Many conservatives in Utah respond to Sen. Orrin Hatch's latest makeover by smiling and shaking their heads ever so slightly, as they would to a misbehaving child. The difference in Hatch's case is that his misbehaviors have real consequences for the people of Utah; consequently, the voters have finally reached the limits of tolerance.
Having recognized that he pushed Utahns too far with his Washington-first, Utah-last behaviors, Hatch has undergone a conservative transformation. This is more commonly called a "deathbed conversion," a last-ditch effort to fake a change of heart.
Principles are not to be worn as fashion statements. Just as former Sen. Bob Bennett, Hatch has spent his terms ignoring Utah values and voters while he has aligned himself with Washington insiders and power brokers.
Two years ago, a critical mass of Utah conservatives finally had enough of being ignored for five of every six years by a Washington-insider senator who was embarrassed to admit the name of his home state.
Loren Minert
Salt Lake City
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The notion that Hatch is insufficiently conservative is beyond ridiculous.
What genuinely is an embarrassment to our state is the way we allow a tiny number of zealots to control the process of selecting candidates. That debacle has left More..
Wrong --
Two years ago, a critical mass of Tea Party Extremeists high-jacked the GOP nomination.
Bob Bennett would have beat Mike Lee by a landslide in a Primary Election run-off.
That's the facts.
But I agree, More..
Who cares about conservatives? The radical right who control the party do not represent the mainstream of Utah. My thing with Orrin is that his number one concern is Orrin. He loves the power and attention, but there is a time to retire (which More..