I have spent a significant amount of time on the Independent Bloghorn expressing the reasons why I don’t think Tim Bridgewater is a good candidate. I have been doing this largely because my site has a great pagerank, and with some good SEO implementation I have been getting organic google rankings for some of the key terms that people are searching for to research the issues of this campaign. My traffic has pretty much tripled since I started focusing on this campaign, so I am getting my message out there. In fact the Independent Bloghorn outranks the candidate’s own websites for a variety of search terms.
However, in most of the important elections where I have voted, I tend to be voting against someone rather than for someone. Mike Lee is the first candidate that I have been excited to support. I am also pretty confident that my reasons for supporting Mike are far different than the reasons of those who support him adamantly.
Not very many people get the chance to support someone in a major national election who is also a very close friend. They end up having to vote for someone based primarily on a limited number of interactions, many of which are distorted by the medium through which they are conveyed.
It is frustrating to watch from the sidelines and see someone that you know so well become so thoroughly distorted. The most frustrating part of this distortion is that the voters do not know what they are missing. Of course, this is one of the challenges of democracy: how does a candidate accurately represent oneself to a constituency who will only ever know the candidate superficially.
Even those who have made a concerted, honest effort to get to know Mike will still be getting the equivalent of a first date impression.
I have decided that the best endorsement I can give Mike is to humanize him in an environment where humanization is a toxic endeavor. Take for instance the sanitized debates that are quickly becoming overbearing rehearsals of memorized talking points. In an environment of robocalls, polls, facebook banter, vinyl signs, ego-maniacal media personalities, and contrived debates, perhaps the best message that can be sent at this point is that Mike is human – and a good one at that. Anyone who insists otherwise is simply wrong and doesn’t really know Mike.
My first memories of Mike were when I visited him at his small rental house he lived in on 900 E. in Provo as he was attending law school. Sharon was home with the newborn twins. He was living the typical life of a starving grad student. I remember a conversation I was having with Sharon a few years after this about my own aspirations in graduate studies. I said something to the effect that maybe I would wait until after my degree to get married and have a family. I remember what she said. She said she wouldn’t trade those years in graduate school. That was when she and Mike had nothing and she spent many hours at home alone with newborn twins. She said it was during the sacrifice of those difficult years that their strong relationship was forged. So when I started hearing the remarks that Mike was a son of privilege and that he shouldn’t be taken seriously as a candidate because he has student loans, it was hard to believe that anyone would take those remarks seriously.
Not very many people get the luxury of spending two weeks in Washington DC with a future candidate for the U.S. Senate. I have had that luxury. Mike and Sharon were gracious enough to let me stay in their home in the summer of 2002 while I explored Washington DC as an American Studies student. I remember riding with Sharon to drop off the kids at the local public school as we had discussions about how frustrating it was that they didn’t teach the kids about the founding fathers at school. Of course, Sharon and Mike made up for this lack as I recall the stacks of library books her boys had laying around the house – many of them about the founding fathers.
While visiting, Mike invited me to his law office. He was trying to convince me to become a lawyer. Like most lawyers, he is secretly… well no I would have to say publicly proud of his profession, largely because he knows he is making a difference. At the time, he was working on a case that was being presented before the Supreme Court. This was probably one of his first efforts to fight to reduce the size of government – North Carolina’s government to be exact. He was working on a case on behalf of the state of Utah asserting that because the Census didn’t count missionaries, that the census was inaccurate and Utah deserved a 4th Congressional seat that was then given to North Carolina. He insisted that I should read the brief he had recently presented. When I first opened it, I thought this is going to be a boring collection of legalese. To my surprise, it was an interesting, well-argued case that was intelligible to a sophomore in college. This was my first exposure to Mike’s talents as a legal scholar, and all I can say is that his abilities are real. It is a small percentage of lawyers that find themselves arguing cases before the Supreme Court a few short years out of law school. Although Mike didn’t convince me to become a lawyer – I actually became a businessman – I would be proud to have a lawyer like Mike represent me as a Senator.
