To “Lee” or Not to “Lee,” That is the Question

Mike Lee, Photo courtesy of United Liberty

The attacks on Senator Mike Lee have been steady and well thought out.  This is a tactical strategy put out by those who want to take away his seat.  It all begins with Bob Bennett, Mike Leavitt and his CMV group, Thomas Wright (who is considering a run against Lee), and helped with the backing of the Romney’s, with the Mitt Romney anti-Mike Lee rants put out in his recent tour around the state.  Top that off with a polling company that uses data from a focus group that wants to make YOU feel that this is all real.  We will go down that rabbit hole another time.   (Quinn Monson)

Mike Leavitt, Photo courtesy of Lawrence Jackson / AP

Thomas Wright, Photo courtesy of The Salt Lake Tribune

Now, those are all well-known names.  You trust them, right?

Well, you shouldn’t.

What is in it for you?  Nothing.  What is in it for them?   Power!  Let’s be honest, this isn’t Republican or Democrat either.  After Bob Bennett lost to Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater, we had a primary, and Mike Lee won that.

Then Bob Bennett’s son went on the campaign for the Democrat in the race.  That is funny.

So don’t think the Republican ideals really mean that much to many in the party.  They don’t.  But the power … that means something, and they will do anything to maintain it.  The people can and should take this power back.

Here’s the deal.  Mike Lee is a constitutional scholar.  He isn’t playing the DC game, and all sides of the aisle are frustrated by that.  He was actually elected to end The Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.  Stop it however he could.  Defund it, Repeal it.  That was the message from the people in Utah.  And many others in the nation really appreciate what he has done.  Read this article here.

Or listen to this quote: “Scheffler, Iowa’s GOP National Committeeman, said the group was looking for someone who hadn’t been to Iowa already and who does not “wilt under political pressure and is willing to stand up” for constitutional principles.” Found in the article here.

This government shut down isn’t because of Mike Lee.  It’s because the Democrats won’t even vote on the 9 compromises being offered by the House. This has happened 18 times in our history.  And it usually ends with government being more responsible to it’s citizens.

Now, what is in this for Mike Lee?  Think about it.  He is going to have a huge fight to maintain his seat.  He could sit comfortably back and do nothing, get along with all the Republicans, and have a chance at a long career in politics.  Or, he could actually “Stand for Something.”  That phrase should sound familiar to those who are members of his faith.  They have been admonished by our past prophet Gordan B. Hinckley to stand.  Mike Lee is standing on high moral ground when he stands for the Constitution and the rights of the citizens of these United States.  I hope he keeps standing.

The goal of the people putting out the articles, creating the attacks, and starting an initiative known as Count My Vote, is about power.  That’s it.  The Republican establishment lost power in 2010 when Bob Bennett was systematically removed from power after following the Republican led TARP bailouts.

So many people should have gone to jail on Wall Street, so many people should have paid for their blatant disregard of the free markets and the backroom, government/business deals.  The market was correcting.  That was actually a good thing.  Sometimes the markets need to correct.  We need to be in balance, and that was starting to happen.  However, the scary, dooms-day rhetoric of the Republicans led by Ben Bernanke at the head of the Federal Reserve, said we “HAD TO”, or our way of life would end.  Well maybe for a few people at the top of the food (aristocratic) chain.  Maybe for the people at Goldman Sachs.  They actually had the guts to say that Main Street had to have these bailouts on Wall Street.  I was trading the market when AIG received it’s $80 Billion bailout.  And there were so many more to come.

That’s where is started.  Then Obama was elected President.  Obamacare became a huge issue.  Everyone knew that Bennett had proposed a similar bill and it was distasteful for the Republicans.  We had sat on the sidelines, allowing the powers that be to control our system in Utah.  We stood up.  We took notice.  We wanted to understand how to change the system.  A group known as “Club for Growth” came forward.  They wanted Bob Bennett out, and so they simply taught everyday citizens the Utah system.  The Caucus or the Neighborhood Election.  Brilliant.

