An Inconvenient Truth: Bob Bennett and Tim Bridgewater Together

By: Erick Erickson (Diary) | June 16th, 2010 at 11:35 AM |

RESIZE: AAA

Months ago I told you Bob Bennett and Tim Bridgewater were cutting a deal. I got so much blowback from so many people I actually had to remove the post from the front page of RedState. I stood by the story, but the brouhaha that resulted necessitated the post going into draft mode so we could get on with the day.

Well, I was and am right. And it is more and more clear that Tim Bridgewater is playing seriously dirty in Utah with the help of Bob Bennett cronies.

First, as I said back them, Bennett and Bridgewater struck a deal to throw support to Bridgewater should Bennett lose. Keep in mind that Bob Bennett knew before the Utah convention that he was going to lose.

Second, we have the mysterious case of a Mike Lee mail piece. The mail piece had a picture of Mike Lee over the Mormon Temple in Utah and a picture of Bob Bennett over the U.S. Capitol. The mail piece asked voters to determine which of the two better represented Utah values.

The piece clearly was designed to appear like it came from Mike Lee and was calculated to put Mike Lee in a terribly light. It came out right before the convention and had lots of people condemn Mike Lee for bringing religion into politics.

There’s only one problem — Mike Lee had nothing to do with it. And it now looks more and more like Tim Bridgewater did.

He is denying it. Of course Bridgewater is also denying he was ever a lobbyist despite filing lobbyist disclosures proving he was a lobbyist. He also is denying helping send federal tax dollars to Mexico to help build housing for the poor that apparently does not exist on behalf of a man the U.S. government won’t let in the country because of suspect drug trafficking ties. He also is denying sending U.S. tax dollars to Indonesian companies despite formerly bragging about it.

Tim BridgetoNowhereWater is lying — not misrepresenting, not distorting, just flat out lying — about his record. So it is no wonder he is lying about participating in this mail piece. More and more it looks like not only is Bridgewater connected, but so is Bob Bennett.

And the web is all connected through a guy named Tim Stewart.

Tim Stewart is a former Bob Bennett staffer. He has now aligned himself with Tim Bridgewater.

Remember again ‚ this is a key fact, the Bennett campaign knew that Bob Bennett would not make it out of the Utah GOP Convention before the mail piece was prepared and mailed. The Bennett campaign knew the race came down to Bridgewater vs. Lee as the mail piece was being plotted.

Tim Stewart, who spent seven years as a legislative aide for Bennett and now is a lobbyist and founder of the group Saddle PAC, coordinated the mailer with a pair of D.C.-area consulting firms, according to e-mails and invoices provided to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Stewart said late Monday that he wasn’t the mastermind, but instead was a go-between for a group of Utahns whom he would not identify.

“I sincerely wish that I could take credit for what may be the most brilliant and possibly the biggest single game-changing political play in Utah politics in the last 20 years. But I can’t. I am not that diabolical nor creative,” he said.

“Instead, I am just a two-bit, wannabe political consultant, contacted by some Utah folks wanting to exercise their First Amendment rights. They came up with a great idea and we found a vendor and that’s about the extent of it.”

Note that Tim Stewart, like Tim Bridgewater, is a lobbyist who stands to rake in huge dollars off Bridgewater in the same way he did with Bob Bennett.

Stewart will not say who put up the money, etc. for the mail piece, but Mike Lee‘s campaign has filed an FEC complaint. The feds will now investigate and find out. Someone may go off to jail as a result.

Mike Lee‘s campaign is also asking Tim Bridgewater to join him in demanding a full investigation. Naturally, Tim Bridgewater is remaining silent. Why? Because his campaign is culpable.

Tim Bridgewater, endorsed now by Bob Bennett, cut a deal with Bennett before the Utah Convention for Bennett to get his supporters to go with Bridgewater once Bennett dropped out. Tim Stewart, straddling both camps, designed a mail piece, targeted convention voters, and dropped it right before the convention to hurt Mike Lee.

Congressman Tom McClintock is joining Jim DeMint, FreedomWorks, RedState, and many other conservatives to support Mike Lee. He needs your help. He needs to win.

The establishment and the pocket lining lobbyist community have ganged up to take him out. We cannot let them win.

Tags: Bob Bennett, Mike Lee, Tim Bridgewater, Utah

COMMENTS

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pamdale

Thank you for your support. As I see it, you are right on every count.
utah_cares

Time to get Freedomworks and Jim DeMint to say they were wrong? Pretty lame for them going after Bridgewater with this for the purpose to fundraise for Mike Lee.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_15297267

Tim Stewart, who spent seven years as a legislative aide for Bennett and now is a lobbyist and founder of the group Saddle PAC, coordinated the mailer with a pair of D.C.-area consulting firms, according to e-mails and invoices provided to The Salt Lake Tribune.

http://www.sltrib.com/D=g/ci_15035047

Phone calls went out to rural delegates who, if they identified themselves as Bridgewater supporters, were asked if they knew he was a lobbyist who worked to get federal stimulus money for businesses, Bridgewater?s campaign said.

Saddle PAC, a political action committee, was behind those calls, though its director Tim Stewart, a former Bennett staffer, says the effort wasn?t a push-poll or an attack, but an effort to raise Bennett?s profile on public lands and energy issues.

–

Saddle PAC was going after both Bridgewater and Bennett prior to convention.

If that isn’t obvious, perhaps try reading the information again.
At least Erick is in good company.
http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

The guy who only registered after the Utah GOP convention is talking about losing respect for Erick?

You have no credibility. We all know you’re here for one reason, and that’s to promote Bridgewater over Lee.

When you insult our intelligence with coments like this you just make Bridgewater look bad.
utah_cares

I don’t know who is doing Erick’s research, but he is looking pretty silly.

