Bob Bennett was Too Liberal for Utah Republican Delegates?

Last month, the delegates at the Utah County Republican convention ended Senator Bob Bennett's bid for re-election.  The delegates instead chose two candidates - Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater - who better matched the extremism of the activists in the state Republican Party.  Thanks to the Utah Republican delegates, the primary on June 22 now is between two candidates who are vying to be the most ideologically extreme in the race.  While Bob Bennett got left out because he was too liberal for the delegates.
 
What made Bennett unacceptable?
 
1. He was more conservative than extremist.  In 2008, Bennett received a 64 percent rating from the American Conservative Union.  The previous year it was 75 percent.  Conversely, he received a 15 percent in those years from the liberal Americans for Democratic Action.  That's pretty conservative for most people, but obviously not for Utah's Republican convention delegates.

2. He was known for working across the aisle to get things done.  I guess these extremist Republicans couldn't stand that.  What a travesty that a senator who wants to get things passed and is willing to work with other senators who think similarly - regardless of party - is punished by his fellow partisans.  But that was one of the complaints against Bob Bennett by the extremist Republican activists.

3. Particularly, Bob Bennett tried to solve our health care crisis.  He joined with Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, to co-sponsor legislation that would have provided health insurance to the unemployed.  Bennett saw there was a crisis and realized something needed to be done.  He also believed the government needed to play a role in assuring that more people get access to quality health care.  The Bennett-Wyden bill was widely praised as a good start to the discussion of how to handle health care reform.  Obviously, Utah Republican delegates found all of that anathema.  Working with a moderate Democrat and involving government, even in a limited way, in finding the solution to a national crisis?  That's way too liberal for them!
 
4. He was well respected in Washington by people on both sides of the aisle.  In his memoirs, former President Bill Clinton praised Bennett as a thoughtful, intelligent senator.  Senator Chris Dodd, Democrat from Connecticut, called Bennett's defeat a "loss for the institution" and added Bennett was "a thoughtful, considerate individual."  Senator Susan Collins, Republican from Maine, called Bennett "an extraordinary senator."  Of course, being able to work with others and gaining the respect of peers who disagree with you didn't matter to these extremist delegates.  Perhaps they wanted someone who isn't thoughtful, doesn't have the respect of his peers, and won't work with others to craft legislation to solve problems.  Actually, that person would be fine as long as they are also ideologically extreme.
 
Whether Bob Bennett should have been re-elected or not is something the voters probably would have liked to be able to decide for themselves in the fall (although they can't do that now), but the reasons the Republicans were giving for ousting him said more about their extremism than it did about Bob Bennett.