This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Charles Barkley once quipped that you know the world is off tilt when the best golfer is black (Tiger Woods), the best rapper is white (Eminem), the tallest basketball player is Chinese (Yao Ming) and Germany doesn't want to go to war (with Iraq).
That tilting might be going on in Utah this year with the Salt Lake County Democrats knocking out Utah's only openly gay legislator at their convention Saturday and with the Republicans backing an openly gay Salt Lake County Council candidate to the point that he beat out a former councilman and is now in a primary with Gov. Gary Herbert's former campaign manager.
Meanwhile, the LDS Dems Caucus, the newly formed Democratic caucus for Mormons, had the biggest turnout at the convention Saturday of any of the caucuses with more than 100 attendees, according to State Democratic Party Chairman Jim Dabakis. He said that caucus had more Democrats attending than the labor caucus and the Stonewall (LGBT) Caucuses combined.
Traditionally, the Democrats have been the party aligned with gay and lesbian issues, while Republicans often have resisted legislation benefiting that community. And Republicans, as everyone knows, are often called the Mormon party in Utah.
Perhaps, as Dylan would say, "The times, they are a changin'."
Missionary companions? • Craig Janis, co-chairman of the LDS Dems Caucus, has come up with a strategy he hopes will blur the social issues between the two parties even more.
He has been asking non-Mormon Democrats to suggest to their Mormon friends and neighbors that they will attend an LDS Church meeting with them if they will reciprocate by accompanying them to a meet-and-greet with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Peter Cooke.
The price of democracy • Vern Fitzgerel of Kearns was selected by his neighborhood caucus to be a Republican delegate this year. So, being devoted to that civic duty, he took time off from his $12.42-per-hour oxygen-delivery job Saturday to attend and vote at the Salt Lake County GOP Convention.
He found a curb parking spot behind the Salt Palace on 100 South between 200 and 300 West, which was good for two hours. He stood in line to get his delegate voting credentials, then when the call for the vote came, he scurried toward another long line to turn in his ballots.
He was still in line when his two hours were up, so he handed his ballot to another delegate to turn in for him and hurried to his car.
Too late.
A Salt Lake City parking attendant was right on the spot when the two-hour limit was up and was writing a ticket as Fitzgerel ran to his car. Couldn't he get a pass for being a good citizen and participating in his party's convention like leaders of Utah's dominant religion encouraged everyone to do?
Not a chance. That's $55 to the city for the violation, pal.
Next time, he says, he'll sit out the political process.
Sports cars vs. baseball • In the race to woo state delegates, Republican gubernatorial candidate David Kirkham offered daylong passes to the Miller MotorSports Park on a recent Saturday to take rides on his company's custom-made Cobras. He had more than 500 sports cars enthusiasts, many of whom will be voting GOP delegates on Saturday, participate.
Not to be outdone, Gov. Gary Herbert offered free passes to delegates and their families to the Salt Lake Bees baseball game Monday night. Alas, as Snoopy would say, it was a dark and stormy night. Hardly anybody came.