The Chris Cannon/David Leavitt companion candidacy of 2008 is yet one more reason in a long list of reasons to do away with the caucus/convention system in Utah.

If it wasn't obvious what Leavitt and Cannon were up to before the convention, it became painfully obvious on the day of. With the rules of the Utah Republican Party allowing for no more than two candidates to advance from the convention to a primary, all Cannon and Leavitt had to do was take first and second place and Jason Chaffetz' quest to take Cannon into a primary would be through.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the primary. Chris Cannon didn't come in first place. And David Leavitt didn't come in second. Then before you knew it Leavitt was out and it was down to a final elimination round. We all know what happened then.

The Utah Republican Party should immediately return to the voting system that it implemented from 2001 to 2004 -- instant-runoff voting -- which would make this kind of gamesmanship virtually impossible. But there's a more important near-term objective that we must accomplish. It's time to end Utah's Cannon-Leavitt dynasty. Sorry Chris. U-gotta-go.

Don't forget the Chris will have the support of his brother, Joe, editor of the paper the Dnews.

Go Jason!

Red meat is the second theme of the day for the Chaeffetz camp. The first is the overall theme of ABC, Anybody But Cannon. I sum that up for what it is: We-hate-Chris-Cannon so we will buy anything being sold so long as it is ABC.

Chaeffetz has said so many completely outrageous things. A letter is being put together in which Chaeffetz told a number of delegates that he supports creating concentration camps for illegal aliens. That is how far he is willinig to go in order to get a vote at convention. Similar to his letter on David Leavitt.

Of course Chaeffetz wouldn't support a concentration camp with constatina wire in real life, but a Republican state convention is not real life. So Chaeffetz makes these kind of outlandish statements (red meat in this article) to get a few extra votes, and now in a primary he will pretend like he has never even heard the words.

I think Chaeffetz get's to explain to the state why it is he thinks Hispanics should be treated similar to Jews, even Japanese-Americans.

This is where Chaeffetz gets into real trouble. Will the real Chaeffetz please stand up!

More misinformation from the Leavitt and Cannon camps.

I've heard Chaffetz speak. His policy positions reflect core conservative values. They are not outlandish, but Cannon and Leavitt and their followers will try to make that claim. Jason Chaffetz has endorsed an idea put forth by the Western Governor's Association calling for federal prisons in the West to house fugitive illegal aliens (those convicted of crimes). It's not a concentration camp.

Most people don't understand that if a citizen commits a non-violent crime like identity fraud, that citizen is arrested. If a fuguitive alien commits such a crime, he is released because there is no federal prison and there aren't enough beds for non-violent federal inmates.

Check your facts - never rely on anonymous posters to an online message board to give you a straight story. Go check the facts for yourself.

Maybe we want a change from "milk before meat". Sens. Hatch & Bennet will support Cannon? Or hurt him? People are fed up w/ the status quo & "lifetime" Senators are what people want to end.

I moved to Utah from the east some years ago and have never gotten used to the far right mentality that takes over at the state convention. It does not reflect the ordinary Republican voter in the state. Cannon may have his problems but he is a gut fighter in a place that plays hardball - Washington. Jason would be red meat for those folks.

Now we get the soft sale version of what Chaeffetz told many of the delegates. Jason has taken the extreme road to appeal to the radical element of this discussion. And look at how quick his campaign is already back pedaling on the issue. It gets mentioned this morning and already it was nothing, someone elses idea and not actually what Jason said.

yada, yada, yada.

Jason has been playing extreme right wing politics with fring all over it. Now he is beginning to shift his position. By the time the primary is here Chaeffetz will be another Matheson Democrat.

Just watch.

Wow James! Regarding your comparison of the proposed detention centers to Concentration Camps. Talk about taking something totally out of context and putting the most negative spin on it possible. Jason made reference to the way AZ Sheriff Joe Arpaio handles people who make a choice to break American laws, which includes illegal immigrants (notice the word illegal in there). The irony is that our American soldiers live that way in Iraq every day. As Jason has said, "If it's good enough for our American soldiers, it's good enough for the immigrants that come here illegally. Seriously, he has no intention of gassing anyone, so enough with the Concentration Camp references. You must be taking drama lessons from my sixteen year old daughter!

So the Western Governors Association wants a concentration camp? Hardly!

Increased funding to handle illegal aliens that are being held in their jails or prisons waiting for the Feds to handle them. In some cases I believe the Feds are renting jail and prison space from the states and counties to hold criminal illegal aliens until they are deported.

Let the flip-floping begin! Chaeffetz got to tell the entire right-wing Convention 'vote for him because he will support (insert some form of concentration camp here) to get rid of all illegal aliens!'

