COLUMN: Republican – The real party of choice

Is the Democratic Party really the party of choice? One of the major modern philosophies at the core of the Democratic Party is freedom of choice: the freedom of choice over one’s body to murder an unborn child, the freedom of choice of religion in schools which has resulted in absolutely no religion in schools, and the choice of sexual preference. This philosophy of choice has been so appealing and influential that on the national level, republicans have been switching sides and running under the Democratic Party’s name. It is interesting that on the state level, however, the Democratic Party is offering only one gubernatorial candidate for the 2004 election.

By contrast, the republican race in Utah is already quite dynamic, with about as many people declaring their candidacy as there are tuition increases in a year at USU. With Michael Leavitt out the door to Washington, D.C. and Olene Walker certain to retire after a year as the head of the state, the governor’s seat has been left wide open. The Republican Party has kicked off its primaries with a plethora of candidates battling for the party’s endorsement. Republicans know that healthy competition will generate quality and allow the best representative to win, whether it is the fresh face of businessman and former trade ambassador Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., the innovative business owner Fred Lampropoulos, or the experienced and nationally well-networked Jim Hansen. The republicans are in fact displaying the democrats’ philosophy of a party of choice, while Scott Matheson, Jr. is basically all the other side has to offer.

Many people ask what qualifies Matheson to be the party’s sole endorsement. Is it mere name recognition? True, his father was a democratic governor of Utah in the early ’80s. While democrats might try to say Matheson is good middle ground for the party, he actually has a very liberal voting record. The party has chosen who they will support before the people have been allowed to choose. Matheson is their man, and that is where the party deviates from the national party’s lead.

But who really wants to make a democratic choice anyway? If you want to take advantage of the awesome opportunity to become a part of a grassroots campaign in the party of real choice in the upcoming gubernatorial race in Utah, get involved with USU College Republicans. There are also ways to assist in the presidential and congressional races. College Republicans is also preparing to attend CPAC, a Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. at the end of January with such republican superstars as Ann Coulter and Dick Cheney, to name a few. Or, you may want to become a part of our team in one of many new meaningful leadership positions. The club, led by Gabe White, meets every first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7 p.m. on the third floor of the Taggart Student Center. If you need further information on USU College Republicans, contact us at gkw@cc.usu.edu. We hope to see you this Wednesday. But of course, the choice is yours.

Spencer Lloyd is a junior majoring in business information systems. Comments can be sent to shlloyd@cc.usu.edu.