Feb 22 12 - 10:45 AM
Cherilyn B. Eager, Utah 2nd Congressional District Candidate. (Campaign photo)
“Don’t ever underestimate the power and influence of a mom who is going to step in harm’s way to protect those children. That’s what this is all about. We’re restoring the American dream for them, and together, it will not be impossible.”
That reference to the most demanding calling, motherhood, supplies a passion source for Eagar. Nevertheless, she has done much more peripheral work, civic activity, besides her role as the mother.
Eagar was named “Wasatch Woman of the Year” Community honoree by the editorial boards of the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune in 2011. The recognition was for her lifelong service to community, family, and non-profit organizations as a citizen lobbyist at the state, national and international levels.
There’s a long list of her involvement in many issues that are pro-family, conservative or constitutional to name a few as found on her website Eager2012
She ran for the senate in 2010, the first Republican woman to run for a U.S. Senate seat representing Utah. Now, Eagar has her aim on Utah’s Second Congressional District seat and she argues that she has the resume and experience that best fits.
“I am the candidate in this race, among other very qualified candidates in their own private lives, who has been there, who has been walking that walk instead of just talking it,” Eagar said.
“I have a solid conservative record for over three decades. People know who I am; they can trust my record, as opposed to another candidate who has a 58 percent voting record on conservative issues. That should be a concern. When I went to school, 58 percent was kind of a failing grade.
“I just want to encourage everyone to do their research on the candidates in this race, make sure we’re not voting for a person who has conflicts of interest with where they get their income, whether it be Federal agencies or whatever.
“We have to know who we are electing. I have been that solid conservative.”
Her campaign is going well she says and even cites a poll to back up the claim.
“We could not ask for better, we are in a great position this time around,” Eagar said. “According to a recent Fox 13 [News] Utah pulse poll we have a ten-point lead. This is going to be a race between probably me and one other candidate. We’re really pleased with the progress that we’ve been making.
“It’s a hard job running for office, but it’s worth it because this about our children’s future. We have to send people to Congress who have the experience, and that have the trusted record, and that’s where I come from as a conservative. That’s where I stand apart from the others [candidates] in this race.”
Eagar’s expressiveness demonstrates strong conviction about her beliefs. Asked if the U.S. should act with interventionism about Syria, she was quick to give a clear answer.
“No, I don’t,” said Eagar. “I am very concerned about the United States’ involvement in the world and the problems of the world.
“Let me qualify my answer. I am not privy to classified information that might change that view. From the information that we have right now, I think the best position that this nation can be in is peace through strength. Ronald Reagan was a great promoter of that concept. I loved his philosophy of winning the Cold War—we win, you lose.
“He was a leader in the world. He could stand up and say things like ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall.’
“We don’t have that leadership right now. Washington is a disaster. This presidential administration is a greater disaster, especially on the world stage. When we have a president who goes out into the world and apologizes to the world, we are in trouble as a nation because we know from experience growing up, that if you’re a weakling on the playground, you’re going to get bullied.
“We have to be strong; we have to have peace through strength. We have to have a strong military. It doesn’t mean that we need to intervene in every little skirmish around the world. We have to pick and choose and prioritize because wars are costly and wars can bankrupt.”
Eagar believes that American’s have the ability to do more for themselves. Asked if she would have voted for the recently Congress-approved extension of payroll tax credits and extension of unemployment insurance, Eagar said, “Absolutely not.”
Her answer reflects 31 freshman House Republicans who voted against it.
“I think that is very damaging to the private sector, to employees, to Americans everywhere who are paying taxes,” she said. “The unemployment tax is ridicules because, I know they cut it back from the 99 weeks now to I think 63 weeks, even so, people are out of work and instead of being motivated to go out and actually find another job, they are paid to sit and wait for their unemployment to run out before they feel that motivation. That has to change. Able-bodied people need to be motivated to go out and find that next job.
“I loved Ronald Reagan for many things, but one of the best things he did was he established work-fair principles in our welfare system. We need to return to those principles again.”
In more explanation of why she is running for office, Eagar alluded to the arts—underpinned with patriotic rhetoric, and given with a dose of criticism of a societal sector.
“It’s summed up in a few lyrics of a song that’s one of my favorites, it’s called ‘The Impossible Dream (The Quest),’” said Eagar. ‘to right the unrightable wrong, to be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause.’
“To me, that heavenly cause is restoring the principles of the Constitution and five great principles are: limited government, personal accountability, free enterprise, as I said earlier peace through strength, and finally, public virtue.
“Let me give an example. Right now, 53 percent of Medicaid is being used by single unwed teen moms. We have 90 percent of single moms on some kind of welfare and up to 70 percent of babies being born out of wedlock depending upon the group of people. That is unsustainable because when the family falls the nation falls.
“We have to get back to principles of self-reliance, self-governance. That is what public virtue is all about.
“I just want to assure people who want to make that choice for who they’re going to support, that Cherilyn Eagar is going to continue to defend the Constitution as our supreme law of the land on that international stage where it is being trampled. And as a Utahan, Cherilyn is going to be defending this state against an encroaching Federal Government that is taking far too much of our land.”
Eagar wants to ‘protect’ the future and that may include her having to use a motherly strength—perhaps a mama bear behavior.
“I think it’s very important that we send a people to Congress that can actually get things done,” she said. “I have been a doer and I intend to continue doing, going to Congress. We need strong voices.”
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Visit links to the candidates and learn more about their platforms by clicking on the names:
Business owner Jeramey McElhaney
Former Utah House Speaker David Clark
Retired Air Force Pilot and best selling author Chris Stewart
Former Air Force official Chuck Williams
Businessman Howard Wallack
Navy and commercial pilot John Willoughby
Former NFL and BYU football player Jason Buck
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