May 21, 2013

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Poll Results from “Insiders” on the Utah Nomination System

May 10, 2013 by 1 Comment

A couple of days back, I presented a very brief summary of the debate occurring in the Utah Republican and Democratic Parties about the efforts of an outside group, the County My Vote committee, to influence how Utah’s parties conduct their nomination system. You can read it here.

I posted a poll of my readers asking what they thought should happen. Should the system change? Should the parties give up control of the process? Etc.

You might call these people the “Publius Online insiders.”

Not surprisingly, most of them were Republicans. I can’t help it if Democrats opted not to vote.  ;-)

Here are the results of the completely non-scientific poll:

Should the parties control their nominations

What changes would you support

Party affiliation

Are you feeling left out?

You can still vote in my completely unscientific poll below:

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LaVarr Webb’s insiders weigh in on Utah’s nomination system [POLL]

May 8, 2013 by 5 Comments
Crowds of people fill out precinct forms, paw over piles of political pamphlets and get informed at a Republican caucus meeting at the North Davis Preparatory Academy in Layton Tuesday, March 23, 2010. Brian Nicholson, Deseret News

Crowds of people fill out precinct forms, paw over piles of political pamphlets and get informed at a Republican caucus meeting at the North Davis Preparatory Academy in Layton Tuesday, March 23, 2010.
Brian Nicholson, Deseret News

Don’t forget to vote in the poll at the bottom of this post!

If you’ve been following inside politics around Utah of late, then you know that the talk among the party insiders–in both the Republican and Democratic Parties–has largely centered around whether Utah’s caucus system needs an update, should be jettisoned to make way for an open primary, or otherwise modified. (If you’re interested in how the Utah caucus system works, check out this interesting document by Dana Dickson that spells out the details. It can also be found embedded at the bottom of this post).

Yes, I know, this has not been the sole issue of discussion.  Party leadership elections are fast approaching , as well. The caucus is near and dear to many Utah politos’ hearts, though, and it has been the route many of them took to get elected. Further, many feel like the caucus allows and encourages unparalleled access to the political process and to elected officials, to say nothing of allowing candidates with little financial backing an opportunity for public office on a level with better funded candidates.

For examples, look no further than Senator Mike Lee. In 2010, then-candidate Mike Lee saw then-Senator Bob Bennett knocked out at the Republican State Convention by delegates who tied Bennett to the government’s massive Wall Street bailout (remember TARP?).  Lee then faced off against Tim Bridgewater in the Republican Primary, securing the nomination. He easily won election in November.

In fact, many of those discontent with the current system look to the 2010 convention as a reason for opening up the Republican Primary and/or ending the caucus system. Proponents of change argue that then-Senator Bob Bennett would easily have won an open primary in Utah, but extremist Republicans, in control of the convention, denied him the right to be on the ballot.

LaVarr Webb, publisher of Utah Policy and leading member of the group seeking to change the Utah caucus system

LaVarr Webb, publisher of Utah Policy and leading member of the group seeking to change the Utah caucus system

One of those behind the effort to change the Republican (and maybe the Democratic) caucus system is LaVarr Webb, publisher of the Utah Policy, (tagline: “Where political junkies get their daily fix”). He sent a letter on April 12, 2013 from his group, the “Count My Vote” executive committee,  and addressed to Republican and Democratic Party leaders.  The letter ostensibly seeks to help more people get involved, but alarmingly appears to all but threaten if party leaders don’t bring about changes to the nomination system.

After acknowledging some of the qualities in the nomination system that I noted above, the letter goes on to threaten a statewide referendum by  ”Count My Vote”  if the system is not changed by the political parties.  I quote in part:

We believe this matter to be of such high importance that we are in the process of filing the proper paperwork and putting together a large, statewide signature-gathering effort to place a proposal on the 2014 ballot allowing all voters to choose an alternative candidate nomination process

To avoid the state referendum, Webb says that the parties must

  1. Allow more people to participate in caucus meetings than just those who are available at a specified time. Just because you are sick or have children is no reason to be denied a vote in delegate and party leadership selection.
  2. Raise the threshold necessary to avoid a primary and eliminate multiple rounds of voting. In other words, any candidate who receives a marginal level of support (Webb suggest 20 or 25% of delegate vote) has the opportunity to face a primary election.
  3. Make the changes statutory. In other words, once the parties have made the changes, hand them over to the state legislature so that the nomination process is out of the hands of the political parties.   This last one makes about as much sense as asking your parents to pick out your spouse for you.

Read the full letter here or scroll down to see it embedded.

Ironically, it may be that those who consume Webb’s political content–his Utah Policy Daily–don’t necessarily agree with him.  A recent poll on his site on whether Utah’s Democratic Party will change its nominating system came out looking less than shiny for a direct primary.

UPD Caucus Poll 5-6-13

What do you think? Should Utah’s parties change their nomination process?

 

LaVarr Webb’s letter to the Utah Republican and Democratic Parties

Webb m e m o r a n d u m 4-12-13

ABCs of the Utah Caucus System

 

Utah Caucus ABC s

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Salt Lake County Republican Convention Update

April 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Chad Bennion talks with SLC delegates prior to the Salt Lake County Republican Party Convention. Bennion was elected chair.

