Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 5

Opinion 1 More than just a lawsuit I he Casper Star-lWbune, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle and The Associated Press have CslTbras joinedtogetherinalawsuit Marco winning hard' for Ruble cA re-election 11 fl If ith the general election votes ''l1'" barely counted, the national MmI media is already looking uu (head to the congressional elections two years from now. A story on PoHtfco.com last week laidtheretirementwatchisinfun swing on Capitol Hm as veteran sena-" ton weigh whether to endure another re-election grhHi arid sera another six years inabody known for its constant "gridlock. Politico spoke toanurnber of senior senatorsabokwhethertheywillbe running for re-election in 2014. Some Democratic senators wouldn't talk about it. But most of the 13 Re-' publican senators up for re-election in 2014 reported being firmly in the "yes" columntorunagain at least for now.

One of the senators in the yes-at-least-for-now category is Wyoming's senior Sen. Mike Enzi. End dismissed speculation he "I'm running hard," he said. There has been plenty of speculation that Enzi would hang it up in two years, evenmore so since the Demo-crats succeeded in holding a majority of seats in the U.S. Senate.

This dashed Enzi's hopes of a GOP majority and regaining the post of chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. lielrs define the law and solve the dispute. There is no motive or vendetta. There is no subtext or grudge that's realty beingplayed out here. And while it's probably safe to say thatbothsideswishwedidn'thave tolandinacourtawmtoanswerthe question, the courts should be used to help define the public's interest.

What we're asking for is simple: Documents that include meeting schedules and travel itineraries. We're not asking the board of trustees to change anything about its process. We're hot asking trustees to hand us a list of finalists on embossed letterhead. We're not asking for anything outside what the law provides. We figure: If we canknow what Gov.

Matt Mead is doing, we should be able to find out what a handful of presidential hopefuls are up to. We're also concerned the university has also tried to create the appearance of transparency. It has asked a panel of hand-picked representatives throughout the state to sit on part of the search process. The university has sworn those members to secrecy and made them promise not to reveal the candidates. This group can hardly be regarded as the same as the public.

This seems to be the most egregious part of the process. The university has decided to let some members of the public into the process, but not all. The university has decided some members are trustworthy and insightful enough the rest have to sit, wait and dutifully trust our interests were best served. That's what's probably most surprising about this move by the university. In a state that wants to know what its government is doing, and regards any state agency with ahealthy dose of skepticism, why doesn't it apply in the case of the university? We don't believe it's entirely the trustees' fault.

We believe an outside-of-state recruiting firm from faraway Florida has hornswaggled the trustees. This outside firm has presented no evidence of that closed searches yield better presidents. Nor can it prove Wyoming will get candidates who wouldn't have applied anyway. The only thing a closed search guarantees is a safe harbor to those who have a reason to hide. How can it possibly make sense that a candidate who will be among the most high profile people in the entire state cannot withstand the scrutiny of a single job interview? We believe the trustees have been duped into playing the recruiting game because some other universities do it.

They've been sold hollow promises, like the university will get better candidates if they're recruiting, or the public's involvement, which is requiredby law in other states, is a hindrance. The university has been sold on things that can never be proven. We wonder Did the recruiting firm charge for alien msurance, Sasquatch monster coverage, or was that indudedinthedeal? against the University of Wyoming. The lawsuit involves whether finalists for the presidential search canbe kept secret. That's not news -we've reported that.

But behind the lawsuit and the news story there'smore to itthan just abunch of journalists hiring an attorney. Here's somethingyoudon'thear ofenrrom the media: It's not about ''0: It's realty about you. You see: While these news orga-nizations have taken the leadership on an issue we believe is vitally important to the people of Wyoming, we 're doing it not because we believe journalists should enjoy any special privileges, but because we believe the public should be able to see the process and know the finalists who could lead Wyoming's only public four-year university. It just happens that as journalists and news organizations, we work every day in the world of public documents and interact with public officials. If we don't challenge officials and institutions, as in the case of the university, who else will? And so, we will continue to work on the public's behalf.

Lost in the shuffle of the lawsuit and stories about the presidential search are seine pretty important details. First and foremost, this isn't about being snubbed. We're not filing the suit just because we 're not in on the decision-making process. Instead, it's important to realize we don't seek to change the process, only observe it. The process will go along, as planned, even if we win.

That is, the board of trustees wiU make the final decision, regardless if every meeting was open or all of them are closed. We doftt challenge the trustees' authority and we understand they have alarge task ahead of them. Yet, we believe the public should be able to see the process. Wyoming is particularly close to its university. Because of the university's huge role in the state and because it is the beneficiary of millions of public tax dollars, we believe the public should see how the next leader is selected.

We understand the board of trustees is comprised of citizens from communities throughout the state. Because of that, those trustees are uniquely positioned to receive input from the public, whether it's solicited ornot. That's why having a list of finalists openingthe process means the public can give opinions in a more meaningfdwaythanmostother And while it's absolutely true that we've filed a lawsuit, that indeed sounds rriore adversarial thanfatruth. Both the University of Wyoming and these three medfc organization! banhc)r(iisputearjoutbowtha law shouldbe applied. Bothb2v tJidrmterpretatiOTiscxrn.Wrut the lawsuit seeks is a court ruHrjg that Hispanic Reagan? fi oriservatives have been dream-f ingthatapoliticalreincarnation llfjl of Ronald Reagan would lead them to an electoral promised land.