So now that the Republican Establishment couldn’t get their way, they needed to figure out how to beat the system.  They flooded the caucuses with their people to elect Orrin Hatch for ANOTHER (too many to count) term.  It worked.  But it was SO expensive.  They felt that a primary would have been so much easier.  It’s easy to fool most of the people in Utah with catchy ads, big name endorsements, and lost of name recognition.

Now, the people of Utah are not fools, but we are busy.  We have lives.  We have soccer games, jobs, stress, grocery shopping, church responsibilities, and frankly most of the time, politics isn’t a fun topic.  It can be negative and draining.

So a brilliant system was put in place.  The Neighborhood elections.  The neighbors get together once every two years and hold a meeting (a caucus), and they decide amongst themselves in like-minded meetings (Democrats, Republicans, Constitution Party etc, each in their own meetings) who they would like to have represent their neighborhood on the ballot.

We are busy.  We trust our neighbors.  So we elect them.  Now, they get to really get to know all of these candidates.  From National offices like Congress and Senate, to state offices like Governor, State Legislator, and State Senator.  Right down to the Sheriffs office.  Some people are elected as county representative’s called county “delegates” and others are elected as state “delegates.”  What a beautiful thing…a Republic.

Now, you get to go on with your busy life, go to soccer games, be the Scout leader, do your job, mow your lawn, etc.  And you have someone in your neighborhood that will “vet” all of these candidates.  Slick ads and endorsements won’t be deciding.  Someone will have a chance to meet with all of these candidates and hear them on multiple occasions.  They will see through the rhetoric right to the heart of a person (most of the time.)

You see, Orrin Hatch thought he’d stacked those caucuses so well, and guess what, he did.  But then, those delegates got to know him.  They learned there was a lot more to the picture than what the mainstream media puts out there.  They started looking at his voting record.  Some of them, a lot of them, changed their minds.  He had to go to a primary anyway, even after putting in over $2 million before convention.

CMV sounds good on the surface.  Give the “people” the chance to have their vote heard.  But that’s the amazing thing.  You are heard.  You are heard louder because you have elected someone to represent you from your neighborhood.  You have a true Republic.  Now, I know the LDS church is not getting involved either way on the CMV front, but I would like to quote the LDS church’s official statement from last year.

“Precinct caucuses are the most fundamental grassroots level of political involvement. They are best served by a broad representation of Utah citizens. Those who attend play a critical role in selecting candidates for public office.”

 If you read their statement, they talk about the declining attendance of the caucuses.  We’ve heard all of the rhetoric about how caucus attendance has dwindled.  Funny, nobody had a problem with low caucus attendance when they had their way.  The more people who show up, the more people are heard, and the harder it is to fool some of the people all of the time. I don’t know where their information came from but here are the numbers for you.

Year	Total Attending	Up/Down %
2002	28,207
2004	22,511	-20.19%
2006	34,563	53.54%
2008	23,550	-31.86%
2010	54,841	132.87%
2012	111,944	104.12%

Are you seeing those numbers?  Look at the increase in attendance in 2010 when Lee was elected.  And then again it went up over 100% in 2012.  That is a huge increase since 2002.  That is a 375% increase since 2008.  And I believe it will continue to rise.

The Establishment wants to take the “grassroots” out of the picture.  They know that most people will vote in a primary based on simple sound bites, simple name recognition, catchy slogans, or endorsements.  Principles will be gone, and money will reign.  YOU are the grassroots, and they want to silence that voice.

Read this article about “Big Money Backers.”  That is who wants to take over.  Big Money. 

We have a real issue here, and it isn’t “tea party” or “radical” or anything else. Aligning yourself with our founding documents, our Constitution is not extreme. These are Republicans that are getting educated.  These are Republicans that have watched their country go down the tubes under both sides of the aisle.  These are regular people with jobs, and a mortgage, and kids that need braces, that are tired, and we’ve stood up to our “masters” known as the Federal government, and we’ve said, “Enough!”  And these are Republicans that have begun to see the Democrats eye to eye on civil liberties issues.  Amazing, not radical.