Saddle PAC was trying to ruin BOTH Bridgewater and Lee’s chances at convention.

Lee is blaming the Flyer, where 1/2 of the delegates didn’t see prior to convention and only 1/3 of those that saw it even though Lee might have sent it.

Fine. But the reason that 2/3 of the delegates backing Eagar and then 2/3 of the delegates backing Bennett voted for Bridgewater at convention was Lee’s campaign had done a great job of ticking them off, not with the flyer, but over months.

Eagar and Bennett both this last week endorsed Bridgewater based on the way Lee’s campaign has been run.

The finger pointing somewhere else is fun, but isn’t the whole story.
deano64

respect for Erick. It’s disingenuous and as Neil said we all know why you’re here.
http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

Your comments have zero credibility. I have no idea if you work for the campaign but we all pretty much assume you do.
utah_cares

The information I posted is correct, from the local newspaper who has been researching who was behind the flyer, which Erick is using for reference.

I have not been paid by Bridgewater and was supporting Eagar through convention.
eburke

until after the convention, and the only comments he’s ever made are trashing Lee and shilling for Bridgewater, and just because he’s mocking the Big Dog who has more inside connections than he could ever dream of, what could *possibly* lead you to make such an unjustified and unsupported assertion?
eburke

“I have not been paid by Bridgewater”.

How ’bout, let’s say…maybe his campaign?

Or, are you just a volunteer for his campaign who has decided to volunteer for the job of monitoring RS on behalf of Tim’s campaign.

Come on…you can level with us
http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

Let me guess: You’re the one who never stopped talking about Energy Solutions or whatever that was.

Am I right?
dkpatriot

I have asked myself this question a lot over the past several weeks since Jim DeMint publicly endorsed Mike Lee and has subsequently donated nearly $100,000 to Mike?s senate campaign. Jim DeMint is a conservative senator from South Carolina and he is trying to build a coalition of other like-minded conservatives, so why Mike Lee? Out of the four top candidates for the US Senate this year, Cherilyn Eager certainly possessed the more conservative resume; she even shares with Jim DeMint the support of the Eagle Forum who, incidentally, donated to DeMint?s campaign $1,000 in both March and November 2009, so why Mike Lee? During the primary election cycle both Tim Bridgewater and Mike Lee have positioned themselves at the ideological right of Senator Bennett. Either man would strengthen the conservative caucus in the Senate so regardless of who the winner is DeMint?s ?coalition? would be strengthened, therefore, wouldn?t the nearly $100,000 donated to the Lee campaign be more strategically spent on the senate race in? hmmm? California? Evidently not.

The question about the DeMint endorsement of Mike Lee has taken me on a maze of connections that haven?t yet been highlighted in this race but these connections are critical for Utah voters to consider as we are about to elect our next senator. As ?The People?, we demand transparency from our elected officials and from those seeking those positions. Mike Lee and Jim DeMint share a common bond. This bond isn?t just their conservative ideology but it is a common interest? waste. Nuclear waste.

Mike was hired by Governor John Hunstman in 2005 as General Counsel. During this time Mike defended the approval authority of the Governor to limit nuclear waste brought into the state. Mike stated just before leaving this position for Washington DC that he ?has long vowed to assist the Governor in his efforts to fight private fuel storage and to continue fighting until private fuel storage is dead?it was hard to leave before that was done.? (Lisa Riley Roche, ?Guv?s ?General? Leaves For Supreme Court,? Deseret Morning News, 7/30/06). After leaving the Huntsman Administration for a lucrative position as partner in a DC law firm, Mike was approached in 2008 by Energy Solutions and hired to use his Constitutional knowledge to help them establish the right to bring foreign nuclear waste from Italy into the State of Utah. The 10th Amendment of the US Constitution does protect our right as a state to keep out this waste but Mike used his exceptional skills as a lawyer and his extensive understanding of the Constitution to interpret the Constitution in a manner that was favorable to his client, whereas just a few year prior the interpretation was a far different one. We have seen as a nation what happens when the interpretation of the Constitution is dependent on the issue of the day, on the contributions of donors, or whatever political agenda is being promoted. Using the oft-quoted Commerce Clause from the Constitution- the misinterpretation of this same clause that Mike has condemned on so many occasions that has enabled the federal government to overreach its Constitutional authority, Lee successfully argued against not only the will of the Northwest Compact which is made up of Utah and seven other states but you and me as citizens of our great state- 68 percent of us want to ban importing foreign radioactive waste into our state according to a Mason-Dixon poll.

In just the past few weeks, Mike has reinforced his commitment to the Constitutional authority of the federal government to regulate the waste imported to the State on both Bruce Lindsey?s conversation with both candidates two weeks ago and in recent debates. He has said, however, if the state does have the right to limit the waste then these limitations should be phased in over a few years so the affected companies have time to adjust. Would that mean companies like Energy Solutions? Energy Solutions has business interests in Jim DeMint?s South Carolina where they also process nuclear waste. Energy Solutions has contributed to Jim DeMint?s own campaign in the total amount of $4000 from July 2009 to February 2010.

The question still remains, Why IS Jim DeMint endorsing Mike Lee? The support for Lee came long before the state convention when Cherilyn Eager was in the race but she didn?t get the endorsement. It appears Mike is trying desperately to keep the focus on Tim Bridgewater by distorting and misrepresenting Tim?s background so the people of Utah won?t notice Mike?s own special interest and his keen ability as a Constitutional scholar to interpret the Constitution in a way that benefits his meal ticket- whoever that may be. Haven?t we seen enough of this type of Constitutional interpretation in our country? There is one candidate in this race who has been very transparent about his record and unwavering in his commitment to his values and to the people of Utah. There is one candidate in this race who is a true conservative who isn?t in the pocket of Energy Solutions, and it isn?t Mike Lee.
utah_cares

I was pretty impressed with Redstate last summer.
Then earlier this year somehow Redstate drunk the Mike Lee kool-aid and has lost any sense as to what is right on this race.