One night while visiting Mike, I came back after seeing some monuments and I mentioned that I had gone to the monument for FDR. He asked me what I thought of FDR. Keep in mind that I was currently in the throes of a university-level, liberal indoctrination effort. I said it seems like he was a pretty good president. Mike spent a few hours setting me straight. When Mike says he wants to fight the growth of government, he means it. This isn’t a convenient campaign platform. Not all voters are going to get to hear Mike’s anti FDR seminar, but let me add that he isn’t just a Constitutional expert. He knows the history of the Constitution’s abandonment inside and out.
Mike, when you win I want a tour
One night he offered to drive me around town to show me around. He showed me the homes of famous national figures. He showed me the home where he lived while his father was Solicitor General. He also thought it would be cool to show me the CIA headquarters, or at least the bus stop outside of the headquarters where he used to stop every day as he rode the bus to work. However, a few months after 9/11, we quickly learned that you can’t even drive by the bus stop in front of the CIA headquarters. We were quickly confronted by guards armed with M-4s who directed us to drive to a barricade. They wrote down our driver’s license numbers and told us in the future to remember that this wasn’t a public area. We now joke about this as the time that we stormed Langley. Nevertheless, the story does illustrate one thing. Mike thinks things like the CIA headquarters are cool. He didn’t want me to come to DC without seeing the bus stop outside. Unlike the liberals in Congress who would be happy to throw the CIA under the bus, I know that Mike will support the government agencies and military that are in charge of keeping us safe. In addition, I also told Mike that if he wins the Senate race, perhaps next time around he can give me the VIP tour of that bus stop.
Mike and Sharon also weren’t going to let me spend two weeks in the DC area without having me go to Colonial Williamsburg. Mike let me drive his car: A Toyota Camry with well over 100,000 miles on it that he was proud to recount the story of how he got it for a steal. As a sophomore college student, I drove a nicer car than this “DC Lawyer.” Anyway, I trekked down to Williamsburg, and for those who have never been, this is basically a historical re-enactment attraction (kind of like Nauvoo). The idea is to go back in time to colonial America to see what it was like. After spending the day listening to actors play the role of men like Patrick Henry and other founders, I drove back to Mike’s colonial-style home in Vienna, Virginia. I remember thinking to myself that Mike was something of an anachronism. He is a man that is in some ways out of place in 21st Century America. All he would need is the proper attire, and he would probably fit right in as a character in Colonial Williamsburg. No acting necessary here. I am by no means saying that Mike should drop his bid for Senate and get a job with the Colonial Williamsburg Historical Society. What i am saying is a man of the past…this past, is the man of the hour.
One night during my visit, Mike and Sharon put the kids to bed and insisted that I watch their edited version of the movie Amistad with them. It isn’t hard to imagine why Mike would like this movie so much. The climax of the film is when John Quincy Adams argues a case before the Supreme Court of the United States on behalf of a marooned group of escaped slaves. I also went and saw Spiderman on this trip with Mike. Some people identify with movie heroes like Spiderman. Some people, though probably a smaller number, identify with John Quincy Adams making a speech in the Supreme Court. Mike is one of the latter. The following passage is a quote from that speech:
The other night I was talking with my friend, Cinque. He was over at my place, and we were out in the greenhouse together. And he was explaining to me how when a member of the Mende — that’s his people – how when a member of the Mende encounters a situation where there appears no hope at all, he invokes his ancestors. It’s a tradition. See, the Mende believe that if one can summon the spirits of one’s ancestors, then they have never left, and the wisdom and strength they fathered and inspired will come to his aid.
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, John Adams: We’ve long resisted asking you for guidance. Perhaps we have feared in doing so we might acknowledge that our individuality which we so, so revere is not entirely our own. Perhaps we’ve feared an appeal to you might be taken for weakness. But, we’ve come to understand, finally, that this is not so. We understand now, we’ve been made to understand, and to embrace the understanding that who we are is who we were.
