Comments about ‘S.L. County GOP dumps House member at convention’

I think it's a sad day for Utah Republicans when they oust Rep. Steve Mascaro. I think it's sad when they are so concerned about national politics that they forget the state's business. I think it's sad when they talk about a constitutional revolution and they don't understand that the constitution and the framers of it meant to solve problems with it instead of running from problems.

I can't think of any time in our countries history where conservatives have taken our country forward. It was conservatives who attempted to derail the constitution in the first place, who tried to stop the Bill of Rights, and who would not compromise about slavary and succeeded from the union. It was conservatives that brought about the great depression and got us into the mess we are in now.

Conservatives may think it's about small government but it's really about a government of the people, by the people and for the people dealing with people.

I find the direction the Republican Party leadership is promoting to be frightening. It is seeking to control, not represent.

So Harmesen wants to balance the budget by hurting the public employees of the county, cutting their salaries in a down economy, causing more foreclosures, defaults, bankruptcies, etc. in the process. Sounds like that 'small government' thing at work. How about he takes a pay cut if elected, or ALL State Legislators work on 1/2 pay until the economy is booming again? Then they get the money as a bonus for doing things right!

The Republican Party is getting scarier and scarier in its quest for power and control.

It's a sad day when extremism overruns logic and common sense, and I fear the GOP has been taken over by extremism.

It's sure been an interesting political season. Congrats to Ken Ivory. Now it's time to retire Bennett.

Sorry Charlie, but the mess we are in right now was created by the liberal Clinton administration. Without the Fannie Mae/Mack scandal, we would not be in the financial condition in which we now find ourselves.

The definitions of liberal and conservative may have shifted over the years, but neither party is exempt from blame. The problem is the lack of term limits for those in power. Once elected, even good men get seduced by the power of politics and seem to lose their focus.

I don't know Steve Mascaro or what he's done, but it may be that he was caught up in the incumbent riddance politics.

Conservatism is not "extremism," what Obama and Reid and Pelosi are doing to this country--now that is extremism. Close your eyes to all the nonsense the press blathers out about left, right, extremism, "arch" this and that, and just think about what is best for this nation. I am a delegate to the state convention, and my position has not changed since I first registered to vote decades ago. What has happened, is the rest of the state, and the country, is realizing that the Democrats and many Republicans have drifted so far left, we don't even recognize what country they are in.

I'm not a whacko because Obama/Reid?Pelosi trample on the constitution to get their socialist policies passed. I'm not an extremist because I want less Federal intrusion in my life, in education, in my business. If you like the past trend, get used to this recession, it will stay and get worse for years into the future.

Well it was a field day for the fascists, same will be true at the state convention.

"Conservatism is not "extremism," what Obama and Reid and Pelosi are doing to this country--now that is extremism"


Obama's policies are considered extreme left, only to extreme right wing Republicans. When your own policies are so far off to the right that Palin seems like presidential material, then 80 percent of the country becomes socialist.

Actually, the only reason there weren't any literal arrests Saturday: Candidate for U.S. Congress Mike Ridgway asserted his right, as a legitimate candidate, to be at the convention, and announced that he was prepared to be arrested because he was doing nothing other than attending. Meanwhile, the dual role that Beau Babka played as candidate-for-county-sheriff and convention-seargent-at-arms, where more probably upon second thought, decided that arresting a U.S. Congressional Candidate for doing nothing other than ATTENDING the convention with the hopes of giving a speech MIGHT NOT look so good on for his own campaign against his Democrat challenger.

Beau likely had to weigh in on his OWN campaign against the wishes of the party Chair and Vice Chair who wished to have Mike Ridgway ejected from 'attending ANY Republican meeting'. Beau ultimately made the right choice, and apparently decided after lengthy discussion with his cadre of police escort NOT to actually arrest fellow campaigning candidate Mike Ridgway after all, and decided instead to just shadow him and his wife the rest of the convention.

Stanfunky - State legislators aren't paid. They have a stipend while they're in session. As for Steve Harmsen, I believe the county council makes about 24K a year as it is part-time. He is a very successful businessman with Steve Reagan. I doubt he cares about it.

Nice move, Beau. Who authorized the hiring of the (your) COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS POLICE DEPARTMENT to effect the arrest of U.S. Congressional candidate Mike Ridgway?

What pre-emptive arrangement to in the "planning to arrest" Mike Ridgway did it take to authorize police officers from another city to work on the job in Sandy City?

If YOU felt that the police should have been called in, why weren't SANDY police called?

The convention was held in SANDY CITY, NOT Cottonwood Heights.

Apparetnly Beau Babka is already demonstrating his ability to overstep his authority. This should be a consideration voters remember during the general elections.

For the record, LIKE all the other Senate / Governor candidates, Mike spent the morning at another convention, and only showed up in time to give a speech. These police officers showed up about 30 minutes after Mike arrived on scene.

May whatever divine person you believe in keep us from a day when Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin are considered legit candidates for President. Sadly, he/she/it did not keep us from a day when Obama would be president.

I was at the meeting. Singing god bless America was inappropriate. This is politics, not a stake conference. I wish my fellow Republicans would wake up and get the religion out of Conservatism!

Buttars looked, smelled, and acted like a homeless man (who stole a sport coat) verging on insanity! Go home and take your meds, Buttars! You have no place representing sane people in any government capacity!

WOW! The haters are out today.

If you do not like Republicans, or conservatives, or their ideas, then don't vote for them. Of course, if you like the present administration's policies, be proud enough to stand up and take the blame for the havoc they have wrought.

Those of us who support conservative ideas and candidates are quite pleased with the results of this convention.

The world, and the party are run by those who show up, at caucuses and conventions and at the polls. Get used to it.

Instereo,

Jefferson was a liberal and he was opposed to the constitution and tried to derail it.

Hamilton was very much a conservative and was a force FOR the constitution.

I don't know where you come up with the assertion that it was the conservatives who tried to derail the constitution.

The DEMS were in control of the statehouses in the antebellum south and pushed for secession, and the republican who wanted to preserve the union.

It was FDR's policies that prolonged the great depression and slick willy's forcing fannie and freddie to lower underwriting standards and the dems' refusal to regulate fannie and freddie that triggered the current recession.

I'm sad to see Mascaro ousted. I hope he's considering running as an independent. Can't vote for the dem, don't know if I can vote for Ivory.

"I'm not a whacko because Obama/Reid?Pelosi trample on the constitution to get their socialist policies passed." Funny how you folks never put up and take this to the courts. You know your record of losing. I took economics in college. Buying health insurance from corporations isn't socialism.

I was in da crowd and whatta day it was. Youz gotta love Utah politics.

"...if you like the present administration's policies, be proud enough to stand up and take the blame for the havoc they have wrought." The havoc is in your mind.