The devil's in the details...an analysis  of the Cannon race


Dear Friend,
In spite of our best efforts we failed to defeat the King of Amnesty,
Chris Cannon.  He won his primary on Tuesday 56% to 44%.  But a closer
look at the race suggests immigration is a powerful issue, which forced an
incumbent running against an inexperienced, under-funded, mistake prone
unknown, into the race of his life, so unnerving the establishment that
they went on red alert.

After a close analysis I can say with all honesty it was a huge success.
In fact, I believe we need to find ourselves another Republican target.

Let's take a look.

Chris Cannon, 10 year incumbent representing the most conservative
district in the nation, was in a primary battle against an unknown novice
who introduced Satan into the election 4 days prior to the primary. This
millionaire novice's name is John Jacob; but few in Utah would know that
because Mr. Jacob ran almost no media campaign during the short primary.

It is a strange thing but some time right after the convention Jacob
changed strategies.  He stopped trying.

He spent $300,000, nearly all his own, on the convention-which involved a
mere 1,200 delegates.  He had one of the most elaborate convention efforts
I have even seen, paying $7,000 to have a model Victorian home built
inside the hall to be used as his booth.  I haven't seen such a waste of
campaign funds since the 2000 Iowa straw poll, where Steve Forbes had an
air conditioned tent with French doors.

Jacob wins the convention bragging he will spend whatever is necessary to
win the primary which is only six weeks away; then overnight he runs out
of money!   Not any money-just media money-staff isn't cut back, the big
salaries continue to be paid, and on time.  Poor millionaire businessman's
deals go south all of a sudden-and Jacob finds himself unable to run a
serious campaign.  He only needed maybe $35,000-$50,000 more but Satan, he
said, mucked up his business deals and what can you do?

So here's the picture:  Chris Cannon, a heavily financed ten year
incumbent, not only up against an unknown novice who babbles to the press
about Satan but one that has virtually no media campaign. And yet as each
week passes the race keeps getting closer -and with less a week to go it's
a dead heat!

How is that possible?  How could Cannon lose ground when he is up on TV,
all over the radio and his opponent is not known and not getting known.

There is no other factor to explain this phenomenon except the amnesty ad
we ran which exposed Cannon as the King of Amnesty-a simple $50,000 ad
campaign paid for by you and me!

Although Cannon was running against an unknown candidate with no apparent
desire to win, our simple ad put Chris Cannon on the ropes.  In total
panic the establishment pulled out all the stops.  First cannon focused on
deceiving the voter.  Using $120,000 of his own money and the $150,000
from his corporate pals, he sold himself off as tough on immigration and
smeared us as vicious mean spirited outsiders.  When that didn't stop the
erosion they got Congressman Sensenbrenner, President Bush and even Laura
to do push calls and radio ads for him.  My son Billy is a Utah voter-he
received one call from Sensenbrenner, one from Laura Bush and two from the
President-all in a week!

Their was no limit to what the establishment was going to do to save
Cannon-for him to lose an election against a no name with no money-that
would have indeed been the end of the President's amnesty plans.

Cannon won but so did we---we helped stop the immigration bill and that
was our ultimate goal. The White House and their minions are trying to
spin that Cannon's win means America is for Cannon's position on
immigration.  But Cannon ran as if he were Tom Tancredo-so his win can
only suggest that America supports our position or that Utahans are
responsive to a call from their President, or maybe even both.

So what do we do next?  I think we need to go after an open border
Republican, in a district that isn't quite so solidly Bush, and in a race
with a credible opponent.  In fact I am looking for our next target. Let
me know if you agree.  And please send suggestions.  I am open to all
possibilities.

It's getting late this Friday evening so let me end my missive on this
note.  I am so proud to be part of a team of Americans as dedicated and
committed to this nation as you all are.  Thanks to all your support we
have done some tremendous work-stopping the most powerful in the country
from getting their amnesty.

But, friend, the border remains open and our laws are not being enforced.
We need to take this battle to another level-or we will lose the country
while we are fighting.  I will begin working on a plan.

Have a great weekend and a wonderful Fourth of July.

My best,
Bay Buchanan

P.S.  The President promised 2,500 national gaurd on the border by the end
of June.  That's today and there are less than a thousand on the border.
Maybe he sent the others to the southern border of Mexico,as our Senate
has proposed in that immigratin bill they passed.