Deseret News | GOP sends e-mail illegally for Bridgewater

Reader comments
GOP sends e-mail illegally for Bridgewater

Mike Ridgway | 1:27 p.m. Nov. 12, 2009

Thomas Wright,

It's good to see you finally apologize for a mistake. And throwing the political director under the bus was, I'm sure, exactly the proper thing to do.

So how much unilateral authority does that person have anyway?

Josh Daniels | 1:48 p.m. Nov. 12, 2009

Hooray! I beat Mike Ridgeway to the comment board on this one! I think this is exactly what it was, an oversight. I hope no one makes this out to be more than it is. However, you have to question the paper for reporting on it. Something as small as an email about a political event for a republican primary candidate 6 months before game time (albeit inadvertantly unfair) hardly seems worthy of a story in the newspaper. I believe the real issue is the press constantly trying to breakdown the image of the Utah Republican Party. This happened A LOT last fall with the coverage of Speaker Curtis and other Republican reps and it is a continual thing with inter-party republican affairs. The parties are largely run by good down to earth people who volunteer their time and occasionally make mistakes, but it seems the paper is quick to punish the republicans. Where are the non-story stories about the Democrat party that makes them look marginally foolish??? I am sure they have had their fair share of small glitches and problems.

Pre-emptive self-defense | 2:00 p.m. Nov. 12, 2009

I think the entire Utah GOP staff should be executed. If not, they should volunteer for self-immolation. Clean the slate. Start over. Plus, it would send a message to those who come after them that this stuff needs to be taken seriously.

Comments continue below

Dixie Dan | 2:14 p.m. Nov. 12, 2009

Yeah, right. Another one of those famous "slipped through the crack" events that are so prevalent in Utah.

geoffhiker | 2:26 p.m. Nov. 12, 2009

I didn't know they had rules.

Mike Ridgway | 2:49 p.m. Nov. 12, 2009

Josh Daniels,

I am sorry to inform you that your victory dance was just a bit premature.

But you knew that. And so does everyone else who reads your comment right after they read mine.

I love this sport.

when we break the law | 3:21 p.m. Nov. 12, 2009

Do we really want people to simply say it was an oversight? Laws are created for a reason.

RE: Josh Daniels | 3:31 p.m. Nov. 12, 2009

Did it really take you 21 minutes to type all that gibberish out?

This is the Deseret News, owned by the LDS church. If you think they're playing hardball with the republicans in this state, you're more naive than I thought possible for a human being.

Mike Ridgway | 4:00 p.m. Nov. 12, 2009

Newsflash.

Just got an email from a member of the Salt Lake County Republican Party Executive Committee informing me that the SLCoGOP's new Political Director is Julie Dole, who gave up her seat on the County Party's Executive Committee to take this paid position.

Julie was, until now the Republican "Senate District Chair" who oversaw party operations in Chris Buttars' Salt Lake County Senate District. So this is kind of an interesting "promotion."

Having had numerous discussions with her "political-director" predecessor about the dilemmas he often faced in that position, I can only say to Ms. Dole that she has my condolences. Like I kind of doubt that she'll be calling this "The best two years of her life" when all is said and done.

And let's not EVEN get into the daunting task she has before her of trying to win back seats that are increasingly going to the Democrats year after year in Salt Lake County.

2000 - The party undercut its Republican Congressman and put Jim Matheson in office.

2002 - The backlash over GOP-gerrymandering.

2004 - Gasolinegate. Workman/Ivory.

2006 - Sheriff Kennard's golfing.

2008 - The hit against Jay Seegmiller.

Mmmm-Mmmm.

Anonymous | 4:05 p.m. Nov. 12, 2009

Ever notice that when Republicans break the law it is innocent but when anyone else does it they are labeled as criminals bringing down society? Quite Hypocritical.

Not Utah GOP | 4:29 p.m. Nov. 12, 2009

Utah GOP has been very good at sending emails out for other candidates, especially since June of this year.

I don't understand why SLCo thinks they can't send emails out for federal candidates, but it is true they have turned down other candidates and not Bridgewater this time.

Do I believe it was a mistake? Of course not. Perhaps that is what Wright was told, and he passed it on.

re: Butters, he has the reputation of unfairly stacking the deck in his favor at caucuses. If Julie Dole was behind that, what is she up to now?

I hope that she isn't and wasn't.

Cougar Blue | 5:05 p.m. Nov. 12, 2009

Can't quite quit giggling about this. The GOP is definitely in a "melt down" nationwide. How sweet it is.

