Count My Vote Citizens Initiative Wrap-up: Governor Herbert Signs SB 54 Into Law

Added Bonus: Senator Stuart Reid predicts " the birth of a new, two-intra-party system within the Utah Republican Party"

In the interest of wrapping up our discussion of the Count My Vote citizens Initiative matter, we're delighted to follow up our WCF writeup of  March 6, 2014, wherein we reported that Utah State Senator Curt Bramble's compomise bill, SB 54, which establishes a new dual-track system for Utah election nominations, had successfully cleared the Utah legislature, we're delighted to provide links to morning's main Utah media stories, reporting that Governor Herbert has now signed this landmark legislation into law:

• Herbert OKs changes to caucus system
• Count My Vote halts initiative drive after governor signs deal
• Guv signs bill, ending Count My Vote bid

Yesirree folks.  It's all over now, except for the wailing and gnashing of teeth, as our current crackpot-laden Utah caucus/convention system yields in 2016 to a parallel direct primary system, a system which we predict will open up the nomination process to "the masses" and ultimately render our current party caucus and convention system virtually  irrelevant.

As an added bonus, we'll link this morning's Deseret News Op-ed piece, wherein our beloved Weber County-based Utah State Senator Stuart Reid, weirdly enough, not only agrees with us, but takes it all to a new level.

Here's the lede, WCF political wonks:

Some believe the passage of SB54, “Election Amendments,” will be the death of the caucus and convention system in Utah. I am not one of them. Instead, I believe it will have far more reaching consequences, not the least of which is the death of the two-party system and the birth of a new, two-intra-party system within the Utah Republican Party. -Stuart Reid

And here's Senator Reid's full rant: 

• My view: SB54 will politically and culturally reconstruct Utah

That's right, folks.  Senator Reid predicts that moderate Utah Democrats will jump party ranks and hook up with moderate Republicans, and that "[t]hese two intra-party factions will replace the two-party system in Utah."  Senator Reid is an expert on this subject, of course.  Who can forget how Senator Reid jumped party lines and nailed his (now lame-duck) State Senate seat in in 2010? Here's the Reid history, via the Standard-Examiner, for those who may have forgotten:

• Reid not Republican enough? Both parties wary after longtime Democrat switches in attempt to fill Greiner's seat

Yesirree.  We fully agree with "turncoat" Senator Reid, this go-round, at least.

There's a first time for everything, we guess.