Should Greg Miller run for governor? I have had the privilege of working with Gail Miller, Greg’s mother, on a few projects and initiatives.
I consider her a Utah treasure. The enormous amount of charity and philanthropic work she does, including lots of service behind the scenes, is remarkable. That’s in addition the thousands of good jobs her businesses provide, and the entertainment and pride in Utah engendered by the Utah Jazz.
That’s why I have mixed feelings about Greg Miller running for governor. I like to think of the Miller family as being above politics, almost having a higher calling. Politics gets partisan, nasty and unpleasant. It’s impossible for a governor, or a gubernatorial candidate, to stay above the fray.
I’d hate to see Greg Miller get bogged down in all of that. Politics isn’t the only way to make an enormous contribution to Utah, as Gail has demonstrated.
Tofu burgers? This is a little old, but several days ago on the radio I heard a lady from the leftist group Code Pink criticize Trump’s 4th of July commemoration featuring fighter jets and tanks. She almost had me agreeing with her until she said the 4th isn’t meant to display military might, but instead must be celebrated with parades, fireworks and barbecuing “tofu burgers.” Tofu burgers? Now for sure I’m voting Trump.
Democrat vs. Democrat. As a mainstream Republican, I used to say I didn’t want to turn the country over to Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.
But now President Trump has effectively boosted the four ultra-leftist members of “The Squad” as the personification of the Democratic Party. So Trump and Republican candidates all over the country will be asking: Do you want to turn the country over to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? Ilhan Omar? Ayanna Pressley? Rashida Talib?
I’m betting most Americans will say no. This will play out in local races. The Republican who runs against Democratic Congressman Ben McAdams will say McAdams is quick to condemn some things said by Trump. Will McAdams also condemn outrageous statements made by members of The Squad?
The Squad is soaking up enormous amounts of publicity, more than the Democratic presidential candidates. Democratic leaders have a big challenge taking the spotlight away from them.
How to do an interesting radio talk show. Since turnover is occurring in some radio talk shows in Utah, here’s some free advice (worth just what it costs): There are two keys to successful radio talk show. 1. Get interesting, insightful guests on the show who know what they’re talking about. Talk to real people. No one is smart enough to carry on a monologue for two or three hours. 2. Change topics every 15 to 20 minutes. Don’t beat a topic to death. It gets boring. Lots of interesting things are occurring in Utah. Variety keeps people listening.
BLM in Colorado? Why would the BLM, under the Trump administration, move its headquarters to Colorado, a lefty state that hates the Trump administration? Colorado doesn’t have nearly as much BLM land as Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming. There were much better choices than Colorado. Nevada, for example, has 48,000 acres of BLM land, 68 percent of all its land; Utah has 22 million acres, 42 percent of total Utah land. Wyoming and Idaho also have a lot more BLM land than Colorado.