In Self Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s treatise on individualism that many consider to be a foundational piece of American philosophy, Mr. Emerson says the following:
A political victory, a rise of rents, the recovery of your sick, or the return of your absent friend, or some other quite external event, raises your spirits, and you think good days are preparing for you. Do not believe it. It can never be so. Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles
If Mike wins the Repbulican primary in Utah on June 22 it will be more than a political victory. It will be a triumph of principles – the same principles upon which America is founded. Like I said above, a man of the past…this past, is the man of the hour. Mike is the man.
I live in California where, unfortunately, the political environment has extinguished even the smallest niche of a Constitutional Conservative. The state is the epitome of Big Government gone awry. The next governor is most likely going to have to auction off counties and cities on Ebay.
Mike Lee isn’t just going to help Utah as its Senator. Mike Lee will represent and help every American citizen who feels the government is too large. He will represent every small and large business owner from the ever-encroaching infinitely expanding federal government.
I feel awful that I changed my citizenship in becoming a resident of California. Mike Lee has my vote and must have the vote of any person who feels the Constitution is still a valid, founding document.
Blogdor´s last blog ..No thanks, you keep it.
I support Mike Lee in his run for U.S. Senator because I believe him to be a true constitutional conservative. I think the only hope of saving our great nation will be to send Mike, and men and women who share his values, to Washington to restore our Constitution. I have watched and listened to Mike Lee on many occasions, and I have been amazed at his clear vision and his ability to communicate that vision to others. The opportunity to vote for Mike Lee an opportunity to vote for America. I don’t believe I have had this opportunity too many times in my lifetime.
I have spent much time talking with and researching the candidates vying for the Republican nomination. I never felt that I could get behind any of the candidates until I listened to Mike Lee speak. Here are some of the things that stood out to me and made me sure that he is the right one to represent Utah:
· He knows the Constitution, the history of the founding of our nation, and the writings of the Founding Fathers inside and out. He is committed to following in their footsteps and staying true to those principles.
· He has stayed firm upon the principles of the Constitution even when it was not popular. Mike Lee was one of the first attorneys to successfully halt spent nuclear fuel from coming into our state, because the state has the right to determine what type of fuel is stored here. But when Utah had given approval to Energy Solutions to store a certain type of nuclear waste in Utah, Utah tried to stipulate that it could not come from Italy. The US Constitution states that the Federal government is to regulate foreign commerce and not the states. Since Utah had already approved that type of waste, Lee defended the Constitution in this instance even though it was unpopular. I am glad that Lee is willing to defend the Constitution even at the risk of personal criticism. We live in a Republic, bound by the Constitution. If we do not stick to those boundaries we open a door to indefinite expansion.
· Mike is committed to limited government and keeping the government out of our personal lives.
· Mike Lee is a humble and kind individual. I have found him to be very kind and respectful to all audiences I was witness to, even when people were asking him difficult questions. When I look for a senator I don’t look for someone who would be fun to barbeque and sing “Kum-Bay-Yah” with, I look for someone who is humble, knowledgeable, and will stand upon principle.
· He is a lawyer. Those lawyers we complain about in Washington have written bills hundreds of pages long with language that is incomprehensible to the general public. Only a lawyer—a Constitutional lawyer—who knows their game and refuses to play it will be able to unravel the mess. Mike Lee will be able to sort through the language and the legal tricks in the bills and expose them.
On Friday, June 11th at 3pm at Willow Park in Logan come and see for yourself why Mike Lee is the right person to represent Utah. Please join with me in voting for Mike Lee on June 22nd.
Michelle Myrup King´s last blog ..Utah Grassroots Leaders Are Endorsing Mike Lee!
I have thought long and hard about who to support as the next United States Senator for the great state of Utah. I have also performed an immense amount of research and listened intently to every available talk, debate and interview from all of the candidates and have finally decided to place my support behind Mike Lee as our next U.S. Senator.