Mike Ridgway | 5:30 p.m. Nov. 12, 2009

I want to make a correction to a previous post and offer an apology to Julie Dole.

I have received more information that appears to exonerate Ms. Dole as the actual person who sent the email.

That she was not that person was not at all clear in the reporting of the article, though on a second read, I can see that the statement made, that Thomas Wright, not the current or the former political director, accepts responsibility, is technically consistent with my new understanding.

Again, my apologies to Julie Dole for any insinuation that she was primarily responsible for this mistake.

Stupid! | 6:06 p.m. Nov. 12, 2009

They didn't realize it was a national race? What kind of intelligence is running the Utah GOP right now?

Did they think a Senate race was county level?

Keep going, GOPers. One of these days, people will look beyond the rote-vote (R) and put you out of business.

Bridgewater Not My Cup of Tea | 7:40 p.m. Nov. 12, 2009

Why is the tea-party crowd lining up behind Bridgewater? I just got a Facebook message from them promoting his tour.

Bridgewater hinged his past campaigns on George Bush's presidency.

Consequently he supported Medicare Part D, Prescription Drug Subsidies, the largest entitlement program in recent history.

And he supported No Child Left Behind (a.k.a. no state leap ahead) another big government solution to a state and local issue.

Tea Party not lining up | 6:39 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

The tea party crowd is not lining up behind Bridgewater. Just passing on his schedule.

Cherilyn Eagar has been the one invited to speak by many of the Tea-Party leaders.

JMT | 9:32 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

Mistakes happen though when it is something like this, change is in order.

Any executive director should have sat down with the party attorney and gone over FEC law line by line. If not, a very thorough cheat sheet created of what can and cannot be done. And of course I'm guessing the SLGOP has long had policies in place that provide direction. In any case the new director blew it.

Interesting how every election there is some "mistake" that advantages one candidate over the other.

Same story, same apology, different year.

Re: Bridgewater Not My Cup of Te | 9:33 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

You need to double check your facts. Bridgewater volunteered his time for the State of Utah as an education adviser. He was brought on to fight the federal government's No Child Left Behind Law. He, along with Senator Margarat Dayton, and Patti Harrington were the biggest opponents of No Child Left Behind and were in Washington D.C. on a regular basis pushing back against the Bush Administration. The Tea-Party crowd likes Bridgewater, Williams, and Eager and the organization has not issued any formal endorsement. However, several of the orginal organizers have lined up behind Bridgewater because he is a conservative candidate who can actually win and ultimately they want Bennett out.

Sending emails out on behalf of candidates is not against FEC laws and is the role of the county party. I think the Bennett elitists just got upset because other candidates are working harder than he is and they want to control the party officials.

David Linford | 10:39 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

An illustration of the absurdity and unconstitutionality of this federal law. A political party can't send out an email to announce the activities of a candidate?! "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;"

Bridgewater Not My Cup of Tea | 6:01 p.m. Nov. 13, 2009

So what you are saying is Bridgewater was for No Child Left Behind before he was against it.

Because he definitely was for it and said so while courting the President Bush's endorsement when he ran for Congress.

Same goes for Medicare Part D, he was for it when he needed Bush's endorsement!

How can a tea party activist go to a rally with a sign promoting smaller government and less debt, and simultaneously support Bridgewater who would have voted Medicare Part D?

Have you checked out the US debt clock lately? $18.5 Trillion in unfunded prescription drug liabilities. That's $6 Trillion more than the current national debt.

Josh Daniels | 9:51 a.m. Nov. 18, 2009

1. Mike Ridgeway: Congrats, as I was writing I thought I was first. When my comment first posted it was first. (Yes, it took more time than should have to write). However, the important thing here is that Mike Ridgeway's comment took longer to post once submitted than mine did; meaning, perhaps, that the screeners took extra care to screen his comment? hmmmm??? I find this comment forum to be overzealous in screening comments (I have made many past posts on articles critical of the coverage by Mr. Bernick--they rarely get let through).

2. To the bias of the DesNews: you are ridiculous to think that the ownership & funding of the DesNews (even with Joe Cannon as Editor) prevents it from being biased against UTGOP. This is not the case. That is tantamount to saying "it is ridiculous to think a black voter would not vote for Obama." Have you read any of the election coverage articles by Bob Bernick about former speaker Curtis (2008)? You should read a few past articles before calling me stupid based on assumptive logic that doesn't follow. I am not naive. I have ACTUALLY READ the articles.

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