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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

Utah Delegates: Beware of Bridgewater

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  April 9th, 2010 at 05:00 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

In the past few days I’ve highlighted my concerns with Tim Bridgewater, one of the candidates for U.S. Senate in Utah. This started after Senator Bob Bennett highlighted Bridgewater’s support of No Child Left Behind.

I was disappointed by his support for NCLB but imagine my piqued interest when a reader told me Bridgewater also supported Medicare Part D — the bloated prescription drug benefit that created a new, $15 trillion unfunded liability.

The Salt Lake Tribune included this report on November 25, 2003 when Bridgewater was running for Congress the second time:

Matheson’s other GOP challengers, Salt Lake County Councilman David Wilde and businessman Tim Bridgewater, say they also would have voted for the legislation [Medicare Part D].

“I am running for Congress to support limited and more efficient government. This bill does neither of those things,” Bridgewater said. “Nevertheless, it is a half-step forward which begins to fix some of the problems that exist in the Medicare program.”

Rather than being a half-step forward, Medicare Part D was a giant leap backwards, rammed through a Republican-dominated government in 2003. Tim Bridgewater’s support for this bill is one more reason why Utahns should be wary of supporting him in the upcoming May 8th state convention.

Bridgewater appears to be one of those Republicans who is conservative when being conservative is popular and moderate when it’s not. Don’t be fooled by his newly adopted constitutional principles. Many of his business ventures have profited from government contracts and taxpayer-funded programs. I suspect his principles might stop at his business’s bottom line.

Based on the data I’ve seen, Bob Bennett will not make it out of the convention. The question before Utah’s GOP delegates now is this: which of the challengers will be a strong, authentic conservative? Is it Tim Bridgewater, who appears to be “Bennett Lite”, or Mike Lee who is a genuine constitutional conservative?

The Bennett and Bridgewater types have gotten us where we are today. The choice for Utah could not be clearer. Let’s support Mike Lee and help him become the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate at the May 8th convention.

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COMMENTS

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  • ihateliberals

    That’s just what we don’t need in congress. If it smells like a RINO then it probably is a RINO. Run away and find a true conservative to run.

  • http://www.hopeychangemas.com VizBiz

    Erick – I realize this is not an open thread and this is off topic, but I am listening to you on the radio over the web from NC. I don’t have time for a diary right now

    The SEIU has been trying to wedge it’s way into NC for sometime. State employees are encouraged to become a member of SEANC (State Employees Ass. of NC). Without input or disclosure the SEANC has crawled into bed with the SEIU, and is paying them $300k per year.
    http://www2.morganton.com/content/2009/dec/06/carswell-seanc-members-should-reject-seiu-affiliat/

    The Third Party you mentioned this morning is an obvious attempt at unionizing our state.

  • smitch61

    Breaking news on Michigan tv…… what a complete and total waste of a human being. He could have voted no before he retired…. chicken

  • arc_ut

    Been following Tim Bridgewater for a year. Yes he is campaigning further right than he did before, and yes he has been going out of his way to not make the same mistakes he did when he lost the last 2 times. People can learn.

    I believe that Cherilyn Eagar is the only one running against Bob Bennett who has supported and been active in fighting for conservative values for the last 30 years at the local, state, national and international level. [That includes Bennett]

    I also believe that if Erick truly researched the candidates he would realize that Mike Lee isn’t who he thinks he is. Mike Lee doesn’t have a track record to compare. Where did he stand on any issue 2 years ago is anyone’s guess.

    He might be good man, but he has caught himself between Freedom Works and Club for Growth. Who is going to rule? In my opinion Not Mike or Utah.

  • arc_ut

    Where does Cherilyn Eagar stand on principles and issues.
    See:
    http://www.redstate.com/cherilyneagar/
    for a start.

  • arc_ut

    Mike Lee has shown he is the ultimate in back room power plays, and how to irritate anyone that isn’t supporting you.

    Bridgewater proved twice that doesn’t work to win and has steered clear of it.

    Eagar has been and still is an activist. She has been no holds barred as long as it was re: issues, experience, or possible conflict of interests, but she has been out in the open about it, winning
    complements from both Bridgewater and Bennett.

    After 20 min. of polling from the Lee camp, delegates that were not
    for Lee are even less likely to vote for him. Why Lee would go after
    any Skousen he could get as an endorsement or maneuvering conservative groups including the Patrick Henry founders like chess pieces and think the delegates won’t see it is amazing.

