Scathing Bob Bernick piece in this morning's Deseret Morning News, under the headline "What a mess Utah Republican Party has made." We incorporate Mr. Bernick's opening paragraphs below:
Utah voters: Welcome to the political world of Stan Lockhart, Curt Bramble and, for those living in Happy Valley, the Utah County Republican Party.Read Mr. Bernick's full article here.
When GOP Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., after briefly trying to find someone on his own to be the new chairman of the Utah Republican Party last year, decided to "wash his hands" of picking the new party leader, I'm told he was warned that letting GOP legislators pick the man (or woman) could prove troublesome.
But Huntsman decided to stay out of it.
And so Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem; Senate Majority Leader Curt Bramble, R-Provo; House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy; and other legislative luminaries decided on local lobbyist Stan Lockhart, whose wife is state Rep. Becky Lockhart, R-Provo. (State GOP delegates pick party leaders, but they usually follow the advice of their top elected officials.)
Known as part of the GOP Utah County clique, Stan Lockhart is well known to many legislators. For years as the Micron lobbyist, he had provided more Jazz tickets to lawmakers than any other lobbyist. A Deseret News calculation by investigative reporter Lee Davidson found that Stan Lockhart has given legislators nearly $60,000 in Jazz tickets over the years.
Stan Lockhart is best buddies with Bramble — their families go on trips together, including a jaunt to Italy last summer. (Bramble, in an as-yet-unpublished lobbyist-giving study by Davidson, leads all legislators in taking $1,447 in lobbyist gifts during the first quarter of this year, which includes the 2008 Legislature. Bramble says he paid his own way to Italy, taking no gifts from Lockhart or another well-known lobbyist who went on the trip.)
I'm told that a few other GOP supporters warned Lockhart that he would have to be his own man as party chairman, and that the "Bram-harts" — as the couples are collectively known — would not be running the Utah Republican Party like their own little fraternity.
But someone didn't get the memo. [...].
Now anyone who's familiar with Bob Bernick's writing already knows he's about the closest thing to a "lefty" as anyone who writes for the otherwise "righty" Deseret News. He takes potshots at Utah Republicans on the pages of the D-News with frequent regularity -- often based upon what we consider to be poor foundation. Notwithstanding this known propensity however, we don't believe Mr. Bernick is even slightly off-base in the criticisms contained in this morning's story. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then. Your blogmeister has heard similar gripes as those raised this morning by Mr. Bernick from disaffected Utah Republicans from across the state.
Case in point? We'll incorporate a few remarks from from this morning's D-News comments section:
Mike Ridgway: Bob, Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.We could go on. Be sure to read the full Bernick article; and above all, don't forget to check out the D-News reader comments section.
From all of us grassroots Utah Republicans who wish we could snap our fingers and make this nightmare go away.
Roobah: Wow, what a nice story to summarize everything in one fell swoop. Nice resource piece to say it all in a nutshell. Every Republican should read this article. Thank you.
Appalling: I literally feel sick after reading this. These leaders act as if this were some kind of game. It smacks of the same bullying and clique-building you see in junior high, only the consequences affect the rights and laws of Utah citizens. Of course you see the dilemma of simply voting them out is that this arrogant clique controls who you get to vote for and unless you are willing to vote democrat (heavan forbid) they win. Good luck Utah County.
Drew Chamberlain: These are serious concerns. I applaud Mr. Bernick for the investigation. Now it is our turn as Republican Delegates to CLEAN UP OUR PARTY! Attend the county convention May 3rd. Attend the State convention May 10th. Stand up and make your voice heard.
Food for thought on a slow Emerald City news day. We hope newly-elected GOP state convention delegates from Weber County will pay special attention to the material in this morning's story. We have more than a few GOP state delegates within our WCF readership, of course.
Who will be the first to comment?
