Orrin Hatch Won by Cultivating Sarah Palin

By Mark Whittington | Yahoo! Contributor Network3 hrs ago

COMMENTARY | On the surface, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, would seem to have been ripe for being overthrown by the tea party revolt, just like fellow Sen. Richard Lugar, R-In. He was venerable, institutional and had been in the Senate forever.

But in Tuesday's primary, Hatch crushed his self-styled tea party opponent, former state Sen. Dan Liljenquis, according to the Associated Press. How was it the 78-year-old Hatch won when so many of his fellow politicians have lost or are in peril of loosing?

The Deseret News cites a variety of factors, including Hatch's money and organization advantage and what it calls "fading tea party anger." Two years ago, Utah voters gave Robert Bennett the royal order of the boot. Something had clearly changed since 2010.

It was Hatch, noting the end of Bennett's political career as a wake-up call. He tacked to the right, easy to do when the Senate is controlled by Democrats. He cultivated the tea party in Utah, going so far as to declare himself the tea party candidate in August.

He also invoked the sacred name of Ronald Reagan, whose shadow falls across hist! ory as t he 20th century's true greatest president. He noted that should, as many expect, Republicans take back the Senate this year, Hatch will be head of the Senate Finance Committee and will be in the position to shape great reform. At 78, he promised the next term would be his last.

The most important thing Hatch did was to cultivate Sarah Palin. Hatch, as cunning as he is venerable, knew Palin has the power to make or break political candidates. This is part of the reason she is the most powerful female politician in the world.

The wooing of Palin bore fruit when, as ABC News noted, Palin endorsed Hatch, touting his fiscal conservatism. Hatch, she noted, was one of the "1 percent" of incumbents she liked and would be useful as a mentor and guide to all of the new, tea party senators she expects to help get elected.

While Mitt Romney also endorsed Hatch, Palin's nod was decisive. Hatch is almost certain to win a new term now.

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