Hatch: Victim? Liljenquist: Leader!

I just finished listening to the only debate to be held prior to the June 26 primary between Dan Liljenquist and Senator Orrin Hatch.  As part of the debate, each candidate was given the opportunity to ask a "last question" of their opponent with no rebuttal allowed.  Senator Hatch chose not to ask a question of Dan, but to use that time to pontificate, defend himself, and justify his record (I think a jab at FreedomWorks was in there; he called them "sleazy" for holding him accountable for his actions). 


Dan did ask a last question of Senator Hatch, and I paraphrase:  "Senator Hatch, do you consider yourself responsible in any way for the crushing debt that has been placed upon the citizens of this country?"


Hatch's answer: "No."


No! My research into the Congressional Record going back to 1978 shows he voted "Yes" 21 times to raise the debt ceiling and another 16 times to raise it via "voice vote." The "yes" votes yielded $7.9 trillion in debt; the "voice votes" combined with the "yes" votes amounts to $8.7 trillion in debt. In all, debt has increased 1,200% since Hatch took office for a total of $14.2 trillion--soon to be over $15 trillion.


And Hatch says he is "not responsible."  What does a "yes" vote mean to him? Does Hatch have a standard that says, "If I vote yes for something positive I am responsible (like "saving" Hill AFB), but if I vote yes for something negative I am not (like crushing federal debt)."?  I do not believe it is unreasonable to assert that "yes" means that he IS always responsible--no matter what the outcome.


I loved, loved Dan's closing statement. He was as shocked as the rest of us were by Hatch's "no" and he let his thoughts be known--that is why he is running.  To have a man sit there and say that he is "not responsible" for all the support he gave to federal spending for 30+ years is astounding--astounding!


In my view, "not responsible" for negative outcomes translates to "helpless victim"-- "I had to vote yes--'circumstances' made me do it.'  Senator Hatch: Helpless Victim of Circumstance.  


That one word--no--spoke volumes about what our current Senator believes about personal accountability.


Overall, Dan did a great, great job.  He was "on" for every question; he was prepared; he was eloquent.  If you did not get to hear it, it will be replayed on KSL tomorrow at 8pm.  The podcast is already online ("The Doug Wright Show (first hour) for Friday June 15, 2012).


Hopefully readers of this blog now have a better picture as to why I support Dan. He is young, he is vibrant, he is intelligent, he is fearless.  This state needs someone who will take responsibility for the decisions he makes.  This state (and this country) needs Dan Liljenquist. Dan Liljenquist: Leadership for Utah; Leadership for the U.S.A.


It's Time!