It's time for change wake up Utah

Hard to believe that Chaffetz could be "Facing an Uphill Battle" after Cannon got on the O'Reilly show and made a complete a-s of himself. Cannon is completely out of touch with reality. Utah needs and deserves better than his moronic rantings.

Trading one conservative republican for another isn't exactly what I'd call change. I'm not in Cannon's district, but if I were, i'd vote for whoever is the Democrat challenger.

Now that's change.

We'd be foolish to give up the seniority that Cannon has attained on key committees. It is a critical election year and we need Cannon's experience and clout in Washington. It would devastate us to send a newcomer who has to spend the next 2-3 years "breaking into the Washington Club"--especially if a democrat wins the presidency. Chaffetz is charismatic and he sound bytes well. But I gotta wonder why he didn't last as chief of staff for Governor Huntsman and more importantly why he didn't run against Jim Matheson to give us another seat republican seat in Congress.

Cannon is a typical, say what the audience wants to hear, politician. He is not in it for me nor does he listen to his constituents. It is time for a change!!

After Cannons moronic ramblings on O'Reilly I can't believe that anyone would vote for him.

To all 3rd district Republicans,
Please please please wake up and remove Mr. Cannon from office. He needs to go NOW! He has been a mediocre to poor congressman and now it's time to give someone else a chance.

Cannon must be delusional if he thinks that voters were angry in 2006, but may not be now. I think the entire country is exhausted from the previous 8 years of the Bush administration and is ready for a change. Sending back a pompous, out-of-touch lifer like Cannon would be silly.

I have many friends and relatives in the 3rd district and I can't think of anyone who supports Cannon. Based on his BYU experience and working at Nu Skin for a long time, Chaffetz has more name recognition than the analysts realize. He's also very well spoken and has a contagious enthusiasm.

Contrast this with Cannon's unintelligible mumblings and anger management issues, and it becomes very clear who to vote for.

It is SOOOO clear to me that Cannon is THE ONLY candidate here to support. Chaffetz is making like a sixth grade class president's campaign speech - "Recess all day and NO MORE MATH HOMEWORK!"

People just assume that Cannon isn't doing anything because Chaffitz says so, but Chris has been working hard on internet, gas prices, and immigration bills. We need to give him more credit. He is the best man for the job.

We all laughed when Chaffetz presumed to beat David Leavitt and Chris Cannon on $100,000. Now look who is laughing.

Chaffetz has one advantage Bernick missed - there are a whole slew of votes he won't even have to work for. How many voters already know they won't support Cannon? I live in Salt Lake County and I don't know anyone who supports Cannon.

If past elections are any indication, Cannon will try to discredit his opponents' character rather than candidly approach the issues - just as David Leavitt has been doing. That's what's wrong with politics today. I encourage all voters to reject character assassination as a campaign tool.

I was a delegate and I heard Chaffetz aggressively discuss his opponents - but always on the issues. Never once did he try to impugn their character. That's why he'll win my vote again in June.

Cannon is put into a primary every two years because he actually stands for something, unlike the rest of Utah's Republican delegation who simply takes the easy route to retain their power.

I've frankly been quite disturbed by some of things I've heard from Mr. Chaffetz. I think Chaffetz is pandering to the extreme right and that will only make things worse in Washington not better.

If you vote for Cannon, you lose any right you have to complain about how things are going in Utah and Washington. If your not going to try to change things and make them better and instead stick with what isn't working and keep voting for the same people, you can't complain when you get more of the same.

I know Jason Chaffetz, and he's a good guy and would be a great congressman. But I also know Chris Cannon, and despite not being as articulate as say Barack Obama, he is very respected and very effective in DC. Both Chris and Jason would be conservative voters, but one has 12 years of seniority and one would be starting at ground zero. I'm sticking with Cannon.

It is one thing to say that you are going to do something like Chafetz did on Saturday and another to be able to deliver on whatr is said. Cannon with his seniority and influence in DC has the capacity to get things done. Look at his record it speaks for itself.

Jason distorts the truth, lies about everything to make himself look better. Says the way a person runs their budget is how they will vote. Whatever, Chris Cannon has continually voted against pork legislation to balance the budget and has a 96% rating on this issue. We need people like Chris in office that are trying to balance our budget that is 400 billion over last year, and get our dollar stronger on the internaitonal market. We need Conservative fiscal policy in DC, like Chris'. jason doesn't know what Conservative fiscal policy is, he thinks that a Congressional budget is likened to a personal banking account. Mr. Schaffetz, You do not belong in DC!!!!!!!!

