Politics
Diary of a Mad Voter: Heath Haussamen
Shouldn’t Obama Have Seen This Coming?When Barack Obama announced his nomination of Bill Richardson to be commerce secretary in early December, my initial thought was something along the lines of, “That must mean the federal investigation of the governor’s administration has ended.” How wrong I was. [more]
Politics: Economy
Kempthorne Spent $235K Remodeling Bathroom
The Washington Post has a report today about outgoing Interior Secretary andformer Idaho Gov. and Senator Dirk Kempthorne spending about $235K to renovate his office bathroom.
If Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) is confirmed this month as interior secretary, he'll have a snappy, scarcely used bathroom in his fifth-floor office, thanks to Dirk Kempthorne, the outgoing secretary.
Seems Kempthorne spent about $235,000 in taxpayer funds renovating the bathroom a few months ago, which included installing a new shower, a refrigerator and a freezer and buying monogrammed towels, department officials told our colleague Derek Kravitz.
[more]
Obama Cabinet Troubles
Richardson Withdraws as Commerce Secretary Nominee
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has withdrawn his name as the nominee for Secretary of Commerce, citing a corruption investigation that could delay the confirmation process and possibly taint the new president. According to the Associated Press, the probe involves a California company called CDR Financial Prooducts, which allegedly won a lucrative state contract after donating to Richardson's political activities.
A grand jury is investigating the case, which appears potentially to bear some uncomfortable resemblance to the "pay-to-play" allegations swirling around Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Richardson, a former Congressman and Secretary of Energy under President Bill Clinton, ran for the Democratic presidential nomination last year but dropped out early in the race and later infuriated the Clinton's by throwing his support to Obama at a critical moment. He is one of the nation's most prominent Hispanic politicians.
Below is the text of Richardson's statement, followed by Obama's statement accepting the withdrawal:
[more]
Colorado Politics
Report: Denver Schools Chief Chosen for Senate Seat
The Denver Post is reporting that Michael Bennet, the superintendent of schools in Denver and former chief of staff to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, has been chosen to fill the Senate seat being vacated by soon-to-be Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
The Post says the choice came down to Bennet or Hickenlooper, and that Gov. Bill Ritter is expected to formally announce the selection on Saturday.
Bennet has been an ambitious and at times controversial school superintendent, drawing fire for an early decision to close a venerable but underperforming inner-city high school but eventually gaining the support of many community leaders.
Bennet, like Hicklenlooper, is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut (which also happens to be the alma mater of yours truly), and he holds a law degree from Yale. His father, Doug Bennet, is a former president of Wesleyan, and his brother, James, is a prominent journalist and now editor of the Atlantic Monthly magazine.
Diary of a Mad Voter: Joan McCarter
Getting Back to Roots
Home for the holidays is one of the most cherished, and hackneyed, ideals of the season. It's also out of reach for too many people. [more]
Memorable Political Words
McCain’s Speech Worth a Year-End Review
Senator John McCain's election night concession speech embodied graciousness in defeat, and offered wise words about how and why he intends to support the new president. His hopeful words for healing in 2009 are worth reviewing.
My friends, we have — we have come to the end of a long journey. The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly.
A little while ago, I had the honor of calling Senator Barack Obama to congratulate him.
(BOOING)
Please.
To congratulate him on being elected the next president of the country that we both love.
In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, his success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance. But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving.
[more]
Year in Review
The Big Stories of 2008 - and 2009: West Surges Politically, Falters Economically
It's been quite a year in the New West news business, what with the historic presidential election, the economic meltdown, the real estate slump, the boom and bust in energy and other commodities, and all the long-running hot-button issues like wolf management, guns, land-use regulation and food and agriculture. Most of these big stories are carrying over in force into the new year, so we thought we'd combine a look back with a look forward, along with a few predictions. [more]
Idaho politics 2009
Idaho Should Reach Outside Itself in 2009
This month, 48 governors and governors-elect met with President-elect Obama in Philadelphia, but Idaho Governor Butch Otter was not among them.
It's disappointing to think of the teachable moments missed by both men.
I also thought it was rude. However, it should be pointed out that Otter was coming down with the Boise Plague, an upper respiratory monster that had gripped the town by the throat.
Otter’s official reason was that budget problems in Idaho kept him away from the meeting, but it seems as if taking a day off to go to the historic meeting, had he been well, could have been managed. Idaho’s Cowboy Cheapskate (and I mean that in a nice way) could have spoken authentically about how he is trying to keep Idaho financially afloat, including how he makes numerous unpopular decisions without getting held up with a Colt .45 behind the barn.
[more]
Commentary
Speculation on Salazar Nomination
Many of my friends in the environmental communities were disappointed with the recent pick by President Elect Obama of Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado for the position of Secretary of Interior. The Secretary of Interior overseas the BLM, National Park Service, Minerals Management Services, Fish and Wildlife Service, that collectively administer management on about 1/3 of the land in America. Some groups, including myself, favored the appointment of Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona, a well known progressive from Tucson, Arizona, as Secretary of Interior. I’ve worked with Grijalva on several issues, and I know he is well informed, and more importantly, cares about protecting our public lands. So why would Obama select someone who is considered at best middle of the road for Secretary of Interior? [more]
Church and State
Managing Mormonism on the Mormon Trail
Among the most sacred Mormon sites anywhere is Martin's Cove, a broad niche in the Sweetwater Rocks near Devil’s Gate in central Wyoming, where a sage-covered sand dune laps up into the granite slopes and boulders.
The wind blows most of the time. The rocks offer some shelter, and that's why hundreds of converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pulled up into the cove early in November 1856. They had pulled disintegrating handcarts 900 miles from Iowa City, yet still were 350 miles from the Salt Lake Valley. There had been a blizzard. They were starving and freezing, and many died at the cove. Many, many more died that month, all along the trail.
Mormon storytelling in later generations, however, concentrated on the dying at the cove. That storytelling, as much as the actual events of 1856, made this land holy.
So it's not surprising that the LDS Church seized an opportunity in the late 1990s to acquire the historic Sun Ranch at Devil's Gate, remodel the old ranch house into a museum and visitors' center, and make the land a shrine to a Mormon story. The visitor's center now draws 70,000 people per year.
Nor is it surprising that a Republican Mormon congressman from Utah led an effort five years later to sell nearby U.S. government land -- the holiest land, right at Martin's Cove -- to the LDS church.
[more]
