Governor Palin and Foreign Policy

Quiz: Of our last 5 Presidents, how many had extensive (or really any) foreign policy experience?

Answer: 1 (George H. W. Bush).

The other 4 – Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and W – were all Governors, like Palin. In office, they used their executive experience, to work with staff and figure it out.

Possibly because of that superior executive experience, Governors, not Senators, impress November voters.

Speaking of which, and speaking of the fact that Gov. Palin actually has kicked butt on the establishment while an executive, I’m fascinated by the sexist and sincere talk about Sen. Biden having to be careful that he doesn’t beat up on Gov. Palin too badly at their debate.

It might be the first debate to be stopped because of the 3-knockdown rule. During the second standing-eight count, Biden will ask, “Who am I? Why am I here? Can I go home now?”

Did McCain Just Win the Election?

Barack Obama’s many amazing talents might or might not qualify him to be a good President. John McCain, in order to win, must point out that Sen. Obama lacks experience and substance. He might have just done that, by introducing Gov. Sarah Palin into the mix.

Gov. Palin's experience (for the number 2 spot) easily matches that of Sen. Obama (the top of the ticket). If you dispute that, I’d suggest that you might be missing how much a Governor oversees and how little an individual Senator actually oversees. And, come to think of it, though the Lefties, (for the good of the nation, mind you), are deeply worried that Gov. Palin’s experience is problematic, they didn’t fretted much about that issue when first-term Virginia Governor Tim Kaine was being considered for the Democratic ticket. Could it be that Gov. Kaine simply is doing a more manly job of governing? My bad. Poor choice of words.

And, the difference in substance between Gov. Palin and Sen. Obama could not be greater. During Gov. Palin’s time in office, she has rocked the establishment. By contrast, Obama has rocked the vote. End of story. Nothing else. Disagree? Other than getting the nomination, please name Sen. Obama’s accomplishments. Other than getting the nomination, the man who would be President has never moved the needle. Not a smidge. He’s talked about it a lot. But, unless I missed it somewhere, he’s never actually done it.

Adding Gov. Palin to the ticket is a game changer. And, it seems that the Obama camp knows it. Their reaction to Gov. Palin: “Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency.” Well, until recently, wasn’t the “community organizer,” um, organizing the community, or whatever it would be called? Again, Gov. Palin’s experience is equal, if not superior. Governors have done just fine, in making the step over to the federal system. What the Obama campaign really meant to say with the “town of 9,000” slight is that Gov. Palin’s common-man (though extraordinary) background is less worthy than the Harvard-to-Congress pathway; people outside the elitist circle are lesser human beings. Run with that vision, Senator! Voters eat that stuff up like pâté.

Compared to Sen. Joe “Gaffe-o-matic” Biden, I’m sure Gov. Palin will be very good. But, in her own right, I expect that she will be extraordinary. In a race that seemed to be offering nothing more than the same-old insider rhetoric and perspective, Gov. Palin should add significant energy to the debate. In a nation looking for real change – meaning something other than simply bouncing back to that other bad and predictable relationship – the winning ticket just might be the renegade old man and the hockey-mom-who-could.

UPDATE: It would be grossly false, of course, to say that opposition to Gov. Palin necessarily is sexism. Of course. Of course. Just like opposition to Sen. Obama is not necessarily racism. However, lots of opposition to Gov. Palin coming from the Left clearly is sexist. She took on the establishment, to become Governor. Of course, her responsibilities mirror those of the other 49 governors. As Governor, when others would still be "getting their feet under them," she again took on the establishment. And she beat it again.

Yet, the enlightened Left seems to think that she won a regional bake off, unlike several other first-term government figures involved in this cycle, such as Obama, Edwards, Kaine (speculatively, at least), and Romney (admit it), who carry the gravitas of office. With the mood of the country, Democrats have to work hard to lose this election. Right now, they're working their tails off.

UPDATE 2: Wow! Paul Begala just noted how poised Gov. Palin was during her presentation today. He noted that it was clearly the result of her beauty pageant training. Unenlightened Republican that I am, I might have thought her Governor gig had something to do with it.

C’mon, People, It’s Nie Nie Day!

Rep. Steve Clark’s daughter, Stephanie Nielson (author of the absolutely amazing NieNie Dialogues), and her husband Christian were in a plane crash and face a tough – and expensive – road to recovery.

