Mike Lee

When Ronald Reagan hustled off to Washington in 1975 to declare that he was challenging Jerry Ford's reelection bid-- Ford eventually won the Republican Party convention battle on the first ballot-- he made a typically nice-sounding but superficial speech. "Our nation's capital has become the seat of a 'buddy' system that functions for its own benefit-- increasingly insensitive to the needs of the American worker who supports it with his taxes.

JoshUtah may be the most right-wing state in the country. The nuts in Texas may be more vicious and dangerous but Utah only gave President Obama 25% of its vote last year-- compared to 41% in Texas, 44% in Mississippi, 46% in Georgia and even 33% in the 4th Reich Idaho. The least red district in the state, UT-04 (home of hopelessly conservative Blue Dog Jim Matheson) has a PVI of R+16.

Mike Lee threatens to shut down the government if he's not put in the pictureRepublicans are tearing each other apart over a number of issues. In the last few days that's been personified by the increasingly bitter personal exchanges between domestic spying advocate and Establishment whore Chris Christie and Kentucky libertarian/Tea Party isolationist Rand Paul.

Mike Lee & Orrin HatchWhat's a Republicano to do?