Utah's Republican State Convention was held today and Bennett, the incumbent, failed to make the primary ballot. Bennett garnered only 27% against Mike Lee's 35% and Lee Bridgewater's 37%. Bam! In 2008 when TARP was being discussed I remember watching as Chris Dodd and Barney Frank announced an agreement on a financial bailout and standing there was Bob Bennett. I said to myself right then, "Bob, you are done! The people of this state will never forget the image of you standing silent beside Barney I-didn't-know-my-"friend"-was-running-a-male-brothel-out-of-my-basement Frank and Chris I-only-included-those-executive-bonus-in-the-bill-because-Timmothy-Tax-cheat-Geithner-made-me Dodd in support of that atrocity of a bill, TARP." (You'll notice Chuck Schumer there as well; why would you ever want to be seen in that group?) He also co-sponsored a failed bill mandating all citizens to carry health coverage. He was also a big ear-marker.
Bennett was mostly conservative, but not conservative enough. Many wanted to keep him around because of his seniority status in the senate. My response was always: nobody in Washington is so important that they can't be replaced. Besides if it takes the sacrifice of one Republican to wake the party up, than hand me the knife.
I say, "Bennett, you had your chance and you squandered it. You spoke like a conservative west of the Rockies, but somewhere between the Rockies and the Appalachians you morphed into a moderate. Goodbye and good riddance. But don't cry. I'm sure your taxpayer funded lifetime pension and premium health insurance will soften the blow. We're not interested in politicians who merely slow the march to socialism. We need people willing to stand against it at all costs. You should have worried more about what we thought of you than of what your fellow Senatorial Country Club members thought. So long, farewell, auf weidersehen, good-by."
(Look at that picture. Boy is that worth a thousand words. Looking back, he may wish he weren't so tall.)
