An Open Letter to Utah Democrats, Both Young and Old

Image courtesy or utdemocrats.org

The future of the Utah Democratic Party is in jeopardy. If you're a Democrat in the nation's most conservative state and you don't see it then take another look. We're in trouble. We just suffered our worst election loses since 1994. Our numbers in the Utah Legislature our pathetic. In the House and Senate combined there are 80 Republicans and 24 Democrats. Let me repeat. Twenty four.

Those numbers should terrify you even if you're not a self-identified Democrat. Utah is in desperate need of balanced government. A government made of super majorities and little debate is a dangerous one, and we're living it Utah. However, it's worse if you're a Democrat - you're facing extinction even if you won't admit it.

Think about it. Our numbers our terrible. They're flat out embarrassing. We were apathetic this last election cycle. We're all guilty and we should all take responsibility for our losses and lack of gains. I could have done more, much more, and you could have too.

We have put ourselves in an awful position. We head into redistricting with very little left to lose. In 2001 the Republicans gerrymandered us into an oblivion and they will do so again. Governor Herbert assured that on Friday when he declared an independent redistricting commission to be "unconstitutional." Give me a break.

The 2012 election cycle has all the makings to be a disaster. We're home to the Tea Party movement, people are conservative here and we cannot deny that. If the movement continues, having President Obama on the top of the ticket will rally Tea Party voters. I hate to say it, but it's true, and it gets worse. It's possible that Mitt Romney could headline or co-headline the Republican ticket. He's our golden boy. Utahns love him. Even though he governed Massachusetts just as a "Utah Democrat" would, it won't be good news for anyone with a "D" next to their name.

However, there is great hope. The odds are stacked against us. Our backs are up against the wall. Hell, can we really lose that much more? The answer is no, and we don't have anywhere to go but up. However, we're starting off on the wrong foot. Yesterday's Young Democrats of Utah (YDU) election made that crystal clear.

I've been on the YDU board for two years. It's been a great experience, and the organization has introduced me to so many great people -- many who are now great friends. I ran for a different position yesterday. I lost. The race was close, very close. I'm used to close races - my young political career (both personal races and those of others) has only been made up of squeakers. Actually I'd welcome a blow out or two. It might be less stressful. Anyway, I'm getting off topic. This isn't about me. And as I said yesterday in my campaign speech, Nicole Christensen will be a fantastic Communications Director, and I couldn't have lost to anyone better.

With that said, some of the behavior I noticed yesterday and the weeks preceding the election was unacceptable. This isn't meant to call people out or be accusatory, but it's meant to change behavior. We have to change the way we operate. None of us are perfect, but there is no place in Utah Democratic politics for name calling, backstabbing, and underhanded, shady dealings. We all play for the same team. We're too small to be so divided.

We're only signing our own death sentence. Inter-party challenges are fine. They're probably best. They keep us strong and prepared for general elections. However, we really need to take a step back and look at how they're done. Many left the YDU convention yesterday broken and hurt. Losing sucks, but YDU is too important to the future of the Democratic Party for so many to feel left out and betrayed.

The Jim Matheson and Claudia Wright contest earlier this year had the same undertones. There was fighting, name calling, and some gross nastiness. I supported Jim from the beginning and I stand by my decision. Has he always voted the way I would have liked? No way. However, it's always been my personal belief that we must put candidates on the ticket who are electable. Claudia Wright wasn't electable. November 2 proved that. Does that make a Claudia Wright supporter a lunatic? Certainly not. However is Jim Matheson a horrible wretched man? He most definitely is not. He represents his constituents, and most of his constituents are Republicans, so take from that what you will.

I'm pleading for a return to civility. We'll never post respectable numbers in Utah with such animosity. We're all Democrats. We're the party of inclusiveness. We're the party of the people. And if we truly believe that's the case then all viewpoints are welcome whether they're conservative or progressive.

We've got a long road to hoe and we need to have each other's backs. We must put aside our differences and unite. We must throw away our apathy and roll up our sleeves. On election night, I heard several well-known Democrats say, "there's nothing more we could have done." That's not good enough. We need to look at ourselves, figure out what we did wrong, and fix it. We're Utahns. We're the Beehive State for a reason, and Utah Democrats need to embody that. The only way we'll reap success is to work twice as hard as the opposing party. We have to beat them at their own game. Afterall, we're playing on their turf.

I want so much for us to shock the state and that nation with a great showing in 2012. I'm committed to all the hard work that it WILL take starting now. The question is, is anyone else?