I understood going after the incumbent, generally.

I have not understood going after 2 of the 3 conservative candidates.

I realize Jason Powers is helping Lee’s campaign and was helping to run Club for Growth attacks against Bennett prior to convention. It sounds like he has been feeding Erick distorted info.

Don’t forget that Powers was one that helped get us Jim Matheson (not on purpose) when Bridgewater and Swallow were running in 2002. He helped cause enough bad feelings that the democrat won.
http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

You really are out of touch with RedState if you think you’re not going to get laughed out or the room if you’re going to try to smear Jim DeMint with innuendo.
http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens
mattmillburn

Erick’s article about a secret deal between Bridgewater and Bennett was false and that’s why it is erased. It still hasn’t been put back up because of it’s obvious falsehoods. In the article it stated that Bennett and Bridgewater had made a secret deal where each one would endorse the other should they lose. This despite the fact that Bridgewater had already signed a pledge from the Club for Growth stating that he would endorse any of the candidates over Bennett. There is a reason why that previous post is still down, and it’s because Erick wants to take selected parts from it without letting people see the parts that have been proven false.

Where do you get the idea that Bennett knew he wouldn’t make it out of convention? Erick’s idea is that an ex-Bennett staffer sent the temple mailer out not as an effort to get Bennett to win, but he knew Bennett would lose, so it was only for Bridgewater’s sake. Of course, as usual no evidence is needed on Red State. Blindly throwing accusations is enough. Nobody can respond to the fact that the group that put this ad out was attacking Lee and Bridgewater before the convention. Weird to attack Bridgewater when your secret plan is to help Bridgewater. Maybe it was just to throw people off.
constitutionalconservative

He’s just the guy we need in Utah. It’s a bit discouraging to me that this race is even close in a state with such a conservative Republican electorate. Maybe this is because of Bridgewater’s dirty tricks.

Glad to see more good guys getting on the Lee bandwagon. And hopefully, the Bridgewater sock-puppets will find somewhere else to go.
dkpatriot

I love Jim DeMint but he’s not perfect, he is a politician. I Question everyone and everything with Boldness! Eric, does not have all the facts. The only reason for Bennett’s and one of the reasons Cherilyn Eagar endorsed Tim Bridgewater is because Mike Lee is young, inexperienced and has conducted a negative, extremely dirty campaign that lacks integrity. In Utah honor and Integrity still matter!
dkpatriot

Calling “Bridgewater sock-puppets” and telling them to “go somewhere else! ” … and they wonder why folks like Eagar won’t endorse their campaign.
utah_1

This is the guy who used to go by the name ARC who was banned for being a troll and is now doing it under this name. His real name is Fred Cox and used to be on Cherilyn Eagar’s staff and is now volunteering for Bridgewater. He is still a troll
utah_1

So smearing DeMint is honorable and filled with integrity how?
mbecker908

You’ve made such a complete and consistent idiot of yourself here that the fact that you’ve “lost respect for Erick” is a plus for everybody else here as far as Erick is concerned.

Oh, and Fred, when you work for a campaign you really should disclose it. And, now we understand why Edgar got blown out.
http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

We’ve actually *caught* anti-Lee sockpuppets in the act.
mbecker908

Obviously, given Eager’s and Bridgewater’s supporters who post here, that’s a false statement.
ursusminor

Having read these comments it is pretty plain to see who has a level headed approach. I have seen too many articles written by Erick Erickson with plenty of innuendo and malice.

You have no intention of sharing a balanced approach, but only intend to discredit Tim Bridgewater for the benefit of your chosen candidate, Mike Lee.

The Koo-aid must be strong stuff. I didn’t even know that Mike Lee fought the importation of radioactive waste before he defended Energy Solutions in their bid to gain the right to store it. If he made such a solemn vow to stop it, then represented them later, it makes me wonder if he will have any stronger loyalty to the people of Utah.

To my own knowledge this whole fight to stop importation of the radioactive waste approved to be stored is a little silly anyway. Maybe someone can correct me if I am wrong.

1. It is radioactive waste, not nuclear.
2. An exit sign has too much radioactivity to be stored at the Utah facility.

Erick, your articles are obviously tilted to your own advantage with evidence that does not stand up to simple research. I also think you’re hurting your candidate with your apparent dislike for Tim Bridgewater.

Neither of these candidates are the devil, however, I support Tim Bridgewater over Mike Lee for similar examples to that above where Lee vowed to stop importation of radioactive waste, then represented them later. I am aware of several other examples of similar conduct by Mike Lee.

I am shocked by the disrespect shown in the comments of this article. Name calling, insults, smearing and innuendo seem to come from one side of this argument, and I don’t have any clue how you feel you’d gain any support for your candidate with such rude behavior.
ursusminor

“caught” is right.
http://andrightlyso.com/ civil_truth

Where all the establishment GOP folks decide to carry out smears against conservative candidates because they’d rather have Democrat wins to use as a club against conservatives in 2012 than to have Republican conservatives come to power and toss them out on their ear.

Just like the Roman Senate before Julius Caesar came and ended the whole republican experiment.
jenniferjmilleresq

after reading all these obnoxious comments by the Utah political operatives who don’t mind being allied with Bob Bennett and his chosen replacement.
utah_cares

Bennett fought tooth and nail for over a year to make it through convention. He hoped he would win in the primary. He didn’t make it, partly because of the Tea Party movement who were backing 3 candidates, Eagar, Bridgewater and Lee. Most of that movement are still backing Bridgewater and Lee.

