State Update

I can't believe I'm doing this

This is probably the last place you'd expect something about the Jon Benet Ramsey case, and I hope this will be the last time I ever mention it. But I couldn't resist this great little gem by Colorado Gov. Bill Owens (R), as reported by the Rocky Mountain News:

Mary Lacy should be held accountable for the most extravagant and expensive DNA test in Colorado history.

Kansas judge admonished

A while back I pointed out a story about a Kansas Supreme Court judge who caused a stir by talking to Senate leaders about the state's funding of schools. On Friday, Justice Lawton Nuss was reprimanded for violating the state judicial canons but not otherwise punished. Nuss had already apologized and recused himself from the school funding case.

Celebrate offline

This photo has a reasonable enough explanation, but it still doesn't bode well for a candidate for governor if he has to explain why his family is busy taking shots the day he gets plenty of play in the paper -- for raising questions about the Big Dig tunnel safety. From the Boston Herald:

One photo, obtained by the Herald, shows Ashley, her brother, Christy IV, and her mother, Andrea Mihos, toasting with shot glasses with a fourth, unidentified reveler over the kitchen counter of their Cape Cod home. On the counter sits four Sam Adams beer bottles and a copy of the Boston Herald with a headline about the investigation surrounding the tragic Big Dig tunnel collapse.

Inside that edition, Mihos was prominently featured questioning why cameras in the I-90 connector tunnel did not capture the events leading up the tunnel failure that killed a Jamaica Plain woman.

But a spokesman for Mihos said that the group was not celebrating Mihos’ high-profile newspaper appearance - it was a fete for younger Christy’s 21st birthday last month.

“It was a toast for (his) birthday,” said Mihos spokeswoman Nicole Nionakis. “Anything regarding the paper was purely coincidental.”

I think the lesson here is pretty simple, and, happily, it's right in the story:

“I think every politician and everyone related to them should put a little note next to the ‘enter’ button of their computer that says: ‘How will this look on the front page of the paper?’ ” said Phil Noble, founder of PoliticsOnline.com, a Web site examining politics and the Internet.

Fletcher: 'File and run'

Beleaguered Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R) sounds like he's had it with all of his detractors -- in his own party. The detractors are mouthing off more and more these days, even after a judge ruled that Fletcher can't be prosecuted for violating hiring laws as long as he's in office.

Secretary of State Trey Grayson's been one of the more vocal critics, stoking speculation that he wants Fletcher's job. Here's what Grayson said at a rally in southwest Kentucky, according to the AP:

Meanwhile, Grayson chided Republicans during his speech for not following through on campaign promises to clean up the mess in Frankfort.

"We didn't mean justifying questionable behavior because the other guy did it too," he said. "At least that's not what I meant. When I said let's clean up the mess in Frankfort, I meant that we needed to change the whole culture in Frankfort, because state government was broken."

Among the other state GOP leaders to question Fletcher is Fletcher's own running mate, Lt. Gov. Steve Pence. He too, is being talked about as a potential challenger to Fletcher in 2007. The governor is not amused:

A defiant Gov. Ernie Fletcher, nearly a week after state Republican officials rebuffed his choice for the party's top committee, on Thursday challenged his GOP critics to a political duel.

Fletcher told his critics - who have been mounting lately - they should sign up for the 2007 governor's race if they don't think he can win.

"If folks want to be governor, let them do like I did when I wanted to be governor and do some things for the commonwealth. File and run," Fletcher said Thursday after a Kentucky State Police promotion ceremony in Louisville.

He may just get his wish.

Modesty in Iowa

Seriously, I thought John Ashcroft was from Missouri, not Iowa.

A 'general' annoyance

I admit it, this is going to sound trivial. But one of my pet peeves is when people refer to an attorney general as "general." An attorney general is not a military rank. "Attorney" is the noun and "general" is the adjective. That's what makes an attorney general different than, say, a brigadier general or a major general. Usually, it's people who either work for the attorney general or are kissing up to him/her who refer to the official as "General." But now, it's the Wall Street Journal!!!

Rhode Island's "public nuisance" lawsuit against DuPont and several other former lead paint companies predates General Lynch, but the decisions to continue the litigation and settle were entirely his call. When Mr. Lynch announced the agreement just over a year ago, he said "this money will go straight to cleaning up this mess," so that "the children of Rhode Island -- particularly those in the inner-cities -- are protected from the hazards of lead poisoning." But it turns out Mr. Lynch also had other uses for the money.

"General Lynch" is actually Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch. This isn't "Gladiator." So, lay off the general schtick, unless, of course, you're going to start referring to lieutenant governors as "lieutenants."

By the way, the Journal article is actually worth reading if you have a subscription. And for more background on the situation, you can start here.

A pizza guy or a Green candidate?

Minnesota voters will get the chance to vote for "Papa John Kolstad" as a Green Party candidate for attorney general this year, and they'll even get to see him listed under his nickname on the ballot. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:

But Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer told him at first that he would be listed only as John Kolstad.

