What works and what doesn't in America

Pignanelli & Webb: It's easy to be cynical about politics, government and especially politicians. But the July 4 holiday provides reason to pause and reflect that for all the flaws and challenges, America is still the best country in the world with the best form of government. That's why so many immigrants, legal and otherwise, risk all to come here. It's still the land of freedom and opportunity. We, who are full-fledged citizens, ought to be grateful and not take our citizenship for granted.

OK, boys and girls, we just finished our midterm exams (a k a primary elections) and now we need to assess what we have learned. These lessons will be helpful for final examination (a k a general election) in November. Please follow along:

Single-issue campaigns don't work.

Pignanelli: John Jacob most assuredly did not want to be tagged as a single-issue candidate, but events in Washington, D.C., and across the country pushed him, and the 3rd Congressional District primary, into this category. While immigration registers as a major problem in polls, it rarely is the sole dynamic that can elevate, or destroy, a candidate. Individuals can only succeed with single-issue campaigns if the matter is deeply personal or very local (i.e. a hated tax or development). Unless one is in a border state or there is massive job insecurity, immigration does not drive citizens to the polls. Indeed, this primary suffered a low voter turnout.

Webb: Local and national media coverage on immigration was so overpowering that it would have taken great skill and lots of money to break out and change the subject. Neither candidate could do so, and both were trapped in a single-issue campaign that ended up hurting Jacob more than helping him. A corollary lesson is this: Keep the outsiders out. I can't recall a single instance where an outside special interest group injected itself into Utah politics and actually helped the candidate it intended to help. They always hurt. No one can prevent them from coming in, but candidates can attempt to distance themselves from the outsiders. In this case, Jacob had neither the interest nor skill to keep the outsiders at arm's length.

Re-election campaigns should begin immediately after Election Day, not after filing deadline.