Several weeks after convention, Cherilyn Eagar endorses Tim Bridgewater, and Tim flies to DC and asks Bennett for his endorsement: Weeks after Bennett is out of the race.

Lee said he would have taken Bennett’s endorsement if offered.

Lee and Bennett
http://news.hjnews.com/news/article_43a3f9ba-75bd-11df-b15d-001cc4c002e0.html

Lee said Friday that a surrogate for his campaign did try to coordinate a meeting with Bennett in the wake of last month’s Utah Republican Convention after Bennett did not receive enough of the state delegates’ votes to advance to the primary.

“I tried to set up a meeting with Sen. Bennett and was not successful in doing so,” Lee said. “I think that it would be presumptuous to call it a meeting trying to get his endorsement, but a meeting just to talk after the fact. And the topic of endorsements probably would have come up at some point, which I would have accepted had I gotten it, because, you know, Sen. Bennett’s a good man. He served our state for 18 years, and I admire him. It would have been great to have his support.”

Bennett told The Associated Press on Friday that surrogates for the Bridgewater and Lee campaigns “sent out feelers” for his support, but it wasn’t until Bridgewater paid a personal visit to his Washington office that he agreed to give it.

“If I had not been asked, I would not have pushed myself forward,” Bennett said Friday. “But when he asked, it was the thing for me to do.”
eburke
eburke

Mike Lee”….and then never bother to answer the question.

Usually, when you pen a question like that in the title line it means you’re about to tell us why. Instead, you launch into this nonsensical litany of Mike Lee’s connections to whoever.

So you brought this whole endorsement thing up why?
eburke

You guys all share the same computer? Hope your mentors from the Bennett campaign informed you that, yes, you can be traced and identified…just like they were.
jenniferjmilleresq

sorry! ( :
IJB
Richard Mullins

We don’t take to kindly to re-treads here.
mattmillburn

I like how the response to my comment about the false accusations of Erick Erickson is to accuse me of being Bridgewater staff. Just like Erick, no evidence is ever needed for any accusation. All that is needed is the will for something to be true. Don’t worry about responding to anything I wrote because I know you can’t. I am not part of the Bridgewater staff and even if I were, how would that change what I wrote? Maybe Erick should shift his strategy to start making false accusations that can’t be proven wrong by a simple google search.

Go ahead and try to trace and identify me. Shouldn’t be too hard since I use my real name.
laststand

As a state delegate I saw the flyer, and knew it had to be sent out by someone else, but talked to many delegates who thought it was real, and did not like it. I quickly called Mike Lee?s campaign and they said of course it was not real, and they were abhorred by it. It was dirty politics at it?s finest.

I do think it is interesting the the man who was involved in the flyer also donated to Bridgewater campaign, and that Bennet decided to endorse Bridgewater, hum a coincidence?

I have observed (and some of you may have also), I saw this same scenario play out again this last week against Mike. A fake robo call, that diid the same type of thing. Initially I would not point fingers, but now it is only Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater. Obviously happening twice, it shows how Tim Bridgewater plays, Dirty
eburke

with regards to Lee bashers that come on here:

They’re almost always short-timers;

They’ve made no comments except as it regards the UT senate race;

The only time they’re seen on here is after a ‘regular’ pens a diary on the UT Senate race;

They almost always take gratuitous swipes at Erick;

They somehow almost always mysteriously support Bridgewater;

Their ‘arguments’ mysteriously make the exact same points ad nauseum;

And then there are the ones that *have* been traced back to the campaign staffs of various campaigns.

So…perhaps you are not part of any campaign; I don’t know for certain so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt but your ‘schtick’ sounded an awful lot like the above and there’s that old saying about looking and walking and quacking like a duck.
eburke

How did I know that Bennett wasn’t going to make it out of the convention?

They’re called polls and along with every shred of anecdotal evidence coming out of the state.

And, of course, we’ve *never* seen a politician break a pledge, or promise something to his constituents just to convince them to vote for them.

And how would you being part of the Bridgewater campaign change anything that you wrote?

Are you serious? ‘Cause if that’s a serious question to which you can’t already provide the answer than my giving the answer to you won’t make a difference
StandardCandle

Utah is my homeland… I grew up there… and I’ve been telling all friends and family all along to follow Mike Lee… I’ve linked to every article you’ve written on the matter on my facebook page, and have emailed family and friends that live there… BEGGING them not to fall for Bridgewatered Koolaid… and to support Mike Lee.

Anyone that’s a registered republican and go and vote early, they don’t have to wait until June 22nd.

Please keep this on the front runner of primary races until June 23rd. To me this is as important as Rubio/Crist… because as long as Bob Bennett has had the decency to not run as an independent… The republican nominee is as good as the Senetor elect.
mattmillburn

I’m not a Mike Lee basher. I like Mike Lee and if he wins the primary I think he would be a huge improvement over Bennett. I just like Bridgewater better because of Lee’s views on Afghanistan. Lee has said that there are more thugs in Utah county than Afghanistan. He clearly doesn’t understand the threat. I do not want my senator to be advocating the premature withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

I make comments on articles about the Utah senate race because I live in Utah and it is the race that I am following the closest right now. As for taking swipes at Erick, I just point out when he is making stuff up. I used to trust Erick. I have been reading Red State since 2008 and it wasn’t until this race that I learned that Erick can’t be trusted because of his tendency to make things up. I’m glad I have learned this so I won’t be fooled when he says things about races I am less familiar with.

Bridgewater supporters are making the same arguments because there are obvious flaws in what Erick Erickson has been writing. It makes sense that more than one person would point this out.

I didn’t ask how did you know Bennett wouldn’t make it out of convention, I asked how Erick Erickson knew that Bennett knew he wouldn’t make it out of convention. I was looking at the polls and it definitely didn’t look good for Bennett. But polls aren’t always accurate. There is no indication that Bennett gave up. The polls also showed Mike Lee as the clear leader and Bridgewater ended up winning 57% of the vote.

