2010 in review: a B.F.D. all the way! (what does it mean?)

It's time again for my annual (i think) year in review post, where I look at what mattered (or didn't matter) in Utah Politics 2010.

It was same old,same old for the Utah Legislature, except for the fact that it started and ended with fireworks. The opening fireworks involved the Senate Majority Leader getting arrested for DUI just before the session started (and resigning just afterward). The closing fireworks came in the form of a standing ovation for a Republican Lawmaker who admitted that 25 years ago her hung out in a hot tub with an underage girl, both of them naked. And that he had payed her $150,000 and she wanted more. However, unlike the TSA, no junk touching happened, and that was his story. He resigned after saying he wouldn't resign.

2010 also saw the Utah Republicans and Utah Democrats holding their conventions on the same day at opposite ends of the Salt Palace. As they are prone to do, Republicans blamed the Democrats. Democrats didn't point out that they've held their convention at the south end of the Slat Palace every even-numbered year (and one odd-numbered year) since at least 2004, because facts have a liberal bias, and the Utah Democratic Party doesn't want to be accused of a liberal bias.

The Demopublican (or was it the Republocratic) Convention had it's share of fireworks as well. On the Northwest corner of the building, Bob Bennett was ousted for looking like Montgomery Burns. Not even Mitt Romney could save Bennett. Instead, they delegates sent political bridesmaid Tim Bridgewater and Mike "I'm not crazy" Lee in a primary. On the south side of the building, delegates forced Jim Matheson into admitting he has a D behind his name. Lee and Matheson won their primaries.

Nationally, the Tea Party stormed onto the scene, with quality candidates like the wife of the
head of WWE and someone who had declare that she wasn't really a witch. Meanwhile, Utahns wondered what the big deal about Tea Partiers was. After all, we've been calling them "Utah Republicans" for years.

The LDS Church declared that it's not right to deny housing to someone just because they are homosexual, and did not oppose legislation outlawing such discrimination. Salt Lake City and nine other cities passed that legislation. The Utah Legislature, thinking they know more than the Bretheren, oppose the legislation.

In January, it was confirmed that is politics was college football, The Governor's race debates would be called the Ambien Bowl. However, Peter Corroon came out swinging, and landing, punches on the accidental Governor. Unfortunately, Corroon went from swinging some good jabs to swinging the same uppercut 13,000,000 times. And in the end, what was expected to be a close-for-Utah race was not even the closest statewide race.

The closest statewide race came for US Senate. Businessman Sam Granato rode his platform of small-business tax reform, Mr Mac suits, and calling his opponent crazy to a 29-point defeat.

Well, that's all that I want to remember about 2010. I'm opening the escape hatch and going down the slide into 2011. Have fun!

-Bob