm $1,690 in May for what aides said was archival McCain footage from the 2000 campaign that was in the firm's possession. Aides said the firm has provided no services for McCain's 2008 bid.

Reed's effort could be the first of several independent ventures that could help McCain. Other supporters and donors have been discussing how to expand his advertising reach in key early nominating states. Backers of other presidential hopefuls also are contemplating independent efforts to boost their candidates.

Such steps allow major fundraisers and donors of candidates who have already given the maximum allowed by law to individual campaigns to assist their candidates by putting money into other entities.

By organizing itself as a nonprofit 501(c)4 organization, the Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America can raise unlimited amounts of money for its ads without disclosing its donors or details of its spending. Under Internal Revenue Service regulations it can engage in political activity provided that is not the sole purpose of its existence.

The ad does not mention McCain's candidacy, but it does show pictures of him and flash his name. Broadly, the ad focuses on promoting military funding legislation in Congress and calling on viewers to urge Congress to approve.

Any independent ad campaign has to be unaffiliated to the McCain campaign and organizers would be prohibited by law from discussing their plans with McCain or his staff.

Reed said the group is abiding by the law, and that he had not spoken with the campaign since his firm ended an affiliation with it early this year.

Still, such a separate organization could undermine McCain's image as a campaign finance reformer by creating the appearance that McCain backers are exploiting loopholes in the law.

McCain was one of the authors of a 2002 campaign finance law that ended the ability of national parties to collect unlimited contributions known as soft money. McCain also has criticized the emergence of other nonprofit groups, known as "527" organizations, that have skirted campaign finance laws and raised millions in unlimited money from wealthy donors.

"On the one hand, he's obviously always been a strong proponent of campaign finance reform," said Dan Schnur, a Republican strategist who worked on McCain's 2000 campaign but who is unaffiliated now. "On the other hand, I know he doesn't believe in unilateral disarmament either."

McCain is considering accepting public matching funds for his campaign. At this point, he would be eligible for $5 million, but aides said McCain has made no decision on whether to seek the money. McCain is the only Republican at the top of the presidential field who has taken steps to obtain the public funds. By accepting the money, McCain would have to restrict his spending in primary states, placing him at a potential disadvantage against better-financed rivals.

Once considered the GOP front-runner, McCain found himself all but broke and languishing in polls at summer's end. As fall began, his fortunes improved, and he now senses opportunity, particularly in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

The compressed primary calendar has increased pressure on his campaign to capitalize on his improved standing — and spend heavily on television ads. The Iowa caucuses are scheduled for Jan. 5 and could be followed promptly by the New Hampshire primary. Michigan is considering holding a primary Jan. 15, followed by South Carolina on Jan. 19.

McCain ended the third quarter of the year with $3.5 million, $1.7 million of which was available for the primaries. He also reported a debt of $1.7 million.

He's been running ads in New Hampshire, recently expanding to the expensive Boston market, but he has been unable to afford to go on the air in South Carolina, though advisers say he will soon. The campaign is also conducting direct mail campaigns in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Aides and fundraisers for McCain said donors are beginning to open up their wallets again and the campaign is raising money faster than it is spending it.

Aides said the line of credit would be secured by campaign assets and would give the campaign more flexibility. As opposed to an outright loan, a line of credit would permit the campaign to use part of the amount, depending on its needs.

"We don't have to do it. We think it would improve our competitiveness if we do it," said Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager. "This helps us manage the cash flow."

On the Net:

http://www.secureandprosperous.com/

Thursday, November 08, 2007

China a "great challenge": US presidential candidate Giuliani

2 hours ago

AMES, United States (AFP) — US 2008 Republican front-runner Rudolph Giuliani on Thursday warned that emerging China was a "great challenge" to the United States, and backed continued engagement with Beijing.

But the former New York mayor also called for an increase in US military strength to deter China from ever mounting a security challenge to America, and said he would push Beijing faster on introducing political freedoms.

"China is a great challenge to the United States, and maybe one of the most important challenges," Giuliani told an audience of mainly students at Iowa State University.

"We will be the two great economies in the world. The more we make sure China's rise is peaceful, the better it is going to help the United States," Giuliani said in response to a question from a Chinese student.

"We should remain substantially engaged with China."

Giuliani's comments marked one of his first significant discussions of China policy during his campaign, and signalled he would continue the engagement strategy favored by recent US administrations if elected president.

