Pignanelli & Webb: Nicely, it’s Thanksgiving weekend, and the one political controversy is who will get the final piece of pumpkin pie. Though it’s a time for rest with our households, your columnists have been busy utilizing drone know-how to listen in on conversations about what folks recognize throughout this vacation of gratitude. Right here’s what we discovered:
Each man, lady and baby: We’re extraordinarily grateful that we will now watch TV and luxuriate in all these pharmaceutical and vehicle commercials, as an alternative of the fixed barrage of detrimental promoting from the Lee and McMullin campaigns and PACs that supported them.
All Utahns: We’re actually blessed to be often reminded {that a} small group of hard-working people — who have been dismissed by elitists — have demonstrated teamwork, humility and perseverance to beat tough obstacles. We’re referring in fact to our native heroes, the brand new Utah Jazz (first place in Western Convention!).
Utah dad and mom: We’re grateful that Taylor Swift is ignoring Utah on her concert tour, so we don’t really feel any stress to purchase tickets for our teenagers and endure all that problem.
Nationwide pollsters, marketing campaign consultants, political smart males, media pundits: We’re grateful People have a brief consideration span and can seemingly neglect that we as soon as once more missed on our predictions and expectations this political season.
Nationwide information media: We’re grateful for former President Donald Trump and his return to the nationwide highlight. He’s a rankings machine, giving us day by day tales and extra promoting income. His new presidential bid will hold viewership and readership excessive amongst those that each love him and hate him.
Nationwide Democratic leaders: We’re grateful to Trump and his military of election deniers. With out them this could have been an terrible election yr.
Nationwide Republican leaders: We’re grateful to Trump and his military of election deniers. Due to the losses they prompted, we will now purge them from our ranks and transfer on to new leaders.
Promoting businesses, newspapers, TV and radio stations, graphic artists: We’re deeply grateful for the cornucopia of blessings our democracy delivers, particularly a Supreme Court docket that reaffirms First Modification rights of limitless spending by tremendous PACs and keen billionaires. Could they prosper and lift ever extra {dollars} to spend with us on their right-wing and left-wing causes.
Sen. Mike Lee: I’m grateful to President Joe Biden, Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer. They made such nice foils in my marketing campaign commercials that prompted assured Republican votes.
Sen. Mitt Romney: I’m grateful to not must repeatedly say “I instructed you so.” Political consultants within the media, and even high-profile Republicans, are verifying what I mentioned all alongside: Trump and his acolytes would damage Republicans this election yr.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson: I’m grateful for Suzanne Harrison’s election to the County Council. Thank goodness the Council is not veto proof.
State Auditor John Dougall: I congratulate all my fellow politicians of their electoral successes. However I’m grateful none of them broke my file for the very best variety of votes collected in a statewide race.
Gov. Spencer Cox: I share the gratitude of many who elections are over together with the unrelenting stress for fundraising. Now it’s simpler for me to solicit assist for my gala subsequent week.
Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson: I’m grateful that after once more Utah elections are close to excellent. Even hard-core election deniers are muted.
Congressman John Curtis: I’m grateful the election is over as a result of now I can get again to sporting my loopy socks.
Congressman Chris Stewart: I’m grateful that American democracy triumphed and a Republican majority controls Congress. I now hear that great phrase, “chairman.”
Congressman Burgess Owens: I recognize the expressions of confidence made by the voters, and that they didn’t care I blew off the debate.
Congressman Blake Moore: I’m grateful for my diplomatic expertise as a result of it’s going to be wanted inside the brand new, rowdy, Republican Caucus.
Salt Lake Metropolis Mayor Erin Mendenhall: I’m grateful for the commonly peaceable relations between my workplace and the Metropolis Council, the Legislature, the governor and just about everybody else within the state. Simply what I would like for my upcoming election in 2023.
Senate President Stuart Adams and Home Speaker Brad Wilson: We’re grateful for the Utah economic system … and for the munificent surplus we can have subsequent session.
Salt Lake Chamber President Derek Miller: I’m grateful for hard-working Utahns, visionary politicians, honest regulators, and inventive enterprise leaders that make this state so engaging for corporations to maneuver their operations. I simply hope they bring about water with them.
Jason Perry, moderator, Hinckley Report: All the time grateful that Utah leaders make native politics — and my present — attention-grabbing.
Pignanelli & Webb: We’re grateful that the elections are over, the vacations are right here, and that the politicians we annoy have a humorousness — at the very least most of them!
Republican LaVarr Webb is a former journalist and a semiretired small farmer and political marketing consultant. E-mail:lwebb@exoro.com. Frank Pignanelli is a Salt Lake legal professional, lobbyist and political adviser who served as a Democrat within the Utah state Legislature. E-mail: frankp@xmission.com.
