Tsunami Tuesday
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istakes were made.
In March 2007, remarking on what we saw as the folly of Utah moving its presidential primary election up to Feb. 5 -- today -- we wrote in this space: "A candidate would have to be either nuts, or crazy-desperate, to spend much time or money in Utah or most of its other neighbors in the Intermountain West."
This was not a new position for us. In September 2005, we wrote: "We agree that it's despicable the attention paid Iowa and New Hampshire every four years. It's even worse that, due to results in these two small states, presidential campaigns are decided. But trying a similar ploy out West is just as cynical and doomed to failure."
Talk about getting it wrong -- in today's presidential primary election, called Tsunami Tuesday by some because 24 states are up for grabs, Utah actually matters. So far, neither the GOP nor Democratic races are settled. Former Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain are still slapping each other silly in hopes of earning the GOP nomination, and on the Democratic side Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton continue to argue over the relative worth of experience versus hope.
As a result, the few Utah delegates up for grabs might give the edge to a candidate. On the Republican side, McCain and former Gov. Mike Huckabee (yes, still in the race, despite consistent also-ran status after Iowa) have relinquished the Beehive State to Romney, who earned much goodwill here rescuing the 2002 Olympics and who enjoys a large number of co-religionists -- polls favor him by a wide margin over his rivals. (Interestingly, though, Gov. Jon Huntsman, who shares Romney's faith, declared long ago for McCain.)
On the Democratic side, however, it's still a race in Utah. Surrogates for both Clinton and Obama have campaigned here, the candidates have done media interviews and in the process Utahns have finally realized the dream of presidential candidates paying some attention -- albeit meager -- to Utah and Western issues. That's a good thing.
In the final analysis, this uncertainty of the outcome has arguably benefited local TV stations the most. For the first time anyone can remember, presidential candidates have been purchasing ads in the Utah market. For Utah's video broadcasters, who have never counted on that good fortune, it's found money.
That's probably too snarky. Still, we're glad to see Utah voters' worth recognized in the presidential battle, since it may never happen again. (There's that negativity again.) So make the best of it and get out to vote today -- help to determine who the respective parties' nominees are. Finally, Utahns get to be full participants in the process.
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