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By Ryan Thornburg
Washingtonpost.com Staff
Monday, July 26, 1999

Former basketball star and Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley may have the support of Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson, but Texas Gov. George W. Bush – the former part-owner of the Texas Rangers – tapped his own Hall-of-Fame network this weekend in Cooperstown, N.Y., where baseball's annual induction ceremony was held.

"The difference in dress is the difference between somebody who doesn't have to work and somebody looking for work." – Texas Gov. George W. Bush Jr. (R), at a Cooperstown, N.Y., fund-raiser, comparing his suit to Nolan Ryan's shorts and knit shirt. (Press & Sun-Bulletin, Binghamton, N.Y., July 25))

Bush, who shunned political questions by telling reporters he was in town to celebrate baseball and the induction of his friend Nolan Ryan, somehow found time to attend a $1,000-a-plate fund-raiser with about 100 supporters across the street from the Hall of Fame.

When New York Gov. George Pataki introduced the Texas Republican at the induction ceremonies, Bush got more cheers than Hall-of-Fame inductee Nestor Chylak, the greatest post-war umpire. Then again, Bush got more boos, too.

• During Visit, Bush Keeps Focus on Baseball (Press & Sun-Bulletin, July 25)
• Possible GOP Teammates Chat (Times Union, Albany, N.Y., July 25)
• Pataki Plays 'Inside' Baseball (Times Union, Albany, N.Y., July 24)
• Nestor Chylak (National Baseball Hall of Fame)
• White House 2000: George W. Bush (washingtonpost.com)

Wisconsin, Hawaii Grapple With Campaign Laws
The Wisconsin Elections Board may not use its new court-endorsed power to regulate issue ads, in favor of having the entire legislature hash out clearer campaign finance rules.
• Elections Board Steering Clear of Issue-Ad Rules (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, July 25)

The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit last week against the state of Hawaii. It claims that a voluntary campaign code of conduct issued and monitored by the state Campaign Spending Commission is a violation of First Amendment rights because the code attempts to regulate truthful speech in a political arena.
• ACLU Lawsuit Accuses Campaign Commission of Restricting Free Speech (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, July 22)

Springer Considering Ohio Democrats' Offer
Television talk-show host and former Cincinnati mayor Jerry Springer said last week that he would consider running against Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), after being approached about a bid by state Democrats. "I respect the seriousness of their inquiry and will respond in a timely, sincere and appropriate manner," he said in a short, written statement.
• Springer 'Flattered' by Interest in Candidacy (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, July 23)

Colo. Republican Won't Address Gay Catholics
Colorado Gov. Bill Owens (R) said he would decline an invitation to address the Denver meeting of Dignity USA, a group of 300 gay Catholics. Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, a Democrat, will give the convention's welcoming address. "The bottom line is he welcomes groups to the city all the time," said a Webb spokesman, apparently forgetting that in April the mayor lead a campaign to get the National Rifle Association to cancel its national conference in Denver.
• Owens Rejects Invitation to Speak Before Gay Group (Rocky Mountain News, Denver, July 22)
• NRA Curtails Convention (Rocky Mountain News, Denver, April 22)

Ryan Thornburg can be reached at ryan.thornburg@washingtonpost.com