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Cannon: Disunity besets U.S., Utah GOP

I am disappointed with Cannon's attacks on the caucus system and Republican delegates. Does he not realize that the primary voters gave Chaffetz a larger margin of victory than the convention delegates?

Cannon stopped listening to anyone who disagreed with him a long time ago. He could have held on to his seat if he would have humbled himself, taken responsibility for some of his gaffs, and tried to change some of his undesirable attributes.

Cannon is a nice guy, and actually did a pretty good job for us in D.C. His main problem was that he was unable to communicate with his constituents and make them feel good about themselves and his representation of them.

I wish Cannon well, and hope he will swallow his pride and endorse Chaffetz (who has a little too much pride of his own).

Why are there so many different primary elections? In the odd years the Primary election is in October, a much more convenient time for voters. On the even years(2008, 2010,etc. the primary is in June, just before the 4th of July,when many people are vacationing, as their children are out of school and the Utah weather is nice.

Then this year there was a primary in February. Why can't we consolidate and organize the Primary election confusion?

Maybe more people would vote if things were consistent!

Isn't it funny to see a politician crying about losing their job! I think that most of these politicians need to be moved out and thats not just in this state it's nationally. How about getting these politicains that are life long doers of mostly nothing to get a real job and stop pretending to represent the middle class when they've probably never been middle class in their lives!!!!

The GOP have no one to blame but themselves for creating a closed primary where only Republicans can vote.

If they don't want any voters, they got what they wanted this year!

Congratulations!

To assume that he lost because of low turnout assumes that everyone who didn't vote would have voted for him, or at least that more Cannon supporters didn't vote than Chaffetz supporters. Illogical.

Cannon lost for two reasons: dissatisfaction with all things D.C. nowadays, and illegal immigration. GOP voters have spoken.

Mr. Cannon provided a lot of service and was a decent representative for a dozen years. But he made a few mistakes, and you can't please all the people all the time. I wish him well in his future.

There's just no critiquing this article - every last word of it reveals the arrogance, condescension, and denial present in not just Cannon but in so much of the Republican establishment, including Orrin Hatch, who now apparently thinks 3rd district voters are "stupid."

Citizens live our lives. We elect congressmen to serve our interests. If those congressmen don't understand why citizens are upset then it's their fault, not ours.

Those "boorish" booers at the state convention? They get maybe one chance every few years to speak directly to their supposed representatives, who in turn speak TO us constantly in a fawning Utah press uncritical of incumbents.

Years ago a guy named Ronald Reagan remade conservatism and the Republican Party by making a deal with Americans: if you're honest, play by the rules, work hard, and make wise choices, you'll be able to provide for your family and maybe have a little extra for fun. The current GOP leaderhip has completely abandoned that. The blue collar Republican voters - the ones who compete at work and in their neighborhoods with illegal immigrants - are leaving the building in droves.

*** "To assume that he lost because of low turnout assumes that everyone who didn't vote would have voted for him, or at least that more Cannon supporters didn't vote than Chaffetz supporters. Illogical." ***

The man is in total and complete denial. Every negative aspect of the man is coming out in the post-election news. He's disturbed, disrespectful, deceptive and meanspirited. In 2004 his defeated primary opponent, Matt Throckmorton, immediately endorsed Cannon in his concession speech. Jacob did the same in 2006. But Chris Cannon has yet to endorse Cahheftz ffor November, and is even suggesting (which probably means hoping) Chaffetz will lose.

The excuse of low voter turnout just doesn't play. In pre-primary polls of the whole district he was barely tied with Chaffetz, and 16% were undecided - which in a year as bad as this won't break for the incumbent.

Low turnout? What's a "good turnout" year - 2006? In 2006 14,000 more people showed up than Tuesday. Chaffetz won by over 9,000 votes. So the only way Cannon would've won with 14,000 more people at the polls is if 11,500 of them (82%) voted for him. Sure, Chris.

So, by defeating an incombant who isn't servicing his constituency, we are labeled "stupid"? Mr. Hatch, with all due respect, you could be in line for the same fate. You've had a long tenure and served well for most of that time, but no one is safe in this political climate. Smart people, stupid people, we each get a vote.

your canstunich were just fed-up with your repersenting yourself and not those in your voting distric. I believe there's are a lot of people who were just tired of your nonsence. Just think of it this way the majority of those votes were from the same relegious affilations that you have. Maybe this is there way of telling you something. What would that be?

***But Cannon said he believes he lost for one main reason: very low voter turnout.***

No Chris. The reason you lost is because of your wishy-washy position on illegal immigration. Utah voters want firm and decisive action. They want illegal immigration stopped! They want illegals kicked out. The border fence is not the way. Absolute enforcement of illegal immigrant labor laws is.

Utah is tired of putting up with 5 to 7 cable channels carrying Spanish programs. I'm paying for TV channels I can't understand. Utah is tired of the presence of Spanish written everywhere you look. And tired of providing free education and health care for illegals and their children.

That's why you lost, Chris.

I hope Doug Wright doesn't get made about Cannon stealing his Lavell Edwards stadium analogy. It appears that Cannon is out of touch, even after this smackdown. I think Cannon doomed himself by admitting on KSL that he stands by the words he used at the 2002 Maldef awards.

