Letter from Stan Lockhart

August 12, 2008

Recently, I attended a patriotic service keynoted by talk show host Glenn Beck. He left us with a memorable anecdote. He described his own experience during September 11th when he visited ground zero; his inability to process what had happened and his knowledge that the world had changed that day. He received comfort by reading the words of a pioneer song with the refrain, "All is well! All is well!"

Glenn suggested that we live in a time when everyone is begging for a leader. He said, "Where is the leader and when will he/she step forward?" While rising fuel and food prices, an economy in flux and international conflict are at the forefront of everyone's mind, Glenn Beck reminds us who we are. He said about the people of Utah and America, "You are the leader, the leader we need has always been you."

Batman "The Dark Knight" - An Analogy about President Bush This is not a movie for everyone, but I thought you might be interested in the analogy between Batman and President Bush as written in the Wall Street Journal.
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB121694247343482821-lMyQjAxMDI4MTI2NTkyNDUyWj.html

Comprehensive Energy Policy With Barack Obama saying that saying proper tire pressure would save as much energy as drilling for oil in the continental shelf and Nancy Pelosi recessing Congress without allowing a vote on additional domestic oil drilling, is it any wonder that people are getting angrier by the day about $4 per gallon gasoline.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/08/drill_and_conserve.html http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/276234/57/ http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/07/from-the-fact-1.html

Republicans in Congress including Utah's Rob Bishop are still in Washington DC during the recess calling Democrats to come back and vote. And they intend to stay there indefinitely until Democrats are willing to help find a solution to our dependence on foreign oil. Democrats have refused to address this issue in every way possible.

Read below the transcript between George Stephanopoulos and Nancy Pelosi or view it at http://blog.nrcc.org/.

And there is an entertaining Rush Limbaugh version. http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/08/03/stephanopoulos-pelosi-why-no-or-down-vote-drilling http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_080408/content/01125107.guest.html

Our Utah delegation has been working on a comprehensive energy policy that aims to increase the supply of American-made energy, improve conservation and efficiency, and promote renewable and alternative energy technologies. Its not an "either or". It's an "all of the above" solution. But Democrats aren't budging. House Congressional Republicans are protesting by remaining on the House floor during the month of August even though Democrats have left. Congressman Bishop is there right now continuing to address this critical issue. Read the articles below and send Rob an email of encouragement at votebishop@gmail.com

http://townhall.com/Columnists/HarryRJacksonJr/2008/08/11/politics_as_usual_-_pursuing_energy_reform http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gop-planning-to-revolt-right-up-to-dem-convention-2008-08-06.html

New Republican Party Website You may have noticed when you go to http://www.utgop.org that there is a new fresh look to the website. I'd like to thank our IT committee Chris Kenney, Suzy Mortensen, Seth Juarez, Rick Votaw, Ric Cantrell, Nathan Rathbun, Dave Hansen and Randall Achziger for all of their hard work. In addition to a new look, in the near future you will see new features like e-donations and a blog.

Forbes Ranks Utah #2 For Best States For Business I often think of what Utah was like 30 years ago. It seemed as if we were in a perpetual downturn. Many people were underemployed. Our economy was based largely on agriculture and mining. We weren't even a blip on the national economic scene. Today, we have high paying jobs in high technology, nutritional supplements, bioscience, medical devices, industrial banks, oil and gas exploration and a whole host of other industries.

This change didn't come by accident. Over decades, our Republican leadership created a business friendly environment consisting of solid tax policy and reasonable regulations.
Yet another recognition for Utah's economy came out last week in Forbes Magazine.

