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Is It Time Our Senior Senator Retires?
by Mark E. Towner
“Conservative elected officials increasingly find themselves caught between two impulses: the revolutionary ideas that brought them into power and the need to explain and defend the institutions they inherited. And the longer these good men and women stay in office, the more likely they will be to defend the very bureaucracies and policies against which they once campaigned. The goal to transform government will be gradually overwhelmed by contentment with merely presiding over it.”
— Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Source: The Federalist Patriot)
Senator Hatch has again turned his eyes back to Utah for another campaign to elect him back to Washington DC for another 6 years. This will mean Senator Hatch has been infected with the Potomac Fever for over 30 years. When Orin first ran for the seat he called upon the incumbent Senator to retire: that he had served Utah well for 18 years and it was time for new blood. On Saturday at the Salt Lake County convention he asked us for 6 more years to accomplish what he has not been able to accomplish in the past 30, is that likely?
The real issue here is seniority in the Senate. With the recent re-election of Senator Bennett, and if Utah again elects Senator Hatch for 6 more years, the likelihood of having to send to Washington two back to back freshman senators in 2010 and 2012 are all but assured.
Because the average age in the Senate is above 70, there will be many Senators who will retire in the next 6-12 years. Should we not elect a new Senator who can begin climbing the seniority ladder so that in the next 6-12 years Utah will be positioned for Leadership?
As the quote above indicates, Senator Hatch is conflicted. Too many deals and too many years in Washington make it impossible for him to actually do what he knows to be right, but instead goes along with what will pass in the Senate.
We Utahans just elected a new Governor. The next generation of leaders for our State and for our country are waiting to serve. I feel the time is now for that process to take place in the US Senate, and like in so many other areas, Utah should take the lead and send new representation to Washington.
Posted by Editor on May 3, 2005 03:15 PM
