Spin Control: Keeping it short and sweet

Republican staffers in Olympia appear to be working hard in the Acronym Shop these days, coming up with catchy names for important themes.

Thus they will be looking out for what’s BEST for BETH, which is the way the loyal opposition shorthands their plans for coming up with ideas from the minority position.

BEST, it turns out, stands for Balancing government between being big enough but not too big, Empowering people, Strengthening families and Trust in government.

While BETH is described as “a suburban soccer mom” she’s actually an acronym, too, for four top priorities that generic soccer moms apparently have. OK, go ahead and guess.

Bosses who aren’t idiots? Easier commutes? Time for myself? Husbands who do their share of the cooking and cleaning?

Nope. Budget, Education, Transportation, Health care. It would seem that the GOP’s soccer moms do not live on Wisteria Lane.

Eyeing the youth vote

While the Republicans try to appeal to the soccer mom vote, Spokane Democrats are going to make a play for the youth vote this year.

This from their new county chairwoman, Kristine Reeves, who’s in a position to know something about that segment, considering she’s 25.

That may make her the youngest chairman or chairwoman ever, although county party records are a little sketchy when one gets more than a couple decades back. It’s safe to say that Reeves, who was chosen at the party reorganization meeting earlier this month, is the youngest in recent history.

Along with building on the successes from 2006, she wants the party to reach out more to college students and others in that 18-to-30 age group, making sure that they know the difference between what the parties support and oppose. She’s been struck by how little some young voters know about what separates the two parties.

Reeves is originally from Moses Lake and is a graduate student at Gonzaga University.

Time will tell whether the Democrats’ pitch for the youth vote will be any more successful than past efforts for that segment. Or any more successful than the Republicans’ play for the suburban soccer moms.

Just a click away

In theory, the first thing a presidential candidate needs is vision.

In practice, candidates usually wait awhile on the “vision thing” and focus first on other things, like money, organization, money, polling, money, gigs in New Hampshire or Iowa, and money.

Added to the list in the 21st century is: a Web site.

When Hillary Clinton, Sam Brownback and Bill Richardson formally entered the race this weekend, their Web sites were up and running. Candidates who test the waters with exploratory committees have Web sites. Even candidates who aren’t running have quasi-official Web sites with audio and video clips, issue papers and donation options, maintained by supporters who are trying to create a groundswell of like-minded folks who are “urging them to run.”

Starting this weekend, the online version of Spin Control will offer links to the official and unofficial sites of the men and women who would be prez. Think of it as one-stop shopping for White House wannabes.