Wednesday, August 05, 2009

News Flash: Majority Whip Greg Bell Tapped For Lt. Governor

This news will no doubt go over like a lead balloon with Utah's wingnut Eagle Forum
Gary Herbert to Utah's GOP wingnuts: Gayle Ruzicka... bite me!

By Monotreme

The Standard-Examiner is reporting that northern Utah GOP political moderate Greg Bell has been nominated to fill the State of Utah's #2 executive slot:
Bell officially nominated to be lieutenant governor
Ed. note: We'll leave it to our readers to decipher the true meaning of all this.

P.S. Don't let the cat get your tongues.

Update 8/6/09 6:00 a.m. MT: The Standard-Examiner fleshes out this story with not one but two additional stories this morning; and Desert Dawg, from the Voice Of Deseret blog, provides another typically fact filled and robust writeup here.

21 comments:

Dan S. said...

I've gotten a good impression of Bell over the years, going back to when he was mayor of Farmington. For what it's worth, his Sierra Club scorecard rating for 2009 was 63%. Don't read too much into this--even Buttars scored 33%, and nobody scored higher than 88%.

Curmudgeon said...

Mono:

All I know about Mr. Bell is that the Eagle Forum doesn't like him. That's certainly a good recommendation right there, but I'd like to know more. Can he really be one of that endangered species [lately rumored to be all but extinct], a sane and reasoning Utah Republican elected official? Dare we hope?

googlegirl said...

Rolly: Bennett rival joins Eagles in dive-bombing Bell

ozboy said...

Greg Bell is that rare republican that advocates for ethics reform in Utah politics. Because of that, and what Mr. Curmudgeon stated about the Eagle Forum being against him, I think he might be about the best choice the GOP could put forward these days.

However, I have known him for seventeen years - since I moved to Farmington and he was a city councilman - and I don't think I have ever disliked a politician more - except little lord godfrey of course. The enmity between Greg and me has more of a personal angle than political, although there have been a number of things about his politics I have had problems with. I also don't necessarily subscribe to this "honest Abe" label the Standard tried to hang around his neck a few years ago. I didn't find him that way at all.

I think maybe he has matured and perhaps become more fair and ethical than when I first crossed swords with him in 1992, at least I hope he has.

If he has as much integrity as his PR machine claims, then we just might have to build a monument to him here in Farmington! By the way, he is actually an Ogden native born and bred right in the Emerald City itself.

Bob Becker said...

Oz:

OK, Oz. Thanks for the read. I'll count myself "cautiously hopeful" at this point but will keep a grain of salt handy too. Large one.

Biker Babe said...

what is the Eagle Forum?

BB

Neddy said...

The Utah Eagle Forum is simply Pure Evil.

They are a thinly disguised White Supremacist organization, with a seriously nasty agenda.

For instance:
They wont let me brew beer at home, perform abortions in my bathroom, or own any weapon I think I might want or need.

She wants everyone to speak english, only.

She does not want me to have marijuana plants in my front yard. Hell, she does not even want me to have them in the back yard.

She also wants to outlaw private sex orgies, gay marriage, making out in public...

She does not like me, at all.

Bob Becker said...

BB:

Think Chris Buttars. On steroids. You can find the Utah Eagle Forum website here.

Biker Babe said...

wow. just wow.

BB

ozboy said...

BBabe

The Eagle Forum is an ultra right wing group of nut cases out of the Provo area (with members scattered throughout the state) and is led by a totally disgusting person by the name of Gail Ruisuka (sp?).

They have been very effective in Utah at bringing out the troops to do battle over any issue they subscribe to, but usually things having to do with "morality", sexuality and what people do with their PeePee's. Oh, they are also real big on fighting Satan and his attempt to make devil rum available to the citizens. They are to the modern day NeoCon rulers of Utah as the Storm Troopers were to the Nazi's.

If you want to understand where they are coming from - just think "Chris Buttars", one of their hero's, and you will have a good idea.

Having their roots in Utah Mormonism, they are naturally very good at multilevel marketing thinking. They have organized what they call the "phone tree" which is really a multilevel scheme to get large numbers of people to contact their legislators about any issue Gail chooses to weigh in on. Every person in the phone tree has 10 or so other people on their call list and as a consequence they can create a blizzard of legislative contacts in a very short time, all with the same theme - and as Rolly wrote about in today's Tribune - often with the same wording!

They strike fear into most of Utah's legislators and politicians, and they have definitely proven their power by deposing politicians that displease them.

A lot of them are breeders, and Gail herself has around a dozen children I believe. Their thinking is very much early eighteenth century in nature. Sort of like a branch of the Taliban in Zion.

In my opinion they are a dangerous and bigoted hate group.

Candy said...

The eagle forum is nothing more than the self described gale ruzika thinks that all people in Utah should live like Mormons and hence the forum should be called the Mormon forum.

