RaDene Hatfield, the Democratic challenger to Curt Bramble for his Provo senate seat is challenging the Majority Leader to reject campaign money from businesses headquartered outside Utah.Hatfield fears that big money buys influence. I'm trying to figure out a place to draw a bright line because we've got to draw a bright line. No one entity should be able to put $10,000 toward any campaign or initiative.
Doesn't Hatfield know Bramble's best friend and state Republican Party boss is Stan Lockhart, the lobbyist for an extremely big business, Micron Corp.? They hang together on Lake Powell houseboat vacations. Lockhart's wife is Rep. Becky Lockhart another Bramble BFF.
He claims that doesn't sway his voting a bit. So Brambo obviously is going to soar high above something as paltry as a few thousand of dollars donations from lobbyists who are complete strangers.
Bramble, who likes to remind people he is an accountant, explains to the Provo Daily Herald that it's simply more efficient to raise funds from businesses and special interest groups, than to get it from individual voters. Think about it: He's saving his constituents money! What a guy.
Never one to let an opportunity for arrogance slip by, Bramble adds:Their money spends as well as anyone else's.
Perhaps Altria Corporate Services, a company that benefits from a Bramble's help in lowering the cost of tobacco snuff, will step up to subsidize the infamously lousy tips our Majority Leader gives pizza delivery folks.
6 Comments:
Get real. Hatfield is an ignorant blowhard who made an statement about only taking money from businesses headquartered in Utah and then quickly back peddled, recanting her "bright line" hardline stance. Most politicians, even flip floppers, don't flip flop in the same article.
From the article: "Hatfield does retreat from the hard line when asked about companies that aren't headquartered here but do substantial business in the state. At that point the conversation shifts to concern that big money means big influence."
When she states: "No one should be able to put $10,000 toward any campaign or any initiatives" I wonder if that also includes the NEA/UEA spending money on referendum 1 to fight vouchers and protect the status quo? Unlikely.
I've been searching for Bramble's donations from anti-tobacco companies and I can't find a one. It appears it was a flat out lie he told the Daily Herald. And in response to "Give me a break," your disrespectful words are the kind of politics that do not represent Utah values, just as Bramble's treatment of people don't represent Utah values. So lets have a respectful debate. I think all Hatfield was saying was that not all companies outside of Utah are created equally bad. But it's hard for voters to tell so we have to draw the line somewhere which she has done by not selling herself out to companies such as big tobacco that don't have Utah's interests at heart.
Why are out-of-state-headquartered companies all of a sudden such a bad thing?
Shouldn't we welcome companies like Micron who invest in Utah and create high-paying jobs? Attracting high-wage exporting companies is critical to Utah's economic growth. Just because Micron is headquartered in evil Idaho doesn't mean Micron itself is evil.
Hey Bramble, you need to apologize to RaDene. Your arrogance keeps growing with your head. 10,000.oo from UEA represents thousands of educators. 10,000.00 from a corporation, well, represents the corporation.
Go buy a Digirono Pizza and pretwnd it's a delivery.
Utahns, worms like Bramble need to be voted out.
Re: Anonymous. No one ever said there's anything wrong with companies investing in Utah. The problem is when companies with no interest in our people's well being such as the Tobacco companies buy off people like Bramble at the expense of our state. These companies don't have to give money to our politicians to invest here. But if legislators stick with local funds, we can be more confident they won't be influenced by those who don't care at all about Utah.
Faulty premise from Hatfield. It doesn't take $10K or even $1K to buy her opponent. Just lunch or dinner or a Jazz ticket.
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