Don’t sign CMV, don’t buy into the trap of the media that are trying to eliminate Mike Lee.  This is the establishment trying to fool you.  Support Mike Lee, because he supports the Constitution.  He isn’t perfect, but everyone who is throwing their hat into the ring has an agenda.  Power.  That’s it.

This is a Fourth Turning.  The time to change things is now.  Leaders stand against all odds.  I was told by a friend that Mike would throw away his political career.  Maybe he has.  But he is a hero.

If you don’t like Mike, show up to caucus.  The caucus system is becoming more and more inclusive all the time.  The SCC (State Central Committee) is working tirelessly on efforts to make everyone feel welcome.  This is your neighborhood.   Make your voice heard.  But do not buy into the garbage of Count My Vote and the media.  They want to take your voice.

To hear how this is happening on a national scale, listen to this.  Glenn Beck fan or not, please realize that the intimidation is real.  We are making a difference, and the establishment is scared.

“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.” —  Mahatma Gandhi 

 (hashtag) #ILikeMike

 

 

 

 

 

 

Republicans & Democrats Agree

Republicans and Democrats agree.  Even if the caucus system (neighborhood meeting) is not perfect, changing it too much according to many Republicans, and even the Chair of the Utah Democrats, will not be a good thing. Jim Debakis said,

“Maybe the Utah caucus system needs to be changed or revised. Maybe not.  But the recently announced initiative proposal to reconfigure  the way Utah’s political parties pick candidates, is certainly NOT a good idea.”

http://www.utahdemocrats.org/newsletter-letter-from-the-chair

Ask yourself the question, who benefits from the primary?  We can answer that later.

Sure, we need to streamline credentialing and check in.  Knocking an hour or more off the time-frame for the night is seen by a positive for all.  But many of the so-called proposals have not been well-thought out for their long-term consequences.  Gutting the system will be the same as eliminating it.

Why exactly do we have a neighborhood meeting?  Let’s answer the first question, by quoting the LDS Church on this meeting for their answer.  http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/first-presidency-issues-letter-utah-precinct-caucus-meetings

             “Precinct caucuses are the most fundamental grassroots level of political involvement. They are best served by a broad representation of Utah citizens. Those who attend play a critical role in selecting candidates for public office.”

Are many of Utah’s Republican and Democratic voices being heard?  The answer can be seen by the enormous growth of caucus attendance over the last (four) 4 years.  Let’s look at one precinct in one tiny place, mine, in Wanship.  For years when I first moved here, the big secret was the caucus night.  A select few individuals showed up.  They held all of the positions for that precinct; Precinct Chair, Vice Chair, County Delegate and State Delegate were all voted on, or assigned.  You see, only three (3) people ever showed up.  But in 2010 things changed in American politics.  Americans began to wake up, and began to re-energize their ideas of liberty from the days of our founders and beyond.  They started studying the votes of their Senators and Congressman; they started watching their State Legislators with more vigor.  Therefore, in 2010, the people of Utah, came forward, and attended their meetings.  My little precinct had 68 people in attendance.  It mattered, and so, people showed up.  Then in 2012, they did it again.  48 people showed up.  Two years of record-breaking attendance.  And yet, the naysayers of the caucus system cried that no one was participating.

In Utah, many showed up to their caucus meetings without a full understanding of the process.  They had a strong agenda to see Orrin Hatch re-elected, since the last time it was to see Bob Bennett ousted.  The job of a delegate is bigger than just one office.  There were many good candidates running in a variety of offices, from Auditor, to Governor, to State Legislator and Utah State Senator, as well as the Senate and Congressional candidates. 

The delegates should only choose to run, if indeed they are going to participate.  This is what sets Utah apart from every other state – the caucus system.  Even when a no name, like me, ran for Congress against the well-liked Congressman Rob Bishop, I had a chance.  (Not a big chance, but a chance.)  The caucus system is the only place in the world that can happen.  And winning or losing isn’t always what makes it so great.  It is the fact that the delegates become very educated in the issues of the day.  Let’s look at the issue in my race, specifically.

The NDAA 2012 was a virtual unknown to many delegates until there was a challenge in the Rob Bishop campaign.  Once the dangers of this bill were made public, many people began to understand our liberty is more important than our safety.  This is a basic tenet set out by Benjamin Franklin when he said,

“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

This wasn’t a Republican or Democrat issue, but an issue of civil liberty.

The delegates received letters from Rob Bishop explaining his vote.  I explained why he was mistaken.  This became a national issue, and was even the source of the 13-hour filibuster with Rand Paul.  You see, the little clause known as 1022, and 1023 in the NDAA 2012 language gives the president too much power over our citizens.  Rand Paul’s stance was to get clarification from our president that non-combatants who may be deemed by this language as terrorists could not be fired upon on American soil.  These are our liberties and they are at stake.  Thank you Rand Paul, and our own Senator Mike Lee for standing up for our liberty on this day.  It was nice to have this threat under NDAA 2012 and the Patriot Act brought to the forefront of the American people’s minds again.

Other debates began to emerge as campaigns announced.  School trust lands became a hot topic of the Governor’s race in Utah.  Morgan Philpot and Ken Sumsion each giving their ideas on how best to handle our land.

We heard about social security reform, debt ceilings, the war on drugs, the wars overseas, ending of federal departments, etc.  This is what makes the caucus system work.  People that have very little knowledge of government and the “great debate” begin to be involved in that great debate.  They begin to see that the media (the ones that make the money) aren’t always truthful.  They realize that just being a voter at the end of the day isn’t where the real decisions get made.  They also realize that being a delegate (especially a state delegate) requires a lot of focused time, consideration, and effort on their parts to do their precinct justice in being represented.  Not everyone can do this job.  Not everyone has the time to give to it.  Not everyone wants to do it.  Not everyone is educated in government enough to do the job.  But at your neighborhood caucus you can talk to your friends and neighbors and find out who in your neighborhood is qualified, has the time, and will be fair to all the candidates for office.  Each candidate deserves to be taken seriously and treated with real respect.  Even if you love your representative, the ideas that are brought forward for discussion make the system work that much better.  Citizens become informed directly from their representatives as they vie for votes.

Do not water-down the caucus system with proposals that make it possible for coercion at any level.  The votes need to take place in person.  The votes need to be by secret paper ballot.  The only thing that needs to change is check in.  It should be electronic and quick.

So let’s go back to our original question, who benefits from a water-down or elimination of the caucus system?  The media, and the wealthy.  They win, and you lose.  The people that make radio ads, TV commercials, and newspaper ads win.  They want you, the people, to be persuaded by sound bites.  There is big money in campaigns.  People spend hundreds of thousands of dollars before it ever gets to a primary and then millions at the primary level.  Follow the money.  The primary election does not create a more informed voter, just a voter that has been marketed to the most.

In the Lincoln-Douglas debates, it was hours of discussion on a topic to be rebutted for hours.  We must stop asking our society to make important decisions about the future of our state or country,  based on sound bites.  If we are in a primary mentality only, that is all we have left, and the guy with the most money, most of the time, will always come out on top, principles be damned.  This will end our Republic, and we will become a straight democracy.  Ask anyone who has studied history, a democracy is the first step toward socialism.

Save our caucus system, and maintain our republic.

Today, What is Your Sacred Duty?

Today, you may have to walk across the street, or drive to a fire station, or visit a library, or possibly another public place and cast your ballot.  This is your sacred duty.  This is what separates us from the parts of the world in chaos.  When we want to change things, we peacefully go to the polls.

We have watched our country slide down into socialism for the last 80 years, and we have reached a point of alignment in our country.  Either you are on the side of liberty, or you are on the side of socialism.  Today, show your side.  There are good Democrats, good Republicans, and

Image via Wikipedia

 good Independents running in races all over the nation.  However, weed out the Progressives, the Marxists, the Collective thinkers … the Borg. 

