SARAH PALIN (Photo from The Associated Press)

Sen. Barack Obama scored a touchdown with his nomination acceptance speech last night inside Denver’s Invesco Field. Even most people who disagree with the policies of Obama and the Democratic Party simply marveled at what happened on that football field in that historic moment with the huge crowd and fantastic setting. Expectations were Obama, but he still managed to exceed them with a fiesty and heart-touching deliverance that hit just about every note he will need to actually win the November election.

But I was just as intrigued with what Sen. John McCain did Thursday. First, he released a 30-second television ad that simply praised Obama’s accomplishment. Then, McCain kept a very tight lid on his choice for vice president. McCain couldn’t stop the media from spectulating throughout the day. But his campaign actively avoided becoming a real distraction on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, and managed to keep McCain’s selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin a secret until this morning.

Naturally, McCain will want the Obama campaign to show similar respect when McCain gives his own acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention next week in St. Paul. But I want to see how the tone and rhetoric might shift in Minnesota as hurricane Gustav sweeps toward New Orleans.

Just as Joe Biden balanced some of Obama’s weaknesses on foreign policy and political experience, Palin will serve a younger political star to match McCain’s age and maturity. She also is a comfortable choice for mainstream conversatives (she’s pro-life, a hunter and pro-oil drilling), while some Republicans are hoping she will attract Hillary Clinton Democrats.

During the preliminaries for the final night of the Democratic National Convention, Gov. Janet Napolitano just appeared with Tom Brokaw on MSNBC. Unfortunately for the governor, the interview was inside Invesco Field at Mile High, and Napolitano basically had to shout into her television microphone to be heard above Sheryl Crow performing on the main stage where Barack Obama will speak in a while.

The best moment of Napolitano’s brief appearance was when she didn’t take the bait from Brokaw and predict an Arizona win for Obama over home state Sen. John McCain.

“We’re going to work hard for every vote and give (McCain) a run for his money,” Napolitnao wisely said instead.

TOM HORNE

Arizona schools superintendent Tom Horne had a startling annoucement today: some school districts adopted the state’s new English immersion program for Spanish-speaking students a year early, and these districts already have made dramatic improvements in bringing those students into the mainstream.

A news release from Horne’s office today says these school districts have at least doubled their pace for removing students from the status of English language learners. That includes the Florence Unified School District, which went from a  “reclassification” rate of 15 percent to 38 percent this fall.

Horne has emerged as the leading champion of immersing ELL students in four hours of language instruction each school day until they can read and write as well as their classmates who learned English as their first language. Horne has clashed publicly with school superintendents around the state, including Mesa’s Debra Duvall, who claim the state has pushed an untested program too fast with too little funding.

Unless the results reported today are a short-term aberration, this is great news for taxpayers as the state spends a signficiant amount of extra money to help ELL students — but the state is still trapped in a federal lawsuit that is seeking even more funding. Horne soon might be able to crow about finally implementing the intent of state voters who approved an English-immersion initiative in 2000 as a better way to address the problem.

Related story:
ELL problems go beyond funding

LIBERTARIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BOB BARR

Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party candidate for president, says Texas shouldn’t get to cast ballots for Republican John McCain or Democrat Barack Obama, because the state deadline to qualify for the ballot passed before either major party officially nominated their candidates.

And in fact, Texas law does say parties must submit names of presidential candidates 70 days before the general election, which this year was Tuesday, Aug. 26. Obama was formally nominated Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. McCain will receive a similar acclamation next week in St. Paul, Minn.

The major parties have been holding their conventions later in the summer in recent years, so I don’t know why Texas hasn’t corrected this legal snafu. But of course, Obama and McCain will appear on the November ballot in one of the country’s biggest states. Texas law also has a provision that essentially allows established state parties to nominate their candidates at times other than the written deadlines.

Barr knows this, but he wants to call attention to the challenges that most states place in the path of third-party candidates to protect the dominance of Democrats and Republicans. The two-party system remains in control, despite the rising tide of independent-registered voters. Barr can only hope voters who talk about wanting change this year are really serious.

