Buzz Blog

Gubernatorial race winding down, while Mike Lee starts campaigning. DMC wants civility in politics. Plus: You're fat, Sean Foster is wicked, wickedly smart and wickedly rich.---

Above the Fold Ale: So far, Peter Corroon has run a sound campaign. He's walked the parades, traveled the state and made his positions clear on a lot of (wonky) issues. He has proven that he would be a good executive. Plus, he's a nice, slightly dorky guy who is nearly impossible to dislike. But ... he's also a candidate who remains 30 points behind Gov. Gary Herbert, and just yesterday the Cook Political Report basically called the race for Herbert.

The problem for Corroon: He's only proven what he could do, but for many voters, those are exactly the same things that Herbert not only can do, but is doing. For junkies, there are some distinct differences in how the two would govern. But for the average voter, picking between Herbert and Corroon is like trying to decide which browser to use. More often than not, they will choose the one pre-installed on their computer.

So, Corroon, a suggestion: Throw some elbows. Start chipping. Bean Herbert with a curve to the back. And so forth. To win, get inside Herbert's head, push his buttons and make him throw a tantrum. The best way, as I've suggested before, is to make the voters think Herbert is just another legislator who is beholden to lobbyists and more interested in the political and financial futures than they are the good of the people. Bah -- stop whining that it's not fair because it's not exactly true. Many average voters believe the Legislature is a pirate ship loaded with crooks and liars (not their own rep and senator, of course, but all of the others), so play on that perception.

Or, alternatively, keep sharing the "Mr. Nice Guy" throne with Herbert, slap his knee when he tells a joke and discuss obscure economic theories into the night. That will win you friends, but it won't win you votes. Not anymore. If you need a place to start, go to Herbert's website and start attacking the first thing you see.

For the record, there are hints that this is going to happen. The KSL Virtual News & Pulp Fiction has a story that highlights meetings Herbert has had with people shortly before or after he received substantial donations. Buried halfway into it is a paragraph about new Corroon ads that "raise questions." (Gee ... where'd they get that story?) That's a start, because right now Herbert is coasting, as evidenced by his campaign ads.

Political Pocket Rockets: Mike Lee launched his campaign last night, which sounds weird since he's been running for a year. The Mormon Media Empire is going to prescreen campaign ads for "civility." I don't have the energy to dissect this, and Joe Pyrah wrote something better than I could write anyway. A take from The Memphis Flyer on the "anchor baby" debate. The Jason Chaffetz for Senate campaign continues to dog Sen. Orrin Hatch, this time at an economic forum that turned into a town hall. And finally, here's my take on a new painting from Jon McNaughton.

Three-Two News: Children are dying at the hands of their parents: despicable and despicable. Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker gets a new bike. For SLC drivers without bikes, you may find yourselves ticketed if you idle too long.

Leisure Time Lager: There are some people too smart for their own good, and here's one: Sean Foster, who was in on the ground-floor of Napster and Facebook, is also a hard-partying slacker ... who is worth a billion dollars.

Josh's Java: You're fat, but nobody will tell you. They just make pants bigger and bigger without increasing the number of the waist size. And you're fat because you're not eating enough fruits and veggies.

Weekly Weizen: Ted Scheffler reviews Spoony & Nata's. Scott Renshow reviews Animal Kingdom. Jesse Fruhwirth follows a dad who tries to visit the daughter that Utah laws prevent him from raising. Plan your weekend, but don't drive drunk if Lisa Steed is in your area (or drive drunk at all, for that matter).

The Six Pack on the Dashboard update is published every weekday morning. If you're interested in subscribing through e-mail, send a message to josh@joshloftin.com. For an RSS feed of the Open Container and all of the other City Weekly blog posts, visit the Salt Blog at cityweekly.net.