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Post by biglovegay on Feb 18, 2010 2:20:45 GMT -5
What most people seem to not realize is that Bill is running for Utah State Senate not the US Senate or House of Representatives. And it's even in one of those big empty states in which nobody lives. This is position of very little power or prestige. It seems the writers don't even realize this sometimes. "Running this campaign is going to cost a lot of money." No it's not! And I've read so many comments on this board like, "Oh the press would expose him as a polygamist right away." No they wouldn't! I'm quite politically involved and I can't honestly say I've seen local news cover any state legislator's campaign or career. I bet 95% of the population don't know the name of a single state legislator And those that do know, well, they're probably relatives, lol. And at the voting booth, most people just take a stab in the dark or simply vote the party-line. He would be 1 of 29 Utah State Senators each representing approx 91,000 people (thanks Wikipedia! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_State_Senate). This is a less important political position than being on the Los Angeles County Board of Education or the Mayor of Wasilla Alaska, lol. The writers seem to be under the assumption that only Republicans stand a chance of winning office in the state of Utah. Surprising fact... of the districts that make up Salt Lake County (of which Sandy is a part), 8 of 12 State Legislator seats are held by members of the Democratic Party. Cool, huh? |
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Post by biglovegay on Feb 18, 2010 2:32:12 GMT -5
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Post by bridget on Feb 18, 2010 11:52:16 GMT -5
Plus, I could be wrong about this, but isn't this a special election being called on very short notice? The campaign is only supposed to be six weeks long total, and they are filling a vacated seat. That's actually the reason I buy into this a little bit, because there isn't really time for anything major to happen. This isn't a national campaign costing billions of dollars, its a local campaign happening on very short notice, and his most obvious ties to polygamy are already pretty open - that is, his growing up in JC and being a lost boy etc. Plus he got Don to take the bullet for him (poor Don!) at Home Plus.
I am not saying it's the most realistic storyline ever, but it's not as horrible as a lot of people think.
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Post by Nickifan on Feb 18, 2010 13:13:54 GMT -5
I knew Bill's ambition was for State Senate, so I thought is was really strange that he would have bothered to go to D.C. for an endorsement from a US Senator. Guess he was really banking on the old "party line" vote.
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Post by BigLoveRocks! on Feb 18, 2010 13:42:52 GMT -5
Maybe this storyline is supposed to show us that Bill is just an ignorant "douchebag" lmfao.
He really seems to think the state senate seat is going to allow him to change things regarding polygamy.
Honestly... What does he think this is? The presidential election?
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Post by biglovegay on Feb 18, 2010 14:48:02 GMT -5
Plus, I could be wrong about this, but isn't this a special election being called on very short notice? The campaign is only supposed to be six weeks long total, and they are filling a vacated seat. Great point! I missed that bit in my original post. |
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Post by biglovegay on Feb 18, 2010 14:55:44 GMT -5
Maybe this storyline is supposed to show us that Bill is just an ignorant "douchebag" lmfao. He really seems to think the state senate seat is going to allow him to change things regarding polygamy. Honestly... What does he think this is? The presidential election? Lol, true. But a State Senate seat could be a stepping stone to bigger and better political positions. However, as a lowly State Senator, he isn't the least bit likely to have any impact in the Utah legislature in regards to overturning polygamy laws. Although they pretty much turn a blind-eye towards polygamy, Utonians (Utahnites? Lol.) are horribly ashamed of their polygamist history. He is a fool to even think that even one other senator would take his side. And I double that "douchebag" comment! ;D |
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Post by JJ77 on Feb 19, 2010 17:41:23 GMT -5
Thanks to the OP, b/c this really wasnt something I had fully latched onto. I mean I did get that he was running for "state" senate , but i didnt really think far enough into the limited powers of such a position. Apparently the writers havent either. There obviously has been local news coverage on the campaign ; Colbert was talking to the press when he sited Bill as "a former so called lost boy" etc. There also has been some digging on his opponents part : the whole payroll / insurance thing that came from Bill's books being looked over & ended with Don taking the poly fall. Is it possible the reason this particular state senate race is breaking out of the mold is the previous press this area received due to romans trial, JC's exposure, the current board of trustees, etc. ? Couple that with Colberts extrmeme anti-poly views and campaign... and I could see it gaining some attention(even given the menial position of "state senate") ina na rea directly affected by such things. basically, this whole senate thing is unrealistic on just about every level - but it does make for an interesting story  |
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Post by rhinestone_cowgirl on Feb 19, 2010 19:27:10 GMT -5
Hi
thanks for posting this; as someone in the UK I wasn't fully aware of the differences between the proper senate and a state senate. I'm guessing that someone who is on the state senate would be something along the lines of a local councillor in the UK (only they tend to represent a few thousand people each).
Sophie
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Post by aliensummer on Feb 21, 2010 17:37:23 GMT -5
Thanks for the information! Being from Canada, I don't know to much about American politics, so I didn't know the differences in Senates.
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Post by spiritualtramp on Feb 22, 2010 19:05:22 GMT -5
A good point, this wasn't well-outlined or explained, so I think a lot of people jumped to the conclusion that it was Federal Senate. Especially since he went to DC for endorsement.
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