Machman said...

Greg Bell, or "Honest Abe" as the Std. Ex. tried to label him, said in a meeting of Davis County Commissioners and legislators at the Davis Conf. Center, Oct 20, 2007.

"If my neighbors houses are appraised at $350K and I buy my house for $500K, I would not admit what I paid for it. I'd just as soon let the county appraiser think it is only worth $300K. I don't think Utahans are ready to accept Full Disclosure. They, like me, had rather just sit back and not let on..." (Meaning lie).

Now there's an honest Abe for you!

SURPRISE! SURPRISE! SURPRISE!
We now have a Governor who is a Realtor/Developer and past President of the Utah Realtor Association, who quite naturally selected his Lt. Governor, also a Realtor/Developer.

Like I said a month ago. Stand by for RAM! More hidden campaign finance donations and more Realtor/Developer friendly legislation.

They (The URA) now control all the legislature, and the executive branch within Utah.

Thomas Paine said...

It might be a good test of Mr. Greg Bell and his job protecting the rights of Utah citizens to ask him to refuse to ok the incorporation at Powder Mountain if it gets to his desk. The Lt. Governor is the final step in the incorporation process.

With many homeowners about to lose their right to equal protection under the law, it may be put up or shut up for Lt. Governor Greg Bell.

Anonymous said...

This is a great pick. I think we need to give Gayle Ruzicka some of the credit. Eagle Forum's ridiculous protest likely boosted Bell's chances and it gave Herbert a chance to resist pressure from extremists in his party.

Doug Gibson
Ogden

ozboy said...

Doug

You are most likely correctomundo on that. However, did you ever think it could have been a planned "event" between them? What do you think the chances are that Ruzika and Herbert got together and plotted it out so that Herbert could look like he was independent of the Eagle Forum and other right wing wackos.

These are two pretty astute politicians who realize it would be harder to get reelected with two right wingers. Gov Huntsman, and presumable most of the other naybobs in the Utah GOP realized that balance on the ticket is getting more important these days. That is why he chose Herbert to begin with.

The wackos seem to be losing a little steam and moderation is becoming slightly more popular with the GOP card carriers (except in Utah county of course). It made sense for Herbert to chose Bell and I am sure Ruzika understands this.

I believe they are looking ahead to the next election and are positioning themselves for it. The Eagle Forum's power over the GOP has already been a bit of an issue in state politics and would most likely become so again next time around. With this turn of events Herbert can go into that election with strong credentials in resisting that particular lunatic fringe.

Bottome line Doug, I think the whole thing was a little theater cooked up by the two old compadres as a bone to throw to the moderate wing of the wing nut party.

Rockford J. said...

Bout 15 years ago I brought Gayle Ruzicka to Ogden so that she might participate in an Honors Issues Forum under the watchful eye of Master Ron Holt.

Gayle Ruzicka was a petty and sneering shrew of a women, whose seeming prime cause in life was to get everyone to act at all times like a White Protestant prig. She would encode her entire social agenda into law tommorow if she could.

She is pure evil.

Machman said...

"Thomas Paine said...
It might be a good test of Mr. Greg Bell and his job protecting the rights of Utah citizens to ask him to refuse to ok the incorporation at Powder Mountain if it gets to his desk. The Lt. Governor is the final step in the incorporation process.

With many homeowners about to lose their right to equal protection under the law, it may be put up or shut up for Lt. Governor Greg Bell."

Assuming this (above) is true, could it be a setup by the Realtor/Developer scum-bags in control of that organization, to have Lt. Gov. make his bones by rejecting the Powderville Town. And thus present the false and trumped up impression of how he is for citizen's rights although one of "the in-gang of racketeers" at the Capital. Lots of Machiavellian possibilites seem possible when no one (or perhaps - few) trusts our elected/appointed officials anymore.

Credibility is like saying the "F" word infront of your Mother...you just can not take it back. That is the problem with our elected officials...they have lost credibility by their own behavior, re ethics reform measures, COIs, and outright illegal and unconstitutional laws.

But I could be wrong...

marv said...

I don't think you are wrong Machman.
I also don't think you could go wrong overestimating the machiavellian nature of the real estate cabal and their republican brotherhood that controls the Utah Legislature and now the governors mansion.

Democrats will be in the Governors office in 2011 said...

It's great for the Democrats... I talked to one democratic strategist that says they have enough on Bell and Herbert to shock any MORMONS conscience.

Tom said...

Democrats will.......

I would like to believe that is accurate, but I think it is a long shot.

As to any one having anything on Bell, I find that pretty hard to believe. I have known him for 17 years and have never liked him. However, I don't think he is a crook by any measure of the word. Arrogant yes, but a crook - I don't think so.

be faithful said...

Tom,

Just wait until the cats make their way out of the bag!!!

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