Now that I have had a day to catch my breath, take a nap, and sit down in front of my lappy to type this out, I feel that it is important for Utah Democrats to analyze the events that took place yesterday at the state convention.

First, I want to extend a very heartfelt congratulations to Wayne Holland on his reelection.  My support of Jeff Bell was never a rejection of Wayne, rather it was to support the candidate that I felt more aligned with as far as where I would like to see the party go.

Now, lets talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good:

I have always been a firm supporter of incumbents being challenged. We must never forget that one of the virtues of democracy is that ideas are constantly challenged – even bad ideas should be discussed if only to prove why the status quo is better.  If an opponents idea gains some traction, it is up to the candidate to decide whether or not to incorporate or reject those ideas.

I feel that although Bell lost, he did raise some very important issues for Holland to consider during the next election cycle that basically starts now. I hope and trust that Holland will at least consider his opponents ideas rather than running the party with a swagger (which I don’t think he is doing now).

The Bad:

Of course I think it is bad that my guy lost – but the purpose of this post is to be a little more altruistic.  My principal concern arose from the both conscious and unconscious use of the bully pulpit to support the sitting chair.  Now, I fully acknowledge that it is impossible to discuss members of the party and their role without discussion Wayne, but I do feel that it is unfair to have endorsements woven into speeches for only one candidate. Is it unexpected? No. But is it fair to the process?

This type of campaigning smacks of high school politics: One candidate has all his cool friends go around at tell people to vote Bobbie Smith as class president because, well, his parents have a pool. Johnnie Pocketprotecter may have better ideas, but sheer charisma prevents him from getting his ideas across.

Sour grapes? Perhaps, but everyone knows that this is not fair to a challenger to be shut out simply because he is not one of the cool kids.  I fully recognize that the reason many of the people on stage in the first place were there, in part, because of the help and guidance of Holland. They, therefore, will do what they can to ensure that he gets reelected.  But, again, is this fair to the delegate who only receives one side of the story when honestly making a decision? Finally, before you start to flame me, just think about what you would have thought had the shoe been on the other foot.

As Democrats in Utah, we often complain that we don’t get a fair shake – that Republicans prevent us from getting our message out because incumbency has its inherent advantages – that citizens vote for Republicans because we don’t really have an equal opportunity to present our ideas. I simply pose the hypothetical question: is this behavior, in reality, any different?

The Ugly:

I don’t even know where to begin on this – I guess I will start out with the unrepentant (and unnecessary) burning of bridges that took place on both sides.  Jessie Harris put it best in the comments section of my previous entry:

I’ve been watching this race from afar and I don’t like how people I know have been pitted one against another. Good people. It’s why I have no taste for party politics anymore.

People were far too eager to tear each other down simply because someone else did not choose their candidate – as if the sun would not rise today if their candidate did not win.

This is a particularly touchy subject for me as I was an early supporter for Jeff and made it known.  The first comment I received on my endorsement post was from someone whom I am convinced used a pseudonym to attack me for not towing the party line. This scenario would repeat itself over and over again with both sides hurling insults like it was going out of style – both on the internet and in person.

As is implied above, this kind of bickering caught the eye and ear of anyone paying attention.  This nasty and unwarranted infighting is shameful and it only weakens our party; it does nothing to add to the conversation. In short, it is one thing to question the logic of why a person has made a decision, it is quite another to attack them simply because they have made one.

Epilogue:

We, as a party, must be willing to accept criticism, especially from within our own ranks – it makes us stronger in the long run. Both Wayne and Jeff had strong and weak points about how they wanted to run the party; indeed a healthy debate did take place between the individual candidates as to what the party needs to do to continue seeing success.

We must also not forget that, even in politics, we are still just people – capable of hurting and being hurt; it is time, I feel, for both sides to accept and receive apologies from the other. I, for one, am fully behind Wayne in his third term because I know that not only will he lead us well, but that he will listen and consider the ideas of those who disagree.

There is no need, in my mind, to carry the nastiness and anger froward.  A decision has been made and the delegates of this party have spoken; there is no need to play the “what if” game because it is simply is not going to happen – we must look ahead of us, not behind, in order to ensure that our party takes its rightful place in Utah Politics.

And, as a final note, I do want to say thank you to all of the Wayne supporters that were willing to honestly hear me out as to why I supported Jeff. You may not have agreed with me, but the civility and honest discussion is so vital to our system, if only because it forces us to defend or reject the ideas we believe in – not just blindly accept them.

P.S. Anyone attending the convention yesterday is well aware of the technological disaster that was Jeff Bell’s nomination speech.  Knowing, again, that there is no need to rehash the past, I do feel it is only fair for people to have the opportunity to view his presentation. It can be found by clicking here.