Now that he is out of the convention...let him fly his idea of a deportation center/concentration camp to the general public.

BBKing, Lavar Webb, James and others are right on the money. Chaeffetz said what he had to say in order to get votes at the convention. Now suddenly he is the perfect example of Mr Nice Guy moderate.

I laughed when I read the prediction that by the time the primary is here he will be another Matheson type Democrat. Overall that is an improvement from the Dukakis type Democrat that he started out as.

Nice guy but strictly in this for the opportunity.

As a 3rd Congressional District delegate I promised my precinct that I would vote for anyone but Cannon and easily won election as a delegate, and there were about 75 citizens at the meeting. I would have voted for Leavitt if he had survived.

I have met and talked to each of the 3rd CD candidates and found Chaffetz by far the best choice. Leavitt's politics are very similar to Cannons, but at least I think he would have been competent.

Leavitt thought money was what was necessary to win, but the delegates saw through it for what he really is. Cannon thinks money is what will save him, but I doubt that his campaign has any idea of the strength of Chaffetz's grassroots campaign strength. Even though Cannon has tried to paint a different picture of himself on the illegal immigration issue, the voters know better.

I suppose it is symantics, right?

So now we get a second version of what Chaeffetz wants. Now it is not the Western Governor's Association, but Sherriff Joe out of Arizona? Ok, take that one as a correction from the first person who said it was the Governors who wanted the "camps."

So Jason is proposing that if he is elected he will pass legislation to create "camps" around the country in which all illegals will be rounded up and placed in? Is that the idea?

Back to the symantics, the word "concentration" means something to the affect of focusing all assets into one area.

Is Jason really promising to run that bill if elected? So nation wide we will set up camps with chain link fences, razor wires, etc, round illegal aliens up, hold them until they can be deported?

I'm guessing that the average 'red meat' convention delegate likes that idea. Do you think the average voter will like it as well? I'm guessing not.

Please understand, that while most people are opposed to illegal immigration, most people do not support the round'em up method of solving it. I don't think they'll like these camps either.

Mr. Ridgeway once again proves that to man who has only a hammer, every problem starts looking like a nail. And Ridgeway's solution to virtually ever perceived problem is IRV.

There is NOTHING at all remiss with defeated candidates throwing their support to someone else. In fact, in light of some of the VERY divisive races the GOP has had in the past, we should welcome a system that encourages consensus candidates that can be supported by the majority of the party.

Personally, I'd just as soon seen Chaffetz emerge with the nomination. But unlike Ridgeway I don't believe in gaming the rules to benefit any one candidate and the current process works well. IRV MAY make sense in cases where there simply is not time for multiple ballots. But where multi-ballots are reasonable and feasible, they are the PREFERRED method of Roberts and every other parliamentary rule set. Even hardcore election "reformers" don't like IRV EXCEPT as a stepping stone to even less understandable balloting and tabulation methods like Condorcet or approval voting.

The convention worked well and the eventual GOP nominee will be stronger for having had a primary this time.

Over the last 3 races, Cannon has gone from just barely being forced into a primary to just barely surviving to a primary. I have no idea whether Chaffetz will be able to beat him in the primary, but if he doesn't, I predict that a lot of very credible GOP congressional hopefuls will be gearing up their convention campaigns the day after that primary.

Admittedly, Cannon has been great on a number of important issues. But he has been the poster boy for open borders and the voters are tired of that. If he survives this time, he better spend the next two years getting right on border security and immigration or he will likely lose in convention in two years.

I have been a Republican for many years. I agree that the party has become a very ultra conservative wacko group for the most part. There are a few of us moderates left who are shoved to the back of the line when the ultras are taking over our party. Maybe, we ought to ask them to go back to their libertarian and constitution parties and let the REAL Republicans have their party back.

Jason definitely is an ultra conservative who thinks he is the answer to the asian bird flu himself.

Pignanelli: "The delegate and convention process is an artifact from the political Paleozoic era that must be eliminated."

Would you prefer having the candidate selection process depend on a largely apathetic public deciding the election based on 15 second sound bites, media recommendations, and which candidate got the best hair cut? Or would you rather have a convention where the most politically educated get to meet the candidate and ask them questions? It would give the media more power if we got rid of the convention system.

Immigration

Many of us are distressed by the immigration issue because it's creating a group of second class citizens as well as creating disregard for the rule of law. The guest worker programs are just a way to create a class of foreign serfs to do our dirty work. Let's fix the problem and let people that want to come to the U.S. and contribute become full citizens, not just work here as serfs.

The U.S. has always been a land of opportunity because of the rule of law and equality before the law. If the current broken system continues we'll destroy the very thing that makes our country attractive to immigrants.