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IN OUR VIEW: Who has skill for Capitol Hill?

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:58:58 +0100

This article appeared in the Provo Daily Herald June 22, 2008.

Rep. Chris Cannon has been defending himself all year against various accusations from the challenger within his own party, Jason Chaffetz, but the real issue is who can get the best results in Washington.

Chaffetz says he will be dramatically different from Cannon, but it's hard to see how any conservative can do that. Check the ratings of congressmen by conservative groups, and Cannon scores 90, 95, 100 percent. It's virtually impossible to out-conservative Chris Cannon.

Chaffetz at times seems to be trying a little too hard to be different. Take one example: In an interview with the Daily Herald (online at heraldextra.com) Chaffetz said that Cannon and the Republican Party have failed on national defense. Asked how they had failed, he slid into a discussion about post-combat health care and education benefits for returning troops.

But then he frankly admitted that he knew nothing about the recent hot debate over the new G.I. Bill in Congress, which was pressed heavily to passage last week, 416-12, by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The bill would fully fund the cost of a public college education for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to the tune of $63 billion. Sen. John McCain opposes the bill because of the heavy price tag and because he believes it will erode the ranks of non-commissioned officers.

What's surprising here is that a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives would be completely uninformed about the details of a hugely significant bill -- and one that contains provisions he claims to support. You'd think Chaffetz would be following the news, at least, with respect to the institution he wants to join.

Or take immigration, the hottest of hot-button issues. Cannon has taken a lot of heat for backing President Bush's plan to reform immigration, but he can point to numerous votes for tighter border security.

Chaffetz decries illegal immigration and flays Cannon for alleged failures, but we haven't heard Chaffetz or anyone else lay out a realistic plan for moving at least 12 million people back to their home countries. It's a tough issue on which reasonable people can disagree.

Another bete noir is No Child Left Behind. Cannon and most Republicans once thought it was a pretty good idea. But it failed in many respects, and Cannon admitted it years ago. For Chaffetz to hammer Cannon for his initial support of No Child Left Behind is unfair. After all, Cannon isn't hammering Chaffetz for campaigning for Micheal Dukakis not so many years ago.

We've looked at Cannon's voting record and avowed stands, and we don't see much difference between him and Chaffetz in 95 percent of cases -- and no deal-breakers in the other 5 percent.

So again we urge readers to listen as the candidates speak for themselves online at heraldextra.com to get a more in-depth feel for their philosophies and abilities.

To make a good decision, voters need to think about who is better suited for life in the House of Representatives -- the day-to-day job of working with 434 other people of all viewpoints to move legislation through, or block it.

Cannon is sometimes faintly praised as being detail-oriented, as if he is not a big-picture person. We don't find that to be the case. Daily Herald staffers have grilled him on several occasions recently, and he showed not only that he knows the minutiae of legislation, he also has an impressive, wide-ranging vision of how government can change in a technological society.

Anybody who sits with Cannon, as we have done, cannot miss his grasp of issues, his affability and his inner drive. Such qualities suit him well for the job of congressman.

Unfortunately for him, his accomplishments are hard to convey in sparkly language. On the campaign trail, his detailed analyses can be a political liability.

Chaffetz, on the other hand, excels in the sound bite. Like a great propagandist, he doesn't swerve into details about how things are done. Rather, he sums up with generalities and, in Barack Obama fashion, stays maddeningly on message, using key words that are high on objective but low on logistics.

That's a skill not to be dismissed. But voters must assess its value. The question is whether he can translate his sound bites into action in an institution that tends to move at a deliberate, slow pace, where getting something done requires more carrot than stick. When Chaffetz told us that Congress needs Republicans to pound on podiums, the question immediately follows: Is that the way to be an effective legislator?

Overall, Chaffetz appears to be a strong political organizer with great potential and energy. The Republican Party is sorely lacking in young, personable, articulate candidates who will stand for conservative values.

But is Chaffetz right for this job right now? Being in Congress is much more about haggling over minute details of legislation than making big, sweeping speeches. Can he thrive in the real Congress if he were to be elected? His only stint in government, as Gov. Jon Huntsman's chief of staff, was both brief and rocky. Sources in Huntsman's administration and in the state Legislature indicated that "it was time for him to go."

Nor has Huntsman endorsed Chaffetz -- an interesting omission if Chaffetz was truly a stellar performer; but then the governor seldom goes out on a limb. We note that Sen. Bob Bennett, an undisputed solid citizen, has endorsed Cannon, as has Sen. Orrin Hatch, while Rep. Rob Bishop of the First District strongly praises his performance.