My sis-in-law Gabby Blair (author of the absolutely amazing Design Mom) has declared today Nie Nie Day! and has helped organize over 165 auctions to help raise money for the beautiful Nielson family. (Check out all the participants listed at Design Mom, and marvel at the goodness that exists in this world!).

When tragedy strikes, people often wonder how they can help. Well, folks, here’s how! Check out the totally cool stuff being auctioned and part yourself from a few dollars. Many of the auctions close on 8/31/08.

And, please, outbid me on some stuff, or I’ll have to sell a kid to pay for it all. Start here, at Oh Happy Day – (the absolutely amazing blog of another sis-in-law Jordan Ferney). FYI, I’m gonna steal a tricked out ride, if no one out there loves their kids or grandkids.

UPDATE: this blogger went all in and needs some bids.

UPDATE (my auction item): A few years ago, I listed the things I do, and ranked them from 1-star (crummy) to 5-star (legendary). The 1- and 2-star items were plentiful. The single, solitary 5-star item I had was making waffles. Through hundreds of experiments that tested the outer limits of my wife’s marital vows, I created the best waffle batter ever. Truly. So . . .

. . . my auction item is awesome waffles and dulce de leche crème topping. If you live in Utah or want to come to my house in St. George, I’ll make them for you fresh. (My company alone might make this a bargain, since I soon might be the best person ever). Otherwise, I’ll freeze pack it and ship it to you (my cost, of course) with warmest regards.

And, yes, I realize that waffling might not be the best identifying superlative for a politician, but I publicly bare my shame to help out a great cause. Let’s start the bidding at $20. Include email or link, to make arrangements. Bid open until end of Sunday 8/31.

Deseret News Declares War on Legislature

In late-June/early-July, the Deseret News and the Tribune submitted records requests for documents. The Trib’s request was broad. The D News asked for a specific document.

The Trib’s broader request netted documents that led to a story. No documents matched the specific document requested by the D News. John Fellows, legislative general counsel, explained the situation to Lee Davidson of the D News, when Davidson called in a dither. Davidson exploded that Fellows “knew what they wanted.” Fellows explained that all sorts of liability could flow from releasing sensitive documents that were never actually requested. And, I’d imagine that Fellows might have wanted to add that it’s not his job to divine what a big, well-lawyered organization (that trades in words, for heaven’s sake) wanted, despite what it actually requested.

Davidson threatened Fellows, saying that his refusal to relent to the demands of the Deseret News would “constitute a declaration of war.” Fellows told him to redraft his request.

Immediately thereafter, the D News hit the Legislative Office of Research and General Counsel (LRGC) with an unprecedented number of records requests, many of them dealing with – you guessed it – personnel issues involving LRGC.

Last week, the D News ran a story that clearly would reflect poorly on legislative leadership. Problem is, the story was completely made up. In fact, D News editors privately admitted that the story was made up; yet, the D News is still running with the fabricated story.

Don’t mess with Big Media.

D News Runs Further With Admittedly Fake Story

Any minute now Ashton Kutcher is going to tell me I’ve been Punk’d. I hope. If not, the D News is punking Utahns big time. Here’s the summary.

1. On 8/19, the D News reported that GOP legislative leaders were going to take on the referendum process. The story was made up. Just the day before, legislative leaders told the D News editorial board the opposite – that Utah’s referendum process was sound.

2. On 8/20, editorial board members admitted to legislative leaders that the story was inaccurate. D News reporter Bob Bernick apologized to President John Valentine for acting unethically in writing the story. Bernick said he’d run a retraction.

3. On 8/20, Bernick did not run a retraction. Rather, he wrote a second story, suggesting that legislative leaders had decided against challenging the referendum process – a significant misrepresentation.

4. Since the beginning of this faux story, Bloggers pointed out that Bernick and the D News made up the referendum story.

5. On 8/22, Bernick snorted about the misinformation of inaccurate and unfair blogs (but courageously vowed to “keep on plugging away”).

6. On 8/25, five days after the D News admitted the story was fake, D News columnist John Florez scolded lawmakers for plotting to change the referendum process.

So, you’ve gotta wonder: is anyone running the D News? It makes up news, admits that it made up news, chastises people who pointed out that it made up news, makes up follow-up news, and, then, editorializes that the Legislature is rotten for seeking to do something the D News editors admittedly know the Legislature never intended to do.