First, let me say that I believe that Bob Bennett is basically a good man, who has simply been in Washington for too long. The fact that he is running for reelection proves that he has lost touch with his constituents. During the caucus, it became very clear to me that I was elected as a Delegate to ensure that Bob Bennett does not get sent back to Washington. He has not stood up for limited government. He has not been an advocate for fiscal restraint or a balanced budget. He has not taken a stand against earmarks. Bob seems to have forgotten that Federal Funds are taken out of the pockets of hard working men and women (like you and me) who are struggling to raise and provide for our families. He has been a proponent of socialized medicine. He voted for TARP, which is nothing less than multi-generational theft. So for me, Bob Bennett is clearly out.
Shortly after Cherilyn Eagar entered the race, she addressed our 9.12 group. I thought that she was feisty, full of spirit and fairly well versed on the issues. One of the questions that I asked her at that meeting was whether she would fight for a term-limit amendment. Cherilyn assured me that this would be a high priority for her once she gets to Washington. I liked her track record of political activism combined with her conservative stands on the various issues. As she was the best candidate in the race, I supported her campaign by providing financial support, making phone calls and passing out literature at various rallies. At some point after Mark Shurtleff, Tim Bridgewater and Mike Lee entered the race, I began to distance myself from supporting her candidacy due to her campaign tactics. Rather than taking the high-road of sticking to her positions on the various issues, Cherilyn began “throwing mud” at the other candidates so to speak. Cherilyn has also now published, her opposition to a term-limit amendment, which is contrary to her earlier campaign promise to me and the Draper 9.12 group. I cannot with good conscience support a candidate for United States Senator whom I am not absolutely convinced has the highest degree of personal integrity. To do so would be to perpetuate the problems that we already have in Washington.
I have known Tim Bridgewater for a number of years. He attended my Ward/Church back in Alexandria, Virginia when he worked in Washington, DC. He is a good man, who has good moral foundation. I really like his strong stance on illegal immigration, which is an important issue as far as I’m concerned. As an avid shooter, I also like his strong second Amendment advocacy. Having also come from humble beginnings, I respect that he started out in a trailer park working, even as a youngster, to contribute to his families’ needs. In light of his beginnings, his business accomplishments are nothing short of amazing. I also like his positions with respect to fiscal policy, limited government, and state sovereignty. I am not exceptionally concerned about his effort to help Raser Technologies (an alternative energy company) obtain government backed loans and any possible help that he may have provided to them to steer through the process of obtaining federal grants. I truly believe that Tim understands that Federal Funds are the people’s money and should only be spent on those areas for which Constitutional authorization is specifically granted to Congress. Had Tim not jumped on Bennett’s bandwagon (which showed a certain lack of leadership) in misrepresenting Mike Lee’s comments about Afghanistan, he could very well have been my first choice for Senator today. Nevertheless, I could proudly cast my vote for Tim Bridgewater as my second choice for U.S. Senator.
This brings me to Mike Lee. Before Mike Lee entered the race, I had the privilege of hearing him speak about the U.S. Constitution. I remember being so impressed that I went home and began looking for subsequent speaking opportunities so that my family could have the same opportunity to hear his views about that great document. I have subsequently watched his campaign with interest since he first entered the race. Mike’s position on illegal immigration is nearly as strong as Tim’s position. As a United States Marine Corps veteran, I am in complete agreement with his position on Afghanistan and the role and mission for which our military forces should reasonably be engaged. His position with respect to ending government spending, reducing the size and scope of government, entitlements, education, abortion, state sovereignty, combined with his energy policies are in complete alignment with my own beliefs. I am completely in agreement with his call for a moratorium on earmarks and his desire to get a balanced budget amendment. I also believe that the only way that we will ever root out the corruption in Washington is through a term-limit amendment. Mike is the only candidate who has committed to fight for these causes.
I have recently had the occasion to look Mike Lee in the eye and ask him about his commitment to “hold the line” on these conservative issues, if we make him our next Senator. Mike looked right back at me, without batting an eye and gave me his absolute commitment that he would not make compromises when he gets to Washington and that he would fight for the causes for which he expounds. I fully believe that he was completely sincere in his commitment to fight for these causes, for which I also believe. When he was interviewed by Glenn Beck and when asked how he will keep from falling into and becoming part of the corrupt Washington machine, Mike explained that his rule book would be different than the rule-book that Washington has been using, it would simply be the US Constitution. Mike clearly lives and breathes by the Constitution and I am convinced that we need someone in Washington who is fully committed to that sacred document.
