Posted on 05/20/2009 2:35:33 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
On the state Capitol steps, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff today announced that he will run for the U.S. Senate to help salvage our "blessed but troubled nation" from the slide toward "socialism."
"The winds of change, they are a-blowing," Shurtleff said in prepared remark.
"Not the bigger government, corporate welfare, radical liberal nannyism type of change promised and now being implemented by [President Barack] Obama. But, starting today, we the people of Utah, we the people of the United States, are taking back America!"
In a fiery speech filled with red-meat rhetoric used by talk-show hosts like Glenn Beck, whom Shurtleff quoted, the attorney general blamed Sen. Bob Bennett for not just sitting by during big government bailouts and giveaways but for actively participating in these programs.
"Instead of promoting principles of individual responsibility, he let us down and looked upon government as the solution," Shurtleff complained.
"Time is of the essence in saving our country."
Shurtleff, who recently bagged a third term as the state's top prosecutor, hopes to wrest the Republican nomination away from three-term Bennett next year.
(Excerpt) Read more at sltrib.com ...
He’ll be better than Bennett, but he’s still something of a RINO.
Bennett is one of the ten most liberal Republicans in the Senate, and he represents the most conservative state in the union. Also, he’s 77 y/o. It’s time for someone new.
He also holds the land speed record for being the most boring, dull Senator on Capitol HIll. Try listening to him talk if you have trouble sleeping.
Lets try to get real Conservatives to run. He’s better than nothing I guess but I am sick of RINOS.
“It’s time for someone new.”
Amen.
If he is a step or two in the “right” direction than that is what we have to do. If Shurtleff wins it will send a message.
Years ago, Bennett promised in his campaign ads no more than 2 terms and then he would quit.
Time’s up. Bye Bob.
Utah has an interesting primary system, different from other states. There is a party convention and anyone who wants to run can do so. But at the convention, the last place finisher is knocked out of contention. They keep balloting like this until there are two contenders left, who then face off in a primary. But if one candidate gets 60% of the delegates or better, he gets the nomination without a primary. So the entrance of a third candidate would not help Bennett.
SHURTLEFF ON THE ISSUES
-- Describes himself as a "true fiscal conservative" on his website, not a social conservative (and the general rule of thumb is any candidate who has to loudly advertise claims of being a "fiscal conservative", isn't)
-- Welcomed Utah's share of the porkulus bill and requested $1.17 million for his office for prosecuting Internet crimes
-- Rejected an offer from a freelance group of Christian lawyers to defend for free any challenges pro-abortion groups make to the state's anti-abortion laws
-- Opposed law to ban gay marriages in Utah, stating it would "forever deny to a group of citizens the right to approach its Legislature to seek benefits and protections. This is bad law and should be rejected."
-- Opposed constitutional amendment making English Utah's official language, arguing that is was "potentially unconstitutional".
-- Opposed a bill to deny driver's licenses to illegal immigrants
-- Supports Utah's current policy of giving in-state tuition to illegal aliens.
Senator Bennett did indeed score a lousy 64% ACU rating this year. However, his lifetime average is 83% which is generally a pretty good conservative (and there are no signs that his ACU score is consistently going down year after year, it seems to vary up and down all the time)
Seems to me that Shurtleff will be at least be as "bad" as Bennett is (roughly conservative 80% of the time), and he's probably WORSE than Bennett on immigration. My guess is Schurtleff is probably running because he got tired of waiting for Bennett to retire and is looking for a career advancement opportunity in a state where winning the primary it tantamount to winning the general election.
I agree that it's long past time for Bennett to retire, but the solution to that is enacting term limits laws, not replacing him in the primary with a younger politician who is just as wobbly on the issues. Besides, we'd have a good chance of getting someone even better if Bennett doesn't complete his six year term or there was an open Senate race six years from now.
If there's any Republican incumbent who needs replacing this year, it's Lisa Murkowski. Unlike Bennett, she regularly votes with the Dems 30-40% of the time and had a pathetic 58% conservative rating from the ACU last year. She is only in the Senate because her crooked RINO father handed her the job on a silver platter and Republicans held their nose for her in November because they didn't want the socialist RAT to win. She's from a very heavy GOP state where Republicans regularly beat the Dems 2-to-1 statewide and the ONLY time a Dem wins is a fluke election like the incumbant being indicted or the GOP splitting the vote with two candidates running in November. At 50 years old, she's likely to hang around the Senate for the next 25+ years if we don't get rid of her. Although she's not as bad as the Maine twins, she's much more liberal than McCain or Bennett will ever be and has no business representing the people of Alaska. She is part of the old RINO establishment and needs to go. Plus, no matter who wins the Alaska primary is a likely shoo-in in November.
In Utah Shurtleff is exactly who the voters may like.
Agree 100% on Murkowski; she’s got to go. I think that either of the two gentlemen that lost to Stevens and Young in the 2008 GOP primary would be a good choice.
As for Robert Bennett, I’m no fan of his, but seeing him defeated is not on my list of priorities, especially if he’s opposed by someone with squishy (and potentially liberal) issue positions such as Shurtleff. But, it being Utah, surely there’s some conservative out there that we could support in a primary against Bennett.
I did some looking, and Shurtleff is nothing spectacular. Check Posting #9.
The Utah Senate race is not a priority for me. Bennett may be lackluster, but resources are not infinite. Conservatives will be better off spending resources on ousting Jim Bunning or supporting Rubio.
Well that’s a buzzkill on Shurtleff. Doesn’t look like he is to the right of Bennett at all.
Opposed the gay marriage ban? So he’s with Hunstsman on that?
Opposed a bill to deny DLicences to illegals and an amendent to make English the official language while supporting in state tuition for illegals?
That’s not gonna light conservatives on fire.
That's a deal killer right there.
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