Five Things I Think I Think This Week - Avengers at the Ballot Box Edition
by Bryan Schott
05/29/2012 | 1075 views | 0 0 comments | 2 2 recommendations | email to a friend | print
Less than a month to go before the primary election. Savor it while you can fellow political junkies, for there's a drought of Utah political news coming during the long, hot summer.

1.    I think Dan Liljenquist is starting to land a few body blows on Orrin Hatch with his television ads. He’s pivoted a bit off the “he won’t debate me” message and is focusing more on Hatch’s record.

I don’t have any empirical evidence to back it up, but I also get the feeling Liljenquist is starting to get a little momentum as well.

With less than 4 weeks to go until the primary election, there may not be enough time for Liljenquist to get the kind of name recognition he needs to pull the upset. Plus, don’t forget that Mitt Romney is visiting Utah next week.

2.    Speaking of Mitt Romney, I think how Orrin Hatch plays the Romney visit will give us a good indication of what he thinks of his chances in the primary.

If his campaign is very low-key when it comes to Romney in Utah that probably means they are feeling confident about the election. If they do a big public event with Romney, it’s a good bet they’re worried.

3.    I think the best money the Utah GOP could spend during the election season would be for TV and radio ads urging Utahns to vote for Mitt Romney. Romney is likely to drive a lot of turnout, which could greatly help Republican candidates down-ballot.

4.    I think that Romney is going to drive a ton of turnout anyway. I’ve heard from a number of attendees at different Republican caucus meetings that people showed up asking if this is the place they could “vote for Mitt Romney.” If people took time out of their evenings in March to go and vote for Romney, what do you think November will bring?

5.    I think I’ve figured out who the Avengers would vote for. Someone asked me this question last week, and I decided to devote a little brainpower to figuring it out.

Iron Man/Tony Stark – Definitely Mitt Romney. He’s a rich capitalist and would most likely be a supporter and donor to Romney.

Captain America – Mitt Romney. Traditional values and very conservative.

Thor – Most likely doesn’t believe in democracy, but if he were to vote, he would probably go for Barack Obama since he’s an immigrant (of sorts).

Hulk – Sees things in very black and white terms. Would probably support Ron Paul.

Black Widow – Probably not an American citizen, but would gravitate toward Barack Obama because of Mitt Romney’s problem with female voters.

Hawkeye – Just strikes me as a Republican for some reason. Would vote for Mitt Romney.

Nick Fury – The movie version would vote for Barack Obama. The comic book version would likely be a Republican.

Loki – Ever the opportunist, he would throw his support behind whomever he thought was winning.

Agent Coulson – The most independent of independent voters.

Please note that these assessments are based on the movie version of the characters only. I don’t want to get into a long drawn-out discussion about who the comic versions of the characters would vote for. So, can it, nerds.

Parting thought: “An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied.”—Arnold H. Glasow
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Ten Things You Need to Know for Friday
by Bryan Schott
May 24, 2013 | 1405 views | 0 0 comments | 2 2 recommendations | email to a friend | print
Countdown: There are 166 days to the 2013 municipal elections, 249 days until the start of the 2014 Legislature, 525 days until the 2014 midterm elections and 962 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses. 

An analysis says expanding Medicaid coverage will save Utah more than $130 million and would give health insurance to 123,000 residents [Tribune].

A new report ranks Utah #1 for economic outlook next year [Utah Policy, Tribune].

House Majority Leader Brad Dee goes on a European vacation with three lobbyists, but Dee insists the trip was above board because everybody paid their own way and they didn’t discuss politics [Tribune].

Former Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is caught on tape offering to get $2 million for Utah Businessman Darl McBride if he would shut down a website critical of another Utah businessman. That money was to come from a third Utah businessman who was in trouble with the Attorney General’s office [Tribune].

Former Legislator and current blogger Holly Richardson says she’s had enough with the “culture of corruption” permeating the Attorney General’s office [Holly on the Hill].

Sen. Orrin Hatch wants to hear from Utahns who think they have been inappropriately targeted by the IRS as part of his investigation into misconduct by the agency [Tribune].

Kennecott lays off 100 workers because of the massive landslide at their Bingham Canyon Mine [Tribune, Deseret News].

The Boy Scouts vote to allow gay members in their ranks [Deseret News].

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman launches a new political action committee to support Republicans who share his point of view [Tribune].

Gov. Gary Herbert says he is confident the state can work out a deal to avoid taxing the electricity used by the new National Security Agency data center at Camp Williams [Tribune].
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