I am most impressed, however, with the manner in which Mike Lee has run his campaign. He has stayed above the fray. Not once has he run an attack advertisement (of any kind) against any of his opponents nor has he ever been baited to say even a single negative word about one of his opponents. I have not even heard him make a negative comment about Bob Bennett. Instead, Mike has consistently stayed on message and on the issues. This truly represents the values and principles to which Ronald Reagan subscribed and shows a tremendous amount of personal integrity and honor.
I am, subsequently, proud to announce my support for Mike Lee as my choice to be the next Senator for the great state of Utah.
To those friends of mine who have decided to support another candidate, I completely respect your decision and pray that you will afford me that same respect. I look forward to joining forces with you during and after the convention as we work together to support the best possible conservative candidate as our next U.S. Senator.
Donald Cutshaw´s last blog ..Why I am voting for Mike Lee
Before this election started I had never heard of Mike Lee, Tim Bridgewater, or Cherilyn Eager. I signed up to help on the Mark Shurtleff campaign because I knew one thing, It was time to bring Bob Bennett home. When Mark dropped out of the campaign I went to see Senator Bennett speak at one of his fireside chats. Needless to say I didn’t make it through the meeting. I then went to a Mike Lee meeting in Murray and received an education. I attended more events and saw Mike answer the hard questions. Not just with fluff and stuff but solid answers.
As I watched and learned more from Mike Lee I realized that he is the perfect candidate not just for Utah but for the United States. I am proud to know Mike Lee and his family and I can personally guarantee that Mike will always put our interests first and staunchly defend those rights we have in Washington D.C.
McKay Christensen
Ben
I Support Mike Lee Not only because he teaches, preaches and has been consistent in his position as a constitutionalists. It has been a tough go researching all candidates, Senator Bennett was easier his past voting record made it easier to research, With Cherilyn Eager her marketing material was a good read and talk tough however I was unsure of capability. I believe Mr. Bridgewater without doubt a very smart and capable candidate as i believe Mr. Lee.
I think the Biggest deal breaker is the basis for Mr. Bridgewater Businesses. Using Tax Payer dollars for over sees projects, then hiring your firm to be the consultant on these over seas projects Razor” is one of the problems we are having in Washington. This makes Mr. Bridgewater appear to already be one of the established “BACKROOM DEAL MAKERS” from Washington.
I do Agree that we need more business owners in Washington, However, We need more Constitution Attorneys, Accountants, Bankers, Retail and Manufacturing Senators,
I support Mike Lee Because I believe he will “Uphold, Support and Defend the Constitution of the United States of America
Monty´s last blog ..The Real $338 Billion Annual Cost of “ILLEGAL” Immigration
I am one of the tea party leaders who signed the endorsement of Mike Lee this morning. Truth be told. I publicly endorsed and supported him from the moment he came on my radar. I listened to him talk about the Constitution and the founding of America and I was sold. Mike Lee was definitely the man I wanted to represent Utah in the United States Senate.
My own endorsement of Mike was added when I emailed it out to all my contacts:
“In seeking a candidate who would espouse the values of Utah’s tea partiers, I carefully researched each candidate and have chosen to throw my endorsement behind U.S. Senate candidate Mike Lee. I have listened to him speak several times and Mike’s working knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and real-world solutions to America’s problems are precisely what Utahans are looking for in our next Senator.” ~ Candace E. Salima, Utah County Tea Party Organizer
I am delighted to learn of these wonderful times you had with the Lee family. It more firmly confirms to me I made the right choice from the beginning. Thank you so much.
