Weber County GOP 2008 Lincoln Day Dinner

Leg. 6 District Chair Ricky Hatch delivers his full report

An absolutely gorgeous spring day got us all in the mood for an equally gorgeous Lincoln Day Dinner, held on May 8 in Ballroom B at Weber State University's Shepherd Union Building. Do you feel bad that you missed it? Good – you should. It was a great event.

After the invocation and a moving presentation of Old Glory by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Pledge of Allegiance, our own lovely Miss Utah Julia Marie Bachison (say that 5 times fast...in French) sang a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Then it was off to the races to see who could get to the excellent buffet first. I lost, but I eventually got some tasty chicken with the best mashed red potato concoction I've ever tasted.

As we dined on fluffy chocolate mousse cheesecake and skyscraper caramel apple pie, we listened to three interesting speakers. First, Lt. Governor Gary Herbert talked about the wit and wisdom of Abraham Lincoln. During a debate, Lincoln's opponent accused him of being two faced. Lincoln replied, "I can prove that this is not true. If I really had two faces, would I have worn this one?" But the Lincoln quote that Lt. Gov. Herbert talked the most about was, "Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle." He said that The Republican Party is made up of people who hustle. He thanked us, encouraged us, and sat down after speaking for only about five minutes. Short and sweet.

Richard "Dick" Richards, who was the head of the Republican National Committee during the Reagan years, spoke next. Mr. Richards, who is from Weber County, and who was the Weber County Party Chairman three times, talked about several of his experiences with The Great Communicator, about President Reagan's visit to Hooper, and about how Pres. Reagan thought America was "the promised land" and that the US Constitution was written by men who were brought to earth for that very purpose.

The concluding speaker was Josh Romney, Mitt Romney's son. He is young, tall, and looks a lot like Dad. Mitt asked David McCullough, a great historian and writer, what time period in our nation's history was the most critical? Mr. McCullough, who has written several excellent books on events and people around the time of the American Revolution, responded surprisingly, "From 9/11 to now." Josh spoke of three key issues that his father focused on: strengthening the economy, keeping the military strong, and fortifying the family and our great, god-fearing culture. He said that after leaving the campaign trail, Mitt spent almost every weekend skiing in Utah. There is a very small chance that Mitt will be selected as the VP candidate, and Mitt has not yet answered the question, "Will you run in 2012?" Josh said that the key to Mitt's success in life, and in government, has been his supportive wife. While campaigning, Mitt would get antsy when she wasn't with him. When she was by his side, he was much more comfortable. Further proof of why I feel that beside every great man is a great woman...and a very surprised mother-in-law.

So that's the scoop. Thank you to the many sponsors, our county party leadership, and especially to committee members Christie Moore, Pat Iannone, Bea Cardwell, and Event Chairwoman Suzanne Ellison-Ferre for creating an event as gorgeous as a spring evening in Weber County.

Yours,

Ricky Hatch

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Carpe Diem