Comments about ‘Dan Liljenquist banking on youth to bring change to the Senate’

I think Liljenquist nailed it when he said: "Voters, he said, are looking for leadership, not career politicians."

Even if Hatch didn't have a terrible record voting for debt and spending, I would be inclined to vote him out. The founding fathers intended public service to become a career with a six figure salary and pension.

Liljenquist seems like a decent man and would be good candidate I'm sure. However, his comments about "career politicians" panders to the uniformed. The fact that Liljenquist would term limit himself to three terms only exposes his ignorance about how Congress works and how power is achieved by seniority and longevity especially in the Senate.

The founding fathers intended Senators to be senior statesmen with many years... decades even... of experience. Hatch is at his peak of political power and influence. He will only be there one more turn. Utah should reap the investment of having kept him back there for the next few years. Even Hatch's political enemies have to admit that he is one of the most powerful and influential Senators back there, and has a remarkable legacy of legislative achievements.

The more I study up on Liljenquist, or listen to him, or watch him, the more I realize that he's the right guy for the job. He has the knowledge, skills, energy, personality, experience and savvy to be an effective senator right off the bat (just like he did in the state legislature - and just like Hatch himself did when he was a freshman).

Re: MatthewBehun: Good comment, but I think you meant to say, "The founding fathers DIDN'T intend …"

Re: Gr8Dane: The House has already scrapped the seniority system, so leadership assignments are made based on skills and ability, NOT how many years someone has been in Washington. This is a refreshing change, and has led to great accomplishments from talented newcomers like Paul Ryan (whom Hatch has praised, by the way). There is a growing call for the Senate to do the same thing.

Seniority and experience CAN be good things, but not if you've become part of the problem in Washington.

Also, Mitt Romney will need Liljenquist's skills and experience to help get the country back on track from our serious fiscal problems. Liljenquist and Romney will work great together.

Liljenquist lost all credibility when he attacked the teachers of Utah in order to balance the state budget. Instead of cutting wasteful programs, he took away the teacher retirement plan. Of all people to take from, teachers should have been the LAST ones not the first.

He has destroyed a once noble profession and turned it into an hourly job.

Our children will pay the price for generations to come.

Thanks Dan. NOT.

One other thing, when Romney wins the presidency, we need Hatch in office. Together Hatch and Romney can fix this country. We don't need another inexperienced first year senator in Washington. We need experience.

Hatch gets my vote.

The 70s were a vastly different time.

The founding fathers did not have a concept of 6 figure salaries except relatively and then most of the were extremely affluent men back then.

Au Contraire Gr8Dane.

Seniority IS the Problem in the US Senate. POWER is a very frightening commodity. Think carefully about that word, Utahans. It is closely linked to the word PRIDE.

The Founding Fathers intended the opposite of what Gr8Dane states. They intended statesmen to exercise their wisdom, serve and then gracefully allow another to do the same. We are not a country of Lords for a reason. That is what are progenitors were fleeing when they left the government of Mother England.

Why is our country in crippling debt?
Because of career politicians who have refused to observe a pay as you go mentality. Because of career politicians who have extended our debt to pay for their "projects"
Because of career politicians who liberally accept money from lobbyists to whom they become beholden.
Because of career politicians who think they are above answering to their constituents
Because of career politicians who expand entitlement programs beyond our capacity to pay for them.
Because of career politicians who have put our children in a financial hole that they CANNOT lead them out of.
Because of career politicians who think they cannot be replaced.

POWER is a frightening word!

Last Utah General Legislative Session for 2011, I remember seeing bill after bill sponsored by Sen. Dan Liljenquist pass the house. I was amazed at the respect he and the bills had. I was amazed at how both republicans and democrats voted for them.

For example, his 2011 SB 180 Medicaid Reform bill passed both houses with no votes against it from either party and was signed by the Governor.

With at least 7 bills, both the house and senate, both republicans and democrats all voted for the reforms Senator Dan Liljenquist proposed. In all, 9 of his bills were signed by the Governor.