Frankly I believe that Chaffetz winning is one of the worst things that could happen. If he were to win Utah would be left with 3 junior level Congressmen, if you add that to the Democrats maintaining control of both houses of Congress Utah would have not voice at all in Congress. We would be trading an effective experienced influential conservative Congressman for a no body. Add to that the fact that Chaffetz really isn’t anything more than “I’ll say whatever I have to, to get elected” politician and how is that really bringing any change to Washington. I also think that Vote smarter has a very solid point about why Chaffetz isn’t running against Matheson. If he really believes all that he is saying he would help the conservative movement most by running against a liberal Democrat.

I have never supported Chris Cannon. However, there is a first time for everything. I would vote for nearly anyone over Jason Chaffetz. While all politicans have an ego, Jason's is over-the-top.

Further, I wonder, if he is such a great conservative and an ace for Utah, why isn't he running against Rep. Jim Matheson, who serves the second district? Jason Chaffetz lives in the second district and if he is truly concerned about "conservative principles" as he says, wouldn't he want to oust Utah's lone Democrat?

Finally, I find it interesting that after talking to more than a dozen individuals who worked with Jason in the Huntsman Administration, not one had a nice thing to say. All encouraged me to vote for Rep Cannon in the upcoming primary.

I have done my homework and Jason Chaffetz is not the answer.

"Cannon is a typical, say what the audience wants to hear, politician..." I couldn't disagree more! In fact I'd say Chris is just the opposite. I think your comment describes Chaffetz much better. Especially if you've ever listened to him speak. He is willing to say and do whatever it takes to win. And that is scary. I think he sold his soul at the convention to try to win there. I don't think he's honest and I don't think he honestly believes half of what he says. Be very careful with this guy.

When you get past the campaign rhetoric and look at the record you find that Congressman Cannon is one of the most effective and productive congressmen in Washington. He doesn't make any grandiose promises because he intends to and does deliver on the promises he makes. It may not make for a stump speech to write home about, but I prefer someone who is getting the job done to someone making promises they can't possibly keep.

From what I can see Cannon's record speaks for itself. He may not be the smoothest speaker or as young as Chaffetz but has clout in Washington. I'm not voting for a candidate based on charisma or physical appeal. Who is Chaffetz anyway and what has he done to show that he is capable of getting things done in a democratic congress?

I would agree with IM - Chaffetz seems to throw red meat out to the voters on all the issues that he wants to change but will not be able to due to the makeup of the rest of Congress. If he were voted king for a day he could make these changes but he seems to believe if he gets elected that he can go back and wave his magic wand - fact is that changes in Washington come from those who hang around long enough to get the key leadership spots. Cannon has been there for 12 years and he is just getting into position to get the key positions. Elect Chaffetz and it will be another 15 years before Utah has much umph! in Congress. Chaffetz will go back , poke John Boehner in the eye and get lost somewhere in the back of the line for about a decade. That does not appear to me to be an efficient way to cast my vote. Do I agree with Cannon all the time? No way, but I think I know how the system works. C'mon people - wake up and smell the Postum.

Change: From thinking "incumbent" is bad! Time to take a look at what Cannon the REAL CHANGE congressman has done! Voted 4 border fence; fought for 2 border agents persecuted for doing their job; vote 4 the REAL ID act; voted 4 bill to make employers accountable if they hire illegals; against partial abortion; 4 gun owner rights; CHANGING trash trust lands to oil and mineral rich ones we can harvest: NOW working to CHANGE stupid fed permit laws holding up production of oil shale in UTAH X Utah Company (Redleaf). ready to produce on those lands but fed permits are holding it up. Change? I agree: Change from following the US bandwagon of "change". Recognize a great thing when you have one instead of whining and jumping on the we-gotta-have-a-(Republican)-Obama candidate bandwagon, All smooth-talker Chaffetz claimed Cannon did or didn’t do I checked. He’s wrong. No nefarious earmarks. No weird Immigration votes. Read the bills. I did. Pork-spender? Hardly—one of best at stopping taxes & spending! Cannon 2nd highest performing Congressman in Utah History—check out Library of Congress yourself, Utah. Change? Yeah, let’s stop changing with the wind!

Our economy's in the tank, gas prices are soaring, and our corrupt Congress is still spending like a drunken sailor - 535 drunken sailors.

So what do people say? 'Re-elect the crooks because they all have seniority.'