GOP punishes 5 early voting states

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writer 30 minutes ago

The Republican Party announced Thursday that it will punish five states for scheduling early nominating contests.

New Hampshire, Florida, South Carolina, Michigan and Wyoming will lose half of their delegates to the national convention, said Mike Duncan, chairman of the Republican National Committee.

RNC rules require the punishment for states that hold their nominating contests earlier than Feb. 5. Iowa, which plans to hold Republican caucuses on Jan. 3, would not be penalized because, technically, the caucuses are not binding on convention delegates. Nevada, which plans to hold its caucuses on Jan. 19, would not be penalized for the same reason.

The RNC voted 121-9 Thursday to impose the penalties. Duncan, who has final say over the matter, said he will abide by the vote.

Nevertheless, state party leaders expressed optimism that their entire delegations will be seated, perhaps hoping that the eventual nominee will restore them.

"While not surprised, I was disappointed that the full committee did not recognize the validity of Florida's position that it is not in violation of the rule," Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer said in a statement. "This is a long process and I continue to be confident that Florida will ultimately seat its full delegation."

Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis said, "I remain confident that all of Michigan's 60 national delegates will be seated next year in Minneapolis-St. Paul. ... There will be much discussion in the coming months about the makeup of the national convention, including the credentialing of delegates."

Wyoming is scheduled to hold its nominating conventions on Jan. 5. Michigan is to hold its Republican primary on Jan. 15, pending the outcome of a lawsuit. South Carolina Republicans vote on Jan. 19 and Florida on Jan. 29.

New Hampshire has not yet set a primary date, though it is required by state law to hold its primary at least seven days before any other, raising the possibility of a December vote.

Clinton, Giuliani Lead in Connecticut

6 hours ago

THE RACE: The presidential race for the Republican, Democratic nominations in Connecticut.

___

THE NUMBERS - DEMOCRATS

Hillary Rodham Clinton, 45 percent

Barack Obama, 19 percent

John Edwards, 7 percent

Chris Dodd, 5 percent

___

THE NUMBERS - REPUBLICANS

Rudy Giuliani, 41 percent

Mitt Romney, 13 percent

John McCain, 12 percent

Fred Thompson, 7 percent

___

OF INTEREST:

The poll shows that Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd doesn't have much support in his home state, with 55 percent of those surveyed saying the state's senior senator is spending too much time on the campaign trail and not enough time serving as senator. Seventy percent of Connecticut voters surveyed say Dodd should drop out of the presidential race. Among Democrats, 68 percent want him to call it quits, while 26 percent say he should stay in the race.

In head-to-head general election matchups, the poll shows New York Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton with support from 45 percent of those surveyed to 44 percent for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

The survey of 1,029 registered voters was conducted by Quinnipiac University Polling Institute Nov. 1-5. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The poll includes 291 Republicans with a margin of error of plus or minus 5.7 percentage points, and 385 Democrats with a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

The Four Horsemen of Vouchers Apocalypse

Urquhart, Bramble, Stephenson, Hughes

From todays Tribune

Payback time?
The UEA's Kuziak said the education community is fearful of repercussions for campaigning against vouchers.
"I had one of our elected legislators tell me specifically that education funding would suffer," she said, declining to name the lawmaker.
She also suggested there could be anti-union legislation introduced in the attempt to punish the UEA.
Other educators say they expect legislation to change the referendum law, to make it more difficult for the public to oppose the will of the Legislature.
A bill to make the selection of the state School Board a partisan election also may emerge again, they say.
Bramble says the anti-voucher side will label any education reform proposed by Republicans retaliation. "I think you will see several reforms introduced. And when they are introduced, those who oppose vouchers will simply come forward and they will try to pigeonhole them as retribution."
Stephenson said GOP lawmakers' relationship with the UEA will not change, adding that it had soured long ago.
The small band of renegade Republicans who broke with leadership and opposed vouchers were reluctant to discuss possible retaliation for their independence.
"I assume people will be professional. That's the only thing I can assume," said Rep. Kay McIff, R-Richfield. "If you worry about that when you take a stand, you probably ought not to be in public service."
Rep. Mel Brown, R-Coalville, a former House speaker who knows the power of party leaders to stop legislation, said, "If a person is going to serve, you hope they are mature enough to accept people with different opinions. The whole issue boils down to the majority of the leaders. If they believe in the process, our opposition won't make any difference in how they act."
State School Board Chairman Kim Burningham says he doesn't regret his passionate opposition to vouchers that angered many lawmakers.
"When you're in a position like state school board member or legislator," Burningham said, "you must stand up for what you believe in or you're a chicken."

