Tag Archives: Orrin Hatch

Utah's rising star, Dan Liljenquist

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State Senator Dan Liljenquist recently returned from Washington DC where he received back-to-back awards for his courage and innovation tackling the complex problems of exploding pension and Medicaid costs.

Governing Magazine called Senator Liljenquist the “Change Agent” for his reforms. Each year, Governing chooses only one state legislator, out of over 7000 nationwide, one Governor and a handful of others involved in government at the local level. This year, they also honored the Governor of Arkansas, Mayor of Atlanta, a county executive, a police chief, a judge, a couple of very cool techie innovators working with the city of Boston and the Chancellor from CUNY, the City University of New York. Governing, a non-partisan group, does not appear to care which political party their honorees belong to and in fact, they gave more awards to Democrats than to Republicans. There was one consistent theme however – fiscal reforms. The presenters repeatedly mentioned we were “standing on a burning platform” financially and it was way past time to start addressing the real problems. The award winners were, for the most part, public officials willing to step up and tackle thorny problems head-on.

In addition to the award from Governing, Senator Liljenquist was named the “Legislative Entrepreneur of the Year” by FreedomWorks. The award – given out only a handful of times – has been given to people like now-Senator Marco Rubio, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and then Georgia House Rep Tom Graves, now in Congress. “Legislative entrepreneurs are tenacious political leaders who challenge the status quo and take bold action to advance liberty and limited government. We can thank Senator Liljenquist for the ground-breaking pension and entitlement reforms in Utah that are now the envy of states across the country, and serve as a model for the nation,” read the press release. “The fact of the matter is, while states like New York, Illinois and California are headed for bankruptcy, the financial future of Utah is secure because of Liljenquist’s reforms.”

FreedomWorks praised Liljenquist’s legislative innovation as he introduced free market principles into the “most difficult spending issues in government.” Senator Liljenquist, widely rumored to be challenging Orrin Hatch, caught the eye of a number of national media peeps as well. Check out some of the press he picked up this weekend: Daily Caller, CNN,  National Journal, Red State’s Erick Erickson, Politico, the Rising Republican and all over the AP wire.

He felt the love here too. Daily Herald, SL Trib, DNews, Fox 13 and the Standard Examiner all carried stories about his awards and his potential run for the US Senate.  Stay tuned – things are getting interesting!

Hatch not ruling out 2018 run

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Chris Vanocur of ABC4 did an exclusive interview with Senator Orrin Hatch this week. It was the first interview since Congressman Jason Chaffetz announced he was not running for the US Senate.

Vanocur asked about Jim Matheson as a possible opponent. Hatch replied that he was good friends with Jim and that he didn’t think he would run. Just like Hatch didn’t think Chaffetz would run. And like he doesn’t think anyone else will run. Because everyone knows you don’t run against the juggernaut, right?

Vanocur then followed up by asking the Senator if he won next year, would he run again in 2018?

ABC 4: “Will that be it? Will that be your last term?”

Senator Hatch: “Well, let me put it to you this way…”

For those playing at home, that was neither a yes or a no answer.

So, we asked the senator again.

ABC 4: “That almost sounds like, if you’re reelected, you would leave open the option of running for another term after that?”

Senator: Hatch: “Well, I think it’s too early to make any decision there. It’s unlikely I would run again but I wouldn’t foreclose it.”

So there you have it folks – 36 years is not enough for Senator Hatch. 42 years may not be enough. At what point does Utah step up and say “Enough is enough?”

Chaffetz not running for Senate

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As the day started, there was no indication there would be anything out of the ordinary to rock the political boat, but things can change in a hurry. One tweet from one reporter saying that Congressman Jason Chaffetz was announcing his intentions today at 4 pm started a virtual Twitter explosion. Like a summer squall that comes on suddenly, politicos across the state – and the nation – began calling, texting, tweeting and writing. Before noon, speculation was running rampant that Chaffetz would in fact announce that he was NOT going to challenge 6-term incumbent Orrin Hatch.

So confident was Tribune reporter Robert Gehrke that he posted the first online article stating that Chaffetz was out of the Senate race hours before the press conference. He was followed in short order by ABC 4, Politico, WaPo, the New York Times, the Daily Caller and of course, the blogosphere – Hot Air and Michelle Malkin, to name two.  (Stories have been updated)

Indeed, at 4 pm, Congressman Chaffetz, accompanied by his wife Julie, his campaign staff, his chief of staff and his communications director, told the assembled media peeps that he would be running for re-election to his House seat.  Pointing to his sponsorship of the popular “Cut, Cap and Balance” bill, the Fast and Furious investigation in which he plays a major role and the earmark ban he pushed for, he said it was clear that he did not need to wait for seniority in order to be effective.

“Ultimately,” he said, “I can spend the next 15 months doing my job, or I can spend the next 15 months campaigning to do Senator Hatch’s.”

His announcement stunned most political insiders, including this blogger who has to now go find a hat to eat….

