Comments about ‘Chaffetz wins big — He turns Cannon into a lame duck’

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Published: Wednesday, June 25 2008 12:30 a.m. MDT

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Thanks Chris

Thanks Chris for all your you've done for the 3rd district. Can't wait to see when the media releases why Jason Chaffetz was fired from his last three jobs.

Welcome to the public eye Jason. May you be scrutinized as negatively as you scrutinized Chris Cannon

New Job

Hey Joe--your bro needs a job delivering papers ASAP!

jackie de Gaston

Congratulations to Jason Chaffetz!

He was outspent. He ran his campaign with volunteers. He was very definite on the issues and struck resonant chords with the voters.

He was not endorsed by many of the prominent Republicans as was his opponent, but perhaps that is part of the reason that he won. People are not very happy with how things have been going and some of the things that are leaders have done.

The people have voted against the big-wigs of the parties and chosen a candidate more conservative or at least different than the incumbent.

Many people are still Republicans but fed up with the deficit spending, the power grabs by the President and the Department of Education.

People want to run their own schools and they want our government to live within its budget. They want less government and restoration of personal liberties.

They want change. And that is what they voted for.

Not many voted, but isn't that because there was almost nothing to vote for? Most of the contests were settled in the convention with its superdelegates and replacement and discretionary delegates and ballot boxes without poll watchers in attendance. We can do better. We should.

Anonymous

Cannon is the victim of a do nothing Congress. Others will follow

ABC Guy

Cannon, after all his condescension, got his comeuppance. He completely ignored the will of his constituency, and then called them 'unsophisticated' for even considering throwing him out of office. Well, this unsophisticated rube is happy to have him gone!

Anonymous

*** "But being released is not all a bad thing." ***

You were not "released," Congressman. This isn't a church calling. You were kicked out because you didn't serve your constituents; you betrayed them, actually. In your preferred terms, you failed to "magnify your calling."

Make no mistake: Cannon's defeat had ZERO NADA ZILCH to do with "low turnout." Jason Chaffetz won by over 9,000 votes. 58,000 people voted in the 2006 primary; 44,000 people voted in this year's primary (the rest couldn't afford the gas). If 14,000 more people had gone to the polls, raising turnout to the 2006 turnout level, 82% of them would've had to vote for Cannon for him to have won. Not likely.


*** "Chaffetz supporters [gathered] just down University Avenue and I-15 at the Camelot Village Clubhouse behind the Springville Wal-Mart." ***

Salt of the earth. My kind of people. I'm guessing that Arianna Huffington and the Duchess of Windsor didn't show for the party? I hope they never do...


Wow

If Republican incumbents are not safe in Utah County, then they are not safe anywhere in the country. This primary, in my opinion, is very bad news for the Republican party, both because of low turnout compared to Democrats and because Hatch and Bennet have been repudiated by the result.

Obama might be able to give McCain a run for his money here, unless McCain chooses Romney, which I think is unlikely. If Obama does decently in Utah, he will win the rest of the country in a landslide.

Anonymous

*** "Utah will have a freshman lawmaker replacing Cannon and all the seniority he's accrued over six terms." ***

Chris Cannon's experience is irrelevant to Utah and actually damaging to the GOP. Leaders like him, Hatch, Bennett, Bush and McCain have betrayed the Republican brand. They have replaced Reagan's Coca Cola Classic with New Coke without the honesty of admitting it.

They have scared off the Reagan Democrats who helped the GOP win for years. The promise of Reagan's Republican Party was that if you were honest, worked hard, and made good choices in life that you'd be able to feed your family and maybe have a little extra on the side for some fun. The promise of today's GOP is to hammer the working class, devalue their labor through mass immigration, and give the spoils to the rich.

We are better off without the "experience" of Cannon and his ilk.

disgruntled Republican

A number of Republicans, me included, stayed home yesterday because neither candidate is the compassionate conservative we're looking for. Yes to fiscal responsibility. Yes to protecting the unborn. Yes to individual liberties. But also, yes to helping the poor, the sick, the disadvantaged. A Darwinian health-care plan, a draconian immigration plan, no plan for saving the lives of millions in the Third World... I'll see what the Democratic candidate has to offer. I'm not alone.

Hard-core conservatism is a false economy. Compassionate conservatism is actually better for our economy, our liberty, and our soul.

Tab L. Uno

Mr. said and I quote, "If I don't win I'll do exactly the same thing I did before and essentially what I'm doing now. I'll go out and make money, which I can't really do now, and continue to develop tools to help Republicans go out and win." I wonder if that is all political servants think about is making money. What ever happened to volunteer work and helping people with housing, food, and other employment issues? I recall President Carter focussed on Habitat on Humanity (housing issues). Sometimes what a person does outside of politics might reflect what one will focus on inside of politics perhaps? Make money? And for whom? Whatever happened to serving the people?

Justin

Chris Cannon is soooooooo incredibly arrogant, and I believe that's one of the main reasons why he lost this election. The people of Utah are sick of being "represented" by a man who acts like he is so much more enlightened then the rest of us nobodys. His dishonestly regarding his pro-amnesty positions could also no longer be tolerated by his constituency.