Tim Bridgewater did pledge to support any candidate over Bennett should he be eliminated. There has been no evidence that he had any intention to break that pledge. Why was Tim Stewart attacking Bridgewater before the convention when he secretly knew Bennett would lose and he was really wanting Bridgewater to win the entire time? That is a major flaw in this article. I know you don’t care, Facts don’t matter, just as long as Lee is supported and Bridgewater is bashed.
StandardCandle

I know what you’re thinking…

You WANT to believe that Tim Bridgewater is telling the truth, because he’s spoken principles that relate to your faith and your politics… You WANT to believe that this is the reason that Cherilyn Eagar endorsed him… You WANT to believe that your friend and your candidate isn’t getting her campaign debts paid off through means that can’t be traced back to Bridgewater… Because you WANT to trust the fact that there are no Mormons that graduated from BYU that are crooks… unfortunately no institution of man is void of crooks…

But don’t come around here telling us that WE’RE drinking the Kool-Aid…

You my friend need to trust the FACTS.

Fact 1) Mike Lee’s campaign was targeted by fraudulent representation.
Fact 2) Mike Lee was EXONERATED from sending the flyer
Fact 3) Cherilyn Eagar endorsed the very same person that illegally offered to pay off her capaign debts for her endorsement…
Fact 4) Bob Bennett endorsed Tim Bridgewater
Fact 5) Jim Demint endorsed Mike Lee
Fact 6) Jim Demint for any of his perceived faults whether others agree or not, will NEVER pale a comparison to Bennet’s willingness to SPEND, SPEND, SPEND!!!
Fact 7) Bridgewater is one octave away from sounding like the Emperor in Return of the Jedi. And we all know how non-constitutional the Emperor was…
Fact 8) Bridewater is a business man, that made money by getting money from congress through earmarks… regardless of what they did with them…
Fact 9) You’re totally ignoring the fact that Earmarks are one of the moreannoying things that Senators do that infuriate conservatives.

so ask yourself… are you mad at Erick? Or are you mad that there’s a conservative world that’s more informed than you outside of Utah?

Just sayin’…
StandardCandle

A lawyer represents and makes arguments according to the client’s best interest…

I think your pitch of “he was against it before he was for it” is a little vague…

Would you mind clarifying for us with references to what you’re claiming?

I think you simply just don’t get “inside baseball”… facts is facts… someone smeared Lee first… and now we know who did it by the fact that Bridgewater won’t do the honorable thing and demand answers…

I mean even McCain did that when Romney was smeared in SC/FL… in 2008…. so come on… please… pay attention to what matters.
StandardCandle

I HOPE you’re wrong… However, I FEAR you may be right, at least in some very specific races. I suppose the simple tell will be wherever statewide heavyweights lose the primary, and then run as an independent. The not so subtle tell, will be how they help organize funding and support for the nominees like respectable campaigns that lose do…
utah_cares

Erick is using Redstate to bash Senator Bennett, who is not on the ballot for primary or general election, Tim Bridgewater, who has the backing of 57% of the conservative state delegates that voted Bennett out.

There is more evidence to prove he is wrong, and he seems to be ignoring it.

http://www.sltrib.com/D=g/ci_15035047
SadlePAC went after Bridgewater AND Bennett.

http://news.hjnews.com/news/article_43a3f9ba-75bd-11df-b15d-001cc4c002e0.html

Lee said he would have taken Bennett’s endorsement.

And just for fun:
http://www.lonsberry.com/writings.cfm?story=2893&go=4
utah_cares

However, in an interview with The Herald Journal on Friday, Lee said he would have accepted an endorsement from Bennett.

“I would have taken it,” said Lee, an attorney from Alpine. “I will accept endorsements from good, decent people and would have accepted his.
http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

Look at him go.

He posts and he posts. But he won’t tell us just how many accounts he’s registered.
eburke
eburke

“I didn’t ask how did you know Bennett wouldn’t make it out of convention, I asked how Erick Erickson knew that Bennett knew he wouldn’t make it out of convention.”

That statement is stunning in it’s naivete or is purposely disengenuous. Have you ever been even tangentially connected with a campaign involving delegates? I have and I guarantee you these candidates know with a couple of percentage points how many delegates they have in the first round…how many delegates have you as their 2nd choice, and how many delegates would vote for Barack Obama before they would support you. If you don’t think that Bennett *knew* before the convention started that he was toast then I’ve got some beachfront property in Magna to sell to you.

It’s not exactly a Mensa-type leap of deductive reasoning for Erick to assume that Bennett knew he was toast. Hell, *I* knew he was toast and I haven’t even lived in UT for the last 5 years.

And I’m finding it hard to believe that if you’ve been reading RS since 2008 that all of a sudden you’ve decided in the last 2 months you’ve decided that Erick can’t be trusted when he’s called more stuff right than you or I could ever dream of.
StandardCandle

it’s who the moron that got booted to the curb decides to endorse…

I mean you have to admit in the very least that Bennet’s endorsement is a thinly veiled attempt to play “kingmaker” with someone that will keep him in the game…

as for Lonsberry’s endorsement of Tim Bridgewater… the entire article is nothing but the filth and dross of a classic class warfare argument… and proves nothing as to the CONTENT of the actions of Tim Bridgewater in this campaign, or in his professional career.

I grew up not being able to afford even the cheap seats… the only Jazz games I attended were the ones paid for by my enrollment in Jr. Jazz basketball… but I have the sense to realize a crook when I see one.

