Sean Hannity isn't the only Republican that Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson is having a hard time getting along with these days.
Anderson, a Democrat, has also exchanged verbal jabs with Kirk Jowers, director of the U's Hinckley Institute of Politics.
Anderson and conservative commentator Hannity discussed details of their upcoming debate on KSL radio's "Doug Wright Show" earlier this month. The two were debating who would moderate the showdown when Wright suggested Jowers for the job.
Anderson replied, "A Republican shill from way back?"
The quarrel didn't stop there.
What listeners didn't hear was the e-mail exchange between Jowers and Anderson that followed.
Jowers, prompted by accounts of Anderson's putdown, e-mailed the mayor expressing his regret that Anderson did not view him as an "honest broker" for the debate. He challenged Anderson to review the Hinckley Institute's speakers and interns for any Republican bias.
Jowers has also served as campaign legal counsel for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney as well as John McCain and President George W. Bush in 2000.
"I have worked just as hard for my Democratic students as I have for Independents and Republicans," Jowers said in the e-mail.
Anderson responded that he was highly offended by comments Jowers made last fall when Anderson protested Bush's visit to the city. Jowers characterized Anderson's reception of Bush as narcissistic.
"Instead of standing up for a free and open dialogue…you joined with those who said I should just shut up and roll out the welcome mat," Anderson said in the e-mail.
He also said Jowers' comments were inappropriate for a director of the Hinckley Institute.
"It was, in my view, a sycophantic Republican effort to quash dissent-hardly what one should expect for the head of Hinckley Institute," Anderson said in the e-mail.
Jowers denied that the comments were part of a Republican plan to discourage dissent and apologized for personalizing the attack.
And while Jowers said he personally enjoys the mayor and respects the dialogue he brings to the state -- the two have since met for breakfast -- he believes he has done no harm by remaining active in partisan politics.
"To be engaged you have to take sides," Jowers told The Daily Utah Chronicle. "I don't apologize to anyone for my (political) background."
Anderson's office did not return requests for an interview.
Jowers said the Hinckley Institute has always had directors who are heavily involved in party politics -- he pointed to former directors and prominent Democrats Ted Wilson and J.D. Williams.
"We've been accused of (partisan bias) since 1965," Jowers said.
Wilson, a former Salt Lake City mayor, said he, too, faced criticism during his time at the Hinckley Institute for perceived political biases -- he ran for political office twice during his time at the Hinckley Institute.
"I think the worst thing a director can do is not be politically involved," Wilson said.
He said Jowers might face more criticism because he is the first Republican to head the Hinckley Institute.
Wilson said Jowers will learn, as he did, to separate political loyalties from his role as director.
"I think Kirk has walked that line," he said.
COMPLETE JOWERS/ANDERSON TRANSCRIPT
From Kirk Jowers to Rocky Anderson
Mayor:
I missed the Doug Wright interview with you and Sean Hannity this morning, but heard numerous reports about it. I am sorry you feel that I could not be an honest broker in your debate with Hannity. ? In order to properly do my job and serve the university and ?community it is critical that I support students' ambitions and ?interests from the far left to the far right and everything in between. I believe I have worked just as hard for my Democratic students as I have for my Independents and Republicans.
I have enjoyed working with you on several events (including bringing some of the incredible environmental speakers to the U's law school) and appreciated your support of the Hinckley Institute.
There is no question that we disagreed as to a mayor's proper role when President Bush visited Salt Lake City, but I was always careful to confine my comments to that very specific issue: whether the mayor of a city should put aside differences for a day in order to host our nation's president. I hope you will acknowledge that I have not been quoted regarding and have not spoken about your recent travels and speeches concerning President Bush. I challenge you to review the over 100 speakers who I have brought to the Hinckley Institute to speak and the almost 400 interns who have been sent out during my time here to see if you can perceive any bias (a prominent Republican reviewed the forums and concluded that I was heavily favoring "Democrats and liberals"...).
Finally, please do not hesitate to check with any of the prominent Democrats around town to get their appraisal of me. Specifically, I would commend you to talk with Wayne Holland, ?Patrice Arent, Pat Jones, Roz McGee, Ralph Becker, Ross Romero, Karen Morgan, Ted Wilson, Scott and Jim Matheson, and Peter Carroon.??I have greatly enjoyed our few meals together and would welcome the opportunity to meet with you again to discuss any concerns you have about my stewardship of the Hinckley Institute.?
Sincerely,? Kirk
From Rocky Anderson to Kirk Jowers
Kirk -? Your personal attack against me when I was acting out of conscience was highly offensive -- not only from a personal standpoint, but in terms of your role at the University. It was just one more voice of repression -- one more person saying that we should all (or at least the mayor) just be quiet in the face of what many of us consider to be enormous assaults upon our country's most dearly held values -- and in the face of astounding human tragedy, brought about by a corrupt administration and complicit Congress. Instead of standing up for a free and open dialogue at this pivotal time in our nation's history, you joined with those who said I should just shut up and roll out the welcome mat. You also recklessly attributed base motives to me that were completely in error.
Here's what the Labor Standard said about your attack: "Few attacks were more personal and vicious than that of Kirk Jowers, director of the prestigious Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, the state's 'flagship' university. The Hinckley Institute is supposedly 'dedicated to teaching students respect for practical politics and the principle of citizen involvement in government.' Jowers was widely and repetitively quoted in the news media for his 'political analysis,' which concluded that 'Rocky's protest' was motivated by 'egocentric narcissism.' On KUER, you stated: "He is mayor of Salt Lake City, and he needs to put aside his, I can't think of another word, but narcissism for one day. He can protest President Bush 364 days a year but on one day he needs to honor him."
Your call for a stifling of dissent was a call for the abrogation of ?the most essential political and moral obligations. It was, in my ?view, a sychophantic Republican effort to quash dissent -- hardly what one should expect from the head of the Hinckley Institute. Please forgive me for feeling that you are clearly not an appropriate person to moderate my debate with Hannity. Your very significant time spent away from the Hinckley Institute while working for a Republican presidential candidate who wholly supports the Bush administration and the illegal, outrageous Iraq war simply reinforces my view on this matter.
Kirk, I had hoped for better from you. I, too, felt we had a good ?personal relationship. However, your public comment about my role and motives for expressing heartfelt dissent has, understandably, altered that relationship. I think you would feel the same if the tables were turned.??I'd be pleased to discuss this at any time. Let me know if you'd like to get together.
Rocky
From Kirk Jowers to Rocky Anderson
Dear Mr. Mayor: ??Thank you for your email. I apologize for my delay in responding, but I just returned from travels in England and Scotland. I also am sorry for personalizing our legitimate disagreement. As I said in many interviews, I respect your intelligence and passion and I never doubted your sincerity in taking on President Bush. I should have confined my comments to whether your actions -- and not your motivations -- were proper during President Bush's visit to Salt Lake City??There are numerous potential issues and perspectives to discuss, but I must address one notion you mentioned below--that my commentary was a "sychophantic Republican effort to quash dissent." It absolutely was not. I believe strongly in every American's right to cheer or jeer their elected officials and said so in every interview on the subject. I was thrilled that there were protests and rallies all over the city when President Bush came to town. I can assure you that my opinion of an elected official's proper role as a statesman would have been the exact same had President Clinton been visiting Provo during the depths of his administration.? Email is never the best way to conclude such a discussion. Accordingly, I appreciate your willingness to meet with me in person. May I take you to breakfast? Available dates include the mornings of April 16-18th and 23rd-24th.
Best, ?Kirk