UPDATE: The D News would not post the following comment I left to the John Florez column:

John,

D News reporter Bernick apologized to President Valentine for making up the referendum story. There never was a movement to change the referendum process. The D News made that up. Talk to your editors; they admitted it. Now, you're criticizing the Legislature for something it never planned on doing.

Do you and the D News have any standards?

If you're just going to comment on things you read, read my blog. It's far more accurate than the D News.

The D News won't release the tape of the editorial board meeting, and the D News censors commentary critical of its work. Isn't legacy media supposed to be a bulwark against censorship and for open dialogue?

UPDATE 2: To get a taste for the kind of "dialogue" the D News promotes and/or discourages, you see my comment above thatit would not post. Compare that to the comments it did post following an article about AG Mark Shurtleff possibly losing his leg. Despicable.

Deseret News Opposes Transparency

Deseret News reporter Bob Bernick laments,

"I am often these days attacked by bloggers, and while I make an effort NOT to read the misinformation about me and my work (just keep on plugging away), I know for a fact how inaccurate and unfair blogs can be."

Yet again, Bob fares poorly when fact checked. Let’s look at the who, what, and how of his claim.

Who are the bloggers attacking Bob and his work? Searches on Technorati and Google Blogsearch reveal surprisingly little discussion about Bob. So, it seems Ric Cantrell mostly sums up Bob’s blogging critics.

What are those bloggers saying about Bob? The bloggers are saying that Bob made up a story about Utah’s referendum process.

How are those charges “misinformation,” “inaccurate,” or “unfair?” It would be simple for Bob and the D News to contradict these charges. They recorded the editorial board meeting at issue. Open it to public scrutiny. If I’m wrong, I’ve offered to eat my blog. I’ll double down. If I’m wrong about Bob fabricating this story, I’ll donate $100 to the Utah Democratic Party on Bob’s behalf. (Someone please convey this to Bob, since he does NOT read blogs).

But, I’m not wrong. Bob was forced to personally apologize to President Valentine and admit that he acted unethically in printing the made-up news.

So, why the lie in the follow up story? Why the Edwardsian attack on the “inaccurate and unfair blogs?” Bob’s just smarting that his ability to make up news is somewhat checked by people’s enhanced ability to communicate and exchange information for themselves.

This creates an interesting situation. The focus of Bernick’s sworn wrath* – the Utah Legislature – has become much more transparent to the public. Yet, the watchdog doggedly refuses to open itself to public scrutiny, and even castigates the public for daring to question it.

* (Next week, I’ll post a story about the D News declaring war on the Legislature – yes, an actual, verbalized declaration; unlike Bernick and the D News, I first want to verify some specifics.)

Deseret News Fabricates More News

Bob Bernick and the D News were caught in an outright lie. On Monday, Utah Senate leaders met with the Deseret News editorial board. In a broad ranging conversation, they discussed the State’s referendum process, concluding that it was in the right place.

Instead of reporting those facts, Bob Bernick and the D News made up a story. In complete contradiction of the facts, they reported that GOP legislative leaders were going to make a run at changing the referendum process. Again, that was a complete lie.

When called on the lie, the editorial board was forced to acknowledge it. They, then, forced Bernick to write a retraction. He didn’t. Instead, he furthered the lie.

Though Bernick admitted privately to President Valentine that he’d acted unethically, he publicly lied again. The D News didn’t publish anything approaching, “We made it all up.” Instead, Bernick wrote that Legislative leaders weren’t going to change the law after all – as if they’d seen the light only after reading Bernick’s article where he first told this lie. That is a significant misrepresentation. As indicated in the comments to Bernick’s “retraction,” people were (intentionally) led to believe that the Legislature reversed course. Nope. But, Bernick and the D News need to reverse course and clearly admit that they made up the story in the first place.

I called the D News and again asked for the recording of the editorial board meeting. It is important that they exercise a little of the transparency they supposedly laud, and give people a chance to see how accurate the D News is with facts.

Deseret News Fabricates Story

In my last post, I noted that Big Media’s stories largely are “made-up stuff or very-poorly-sourced-and-heavily-slanted stuff intended more to incite or excite than to enlighten.”

Right on cue, the Deseret News completely made up a story today. No one in Legislative leadership is talking about changing the referendum process. Here, for example, is what I last publicly said about the process. Yet, the Deseret News, um, “reports:”

Get ready for GOP legislative leaders to take on the state’s referendum law – and a big fight with Democrats who vow to protect the current system.