Right Back Where I Started From

I'm on a roll. Three posts in two days. Craziness. I started blogging because of movies, so that's where I'll pick up.

As we enter awards season, the 2010 film landscape is in pretty good shape. We've had a handful of great films and we're only a few weeks into the fall. The Kids Are All Right and Inception are tied for my favorite film of the year and Toy Story 3 isn't too far behind. The Social Network, How to Train Your Dragon, and Shutter Island all are deserving of accolades as well. Though any novice Oscar watcher knows that the first 9 months of the year rarely matter. All the "quality" films come out post Labor Day. With that, here's a list of all the upcoming titles that I'm stoked to see.

October
Most looking forward to: Hereafter. Since Mystic River, I've only met one Clint Eastwood film I didn't like (Invictus). The concept here looks interesting and Matt Damon appears to turn in a great performance (hopefully one better than his Oscar-nominated turn in Invictus).



Others:
Conviction - A lot of people in Hollywood hate Hilary Swank for "undeservedly" winning two Oscars. However, Conviction looks to soften her hard girl persona. Plus I'm interested to see if the Academy will resist another Bening vs. Swank Best Actress Oscar race. Trailer here.
Paranormal Activity 2 - I really hope this isn't Blair Witch 2, but last year's surprise hit was so great I'm holding out hope that they avoid Blair's mistakes. Trailer here.
The Company Men - Last year was the "Year of Sandra Bullock." Depending on how The Company Men turns out, 2010 may be the "Year of Ben Affleck." It was well received at Sundance, so my hopes are high. Trailer here.
Waiting for Superman and The Pat Tillman Story - These two Sundance documentaries have been released in theaters already, but they don't reach Utah until later this month. They both look equally powerful. Superman trailer here. Tillman trailer here.

November
Most looking forward to: 127 Hours and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. I couldn't pick just one. Danny Boyle's follow-up to Slumdog Millionaire looks equally as exhilarating as the rags-to-riches drama. And how could anyone not be looking forward to the last installment of Harry Potter? The trailer teases the film as the best yet, and I couldn't be more thrilled that the film won't be in 3D.

127 Hours


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1


Due Date - Todd Phillips' followup to The Hangover. Hopefully it's just as funny. Trailer here.
Fair Game - I love a good spy story. And a spy story with Sean Penn and Naomi Watts? I'm there. Trailer here.
For Colored Girls - Normally a Tyler Perry film would never make a list like this. However, the cast is terrific, so I'm holding out hope that it's this year's Precious. Trailer here.
Unstoppable - Chris Pine, Denzel Washington, and lots of explosions. Enough said. Trailer here.
Morning Glory - this looks like it could be just as bad as Katherine Heigl flick. Or it could be one of the few romantic comedies that surprises with its heart and intelligence. Trailer here.
Skyline - I don't know anything about this other than what I've seen in the trailer, and it's pretty intriguing. Trailer here.
Tangled - Princess and the Frog was disappointing. Tangled looks like it might reverse Disney's recent bad luck with hand-drawn animation. The images do look beautiful. Trailer here.
Love and Other Drugs - This may be this year's Up in the Air except sexier and maybe a little bit cheekier. At least that's the best case scenario. Trailer here.
The King's Speech - few films are buzzier than this one. The critics are jumping over themselves. I just hope that Colin Firth is fantastic and can win the Oscar he most deserved for last year's A Single Man. Trailer here.

December
Most looking forward to: The Fighter. I can't stand boxing in real life, but the sport does make for great film. I love this cast (Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams) and the trailer is promising.



Black Swan - I'm not sure what to make of the trailer, but I'm very, very intrigued. Trailer here.
The Tourist - When the two stars of your film are both recognizable by their first names (Angelina and Johnny) you know you have a hit on your hands. Trailer here.
How Do You Know - I've missed Reese Witherspoon. She hasn't been in a good film since 2005's Walk the Line. Hopefully this is her comeback. Trailer here.
True Grit - This might be just as good as No Country for Old Men. If it is, we're in for a treat. Trailer here.
Blue Valentine - The MPAA just slapped this with an NC-17 rating. It'll be interesting to see how the studio handles that. It's said to be a tough watch, but the buzz surrounding Gosling and Williams is significant. Trailer here.
The Debt - I know nothing about this one, but the trailer looks like a smart, gritty action film. Trailer here.

