The state convention is almost here and I greatly appreciate your involvement in this process. I look forward to the convention with enthusiasm and optimism.

I know you have been receiving many calls, pieces of mail and invitations to events this week so I would like to draw your attention to a few items.

Friday Night Birthday Bash

The Governor will be celebrating his birthday at Hogle Zoo. Please join me in wishing him a happy birthday! The zoo will open to delegates and family at 5:00 pm. Please go to www.garyherbert.com for more details or you can call my campaign office at (801) 328-4889. Joyce and I look forward to seeing you there!

Saturday Convention

Be sure to arrive early this Saturday at the Salt Palace. Registration starts at 7 a.m. and the call to order in the general assembly is at 10 a.m. I invite you to stop by my hospitality suite, room 259 on the upper mezzanine, to mingle with fellow delegates, enjoy a light breakfast, and pick up your tote bag, tee shirt and stickers.

Then, make your way to the Bennett booth just outside the convention floor so Joyce and I can visit with you. Mitt Romney and Jake Garn will also be joining us in the booth.

I applaud you for your in-depth analysis of all of the candidates this year and your willingness to keep an open mind. This year is unlike any campaign I have ever seen with the infiltration of out-of-state interest groups and the negative attacks. Be sure you know the facts before you vote. I invite you to take a look at the information below to learn more about my record.

Follow this link to learn more about my positions on a variety of issues. To learn more about some of my accomplishments in the Senate and the work I’ve done for Utah, follow this link.

If you have any questions please call my campaign office at (801) 328-4889.

Thank you for your commitment to the Republican Party and for your service as a state delegate. I look forward to seeing soon.

Looking forward to seeing you!

During this campaign there has been a lot of misrepresentation regarding my position on health care and the individual mandate in particular.

Years ago, I recognized that our country was facing an impending health care crisis. Rather than standing on the sidelines shouting about the problem, I immersed myself in health care to try to find solutions in hopes of preventing a government takeover. My discoveries led me to join Senator Wyden as a co-sponsor of the Healthy Americans Act, a bill which increased competition in the private market by empowering individual Americans with choices in their health care coverage. It would have led to lower costs for a greater number of Americans and abolished Medicaid as we know it, accomplishing a critical element of entitlement reform.

I was never under any illusion that the Healthy Americans Act was a silver bullet fix to the financial crisis surrounding health care, nor did I think that it was a perfect piece of legislation. However, I firmly believed that Republicans needed to have a voice in the health care discussions so that Republican ideas and values would be included from the beginning. I hoped that, if given the opportunity to go through the committee process, this piece of legislation would have been amended to a point that I could have supported it on the Senate floor.

As a cost saving mechanism and starting point for discussion, the Healthy Americans Act included an individual mandate. Because I would have voted against any legislation that ran contrary to Republican principles, including an individual mandate, I searched for other ways to drive down the cost of health care. That’s why I insisted on a state opt out, allowing states like Utah to continue their innovations. My commitment was and is to drive down cost – the way Utah has.

Ultimately, all of our work was pushed aside. This bill, the only one representing any Republican ideals, died in committee and the obtrusively invasive ObamaCare became the law of the land. I voted against it and my fight now is to repeal it. In fact, I was among the first senators to sign on to Senator Jim DeMint’s bill to repeal it.

Still, my efforts were not wasted. In cosponsoring the Healthy Americans Act, I was able to accomplish several things. First, along with other members of the Republican leadership, I put nine Democratic senators on the record as being for individual control of their own health care. In cosponsoring this legislation, they agreed that individuals didn’t need the government to negotiate their health plans for them, that individuals are capable of doing it on their own.

Second, my nine Republican cosponsors and I put nine Democrats on the record in favor of having the private market, not government, determining what type of health care system America should have.

Let me be clear. I want to solve the health care problems in our economy through the application of free market principles. I am not beholden to an individual mandate. What I have unequivocally embraced and diligently fought for is decreased costs for every American family.

I will continue to fight for every Utah family by working to repeal the onerous ObamaCare legislation.

Entitlement spending is bankrupting us. Bob Bennett can fix it.

This year, all functions of government that are not part of mandatory spending – including 100% of the United States Military – are being funded entirely with borrowed money. We’re burdening our children with colossal debt.

The only way to balance the budget is to get mandatory spending under control, and neither Democrats nor Republicans are willing to touch these very popular programs. Bob Bennett has a plan for a secure financial future. His Economic Disaster Prevention Act caps both mandatory and non-defense discretionary spending, and his Social Security plan, which preserves benefits and does not raise taxes, will save $4.3 trillion and has been scored by the Social Security Trustees as a “100% fix” of the problem.

Bob Bennett’s ideas are gaining momentum. Now is not the time for a freshman senator who doesn’t understand the problem or have any solutions. Our children and grandchildren deserve better.

Before you vote, know what the consequences are.

“Bob Bennett is the only candidate with a plan on the table to get out-of-control mandatory spending under control, and he’s the only candidate with enough influence to get his colleagues to vote for it. We can’t afford to lose Bob.”

State Delegate John Clark, Salt Lake City

Local leaders highlight the need to keep Bennett in the Senate

SALT LAKE CITY… Today Senator Bob Bennett released a new television ad with local leaders describing the work he has done for Utah and what the state will lose if Bob Bennett is not reelected to the Senate.

In the ad, Utah Cattlemen’s Association President Dave Eliason, Mayor of Sandy City Tom Dolan, and Former Mayor of Brigham City Lou Ann Christensen, highlight Bennett’s efforts to increase access to public lands, fight for Utah’s water, and protect Utah’s jobs from being eliminated under President Obama’s budget.

“Bob Bennett has stood for Utah and he is well positioned in the Senate to fight for key issues that matter to our state including public lands, water access and jobs,” said Jim Bennett, campaign spokesman. “Before delegates vote at the state convention, they need to know what Utah would lose if they lose Bob Bennett.”

The television ad will run all week leading up to the Republican State Convention on May 8.

“Without Bob Bennett, Utah’s growth is at risk. No Utah water means no Utah growth. We can’t afford to lose Bob.” - Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan

Extreme environmentalists want to drain Lake Powell. Others want to take our share of the Colorado River.

Senator Bennett has been there to stop them.

Senator Bennett has made it illegal for the federal government to consider breaching the dam at Lake Powell. And his tireless efforts
for the Central Utah Project and the Rural Utah water program he created have ensured that Utah has enough water to keep up with its
phenomenal growth.

Senator Bennett is in line to become chairman of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, which will help Utah immensely. A freshman senator would have to wait years to
have that kind of influence.

Before you vote, know what the consequences are.

This week, I launched a new television ad denouncing the Club for Growth and out-of-state interest groups that have been spreading inaccurate information to try to mislead Utahns and manipulate the Senate election.

These Washington based, New York funded groups have no interest in Utah. They have a dismal track record, and their vicious campaigns against Republicans have resulted in getting Democrats elected. In this election, they have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to distort my record. Their attacks on me have been disproved by independent organizations like FactCheck.org.

These out-of-state interest groups are more interested in dividing Republicans than defeating Democrats.

Last night, another group launched automated phone calls attacking one of my opponents.

These out-of-state groups are completely out of line, whether they’re attacking me or one of my opponents. They’re trying to tell Utahns what to think by using nasty political tactics, but I know Utahns won’t fall for it.

I call on my opponents to join me in rejecting these out-of-state groups who practice the worst kind of politics. Utahns can make up their own mind in this election.

Two of my opponents, Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater, have signed a pledge with the Club for Growth to oppose me. Of all of my opponents, only Cherilyn Eagar has been willing to denounce the Club for Growth, calling their efforts “exactly the type of dirty dealing that has ruined American politics.”

All of us should be united in asking these special interest groups to stay out of Utah, no matter who they are attacking.

Last week, I caught a red-eye flight back to Washington to drill Obama’s NASA administrator on the president’s shortsighted, costly decision to cancel the Constellation program, including the Ares I rocket booster. The president is claiming to be fiscally responsible by making “tough decisions” to cut funding and save taxpayer dollars. But as is the case with many of the administration’s plans, the devil is in the details.

Obama’s proposal to cancel NASA’s Constellation program and the Ares I rocket booster will not only devastate the economy of northern Utah; it will also weaken our missile defense and our national security. In the recent Senate hearing, I questioned NASA Administrator Charles Bolden about this decision and its negative implication. To be frank, I was shocked by his inadequate answers and willingness to support the president’s reckless decision.

Bolden praised Obama’s plan for NASA calling the president’s vision “bold.” Bold is an understatement. It is “bold” for the president to cancel a program that taxpayers have invested in only to spend more money on outsourcing the responsibility of getting U.S. astronauts into space to the Russians and other countries. It is “bold” of our Commander-in-chief to weaken our missile defense during a time when national security should remain a top priority. And it is “bold” for the president to cut a program that will eliminate thousands of jobs in Utah and other states when one in 10 Americans are still looking for work.

Once again, the president is picking winners and losers wanting to throw out a proven, cost-effective program and replace it with untested, inefficient alternatives that will cost taxpayers more money. In addition, by dismantling this program, the Obama administration will make it impossible to go back to solid rocket motors in the future.

This is a good example of why our Founding Fathers created the separation of powers and granted Congress with the power of the purse.

Unfortunately, my support of Congress’s constitutional authority to designate or “earmark” funding has come under attack by some critics. But I refuse to sit back and just rubber-stamp President Obama’s left-wing agenda. I refuse to turn my back on Utahns and allow Obama’s NASA budget to be approved when the administration cannot clearly explain its reasoning for weakening our missile defense, increasing the burden for the taxpayers, and eliminating thousands of jobs in our state.

