07/29/2008 Wyoming Democratic Party News Roundup
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Jul 29, 2008 Posted by Bill Luckett
For Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Two Dems vie to challenge GOP incumbent
LARAMIE -- Two candidates who are longtime residents of rural Albany County, and who have been unsuccessful in previous runs for public office, are vying in the Aug. 19 primary election for the Democratic nomination to represent south Laramie and south and west Albany County in the state House.
Council considers candidates to fill seats
A radio announcer, Presbyterian pastor and a former state legislator are among seven Casperites vying to fill two vacated Casper City Council positions.
Editorial: State does right with safety net for vets
The Legislature and the governor deserve credit for the effort. As Sen. Mike Massie, D-Laramie, put it: "It didn't make sense to me that the wealthiest state in the country could not jump in and provide for its veterans when the federal government was failing them."
Labrador 'runs' for mayor of Fairhope, Alabama
FAIRHOPE, Ala. - One of the candidates in the race to become Fairhope's next mayor is considerably more hairy than the rest. He also has twice as many legs and a constantly wagging tail. Wille Bean Roscoe P. Coltrane is a 7-year-old yellow Labrador retriever whose owner has taken a satirical poke at politics by launching the pooch into the race. ()
(I wonder if he is a true Yellowdog Democrat…)
When it comes to energy development, two democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate say the country needs an energy policy -- but they differ on what kind. Keith Goodenough says part of the nation's energy policy should include conservation. But he's not interested in moving ahead with more drilling, especially in sensitive areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: "I don't support drilling in ANWR or offshore right now. We're going to need oil in 30 or 40 years more than we do right now. I think we should save that as part of a strategic reserve." Fellow Democrat Nick Carter would consider more oil drilling, "if it's part of a comprehensive plan that says our goal is to be energy independent in 30 years and part of that is drilling."
House hopeful Gary Trauner hopes 2008 brings victory
Host Elsa Partan visits Gary Trauner on the campaign trail. The Democrat outlines his views on health care reform, energy independence and fiscal responsibility.
Rothfuss and Hamburg fight for primary nod
Peter O’Dowd has this story on the two Democrats trying to unseat Sen. Mike Enzi.
WYOMING (2008-07-28) Democrats Keith Goodenough and Nick Carter debate issues from gay marriage to the war in Iraq. The candidates are battling for the right to challenge Sen. John Barrasso in November. Host Bob Beck moderates.
Governor reacts to Gore's Challenge
WYOMING (2008-07-21) Elsa Partan asked Dave Freudenthal to weigh in on the former vice president's ambitious goal of powering the country solely on renewable energy in 10 years.
Commentary: The Flip-Flop Test
DALLAS, TX (2008-07-25) As John McCain and Barack Obama vie for the presidency, we hear almost daily complaints about alleged "flip-flopping" on various issues. Commentator Chris Tucker has a two-part test for determining when a flip-flop is under way.
GOP whittles commission candidates to 3
The Teton County Republican Party chose Larry Williamson, Paul Vogelheim and Scott Anderson as possible replacements for County Commissioner Bill Paddleford during a meeting Monday night.A first-of-its-kind experiment to open up the Democratic Party's platform-writing process to ordinary Americans are being held in Colorado, organized through Obama's website
Carter Criticizes Barrasso Over Bad Energy Vote
Gillette (Nick for Senate) -- Democratic Senate candidate Nick Carter said Friday that he is disappointed -- but not surprised -- by interim Senator John Barrasso's vote against a bill that would have had an immediate impact on the price of gasoline at the pump and ensured the long-term stability of Wyoming's economy. "Since John Barrasso was appointed to fill the seat have jumped by nearly a dollar a gallon, continuing a four-fold increase that began with the start of the Bush administration," Carter said. "Experts agree that a significant part of that rise can be directly attributed to speculation and market manipulation. The evidence of that is clear and Senator Barrasso not only chose to ignore the facts, but to protect the very people who are directly benefiting from this damaging behavior." Carter pointed to recent Congressional reports that conclude that fully 73 percent of all trading in oil futures involves speculators who have no intention of taking delivery of oil. In effort to stem a practice that may have already doubled the price of oil, the U.S. Senate considered the Stop Excessive Energy Speculation Act (S.3268) this week.
Enzi Opposed Housing Rescue Bill
“With just one piece of legislation, Congress has inflicted another $800 billion of pain upon American taxpayers,” said Enzi, the Senate’s only accountant and a senior member of the Budget Committee. “With each increase of the debt limit, our great nation plunges further and further into an ever-deepening sinkhole of insolvency. There are few instances in which raising the federal debt limit is warranted, and burdening Americans with more debt to reward the bad actors who helped create the housing market problem is not one of them.”
Barrasso Votes Against Lower Gas Prices (Opposes legislation to crack down on oil speculation and market manipulation)
(Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee) -- Senator John Barrasso voted against a bill today to lower gas prices by curbing excessive speculation in energy markets. Experts have noted that speculation is driving up the price of a barrel of oil, and a recent House committee report revealed that speculators – institutional investors buying contracts with no intention of taking delivery of oil – now account for 73% of all trading of crude oil contracts on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up from 37% in 2000. “John Barrasso had an opportunity to lower the price of gas today, but instead he voted with the speculators who are profiting from Wyomingites’ pain at the pump,” DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller said. “John Barrasso’s constituents deserve better than a politician who sides with Wall Street speculators over Wyoming families.”
"Bailout Bill"
Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi votes against the Mortgage Relief Bill.