Release Date TBD: These have yet to get a tentative release date, but I figure they'll be players in the Oscar race.
Rabbit Hole - when Nicole Kidman is on her game there are few actresses better. This looks to bring her back to the days of The Others, Moulin Rouge, and The Hours. Clips here.
Made in Dagenham - Could be this year's The Full Monty - a witty about "British rebellion." Trailer here.

By my count, that's at least 26 movies I'll be seeing over the next three months. Wish me luck.

The Space Between

It didn't take long, but I figured out my problem. I think. The "in between." See the blog title. Pop Culture, Politics and Everything In Between. I've never wrote about the in between. Movie reviews, quotes and cryptic Kelly Clarkson posts. That's all that made up my blog for the last year or so. Maybe I was too focused. Maybe I wasn't. But that's what I'll spend the next little while figuring out - how to write about the in between.

I'm still not sure how to classify that though. I won't ever become a blogger who posts about every life trial and tribulation. I've done that before. I'd rather not do it again. It's not for lack of material. I've got a few "personal doozies" up my sleeve that I need to save for my best-selling memoir when I'm 50. Maybe "Jason" is what was missing before. That's what makes writing (and blogging) special - the writer. Unique perspectives and voices are what differentiate us, and this blog needs to find it's voice again (or maybe for the first time). I'm not writing for anyone other than myself and I'm desperate to find the passion for writing that I once had.

So here's to a new online blogging adventure. I hope I don't give up this time.

Superfreak. Superfreak. I'm Super Freaky.

I'm not sure why I miss blogging, but I do. Though if I return to the blogosphere, I want my blog to be different, but I'm not sure how. I love pop culture and politics, but things around here were getting a little bland. So if I come back things are gonna change. Maybe.

I just know that I miss writing. I went through all of my college papers at my mom's today. And at the risk of sounding arrogant, I was a really good writer. Some of my papers were fairly impressive. I'm not sure what has happened since then, but I don't think any of my posts have been nearly as witty or clever as anything I turned in as school work. That's kinda ironic, isn't it?

Oh well. Maybe I'll come back and actually write about something interesting some day, but for now, I'm just perplexed.

With that, I'll leave you with a "quote of the week." I'm probably one of the 10 people on the planet still in love with Grey's Anatomy, but even so, I'll leave you with a quote from the forever wise Meredith Grey.

"Nobody chooses to be a freak. Most people don't realize they're a freak until it's way to late to change it. No matter how much of a freak you end up being, chances are there's still someone out there for you... Because when it comes to love, even freaks can't wait forever."

Talkin' Politics

You wouldn't know it from all my posts, but I love politics, and I proudly call myself a Utah Democrat. Given my partisan affiliation, I thought it was about time I ventured into the political arena here again. Luckily, I recently wrote a letter to the editor that got published in three of Utah's four papers. This isn't a big deal, but excuse me while I congratulate myself. So just in case you missed it, which you probably did, my latest thoughts on Utah gubernatorial candidate Peter Corroon:

"It's no secret that our economy is struggling. Unemployment is at 7.2 percent and the state has lost 72,000 jobs over the past two years.

The job issue won't fix itself. Utah legislators have been ineffective in addressing the job and economic crisis. This past session they dodged the important issues by wasting time with "message bills" and other non-issues.

With a state budget shortfall projected around $100 million, many of our lawmakers have neglected to propose solutions that create jobs and increase revenue.

Gubernatorial candidate and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon presented his job plan for Utah ("Corroon wants tax break for companies," Tribune , June 10). His plan strengthens Utah's economy by supporting Utah's most important asset, its small businesses.

Utah has the highest number of small businesses per capita in the nation, and the current state government's strategy of attracting big business leaves bright-minded entrepreneurs and working families behind. Without raising taxes, Corroon's plan will invest in our future while putting Utahns back to work.

I am excited by Corroon's plan and look forward to hearing his other inventive solutions for Utah."

Published at the following links: here, here, and here.

"Empty Handed" & "After the Love"

I'm not sure how I missed this, but nearly ten months ago two unreleased Kelly Clarkson songs, "Empty Handed" and "After the Love," hit the web. I stumbled upon them this weekend, so if you too missed them, they're embedded below. "Empty Handed" is the better of the two, and while neither would be chart busters, they're singer-songwriter ditties that'll please any Clarkson fan.

"Empty Handed":



"After the Love":

Better Days

Following in the footsteps of American Idol alums Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta, Kelly Clarkson and Chris Daughtry took the stage this weekend and proved that American Idol has seen better days.



And Kris and Allison's killer pairing, just in case you missed it: