Why He Lost

I have been meaning to post on this since Monday, but with all of the breaking news in the MN AG story, it just got put on the back burner.

Ever since Chris Cannon's primary loss last Tuesday, the local media has been wracking their brains trying to figure out the answer to a simple one word question...WHY? Why did Chris Cannon lose? Sunday's Salt Lake Tribune attempts (but falls short) to answer that question.

In the aftermath of Rep. Chris Cannon's primary defeat, many pundits, activists and news stories have declared that Cannon's moderate immigration stance cost him a seventh term in Congress.
A vocal crew clamored to label it an anti-undocumented immigration victory.
"Cannon's pro-amnesty crown finally became an albatross," NumbersUSA Executive Director Roy Beck wrote supporters. "No amount of advertising claiming that blue is red and that amnesties are not amnesties apparently could fool the voters this time."
The election "was, without a doubt, the greatest electoral victory of the immigration-control movement," proclaimed a story in the conservative newsletter Human Events.
And Rep. Tom Tancredo, a Colorado Republican who has made a crusade of opposing undocumented immigration, said Cannon's loss "sends a very clear message."
Not so fast.

The article then goes on to talk about all of the different people who voted for Chaffetz as opposed to voting for Cannon. Pro and anti amnesty voters voted for Chaffetz so contrary to more well read voices, Cannon's amnesty stance was NOT the reason for his defeat.

I think that the reason for Cannon's defeat is a much simpler one. Rather than accept the will of the people, Cannon is making excuse after excuse for his loss.

"The people who voted wouldn't have filled Edwards Stadium" — the football stadium at Brigham Young University — said Cannon. He added that now that he is free from elective politics he will be talking more candidly about what is going on in Utah and America.

"Clearly there are some out there who hate me. And every stinking one of them voted" on Tuesday, Cannon joked. Many who supported him "went to the lake" on vacation. Cannon said he had the best voter ID program of all his campaigns this year. "But for whatever reason, people didn't vote."

This may be part of the reason. It is a known fact here in Utah that Chaffetz worked hard to get his people to the polls. Obviously Rep. Cannon didn't. Another excuse that he offered up I find to be the most offensive.

While not anticipating he will run for office again, Cannon said he will keep his campaign account going, if only to try to bring "more reasonable people" into Utah GOP politics.
"I'm going to make a serious effort to use the Internet" and other means to get grass-roots Republicans more involved in GOP mass meetings — "to stand against the bulwark" of the "harsh, boorish people" who are now being elected delegates and other party leaders.

Emphasis mine. Now while I will grant you that many of the neophytes that came to the caucuses this year may not have known all of the "proper" and "politically correct" ways that things are done in the local sorority, but this is not high school or college Mr. Cannon, this is politics.

Mr. Cannon's remarks about the "people" are the real tell about why he lost. Mr. Cannon is afflicted with the same "disease" that people like MN State Rep. Ron Erhardt are...the impression that the legislative seat that they are blessed to hold is somehow theirs by right of ownership. We, the people, do NOT work for you, Mr. Cannon (and Mr. Erhardt)...you work for the people and if the people of your district do not approve of the job you are doing, they have every right under the sun to replace you.

Those people also include the members of your party...the grassroots. You remember us right? The ones that work to get you elected?????

UPDATE: Welcome Utah readers. Please read this post and come back often for more insight into Minnesota politics and opinions (from a new resident) on Utah politics.