Chad Bennion talks with SLC delegates prior to the Salt Lake County Republican Party Convention. Bennion was elected chair.

Saturday was the Salt Lake County Republican Party’s organizing convention. I attended as a delegate and also ran for one of thirty spots on the State Central Committee of the Utah Republican Party.

As conventions go, this one was pretty blase. We were electing leadership, but none of the races were expected to be close, and expectations were not exceeded.

Leadership Election Results:

Chad Bennion replaces outgoing County Party Chair Julie Dole over energetic newcomer Mike Livesy, who I am sure we’ll continue to see in Republican politics. He’s young, financially independent, articulate, and has time, a great combination for the politically interested.

Suzanne Mulet is number two at the county party at vice chair, while Michelle Hunt was elected Secretary in the closest race of the day. While Bennion and Mulet each won with over 70% of the vote, Hunt’s margin over Gary Welch was smaller with only 58% of the vote.

Also selected, as I mentioned earlier, were thirty State Central Committee members. Delegates voted thirty of fifty-five candidates to the State Central Committee, including the following:

Sean D. Reyes
Julie Dole
Chad Bennion
Gary Ott
Richard Snelgrove
James Evans
Marco Diaz
Cherilyn Eagar
Ben Soholt
Janene Gourley
Tifanie Pulley
Fred Cox
Rob Anderson
Merlynn Newbold
Alan Crooks
Daniel Thatcher
Rick Votaw
Christy Achziger
Michelle Hunt
Barbara Stallone
Mike Livsey
Lyle Decker
Gary Welch
Melvin Nimer
Phil Conder
Austin Linford
David Pyne
Daniel Burton
Steve Harmsen
Julie Warburton
Helen Redd

Because Bennion, one of the thirty elected to the State Central Committee, as chair gets an automatic seat on the State Central Committee, Helen Redd and Michelle Mumford flipped a coin for the last spot. Redd won the toss.

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Publius Online is participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, a month-long quest to post every day (I know…I’ve missed a few days). Each day should match a letter of the alphabet. Today is the letter R, as in Republican.

 

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Can idealism save the Grand Old Party?

April 10, 2013 by 2 Comments

I is for idealism, which may very much be the future of the GOP, if it is to regain relevancy.

 

For 37 years, Ron Paul was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Largely ineffective there, he earned the nickname Dr. No for his unwillingness to vote for government spending. It wasn’t until he ran for president, though, that he really hit his stride and reawakened interest in a national libertarian movement.

Now, Congress and Presidential campaigns behind him, Paul is almost more popular now than when he was in office. With his son, Senator Rand Paul, taking the baton, speaking out against war and the growth of government and regularly mentioned as a possible contender for the GOP nomination in 2016, libertarianism (little ‘l’) is coming out from the shadows and, to paraphrase Politico, going mainstream.

Could it save the Republican Party?

With post-mortem of the 2012 election continuing six months after the polls close, it’s clear that Republicans are taking a close look at what it takes to win an election, and whether the White House will be attainable in the foreseeable future.

Led by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), libertarians hope to become a dominant wing of the GOP by tapping into a potent mix of war weariness, economic anxiety and frustration with federal overreach in the fifth year of Barack Obama’s presidency.

The country’s continuing fixation on fiscal issues, especially spending and debt, allows them to emphasize areas of agreement with conservative allies who are looking for ways to connect with Republicans who aren’t passionate about abortion or same-sex marriage. A Democratic administration ensures consensus on the right that states should get as much power as possible.

Senator Rand Paul filibusters from the Senate floor in March of 2013.

Senator Rand Paul filibusters from the Senate floor in March of 2013.

Libertarianism is no new member of the Republican Party. Ronald Reagan famously stated that “libertarianism is the heart and soul of conservatism.” In the years since his 1980 election, though, the influence of evangelicals have pushed their own brand of big government into the forefront of the Republican Party, and libertarians have been largely left in the wings.

However, America has changed over the last generation. Whether it’s the war on drugs/poverty/terrorism/marriage–Americans are tired of the government telling them what they should, or shouldn’t do, and they are leery of the secrecy and expanse of a government that has colluded with Wall Street for big “bailouts” while compiling kill lists for drone hunter/killers.

When Senator Paul took to the Senate floor to filibuster the nomination of John Brennan as Director of the CIA, activists and individuals on both sides of the political spectrum applauded. As Harper’s Magazine observed

The antiwar left saw the filibuster as a challenge to the violence and the innocent dead left in the drone program’s wake. The antigovernment right rallied around Paul’s pointed question about whether a hypothetical Hellfire missile might just leave a crater where your neighborhood Starbucks once stood. Rush Limbaugh called him the future. Code Pink activists brought him boxes of chocolates. #StandWithRand was, for a moment, the most popular Twitter topic on the planet.

But can the popularity last? Can the anti-statist movement shift the Republican Party?  Can idealism trump the establishment?

