Anti-government fugitive Ammon Bundy tells The Tribune he's living large on the run.
Hits & Misses
By Katharine Biele @kathybiele
Miss: Crime Pays
Ammon Bundy is on the run, but hardly scared. He talked about his fugitive status and his good standing with the LDS church in an exclusive report in The Salt Lake Tribune—"exclusive" in that other news outlets haven't tracked him down. Apparently, it's easy. The Bundys are the cattle barons who flaunt the federal government and, you'll recall, ran a huge publicity standoff-stunt at Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. It was so much fun that several Utahns went up to join them—until someone got killed. Bundy himself owes millions of dollars for refusing to pay grazing fees, among other things. He left his Idaho business and lost his multi-million-dollar home. But hey, he's good now; has a new business and is living life. He's lucky he's not Mexican, Black or brown or he might be in El Salvador. In America, you're fine—as long as you're white.
Miss: Total Control
Utah Republicans see the end coming. Their solid lock on the supermajority just isn't enough, they can see little cracks in their power wall—like when there was a party-switching movement in the Becky Edwards vs. Mike Lee Senate race. That Edwards won 29% in the primary really shook them up. And how about when Evan McMullin almost won the presidency—when he received zero electoral votes and placed fifth in the nation's popular vote. And then McMullin surely frightened Lee when he went independent and held Lee to a mere 53% win. Now, the state GOP is getting ready to stop all that nonsense by keeping voters from changing registrations before a primary. Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, says it's all about the integrity of the voting process. Indeed, what could be more honorable than restricting the public from voting if they don't meet your litmus test?
Hit: Party Hard
None of that Republican carnival barking seems to be keeping the riffraff down. In the latest iteration of a GOP backlash, two diminutive political parties are joining forces, if only to make waves. The United Utah Party is merging with the Utah Forward Party, coming out strong with, well, about 2,400 registered party members. You might note a couple of high-profile members—Michelle Quist, who unsuccessfully ran for attorney general, is taking the reins as chair. And West Valley's disaffected former Republican Sen. Daniel Thatcher has joined the new party's ranks, saying that the Legislature doesn't listen to its constituents. He's right and she's right—but can they win elections? The Forward Party, started by Andrew Yang, supports a grassroots strategy developed from the bottom up. With Republicans clearly at the top, it will be a struggle, but maybe one worth fighting. And given all the unaffiliated voters in Utah, they just might win something.
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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