Daily Fix, June 29

*Utah Tea Party activist David Kirkham is denying a report that he said he was looking to “trade up” and “looking for someone new” to replace Senator Hatch. (KSL) Unfortunately for Kirkham, the original story includes audio. It seemed to be quite a whirlwind trip for him in D.C. First, he was firing up the FreedomWorks group at their “boot camp”, then he was off to protest the NRSC to demand that they stay out of Utah’s Senate race, then he was testifying before Congress, at Sen. Hatch’s invitation, about simplifying the tax code, albeit with very general testimony, and then he was visiting Senator Hatch’s office and taking pictures. He was also busy keeping Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit updated on all his activities. I’d be confused about what I had said too.

*Salt Lake County’s Council voted on Tuesday to table Mayor Corroon’s $110 million bond proposal to fund new parks and upgrades to golf courses. (Deseret News) You think?

*Six local Democrats have signed up for the special election to replace Rep. Jackie Biskupsi in an election next month, including 2 Republican-turned-Democrats. (SL Trib) Wolves in sheep clothing perhaps? Or would that be sheep in wolves clothing?

*Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is still shopping around his request for a national law firm to represent Utah in a lawsuit against the BCS. I hope he’s looking for a firm who will do it on a strict contingency, or better yet, pro bono, basis. (SL Trib) In case you’re interested, here’s a copy of the bid request.

*HHS is dropping its plan to spy on doctors. (ABC News) Good thinking.

*Another curious Huntsman video.

*Here’s Jim Geraghty’s review of today’s press conference with the President.

*And finally, Adam Brown from Utah Data Points has found that Utah legislators have a high absentee rate — 7% in the House and 14% in the Senate. (Utah Data Points) He’ll be providing more details about which votes are more often skipped, and which legislators skip them, in the coming days. Duh duh duh.

Daily Fix, June 28

Yes, it’s the 29th, but hey – humor me and pretend it’s yesterday.

*After being heavily courted by Orrin Hatch for more than a year, tea party activist David Kirkham told reporters he is looking for someone new. Better to find out while you’re “dating” than be left at the altar, I guess. Maybe Kirkham will run for that seat himself…. Trib

*Both Huntsman and Romney feel they’d be competitive no matter when next year’s presidential primary is held in Utah, but there is a move afoot to hold the primary early in the year rather than June. Upside: a (tiny) bit more relevance on the national scene and you could see a head-to-head match-up with Romney and Huntsman. Downside: $3 million price tag. DNews, ABC, Trib

*Highland opted not to join the Utah League of Cities and Towns for the second year in a row. There were talks to talk $100/month from each city council member’s stipend. Instead, Councilwoman Kathryn Schramm suggests that elected officials take money from that stipend and pay for classes at the Sutherland Institute. Rumor is Highland is the only city not belonging to the ULCT. Daily Herald

*Spencer Stokes, Senator Mike Lee’s chief of staff, sold his very profitable lobbying business to friend and colleague Steve Hunter for a cool million bucks. Stokes took a major pay cut to join Lee’s DC team. Trib

*Prof. Clayton Christensen from the Harvard Business School says America’s inability to attract the best and brightest minds to its shores has him very worried about the future of America. WSJ

Daily Fix, June 27

WEEKEND UPDATE:

*Wisconsin thuggery has seeped into the bench. Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley has accused Justice David Prosser, yes that Justice Prosser, of strangling her in a chokehold. Seriously. Since her claim, reports have come out that she was actually the initial aggressor by running toward him with fists raised. What next? (JS Online)

*The New York Legislature passed, and the Governor signed, a law legalizing gay marriage in New York. (Reuters) Currently, five states — Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and New Hampshire — and the District of Columbia grant same-sex marriage licenses.

TODAY’S NEWS:

*Utah Tea Partiers and FreedomWorks staff (don’t those UT peeps wish they were being paid!) marched over to the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s DC office this morning demanding that they stay out of Republican primaries. Or, more specifically, out of Senator Hatch’s primary. (Roll Call) Here’s a picture. Darcy Van Orden was there to tell reporters she is “looking for candidates who are intellectually honest.” Hatch is currently vice chair of the NRSC. Hmm.

*A jury found former Gov. Rod Blagojevich guilty of corruption today on 17 of the 20 counts against him. (Chicago Tribune) I don’t think anyone is surprised. The election of Barack Obama was NOT a win for Blegojevich.

*Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann are neck-and-neck in a recent Iowa poll, with all other presidential candidates at least 12 points behind them. (Iowa Caucuses) Romney/Bachmann? Bachmann/Romney?

