Comments about ‘Readers' forum: Support Bennett’

I don't like Bennett, and don't see that he's worth much. The problem, though, is that none of the people running against him are any better.

What makes this nation great is that we are a government of the people, by the people and for the people. EACH of us needs to be part of the government. EACH of us needs to speak up. EACH of us needs to voice our opinions. EACH of us needs to participate. EACH of us needs to be involved.

When we leave government to "Royalty" because they have "seniority", we have rejected the premise that we have no "upper class system of Senators".

Do we or don't we?

Is Mr. Bennett a 'super citizen"? Is he the only one who can read and understand the Constitution?

Can anyone in Utah name three things that Mr. Bennett did for Utah that no one else in Utah is capable of doing? Can anyone name two things? How about one thing?

Mr. Bennett has spent enough time in Washington. He is part of the problem. He 'served" there while this nation took a nosedive. He was not able to correct the situation then. What makes him think that he can fix things now?

Give someone else the opportunity to serve.

Let Mr. Bennett retire.

The voters are angry because they themselves want more from the government but are unwilling to pay for it. They are angry because they were told to be angry by political opponents of the President. They are angry now when they should have been angrier from 2001 to 2008, instead of now after taxes have been lowered and the government is cleaning up the economic and military mess they were handed. So what does the GOP do, go to the extreme fringe, the result of which will cause long-term problems like the disasterous Howard Jarvis-led Prop 13 in California. That state has been messed up ever since.

@Esquire,

The citizens can read. They can clearly see that the Constitution doesn't not permit the FEDERAL Government to act as it is acting. The "things" that the people might want must be provided by the State or by themselves. The problem is that the State is not in the vote buying business, and some States, like Utah, actually require a balanced budget; therefore, taxes have to go up when new programs are introduced.

The "anger" is mostly a figment in the imagination of some Democrats. They hope if they say if often enough, that some Republicans might believe it.

The truth is that Republicans, except for those holding office, know that elected office is a time of sacrifice and of service. It is not the keys to a throne that is to be held at all costs. It is not something that is to be coveted.

Mr. Bennett seems to covet his office. He seems to be believing his own press releases. That's a sad ending to eighteen years of service.

@Furry

I'm a GOP State Delegate and after getting to know the (8!) candidates I actually like four of them more than Bennett. At least in terms of where they stand on key issues and my assessment of how much they would actually *do* in D.C.

@Oler

As to losing Bennett's seats in the Senate and how "realistic" it is for a freshman Senator to make a difference in Washington, that's about the least wise reason to vote Bennett back in that I can imagine.

Many of the most effective and influential congressman 'hit the ground running'. Bennett got to Washington and realized he couldn't do anything that he campaigned on (he has spoken about this again and again on the campaign trail this year.) For the most part, he still can't.

That is more a repudiation Bennett's statemanship than 'how things work back in D.C.!'

I believe a number of the challengers would be more effective, have better leadership, employ a stronger voice, and be more energetic and proactive than Bob Bennett. I'm supporting those candidates after thoughtful and judicious study of all the potential outcomes.

Don't worry about the seniority. As long as the republicans are not in the senate majority, Bennett's seniority is worthless. As far as I am concerned he is part of the reason that Utah seniority was lost.

Many of those that like Bennett are actually liberals that like what he has helped deliver to the democrats, or the pork that he has gotten for special interest groups(lobbyists).

I am a delegate and I have waited for 4 years since he, McCain, Kennedy and others in the senate tried to pass "amnesty" for illegal aliens. As for trying to change my vote, I can't do that since I promised the precinct that I would never vote for Bennett.

We now see Ghe Good Old Bob bringing out his attack on the front runner, instead of trying to defend his position on such things as his "amnesty" vote along with many others.

Seniority in the senate is especially bad when a senator is representing the business elite instead of the people of Utah.