Today’s Salt Lake Tribune contains an article discussing the message of at least one Republican senate candidate running in Salt Lake City. Bryce Jolley is vying for Karen Hale’s seat against Democrat Ross Romero, and his message is you should vote for him because his party is in charge.

According to Jolley “…in Utah we know the Republican Party caucus really controls what’s going on. And if you’re not in the room, you don’t have a voice.” Thomas Wright, Republican challenger against Representative Roz McGee, agrees with Jolley referring to Representative Roz McGee as “an interloper in a one-party system” on his website. Of course, there would be no way of knowing whether voters had a “voice in the room” if either Jolley or Wright were to get elected because Republicans insist on closing the door to that room before any voters can get in, prefering closed door meetings to transparent and open government.

Closed door caucus meetings and insisting we should all just stop resisting Republican control reminds me very much of Star Trek’s Borg, but not at all of representative democracy. In that spirit, I hope the Republicans won’t mind me unveiling their new unofficial campaign slogan for 2006 with a little help from Locutus of the Borg (who bears a striking resemblance to Wright).

Resistance is futile,

you will be assimilated.

Vote Republican in 2006!