Politics

CHICAGO, Ill. – “We saved Yellowstone from mining,” President Clinton intoned in his acceptance speech, which was characteristically long, detailed and completely devoid of eloquence. Clinton did not say, “Bob Dole wouldn’t have done that”; he didn’t have to. Dole had done it for him in his own acceptance speech, which was more eloquent, almost […]

What happens when a computer whiz with a penchant for the outdoors decides to tackle politics? Brad Udall, creator of one of the first on-line political action committees, hopes he can influence the composition of the next Congress. Following in the footsteps of his father, former Arizona Rep. Morris Udall, and his uncle, former Secretary […]

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – As you no doubt noticed, some of the reporters covering the Republican National Convention here were so bored they wanted to go home. Indeed, one of them did. Ted Koppel of ABC’s Nightline imperiously announced he was leaving before the party ended. Ted missed a good story. Come to think of […]

Physician Robin Silver of Phoenix is known as an uncompromising environmentalist. Most recently, he forced the federal government to list the Mexican spotted owl as “threatened,” thereby stopping logging in the Southwest (HCN, 9/4/95). He has also fought against construction of a series of telescopes on Arizona’s Mount Graham (HCN, 7/24/95). So some Republicans may […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As a young Italian girl once noted, names can be confusing. Take the name, “Presidio.” To the many millions who speak Spanish, it’s no name at all, merely a word for prison. To San Franciscans familiar with their city’s history, it’s the name of a fort the Spaniards built in 1776 when […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Remember Mr. Smith proclaiming that lost causes were the only ones worth fighting for? Even without Jimmy Stewart’s comforting drawl, that sentiment strikes a chord. Who can resist the charm of the loser who does not quit, the true believer who persists despite the disapproval of the multitudes? In that light, consider […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Here are two basic truths about revolutions: First, like comedy, revolutions are easy to plan, but very, very hard to pull off. Second, we don’t do them in America. Well, we started with one, and perhaps it continues. Since then there has been lots of change, most of it incremental. For this […]

When the Santa Fe activists who are organizing an overhaul of the town’s government discuss Mayor Debbie Jaramillo, they sound like initiates to a self-help group. “I spent 14 years of my life promoting her. It’s grossly sad and disappointing,” says activist Don Brayfield. “I worked with her for six years like a lapdog. I […]

Two years ago, Barbara Cubin, a first-time candidate for the House of Representatives, stocked sporting goods stores across Wyoming with pamphlets describing her opposition to the “Clinton-Babbitt War on the West.” In Idaho, another first-time candidate, Helen Chenoweth, held a pretend endangered salmon bake to show her scorn for the Endangered Species Act. Now, as […]

Tom Strickland and Gene Nichol are two 40-something former Texans who have used their law degrees to help the Sierra Club. They live 35 miles apart on Colorado’s Front Range, and they’re applying for the same job – Democratic replacement for retiring Republican Sen. Hank Brown. Most similarities end there. Strickland is a partner with […]

Democratic candidates in the rural Northwest who want to moderate logging, mining and ranching usually don’t get too far. But recent miscues by some of their opponents could change the usual dynamic. Take, for example, Rep. Wes Cooley, R-Ore., who is best known for his bill to allow jet boats to blast through Hells Canyon, […]

The GOP sweep in 1994 hit Washington state like a monsoon: In seven of nine districts, voters sent freshmen Republicans to the House of Representatives. But this year’s election presents a cautionary tale: If you won your last election by a razor-thin margin, perhaps you’d better not slavishly follow the GOP line on environmental issues. […]

WASHINGTON – How strange have things gotten in negotiations over the 1996 budget? Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt unveiled an ambitious 1997 budget last month even though his department doesn’t have one for 1996. “This is surely the most unusual budget year in the history of our nation,” Babbitt said. He accused Republicans of “misuse and […]

Yellowtail throws in his hat Environmentalists in Montana have a congressional candidate they can enthusiastically support to fill the seat vacated by Democratic Rep. Pat Williams. He is Bill Yellowtail, 48, who quit his job March 18 as regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in Denver. Three other Democrats, Mignon Waterman, Leo Hudatz and […]

Greens want to draft Nader Third parties have had a miserable political history. Their candidates either get forgotten in the media hoopla or face charges of spoiling the race. But beginning with the “96 presidential campaign, the Green Party hopes to establish third parties as an election choice of the future. Its goal is to […]