For the second year in a row, Utah is #2 in America for the Best States For Business. These awards are the fruits of many years of hard work both in the private and public sectors. While Utah's entrepreneurs should take full credit for their efforts, a Republican led legislature has created a low tax, business friendly atmosphere and our Governor has made growing the economy his top priority. This Republican leadership has helped raise the standard of living for many Utahns; better jobs, more opportunity. It's a great example of the "I can" campaign. Personal responsibility. Freedom and liberty. I can start a business. I can find a better paying job. I can provide for my family. I can help create a business friendly environment.

http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/30/virginia-georgia-utah-biz-cz_kb_0731beststates_table.html

Another Example of "Suppress the Republican Vote" Efforts As only a reporter can do, one has taken my last Chairman's letter with a plethora of Republican success stories and tried to turn it into a negative. Here it is in case you missed it: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700247119,00.html

The McCain VP Watch (We Like Mitt) It looks like John McCain may wait until the Republican National Convention to name his running mate. I don't have any inside information here, but thought I would share with you what I'm hearing and reading. As long as the economy, budgetary/management competence and fundraising are the key issues for this election, Mitt Romney is going to be high on the radar screen. He may be able to turn swing states Michigan, Colorado and Nevada to the Republican side.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/12179.html

And for those who want to read more about Mitt, here are two of my favorite speeches: http://www.conservative.org/pressroom/2008/speech_romney08.asp http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16969460

National Convention On February 5, 2008, Mitt Romney won the Utah Republican Primary with over 90% of the vote. On February 29, 2008 and after officially dropping out of the race, he sent the Utah Republican Party a letter that says in part, "Because I am no longer a formal candidate for the presidency of the United States, please consider this an official release, to the extent allowed by party rules and state law, of all delegates bound, committed, or otherwise pledged to vote for me at the 2008 Republican National Convention. I strongly encourage all released and uncommitted delegates to cast their votes for Senator John McCain at the Convention."

On May 10, 2008 at the Utah Republican State Convention, delegates overwhelmingly voted to postpone a bylaw change that would have released Utah delegates from voting for Mitt. At the time, the RNC was concerned that a bylaw change would expose our delegates to a credentials challenge. The deadline for such challenges was August 2.

Since the State Central Committee is the governing body of the Utah Republican Party, only they can take up a postponed bylaw change. A committee member requested that the postponed issue be resolved, so we have begun that effort.

I have had many discussions with the Romney campaign on this issue. They are firm in their desire for their delegates to be released and believe Utah can best help Mitt by doing so. It is highly unlikely that Mitt's name will even be placed in nomination at the convention, so a vote for Mitt will be meaningless.

I think it's important to note that the real choice today for President is between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama. Our national convention is being held to show America why John McCain is the better choice.

The State Central Committee will meet on August 23rd to resolve the matter. The meeting will only be open to committee members.

Preparing for the November 4 Election The general election season is fast approaching and we have a strong slate of candidates preparing for November's election. These candidates are capable, qualified men and women who are willing to put their name out there in the public arena. They stand for Republican values and principles. They believe in our platform. They want to represent you. I encourage you to help them. Here are a few ideas:

Get to know your Republican candidates. Call them. Tell your friends and neighbors why you support them.

Find a place to hold a cottage meeting for them in your neighborhood. Invite your friends and neighbors to attend.

Put a lawn sign in your yard.

Pass out fliers.

Get out the vote. Encourage friends and neighbors to use early voting opportunities, absentee ballots or voting early on Election Day.

Be a poll watcher for your County Party. We need people to volunteer to check who has voted in each precinct on Election Day and then call those who haven't voted yet.

More Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck made a powerful case that the leadership we seek as Americans begins with "We the people". The first three words of The Declaration of Independence. A document that changed the world. Abraham Lincoln said in the Gettysburg Address, "government of the people, by the people, for the people" Gettysburg Address. Let us invest our time, talents and resources to educate friends and neighbors that timeless traditional values are never out of style. Constitutional principles that protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness can be as relevant today as they were over 200 years ago. That is what Republicans stand for. That is what has made Utah a model state in this great nation. That is why we need to elect Republicans in November.

Best Regards,
Stan Lockhart
Utah Republican Party Chairman