Ok so a while back The Salt Lake Tribune decided to back Orrin “I love to write the songs” Hatch. What the… the only liberal Salt Lake newspaper has gone… soft. Recently Pete Ashdown visited my blog and made a comment. I had recently been reconsidering his bid for Orrin’s job.

Anyway… researching it more I find this little gem on Pete’s website.

It turns out that Pete has sent in some opinion pieces to the Tribune to rebut some of Orrin Hatch’s classic gems like Global Warming is Science Fiction. It turns out that the Tribune wouldn’t print it. How noble of them to protect Hatch? Or is it the dumb general public?

Hatch is running on the good ole status quo. Have you seen his commercials? I nearly puked today watching one. It’s message was to re-elect me because I am an institution. What ever, Ford Motor Company is an institution but because it forgot to change it’s dying.

Here is part of another Op-Ed piece that Pete Ashdown wrote to rebuke Orrin Hatch… It asks some pretty good questions.

Seniority does not serve America. Seniority serves the interests of senior politicians. While public education is crumbling, our ports and borders are no more secure than they were on 9/11, our veterans ignored, and millions suffer and die without regular health care, I am ashamed that pork takes priority over fundamental need. It is with pleasure that I pledge to destroy the seniority system to return a balance of government interest to the people and help level the playing field for fair elections.

Orrin Hatch claims you should vote for him because of seniority. He states the Democrats are weak on security, that he is fiscally conservative and committed to small government. That in spite of obstructionist Democrats, only he displays the leadership which can serve Utah.

Where is Senator Hatch’s concern for national security when he displayed more self-promotion than national protection by spilling the details of secret intelligence monitoring of Osama bin Laden within hours of the attacks on September 11th? I do not believe the Republican nor the Democratic Party has a desire for weak security, but Senator Hatch has demonstrated he is a security risk all on his own.

Where is the fiscal responsibility when Senator Hatch does not show restraint in securing a lavish $100 million for an expansion to the Utah Federal Courthouse? This is a project which will literally move a building across a street, raze a popular nightspot “Port o’ Call”, and replace a characteristic portion of Salt Lake’s downtown with an enormous “Justice Cube” eyesore. Expensive, out of place, and useless, this will be an appropriate tribute to pork and the Senator who secured it.

Where is Senator Hatch’s leadership when he begs Utahns to petition the Bureau of Land Management to keep nuclear waste out of Utah? True leadership does not require thousands of citizen letters to communicate the obvious. Last I checked, Congress was in charge of the BLM and not the other way around.Read the Rest

Please help me to send Orrin Hatch to the Unemployment line. Vote Pete Ashdown to Congress.