Ever had a political candidate stamp, swear and shake a fist at you when asking for your vote?
Of course not.But the gloves came off when candidates responded to a series of questions the Deseret News asked recently of all contestants in state legislative races.
As of Friday, 151 of the 216 candidates in the state had responded. Many of those who did not respond are either running unopposed or represent the Libertarian Party, which puts a candidate on as many ballots as it can, even if the candidate is not a serious contender. (See related story on A5.)
The questionnaire was designed to help the paper's political reporting team follow campaign issues through their metamorphosis into House and Senate bills when the Legislature meets in January. It was also designed to see how willing both incumbents and hopefuls are to be nailed down on issues like taxes, welfare reform and gun control.
The paper asked not only how candidates felt about gun control but whether they owned guns. Lettering on hand-printed responses got bigger in the answer section for that question, letting us know we not only had candidates' attention but had aroused their passion as well.
"What a silly question," a Salt Lake County Republican said. "No damned gun control," said a Salt Lake County Libertarian who said our wanting to know whether he owned a gun was "None of your beeswax."
A Davis County Libertarian fired this response back: "It's irresponsible to ask whether a person has a gun, then print the answer in the paper." Ironically, that candidate sent a campaign picture showing him standing in front of a mounted rifle.
A Davis County candidate said he owns 53 handguns and semi-automatic weapons.
Almost all of the candidates responding made a detailed statement about the Second Amendment and their feelings on gun ownership and gun control. At the same time, more candidates left the question about their own gun ownership blank than any other. And incumbents were more likely to skip it than candidates seeking office from the outside.
The gun ownership question was on the list because gun control and responsible gun ownership issues were center-stage at the last legislative session and promise a return in the next session. Legislators are always eager to describe their personal experience with an issue. Asking what their interest in guns might be seemed to fit right in.
There is good news on the tax front, if their positions hold. Out of 151 candidates responding: only two said they were inclined to support a general tax increase and only 19 said they were inclined to support a gasoline tax increase. Nineteen said they could support a hike in fees such as hunting and professional licenses. And 94, or 70 percent of those who answered the question, said they could support a tax decrease because of the tax surpluses over the past few years.
Asking about guns was taken more personally than asking candidates' age. All but seven put a number in the age box. One House member just said "legal."
"Yes" or "no" questions posed a problem for some whose 60-word essay answers never did state a position. The stereotype of political double talk lives on.
Reporters on the staff did not go out of their way to critique the grammar and spelling of the men and women who want to write Utah's laws. But one Republican from Salt Lake County rubbed our nose in it with words like "politcys," "petions," `controll," `repesentive," "beleave," "goverment" and "recipents."
On a more serious note, candidates were asked to list what they see as the three major issues facing state government. A few fringe candidates talked about the Cuban revolutionary dilemma or global thermonuclear war. But the rest gave us a pretty good idea where the emphases will be when bills come up for debate in January.
The core list of concerns includes: crime, juvenile crime, the juvenile justice system, health care, public and higher education, transportation infrastructure and other growth-related needs, the environment and natural resources, federal mandates, federal government intrusion in state affairs, state government micro-management of personal affairs and, of course, gun control.
The priority list offered by an American Party candidate would settle the term limitation debate once and for all: "Eliminate Congress. Eliminate the Legislature," he suggests.
Not all of the personal comments on the questionnaire were negative. "Great questions," wrote a House Republican. Many others encouraged us to call if we wanted further clarification.