This week, we had a very upstanding edition of "Inside Utah Politics," as Sen. Howard Stephenson determines in just a few seconds what the entire House Ethics Committee hasn't been able to figure out in hours of hearings: Greg Hughes is innocent! Free Greg!


-- First, some good news. Red Meat Radio has its own Web site: read it here. This of course means that my court-mandated public service is nearing an end, since you can get your recap straight from the elephant's mouth.

-- Stephenson says Hughes isn't the only Republican being smacked with bogus ethics charges. It's part of the Democrats' game plan nationally. For example, the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington asked for an ethics investigation because Sen. John McCain reportedly won thousands of dollars on the craps table at an American Indian casino in 2000. (Really? You can win at craps? Maybe it helps if you're chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.) Even worse is the ethics investigation into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's firing of the public safety commissioner who refused to fire her ex-brother-in-law. Clearly a partisan hatchet job (Except the investigation was initiated by Alaska's Republican-dominated Legislature and the investigator appointed by the bi-partisan committee found she had indeed abused her authority: here.



-- So why the media obsession with ethics? (Obligation as a public watchdog? Public's right to know? Belief in good government?) "This is cash," says Stephenson. (Oh. Right.) "This is their money-maker. This is the profit center for the media, these kinds of allegations. This generates big bucks for the media." (You can find me at the craps table in Wendover. I'll be the one with the big stacks of black chips). "They love to draw this kind of thing out," says Howard. (Absolutely. Because the 20 hours I've spent parked on the lumbar-cracking torture benches outside the closed-door ethics committee has been a gas. I can nearly feel my legs.)

-- Stephenson says that the radiation emitted by EnergySolutions is less than you would be exposed to naturally standing in the State Capitol or Salt Lake temple. (That explains why those buildings glow.)

-- Stephenson calls out Democrats, arguing they offered campaign money to several Republicans if they would switch parties. Why hasn't the media reported that?!? Where's the ethics investigation of the Democratic Party?!? (Well, we did report it. And nobody requested an ethics investigation of the legislators involved, and the Legislature doesn't really have jurisdiction over the party.)


-- Caller Steve from Ogden is upset that Sen. Bob Bennett took so much money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Steve would help vote him out but says he doesn't live in Bennett's district. (D'oh!) Howard says Utah's senators don't listen and don't represent the state. (Eyeing a higher office, Howard?)


-- Senators John Valentine and Curt Bramble tell the story of how they became the most powerful couple in the state. Evidently, the manly men were climbing up a big mountain, going fishing. They get to the fishing spot and it turns out they have identical rods and tackle. (I think I've seen this movie before.) On another fishing trip with Utah Republican Party Chairman Stan Lockhart and his kids, they got to the fishing hole and were told by the people on the water that they'd only pulled out 12 fish in three days. The Valenbramhart Group proceeded to shatter every fishing record ever, catching "well over 300 fish" in under three hours. (A rate of one for each of the eight of them about every 5 minutes. Impressive, but probably untrue. I demand an ethics investigation!)


-- Hughes' attorney, Thomas Karrenberg, is on to discuss the allegations that Hughes offered a bribe to former Rep. Susan Lawrence to get her to support school vouchers. Karrenberg summary: There wasn't a bribe, it wasn't illegal, Hughes is being tried in the press. (A point Tom made last week in a press conference). "I don't know when anything has undermined the public's trust in the Legislature more than these trumped-up charges," Stephenson says. (On a completely unrelated note, did you see the lobbyists gave legislators more than $25,000 worth of meals, golf and other gifts in the last three months?)


-- Craig Frank talks about his skateboarding, including the story behind his now-legendary Youtube video (which is actually pretty cool). here.


