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Friday’s Talking Points – March 18, 2016

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Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 78th day of the year. There are 288 days left in 2016

Obama tells donors it’s time to unite behind Hillary Clinton. Presidential candidates flock to Utah. Candidates file for office in Utah.

The clock:

  • Four days to the Utah Republican and Democratic caucus meetings (3/22/2016)
  • 12 days to the last day the governor may sign or veto bills (3/30/2016)
  • 36 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic State Conventions (4/23/2016)
  • 52 days to the last day a veto override session may begin (5/9/2016)
  • 102 days to the 2016 Utah primary election – (6/28/2016)
  • 122 days to the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland (7/18/2016)
  • 129 days to the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia (7/25/2016)
  • 235 days until the 2016 presidential election – (11/8/2016)
  • 311 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (1/23/2017)
  • 356 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (3/9/2017)

Ten talking points for Friday:

  1. President Barack Obama privately told Democratic donors that it’s close to the time that they unite behind Hillary Clinton‘s campaign [New York Times].
  2. This is probably not very helpful. Former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke says comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler might be rehabilitating Hitler’s image [Politico]. Also, a PBS profile of first-time Trump voters features a woman with prominently displayed white power tattoos [Gawker].
  3. Trump’s nomination presents a “damned if they do and damned if they don’t” conundrum for Republicans [The Hill].
  4. Utah is positively crawling with presidential candidates over the next two days as Trump, Bernie Sanders, John Kasich and Ted Cruz are all scheduled to make campaign stops in the Beehive State [2 News, Fox 13, Deseret News, Tribune].
  5. Some University of Utah students are planning to protest Trump’s appearance in Salt Lake City Friday night [Tribune].
  6. Bernie Sanders’ campaign is expecting more than 5,000 attendees for his campaign rally on Friday afternoon [Utah Policy].
  7. It will probably take some time to figure out who actually wins Utah’s presidential caucuses on Tuesday night [Deseret News].
  8. Gov. Gary Herbert attracts ten challengers as the candidate filing period ends [Tribune].
  9. Sen. Mike Lee‘s campaign kickoff event on Saturday will feature an appearance from Ted Cruz and Carly Fiorina [Utah Policy].
  10. Rep. Jason Chaffetz introduces legislation to protect individuals who use cannabidiol oil from federal prosecution in states that allow such use [Tribune, Deseret News].

On this day in history:

  • 1766 – Britain repealed the Stamp Act.
  • 1963 – The U.S. Supreme Court, in Gideon v. Wainwright, ruled unanimously that state courts were required to provide legal counsel to criminal defendants who could not afford to hire an attorney on their own.
  • 1965 – Soviet cosmonaut Alexey Leonov became the first person to walk in space.
  • 1995 – Michael Jordan announced he was returning to professional basketball after a 17-month break, during which he had tried a baseball career.
  • 2005 – Doctors removed the feeding tube keeping Terri Schiavo alive after a political fight over the brain-damaged Florida woman’s care that involved President George W. Bush and Congress.