    The ultimate moves are the straw polls. How many supporters are
    voting? Both Eagar and Bridgewater have gone out of their way to not stack the vote.

    What is also amazing is the number of events Lee has not gone to. It isn’t just the Lonsberry no show, it is the county conventions he doesn’t even have a sign or flier at. If he doesn’t want to go to a
    county convention or debate, he schedules a conflict.

    Is Lee who we want in DC? No!

  • quill67

    Here are the Republicans in the Senate who voted against Medicare part D:

    Chafee (R-RI), Nay
    Ensign (R-NV), Nay
    Graham (R-SC), Nay
    Gregg (R-NH), Nay
    Hagel (R-NE), Nay
    Lott (R-MS), Nay
    McCain (R-AZ), Nay
    Nickles (R-OK), Nay
    Sununu (R-NH), Nay

    With a couple of exceptions, is this the group you would want running the Republican party?

    The vote on Medicare part D does not answer the question that we really want to know: Will my representative vote for expanded and bigger government?

    One could argue that Medicare part D simply redefined what constituted “medical treatment” Does it make sense for the government to pay for an operation costing tens of thousands of dollars but not be willing to spend a few hundred to avoid that operation?

    In any case, the big difference between Medicare and Obamacare is that while Part D was an extension of existing benefits it was not a whole new program, and at least the seniors PAID into the Medicare program to get their benefits. Obamacare gives benefits to people who are not paying for it and its goal is not just about health care but its real goal is to redistributes wealth. Medicare part D was NOT about redistributing wealth.

    There are much better ways to judge whether a candidate is RINO. Do they support cap and trade? Did they support the stimulus bill? Are they willing to pledge full repeal of Obamacare?

    We, as conservatives, must pick our battles more carefully and not shoot one another. As Reagan said: “A person that votes with me 80% of the time is a trusted friend and ally, not a 20% traitor.?

  • http://www.pursuit-of-liberty.com davidmiller

    You got all your boilerplate anti-Lee, rah-rah-Eagar comments up in one group. Thanks for getting that all out of the way. You can drop the “I believe” before your comment about Cherilyn being the only challenger with a 30 year track record – she’s the only one old enough to have a track record that long. The problem is that no matter how long her track record Cherilyn is unable to draw others over to support conservative principles. All she can do is huddle win those who already beleive them, and even then, that only applies to her pet issues such as Roe v Wade. If we sent Cherilyn to the Senate she would not be “the feminists worst nightmare” as she likes to claim, she would be their favorite punching bag.

    Mike is less than 50 years old so a 30 year track record is simply impossible. Anyone who will listen to Mike with an open mind rather than setting him next to a picture of Cherilyn and asking themselves if he’s enough like her to wear a dress will see that he’s the real deal.

  • zroxx

    Medicare part D was NOT about redistributing wealth.

    I don’t know how you can say this with a straight face. Part D subsidizes prescription drug benefits for participants. If you can demonstrate that Part D is doling out no more cash to each participant than they had at some point paid in then you might have a point. But no – it’s shoveling out cash to people regardless of what they paid in. It’s taking taxpayer funds, and very clearly redistributing them as a subsidy for products the recipients would have otherwise paid for with their own money.

    As Erick pointed out, it was the most massive increase in entitlement spending in 40 years. It can’t pay for itself. It costs money to administer. It increased the scope of government.

    Anyone who argued for or voted for this contributed to the [massive] problem we all face. They did not hold true to conservative principles.

    The vote on Medicare part D does not answer the question that we really want to know: Will my representative vote for expanded and bigger government?

    Sure, past performance does not predict future results. However, a vote for Part D was most definitely a vote for “expanded and bigger government”. When someone has previously voted for government expansion, particularly regarding entitlement programs, then their future votes may indeed tilt the wrong way and there is cause for suspicion and scrutiny.

  • speckk

    Everyone is wearing the constitution these days. The real question is who will be wearing it in 3-4 years when no one is paying attention and it’s too late to stop them.

    I would like to see links to other sources verifying the claims that Bridgewater supported Medicare Part D and has been involved in businesses benefiting from government subsidies. I can’t share this with other people before I have more supporting evidence beyond accusations.

