Issues

HOUSTON -- Elizabeth Dole's declaration of a presidential exploratory committee has the nation buzzing again about whether we are "ready" to elect a woman president. That's the wrong question.The more revealing question is, why do so many Americans appear to be so eager to elect this particular woman president?The reasons appear to have a lot to do with everything but issues. The hot-button issues that aroused angry white men and soccer moms in other elections this decade appear to have cooled.

For three minutes, David Tufaro is a candidate with a television camera to call his own, free to say whatever he wants to say. No questions asked, literally. A dream come true for a politician -- especially one who's still fuming that he wasn't part of the televised debate.So why does he look so pained?With nervous, darting eyes, Tufaro stumbles through his script, even though it's full of the phrases he's mouthed many times in his bid to become Baltimore's first Republican mayor in decades.

This is an edited excerpt of an editorial from the Los Angeles Times, which was published yesterday.BEFORE elections, TV viewers are deluged for months with political ads. The spots do nothing to lure more voters; in fact, as broadcasters rake in cash, election turnouts keep declining.Congress had an eye on this dismal trend in 1996 when it handed TV networks a swath of the taxpayer-owned airwaves worth as much as $70 billion, extracting a promise that in return broadcasters would meet public-interest obligations to be determined by a presidential commission chaired by Vice President Al Gore.

WASHINGTON -- Last year the politicians produced a Congress about nothing. This year they're producing a presidential campaign about nothing.Even in the more heavily contested Republican campaign, the conflicts are muted, the differences few, the tensions almost nonexistent. The candidates agree the clashes should be on the issues, not on personalities. But the candidates also agree on the issues.They agree so much that it's possible to cut whole paragraphs from one speech and paste them seamlessly into another candidate's speech.

THE ANTITRUST case against Microsoft Corp. was in recess last week, after months of Justice Department testimony designed to show that the maker of the Windows computer operating system uses unfair business practices to protect its software monopoly.Also last week, Intel Corp. announced that it had partly settled antitrust claims by the Federal Trade Commission, which is investigating whether the microchip manufacturer is flexing a monopoly in the chip-making business.The cases are not identical.

BEFORE Bill Clinton was elected in 1992, conventional wisdom held that the Democrats faced a crisis. After 12 years of GOP White House rule and defeat in five of the previous six presidential elections, the party had seemingly ceased to become competitive at the presidential level.Peter Brown's 1991 book, "Minority Party: Why Democrats Face Defeat in 1992 and Beyond," was one of several arguing the thesis. White working-class and suburban middle-class voters, according to the conventional wisdom, were abandoning the party in droves because of its excessively liberal positions on crime, welfare, foreign policy and "values" issues.

West Columbia Democratic Councilwoman Mary C. Lorsung kicked off her re-election campaign last night in the low-key manner her supporters have come to expect from her.Speaking to a small gathering of friends and Democratic activists at the home of her aide, Lorsung steered clear of flashy talk and promised to give her district more of the same if elected to a second term."

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- As a company, HOK Sports Facilities Group has profited handsomely from the national trend toward single-sport stadiums.But with costs rising, the architectural firm has put itself into position to benefit from a swing back to multipurpose facilities -- if it ever comes.HOK has created a conceptual design it thinks may resolve many of the design contradictions that have driven America's premier outdoor sports away from one another.The "Smart Stadium" features a complicated system of moving seats and retractable decks that can be converted quickly from a football to a baseball configuration.

SCHOOLS OPEN tomorrow in Anne Arundel County. Perhaps it is a propitious time to think seriously about real issues facing public education here.For the past four months, we have witnessed a protracted battle over education spending. Even though the rest of the budget was fixed by the county council in late May, the actual amount available for education is still uncertain.Will the department receive $460 million from the county? Or, will a projected surplus from the last fiscal year allow County Executive John G. Gary and the council to increase the amount the system will receive?

After 21 hectic years of guiding college students and churches in crisis, the Rev. Gretchen Van Utt moved to the tree-filled serenity of Sykesville in August. But life hasn't calmed down for the new minister of Springfield Presbyterian Church."Right now, it doesn't feel like any change of pace," she says amid unpacked boxes lining the halls of her large, mid-19th-century house. "I'm just trying to meet the people and learn about their concerns."Van Utt is continuing her transition from activist chaplain at the Johns Hopkins University to permanent pastor of a small, rural church.