Flip-Flop - McCain shifts on immigration

Tougher stance a nod to conservatives

Daniel González and Dan Nowicki
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 8, 2007 12:00 AM

Sen. John McCain has hardened his position on immigration reform, hoping the new stand will make his presidential campaign more appealing to conservative Republican voters.

The comprehensive approach he championed for years, one that emphasized a guest-worker program and legalization for those here illegally, has taken a back seat to a plan that puts a priority on tightening border security and beefing up enforcement.

The enforcement-first approach marks a dramatic shift for McCain, R-Ariz., who used his border-state credentials and maverick persona to become the leading Republican proponent in Congress of comprehensive immigration reform. But the comprehensive plan, which failed to move through Congress again this summer, divided the GOP and unleashed an anti-amnesty grass-roots movement vehemently opposed to letting undocumented immigrants gain legal status, even if they had to earn it.

OOOPS Right State, Wrong Town for Obama

By JEFF ZELENY

Published: November 8, 2007

WAPELLO, Iowa, Nov. 7 — As presidential hopefuls go, Senator Barack Obama is generally one of the more punctual politicians of the election season.

The Caucus: Obama’s Travel Travails (November 7, 2007)

So the other night, it was all the more curious when Mr. Obama kept several hundred Iowans waiting for nearly an hour at a dinnertime rally — absent the dinner — in Cedar Rapids. A local Democratic official apologized and implored the audience to be patient, saying, “He will be here soon.”

What the crowd gathered inside the gymnasium at Kirkland Community College did not know, however, was that Mr. Obama had already buzzed over Cedar Rapids and had landed at the airport in Des Moines.

When Mr. Obama and his aides glanced out the windows of their chartered G-2 jet, they realized something was wrong.

“We just seemed to overshoot the runway by about 150 miles,” Mr. Obama explained to reporters here on Wednesday, grinning at the mishap. “Usually, the Secret Service pulls their cars up real quickly. We looked around, and no one was there.”

After a few frantic phone calls were made, pilots fired up the plane and set off for Cedar Rapids. Back at the rally, supporters were growing restless.

Tom and Kay Lammers were among those heading for the doors. As they did, a young campaign worker approached them, saying: “We would love for you to stick around for five more minutes. He’s on his way!”

Despite the panicked look on the faces of some Obama aides, the vast majority of people waited. As for the Lammers, will the delay influence their decision at the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3?

“Oh, no,” Mrs. Lammers said. “I really think he’s one of the few people who can actually turn this country around.”

About 15 minutes after the Lammers left, Mr. Obama appeared on stage and apologized. On Wednesday, he traded his plane for a black motor coach. As he chugged along southeastern Iowa, there were no reports of getting lost.

Giuliani embraces tough love

From the Associated Press

Rudolph Giuliani

He has broadened his image, vowing to keep America safe while defending religious rights and families. His combative style appears to be working as he leads in the GOP race.

By Peter Wallsten, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 8, 2007

DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H. -- Next to a crackling fire in a picturesque mountain lodge, in the wooded and lightly populated north country, Rudolph W. Giuliani met some of the people who might help him become the next president.

What he gave them was a dose of New York.

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When one woman fretted that a local paper mill had eliminated 300 jobs, Giuliani cut her off and advised that she focus on something "positive," like recruiting a new employer to town.

When a woman worried about rising property taxes, he told her to elect smarter local officials.

A 9-year-old girl, afraid of another attack like the one on Sept. 11, sparked a finger-waving lecture at another point in the day from Giuliani, who said that Democrats were afraid to use the term "Islamic terrorism." "You have to face your enemy," he told the third-grader, Kailey Lemieux.

Other politicians might have expressed empathy, or drawn voters into deeper conversation, or lightened the talk of violence around elementary school children. But not the former New York mayor. With his intense demeanor and aggressive policy stances -- such as pledging to "prevent" Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon or to "set them back five or 10 years" -- Giuliani has methodically built an image as the toughest guy on the block, unafraid of looking belligerent in the cause of keeping America safe.

Though it isn't always pretty up close, Giuliani's demeanor seems to be working. He leads the national polls for a Republican nomination that many believed he could never win because of his relatively liberal views on abortion and other social issues.