-- Back on the Hughes ethics probe. Stephenson says the media is telling people Hughes offered former Rep. Susan Lawrence a bribe. (That's a word that has been used by the accusers.) "I don't care which party you're in, nobody should be doing this kind of sleazeball attack," says Karrenberg. (Party check: Rep. Susan Lawrence, Republican; Rep. Sheryl Allen who worked on the complaint, a Republican; attorney David Irvine, who helped write the complaint, a former Republican legislator. It is true the three who signed the complaint were Democrats.) Stephenson says "I wonder why that committee is even continuing." (Nothing to see here! Move along!). Karrenberg goes the whole show without swearing. (Nice job, Tom. No FCC fine!)

-- Stephenson comes back to the point that we're making money on the Hughes story. "The more this is strung out the better for them. Greg Hughes is their biggest fundraiser this month," he says. (And we didn't even have to support vouchers!) "It's amazing," Stephenson said referring to news reports, "that this trumped General Conference. In Utah!" He continues: "It's cash in the pockets of the media outlets. They are a business. They are here to entertain and compete above their competitors for your attention." (I will dance like a monkey for dollar bills. Really. I have no shame.)


-- Robert Gehrke

The Sandy Chamber of Commerce held a Meet the Candidates event Friday for those vying for legislative seats representing the area.

Apparently, Doyle Smith of Zions Bank and the Chamber's Board Director over Government Affairs mistook Jordan Commons for his local wardhouse.

He introduced Sen. Carlene Walker as "Sister Carlene Walker," and didn't realize his verbal misstep until laughter rippled through the audience.

"I am both Senator Walker and Sister Walker, so I'm not offended," Walker said. "I answer to about anything."

When wrapping up, Smith asked the audience to "recognize two of our High Council members" who were in attendance -- he apparently meant the two City Councilmen who came.

"I guess you know where I'm at," he told the audience with a nervous laugh.

In his defense, the movie poster behind him was for the flick "Gods and Generals."

-- Sheena McFarland

The S.J. Quinney College of Law is hosting a debate Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. that will focus on polygamy.

On one side: Marci A. Hamilton, Paul R. Verkuil Chair in Public Law Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and author of God vs. Gavel and Justice Denied, which address the dangers authoritarian religions pose for children.

On the other side: Kirk Torgensen, Chief Deputy Attorney General Office of the Utah Attorney General, who assisted in the two highest-profile prosecutions of Utah polygamists.

One can understand the effort Duncan Aviation took in checking out Provo, but Mayor Lewis Billings could have found a better metaphor for it.

Billings told of how representatives of the Nebraska-based aircraft-repair company examined the city from stem to stern before committing to building a 320,000-square-foot hangar at Provo Municipal Airport. He said Duncan teams examined the city's school system, Brigham Young University and nearby Utah Valley University, the religious culture, even recreation opportunities.

"I know what it is like to wear a swimsuit in a beauty pageant," Billings said. "I'm glad they didn't judge me on how I looked."

Now there's a mental image the audience wasn't expecting. Still, Provo landed the deal.

-- Donald W. Meyers

The Utah Senate Democrats site reports on a nice tribute to the late Sen. Ed Mayne. On Friday, Hunter High School named its football stadium after Mayne.

"As I looked into the bleachers and saw friends and family coming together to celebrate this good man, I know he would have been overcome with appreciation and pride," said Karen Mayne, who now holds his Senate seat.

-- Robert Gehrke

A very, very special treat on "This Week In Utah Politics": A double dose of Lockhart, as Stan and Becky throw down against the liberal media. The good Representative (Becky) and GOP Chairman (Stan) are kind enough to give a shout-out to one of "our most fanatic listeners." (It's me. I have issued a fatwa against sleeping in on Saturday). They are kind enough to call me "competent." (Talk about media distortions! I'm nowhere near competent).