Brilliant. Voters weren't fed-up 2 years ago in the way they are now, and I have a hunch Mr. Chafftz won't be claiming that Satan is working against him.

Send Chaffetz a little money. Volunteer for his campaign. Or be cheap and lazy and watch your freedoms just get frittered away.

MEW please understand that is exactly what I meant, if you are responding to me. It’s Chaffetz that is just a "say anything to get elected" politician. Further I seriously question his honesty. My wife and I have both been delegates, back in November we got a call from Jason. He told us that he was running against Cannon. When asked why and he proceeded to tell us how ineffective Cannon was, he also implied that Cannon was lazy and as evidence asserted missed meetings and votes to this effect. After doing my homework I found that Jason was not representing the truth in his statements that his accusations at best were gross exaggerations. How can Jason bring change to Washington if he is playing all the stupid games that have made D.C. what it is today?
Further Chris is making progress on issues like immigration, security, and energy. If you look at what he’s been able to accomplish in getting us to the point where extract oil from Utah’s abundant oil shale it apparent that he is doing great things for Utah and the country as a whole.

Ditto to what Super EMT said. I think I'd vote for almost anyone before ever voting for Chaffetz. Although I acknowledge that this bias of mine largely came about through a neighbor of mine who is a former state employee and has shared his distaste for him with me.

Man, it must be a slow day at the Cannon offices. Everyone's got time to post! IM - get back to work! We realize you're all worried about losing your jobs - and you should be - but our tax dollars pay you to run a congressional office, not write reviews of the convention speeches.

Chris is a work horse, not a show horse. He understands the workings of Congress and brings expertise and experience to the debate. This is not a time for oratory; rather, it is a time for responsible public policy. To stick with the "horse" analogy, this is not the time to change horses in the middle of the stream.

I was at the convention and I thought that Chaffetz simply pandered to the ultra conservative delegation there. Chris Cannon might not be the most eloquent, but he's effective and he uses common sense.

I won't vote for Chaffetz for two reasons:

1. There is no reason to believe Chaffetz can do what he says. He lacks seniority and credibility. He will be facing a democratic congress and possibly a democratic president without the experience it will take to make change.

2. Even if he somehow managed to be effective, I don't want to see the changes that he proposes. He is unrealistic about immigration and refuses to provide a real solution. He makes the Sutherland Institute look like a bastion of liberalism.

I think it should make everyone in the 3rd district a little bit nervous that Cannon is viewed as too liberal to represent us and yet he is ranked as one of the most conservative members of Congress.

To keep doing what you've been doing & expecting a different result, that is insanity!

To keep Voting for who you've been Voting for & expecting a different result, that is stupidity!

I will vote for the person who promises me the least government interference in my life & then holds to that promise!

Cannon, Effective? Name one bill that bears his name that has passed Congress. The only bills I can remember him being a primary sponsor of are the AgJbos amnesty for illegal farm workers, and he co-sponsored the Dream act with Orrin Hatch a few years back. Neither bill passed.

He does have the distinction of being one of two Congressmen to vote against the do not call list. I guess Utahns can mark that up as a victory somehow.

All of these pro-Cannon posts talk about the fact that he is starting to take a stand on this issue or is now trying to pass this bill. I was a state delegate and listened to Cannon talk for an hour about current legislation for oil shale and enery reform. Where was he 12 years ago on this issue? Or even 3 or 4 years ago when the republicans had the majority in congress. I'm sorry, for me, it seems like it is too little too late for Chris Cannon.

I am glad to read so many of the comments on this subject. It shows that there are many informed voters.

I really like the note about 'throwing red meat to the right-wing.' Oh is this true! If Jason keeps up his rhetoric in the primary he will be toast. The rank and file Republican is not into the rabid anti-illegal immigrant as the convention is. Polls show that 80%+ are opposed to illegal immigration yet when you ask questions like should they all be deported the percentages go WAY down. Fact is, the average American is opposed to illegal immigration, they just don't support the extreme measures floated in convention circles, that Jason played off of.

If Jason settles down in the primary he will run into the exact same problems as Jacob. Jacob started out not touching immigration, shifted into hard corp then ended up with a more thoughtful approach, which his supporters walked away from as amnesty.

If Jason keeps up the 'rabid red meat' he loses with broad Republican voters. He shifts to a more moderate approach he shows his true colors as a flip-flopper. In either case...

Also, his he no track record but talk.

I don't know who I will vote for come June, but I can say this: I worked to get Cannon elected the first time. Why? Because he actually came to my town and talked to us to find out our feelings on what was happening.