*Obama administration officials are spending almost $350k to fund a “survey,” i.e. they are spying on dr. offices across the nation by calling them, posing as patients, and asking how long it would be before they could get an appointment. (NY Times) The government is trying to determine whether drs. give different answers depending on whether the caller has private insurance or Medicaid. You know what’s next, right? Future headline: “Government Mandates Patients for Drs.”

*Would TSA actually defend a request by officers in a regional Florida airport that a 95-year-old woman in a wheelchair remove her soiled adult-diaper in order to continue searching her? Depends. In this instance, the answer is, incredibly, yes.

*Presidential candidate Jon Huntsman is finally in Utah and scheduled for a few visits. (SL Trib)

*The Supreme Court struck down a California law that made it illegal to sell violent video games to minors. (USA Today)

*This is further evidence that the federal government is not enforcing its immigration laws. ICE regularly dismisses cases, and then does what it can to cover it up.

*And finally, are you a flake?

Blagojevich convicted of trying to sell Obama’s Senate seat

Months after the fact, a jury in Illinois finally convicted former governor Rod Blagojevich on 17 of 20 public corruption charges. They acquitted the former governor on one count of bribery and could not reach a verdict on two counts of attempted extortion, including one involving the current Chicago mayor, Rahm Emanuel. Today’s verdicts come with the second trial for Blagojevich. Last year’s trial ended with the jury dead-locking on all but one count of lying to the FBI. Blagojevich was reportedly stunned and “very disappointed” at today’s verdicts.

At the time of his arrest, two years into his second term, court-authorized wiretaps caught Blagoyevich offering Obama’s Senate seat in exchange for favors, including a job with a non-profit or a union, corporate posts for his wife, campaign contributions or even a post in the Obama administration. In fact, he considered appointing himself to the open Senate seat, thinking that his indictment would go better as a sitting Senator than as a governor – plus the federal contacts he made as a Senator would benefit him down the road. (Insert eyeroll here)

According to prosecutors, Blagoyevich was frustrated that the Obama transition team weren’t willing to give him “anything but appreciation.” “I’ve got this thing and it’s effing golden, and, uh, uh, I’m just not giving it up for effing nothing. I’m not gonna do it,” prosecutors quoted Blagojevich as saying.

He was impeached and removed from office by the Illinois legislature after his arrest just one month after Obama took office. Each charge comes with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He will be sentenced on August 1st and could be going away for a long, long time.

More details on Politico, The Hill, CNN, Chicago Tribune

Beware of 95 yo terrorists!

If you had any question about TSA being completely out-of-control, last week’s event in Florida should be the last time you ever question that. It’s bad enough that babies’ diapers are searched, that kids are patted down but this – this is unconscionable. A 95-year old woman, dying of leukemia and headed to be with her family in her final days was patted down and forced to remove her adult diaper because it was “in the way.”

Are you freaking kidding me? I’d like to know when the last time was that a 95-year old great-grandma was secretly a terrorist. Or when “dirty diapers” became a euphemism for “dirty bomb.” Or when explosives were in bottles of breast milk.

Her daughter, Jean Weber, burst into tears when she was forced to help remove her mother’s diaper. Her tears then triggered a pat-down of her own because of her “suspicious” behavior.

Meanwhile, the Israeli airport has never had a terrorist incident. They use profiling (yes, it actually works!) and bomb-sniffing dogs, saving advanced screening for those individuals who actually warrant it (unlike great-grandmas). Here in the US, though, we are so afraid of offending someone, we don’t actually employ the tools that work. Instead, we suspect everyone, the TSA never backs down and doggedly stands by their “procedures.”

This is one more example of what happens with slavish devotion to “the law.” Trading freedom for (the illusion of) security never works. Congressman Jason Chaffetz has spent a considerable amount of time pointing out the problems with TSA – and now he chairs the committee that oversees them. Sweet. This latest incident will be one more arrow in his quiver as proposes legislation to trim TSA’s wings – and none too soon. This is ridiculous.

Daily Fix, June 23

*The GRAMA working group held their final meeting and has government recommendations ready to present to the governor. In my opinion, we agreed on far more than we disagreed on. Now we’ll see what happens during the next session. Trib, Fox 13, KSL

*The Hatch make-over into Tea Party candidate continues to garner national attention, as does the effort to stack the March 2012 caucuses. Former Utah GOP chair Dave Hansen said “We have a field staff of 15 to 20 people that are working very hard with existing delegate lists, past delegate lists, party caucus attendees from the past and also recruiting from various organizations and business interests. We’re not trying to necessarily convert people. If they’re for us, great. If they’re not, we’re going to replace them.” I’m guessing there are some delegates already working to make sure they are NOT replaced. Roll Call

*Bob Bernick had a great post on UtahPolicy.com about Saturday’s convention and the cracks in party unity. Check it out.