The tea parties, 9.12ers, and other like-minded groups have set out to not start a third-party, but to restore the parties to a place of integrity again.  We have not accomplished this task completely, but have made huge headway.  Now the people will have to decide if those that are on the ballot are worthy of their trust.  And once in office, must be watched with vigilance.

Many have given their lives, their fortunes, and held true their sacred honor for you to be able to enjoy this privilege.  If ever lost, your lifetime may end before you see the restoration of these liberties.   Robert Morris understood well, what those words meant.  Read about him and his sacrifice for our country.  He gave his entire fortune, and then some. 

Call a friend, take the bus, get a ride, but get out and vote.  Do it as if your liberty depends on it, because it does.  This is only the beginning.  We will continue to clean our houses and rid them of the dangers that are within.  We love our Founding Fathers.  We love the document they created in Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of these United States.  We are America; land of the free, and home of the brave.

FREEDOM CAN WIN!

The World is Run by Those Who Show Up

A Message to Unaffiliated Voters

 

Are you a stay-at-home-Republican during the Primary voting, or an unaffiliated voter that ends up voting Republican most of the time?  Then, this article is for you.

Who is really in charge in this world?  Is there any difference if I participate?  If you believe that your vote does not matter, think again.  Here are just two stories from this year’s Republican convention on May 8, 2010.

Morgan just as they announced his win at Convention

Morgan Philpot —  Morgan avoided a primary by getting his 60% of delegates by … yes … just one vote.

Jon at his Convention Speech

Jon Hellander – Jon missed avoiding a primary by … just one vote.

Both of these candidates were supported by a wonderful grassroots effort.

The convention system is closed to only those who are allowed to vote as delegates.  Those delegates were elected in their neighborhood meetings, sometimes called mass meetings and caucus meetings.  The people that showed up made all the difference in who was elected to represent their neighborhood at the convention.

Now the primary is here.  Tuesday, June 22, we have a choice in Utah between Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater.  Are you going to sit on the sidelines and let others decide who will get that seat?  In addition, statewide there are many other races, including the race between Jon Hellander and Mel Brown for the House Seat in District 53.

Primary races usually have low voter turnout.  This is crazy.  This is where the real decisions are made.  You can choose the candidate that most reflects your values, or just wait, and hold your nose in November and end up voting for the lesser of two evils.  This year will be different in the Senate race, because the aristocracy has ended with Bennett being eliminated by the delegates.  However, not every race had eight people running. 

Who decides this?  The Republicans.  Who does this affect?  Everyone.  Republicans typically win many races in rural areas, and historically throughout Utah.  Jim Matheson (D) has been an anomaly for this state.  I think that seat will end up Republican this year… GO MORGAN!

Here is my challenge.  Let your voice be heard.  You can sit back and choose between a Democrat and a Republican on the November ballot, or you can get out there, vote in the primary, and help determine WHICH Republican is actually on the ballot in November.

If you are Democrat, vote in the Democrat primary.  If you are a Republican or Conservative that is Unaffiliated, COME JOIN US.  You don’t have to live for the party.  You don’t have to be married to it.  I will always vote my conscience, as I hope you will as well.  Study the candidates.  See how they have voted if they have been in office before.  Get their report cards from the conservative groups that put them out, and make an educated decision.  Utah Grass Roots 2010 Report Card and Utah Tax Payers Association,    

You can vote easily at the polls, by changing affiliation.  Is it fair to have the Republicans continue to put forward someone who does not reflect YOUR VIEWS, because you are unaffiliated.  HELP US!

Choose a great candidate.  Your voice matters.  It is critical to our cause of liberty, and it’s not fair that you have been left high and dry by only having the candidate the few Republicans wanted.  Your right to be unaffiliated is wonderful, and I respect that.  However, the world is run by those that show up, and waiting until November just will not be enough anymore.

For more information on the Jon Hellander vs. Mel Brown campaign (click link to see previous article), please visit their websites.  www.hellander.com  or www.voteformelbrown.com. 

For more information on the Mike Lee vs. Tim Bridgewater campaign, please visit their websites at www.mikelee2010.com or www.timbridgewater.com.