It’s an open question, but one that could hold the future of the Republican Party. For years Republicans have talked a good game, promising less government, then blithely creating programs that expand government’s reach and cost. For example, Medicare Part D, one of the largest expansions of government prior to the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) received strong Republican support, including from conservatives like Congressman Denny Hastert and Senator Orrin Hatch.

But not anymore: with continued high unemployment and growth failing to return to pre-recession levels, Americans are starting to question whether a government that promises the world and delivers higher taxes and fewer jobs is a government “for the people.” Obamacare begins to take full effect in 2014, and already businesses are cutting workers hours to part-time levels to avoid providing mandated healthcare. It’s cheaper to pay a financial penalty.

And so, the rise of an idealistic view of government, where the government that serves best is that which weighs on us the least.

Can it work? Will it save the Republican Party?

Publius Online is participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, a month-long quest to post every day. Each day should match a letter of the alphabet. Today is the letter I, as in Idealism.

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Thomas Wright will not seek reelection as Utah Republican Party Chair

March 28, 2013 by 2 Comments
Thomas Wright

Thomas Wright, chair of the Utah Republican Party, presides over a Utah Republican Party meeting from the lectern.

Thomas Wright, chair of the Utah Republican Party since 2011, will not seek reelection when his term expires in May.

The news first appeared on Facebook, and Wright has since confirmed it to me in a text.

Known for his tact, energy, organization, and tenacity, Wright leaves behind a Republican Party in Utah that oversaw gains in the Utah Legislature and improved organization at the grassroots level.

Wright was elected on the wings of a successful vote-by-mail effort he led during his term as Salt Lake County Republican Party Chair, registering some 40,000 voters. In 2012, Wright oversaw a caucus night that more than doubled attendance from 58,000 in 2010 to at more than 125,000 in 2012. During the 2012 election, the Republican Party increased its advantage in the State Legislature, winning from Democrats an additional three seats in the House and one in the Senate.

In a letter posted on the Utah Republican Party’s Facebook page, Wright said that while serving as chair has been an honor, he looks forward to more time with family and focusing on his business.

David Neilsen, who worked under Wright at the Utah Republican Party and was closely involved in the GOP’s grassroots strategy, spoke highly of his former boss.

“Thomas is a compassionate and thoughtful leader,” said Neilsen. “I’m sad to see him step aside and wish him all the best.”

On a personal note, I have found Wright to always offer a fair shake and optimistic outlook. I remember watching him handle an especially contentious exchange between individuals at a Republican meeting which I attended. Wright tactfully allowed each party to have its opportunity to be heard and carefully weighed his role in helping resolve the conflict. When all was over, Wright offered his appreciation for the diversity of views and expressed his wish that we continue to bring our differing perspectives to the table.

That willingness to hear all sides and welcome all interested in working together is part of why Wright was able to bring new energy to each project, breathing new life into Utah Grand Old Party. He will be missed.

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The Never Ending Campaign

November 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Is it me, or does it feel the campaign for President might never end? Especially when I see things like this:

For heaven’s sake, the 2012 campaign just ended. Can we at least wait until 2013 to start thinking about 2016? (Silly me, I know)

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Could Rand Paul bridge the gap between libertarians and Republicans?

November 20, 2012 by 3 Comments

Rand Paul, son of Ron Paul and Senator from Kentucky, is considering a run for President in 2016.

I know:–Mitt Romney’s campaign is barely dead and in the ground and already we’re hearing the rumblings of 2016′s challengers. Marco Rubio made headlines at a fundraiser in Iowa by commenting on the age of the Earth (HUH?) and now we hear that Ron Paul’s scion is openly interested in running, too.

For the kind of change needed in the Republican Party, it may not be too soon to start thinking about it.

“I’m not going to deny that I’m interested” in a 2016 presidential run, [Rand Paul] told ABC News. “I am different than some in that I’m not going to deny that I’m interested. I’m not going to deny that I think we have to go a different direction because we’re not winning.”

Not only is he “different than some,” but he also thinks the Republican Party’s problem goes beyond improving the GOP’s marketing and messaging–policy changes are needed, too.

Sound familiar? It’s not unlike what his father has argued for during the 2008 and 2012 elections.

Some of the policies that Rand Paul wants to see the GOP shift on include immigration, marijuana, and foreign wars.

He wants to work with liberal Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy and Republicans to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for pot possession. He wants to carve a compromise immigration plan with an “eventual path” to citizenship for illegal immigrants, a proposal he believes could be palatable to conservatives. And he believes his ideas — along with pushing for less U.S. military intervention in conflicts overseas — could help the GOP broaden its tent and appeal to crucial voting blocs that handed Democrats big wins in the West Coast, the Northeast and along the Great Lakes.

They are policies that are decidedly more libertarian and can appeal to blocks of voters that many believe the GOP should be winning: voters under 40, Hispanics, and anyone tired of war.  With the shifting America’s shifting demographics working against the 2012 GOP party platform, the question is whether Rand Paul’s new road could be a path to the future for the Republican Party.

Oh, and one more thing: Paul wants to limit Senators to just twelve years of service. Think it’ll work?

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