I never put my faith in such a pos -sibflity, because the past is a dangerous place in which to live. Reagan never lived in the past, though he learned fromit. Yet among the contemporary political figures that closely represent the substance and style that made Ronald Reagan who he was is Sen. Marco Ru-bio, Florida Republican. At a fundraising event for Iowa GovemorTerry Branstadlast Saturday, Rubio touched all the Reagan bases and focused on solutions, not just a recitation of well-known problems.

Probably his best line of the evening was, "The way to turn our economy around is not by making rich people poorer. It's by making poor people richer." In this, he resembled Reagan's favorite president, Calvin Coolidge, who said, "Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong." Rubio also seemed to suggest that conservatism is larger than the Republican brand, which has become tainted in some minds. He said, "This is not about the Republican Party. This is about limited government conservatism." While he said the Republican Party "is the home of that movement," he seemed to suggest that it is not necessarily its permanent residence. Rubio also displayed the self-dep-recating humor that was a hallmark of Reagan when he said the reason he went to college in nearby northwest Missouri is because no other col- lege would allow him to play football.

Were it not for his "lack of size, speed and talent," he said, he might have played in the National Football League. Rubio spoke of the middle class, which President Obama constantly referred to during the campaign. He said a major reason why the poor are having difficulty moving into the middle class is because the economy has stagnated. That, he said, is due to the record debt, uncertainty that has kept businesses from hiring and a lack of skills needed in a global economy. Some Republicans are again suggesting the party would perform better if it divorced itself from social conservatives and their issues.

Rubio addressed that directly and rejected it: "The breakdown of the American family has a direct impact on our economic well-being. The social and moral well-being of (our) people is directly linked to their economic well-being. You can't separate the two." While praising "heroic" single mothers, Rubio said, "They would be the first to tell you how difficult it is." Headded, "A two-parent home gives kids advantages," and he said "the great gift my parents gave me" was stay-ing together and loving him and his siblings. Rubio was not judgmental, but merely appealed to a higher standard. He is not the angry moralist putting others down.

He is a political evangelist showing there is abetter way. The difference it subtle, but it is in contrast to Mitt Jtomney's remark about a nation in which 47 percent are "takers." The way one delivers a message in the TV age it as important as the substance of that message. John Kennedy said, "We can do better." Like Kennedy and Reagan, Rubio is good at turning a phrase to you instantly remember it. Consider this one: "Big government doesn't help people who want to make it; It hurts them." Then there is his caH to patriotism from an American bom of Cuban immigrants who regularly expresses gratitude to a nation that offend him opportunity: "I can never do rnore for this country than what this country has done for me." It's followed by a warning: "If America declines there is nothing to take our place." Rubio has the message the Republican Party needs. It's a long way to 2016 and there are many good potential presidential candidates, but Marco Rubio could be the one candidate conservatives have been waiting for the second coming of Ronald Reagan.

The chairmanship was a position he held from to 2007 and relished. The speculation was that if the Democrats retained control of the Senate, he would step down. Enzi, 68, was first elected to the Senate in 1996. You cannot expect him to announce his plans this early and by doing so, make himself a lame duck so far ahead of time. But people are intensely curious about his plans.

If he doesn't run, there will be no shortage of candidates for his seat. The short list includes Congress-woman Cynthia Lummis, Gov. Matt Mead, and Liz Cheney, who, with her husband, bought a house in Jackson earlier this year. A sign that Enzi isn't feverishly engaged in an early campaign for reelection is Ms campaign kitty. It isn't that flush only $300,617 in remaining campaign funds as of Sept.

30, accordingtoOpenSecrets.org. His political action committee, Making Business Excel, wasn't fat either, with abalance of $41,600 on Oct. 17. Duringthe20O7-20Uelectioncycle he collected $2.09 million in campaign contributions and spent $1.9 million. Perhaps Enzi shouldn't be so generous with his campaign money.

In the first three months of 2012, Enzi's PAC gave $60,000 to the PACS for various Senate candidates, including Orrin Hatch of Utah and George Allen of Virginia and $15,000 for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He also has spent thousands of dollars from his PAC to sponsor fundrais-ers for other Republican candidates. His PAC sponsors the "Annual Key West Classic" at the Casa Marina Resort in Key West each spring at a cost of about $8,000. A special guest this year was Re publican Sen. eff Sessions of Alabama, ranking member on the Senate committee on the budget.

People made a donation of $5,000 to attend, according to the Sunlight Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving transparency in government. The PubBcCampaign Action Fund issued a news release to highlight the spendingbyEnzl's PAC fund. Bis not fQegal because these are campaign contributions, not taxpayer dollars. Adam Smith, the communications director ofthe watchdog group, said Enzi, like most elected officials, spends a significant amount of time raising money from people who hope their donation win buy them access and influence "extra attention that most ofhisccestitaenti can only dream of." i pdjmcontributorstotaOT roxraeyubetag spent Maybe they don't like Onin Hatch. Erai hosts events to raise money for poBtfcal causes he beHevw in, his com-nwrdcatka director, (tyKraw man email weQ before the election.

He also roBfm to hokl fundraisers "wherever there la fishing-any kind of fry fishing," he said. -J CaailDrtkt, editor In fcSerj, managing editor taTyDratoorrtonacttor (UnmHxntU.hdilhiCaf'.lrjc.