It’s 100% fiction. There won’t be a “big fight,” because no one is proposing a change. The D News completely made that up. Facts aren't important to Big Media. The thing that is important to veteran reporter Bob Bernick – is that there will be an election. And anything he and other cracker jack reporters can do to influence it against Republicans – including making up stories – is fair game.

Republican leadership in Utah isn’t perfect. We get some things right, and we get some things wrong. We deserve our fair share of criticism. But, completely making up stuff does a great disservice to the public and to the health of political dialogue.

Editorial board meetings are recorded. If the D News can show me where any “GOP legislative leader” said we’d “take on the state’s referendum law,” I’ll print this entry and post a YouTube video of me eating it, saying, “Bob Bernick does not make up news,” between every bite. To the contrary, you would hear legislative leaders saying the exact opposite of what the D News reports; they would hear those leaders saying that Utah has the referendum balance in the right place.

I want the recording of that editorial board meeting made public. That would be a big story – showing how Big Media completely makes up stories to fit its agenda and to influence elections. Let us hear the recording, Bob, so we can test the veracity of your stories.

I’ve put a lot of effort into trying to promote factual political dialogue concerning legislative issues, so that more people might be encouraged to participate. I’ve had enough of the “professionals” acting like they work for tabloids. No offense to tabloids.

Hello? Is Big Media There?

I pointed out that misleading information had been published on a policy issue by (1) special interests, (2) bloggers, and (3) Big Media. The ACLU, JM Bell, and Brown Views all accepted my invitation to respond. The point of public discourse isn’t for them to admit that I’m right (though I always am). The point is to have the discourse – and allow the public to watch and, ideally, participate in that discourse. That way – even if the ride is a bit bumpy – we reach a good outcome or at least one most of us can stomach.

It is interesting that Big Media won’t go there. They talk. We listen.

Yes, Big Media blogs. Sort of. But the aristocracy of the Fourth Estate rarely, if ever, mixes with the plebes in the comment threads. Why not? Because it is a lecture, not discourse. They talk. We listen. Sure, we can talk among ourselves while we await their next proclamation, but the Earls and Dukes won’t actually reason with us. They refuse to defend their veracity, their reasoning, and their conclusions. As a result, they are increasingly ignored.

A writer from a major newspaper recently remarked how his industry holds tabloids in contempt. To an increasing number of people, it’s all the same: made-up stuff or very-poorly-sourced-and-heavily-slanted stuff intended more to incite or excite than to enlighten. Newspapers could have such a great role in public discourse. But in these wonderful, disintermediating times they would have to actually engage in discourse, and that’s a leap they seem unable to make.

Workers Compensation and Illegal Aliens

Special interest groups, blogs, and Big Media are lambasting the Utah Legislature and the Utah Labor Commission for a bill and rules (p. 127) concerning workers compensation benefits. The Tribune reports, “Thanks to the Republican, employer-friendly and developer-heavy Utah Legislature, [etc.].” Golly. Those information outlets argue that the statute and rules will unfairly hurt illegal aliens.

The reality, however, is that the bill and the rules won’t change a thing for illegal aliens regarding workers compensation benefits. Not a single thing.

Currently, an injured worker’s immigration status only matters (slightly) in permanent, total disability (PTD) cases (where the worker claims that his injury makes him unable to perform any work reasonably available). If other work is found to be reasonably available, the worker (illegal or 10^th-generation American) does not receive PTD benefits. The only difference between illegal and legal workers would be that in the case of a worker with legal status, the insurer would present a witness who would say, “Worker A can work at business X. He has the proper education, training, work experience, etc. He could start Wednesday.” In the case of a worker lacking legal status, the insurer would present a witness who would say, “Worker B could work at business X. He has the proper education, training, work experience, etc.. But, he lacks legal status to be hired there.”

So, how will that scenario change under the Morley bill and the Labor Commission rule? Well, it won’t.

So, the relevant inquiry to this little drama is – why the misinformation? Is it mistake or agenda?

To determine the ultimate reliability of sources of information, it is helpful to see how they respond when they were in the wrong and they misled the public. So, I’ll invite the ACLU, JM Bell, BrownViews, and the Tribune to print whatever rephrasing or retractions they deem appropriate to garner the same amount of attention, in order to illuminate, rather than mislead, the public.