It's certainly plausible that the GOP is tacking too far to the right, but that rightward shift is a natural and healthy response to the sudden — and largely unpopular — leftward shift of Washington since 2008. In Washington, the coin of the realm is "seniority and connections," and it is that currency that bought us the calamitous state of the country. Ironically, both George W. Bush and Barack Obama were elected promising to "change the way Washington works." For the powers that be, the more frightening and tangible lesson from Utah is "this time we mean it."
Los Angeles Times Editorial
The Robert Bennett message
May 11, 2010
The Salt Lake Tribune rages that the "candidate selection system is hopelessly broken," urges Utah voters to lobby for a direct primary system and even suggests that "Sen. Bennett might want to consider a write-in campaign."
The Standard-Examiner laments Bennet's ouster, and suggests that "[t]he activist, more extreme base of both parties seem to have an undue influence."
This morning's Deseret News editorial is slightly more pilosphophical in its analysis, and does pose this interesting question:
Was it merely a local oddity — the product of a nominating process that isn't inclusive and that doesn't represent the state at-large — as some suggest? Or was it the beginning of a wave that will sweep the nation as an angry electorate ousts incumbents of all stripes?Nevertheless, it's apparent that even the Deseret News editorial board is unhappy with Saturday's convention outcome, as it suggests that the nomination process was at least in part tainted by irrational anger:
Democracies flourish when they periodically refresh themselves by ousting entrenched politicians and electing people with new ideas. The strength of the United States remains the fact that, ultimately, the people are in control. But in politics, as in personal relationships, anger is seldom a good motivator.In that connection, we googled up a west coast newspaper opinion piece this morning within which we believe commentator Jonah Goldberg got it exactly right:
• The Robert Bennett message - Utah Republicans aren't crazy in rejecting the GOP congressman; they just mean what they say that they're tired of politics as usualWhereas the above-cited Utah newspapers (and various national news pundits) in their various ways clearly regard Saturday's outcome as the byproduct of a dysfunctional candidate selection system, Mr. Goldberg interprets it as a sign of rational political action... "a natural and healthy response" to a "leftward shift of Washington since 2008."
For our own part, we'll side with Mr. Goldberg on this. Having grown tired of business as usual, (and unfulfilled political promises), we believe Utah GOP delegate grownups simply took matters into their own hands. After all, that's how it's supposed to work in American politics, isn't it?
That's our take; and we're stickin' with it.
So what say our gentle readers about all this?
