We are still early in the presidential nominating process, but U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders is gaining momentum in the Democratic Party. Of course, President Trump will be the Republican nominee. If those are the choices for Utah voters, there will be many voters looking for an alternative because both represent the extremes of their respective parties.

I have followed Senator Sanders' career over many years. I remember when he was elected as the socialist mayor of Burlington, Vermont in 1981. Over those years, I have admired Senator Sanders for his integrity and consistency. He has been true to his own beliefs and has not been associated with the scandals that plague some members of Congress.

However, his views on key issues have been on the fringe of the Democratic Party. In fact, he was not a Democrat for most of his career. He was an independent who was too far on the left for most Democrats. His lenience towards leaders of authoritarian regimes is unacceptable. His unawareness of the cost of his own social programs suggests a level of fiscal irresponsibility that is stunning.

Having said all that, President Trump is not a better alternative by any stretch. It is true that President Trump has done some good things. However, he is feeding xenophobia in the United States, which is heavily tinged with a subtle racism. His foreign policies have been disastrous to the U.S. role in the world.

President Trump is a terrible commander in chief—sending U.S. troops in an area to do a job and then pulling them out after making a deal with two dictators—Erdogan and Putin. He is taking the credit for an economic upturn. However, presidents have little role in improving the economy—whether they be Clinton, Bush, Obama, or Trump. And all of that doesn't even include his sordid personal life and his significant contribution to the decline in civility in public discourse.

The two alternatives are not only alternatives of particular individuals, they also are alternatives of the two major parties. Both have become polarized. They are not the parties they used to be.

This is where the United Utah Party comes in. We are the party of reason. We are the party of moderation. We are not praising right wing nor left wing dictators. We are in favor of compassion, but we also believe that it must be matched with fiscal responsibility. We believe in civility—disagreeing agreeably and finding good in various sides.

Help us build this new alternative in Utah—and, if we can do so here, elsewhere in the nation as well. But we must show this will work on a small scale first before we can take it to a larger one.

Go to unitedutah.org/donate and give generously.
Go to unitedutah.org and volunteer.
Come to our caucus on March 24 and tell others about our caucus.

Together, We Can Make Utah Even Better