Oh, and to the "Thanks Chris" writer... I'm glad to see you know so much about Jason Chaffetz who, by the way, was NOT fired from his last three jobs.

What a shame

that we replaced an incumbant who's done a less than mediocre job with the mediocre "wanna-be" Jason Chaffetz who has no plan, whose goal was simply to oust the incumbant. Wow-congrats!! If the dems didn't look so lame, I'd vote for them.

The bigger shame is that truly qualified candidates are not willing to undergo the mean, cruel, lame and often downright untruthful mudslinging that goes on in politics today (i.e., as with Mitt Romney) to win victory and use their valuable experience in leadership, their worthy personal record as an example and strong moral code to represent our interests. Chris won with big bucks -and what for? Just to win. Jason, you won because of a disgruntled public, not because you are qualified. Are you really so different?

We will know the truth if you really do step up and do the job - listen to the people, know what you are talking about, make a plan and mean it for the right reasons. Be a real public servant where you serve without grasping for fame.

I wouldn't be too proud, Mr. C. You could be ousted on the next round...we are already watching you.

Cynthia

Congratulations to Chaffetz and his volunteer staff. You have pulled off a feat that everyone thought impossible. 98% of incumbents get re-elected each season no matter what kind of job they've done. Not this time.

May the success of this race have influence on others and help us oust more incumbents bent on doing the same thing in the same way while never solving the real problems. We need more 'out of the box' thinkers in congress- be they Republican OR Democrat. I hope what has been started here can be replicated elsewhere and just maybe the people will be represented again in congress.

Anonymous

*** "Thanks Chris for all your you've done for the 3rd district. Can't wait to see when the media releases why Jason Chaffetz was fired from his last three jobs." ***

Ah, yes - that old allegation. That would include the alleged firing from the Nu Skin job, which is why 2 Nu Skin executives, including Blake Roney himself, supported Chaffetz's campaign.

Anonymous

*** "A Darwinian health-care plan, a draconian immigration plan, no plan for saving the lives of millions in the Third World... I'll see what the Democratic candidate has to offer. I'm not alone." ***

Which Third World lives would be in need of saving - the ones from Mexico, average life expectancy 75.6 years (vs. USA's 78 years)?

In my lifetime - a brief span from the late 70s unto today - we've seen the rapid transformation in the fortunes of countries with 3 billion people: countries as small as Singapore and as large as China, with India, South Korea, Taiwan, and several nations of Eastern Europe in between. We improved these people's lives where they live, not by relocating them to the USA.

RE: ABC Guy

You know, Cannon wasn't all wrong to say you were unsophisticated. You obviously don't understand how things work in our nation's capitol. Cannon is known and has power. Jason has NOTHING!!!

Electing a freshman republican in a democrat stronghold is like eliminating a republican vote altogether. We have lost a lot of ground tonight, Mr. ABC Guy. And for what? Jason Chaffetz? Good job Jennifer - NOT! We really needed that seniority for the next few years.

I think a warning shot across the bough would have been appropriate, but replacing a committee incumbant with a freshman lameduck under our current circumstances in the house, that is the true show of being "unsophisticated".

Did that ever occur to any of you voters? I bet not. Chris didn't sell us down the river...he just didn't take a strong enough stand. Okay, granted, he needed to improve, but the cost of this election goes beyond being simply unhappy with mediocrity.

Now we have Jason who has previously been pro-democrat, who has flip flopped across the isle...well, the dems ought to love you. This vote is a huge disappointment and a show of how backwards and unsophisticated Utahans can be.

Jim Sumpter

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Chaffetz while filling in for Jack Stockwell on K-TALK Radio (I host a nationally syndicated show from Salt Lake City, not yet carried locally although we're in almost 50 cities across the country).

I found Mr. Chaffetz to be on target, with one exception: illegal immigration. He proposed new laws to address the problem.

New laws aren't needed; enforcement of existing laws is.

I hope Mr. Chaffetz is the constitutionalist he appears to be and does not get 'maneuevered' by the elite in DC. We don't elect leaders - we elect representatives. We are not a Democracy, we are a constitutionally-based, representative republic and there's a huge difference.

The 'people's will' is for a real border barrier. The triple-tiered fence between San Diego and Tijuana has been tremendously effective. Get the fence built rather than laws passed. The country will be better off and safer for it.

We have plenty of laws, but few committed to solutions. Despite what politicians say, our problems aren't complex and solutions are both plentiful and simply executed. All we need are committed patriots.

Congratulations, Mr. Chaffetz. You'll be in my prayers.

Mike Thompson

If you would just go and see Jason Chaffetz and listen to him, look into his eyes and really listen with your head and your heart, you would see a man who is sincere, a man who cares, a man who is committed to what he believes in, a man who you can see clearly knows where he is, what he is talking about, and what his foundations are. You can feel this man. He is good for us and good for this nation. Be honest and fair and give him a chance, instead of just being bitter over the mistakes of others. I am very happy to have voted for him today and happy that I can honestly vote for a true Republican Congressman this November.

J.T. Robbinson

I love it. Where is E. T. Benson when we need him? A
conservative, beat in his own back yard by a liberal?
What is happing to Utah County?

Elroy Epstein

Now this news that should brighten anyone's morning!
A "Right Winger" defeated. What's next?

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