-- After some (hopefully) good-natured bickering, the Lockharts introduce Rep. Steve Urquhart and they issue their own fatwa against Bob Bernick of the Deseret News, who Urquhart has taken to calling "Combo Plate," because he writes both news and opinion pieces. "I just don't think anyone talks with Bernick or the Deseret News anymore, so as a result they have to make up more and more," Urquhart says. Steve recounts August's squabble that I call Referen-dumb-gate. Short version: Senate leaders tell the Deseret News they have no plans to change Utah's referendum law; Bernick, who according to the senators wasn't there, writes a story saying changes are planned; after being called on it, writes a story that seems to suggest senators backed down. Stan issues a challenge to the audience, offering lower-bowl Jazz tickets (and Stan's got, 'em) to anyone who can find a positive reference to Stan in any Bernick article. (Maybe, for example, Bob once called Stan "competent." It appears nobody won the seats, so he'll just give 'em to a legislator again).

-- Becky chides the media for saying that Sen. Joe Biden won the vice presidential debate. (Where would they get that idea? Oh. Maybe any of these places: CNN: Biden 51, Palin 36; FoxNews: Biden 61, Palin 39; CBS: Biden 46, Palin 21; Mediacurves.com: Biden 67, Palin 33; SurveyUSA: Biden 51, Palin 32. Stilly liberal media. Or, as Stephen Colbert once said, "The facts have a well-known liberal bias.").

Becky notes that the expectations for Sarah Palin were so incredibly low. "She not only showed up and didn't faint, she held her own with Senator Biden." (Well goshdarnit youbetcha she should be VP). Stan says "She is just a pretty normal everyday person." (Or is that "pretty, normal”?).

-- Republicans are Republicans and Democrats should be Democrats, say the Lockharts. Stan is very sincere about this. Very sincere.

-- Rep. Roger Barrus keeps listeners spellbound with his lengthy discussion of the 140-year history of R.S. 2477 roads and their importance in developing energy. (And Barrus could use a little bit of energy).

-- Ma and Pa Lockhart invite Rep. John Dougall to explain the state's transportation funding. The gas tax is a dinosaur because of alternative fuel cars and better mileage. "Transportation infrastructure is just as much about people" as anything else the state does, says Dougall. (So next time you're on I-15, thank those 19,000 Utahns losing Medicaid benefits).

-- Barrus is back! This time he's explaining NEPA. (Absolutely riveting).

-- Two legislators, probably Reps. Mike Noel and Sen. Darrin Peterson, maybe, are apparently selling camping, cooking, hiking and backpacking equipment. And, man, are they enthusiastic! If they don't have it, you don't need it. Wait. It's a commercial for the Smith & Edwards Country Boys. My mistake.

-- Finally the two elephants in the room bring up the other elephant in the room, the dueling ethics complaints filed last week against Reps. Greg Hughes and Phil Riesen. Stan calls it an "October Surprise" meant to distract voters and suggests they're backed by liberal groups "despicable in every way." The timing is suspect, he says. (It is).

-- A piece called "Person of Interest" focuses on Senate Majority Leader Curt Bramble's hobby, hot-air ballooning. (Really, they make it too easy for me. I'm competent, remember?). Bramble says that ballooning is "one of the most peaceful, passive, quite activities." (The first time those words have ever been used to describe anything involving Bramble). Q: "How big is a hot-air balloon?" (Curt is about 5'10". Or was that not what you meant?).

-- Stan back on ethics. Says what's happening looks like an effort by Colorado Democrats to stir up trouble for Republicans and undermine their elections. (An interesting idea, unfortunately without much supporting evidence). "These are decent people who are just trying to do a job," says Stan.

-- Wrapping up. Stan asks, "Are you mad at me, honey?" (A line he stole from Hannity & Colmes). "Not at all," says Becky. (At this point, Hannity and Colmes usually start making out).

Tune in next week! (If your radio dial is broken or you're a shut-in. Or me).

-- Robert Gehrke

John McCain likes to call himself a maverick. But nobody can really compare to our own lovable "Super" Dell Schanze.

How much of a maverick is this guy?