Candace E. Salima´s last blog ..Utah Tea Partiers Endorse Mike Lee for U.S. Senate
This has been a long and winding road for many of us as we have vetted the candidates in this race. I, like many others who have shared their stories, have heard each candidate on multiple occasions, starting nearly a year ago! Each candidate had wonderful qualities that I admired and so I followed them carefully for sometime, taking ever opportunity to hear them again and ask more questions. I slowly came to the conclusion that Mike Lee was a true statesman, who believed what he said because he had lived what he believed! What he says now is what he has believed since childhood. His story has not changed! As I have watched him interact with people, I have noted on multiple occasions, that he is truly interested in what people have to say! He takes that information in, thinks carefully about what they suggest, and uses it to improve his understanding of the many topics he has to be concerned with as he has run for office. I’ve seen him go through this process, he has taken notes, taken phone numbers of those who had more information to share with him than he had time for at the moment, and incorporated that information into what he knew already. I know he is a humble man who cares deeply about the state of Utah and the United States of America. He has lived an exemplary life filled with good things that tell me he will serve us well! For that reason, I endorse Mike Lee as the best man for the job of United States Senator from the great state of Utah! Please join me in voting for him June 22nd.
My husband & I own and operate 3 small businesses. We have worked hard on these & have funded them ourselves, without taking government money (which, as we all know, is really the taxpayer’s money).
We have been really concerned about the direction our country is going and believe that the only way to save our country is to get back to following the Constitution. We were so thrilled to have a candidate as well versed in the Constitution as Mike Lee. Finally a candidate that we could trust and actually have real hope in. He has made a lifetime out of studying the Constitution because his father instilled a great love of it in him by teaching him as a child. Mike continues the tradition by teaching his own children.
Mike is the only candidate that has spent his adult life getting government OUT of business instead of IN to business. He is the only candidate that has the knowledge of the Constitution to make the right decision the first time on issues like NCLB, Medicare Part D, etc. He is the only candidate who hasn’t taken our tax dollars overseas to foreign companies. He is the only candidate who FIGHTS BIG GOVERNMENT instead of GROWING RICH OFF BIG GOVERNMENT!
Mike Lee is the only candidate for us! It was so nice to vote FOR a GOOD candidate instead of the usual voting for the lesser of two evils!
Thank you Mike Lee! We’re in your corner!
Lynda Pipkin
I hesitate to respond because I share not only the same name as Benjamin Burr, but we share DNA, too. I also share DNA with Sharon Lee, and her three children, whose father is Mike Lee, my son-in-law. I wish to share something very personal here, something that I have not shared with many.
I knew the time would soon come. Mike called me for an appointment to talk with me, and because he and Sharon had been dating for some time, I kind of knew what was about to unfold. That was some 18 years ago. We were on the back deck, and Mike asked me for my permission and blessing to ask my daughter, Sharon to marry him. I was not surprised, but I told Mike that I had only one question to ask of him. He said “ask me anything.” I looked him in the eye and asked: “Mike, can I trust you?” He smiled and said, “of course you can.” I repeated, “Mike, you are asking me to trust you with one of the most precious gifts that I have. CAN I TRUST YOU WITH THAT GIFT?” Mike Lee unhesitatingly replied, “You can trust me. I will never violate your trust. Never.” And he hasn’t. I have never met a more honorable, principled person than Mike Lee. He has been a wonderful husband to my daughter, a loving and caring father to my grandchildren,he has always honored his parents,has always been a devoted member of his church, and a dedicated citizen of the United States of America. He has honored his pledge to me, and I am unquestionably certain that he will honor his commitment to those who vote for him to represent them as our next United States Senator, and to do so with honor, integrity and resolve. I know Mike Lee well, and I wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone as a true patriot who loves his family, his country and his God, and will never betray the trust given him. To do so would violate every fiber of his being.
As a state delegate like many others I spent many hours on research, attending debates and questioning the candidates. I tend to get obsessed when I do things. Anything worth doing is worth doing right, which brings me to the constitution.
Our constitution is the best written document in the world that protects a nations God given freedoms and rights! Other countries have borders to keep there people in their country, they all want to come here because of our constitution.
