Interesting locally-oriented story in this morning's Standard-Examiner, wherein Ace reporter Schwebke reveals results of an editorial board interview with Democratic Party gubernatorial challenger (and former Ogden resident) Bob Springmeyer. We dutifully incorporate Mr. Schwebke's opening paragraphs below:
OGDEN — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bob Springmeyer said Thursday his victory in November could hinge on Weber County votes.As for Mitt Romney's prospects of sending candidate Springmeyer on a pre-election fishing trip, we don't see a high probability of that. After all, a Romney V.P. selection would drive the GOP's core bible belt wingnuts even more nuts than they already are. Besides, GOP presumptive presidential nominee McCain hasn't historically gotten along so well with Romney himself. So in this connection, we think The Deseret News' Bob Bernick got it right in his morning column. Sorry Utah Republicans... "a Romney V.P. selection ain't gonna happen." Probably good news for Utah Democrats, however.
“As Weber goes, this statewide election is going to go,” he told the Standard-Examiner’s editorial board. “This is ground zero.”
Springmeyer, who once lived in Ogden, said he’s hoping presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama will re-energize voters in Weber and Salt Lake counties, typically party strongholds, which could help him beat GOP Gov. Jon Huntsman.
“One of the reasons I’m confident about this race is Obama,” he said. “He’s bringing in a whole new group of people (voters) ... that I haven’t seen since Jack Kennedy.”
Springmeyer, a 65-year-old management consultant from Salt Lake City, said he will have difficulty unseating Huntsman if presumptive Republican presidential candidate John Mc-Cain picks Mitt Romney as his running mate. He joked that he might as well go fly-fishing if that happens.
So, in Springmeyer's analysis, he (and his entire Utah Democratic Party candidate slate) stand a better than normal chance of riding into office on Barrack Obama's coattails, assuming Romney is indeed ruled out of the presidential race.
But even then it isn't quite that simple. As reported here and elsewhere, some diehard Hillary Clinton supporters are still jockeying for a Denver Democratic Nominating Convention floor fight.
We haven't yet spent much time here on Weber County Forum delving into the intracies of the upcoming 2008 General election -- so far. Perhaps this would be a good place to start.
Come one, come all... Democrats and Republicans alike. We think it would be interesting to elicit our own WCF readers' comments and analysis. The entire world blogoshere is sitting on the edge of its seat, waiting to hear "what's up" from the "Weber County Forum Think Tank."
Does this Springmeyer guy have an actual shot at defeating Governor Huntsman? Will Obama overcome lagging polling, and nevertheless become the Democratic nominee? If so, will a horde of Utah Democratic Party challengers be ushered in to office on his coattails, if any? Will Hillary ever "find" whatever it is she's actually looking for? Will George Bush render the whole 2008 election moot, by declaring martial law and going to war with Iran?
So many questions... so few answers...
10 comments:
Rudi:
I know you are a Weber Country Republican Party apparatchik, but mangling the Democratic candidate's name in a headline is tacky even for Republicans... unless of course you're hoping Fox News [you should excuse the expression] will pick up WCF.
The Democratic candidate for Governor is Bob Springmeyer, not Bob Springer.
Dang, Curm!
Would you believe the blogger.com software ate the last two syllables?
I didn't think so... [wink]
I looked at Mr. Springmeyer's website, and he already has my vote. He has the one thing I always prefer in a Utah political candidate, FACIAL HAIR! I tire of Utah candidates, men and women both, who trim their beards and mustaches, and look like they're still following the BYU honor code.
On the election outcomes, since you asked. The following results will be enough to make this Yellow Dog Weber County Democrat not just happy, but break-out-the-bourbon, it is time to par-T! happy.
1. Democrats make a net gain of two seats in the Utah senate.
2. Democrats make a net gain of four seats in the House [one of them belonging to Curtis].
3. Democrats re-elect Matheson to the US House.
4. Democrats take one... any one... state wide race.
5. And in Weber County, Democrats succeed in ending one party rule on the Weber County Commission.
Beyond that, replacing Bush Sock Puppet, Rob Bishop [R-Energy Solutions] with a Congressman who has an identifiable pulse and does something occasionally besides figure out how to help Energy Solutions ship still more radioactive waste into Utah, would make me so ecstatic, that I'd probably have to enter a detox unit early the morning after. Not likely to happen in Bishop's gerrymandered district, but just barely possible. We'll give it a good try.
I doubt Mr. Springmeyer is going to unseat Utah's inexplicably popular but timid governor --- you know, the one who signed the Developer's Dream Bill into law, and who signed the School Voucher Bill into law. He seems a decent enough guy, but he's too weak and timid to challenge the wingnuts of his own party in the legislature.
But a stronger than usual run by Mr. Springmeyer, who is a hard campaigner and a good ideas man, will make goals 1-5 above more reachable.
Those interested can find the Weber County Democratic Party's platform for the coming election here.
Curm:
Have you already been in bourbon?
Beaver:
No. Not since....let's see... not since the night of Sen. Mary Landrieu's razor thin first win for the US Senate in Louisiana. Campaign I worked on. Hell of a race, down to the wire, campaigning continued through the final hours of election day itself.
Paid for it next morning, of course. But not since.
Post above lists what I think will constitute a Democratic victory this November. Not a prediction, necessarily, of what will happen. Merely a list of what I think is within reach.
Curm:
And if it does, I'll join you in raising a glass. But, given the sheeple in this state, I'm afraid your more likely to be drowning your sorrows.
Oh, and you're buying.
Beaver:
You're on.
Wow, 8 paragraphs about the Utah governorship and not a word addressing issues. This is politics the way we like 'em, all filler. All the news and blogs do these days is talk strategy about who will help who and whose coattails(read JOCK)will one guy swing in on. Actually jock is just a nice way of saying knutsac. i.e. will Mitt Romney get to the White House anyway swinging from John McCain's knutsac.
Americans are scared fecumless of issues...makes them think about stuff. Gets in the way of chewing on hot phallic dogs and swilling gateway drugs...er drinks. (think RockStar, Red Bull Semen) So lame.
Well, Tec, we might all prefer to live in a world where issues of substance, and only issues of substance, carried the day in elections, but I'm sorry to tell you we don't. Why, we have a presidential candidate who, when the economy is hemorrhaging jobs by the tens of thousands every month, when this year's deficit will reach levels undreamed of even four years ago, when the national debt is metastasizing to the point where economists are seriously discussing whether the United States as a nation is now, or soon will be, unable to pay its debts; when the government of Iraq has asked us to get out within two years [a tactic the Republican candidate previously identified as surrender, if not treason]; when casualties in Afghanistan are rising fast and the once thought to be defeated Taliban is regaining huge areas of the country and operating its Islamic Courts with impunity, and executing women and girls for the great crime of attending school; when the average income of the working family has declined over the past four years while the costs of necessities has risen steadily... we have a [so called] major party candidate who, while all of that is happening, wants us to consider how much his opponent resembles Paris Hilton.... and you think issues alone are what count?
Tactics matter, however much that might annoy you. Or me. They matter. Ask Karl Rove about that.
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