FYI: Saddle PAC is owned and operated by Tim Stewart himself… WHO GAVE Money to the Bridgewater campaign… personally $1500, and also through his PAC…
http://www.sltrib.com/D=g/ci_15304411

So… Yes the implications by Erick are QUITE appropriate…
takemccain2

you just inspired me to donate $25 to the Mike Lee campaign.
I especially want to thank you for the ” I wish I could take credit ” mantra where you show your true colors. It reminded me of the corrupt belt-way, insider machine that has been running the Republican Party and betraying conservative principles. Glad that you fessed up to being a part of that machine and acted like a jerk in the process. Can’t wait for Lee to win so self-promoters like you are out of a job. The only ” game changing ” political play that will take place in Utah on June 22 will be when GOP voters say NO MORE to the likes of your kind and elect Mike Lee.
Thanks again, Tim!
crassus

First off, I should note that I think very highly of Cherilyn Eagar. However, Mike Lee is also outstanding. Eagar was eliminated in the first round. Then, when Bennett, was eliminated, it was Lee v. Bridgewater. Only then, did DeMint get involved. Lets face it, Bridgewater has changed positions on many things like the Medicare Prescription bill and No Child Left Behind. Mike Lee is absolutely brilliant, and will be a tremendous force on the floor of the US Senate. It is obvious based on who has endorsed whom, that Lee is the real defender of the republic.
crassus

DeMint stayed out of the race until Bob Bennett was gone.
crassus

On the issues, Mike Lee is the best. Period. In fact, he is one of the best candidates in any state, in recent memory. He is (1) very intelligent (2) a student of the constitution (3) has conservative instincts (4) the man who Bob Bennett hates.
StandardCandle

We don’t hang a society for the ranting of it’s crazy people…

In truth, Utah is full of strong conservative views among its electorate, I think this particular race is a teaching moment for most of them, which is, just because they’re Republican, doesn’t mean they represent you, your views, or the interest of the state or the nation.

The unfortunate thing about most mormons in Utah is that they’re gullible and willing to trust and give the benefit of the doubt… hence the widespread support for Romney… I’ve been down that road… it’s one step away from living in the streets, on a cardboard box with less than a dollar in your pocket wondering… how did I get here…

Thank goodness, I became a Redstate reader and moved out of the state.
mattmillburn

You don’t see how Erick Erickson constantly making stuff up during this campaign would make me decide that he can’t be trusted? If the candidates know exactly how many delegates they are going to receive that means that Mike Lee was lying when he kept saying that he had the lead with the delegates. I don’t believe Lee was lying, he thought he had the lead and he was wrong. You still haven’t responded to the main point which is why was Bridgewater being attacked before the convention by Tim Stewart when Tim Stewart was trying to help Bridgewater win with his dirty tricks?
eburke

So I’m sure examples of “all the time” are to follow?

You haven’t even proved that Erick is lying *this* time.

I never said that candidates don’t put out for public consumption inflated numbers in an attempt to create the appearance of momentum. But, again, I have worked with campaigns and they *always* know for themselves where they’re at. And so did Bob Bennett.

As far as the Bridgewater/Bennett alliance – again, your naivete (or your purposeful disingenuousness) is showing big time. If you don’t think that it is more than just remotely possible for two candidates to make an alliance prior to a convention, and that they could be savvy enuf to concoct a hit piece that would appear to be something that it’s not, then…well…you’re naive.

As in, have you paid any attention lately to races say….in South Carolina?
deano64

Is this all you’ve got? It’s weak.
mbecker908

same sentence with “give the benefit of the doubt” you get rank hypocrisy.
eburke

seem to find the time to post on anything but anti-Lee screeds and who have a posting history shorter than Obama’s resume, and then claim that they have nothing to do w/the Bridgewater campaign have just inspired me to drop a C-note onto Lee’s website…again.

Last time it was arc_utah who served up the “it’s time to donate” moment.
eburke

out for his bringing up a question and then never bothering to answer it while using it to launch an irrational, disconnected, rambling screed attacking Mike Lee.

But appreciate you setting out the sequence of events again for those who’ve forgotten.
mattmillburn

Here is an article from the Salt Lake Tribune that shows that Stewart was attacking Bridgewater before the convention. http://www.sltrib.com/D=g/ci_15035047 It seems strange for Stewart to be attacking Bridgewater while he is working for him. How does this not show that this article is false?
eburke

for Bridgewater or, no offense intended, you’re really not that bright or politically savvy.

So Tim Stewart (who, btw, has contributed to Tim Bridgewater’s campaign) starts out working for Bennett and, on behalf of his client, musses up Bridgewater’s hair on behalf of Bennett. Bennett, knowing that he doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning, cuts a deal with Bridgewater that if chips fall as they appear they will, he will swing his support to Bridgewater in return for influence in the Bridgewater campaign.

Stewart puts together a piece trashing the #1 rival of both Bennett and Bridgewater in a manner that makes Lee look *really* bad based on the mixing of the founder of the Mormon religion with ‘crass’ politics. From Bennet’s standpoint, this is a win-win because, jic he’s wrong, he’s put a dent into Lee. Bridgewater’s ok w/it for the same reason and the ‘hit’ that he’s received from Bennett pales in comparison to the nuclear attack on Lee, especially if he knows that he’s getting Bennett’s supporters anyway.

I don’t know for a fact that all this happened because I don’t have the connections that certain other people on this site have. But do I think it’s plausible not even knowing all the facts on the ground? Hell yeah! This would be child’s play compared to some of the other sh*t that goes on in campaigns.

Like I said…you’re either really naive and trusting…or you have connections w/either the Bridgewater or Bennett campaigns far beyond what you’re revealing here.
utah_cares

I have watched Tim for over a year, and I believe he is the best US Senate candidate in the primary. Tim’s attitude and methods and his actions have impressed me. Words alone are not enough.

PS, I only have one active Redstate account as far as I know.