GOV. JANET NAPOLITANO SPEAKS AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION TUESDAY NIGHT. (Photo by The Associated Press)

If you didn’t watch Gov. Janet Napolitano’s performance in Denver last night, you’ve probably at least seen or heard snippets on local newscasts by now. Napolitano went on stage about 30 minutes earlier than expected, so I had to listen to her on the radio while driving home. She was competent and effective, but not particularly exciting. She relied on an obvious joke about continuing an Arizona political tradition for failed presidential bids by home state candidates. Her theme about John McCain being out of touch on the country’s economic condition is a critical message for Democrats this year, and she seemed to touch on all of the keystones.

But Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer did have a Republican response:

“It’s always good to see an Arizona Governor talking about our state on the national stage, but she conveniently left out the circumstances of our state’s billion dollar budget deficit. The fact is that Barack Obama’s celebrity status is not going to help Arizonans, or any Americans, at all. We don’t need his higher taxes, more government spending, and his desire to separate us from the rest of the global economy.”

This was Napolitano’s third speech to a Democratic National Convention. As Valley TV news anchor John Hook of Fox 10 noted before the speech, Napolitano’s time slot has gotten better with each appearance — a sign of her steadily rising influence nationally. In fact, Napolitano was this year’s chairwoman of the platform writing committee. That’s work rather important to party insiders but usually forgotten by the general public once the party nominee gives his acceptance speech and moves into the fall campaign.

You can watch Napolitano’s entire speech here.

   The Republican primary race in the Fifth Congressional District just went into overdrive with a handgun taking a prominent role.
   Former Maricopa County Treasurer David Schweikert fired off a series of news releases and e-mails complaining over the weekend about a new campaign mailer  that he says came from former Scottsdale City Councilwoman Susan Bitter Smith. You’ve got to admit that handgun pointed at the reader does jump off the page and get your attention. But I assume the red banner headline “Bitter-Smith hate mail” was added by the Schweikert campaign.
   Schweikert places the image in the same category as a 2006 TV ad by Democrat Harry Mitchell, which put then-incumbent J.D. Hayworth in what appeared to be the crosshairs of a gun sight. One interpretation of that ad (which Mitchell denied) was Hayworth deserved to be “targeted” for potential violence because of his political stances.
   There’s no question the flier is trying to frighten Fifth District voters, given the headline on the front-side of the mailer is “What is scarier than this?” The back of the mailer has gas pump nozzle pointing at the reader in the same position at the handgun. (Is the point supposed to be higher gas taxes are more frightening than getting shot?)
   Bitter Smith’s mailer arrived on the heels of a television ad targeting her and independently funded by Club for Growth, a political action committee that funnels lots of money to pro-business and low-tax candidates. Not coincidentally, Club for Growth members are supporting Schweikert.
   All of this points to the fact that Schweikert and Bitter Smith have emerged as the two leading contenders in a crowded Republican field. Schweikert has gathered more money and purchased more air-time than Bitter Smith. So now she’s trying to make up some ground in the final days of the primary campaign.

UPDATE: Libertarian Rick Biondi has contacted me to let me know that he is actually campaigning in this race. Biondi and Tribune writer Paul Giblin both explained that Giblin tried to speak with Biondi shortly before the original story was published, and Biondi was unavailable at that time to return Giblin’s phone call. But he is eager to have his point of view heard by District 6 voters.

