Some of you who read through this blog will notice that the original name was "Fire Orrin Hatch." We would still like to see Hatch take the long ride into the sunset, but a quality candidate has not emerged as our hero, instead we have Dan Liljenquist. Certainly a random drawing out of the entire delegate pool that emerged out of this spring's caucuses may have had a chance at producing a more qualified candidate.
Liljenquist, as a business leader, might on the outset appear more qualified that Orrin Hatch was when he unseated Frank Moss in 1976. But the Liljenquist campaign has failed to trump this advantage. Instead, it has been a constant barrage of anti-Hatch campaigning. Is the "Elect Dan" campaign is trying to hide something.
You will not find a lot if you try to research Focus Teleservices publicly. They are still a privately held corporation, and do not have to file records with the SEC. Perhaps this is the main reason why the Lilgenquist campaign is not talking a lot about their candidate's business record. It is either this, or it is not all that impressive. If Dan accomplished something at Focus, we all deserve to hear about it over and over again.
I have personally known Focus employees and can only provide circumstantial anecdotal evidence of what that company is like, and what I can provide is probably not indicative of what Dan Liljenquist did for Focus. I can provide no evidence that Liljenquist made a difference, good or bad, with that company. That is a shame. But that is not my job, that is Dan's job. This is what disturbs me the most about the Elect Dan movement. How can you convince me that he can make a difference in Washington if you can not or will not provide evidence that he has made a difference at Focus? Soundbites like, "Dan is a proven business leader" mean nothing without the evidence to prove it.
Dan's record in the legislature is not all that impressive. He sponsored some impressive legislation, particularly with pension reform. But, he did not serve a full term and during his time in the state senate, and he missed a large number of votes. Perhaps if he was present during those votes, he would have a more conservative rating.
It has always been my fear that Orrin Hatch is so powerful in the Utah Republican Party that no one who believes that he or she has a future in the party would dare to take him on. This is probably the case. Tim Bridgewater, who lost in the primary 2 years ago to Mike Lee decided to sit this campaign out. Cherilyn Eagar, who also ran against Bennett in 2010 decided to run in the 2nd Congressional District, and failed to make the primary ballot in that race. Some of the other suspects, like Fred Lampropolis and Lane Beattie stayed away from this race as well. This is my evidence that Hatch is too powerful in this state and probably no longer the best representative of Utah's needs, the people with a real shot a beating him stayed home. It's would be like the Miami Heat making this year's NBA finals because the Celtics, Hawks, Pacers and Bulls decided to stay home.
I would be happier if Orrin Hatch had decided to hang up his sneakers and believe that a pool of more qualified and better organized candidates would have emerged for us to choose from if Hatch decided to retire. Instead, we have puppy in a dog fight. Of course the Democrats could have brought Peter Caroon or Jim Matheson to the fight, but their candidate will probably be just a weak as Liljenquist. If Dan pulls off a miracle, the General Election in November might be interesting.
Yet, Hatch has accomplished so little during his time in Washington and has offered Utahans nothing but excuses. When someone runs for office and admits he has accomplished little in 36 years, he probably does not deserve another term, even if he is running against Pee Wee Herman. If I was in the senate for 36 years and wanted another term, I would provide a long list of accomplishments. Therefore, I will probably be voting for Liljenquist, anyway. But I was hoping for someone better. Dan Liljenquist has yet to prove he is better, but Hatch has not proven he deserves another term in Washington. I have a hunch that most republicans in Utah do not agree with me.
If you were interviewing for a job, and someone ask the question, "why should I hire you?" Would you hire the one who only says, "I'm better than the guy I want you to fire?" Would you renew to the contract of the man who says, "I've been here for 36 years and have yet to accomplish all that I set out to do back then?" That is exactly the kind of campaign that Dan Liljenquist is running. This is the kind of campaign that Orrin Hatch is running. Utah deserves better, but if this is all we can provide, we deserve another six years of Hatch.
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