    I’ve met all the (relevant) candidates. Lee and Bridgewater sounded like honest men. Cook dropped names, but he didn’t seem as well grounded as the other candidates. Eager sounded like she was pandering to different groups, like the Fox News crowd, and I don’t like to be pandered to. Fox News is a special interest that doesn’t represent me nor tell me what to think.

    Lee is more conservative, while Bridgewater is more pragmatic and business minded. I’m disappointed to learn that Tim supported the corporate subsidy that is Medicare part D. I now want to ask all the candidates how they would fight government subsidies for businesses. Big Corporations are just as dangerous as Big Government.

    davidmiller has a good point; Eager would be ridiculed just as much as Bachman and Palin by center and left media. They are vicious and fairly misogynistic, which even showed up in the H. Clinton presidential primary.
    Yes, as a woman, Eager can shut up a few of the Pro-Abortion arguments and sex discrimination arguments. She can goad some of the media into pointing out what horrible misogynistic hypocrites they are. I’m not saying this to encourage bad behavior, just to dismiss the notion that anybody will go easy on Eager. Politics is the bloodiest, cruelest sport.

  • quill67

    Even those Republicans on the list above. Virtually all opposed it because it was not big government enough for them. They wanted the government to run it. To dictate the price of all prescription drugs in the country to a price that the government set.

    My real point is we lost the Medicare battle in the 1960s. I do not see the country voting to stop medicare (even though it is not a constitutional power). I believe we may get a private plan that gets the government out someday but in the meantime it was wise for Bush not to try to fight a battle we would definitely lose. If Bush had not got part D, the Democrats would have included it in this health care bill and so a lot of seniors who polls show overwhelmingly oppose Obamacare would be much more likely to support it.

  • arc_ut

    Weber County Utah
    Straw Poll at the Weber County GOP Convention.
    County delegates, not the state delegates that will be voting May 8.

    However it would be hard to say this one poll was stacked and those voting would be likely voters in a primary and may give you an idea.

    Weber County has 263 of the 3500 State delegates or 7.5%.

    Straw poll numbers as reported by Lee

    Mike Lee: 150
    Cherilyn Eagar: 129
    Bob Bennett: 106
    Tim Bridgewater: 48
    Fabiano: 29
    Cook: 4

  • leehazel

    Translate that to mean that we do not want to return any Rinos to office.

    A case in point. Senator John McCain RINO from Arizona must be fired. His replacement would be JD Hayworth, former Congressman form Arizona. JD’s conservative “grades” are far exceed McCain’s.

    Any help or thoughts that would help us rid ourselves of this “maverick” gone limp would be appreciated not only in Arizona but in the nationwide Conservative neighborhood.
    PC is Thought Control

  • aesthete

    in a Republican-dominated Congress because, at some point in the future, a Democratic Congress would pass it? If that’s the case, we might as well give up the ghost right now and let Democrats expand government to the size of their choosing, since it’s clear that we are doing nothing but either 1) delaying the inevitable, or 2) helping Democrats achieve said “inevitable” outcome.

    I refuse to put my RINO-hunting hat on when we need as many Reps as possible to oppose Obama’s agenda for 2010, but any vote for Part D was dead wrong, regardless of who voted for it. Bridgewater looks like a reliable Party vote, but in the choice between a party loyalist and a conservative, I prefer the conservative (particularly in light of the Republican party’s bad track record with leadership).

  • justcase

    What a shocker. A real straw poll that means something.

    Lee of course is croaning about this being first, but remember that there are up to 3 ballots. If in the first ballot, just Cook and Fabiano were taken out and their votes went to Eagar with Bridgewater’s caste evenly among the rest, that puts Cherilyn Eagar at the top of the heap!

    Do whatever math you want. It looks to me like those who are getting out to visit with Cherilyn and listening to more than sound bites are coming away impressed with her as our best candidate.

    I like her fiesty character and believe that she will represent us best.

  • howienorton

    Bridgewater was against NCLB. He was there fighting against as a representative of Utah. Check your facts before you post his opponenets lies.

  • arc_ut

    Go back and read what Bridgewater said about NCLB in 2004 and 2002. It was obvious in 2005 he was against it. When asked in 2004 he was concerned about it, but when asked by the local paper if he would get rid of it or to take a stand against it, he gave some lame response.

    He is running further to the right than he did the last 2 times.