WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Capital Comment -- Daily news notes, political rumors, and important events that shape politics and public policy in Washington and the world from United Press International.
Wherever we go, whatever we do... -- Michigan Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumous, the Republican candidate for governor, has tapped state Sen. Loren Bennett to be his running mate. Bennett, who comes from Canton Township in the suburbs of Detroit, had been a candidate for Michigan secretary of state. A proven vote getter from western Wayne County, Bennett helps Posthumous broaden the geographic base of his campaign. Some veteran political observers say the choice is surprising, having expected him to tap a woman as his second to balance the ticket and neutralize the gender issue in the fall campaign. The Democrats have nominated state Attorney General Jennifer Granholm to carry their standard in November. Granholm has led steadily in head-to-head matchups against Posthumous for most of the campaign season.
Making a list, checking it twice -- A gay rights organization wants the attorneys general of states where initiatives they say are anti-gay are on the fall ballot to investigate whether fraud was involved in the signature gathering process. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is making the request following the arrest of a conservative activist and a 17-year-old in Miami on charges of fraud in connection with the collection of signatures to qualify a ballot question repealing the Miami-Dade County gay rights amendment. NGLT says that around the country, six such questions have qualified for the November ballot or are pending.
When a poll comes to push -- The GOP primary for U.S. Senate in the state of New Hampshire is getting even nastier. Rep. John Sununu, son of the former governor and White House chief of staff is challenging two-term incumbent Sen. Bob Smith for the Republican nomination -- with the winner of their contest facing off Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, in November.
Now, according to Bernadette Malone of the Manchester, N.H., Union Leader, the dreaded "push poll" has made an appearance. Push polls seek to influence voters through the messages their questions send. Sponsors of a push poll that asked "Would you be more or less likely to vote for candidate Joe Blow if you knew they had not paid their income tax for the last 17 years?" are not interested in the response; they are interested in conveying the impression that the aforementioned Blow is a tax cheat.
Nevertheless, Sununu supporters claim to have received them. "Even though the practice of push polling is illegal in New Hampshire, it's nevertheless being used by someone who's willing to risk a fine in hopes of stopping Rep. Sununu from becoming a senator.... A Dover man and a Hancock woman, both of whom are supporting Sununu in his primary bid against incumbent Sen. Bob Smith, independently contacted me about phone calls they received on a Sunday afternoon in July," Malone writes in Sunday's Union Leader. Since her story appeared lots of people have been asking who was behind the push calls but no one has 'fessed up. This can only mean that an already nasty primary is only going to get nastier.
Paying attention -- -- CHADD, an organization of over 20,000 members and 200 chapters nationwide, has received a $75,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to establish and operate the National Resource Center on attention-deficit hyperactive disorder. This is the third such national center set up by the CDC, the others dealing with paralysis and limb loss. "This is a monumental development in CHADD's history and a significant milestone in recognizing the challenges faced by persons with AD/HD," CHADD CEO E. Clarke Ross said. "The national government's leading public health agency has declared that AD/HD is not only a valid disorder, but is significant and serious enough to warrant a National Resource Center for obtaining and disseminating science-based research and information."
Currying favor and support -- Three major US-based organizations, formed in the wake of what they call "massive repression on minorities in India" are coming together to form the Indian-Muslim Council-USA. The California-based Indian Muslim Affairs Council, the New York-based Indian Muslim Alert Network and the Philadelphia-based Indian Minorities Political Action Committee are banding together to combat "the rising tide of Hindutva-Fascism" in India. "The horrific genocide and rapes in Gujarat earlier this year opened the eyes of the Indian Diaspora to the reality of the Hindutva-Fascist menace in India", Dr. Shaik Ubaid, president of the new group said. "As a result, there was a flurry of activity to counter the rising fascism. In line with America's long-standing anti-fascism traditions, and being from the largest minority group in India, Indian Muslims in the United States felt it their duty to work toward safeguarding Gandhi's vision of a secular and democratic India with Human Rights, Dignity, Peace and Justice for all its citizens "
Also in the pipeline, organizers say, is a separate political action committee that will support grassroots education and mobilization efforts in the American Indian Muslim community.
Friends forever -- Some American Jewish groups are reportedly throwing their support behind a pro-Israel television ad campaign to bolster support for America's strongest ally in the Middle East. According to O'Dwyer's PR Daily, a publication covering the public relations industry, consultant Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, who has done work on behalf of Bill Clinton and Al Gore and has close ties to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, will lead the campaign.
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