   A couple of people have asked me recently why no one is paying any attention to the Democratic “contest” between the two candidates in the Sixth Congressional District for the nomination to face incumbent Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.
   Tribune writer Paul Giblin’s reporting today lays out the facts that explain exactly why. Flake has gathered $1.1 million in campaign funds, a formidable number for a federal race but less than Flake could raise if he needed to.
   One Democrat challenger, Chris Gramazio of Queen Creek has raised a little more than $3,000. The other, Rebecca Schneider of Mesa, apparently has nothing, as she doesn’t have any finance reports on file with the Federal Election Commission. Please see the update above about this next statement. (The Libertarian candidate couldn’t bother to respond to Giblin’s request for an interview, the only evidence I need to know he’s not a serious candidate for anything.)
   Gramazio and Schneider don’t have enough money combined to put together a single decent mailbox campaign flier for Sixth district voters, much less compete with a high-octane campaign that Flake could fund.
   As a Democrat precinct committeeman, Gramazio potentially could get a little attention from the party if he wins the nomination. But with at least three competitive House races in Arizona this year, Democrat donors just aren’t going to throw money at a hopeless cause.
   Of course, this situation is a vicious circle. Someone challenging a well-heeled incumbent needs bushels of campaign money to be taken seriously by the media, donors and voters. But that same challenger needs to be taken seriously so he or she can raise bushels of campaign money. It’s one reason some candidates, such as Republicans David Schweikert and Jim Ogsbury in the Fifth Congressional District, put up several hundred thousand dollars of their own money. They sought to build interest in their bids by planting the seeds of a successful campaign infrastructure, in turn encouraging potential donors to give them a serious look.

   Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, has finally spoken out against JT Ready, a Mesa Republican first identified more than 14 months ago as a white supremicist who holds a low-level elected office with the county party. Pearce’s critics, who favor Republican Kevin Gibbons in their primary contest for a state Senate race, has been attacking Pearce’s potential ties to Ready for more than a week.
   In a written statement released today, Pearce says in part,
   “I fully agree with the letter that Congressmen Franks, Shadegg and Flake sent to the Maricopa County Republican Party this week. We have no room for hate speech or hate groups. … The most radical groups I have ever been associated with are the Boy Scouts of America and the Fraternal Order of Police, and I confess I still associate with both of them. So it goes without saying that I completely disavow Mr. Ready and the groups he associates with.”
   Actually, no, Pearce did need to say it. And if he had refuted Ready’s views a long time ago, instead of appearing in photos with Ready with wide smiles at illegal immigration rallies, Pearce would find it easier to fend off claims that he also harbors racism.
   Pearce’s statement came a day after Flake sent a second letter to Maricopa County Republican Party Chairman Tom Husband, again demanding Ready’s immediate removal as a precinct committeeman instead of waiting until the Sept. 2 primary (Ready isn’t on the ballot for re-election). Flake also included links to media stories and photos outlining Ready’s own racist statements and an appearance at a neo-Nazi rally to demonstrate there’s no doubt about Ready’s agenda.
   On a related and somewhat ironic note, Gibbons is one of several privately funded Republican candidates who filed a new lawsuit Friday against the state’s campaign public funding system. Gibbons and the others are trying to stop candidates who take Clean Elections money from getting additional matching funds when private opponents spend more, Capitol Media Services reported.
   Pearce had been a vocal critic of Clean Elections after he got in some trouble with regulatory commission while using state campaign funds in 2002. At the time, Pearce told me he never would touch state money again for a campaign. He changed his mind this year and signed up for Clean Elections when he realized he couldn’t raise nearly as much privately as Gibbons, who had the support of various business groups that don’t like Pearce’s heavy push on illegal immigration. Now, Gibbons wants the federal courts to cut off Pearce from matching funds that he’s eligible for because of Gibbons’ fundraising and also because of two independent expenditure committees that also have campaigned against Pearce.

