Utah voters aren't worth a dime to either party

The good news is: Those of us who live in Utah are not bombarded by national political messages.

The bad news is: Those of us who live in Utah are not part of the national political process.

The presidential campaigns know that Utah will vote for President Bush this year, and so they don't spend any campaign funds here, and they don't bother to visit here. Both camps have hundreds of millions of dollars, but Utah voters aren't worth a dime to either party.

And if a few Utah voters cast votes for someone other than the president, their votes will not be considered because every one of Utah's electoral college votes will, by law, go to Bush. Some think a proportional vote by the state's electoral college delegates would be more fair, but that would require changes in Utah law. There isn't much chance Utah's Republican Legislature would consider such changes. In politics, "fair" is a four-letter word.

We don't necessarily miss the barrage of national political commercials, but it's an insult to be totally left out of the political debate. This is an important election. It would be helpful to hear some of the debate about Iraq and health care and the burgeoning deficit and the out-of-control trade balance and Social Security and education and the environment and all the other issues that affect our lives.

Instead, we will be treated to speeches by Michael Moore, the king of cinematic conmen, and Sean Hannity, the crown prince of bilious bias. They may entertain a handful of like-minded listeners, but they certainly will not add information or advance political debate.

And what difference does it make if John Kerry was a hero in Vietnam or Bush skipped a few National Guard meetings, or Dan Rather fell for a fake memo? Those things are trivial compared to the vital issues facing the nation. Concerned voters want to know what the candidates will do in January.

Local media are not much help. Perhaps five broadcast news minutes a day are devoted to national politics — usually something juicy caught in a 30-second sound bite. On the print side, a dozen or so column inches of type each day provide campaign news — usually a page five story about something one candidate said about the other. Those of us who want to be informed can read the editorial pages or watch the Sunday morning interview shows, but few watch TV on Sunday mornings, and fewer still read the editorial pages (including this column).