"You can't use a title," Kiffmeyer had said in an interview last week. "Papa is a type of title, like Doc or Grandma."

Kolstad appealed, saying he's been known as Papa John' throughout the state, distinguishing him from several other John Kolstads in Minnesota. He also cited his song, recorded on a recent CD, "I Was Always a Papa," and noted that Hubert Humphrey III and Hubert Humphrey IV had been listed on the last two statewide ballots, respectively, as Skip and Buck.

Bet Carole Keeton, err Grandma, Strayhorn of Texas is jealous. I mean, "Papa" is OK, but "Grandma" isn't?

In tags we trust

 

Indiana became the fifth state to introduce "In God We Trust" license plates. Everyone who watches state government, I think, can't help but be amazed at how many different types of specialty plates legislators have created. Of course, many, like the "In God We Trust" motif, start in one state and spread like prairie fire. In this case, Indiana joins Louisiana, North Carolina, Arkansas and Georgia with similarly themed plates. (I found images of all of them but Georgia's; North Carolina's supports the National Guard). The Indiana plate is available without extra charge to those who request it.

What caught my eye about this Indianapolis Star story, though, was the sponsor's defense against the inevitable questions about separation between church and state:

The plate stirred questions about the separation of church and state, but (Republican state Rep. Woody) Burton discounted those concerns.

"This is just a symbol to give people their free right to express their opinion," he said. "There are always going to be people who don't like it.

"In some way or another, we all worship one God, but we may use different names," Burton added. "This was not for one particular religious group."

According to a somewhat unrelated survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 3.2 percent of Americans consider themselves atheists or agnostics. Another 7.5 percent are what the Forum categorizes as "seculars" who don't claim an affilliation with a religious denomination and who reported only "modest" beliefs or practices. Extrapolating, that's some 32 million Americans, and it doesn't include people who are religious but believe in more than one god.

Overshadowed and overwhelmed?

Believe it or not, there was another election decided by Connecticut Democrats on Tuesday. The "record high turnout" (a whopping 43 percent, but it was far worse in Michigan: 18 percent) touted by Howard Dean also elected New Haven Mayor John DeStefano to take on popular incumbent Gov. Jodi Rell (R) in November. The New York Times had a humorous, though accurate, assessment of DeStefano's situation:

Fresh from his narrow victory in the Democratic primary for governor of Connecticut, Mayor John DeStefano Jr. of New Haven began his general election campaign on Wednesday facing some bleak realities.

His campaign bank account is nearly empty. His running mate supported his opponent. He is challenging a popular incumbent. And another race, for the United States Senate, has commanded the attention of voters and the news media.

Ahh, yes, money situation...

(T)he uphill battle ahead of Mr. DeStefano is no joke.

He worked more than two years and spent most of his $4 million in campaign money to defeat Dannel P. Malloy, the mayor of Stamford, winning by a margin of less than 2 percentage points. He said he needs to raise $3 million over the next three months to mount a credible campaign for the Nov. 7 election.

Surrounded by reporters at the headquarters of the Democratic State Central Committee, Mr. DeStefano reached into his pocket and fished out some coins. “We’ve got at least 80 cents,’’ he said.

Not so cool

I once quipped that GOP gubernatorial contender Charlie Crist seemed "cool under pressure." That was then, this is now. Crist had a tough time of it while talking to the Palm Beach Post editorial board, the newspaper tells us.

Charlie Crist campaigns for governor saying that he will continue to use the FCAT if he is elected because it is a vital measure of student and school performance.

But Florida's attorney general, a former education commissioner, was unable to answer basic questions Wednesday about the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, including when it is given and what it takes to pass.

The story then recounts Crist's stumbles in full detail...

  He told The Palm Beach Post editorial board Wednesday that "maybe" the test should be given at a different time.

Crist then was asked if he knew when the FCAT is given.

"I believe it's earlier than it used to be in the past. I don't know the exact date but I know that some teachers complain that it is too early and that's why school has to start in early August," he said.

"You don't know when the FCAT is given?"

  "I think it's... No, I don't," Crist said.

Crist then was asked: "You're the former education commissioner who talked about implementing Gov. Bush's education plan, which is all based around the FCAT. You don't know when the FCAT is given?"

"I don't," Crist said.

  Later, Crist was asked, "What's a passing score on the FCAT?"

  "I don't know," he said.

  Crist was unapologetic about his lack of knowledge about the details of the program, although he later called The Post with the correct answers. The test for writing is given in February and the reading, math and science tests are given in March. The writing test is generally passed with a score of 3.5 out of 6; the other tests require a score of 3 out of 5.

Bet he knows the answers now... In any event, the possibility that Crist would coast, unopposed, to the Republican nomination seems thwarted for now. His challenger, Tom Gallagher, said he won't step down, as had been suggested by the Miami Herald.