*In San Francisco, the average retired city employee’s pension is now greater than the average San Fran worker’s wage. So far, efforts at pension reform have flamed out but a new push is underway to look at capping pensions and preventing spiking. SF Gate

*Meanwhile, New Jersey saw over 8000 protestors complaining about pension reforms. Union leaders claim is a “war for survival” but refuse to face the cold hard facts. This year alone, the gap between promised benefits and actual funds grew by $8 billion (almost the entire budget for the state of Utah.) The total unfunded liability? Over $120 billion. Kudos to Christie and the NJ legislature for doing what needed to be done. DNews, NJ Statehouse

*If you’re counting on Social Security, don’t. That world – and the money – is gone, says Thomas Sowell. In fact, he says the way “Social Security was set up was so financially shaky that anyone who set up a similar retirement scheme in the private sector could be sent to federal prison for fraud.” DNews

*Speaking of money and the lack thereof, Eric Cantor walked out of talks on the nation’s debt when Biden, on behalf of the Democrats, demanded that taxes be raised. In a statement released by his office, Cantor said “the Democrats continue to insist that any deal must include tax increases. There is not support in the House for a tax increase, and I don’t believe now is the time to raise taxes in light of our current economic situation.” The Hill

*Al Gore suggests population control as a way to combat global warming and decrease our carbon footprint. Eyeroll. KSL

*And finally, Jimmer is King – a Sacramento King, that is. KSL

Mo Tab flash mob

It’s true. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir performed at Williamsburg as a flash mob. Enjoy. (The singing doesn’t start until 3:28 into this clip)

h/t DNews

Daily Fix, June 21

*Huntsman’s in. He made his formal announcement in front of the Statue of Liberty, channeling his former boss, Ronald Reagan, who announced his presidential bid from the same spot. “We’re not just choosing new leaders,” Huntsman said. “We’re choosing whether we are to become yesterday’s story or tomorrow’s. Everything is at stake. This is the hour when we choose our future,” to which Robert Gehrke of the Trib quipped “I really would have appreciated a little more notice.” SL Trib Also, check out his website: www.jon2012.com

*Senator Orrin Hatch snags his good buddy Ted Kennedy’s “secret” office but tells The Hill he’s not allowed to talk about it for fear it’s one more nail in the coffin of the long-time DC insider. Trib

*Last night’s redistricting meeting in Tooele saw a proposed map that creates two rural Congressional districts, which ends up leaving two donut-hole districts – one heavily Republican, one heavily Democrat. (Which also means it has zero chance of passing.) Tonight’s redistricting meeting is at 6 pm at Centennial Middle School in Provo. Trib

*And, redistricting gets personal. Senate President Michael Waddoups carved some pretty safe seats for his friends. It would appear that Senator Dan Liljenquist is not one of them. He is the only Republican to be drawn into another incumbent’s area – Senator Luz Robles – and would have a new district that makes very little sense. Waddoups says it really isn’t personal. Trib

Daily Fix, June 20

*On Wednesday, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) will release their 4th annual “Rich States, Poor States” and for the 4th year in a row, Utah is ranked #1. Written by Dr Art Laffer, Steve Moore and Jonathan Williams, there is a special shout-out to Utah state Senator Dan Liljenquist for his work on pension reform. The move from defined benefit to defined contribution is now the national model. Deseret News

*Continuing the rosy outlook, today Governor Gary Herbert announced 200 new jobs will be coming to Utah via IM Flash and an additional 500 via EMC Corporation. Fingers crossed that the upswing continues. Daily Herald

*Entrepreneur and tea-partier David Kirkham was profiled in the DNews. Did you know his cars start at $100K and that’s without the engine? Sen Orrin Hatch is on speed-dial. They talk several times a day as Hatch tries to hang on to his seat.

*Speaking of Senator Hatch, a recent Deseret News/KSL poll shows he’s in trouble. Big, big trouble. Dan Jones (Hatch’s pollster) found that only 38% think Hatch should be re-elected because of his seniority. A whopping 59% say it’s time for someone new. If that wasn’t bad enough, that number comes from a pool of registered voters, not just Republicans and certainly not Republican delegates. Ouch. (Unless you’re part of the 60% who is ready for new blood….)In other interesting findings, a Hatch/Matheson match-up in the general is a draw, a Chaffetz/Matheson general election has Chaffetz slightly ahead and a Hatch/Chaffetz primary has Hatch slightly ahead. Tossing a 3rd candidate in the mix could really make things interesting…. Deseret News And you gotta love the picture…..

