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The Delegate Race for Governor: “The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost”
by Mark E. Towner
Is it only Name ID and Money that will win?
I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon today on the campaign trail of Marty Stephens. I was attending an event at Jordan Landing where they expected 65-70 delegates. Instead they had over 130 delegates arrive for lunch. Wow!
One of the delegates present was Keith Haines. What can I say about this man other than acknowledge the incredible sacrifice he has given to this country and to Utah. In order to attend the event, he had to wheel chair to a cab, then drive across the valley to the Jordan Landing. After the event my wife and I offered to give him a ride back so he didn’t have to take a cab. During that drive I learned more about the Utah political process, than could be taught in a semester up at the U.
As we were finishing our conversation he talked about the Matheson mystique. He said “In Utah, the name Matheson is revered by saying “The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost”. I laughed at first, and then thought about what he was saying. Has politics in Utah been reduced to having only the royal families participate? Must you be a millionaire to have any chance at being selected to represent your party? I find it troubling to hear delegates say, I may not agree with what he/she stands for (TTC’s, 2nd amendment rights, public education, immigration, fill in the blank) but he/she is electable.
If you are one of these state delegates, shame on you. There are 14 people who have opened their lives, their treasure, and their privacy to share their vision of Utah. The least you can do as a delegate is to meet them in person, talk with them about your concerns, and make a thoughtful judgment as to who would make a great Governor for the future of Utah.
One of the beauties of the IRV system used by the GOP is you can vote for who you would like to see be the next Governor as your number one vote. Then place who you think will win as your number two or three. You can’t lose either way.
If someone who is bound to a wheel chair can get to these functions, and meet the candidates, there is no excuse for the rest of you delegates to spend the time necessary to get to know all the candidates; they deserve no less.
Posted by windley on April 14, 2004 06:31 PM
