Republican Party Nominating Convention Report

Let me begin by saying that before arriving at the convention I had already selected the candidates who would get my vote.  I'm so happy I did because it is overwhelming to be there, surrounded by thousands of people and lots of campaign material.  Although I had already made my selections, I listened intently to all of the speeches....pretty much.  Here are my notes:

Candidate Speeches for U.S. Senate:

1. Tim Bridgewater: unflinching commitment to fiscal responsibility; no more telling terrorists they have the right to remain silent; unalienable rights come from God, not the federal government, count on this gun owner to protect our right to bear arms  (honestly it was a toss up for me between him and Mike Lee)
2. Bob Bennett: I will retire in 6 years (says the 76 year old man); the fire in my belly is burning brighter than ever before; I hear you want to repeal Obamacare...I want to repeal Obama (Mitt Romney spoke for him, it was a Kodak moment)
3. Jeremy Friedbaum: quoted the hymn "Do What is Right"; used the words "I testify"; When the God of Israel called me to be a Christian and a Latter-Day Saint...; I fasted for 39 1/2 days waiting to be invited to a debate as a candidate for governor
4. Leonard Fabiano: will not accept pay or retirement; wants to teach everyone in the country about the constitution; apparently knew he didn't have a chance so he tried to organize  the Renaissance of Liberty Foundation on stage
5. Merrill Cook: no notes other than I couldn't determine whether his hair was a comb over or fake
6. David Chiu: it is not right to dismiss or demean other candidates (I agree whole-heartily); the rest of his speech didn't make sense to me
7. Mike Lee: quoted George Washington a lot; wants to focus on today by reversing what has been done; we have proven we can do hard things; I will hold a constitution in one hand and a bill on the other; will fight for bills that can be read before they receive a final vote (I was choosing between him and Bridgewater)
8. Cherilyn Eager: other than her sharing time story she gave an excellent speech, she's a fireball with tons of energy (I liked her more after hearing her.  I worry that women in politics think they should win just because they are a woman.)

Round One Voting:

Mike Lee with 28.75% - I voted for him
Tim Bridgewater 26.84%
Bob Bennett 25.91%
Cherilyn Eager 15.84
Merrill Cook 1.43%
Leonard Fabiano 0.64%
Jeremy Friedbaum 0.47%
David Chiu 0.12%

Round Two Voting:

Tim Bridgewater 37.42%
Mike Lee 35.99% - I voted for him
Bob Bennett 26.59% with 905 votes

Round Three Voting:

Tim Bridgewater 57.28% gained 580 of Bennett's votes
Mike Lee 42.72% gained 158 of Bennett's votes - I voted for him

There will be a primary election because neither person had 60% of the votes.

Bathroom Break Line Fun Fact: The state delegates are 75% men and 25% women.  I don't have a problem with that. 

Other Fun Facts:  All automatic delegates were dismissed with no discussion on the floor.  They left in angry herds.  From what I've pulled off the www, automatic delegate is synonymous with honorary delegate.  The state delegates had more than 98.6% attendance equaling 3,452.  11 were tardy and we had to vote to let them stay.  The delegates attendance was better than the candidates for governor.

Candidate Speeches for Utah Governor:

1. Richard Martin: used the word precipitously; Utah has conservative values but liberal spending; self-acclaimed owner of the largest finance company of its kind in the country; authored 33 books; wants Utah to become the richest state; his customers never lost money (I really worried about him and not just because of his hair)
2. "SuperDell" Schanze: no show; Chuck Smith spoke for him, said he had the hardest job of the day; we'll be governed by imperfect people (like SuperDell) and that's why we should limit government (this was a waste of 7 minutes)
3. Dan Oaks: he filed for governor because he was inspired to do it; has experienced success in the private sector, will serve, and will return home just like our founding fathers would want it; career politician lose touch with the issues faced in the private sector; will rally with other governors to stand up against the federal government, will lower taxes, will shift powers away from education administrators to the teachers
4. Gary Herbert: Lt. Governor Greg Bell introduced him; limited government equals limitless opportunities; 3 E's, economic development, energy, and education; "Me Too" politics fail; citizens are not an ATM for the government; you can't have more people in the wagon than pulling the wagon

Round One Voting:

Gary Herbert 70.8%
Dan Oaks 24.63% - I voted for him
Richard Martin 4.18%
"SuperDell" Schanze 0.39% with 13 votes

Candidate Speeches for U.S. Congress District 1:

1. Rob Bishop: in Washington he feels like he's standing in a pasture holding a rope and thinks did I just find a rope or just lose a horse?; we are not the party of NO but the party of HELL NO; he's a work horse not a show horse because he's a nutritional overachiever; "I can't afford for you to have liked what I said" - obviously an anti-clapper (he wins best speech of the day hands down)
2. Mike Ridgway: a recovering automatic delegate (see above fun facts); hates tyranny in Utah politics because his family has been in the Church since 1893; quoted President Hinkley; ran against Bishop to speak out against him (I think this was a waste of time but a guy behind me called him courageous)

Round One Voting:

Rob Bishop 93% - I voted for him
Mike Ridgway 7%

Candidate Speeches for U.S. Congress District 2:

1. Neil Walter: we are the Beehive State and Washington has been shaking our hive long enough; I will take my character and integrity to Washington because I don't expect to find any there; will stop negotiating with the Sierra Club
2. Morgan Philpot: democrats can't be having more fun than us on the other side of the building because they worry about right wing insurgents who cling to guns and religion; will cut taxes, reduce the size of the federal government, and give us back our land
3. Ed Eliason: we don't need politicians to fix our problems, we need to fix them; career politicians are representing Washington to us rather than us to Washington

Round One Voting:

Morgan Philpot 56.37%
Neil Walter 42.08%
Ed Eliason 1.55%

Round Two Voting:

Morgan Philpot 60.13%
Neil Walter 39.87%

Candidate Speeches for U.S. Congress District 3:

1. Jason Chaffetz: fire Pelosi, fire Reid, and make Obama a one-term president

He won the party nomination by acclamation.

And that's that.  I loved it.