*Saturday’s GOP convention saw chair Thomas Wright re-elected, then a new vice-chair (Lowell Nelson) and new secretary (Drew Chamberlain). Interestingly, the two new officers are also involved in a lawsuit against the state party. Can you be both plaintiff and defendant? In the other news of the convention (besides that it lasted seven freaking hours), was that the non-binding resolution asking the legislature to repeal HB 116 passed by a narrow margin. DNews , SL Trib, Fox 13, Daily Herald

*Sen Dianne Feinstein and Sen Tom Coburn agreed on one issue recently, but to no avail. Both favor ending ethanol subsidies. However, a recent Senate vote to end the subsidies went down in flames 40-59. Why? According to an editorial in the LA Times, it was “devotion to rigid party orthodoxy [which] trumps common sense even on those rare occasions when Democrats and Republicans widely agree. That’s grim news for anybody hoping for problem-solving by Congress.”

Daily Fix, June 17

Since you can’t spend your Friday watching Rebecca Black’s riveting video “Friday” anymore, here’s some Daily Fix:

*Utah Republican state delegates will head to Convention on Saturday to elect new state party officers. Utah County is nicely prepared. Candidate information is here. But the officer elections seem to be on the sideline with the Resolutions actually on the field, specifically, the Resolution to Repeal HB116. A new poll finds that 61% of Utahns favor HB116. (Deseret News) You can read both sides of the arguments here.

*Senator Hatch is fighting back against FreedomWorks’ declaration of war with their own current Foundation Board Co-Chairman. (Daily Caller) C. Boyden Gray has officially endorsed Senator Hatch, despite his organization’s feelings. A spokesman for FreedomWorks said that “Gray’s endorsement is personal and is the result of a long-time friendship and is not indicative of any major disagreements within the organization.” FredomWorks seems to be a bit schizophrenic lately. They decry Senator Hatch’s previous votes to raise the debt ceiling, but say nothing of their own founding member and former House Majority Leader Dick Armey’s similar voting record. Board members don’t agree with the message against Senator Hatch. And C. Boyden Gray’s bio trumps up his role in the Clear Air Act — the very same act that President Obama is now using to regulate our energy companies out of business, noted in yesterday’s DF. On their involvement in Utah’s senatorial race? Don’t call us – we’ll call you. [This post originally mentioned Dick Armey's vote for TARP, rather than his vote to raise the debt ceiling. I'm an idiot.]

*And Rep. Jason Chaffetz is fighting back against Hatch, or at least Hatch’s friends. (SL Trib) Chaffetz complained to the media that Hatch is “trying to scare away his potential campaign donors.” Really? Running to the press to tattle? Come on boys, if you can’t get along you’ll have to go to timeout. No really, please go to timeout.

*Because of “criticism and bad press for the Administration,” the White House is changing its process for choosing winners, I mean granting health care waivers. (The Hill) Organizations have until September 22 to apply for a waiver that will excuse them from their onerous health care obligations through 2013. No exemptions will apply starting in 2014. Hopefully 2012 will render these silly exercises in wasteful bureaucracy moot.

*Jon Huntsman, Jr.: another curious video.

*And Mitt Romney: simultaneously charming and awkward. If Mitt needs a job, he should just contribute to Obama’s campaign.

*The American Association of Retired People (AARP) has dropped its opposition to revamping Social Security benefits. (Wall Street Journal) “AARP now has concluded that change is inevitable, and it wants to be at the table to try to minimize the pain.” Good call.

*And speaking of entitlements, a study in Illinois has proven that kids with Medicaid have a harder time getting an appointment from a specialist. (The Atlantic) “Sixty-six percent of those who mentioned Medicaid-CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) were denied appointments, compared with 11 percent who said they had private insurance.” How’s that healthcare plan / hopey-changey thing working for you?

*The kings of New Jersey, i.e. public union leaders, took a quick loss today when the New Jersey Senate passed a budget that would require public employees to actually contribute to their health and pension benefits. The gall. (Jammie Wearing Fool) Protestors showed their true colors with this quote: “We have Adolf Christie and his two generals trying to turn New Jersey into Nazi Germany.” (NJ.com) After having to apologize to Holocaust survivors everywhere, the nation realizes that public union leaders have zero credibility.