His flying sky car paraglider thing aside, he has no use for those ridiculous campaign filings.

Schanze's campaign finance report shows no money raised, no money spent for the last two periods. In fact, the only money he has reported spending is $536 for the filing fee to run for office.

The only problem with that is that in August we reported (based on a posting at Thom Allen's blog, digitalthom.com) that Schanze had 2,500 autodial phone calls a day going out, calling Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. "an anti-christ socialist." Auto-dial calls don't come cheap. In fact, one political insider with experience with such things tells me that they cost somewhere between $600 and $1,000. Schanze told me at the time that it was being paid for by friends, but wouldn't tell me who.

Under Utah law it should be reported, if nothing else, as an in-kind contribution.

Unless, of course, you're a maverick.

-- Robert Gehrke

Never mind the BYU blue.

Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon hadn't a clue that his shirt-color choice might rile crimson-clad Ute fans when he slapped his photo and a University of Utah football schedule on campaign brochures and handed them out before a recent U. game.

But sure as the sky is blue, the mayor's shirt was too.

"That's the best picture they could find of me," Corroon insisted when a Tribune reporter pointed out the potential faux pax, adding that he hopes nobody noticed. "It's not meant to be a slight against the Utes."

The mayor, in campaign fashion, pledged athletic neutrality toward the rival schools. But the Democrat does have a preference.

"We have both campuses in Salt Lake County," he noted, "so I try to stay neutral for the big game. Otherwise, I'm definitely a Utes fan."

Perhaps the mayor -- a blue stater in politics but a red leaner in college sports -- should consider a crimson shirt next time or at least a red tie. Or -- gasp -- root for the Cougars.

-- Jeremiah Stettler

You may have noticed that Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has been saying some things lately that don't necessarily line up with the conventional views of the Republican Party (i.e. health care is a right, OHV abuse is an abomination, liberalizing liquor laws, calling for ethics reform, pushing climate change policy, etc. etc.).

You might ask, is this guy a Republican? He insists he is.

"I'm a traditional Republican. The present-day Republican Party has left its moorings," he said.

From the time of Abraham Lincoln, the party's mantra was "individual dignity and individual worth," he said. For Teddy Roosevelt, it was respect the land and a wariness toward big corporations.

"That model I consider to be the traditional Republican model," said Huntsman. "Then something happened in 1980 with the Reagan Revolution. As much as I love Ronald Reagan, I worked for him, the interests that started controlling the Republican Party" moved it in a different direction.

Specifically, he said, the Christian Right took hold. "It has far too much sway in the Republican Party in setting the agenda, mostly on social issues, which to Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt wouldn't be a big part," the governor said. "They're not what people are looking for," and the party has paid a price in recent elections

Besides, Huntsman says, he tries to not be bound by the party label. "While I might get a C-minus or D in terms of party orthodoxy, that's OK with me."

-- Robert Gehrke

In this morning's paper, I wrote about efforts by a handful of conservative legislators to pass a new ban on abortion in the state and defend its constitutionality all the way to the Supreme Court. But it won't cost the state anything, they say, because a Washington, D.C. -based interest group has agreed to foot the bill. And, said Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, his bill will include a provision that would allow the public or non-profit groups to kick in money toward the cause.

That's a similar pitch that was made by conservative anti-abortion foes in 1991, when the Legislature passed one of the nation's toughest abortion laws, then the state spent the next five years litigating the case. The proponents of the bill assured there would be money flowing into the special abortion litigation fund established under the law. According to the Utah Division of Finance, here's what they got: $8,950 in 1991; $4,804 in 1992.

Of that money, $12,400 was transferred to the attorney general's office. There is still $1,354 in the account today.

The state spent about $1 million defending the 1991 law.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., meeting with The Tribune editorial board today, said he hasn't seen the bill. He is pro-life, but when similar efforts have been floated in the past "we made it known our time is probably spent on some of the bigger issues of the day."

-- Robert Gehrke