Until recently, one of the biggest raps against Sen. Barack Obama from conservatives was his delicate dance around any issue that might upset his core constituents. How can he claim a break from "politics as usual," they said, if he wasn't willing to upset the left? They can't say that anymore. Now they say he's flip-flopped. That's OK. If you want to please everybody, you don't belong in politics. Mr. Obama's bigger worry is the old slogan of liberal commentator Jim Hightower, a former Texas officeholder: "There ain't nothing in the middle of the road but a yellow line and dead armadillos."

As local development proposals face serious challenges on many fronts, a coalition has been formed to caution officials and the public to tread lightly or risk stifling economic expansion and harming Howard County's business climate. The voice of the business community has been largely silent, at least publicly, on some of the most contentious issues facing the county, particularly the proposals to develop downtown Columbia into an urban center and to construct a luxury high-rise overlooking Lake Kittamaqundi.

Dmitri Young, Washington Nationals' 33-year-old first baseman Abilities / / He's a hitter. Hitters hit what's thrown to them. Throw him a pitch that's up or outside and he'll get his bat on the same plane, make contact and have a chance to get on base. He can't play first [well]. He's a hitter and he's interesting and he's exciting. But he is not even average [defensively]. Off-field issues / / Everyone has problems on or off the field. Scouts, in general, don't care about that stuff.

Although the new Democratic Congress completed its "first hundred hours" with some important successes, such as voting to raise the minimum wage, the rest of its agenda - and specifically how much Democrats will challenge President Bush - remains very much up in the air. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have repeatedly promised to work "from the middle." They've declined to make clear how far they'll push to undo the Republicans' tax cuts for the rich, to pass aggressive legislation to combat environmental crises such as global warming, or to use their power of the purse to chart a new course in Iraq.

Maryland Democrats won big at the polls in November, but what does that mean for the future of the state? In three days, the picture will start to become clear as those newly elected lawmakers convene in Annapolis for the annual 90-day General Assembly session. It's certain to be a kinder, gentler place with a Democratic governor set to be sworn into office in 10 days and solid Democratic majorities in the House of Delegates and state Senate. But not necessarily that much kinder. Potentially divisive issues loom, particularly in the areas of taxes and spending.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Now that the Democrats control the House and the Senate, it's time for our national leaders to take a bipartisan approach to globalization. Although Iraq, terrorism and corruption were "extremely important" issues among voters in this election, according to the Pew Research Center, the economy was equally important. This may seem surprising given recent record highs in the stock market and an October unemployment rate of 4.4 percent - a five-year low. But many Americans see little reason to rejoice.

ISSUE: A poll conducted last month by Anne Arundel Community College's Center for the Study of Local Issues found that 60 percent of respondents reported being "not very informed" about the stances of the two candidates for county executive. YOUR VIEW: Now that the election is over, did you feel informed about where Sheriff George F. Johnson IV and Del. John R. Leopold stand on the issues? Tell us what you think at arundel.speakout@baltsun.com by tomorrow. Please keep your responses short, and include your name, address and phone number.

In the frenzy of a highly partisan Washington during the late 1990s, it was no small feat to get Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt to agree about anything. Let alone something as politically charged and complex as tax reform. But Democratic Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin, working with a Republican ally, Rep. Rob Portman of Ohio, managed it. Not only did the GOP-led House and Senate approve their bill modernizing the Internal Revenue Service, but President Bill Clinton signed it. "This bill shows what we can do when we work together, when we put the progress of America ahead of our partisan concerns, when we put our people over politics," Clinton said during the July 1998 bill signing, with the two lawmakers joining him in the East Room of the White House.

Five Republicans and seven Democrats are competing on Tuesday to represent District 31 in the House of Delegates, in the largest contest in the county. Incumbents are trying to keep two of the district's three seats; the third is being vacated by longtime Republican Del. John R. Leopold, who is running for county executive. Though registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in the district, which encompasses Pasadena, Brooklyn Park, Glen Burnie and part of Severna Park, Del. Donald H. Dwyer Jr. is confident that Republicans can win all three seats.

Date of birth: March 21, 1960 Party affiliation: Republican Professional background: Immigration attorney Educational background: Bachelor's degree from University of California, Berkeley, 1981; JD/MBA from University of Baltimore, 1993. 1. Why are you running for Congress? I am upset at the childish finger-pointing behavior of both parties, which prevents any real progress on issues of true importance. I am not afraid of doing what is right for the American people and experiencing the wrath of special interests.