Demagogue

Mayor Rocky Anderson of Salt Lake City had this to say about what it's like to to live in the hometown of Mormonism.

"I feel like we're in the middle of a Kafka novel sometimes...with a little bit of the Taliban thrown in."

I remember hearing that Salt Lake City have twice elected an uber-liberal as mayor, so maybe his career isn't in jeopardy. He sounds like an exceptionally interesting public servant-- he's a staunch environmentalist, supports affirmative action, wants drug policy reform, openly supports gay marriage, is committed to pragmatic and responsible government, opposes the war in Iraq and keeps a parrot named Cardoso in his office. With a name like "Rocky" he strikes me as the ideal liberal politician, the kind of guy I'd love to sit down and have a beer with-- although not on the city's tab, of course. (That's what prompted his comment, he got in trouble for taking some people out for dinner and paying for their drinks using city funds. While paying for the dinner was fine, paying for the drinks is a big no-no in a Mormon-dominated state with strict liquor laws.)