Also,
Why did Mike Lee pull out of the debate on Saturday Night?

The last time Bridgewater refuted his claim, Lee didn’t have anything to back it up.

Jonathan Reid (Mike Lee’s campaign director) worked for Raser Tech. for over 3 years as their attorney. I guess they were fine for him to work for but Bridgewater can’t be a consultant for them?

Last night Mike Lee told a group he didn’t know his campaign director had worked for Raser. I really thought I told Mike Lee that when he asked me by phone to help his campaign on May 17th.
utah_cares

http://www.sltrib.com/D=g/ci_15312005
edintexas

The level of Utah politics has just dropped in my view. Many people (primarily Yankees) believe Texas politicians (and citizens) are a bunch of yokels who are unable to read or write (marriage to very close relatives is generally relegated to other Southern states).

But THIS GUY being a staffer? He’s unable to keep a thought through more than a single post (“Saddle PAC was going after both Bridgewater and Bennett prior to convention” in one post, “Saddle PAC was trying to ruin BOTH Bridgewater and Lee?s chances at convention.” in another post. At least I don’t believe he was trying to state that Saddle PAC favored Lee prior to the convention, and Bennet at the convention.). Further, he appears unable to write in a grammatically correct, and coherent, manner. If his writing in these posts is indicative of the level of competence on the Eagar staff, no wonder she was an “also ran”.
utah_cares

Tim Bridgewater

I have watched Tim for over a year, and I believe he is the best US Senate candidate in the primary. Tim?s attitude and methods and his actions have impressed me. Words alone are not enough.

I was surprised and appalled at two ?comparison? flyers printed since the convention by the Lee camp. (Has their name on it and everything) Not only were the ads of questionable accuracy, they totally contradict what Lee has been saying he would do and say during his campaign.

Lee also seems to be very quiet lately on the recent attack radio ads by Common Sense Issues, who went after Mitt Romney in favor of Huckabe with push polling, Where is his outrage over the deceptive ads Freedomworks and Jim DeMint are running, or are they getting their message from Lee?s camp?

That those that are endorsing Lee are trying to smear Bridgewater with and use for fundraising for Lee, the ?temple? flyer is pretty low.

The group that went after Lee prior to convention also went after Bridgewater with ?polling? as well.

The fact that Cherilyn Eagar endorsed Tim Bridgewater, and Bob Bennett endorsed Bridgewater, in my mind, has more to do with how the Bridgewater campaign treated those two campaigns with greater respect than Eagar and Bennett agreeing with Bridgewater on issues.

Bridgewater has my vote.
patlandy

Apparently they are hosting a debate that Mike Lee has withdrawn from….
Why did Mike accept?
Why did Mike withdraw?
I don’t know who this organization represents or how they got my email address….
Any Info?
Thanks
robertyates

1. Ten days before the convention a robocall falsely accused Lee of accepting $150,000 in illegal support from an outside source. No one took credit and no one has found the source of the calls.
2. A day before the convention the infamous “temple” mailer hit and one-third of the delegates thought it came from Lee.
3. Earlier this week, an unidentified robocall said Chaffetz had endorsed Lee. Both Lee and Chaffetz denied it. Chaffetz has been helping Lee behind the scenes, and someone wanted to jerk Jason’s chain to send a message to stop.
4. The final dirty trick should come on Friday. If not then, it should come late Monday evening in time for the morning papers and talk shows. leaving Lee little time to respond.
robertyates

1. Ten days before the convention a robocall falsely accused Lee of accepting $150,000 in illegal support from an outside source. No one took credit and no one has found the source of the calls.
2. A day before the convention the infamous “temple” mailer hit and one-third of the delegates thought it came from Lee.
3. Earlier this week, an unidentified robocall said Chaffetz had endorsed Lee. Both Lee and Chaffetz denied it. Chaffetz has been helping Lee behind the scenes, and someone wanted to jerk Jason’s chain to send a message to stop.
4. The final dirty trick should come on Friday. If not then, it should come late Monday evening in time for the morning papers and talk shows. leaving Lee little time to respond.
utah_cares

1. The $150,000 robo calls were from the same company that printed the Maine flyer who had the same consultant as the “temple” flyer
Jordan Karp.

2. 1/2 of the state delegates saw the “temple” mailer so you are looking at 1/2 x 1/3 = 1/6 thought Mike was behind it.

3. The robocall re: Chaffetz had a maine phone number. I don’t know who was behind that. It didn’t hurt Mike, it hurt Tim.

4. The final dirty tricks are coming from Mike. This post is one of them.
utah_cares

#1
Should convey:
The printer in maine said the consultant for that flyer was Karp, who was the same consultant that had the Temple flyer printed in Ohio. They were hired by a consultant that was hired by Tim Stewart who’s company was going after both and Lee and Bridgewater.
vandalii

Folks, we gotta stop shooting each other inside the party. There’s some animosity being posted that kinda reminds me of the garbage dems put out when slinging mud at each other and at their opposition across the aisle.

Can we not rise above this petty name-calling and show the liberals how civilized folk behave? We’ve sunk to the level of the intolerant left with all these epithets and underhanded tactics.