Mike Lee has has been focused on one thing, our constitution. For me it is that simple and the most important, who will protect and defend the constitution for our state and our country. With his knowledge, principals and values Mike Lee has the heart to win this fight.
I’ll make this short. I’m a three-time delegate, a founder of a912 group and an active tea party organizer. I care deeply about our decision in this race. I’ve been diligently analyzing the Utah Senate candidates for almost a year.
I love Tim Bridgewater and I actually get tears in my eyes when I conclude I cannot vote for him in this race. Tim is a walking Dale Carnegie course. I have concluded though that while not inappropriate, his business background as a consultant/broker of international projects utilizing government subsidized funds is not the ideal resume for my Senator whom I want to be a bulldog in the fight to downsize government. As Tim has said to me “I am what I am and you must decide if that’s who you want representing you right now”
Right now America needs Mike Lee.
Lee has a set of very unique skills that make him the right man at the right time to start this downsize dialog in Washingon. We haven’t had a legal mind with the motivations of Mike Lee that we could position in Congress in our lifetime. We can’t blow this. I’ve looked him squarely in the eye, expressed how important this is to my children and my grandchildren and he has promised that he will not let me down. I believe him.
I am not supporting Mike Lee. HE IS SUPPORTING ME! He stands for everything I hold dear and precious in my life. Those who may criticize Mike Lee criticize me. Next to my wife and children, I consider my freedom, my citizenship and liberty to be the most valued and cherished possessions that I own. I have loved the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the vision of the Founding Fathers long before Mike Lee was ever born. I have the right to free speech, to worship, and to assemble. I have the right to own property. Not shared property, but private property! Mike Lee has strengths, skills, experience, and insight that I do not have. He is far better than I to represent and work for me in the U.S. Senate. I have thrown all I have behind him. He has 1000% of my support including my time. I physically will support him every waking minute of every day. Starting a few days before he announced his candidacy until the day in January 2011 that I will accompany him to Washington to witness his swearing his oath and dedication to the Constitution as our next Senator! I offer him the support of my family, my assets, my voice, my prayers, my raised hand and my VOTE. I will speak to every person with whom I come in contact with to VOTE. To VOTE EARLY! To VOTE FOR MIKE. If questions arise I will do my very best to explain why Mike is supporting me!
Like Tim Bridewater, I am a small businessman. Unlike Bridgewater I have not used US Government small business loans, grants, or guarantees. Together my wife and I have walked the streets of Utah looking for banks willing to share in our business vision. We have risked all we have for our success. We have risked our savings, our home, our reputation, and our credibility. We provide jobs, paychecks, health insurance. We have wonderful employees that we love and who love us. Together we provide a quality service. Many times we have gone without personally taking a paycheck. But our employees have never missed receiving there paychecks. We have always made our payments, paid our interest, and retired our debts. We file and pay our taxes on a timely basis and in full. At some point in the future the results of our efforts should be ours. They should benefit our employees. They should transfer to our children. Our legacy should survive and help our grand children. The Federal Government is not entitled to our efforts, our success and our failures. The fruits of our labors and efforts, our successes and our failures belong to us! We will use them for purposes that we determine. To help others, to give charity, to be of service, to show love and compassion to our family, our neighbors, friends, and community in ways that we choose. Mike Lee speaks for me. He is me in Mike clothes. He walks in my shoes. He expresses himself in ways that I wish I could express myself. He has skills and training that I do not have. He will work tirelessly for me as my senator. He will work as hard as I would work if I could be the Senator. Mike Lee supports me and so I support him!.
I am a mom and a former journalist (should I say recovering?
) I am amazed at Mike Lee’s depth of knowledge, experience and passion for the Constitution. A candidate like this doesn’t come along everyday.
I enjoyed reading this blog, for it validated what I suspected: Mike and Sharon Lee are really great people! He is the kind of person we need as a senator. Someone who loves freedom.
He’s been consistent. Shown good judgment. Has the right motives. He’s bright, articulate, and importantly, sincere. No, he’s not perfect. None of us are. But it is evident he’s a good man, with a good heart, who cares deeply about preserving liberty and has shown that throughout his career.
