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The politics of Disaster

Congressman Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, is the leader of a bi-partisan group of 40 House members seeking extra wildfire and drought disaster help from the House Appropriations Committee. But Simpson has also made some dramatic suggestions about grazing policies for public lands that run counter to modern grazing and wildfire science.

He’s joined in a straightforward disaster assistance effort by 39 congressmen and women from neighboring states, such as Barbara Cubin, R-Wyoming, Dennis Rehberg, R-Montana, Stephanie Sandlin, D-South Dakota and John Salazar, D-Colorado. Yet Simpson has gone much further, asking the Committee in a September letter to consider provisions that would allow ranchers (PDF) to better utilize grazing lands unaffected by fires and a provision that would ensure cattle were allowed back on some fire-impacted lands as early as next year, rather than giving the range a two-year rest. [more]

NewWest.Net/Politics

Gary Trauner, a Wilson businessman who lost a squeaker of a race last year against Representative Barbara Cubin, R-Wyoming, announced Monday he was going to run again for Wyoming’s at-large seat in the House of Representatives.

Trauner lost last year’s race by a mere 1,012 votes. He distinguished himself through his approach to campaigning, going door-to-door across Wyoming to 15,000 homes -- a style that was in marked contrast to Cubin’s campaign style. Cubin once famously said she’d “rather eat roadkill” than go door-to-door.

At his announcement today in Casper, Trauner said he’d been mulling over whether he should run again as the Democratic candidate when a recent incident pushed him into running again. [more]

Event Showcases Increased Attention on Cowboy State

Three Republican candidates for president -- Fred Thompson, Duncan Hunter and Sam Brownback -- all ventured into “Cheney country” this weekend, during a meet-the-candidates forum held at Swede Erickson Thunderbird Gymnasium at Casper College.

The Wyoming Republican Party has scheduled a Jan. 5 convention, allowing Wyoming to compete in staging the first presidential primaries and county conventions in the country.

“We’re going to break the lock Iowa and New Hampshire have on selecting presidential candidates,” said Fred Paraday, state party chairman.

It is widely believed that this move has brought increased attention from Republican candidates. Two other candidates – Ron Paul and Tom Tancredo -- had been scheduled to attend the forums in Casper and Riverton, but dropped out in the prior week. [more]

Meet Sen. John Barrasso

Dr. John Barrasso, who was appointed Friday to the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Wyoming Sen. Craig Thomas, came into the impromptu race for the position with a high political profile, thanks to his work in public health and within the party.

But even today, as he is sworn in in Washington, there is little fodder for speculation on how the new Senator will represent Wyoming.

With that as a caveat, as well as the fact that I do not know Dr. Barrasso well and have only seen him in legislative action only during the 2006 session when I was covering it for the Casper Star Tribune, let's take an analytical look at Dr. Barrasso's past and see what it might say about his future. [more]

NewWest.Net/Politics

Only in America, said Dr. John Barrasso, could the son of a cement finisher become a U.S. Senator.

Barrasso, the newly appointed replacement to the late Wyoming's U.S. Senator Craig Thomas, held his first press conference at 1:30 p.m. today, on the front steps of the Dick Cheney Federal Building in downtown Casper.

He relayed that he’d received a phone call from Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal at 9:15 a.m., informing him that he’d been selected as Wyoming’s new senator. Barrasso declined to say what else he and the governor spoke about this morning, but noted that he soon received a phone call from Max Maxfield, the secretary of state, confirming that documents confirming Barrasso’s appointment had been signed and sent to the secretary of the U.S. Senate. [more]

NewWest.Net/Politics

Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal Friday appointed Dr. John Barrasso to fill Wyoming's U.S. Senate seat, which had been vacant since the death of Sen. Craig Thomas earlier this month.

The Casper-based orthopedic surgeon was selected over the other two candidates chosen by the state’s Republican party – former Department of Justice official Tom Sansonetti and former treasurer Cynthia Lummis.

“There are many factors that went into this decision, and it was the sum of these factors that led me to this choice,” the governor said in a press release Friday. “While I don’t intend to indulge the speculation on why I made this decision, I will say that I hope I made the right choice.”

Barrasso’s appointment is effective today. The formal Certificate of Appointment has been forwarded to Nancy Erickson, Secretary of the United States Senate. The governor had until Monday to make his choice.

Barrasso, 54, has spent almost five years in the Wyoming Senate, where he has worked on both on medically progressive and deeply conservative legislation. He called a press conference Friday afternoon, marveling that the son of a cement finisher could serve in the U.S. Senate. [more]

NewWest.Net/Politics

Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal has three choices to pick from in filling Wyoming's U.S. Senate seat left vacant this month by the death of Republican Sen. Craig Thomas.

The three, selected during a day-long Tuesday meeting of the Wyoming Republican Party Central Committee, are:
Tom Sansonetti of Cheyenne
Dr. John Barrasso of Casper
Cynthia Lummis of Cheyenne

Sansonetti was the chief of staff for Thomas 18 years ago, when Thomas was tapped to fill Dick Cheney’s seat in the House of Representatives. Sansonetti consistently won the most votes during the day, finishing with 58 votes, among those cast by the 71-member central committee. He was recently an assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice, and has served as party chairman in Wyoming.

Update: Freudenthal on Friday, June 22, appointed Dr. John Barrasso to fill Thomas' seat. [more]

NewWest.Net/Politics

Wyoming telephone lines are humming, email accounts are overloading and backroom wheeling and dealing is ramping up this week as the Wyoming Republican Party tries to figure out which three candidates it will nominate for the U.S. Senate seat left empty by Craig Thomas’ death on June 4.

Last week, Wyoming mourned the late Sen. Craig Thomas (R-WY), 74, with a Saturday service in Casper and a Sunday burial in Cody.

Unlike some other states, Wyoming law dictates that when a vacancy occurs in the U.S. House or Senate, the governor must appoint a successor from the same party as the previous holder of the seat. That’s why the 71-member Republican state committee is gearing up for a formal, day-long meeting on Tuesday, June 19, during which they’ll select three names to be submitted to Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal for his final selection.

The individual Republican selected by the governor will serve until January 2009, with the remaining four years contested in a special November 2008 election, to fill the remainder of the term won by Thomas last November. That 2008 election will also feature races for the seats currently held by Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-WY) and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), both of whom are expected to seek re-election. [more]

Wyoming Media Grok

It is exciting to find really superlative, in-depth reporting, so you'll want to check out Planet Jackson's excellent report on what's happening with Wyoming moose.

Ben Kinkade thoroughly explores the research findings of Dr. Joel Berger, including this key paragraph:

"From his nine-year study, Berger concluded adult female mortality was attributable to malnourishment (60 percent), bear predation (14 percent), hunting (10 percent), vehicle collision (8 percent), unknown (6 percent), and wolf predation (less than 2 percent). These results indicated that predators were not the sole reason for the moose decline."

[more]

New West Environmental Grok

Anyone interested in the global warming issue (is it caused by Man or not?) is waiting for a Friday report from Paris – the first of four major global warming reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, sponsored by the United Nations.

The Associated Press has a preview on the report that acknowledges it will be full of dire forecasts, but may be sugarcoated at the same time. Critics charge the report doesn’t account enough for the melting icecaps of Greenland and Antarctica.

Those ice sheets are melting at a rate that has taken may scientists by surprise, raising the specter of sea levels rising faster and higher than predicted before. (Hint: this might be a good time to unload Florida real estate.)
[more]

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