So the question lingers: Can Chaffetz succeed in Washington? The founding fathers designed the government to change slowly, and the growth of bureaucracy has made Washington even more frustrating for the idealistic or impatient. Many come to the city on the Potomac to make big changes but quickly learn to their dismay how hard that is.

And it takes time to learn the ropes. Chaffetz disdains earmarks as the epitome of pork-barrel spending, saying that until the system is reformed, he won't even ask for one. But that's not realistic. Federal money is often allocated for specific needs, and it should be -- an earmark for radar at the Provo airport comes to mind. Chaffetz is right that earmarks have gone wild, but that doesn't mean they can, or should, be abolished.

Chaffetz correctly says that overall fiscal discipline is needed in Congress, and to do that, you've "got to elect different people." But that doesn't mean that all the nation's problems can be plopped in Cannon's lap. There are, after all, various grades of Republicans in Congress -- some on the right, like Cannon, and others in the center or even left of center, like Sen. John McCain.

We think it's fair to say that Cannon has held his own very well in representing Utah's Third District. It thus stands out as strikingly odd that Chaffetz chose to challenge Cannon instead of the Democratic representative from his own district, Jim Matheson. Given Cannon's pre-existing conservative record, unseating Matheson would have done more for the cause of conservatism.

The next Congress is likely to be Democratic, perhaps even more so than today. Will it be best for Utah to have a congressman who storms the barricades and possibly alienates himself? Or is it better to have a representative who can fight a kind of political guerrilla war, harassing and delaying the liberal wave through the use of House rules and procedures that take years to master?

Colleagues have testified that Cannon exhibits great skill at such backstage maneuvering. Sometimes a congressman's best work is not in the bills he passes but on those he quietly scuttles in the hallways and back offices.

Utahns will have to decide on Tuesday -- and again in November when the winner will face Democrat Bennion Spencer -- who will be best suited to dealing with the realities of the 2009 Congress.

To hear interviews with Rep. Chris Cannon and challenger Jason Chaffetz, go to heraldextra.com

IN OUR VIEW: U.S. can become world's energy giant

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:09:38 +0100

This article appeared in the Daily Herald June 12, 2008

We are glad to see that Rep. Chris Cannon has introduced a bill to allow the president to cut red tape that currently blocks the development of oil shale deposits in Utah and other states.

Those resources are vast. According to Cannon's office and other sources, Utah alone has more fuel locked in oil shale than there is in all of Saudi Arabia's oil reserves. Just from oil shale, the U.S. could pump more barrels of fuel than all the OPEC nations combined. Total value: $100 trillion.

Throw in vast oil and natural gas deposits offshore and in Alaska, plus reasonable development of nuclear energy, and it's easy to see that the United States has energy resources that are second to none.

Why then has the U.S. sat on this treasure for so many years while doing nothing? It's as if a family, knowing that gold and jewels were buried in the back yard, declined to dig them up because they didn't want to damage a small patch of perfect lawn.

Put it down to complacency, environmental hysteria, politics, media manipulation and a lack of urgency decades ago when development should have been started. It doesn't really matter anymore. Today, gasoline has reached $4 a gallon, and as syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer pointed out, that seems to be a "price point" that has suddenly roused politicians and the public and shown them the insanity of declaring vast swathes of energy resources off limits.

Consider the recent rout in the U.S. Senate of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act, a noxious "cap and trade" plan to deal with the bogeyman of global warming. Liberals salivated over this opportunity to create a huge federal bureaucracy that would rake in money and amass power, even as it burdened businesses and ordinary people with crushing costs. Their media accomplices were bursting with glee at the prospect of its passage.

Then, in a reversal of form from previous years, Republicans actually showed some backbone. With a firm command of the facts, Utah Sens. Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch were among those who raked the bill over the coals.

When senators had to vote on whether to continue debate, the measure got only 48 of the 60 votes needed, effectively killing it for this year. The pundits were full of explanations, but here's the most likely reason: the American people and a growing number of their representatives are finally getting the picture about subservience to oil-producing nations.

As a young man, John F. Kennedy wrote "Why England Slept," a book about Great Britain's failure to confront the rise of fascism until it was almost too late. Perhaps a sequel might someday be "Why America Slept," about how a great nation ignored the growing danger of energy dependence and failed to act.

There's reason for hope, however. We can look back on our history and see many stretches where the United States slumbered while a problem festered. When the nation finally woke up, it tackled problems with a vigor no other country can match. If America has truly awakened to the urgency of the energy crisis, fasten your seat belt.