Daily Fix, Aug 11

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*Saratoga Springs Mayor Mia Love continues to make waves as she announces the formation of a Congressional Exploratory Committee. Jennifer Scott, former campaign manager for Jason Chaffetz, is advising Mayor Love. I expect her to be a formidable candidate. Daily Herald, Fox 13, DNews

*Senator Hatch said a few months ago that “governments have promised too much money in lifetime pensions” saying “…these governments are living in the past, playing irresponsibly with taxpayer money, and leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for too many lifetime pension promises.” According to NTU (the National Taxpayer’s Union) his pension currently stands at $125K per year, not including health care bennies – or Social Security payments. If he wins re-election and Republicans control the Senate next year, Hatch is in line to become the chair of the Senate Finance committee. chairman. The Senate Finance Committee oversees public employee pension plans. ABC4 The Utah Democratic chair questions why Hatch’s pension is more than 6 figures. ABC4

*Last night, Congressman Chaffetz held a townhall in American Fork. A lot of the meeting was focused on his potential rival, Senator Orrin Hatch. From the Trib: “They blew it,” he said of leaders during the Republican-dominated years between 2000 and 2006. Chaffetz then lowered the boom on Hatch. “You don’t have to have 36 years of seniority to get things done in Washington,” Chaffetz said. “Seniority doesn’t matter if you don’t vote right.” He held a similar meeting tonight in Ogden, with a similar response.

*The Pentagon respected the wishes of the families of the soldiers who died in the recent helicopter crash and would not allow the media to photograph the remains as they arrived at Dover AFB. Never fear – a White House photographer took pics anyway. AP

*And finally, if you did not watch the GOP debate tonight, you missed out on some good political theater. WaPo

Daily Fix, Aug 8

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*S&P downgraded our nation’s credit rating on Friday and the last 72 hours have been filled with polarized, partisan sniping. Why don’t we go straight to the source for the reasons for the downgrade? S&P ratings specialist John Chambers talks about those reasons.

*According to Politico, President Barack Obama “came out swinging against S&P on Monday — but Wall Street delivered an even harder 634-point punch in the gut over Washington’s handling of the debt and deficit crisis.” He announced he would unveil his own plan – but the White House had no time frame on when we should expect that plan.

*Governor Rick Perry is expected to announce his intentions to run for President of the United States at a RedState gathering this Saturday and from there, he heads to a New Hampshire event. He is expected to steal the thunder from the Iowa straw poll also happening on Saturday. Expect a big splash, then a whole lot of people looking a lot more closely at the governor from Texas.

*Closer to home, Congressman Jason Chaffetz began a week of town halls around the state. First on the schedule? Castle Dale, Utah, where the town hall turned into a tea party rally. Trib

*Meanwhile, potential rival Senator Orrin Hatch welcomed people to his new campaign offices in Murray – but couldn’t quite find the time to talk to the DREAM Act supporters who wanted to thank him in person. Hatch says he remains supportive of the DREAM Act, but acknowledges other things have to happen before it could be passed. Trib

*Riots are consuming London for the 3rd night in a row.  Some see it not as a protest, but an opportunistic crime spree. Scary. Fox 13

Daily Fix, Aug 2

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*Last week, Representative Julie Fisher resigned to become the state director of the Department of Community and Culture. There will be a special election to fill the vacancy on August 25th. To date, there are 6 people in the race but the deadline to file is August 18th. Currently running are Carl Downing, Peter Cannon, Stewart Barlow, Don Milligan, Benton Bramwell and Neil Harris. D News

*President Obama nominated David Barlow, a Republican, to be the US attorney for Utah. He has been serving as Senator Mike Lee’s general counsel since January. Fox 13 Barlow’s appointment was met with howls from the Dems in Utah, wanting to know what back room deals were made. None, say the powers that be. Trib

*Mayor Mia Love just returned from a trip to Washington DC, where she met with a variety of people and organizations, including the NRCC, where she was very well received. She will not make a final determination until after redistricting is done. Trib

*Orrin Hatch snagged an endorsement from Sean Hannity today. Hannity said praised Hatch for fighting for Balanced Budgets and for his work in appointing conservatives to the Supreme Court. Washington Examiner

*Hatch is also taking heat for censuring unfavorable comments on his Facebook page. According to the SL Trib, Jen Howe joined that conversation to ask what he would “cut, cap and/or balance” in the federal budget. “Hatch responded that he would reveal specifics after the proposed balanced budget amendment passed. So Howe asked how he could ask his fellow co-workers to vote on something they didn’t know the specifics of, and told him she felt his constituents also needed access to this information. “For this, he defriended and removed me from his page, along with many others,” Howe says.” Hatch’s spokesman says they only remove “inappropriate, obscene or other offensive remarks on his page.” Trib

*Senator Mike Lee unveiled his new PAC – the Constitutional Conservatives Fund. His goal will be to “find and support candidates for federal office who share my view that federal government has become too big and too expensive.” He is open to supporting challengers to sitting Senators. The Hill

*Moody’s did NOT downgrade the US’ credit rating but did give it a negative outlook. I guess the world didn’t end after all. The Hill

*Central Falls, Rhode Island is broke. 18,000 people live there and are facing $80 million in unfunded liabilities to pay for the pensions of 141 people. Senator Dan Liljenquist blogs that “reality is not negotiable.”

*A Pleasant Grove man had a bad night when he crawled in bed with the wrong woman. In the wrong house. And started to get romantic. You gotta feel for him… Trib

*And finally, The Mayor of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, has had enough. He’s sick of people parking where ever they feel like it and he decided to prove his point. Check it out.
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