When will Republican primary campaigns just emphasize “this is the reason I’m the right candidate” and leave the “my opposition stinks because…” to the folks on the left? Sheesh
http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

If you can’t stand the heat of the primaries, then take up knitting. Politics might not be for you.
mattmillburn

Tim Stewart worked for the Bennett campaign. He attacks Bridgewater on behalf of the Bennett campaign as being a lobbyist who gets stimulus funds for businesses. Bennett and Bridgewater came to a secret agreement where they would support each other should they lose. They make this agreement despite the fact that Bridgewater has publicly announced that he would endorse anyone but Bennett. Erick Erickson exposes this secret deal right before the convention with his excellent journalism skills and anonymous sources. There is a huge backlash against Erickson because people believe it to be false. Erickson stands by the story while simultaneously removing it from Red State. Tim Stewart now works for Bennett and Bridgewater. Bennett and Bridgewater along with Tim Stewart conspire to send out a mailer pretending to be from Mike Lee to make Mike Lee look bad. After Bennett gets eliminated from the convention he does not endorse anyone at the convention, even though he had a secret deal with Bridgewater. Instead he waits weeks to make an endorsement. Erick Erickson exposes this evil alliance with Bennett, Bridgewater and Tim Stewart a week before the primary. This time Erickson doesn’t bother using anonymous sources. It’s because Bridgewater hasn’t asked for a full investigation. Because some how it is Bridgewater’s responsibility to demand investigations to any illegal actions during an election. If he doesn’t talk about it, it means he’s guilty. It couldn’t be that he doesn’t want voters to get distracted by a non-issue that has nothing to do with him. We know that Tim Stewart must have been working for Bridgewater the entire time because he donated to Bridgewater after the convention We know that Stewart couldn’t have been trying a desperate effort to help Bennett win because he clearly knew that Bennett had 0% chance of winning. So he was just trying to help Bridgewater. But just in case he was wrong about that whole 0% chance thing, this would help Bennett.

Anyone who doesn’t believe this is either a disingenuous shill, doesn’t understand politics or is just stupid. I wonder if Erick will stand by this story like he did his other one and delete it. I’d hate to see what happens to stories he doesn’t stand by.
eburke

My answer is ‘yes’ to every postulation which you find to be outrageous.

This is politics, man. Have you followed the SC governors race at all? Ya got a guy who ostensibly is a massive supporter of Nikki Haley claiming to have had an affair w/her but producing no evidence while insisting that it happened and piously proclaiming that he likes Haley as a candidate so why would he be doing this if it wasn’t true.

So…who ya gonna pay a gazillion $s to…or blackmail to derail your candidate – someone who hates your candidate or someone who can piously claim what Folks has? These kinds of people may have no morals but they’re not stupid.

Serious question – have you ever been involved, I mean *really* involved in a political campaign? If you haven’t, the sh*t that goes down boggles the mind.

I started out thinking you were just a shill for the Bridgewater campaign but you’ve stuck with this a lot longer than the usual shill so I’m starting to believe that you are simply like so many of the people I came to know in the 7 years I lived in UT.

There’s a reason why UT has one of the highest ‘scam’ rates in the country: it’s because the vast majority of it’s citizens are Mormons who live by the credo of honesty, hard work, compassion and trust. I had friends who were utterly stunned to find out that a fellow Mormon would deal with them in a manner unlike the beliefs which they practiced on a regular basis.

The good ol’ boys network in UT is as bad as anywhere and, IMHO, it’s because the majority of the people living there can’t bring themselves to believe that within their church body there are people who will lie, cheat and steal to get what they want.

Over 90% of the elected officials in UT are Mormon. I absolutely believe from my experience there that there’s a chunk of them who would absolutely do what I’ve described above. It’s called create massive distractions and head feints to hide what you’re really doing.

And there’s a wealthy cabal of good ol’ boy Mormons who,again in my experience, will do whatever they need to do to keep their power and money and if that means stepping on their trusting, honest church-mates to do so, they will in a heartbeat. How do you think someone as liberal as Bennett managed to keep getting reelected in what is arguably one ot the 2 or 3 reddest states in the country?
http://candacesalima.blogspot.com candacesalima

I met Mike Lee in December 2009. He came highly recommended to me by Representative Carl Wimmer, a man I respect tremendously. Over the course of the next few months I listened to Mike speak and debate. I questioned him thoroughly and often, and in every instance he did not prevaricate, hem, haw or lie. He didn’t say “Next question please.” He didn’t give the popular answer, he gave the right answer.

In contrast, I couldn’t get Tim Bridgewater or his campaign to email or call me back when I was looking for a candidate to support. Mike Lee came along and he DID sit down and talk with me. He has acted with honor his entire life and because of that there is nothing in his past to even be worried about. Anything I had questions on he answered me straight out. The choice was clear for me, after all the research, Mike Lee was the only candidate I could support.
ursusminor

I have a hard time understanding where Mike Lee stands on the issues when he changes his mind so much. I am more concerned that Mike Lee vowed he would not stop until radioactive imports from elsewhere in the country or the world stopped, then he represented ES to bring not only radioactive waste but nuclear waste. Spent Rods from a Nuclear Power Plant from DeMint’s home state.

Mike Lee got DeMint’s endorsement because he reversed his previous stance to stop radioactive waste importation, and paved the way for Nuclear waste. Cherilyn Eagar had been in a position to get DeMint’s endorsement, but didn’t get it because she wouldn’t back down on the issue.

What makes a guy decide to go back on his vow within a few months? What was so immoral about the issue before if he can just change his mind and do the exact opposite. I believe it’s an issue of integrity.

My issue has nothing to do with the waste. I’m not quite sure where I stand Energy Solutions. I’m not opposed to The type of class A waste currently being stored there, but not sure about nuclear waste from DeMint’s State and other Nuclear waste from Italy. I don’t think sending that type of waste a couple thousand miles, or halfway around the world is a great idea for a long term option though.
StandardCandle

How much integrity does it take to question someone else’s integrity without asking them or finding the source of your information?

I think you’ve been bamboozled… but here is your chance to prove me wrong…

like the moron before you….

PLEASE PROVIDE ME SOME CLARITY… Show me the context of what Mike Lee said before he went against what he said…

otherwise you’re putting words in his mouth… How’s that integrity?

RS

EDITOR OF REDSTATE

An Inconvenient Truth: Bob Bennett and Tim Bridgewater Together

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