Of course, the issue is not finally settled. Who knows if Cannon's bill (H.R. 6211) or others that aim to boost domestic energy production will survive the grueling trek through Congress. The most important thing is whether this Congress and the next, as well as the new president, the courts, state officials and the voters will stay on track with regard to the development of domestic energy resources.

Other important bills are pending. For example, in the House, H.R. 3089 -- the No More Excuses Energy Act of 2007 -- would fast-track refinery building, clear roadblocks to oil and gas drilling on the Continental Shelf and open ANWR's oil fields to development. These measures need to be approved, and quickly.

Cannon staffers say he will co-sponsor that bill and will sign a petition to discharge it from committee, where it has languished for nearly a year. That's one step among many that will need to be taken until the United States becomes the greatest producer of energy in the world.

Cannon Calls for Energy Production NOW on Fox News

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:35:15 +0100

Immigration Debate Comes Back to Congress

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:18:05 +0100

This appeared on KUER on June 5, 2008.

WASHINGTON, DC (2008-06-05) Immigration legislation is coming back to Congress piece by piece. This approach is becoming a political headache that could have some unintended consequences for Utah. Jodi Breisler reports from Washington.

Click here to listen

Cannon seeks data about border fence

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:14:29 +0100

This article by Suzanne Struglinkski appeared in the Deseret News June 6, 2008.

WASHINGTON — As the expiration date of National Guard units assisting with border patrol duties gets closer, Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, wants answers from the Homeland Security Department on the status of the border fence between the United States and Mexico.

Since 2006, Operation Jumpstart has put 6,000 National Guard members on the country's southern border to help Border Patrol agents with surveillance, transportation and building and repairing the border fence. But by July, the program will expire and the members of the Guard will be pulled out.

Cannon sent a letter Thursday to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff saying that he has "serious concerns about the decision to remove the National Guard from the border."

"The only reason I can see to remove the guard from the border is if new agents are in place and the physical barrier, or fence, has been completed," Cannon wrote.

He asked Chertoff for details on the fence's progress, such as how much has been completed, what is the time frame for completion and is there enough done to justify removing the Guard?

He also wants to know the status of a way for the department to show the fence's progress online so Americans can see the building progress of "the border fence they are paying for."

Cannon urged Chertoff to make a case to President Bush that the Guard members should stay at the border. Homeland Security did not respond to requests for a comment Thursday.

Energy summit fuels discussion

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:40:51 +0100

This article by David Anderson appeared in the Richfield Reaper

A group of more than 50 people attended an energy summit hosted by the Utah Petroleum Association and Rep. Chris Cannon Thursday morning in Richfield to discuss the state of the energy industry in the region.

“The decisions we make about energy are very important, and not without moral significance,” Cannon said. He said in the United States, people don't like paying $4 a gallon for gas, but they can absorb it better than a person in a poorer region of the world. “Those kids are now getting fewer calories on their table.”

Cannon said that it's important to not just bid up the cost of energy, because there are many places in the world market that it will have a much more dire, and direct effect on people's lives.

He said while being a good steward of the environment is important, the welfare of individual human beings needs to be top priority for people.

Cannon said that technological innovation will likely play a role in pushing the cost of energy down. He used coal as an example - as the technology and management for extraction of coal improved, the cost went down 90 percent. He also said that development of oil shale in the western states, including Utah, could be the key to unlocking 50 billion barrels of oil in pursuit of the goal of national energy independence.

“We're committed to extricating energy sources in an environmentally sensitive way,” said Jeff Hartley, representative of the Responsible Energy Developers Forum of Utah, a division of the Utah Petroleum Association. “We have the potential to be an energy leader in the United States.”

Utah could play a major role in creating energy independence for the U.S., but environmental restrictions are going to be one of the hardest hurdles to overcome, Hartley said. More than 60 percent of land that has potential for energy resource development in Utah is closed, he said.

Hartley said Utah's goal of having up to 20 percent of its electricity coming from alternative sources could result in a $1,500 to $4,000 per year increase in the cost of electricity for rural customers.

Hartley said that some environmental groups appear to be more interested in shutting down energy development than they are in working together to find solutions.

Ken May, manager of Sufco Mine, echoed Hartley's sentiments.

“We do a lot of public programs with the state and the Forest Service to help the environment,” May said. He said that during negotiations of a lawsuit over a minimal environmental issue, he offered to have Sufco participate in a project that could benefit the sensitive species in question. He said that he was told by the environmental group that their job was to litigate.