Guess What? I haven't seen him since. I sure would like to know that he still cared about my hometown and how the crap in Washington is affecting us.

I will have to do a lot of studying on who is running before I cast my vote.

Experience in Congress is way overrated and means nothing to me. In fact, the longer politicians spend in Washington D.C. the less in touch they are with their constituents. George Washington voluntary stepped down after eight years. Why can't Cannon and others do the same? Isn't eight years long enough?

The name is House of Representatives for a reason. Cannon stopped representing us a long time ago. Let's get him back in Utah where he can find a real job again.

So...Congress is spending money like it grows on trees, has done nothing to combat illegal immigration, has lower approval ratings than the president, spends all their time holding worthless hearings to find out if there are steroids in baseball, arguing back and forth about meaningless bills meant to censure this or that, and some of you still want the same people re-elected because of their seniority? GET REAL!!!

Chris Cannon doesn't even know that he is a big part of the problem. He blames the Democrats for everything, but the reason the Democrats are in charge is because the Republicans were totally ineffective. What a joke the people in this state are becoming. I guess I'm going to have to go against my principles and register as a Republican for one day just to cast a vote AGAINST Cannon.

Look at the votes at convention

Round 1:
SF 4
JF 49
DL 220
JC 469
CC 338

Round 2

DL 161 (lost 59 votes)
JC 529 (gained 60 votes)
CC 356 (gained 18)
34 left

Round 3

JC 563 or 59% gained 34 votes
CC 391 gained 35 votes
92 left

If JC had 10 more votes, Chris Cannon could find another job. Even after the illegal move Cannon and Leavitt did for the 3rd round, Cannon only picked up one vote more than Jason did from Leavitt's group.

The 1080 delegates that showed up represented hundreds of neighborhoods, not just 1000 people.

Jason won by having better ideas. We could use that in DC. Time to kick Cannon out!

re: State Delegate | 11:30 a.m. May 15, 2008

Jason was the only one of the 3 that has real ideas of how to solve immigration. Start with Legal Immigration rules. His 6 or 7 steps actually work.

He needs to recognize that we do have a change in the weather - globally. Harrison Ford points out that more problems are from burning crops that all the cars in the world.

I was very unimpressed with Jason's negative campaigning leading up to the convention. He criticized just about everything and everyone, even down to photos on campaign fliers. He touted his relationship with Huntsman (though merging Jr. and Sr. into one person) then later slams him. Football experience is not pertinent to Congress though he used it often. He originally slammed Cannon on congressional attendance until the Cannon camp released charts showing that times he missed corresponded with major family issues such as death and birth. His campaign was full of blunders and miss steps. I wanted to be impressed and like him. I had worked a bit with him on Huntsman's run for governor. But the more I listened the more I did not think he was up to the job. He lacks the wisdom and decorum of a Congressman. If you look at his stance on issues they mostly correspond with Cannon's. Most, if not all, of his attacks on Cannon are unfounded when you get the whole story.
I think most of Chaffetz's supporters are merely anti-Cannon. Look at who you vote for, not who you vote against.

I guess that depends on how you define Effective Lee. Your definition of effectiveness is so narrow that there really wouldn’t be any successful Representatives or Senators.
So I think it is only reasonable to expand that definition. I think you need to look not only at the number of bills with someone’s name on them but also what they have been able to accomplish and what their peers think of them. Chris is a go-to guy in the House for Republicans. He has sponsored and co-sponsored a lot of legislation. He has brokered a deal which turned a lot of shale rich land from being a National Monument to being owned by the Ute Indians which are supporting the continuing effort to develop effective shale to oil extraction. This can free us from foreign oil, its influences, and potentially save us from a major economic disaster. You can also look at what he’s been doing on getting control of our illegal immigration. You can also look to the fact that Chris fought to get us legislation which keeps us safe from paying insane taxes for internet usage. To me all that adds up to effectiveness.

The problem with the average politician is they talk in terms of saving the world. This confuses the voters into thinking that by voting for one particular person they can make a sweeping change.

So take the issue of the oil shale in Utah. That is an enormous potential for energy though it is tied up by many factors. That aside, take an issue where one very powerful person has tried to open up dometic energy. That would be President Bush and the ANWR fields up in Alaska.

Not even the President can do that by himself. With that absolute truth, that not even the President of the United States can open up an energy source by himself, you are now faulting Cannon for not opening up oil shale in eastern Utah? Seriously?

