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Utah Congressman Chris Cannon has another primary battle on his hands. This has become a regular occurrence in the 3rd District. This week on Utah NOW, Cannon and his Republican challenger Jason Chaffetz will join us. They'll talk about the issues in the race including the war, the economy and immigration.
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In Utah politics, things are pretty stable. When voters find a politician they like, they tend to stay with them and give them the benefit of the doubt.
You have to venture into the most conservative congressional district in the state to find an exception to this rule. The 3rd District is actually one of the most conservative in the country and for one season during an election year things get unpredictable.
It happens early in the process, during the convention, where the more conservative wing of the party exerts more power. This is where Congressman Chris Cannon, a six-term representative is most vulnerable. For five of the last seven races Mr. Cannon has had to face a challenge from within his party.
The latest has come from Jason Chaffetz, a former chief of staff for Utah Governor Jon Huntsman. The two are running in the Republican primary on the 24th of June. In this episode of Utah NOW, they join us to talk about some of the issues in the race.
Visit Rep. Chris Cannon's website at chriscannon.com.
Visit Jason Chaffetz's website at jasonforcongress.com.
Visit the state elections website, which offers voter information such as candidates who are running for office, finding your polling place, and district maps, visit elections.utah.gov.
The Utah Foundation encourages informed public policy through its mission statement to promote a thriving economy, a well-prepared workforce, and a high quality of life for Utahns by performing thorough, well-supported research that helps policymakers, business and community leaders, and citizens better understand complex issues and providing practical, well-reasoned recommendations for policy change. Please visit their website at utahfoundation.org.
Once again I am struck by how Chris Cannon does not answer direct questions, but instead "tells stories" to illustrate his point and deflects the issue. For example, when asked whether he thought global warming was a farce, Cannon never answered the question. Instead, he started talking about a hearing with scientist James Hansen stating that there was no proof of man causing global warming but he believed it was the case, then Cannon had the audacity to rephrase the question (of whether he thought global warming was a farce) to something completely different! With Jason Chaffetz, whether you agree with him or not, at least you know where he stands.
I noticed this earlier in a radio show before the state convention when Mr. Cannon was asked by Mr. Chaffetz and followed up by the host to account for his whereabouts for missing a critical illegal immigration vote in Congress (he was present for votes both before and after that vote), and to this day he has not answered WHY he missed that vote. Here on "Utah NOW" Cannon asks what is relevant about a vote that he missed. Well, Mr. Cannon, for one thing we send you to Congress to show up and vote (your abysmal voting record overall is a whole other issue). For another, the relevance is that you claim to have a consistent 100 percent record in voting to support illegal immigration reform, but it's "cheating" to actually achieve that record by just plain not voting.
I thought Mr. Cannon tended to monopolize the time by telling irrelevant stories instead of citing his experience and use supporting facts, and I was also disappointed in the manner he consistently interrupted Mr. Chaffetz and had to be cautioned by Doug Fabrizio. It comes across as arrogant and impatient.
I must say I like Mr. Chaffetz's directness and focus. His message resonates with me and my neighbors. We all have household budgets we must manage -- in the black -- or face disastrous consequences, and it is inconceivable to us that our representatives cannot jointly reign in our massive deficit. We wonder why we can see the handwriting on the wall but these folks who claim to know what they are doing can't seem to do anything at all. Mr. Chaffetz has our vote.
Posted by Sallie Young, Friday June 13th, 2008 @ 9:07 pm
I agree with Sally.
In addition, I wish there could be at least two more one half hour debates before june 24. Let each candidate choose one subject to be debated and go much deeper into that one issue. Chris Cannon's response to the question regarding the timing of his oil shale legislation appeared weak. I certainly was more impressed with Mr. Chaffetz. In numerous conversations over the past few weeks I seldom have found a citizen who is satisfied with Chris for a variety of reasons chiefly, his nonresponsive, noncommunicative personality. Indeed, one industrial manager was very disappointed when he requested consideration and help with some urgent needs and got not so much as a go to heck from Cannon or his staff. After 12 years with Cannon, I sense that Chaffetz has an excellent chance of beating Cannon two straight times in a row and moving on to represent the needs of Utah citizens.
Posted by Linda Wilson, Friday June 13th, 2008 @ 10:02 pm
Jason looks good. A superb replacement for the veteran who needs to retire from the field. New ideas, new energy, new approaches are as valuable to me as old horses trudging along some well-worn path created by a whole herd of other well-worn horses. Let's tee up for the game winning kick. Come join me Chris, and we will search the rough for lost golf balls and wait for our next retirement check. That way this on-the-go fellow can get er done.
Posted by Russel Wilson, Friday June 13th, 2008 @ 10:11 pm
I listen to the Utah Now production on the internet and on my ipod. I think Doug and Bill do a great job. Hopefully their success continues.
Thanks, Todd.
Posted by Todd , Sunday June 15th, 2008 @ 9:47 am
I think that it would be great for us to finally have a U.S. Representative who's as conservative as we are. Cannon has disappointed me too many times. Chaffetz has my vote on June 24th. Good luck, Jason!
Posted by David Edward Garber , Monday June 16th, 2008 @ 1:01 am
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Previous show, 05.30.08 « Proxy Baptism |
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