We need that in Washington DC. These are the same areas that are bankrupting our nation. Again, we need Dan Liljenquist in Washington DC. Yes, we have a US Senator with 35 years of seniority, but remember that in 2011, Senator Dan Liljenquist was still in his first 4 year term. He did it without seniority.

Re: Lifelong Republican: Attacked teachers? Huh? Liljenquist didn't take away the teacher retirement plan. Quite the opposite. In reality, his changes PROTECTED the plan, so that it would still be there for teachers in the future, and so that the state would still be on stable ground to continue to fund it.

He changed the plan from "defined benefit" to "defined contribution" (i.e., 401k-type, instead of pension-type). That's the same thing that most businesses have also done in recent years, because it keeps the plan viable and sound. Otherwise employees/teachers don't know whether the plan will even BE there when they retire. This change also gives the employees/teachers a greater say in their own retirement savings.

These points are big POSITIVES, so you and teachers statewide should be CHEERING for Liljenquist. Contrary to your claims, Liljenquist's actions have upheld and RESPECTED the noble profession of teaching.

Peanut Gallery, I agree completely with two small changes.

The more I study up on Scott Howell, or listen to him, or watch him, the more I realize that he's the right guy for the job. He has the knowledge, skills, energy, personality, experience and savvy to be an effective senator right off the bat (just like he did in the state legislature - and just like Hatch himself pretended to do when he was a freshman).

But Scott Howell won't be pretending.

The accumulation of power through seniority is a very poor way to do things. Leadership positions should be based on merit.

It has been accurately stated that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. If you want less corruption in government then give government less power.

I live in Washington State near the People's Republic of Seattle. Even from here I can see that Hatch's time in Washington has pulled him away from the principles that this nation was build upon. He has become part of the problem. Mike Lee had to spend the last two years reteaching Hatch what it means to be a conservative.

Dan's moment has come. It is time for the baton to be passed.

One interesting characteristic of the founding fathers is the fact that they entered service reluctantly and they gave up power so easily. The last people I want to see in office are those who seek power. They can't be trusted with it. It is time for Hatch to give up power. The fact that he fights so hard to hang onto power tells me he can't be trusted with it.

Go DAN!!

Dan is the man!

Utah1: again posting re-pasted messages.

Liljenquist is a Great man. He sent call center work overseas where he could pay salaries of $200-300 dollars per year (Philippine information about the call center there) and he practiced Nepotism in his company as another Liljenquist holds a high managerial position now and when Dan was in charge.

Does this suggest that he is an ethical person?
Is he someone looking out for Utahn's?
Is he an ambitious person that no longer has any significant ties to Utah?

Senator Orrin Hatch will provide the BEST alternative during the next 6 years, he will not be as ineffective as Mike Lee has been. And don't fool yourselves, Mike Lee is the one on the learning curve, not Senator Hatch. Everyone say's that he has become more conservative to appease the Tea Party associates; The facts are more likely that he has had to become more conservative in everyone's eyes because he has been defending against the Obama Democrats ultra-liberal policies.

Re: The Rock: Brilliant comment about Mike Lee having to re-teach Hatch what it means to be a conservative! I have noticed this as well. It has normally been Mike Lee - not Hatch - leading the way on various conservative issues.

But then Hatch co-opts the issue. And he (or his super-PAC) takes the issue and broadcasts promotional TV ads about it -- ads that OF COURSE give Hatch first billing. This is part of Hatch's strategy to fool us into believing that he has returned to his conservative roots.

Personally I've found these ads to be very annoying, especially because they dishonestly do a "me, too" switcheroo and try to make it appear that it was HATCH'S idea. My reaction has been: "Come on, senator, whom do you think you're fooling?"

This is all further evidence of Hatch's addiction to power, and keeping that power is now his primary focus. Hatch has been in Washington waaaaay too long. He's become part of the problem. It's time to replace him with Dan Liljenquist.

It is an easy choice. Experience and standing in DC. Hatch by a landslide.

If Dan worked for Bain Capital, why is Governor Romney supporting Hatch instead of one of Bain's insiders?

I like how Liljenquest cut pay and benefits on already underpaid state employees.

Retire Hatch.