Must Be Mormon
Not to diminish the
candidacy of boy wonder Ben McAdams, but when are Democrats going to get off the Mormon bandwagon? It was 2002 when BYU professor David Magleby pronounced what has become known as the “Magleby profile.” His research showed that the perfect Democratic candidate in Utah had to be white, male and Mormon. So, Democrats chose Dave Thomas for their congressional candidate in 2002. He was an LDS bishop and had those other credentials. Remember him? Probably only U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop does, because he creamed Thomas. Meanwhile, the hunt went on, and the closest Democrats have come is Jim Matheson. Well, now McAdams has taken on the Magleby Mormon mantle. If he wins, should we assume only Mormon voters count?
Scandal Sheet
Try getting through the
Jewel Skousen/Rick Koerber
story in The Salt Lake Tribune. It has all the elements—white-collar crime, polygamy, revenge, jealousy and, finally, name recognition. Skousen is the granddaughter of Cleon Skousen, the darling of the extreme right wing, but didn’t adopt his name until after she started working with Koerber on his FreeCapitalist radio show, to be identified with Gramps. She didn’t take Koerber’s name when they married in 2009, despite standing firm that he’s innocent of running one of the biggest Ponzi scheme sin Utah history. And she’s not saying if she was willing to try out polygamy in Koerber’s pre-divorce days, despite the ex-Mrs. Koerber’s Internet ramblings. Confused? Imagine how Francine Giani, head of the Department of Commerce, feels. She’s the target of Skousen’s wrath and political aspirations since she sic’d the FBI on Koerber.
Way to Be Supportive
It’s hard to say whether this is a hit or miss, but Matthew David Stewart has developed a following. These are people who rightly see the war on drugs as counterproductive and violence-prone. Indeed, the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force saw an opportunity to make macho and took it when they stormed Stewart’s home on the belief that he was growing and selling marijuana. This, of course, led to the tragic gun battle that ended in an officer’s death. No one wants to minimize the killing of an officer doing his duty, and news since the shooting has tended to heap suspicion and loathing on Stewart. No, he wasn’t exactly a saint. But the question is whether he was dangerous enough to warrant the massive assault on his home.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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