I could easily see Bennett getting ousted in two years, especially if he continues to ignore his constituents and vote for things like the massive immigration amnesty proposed by McCain/Kennedy last year.

I went to his Provo office a couple years ago with some friends who were State delegates and his local staff was combative and rude to us as we tried to express our feelings about Bennetts' votes in favor of amnesties. Despite hundreds of calls and faxes, he still voted wrong on amnesty last year.

At least Hatch has enough political savvy to realize that Utahns are paying attention to immigration issues.

It's hilarious that Cannon wants to start his own version of grass roots efforts. He could learn a lot about that from Mr. Chaffetz.

Message to the Deseret News: Take a civics course. There are 435 members of the House of Representatives, not 485.

Thia from Valentine:

"The Senate president said if the Republicans had lost a number of incumbents in the convention or primaries, it might signal a broader discontent"

Dear Mr. valentine, I think that the Republicans should be very worried this year and that Hatch and Bennett should look @ retiring The days of Curtis, Bramble and Buttars are nearing an end! Thank goodness.

The reason so few voters turned out for this primary is that faithful Mormon Utah citizens have unfortunately been sold a bill of goods by the Republican party, who moved to the extreme right over the past 30 years. This year is clearly the year of the Democrats. The Republican Party is ill prepared to offer a clear response to the progressive, yet sensible, ideas of the Democrats, who have moved to take the middle ground of the political spectrum.

You are spot on! Conservatives are feed up with Republican elected officials, who promise conservative values but once in office they try to out Democrats the Dems. If they would do what they promised the conservatives who put them in office, they would win elections. What else can we do but fire them! Sadly, in the race for President, there is NO conservative candidate! I can't hold my nose long enough to vote for McCain and I love my country too much to help turn it over to Obama, so I will just stay home this year.
"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. The longer I am in it, the more it resembles the first." Ronald Reagan

What goes around comes around. Chris has no one to blame for his defeat but himself. As a former Cannon staffer I can tell you that Chris is both personally and professionally dishonest. I can't imagine anyone who knows Chris well who would believe he is honest. He has a lot of excuses, but the fact is that he lost because of his own incompetence and lies about his record. He lives in denial. There is a reason he has faced a challenge within the party every single time he has run. I think all of us who know Chris knew this day would eventually come.

I just hope that the anger this year won't cause voters to head in a direction that will be seriously damaging to our country. Let's all support Jason. He will need it.

*** "If Utah Republicans aren't careful, the same thing will happen here as has happened in California and Virginia, Cannon said. "We (Republicans) can't win statewide elections there anymore," said Cannon" ***

Hmmm. And why can't we win elections in California aymore?

One-third of the residents are Democratic-leaning Hispanics. Only 47% of California voters are white. 27% of Californians are FIRST GENERATION immigrants. Throw in their kids and that's well over half the population. Middle class whites who want to raise families - that is, CONSERVATIVE whites - have had to flee the state for more affordable places.

California is lost BECAUSE of the idiotic immigration policies embraced by Chris Cannon, George W Bush and their ilk.

As for Virginia? My aunt and uncle have owned a home outside of DC for the last 40+ years. They've witnessed firsthand the rapid transformation of Northern Virginia thanks to - what? - immigration.

So surprise! Mass immigration by people who come from socialist cultures is not good for the conservative party.

Chris Cannon talks about Republicans winning elections. I don't care if Republicans win if conservatives aren't winning. Thanks to mass immigration that's happening less and less.

I saw no reason to go to the polls last Tuesday, nor would I have done so were we Russians offered the same kind of one-party ticket. The next day DesNews editorials and journalist's articles correctly pointed out that Utahans and most other Americans do not like one-party politics; but they failed to challenge Utah citizens or anybody else to show enough courage to join the Democratic Party. Mr. Cannon should not take this defeat personally. He should go back and read Geo. Orwell's book, 1984.

These statements from Cannon go to the heart of why he lost. He calls the majority of his party's delegates and primary voters a bunch of names. What a grand way to connect with your constituents; Call them names such as "boorish" and xenophobes.

Maybe, if he had done the job he was elected to do in the first place and found out what his local constituents were concerned about, he would not have to resort to name calling. He no longer represented us but rather represented Washington interests(see where his campaign contributions came from).

Also, low voter turnout was not the reason for his 9,000 vote loss. His voters who were "at the lake" obviously were not enthused to show up for him. He seems unaware that the last three primaries he has been in, have all been well under the capacity of Lavell Edwards Stadium(65,000 capacity). In fact, his 2004 Primary against Throckmorton had almost the same number of voters as this years. Strange how he didn't complain back then about the 'tragedy' of the lack of voters.

2004 Primary voters= 47,335
2006 Primary voters= 59,023
2008 Primary voters= 45,374+ (one uncounted pricinct)

I guess most of us are tired of voting for Republicans who then act and vote like liberal Democrats. What's the use, they never learn! Maybe we don't either. Are there any candidates who will stand up for real conservative values? I stayed home because I knew re electing Cannon would just be more of the same. Brace yourselves America for at least 4 years of liberal Nancy Pelosi values! They want to make all America look and act like San Francisco.