It simply demonstrates that you do not understand how a democratically elected representative form of government works. Heck, Jim Hansen was chair of the Natural Resources Committee in the House and could only make a few improvements.

If you seriously think Jason Chaffetz can get it done by himself you are dilusional at best. Dishonest at worst. In any case, let's not confuse truth with fiction.

“Even after the illegal move Cannon and Leavitt did for the 3rd round” If that was illegal then Chaffetz broke the same rule since he was down on the floor doing he exact same thing for the entire second ballot. I should know I was sitting 40 feet from him when he was doing it.
Also saying that he has better ideas than Cannon is a farce, that’s like saying French Vanilla Ice Cream is FAR superior to Vanilla ice Cream. Their positions on the issues are nearly identical. Just like Obama, Chaffetz is just another politician.

Boy there is some irony on this board in that everyone thinks Chaffetz would be just fine if he ran against Matheson but he's just awful against Cannon. Hopefully Republicans will get get behind both Bill Dew and Jason Chaffetz so that both Matheson and Cannon can go do something else.

Two current pieces of legislation, both sponsored by Cannon, show that Cannon is not about limiting Gov't, but trying to please the populace. H.R. 5546 - Credit Card Fair Fee Act, government seeks to regulate the negotiated fees between retailers and credit card providers using threat of anti-trust claims. H.R. 5846 - Wireless Internet Nationwide Act, Government seeks to license a national netwrok provider to provide a free access national wireless network.

In my opinion, these bills expand the role of the Federal Gov't. and make it more intrusive into our lives. Yet these acts will make people feel good that their Gov't is doing things for them. Cannon's comment about the price of gas being "criminal" also shows he wants gov't intervention. Since when is it the gov't's job to provide cheap anything?

I know Chris Cannon's record in Congress. He may not be the most charismatic person, but he is an experienced legislator and has integrity. He listens to the people. Experience does matter. Why change a good thing? If you want change maybe the naysayers should vote for Obama, good luck.

Could someone please tell me what the value is of Cannon's 12 years? More insight into "precocious" male teenage interns?

What are the tangible benefits that Utah receives for his seniority? I don't remember any bills he passed or influence he was able to use or pressure he was able to apply in a Democrat-run house or representatives just because he isn't brand new. So my question is, what does Cannon bring home for Utahns that Chaffetz just couldn't because he's new?

People who talk about Cannon's qualifications say "he voted for" this and that, but couldn't Chaffetz do the same (with the exception of not supporting amnesty)? Where does 12 years of experience get us? Especially in a congress the Republicans don't control and probably won't control for some time?

For 12 years I have watched Chris Cannon show up in the national news periodically and it's never been for anything that reflects well on Utah but is always a case where he let his mouth run on overdrive when he should've kept quiet.

If Chaffetz got to DC he would have nothing to contribute. He has no ideas and no practical solutions. No one will listen to him let alone respect him enough to follow any possible future idea. The man's arrogant and just wants the title. He has a look at me, praise me type demeaner and I was absolutely disgusted at how many delegates believed his speech. Do your homework BEFORE you vote and don't let all the emotion of a few minutes govern your decision. I definitely don't agree with all of what Cannon does, but he's a whole heck of a lot better choice than Chaffetz.

Get a clue people. Until the rest of the nation votes out there incumbents nothing will change and Utahns voting out Cannon will only hurt Utah. Maybe its time for congressional term limits. This would solve the seniority problems and change could actually take place. People keep saying it's time for Cannon to come back to Utah and look for a real job, so what's Chaffetz excuse? Is he tired of having a real job? Is he now looking for a vacation? And being born and raised as a Cougar fan, I don't recognize his name at all. I guess everyone needs a backup.

All you anti Cannon played it so wrong at the convention if you wanted Cannon out your only hope was to vote for David Leavitt who actually had a shot of beating him in a primary not to mention was the better candidate by far! Chaffetz is the biggest unrealistic glory hog mudslinger this district has seen which probably is due to the fact he doesn't live in the 3rd district, and only choose to run because he thought enough people we were unhappy with cannon that he had a chance not because he actually believes he can help America or Utah. When the delegates of the 3rd district find out all the stuff I know will come out about Jason I hope you realize how easily you were duped by a good speech and next time maybe do your homework a little better before casting your ballot. The only good news out of this is that he doesn't have a chance in beating Chris in a primary

I have been a Republican State delegate and the impression I get is that third district delegates will never be able to find someone who is "conservative" enough for them. If Jason were to get elected they would be skewering him two years from now.