May spoke about Sufco and its future.

“We have one of the premier mines in the world,” May said. He said that Sufco appears to have enough coal in it to keep it at the 7 million ton per year range until 2023, and from there it will likely have to be downsized to a 4 million ton per year operation, and possibly smaller than that by 2030.

“About 17 percent of the total reserves in Utah are being accessed,” May said. He said the Kaparowitz area is one of the richest areas in the state for coal reserves, but is locked up and unable to be developed.

Sufco employs 365 miners, and also feeds a trucking industry that includes 280 trucks per day.

“Environmentalism is an $8 billion per year industry,” May said. He said that “elitist organizations” are willing to close off future energy sources and drive up the price of energy, which affects people with low incomes first and most.

“It's not just the environmentalists, it's the man on the street who has gotten educated,” said James Kennon, president of Sevier County Citizens for Clean Air and Water. “Until people like myself and you can sit down at the same table, nothing is going to change.”

The other speaker at the forum was Paul Spiering, land manager for Wolverine Gas and Oil, a company that founded an emerging oil industry in Sevier County four years ago.

“It's still in its infancy,” Spiering said. He said that the oil wells east of Sigurd in the Covenant Field are expected to continue production for 20 to 30 years, and have already produced more than 5.5 million barrels of oil. He said the company is working to establish eight more wells, for a total of 20 wells in the field. The hope is to produce up to 8,000 barrels of oil each day.

An exploration well in southern Sanpete County, near Mayfield, is still in the production testing phase. The Providence Field is a prospect for future oil production.

Spiering said Wolverine is also set to team-up with another company to drill two exploratory wells in Sevier County in the coming year, and that the Twist Canyon drilling site near Salina may also be revisited and drilled again from a different angle.

Spiering said there are indications that the structure that holds the oil extends from southern Utah County all the way down to Parowan, but that it's not one big “lake of oil.”

“It's in very distinct pockets,” Spiering said.

House Minority Leader Boehner: Cannon Has Influence

Mon, 05 May 2008 23:10:42 +0100

Click here to read the endorsement.

President Bush Endorses Congressman Cannon

Mon, 05 May 2008 23:01:20 +0100

Click here to read the endorsement.

United States Chamber of Commerce Endorses Congressman Chris Cannon

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:25:50 +0100

Click here to see the endorsement.

All's local in airline politics on the Hill

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:08:51 +0100

WASHINGTON - To Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, the chief executives of Delta and Northwest airlines vowed the merger wouldn't hurt the Delta hub at Salt Lake City International Airport and might lead to flights to Europe and Asia.
To Rep. Stephen Cohen, D-Tenn., they talked about the importance of Memphis and how the merger may even boost traffic through the airport. To Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., the executives said the new merger wouldn't harm the independence of Midwest Airlines, which is partly owned by Northwest.
All politics is local, and when airlines talk of merging, it's especially local to the members of Congress reviewing the details.
The top executives of Delta and Northwest appeared before two committees on Thursday, pitching the merger of their respective companies as a positive deal for stockholders, employees and travelers. And, under questioning by committee members, hyped the importance of the merger to their hometowns.
Representatives and senators whose states rely on the two airlines for flights, employment and tourist traffic - including Georgia, Utah, Minnesota, Tennessee, Wisconsin - showed up ready to quiz the executives.
"This is a matter of the highest importance to all of our states and, in particular, Utah," Sen. Orrin Hatch said in his opening remarks.
The most stressed point on Thursday: Hubs will remain.
"There are no hub closures," Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson told the House Judiciary task force on antitrust matters.
In fact, Anderson said, the merger will boost service to small communities and will make the hub system even stronger. "Hubs get stronger when you have more traffic flow," he testified before the congressional panel. "When you combine unique cities, you create a stronger patchwork" for the system.
It wasn't all just local, though.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., focused his opening remarks on how the merger would affect the industry, and by extension, travelers.
"I'm concerned that if this merger is approved it will simply result in a cascade of other mergers: Continental- United, American and U.S. Airways," Conyers said. "We might end up in a situation of three major carriers" competing with smaller carriers.
But Hatch said he sees the merger as the reality of the airline industry and the two companies as complimentary to each other.
And assured Utah would be OK in the merger, Hatch took a few moments out of his questioning time to pose some questions for his Senate colleague, Chuck Grassley of IowaÂ. They were all about Iowa.

This article by Thomas Burr appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune April, 25, 2008