Healthcare...get your Healthcare...get your Healthcare...Reform

Great op-ed by former Utah Gov and Bush Cabinet Member Mike Leavitt (yes I realize I just mentioned him in my last post and no I'd don't have a crush).

See the full article here: Healthcare reform: Less spending, less government control

I'll summarize his key points quickly:

1) Define contributions not benefits
2) Engage consumers
3) Give states more flexibility
4) More towards sustainable expectations

He offers the three primary reasons why healthcare, an issue Republicans generally do not win, was in 2010 a winning issue for them: "The truth is that people don't like Obamacare for three reasons: It represents too much debt, too much deficit and too much government."

Amen.

2012

So this comes as no big surprise that Senator Hatch is going to run for another term.

I think he's going to have a tough battle ahead of him. Rumored to run is Rep. Jason Chaffetz and recently mentioned is former Governor Huntsman. I thought it was interesting that two days ago Jason's campaign manager Deidre Henderson followed me on Twitter then literally two hours later so did Senator Hatch.

I suspect Huntsman won't run. I suspect Chaffetz will.

That means 2012 is going to be nuts for elections. The Governor's office is up for election (already), Attorney General (Sen Valentine has been mentioned as interested), Hatch's seat, and all what will by then be four Congressional seats, not to mention the Legislative seats.

I'm looking forward to it. Odds are with so many races going on at the same time there will naturally be an increased demand for people with political and/or campaign experience. The good ones will be nabbed up early so folks need to start organizing now - or else you may be caught in a moral dilemma of trying to decide between high school interns and hiring illegals from Mexico - just sayin. ;)

But back to the Senate race. Who would you like to see run? I think it'd be interesting to see someone like Mike Leavitt run, or even his brother David Leavitt (neither are really being mentioned as interested). I'm a huge fan of Provo Mayor John Curtis (but he's not that politically ambitious). West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder is someone with a political future, but I see him happy with being Mayor (for now). Honestly, at this point I'm not that excited about any of the current Legislators rumored to be interested, but that could change as things get closer to kick off. Not rumored to run but I'd be interested in watching his campaign would be someone like Curt Bramble. Same with John Dougall.

Who knows what it'll bring but with so many races I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Shawn Bradley again, with that, why not Steve Young, Thurl Bailey, Karl Malone (he could come back right), or maybe even that crazy chick from Utah on The Bachelor?

Update 1/24/11: A new addition I'd like to add to the list. Sen Dan Liljenquist. He comes across very sincere and more than qualified.

A House without a Home

I honestly do feel bad for Rep Craig Frank in Cedar Hills. He got shafted. But I am a litle surprised at how quickly people are willing to toss out the State Constitution.

This commentary in the Daily Herald nails it I think:

The pro-Frank crowd felt that the committee and legislature should follow what has been traditionally believed to be right for the last 10 years and ignore the plain language of Utah's constitution that would remove him from office.

I understand the frustration. I understand the confusion. But if you live outside the line you live outside the line.

What's curious is that the majority of Craig's supporters are ardent defenders of the US Constitution. It's just interesting how folks react when an issue hits as close to home as this one does.

Just to add even more intrigue to the issue...Senator Valentine is looking into the definition of what the line actually is.

UPDATE
Valentine and Dougall to run a Bill