I will fight to reverse Obama’s irresponsible plan by reinstating funding to Constellation and Ares through congressionally directed funds. And I am glad to have the support of Senator Hatch and Congressmen Bishop and Chaffetz to restore funding for this critical program.

These are challenging times for our country. We continue to face significant threats from those wishing to destroy America and the freedoms we cherish. We continue to face a struggling economy with unemployment levels still too high and an entitlement crisis looming. And yet, we see the Obama administration pushing policies that will kill jobs, hinder economic growth, weaken our national security, add to our national debt, and cost American taxpayers more money.

I refuse to stand on the sidelines. I will fight President Obama’s plan to kill Constellation and Ares, jeopardizing our national security and Utah’s economy in the process.

Now is not the time to play politics with Utah’s economic future and America’s national defense. We need to fight to preserve these vital programs, and the fight is now.

In my time in the US Senate, I have been on the front lines of a number of crucial political battles, like fighting government-run health care, reforming welfare, and stopping the Obama agenda.

Tonight, we Utahns face another critical challenge as we struggle for basketball supremacy in the Rocky Mountains.

Tonight is when the Jazz play the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the opening round of the playoffs. This will match the prowess of an injury-plagued basketball team against the high-powered offense of a franchise with one of the most prolific scorers in the league. (It also doesn’t help that Colorado is under control of the Democrats.)

I won’t be able to watch the game, as I will be participating in a candidate forum. But I think I can speak for all the candidates when I say that whatever we say tonight, our thoughts will be in the Energy Solutions Arena.

Despite their setbacks, the Jazz are playing great, with key reserves picking up the slack. Hall of Fame Coach Jerry Sloan will no doubt have his team ready to play.

Go Jazz!

Mike Lee recently issued a statement with regard to his position on the war in Afghanistan in which he claims to be asking “hard questions” about our Afghanistan mission. “First and foremost,” he says, “my policy on Afghanistan is clear: our troops are there to take out military targets — i.e., things that present a clear and present threat to our national security.”

The hard question he doesn’t want to answer is simply this: does Mike believe Afghanistan presents a “clear and present threat to our national security?”

If he does, why would he suggest that there are as many dangerous thugs in Utah County as there are in Afghanistan?

Why would he claim our soldiers in Afghanistan have been wasting time “delivering meals on wheels” and “building self-esteem?”

And why would his campaign staffer state publicly and unequivocally that Mike Lee “does not support the war on terror?”

This isn’t about hard questions. It’s about Mike Lee relying on easy answers and trying bring our troops home before the job is done, or, in his own words, “as soon as we can.”

SALT LAKE CITY…. Today, Senator Bob Bennett asked Senate candidate Mike Lee to answer questions about his foreign policy and national security positions. Last week, several distinguished U.S. veterans spoke out against comments Lee made regarding Afghanistan. Rather than answering the questions, Lee tried to change the subject by lashing back at senate candidates claiming they have distorted his record.

Lee claims that the other Senate candidates are attacking him because he is now the front runner in the race despite a recent Rasmussen poll that states Senator Bennett is beating his nearest rival by at least 2:1.

“Unfortunately, rather than answering fundamental questions about his position on Afghanistan and other foreign policy matters, Mike Lee claims to have been taken out of context,” said Bennett. “The troubling comments and quotes called into question by so many, including some of Utah’s distinguished war veterans, are not fabricated; they are Mike Lee’s own words.”

Bennett called on Mike Lee to answer the following questions to clarify foreign policy positions:

1. When it comes to Afghanistan, do you agree with the position of General McChrystal, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, that we should make sure that al Qaeda does not use Afghanistan as a base for terrorist operations against the United States again or do you agree with Ron Paul and leftist groups like Moveon.org that say we should get out now?

2. You suggested that what we’re doing in Afghanistan is little more than providing them with “meals on wheels,” and that we’re just “building self-esteem in foreign governments” and we should “get out as soon as we can.” Your social media director posted online that [Mike Lee] does not support the war on terror.”

Given those statements, do you agree or disagree with Former Senator and retired Brigadier General Jake Garn and several other distinguished veterans who said on Friday:

“We would leave Afghanistan in absolute shambles and al Qaeda would return overnight and take over and we would face a new threat. We have enough negative lessons in our history to understand that we just don’t walk away, we just don’t give up.”

Avoiding answering the real questions at hand, Lee has said that his comments were being taken out of context. That’s why the Bennett Election Committee has posted a transcript to its website.

“It’s not surprising that the other candidates, specifically Bridgewater and Eagar, are questioning Lee’s position on Afghanistan as well given that his views are so far outside of mainstream conservatives,” added Bennett.

The Bennett Election Committee has produced two spots to be aired and sent to delegates this week regarding Lee’s comments on Afghanistan.