   Why would Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Mesa, and two of his congressional colleagues decide to demand that the Maricopa County Republican Party purge a neo-Nazi from local leadership only two weeks before a primary election will take that man out of office anyway?
   Obviously, it’s to keep a photo circulating of the man, JT Ready, standing side-by-side with a flag-drapped state Rep. Russell Pearce. Flake has a certain brother-in-law running against Pearce in the Sept. 2 Republican primary for a state Senate seat. And even someone as popular as Pearce is going to find himself in serious trouble if he becomes strongly associated with racists.
   Tuesday’s letter from Flake and Reps. John Shadegg and Trent Franks makes them look more like political bosses trying to interfere with a local election than champions of truth, justice and the American way. Ready was first publicly associated with white supremacism in April 2007 by the Anti-Defamation League. The evidence complied by Stephen Lemons with the Phoenix New Times against Ready since then has been rather compelling.
   While many Arizona Republicans might avoid reading the New Times because of its political slant and fondness for profanity, Lemons’ reporting has been floating around political circles for more than a year. There’s no way Flake and Co. just learned about Ready’s unsavory affiliations. They are pushing the issue now to keep Ready’s possible connection to Pearce in the news and before Mesa voters.
   To be honest, I consider this topic a far more valid criticism of Pearce than a 28-year-old unsubstantiated allegation of domestic violence. I never have been clear on just how close Pearce and Ready are (or at least used to be), but Pearce should have to answer for appearing in public with the guy.

(Original photo at www.scangauge.com)

   On Aug. 10, the Tribune Perspective section featured an article I wrote about hypermiling – a style of driving motor vehicles that’s intended to greatly boost your miles per gallon. As a concept, hypermiling is rather controversial. Some techniques are common sense, but others run counter to long-ingrained American driving habits, and some are viewed as downright dangerous. One technique in the last category that’s called a forced auto stopped provoked strong reaction from readers who left voice messages questioning my sanity and wrote letters asking me to stay far away from where they drive.
   (As background: a forced auto stop refers to switching the engine ignition off while you are bringing the vehicle to a stop at a traffic light or a parking space. You do this by shifting the transmission into neutral, turning the ignition key off and then to position II, and relying on a combination of braking and inertia to halt the vehicle. The danger is a vehicle loses power steering wheel and power brakes when the engine is off, and if the key is left in the wrong position, the steering wheel can completely lock up.)
  A couple of questions came up that deserve some answers. First of all, two of my friends were surprised I didn’t mention that my 2003 Honda Civic is a five-speed manual transmission. Their assumption is a forced auto stop is easier to perform with a stick-shift because the driver uses the clutch to move in and out of neutral all of the time. Most drivers who use automatic transmissions almost never shift into neutral, just going from park to drive or reverse instead.
   I double-checked with my sources before I wrote my column to confirm that many hypermilers use automatic vehicles, and the basic theory behind forced auto stops applies to both types of automobiles. But the individual steps for carrying out the technique will be different from vehicle to vehicle depending on each model’s design.
   My trainer, Louis Hudgin, said you should always test a vehicle in a safe location before working with forced auto stops. Using an empty parking lot, for example, a driver needs to see how the steering wheel and brakes respond without the engine turned off. The mechanical design of some vehicles won’t allow for forced auto stops or other advanced hypermiling techniques.
   One Tribune reader called to point out something he considered ironic. Also on Aug. 10 in the Tribune Carfinder section, talk show mechanics Tom and Ray Magliozzi (Click and Clack on National Public Radio), wrote about the severe damage you can do to an automatic transmission if you miss neutral and accidentally shift into reverse while the car is moving forward. Ray Magliozzi criticized people who shift into neutral while coasting at high speeds to save gas (which is not the same thing as forced auto stops).
   A wrong shift into reverse certainly is possible if you’re not paying attention (primarily for automatic transmissions, it’s far more difficult to accidentally hit reverse with my stick-shift). That’s why many hypermilers say they focus much harder on what they do behind the wheel than the average driver. Many of them refuse to use cell phones or to eat or even to listen to radios, avoiding any possible distractions.
   But the Magliozzi brothers also pointed out that many late-model cars now have a feature that prevents shifting into reverse while moving forward, something to look for whether or not you hypermile.
   The other question I received was about the ScanGauge, the device that plugs into your vehicle’s engine computer and gives an immediate, on-going estimate of miles per gallon. Mesa manufacturer Linear-Logic sells the device for about $170. ScanGauges must be popular, as the devices are going for about $160 on eBay.