He definitely passes my job interview for senator — and with flying colors.
Now that we have a Senate primary race between two more-or-less mainstream conservatives, Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater, I am not scrutinizing the pair in an effort to decide which is more conservative. I’m not going through a checklist of issues, to see who passes more little conservative litmus tests. I am looking ahead as best I can to the times which seem to be coming, and attempting to discern which of the two candidates is best suited to such times.
I am looking at our growing constitutional and economic crises, projecting both into the future, and judging that the constitutional crisis is both greater and more fundamental. The two crises are related, to be sure; neither the Constitution nor our economic freedom and prosperity could long survive the total collapse of the other. But it is not clear to me that pursuing prosperity will resolve our constitutional crisis; too many factions promise some sort of economic advantage for someone, often enough in the name of freedom and responsibility, but at the expense of limited, constitutional government. The Constitution itself — a reasonably careful, historically aware reading of its text — has fewer advocates, especially on Capitol Hill. But surely a serious effort to push federal power back toward its proper constitutional limits would not only relieve our constitutional crisis, but also go a long way toward mitigating our economic crisis.
I don’t doubt Tim Bridgewater’s commitment to the US Constitution, and I agree that the voice of small business needs to be heard again in Washington. But under the present circumstances, and looking ahead, I want to send the conservative to Washington who knows that Constitution, its history, its principles, and more than two centuries of relevant case law inside and out.
I concede that there is some appeal in Bridgewater’s humble roots, but in the coming years I want the man in Washington who grew up discussing the Constitution at the dinner table with great minds who were steeped in it for decades, including his estimable father, US Solicitor General, law school dean, and university president Rex Lee. To worry that the food, the place settings, and the table itself might have cost more in the Lee home than in the Bridgewater trailer strikes me as a trivial preoccupation, wholly inappropriate to serious times.
I want for a senator the one who sees most readily and can argue with the greatest credibility that a given policy is wrong not just because it is based on bad economics, or because it’s bad for business, but, more fundamentally, because the Constitution does not grant the federal government jurisdiction over that part of our lives.
In this respect Mike Lee is not only the more satisfactory of the two candidates left in the race; he is the best candidate I have seen in any race in which I could vote in a long time. I want, and I think we very much need, minds like his in the Senate chamber. Therefore, with me it is Mike Lee for Senate. End of story.
David Rodeback´s last blog ..Anchor Babies and the Fourteenth Amendment (Posted Wednesday, June 16, 2010)
I am supporting Mike Lee because he is reasoned and thoughtful. He has shown that he sticks to his principles. For what more could you ask?
Jeremy Nicoll´s last blog ..Why I’m Not Supporting Tim Bridgewater
We have the privilege in living in a great community and a great state. On Tuesday June 22nd, we will have the privilege of taking part in the election of our next senator from the state of Utah.
We have been honored to know both candidates. Both are great individuals. After reviewing the records and the platforms of each candidate, we have chosen to cast our votes for Mike Lee.
Our current national debt is equal to $50,000 for every man, woman and child in this great nation. As the parents of five children, we do not feel it is morally right to leave this debt to our children. Mike Lee is committed to restoring government to its proper role by eliminating any program not specifically outlined in the Constitution. He is also committed to voting to eliminate corporate welfare, earmark reform and reducing entitlements.
At a time when our federal government is threatening our rights, Mike is the only candidate who has fought for our rights. He defended Utah’s rights to have every citizen counted in the 2000 census, for the rights of rural Utah in regards to rights of way and oil rights, with Richard Wilkins as he fought the United Nations attempts to undermine the family, and has been the legal counsel for the Patrick Henry Caucus.
Listening to Mike, you can feel his genuine love for our US Constitution. He has spent his life studying and defending this great document. When Samuel Alito was chosen to the US Supreme Court, he chose Mike Lee as his first clerk.
If you have any questions about Mike, please do not hesitate to contact us at 801-294-0241.
Thank You,
Don & Pamela Guymon