Utah Republicans Becoming Liberal

Posted on May 14, 2009
Filed Under Politics | 11 Comments

Slate has up an interesting article on how “the most Republican state in the nation is drifting to the left.” I think this misleading for two reasons. For one it makes the classic error of assuming there is only one political axis. Huntsman, for instance, is very much in the libertarian wing of the GOP. Which explains his opposition for the classic canards of social conservatives. He may morally agree on the issues but think that government is not the appropriate tool to attack moral issues. (I tend to agree with Huntsman for the most part here – and think he’s been a pretty solid governor although I’d like him to promote his messages to the public more)

That said, as Christopher Cox notes in the article, “Utah’s brand of religious conservatism is unique.” That said he also erroneously assumes that because the LDS Church was against prop-8 that it is “uncharacteristically silent about the very same issue in its home state.” The problem with that is that the Church came out for civil unions in California. And there was a constitutional amendment in 2004 making it unconstitutional to have gay marriage in Utah. So the Church hardly has to come out. The issue is already decided here.

Now a libertarian like Huntsman may disagree with the amendment but it’s unlikely to change anytime soon. (Note, I have no clear knowledge of Huntsman’s actual views here – I’m speaking hypothetically)

What I think is refreshing is that a pragmatic libertarian like Huntsman has cleaned up a lot of silly chaff on social issues that has accumulated after decades of Republican dominance of the state. He was behind fixing the liquor laws for instance.

The real battleground in Utah is pretty much the same issue the GOP has had as an internal wedge issue: immigration. Chris Canon lost the primary due to his being more moderate on the immigration issue. Given light turnout and strong concern by some over the immigration issue this let a challenger take over. (This was portrayed as an arch conservative beating an already very conservative Republican – but I think this misleading for a slew of reasons: it isn’t clear to me at all that immigration is a liberal/conservative issue at all for instance.)

Huntsman is more moderate on immigration and the Church has angered a lot by being quite pro-immigration and not seeing illegal immigration as the “moral issue” some members think it ought be. (i.e. it gives ecclesiastical recommends to illegal immigrants, allows them to easily attend the Church subsidized college, etc.)

Would Huntsman make a good GOP candidate for President? I think so, although after how Romney was treated and the anti-libertarian streak in the US South I’m not sure he’d have much of a hope. If anything Romney probably would have better luck against Obama. (And Republicans have a tendency to pick people who lost earlier – think Bush I, Reagan, and even Nixon) I liked Romney before he ran. How he ran seemed very opportunistic and left a bad taste in my mouth. Although not as bad as how he was treated by some. But the Obama deficits will be coming home to roost in 3 years and the economy will almost certainly not be the point of fear. So deficits may appear a bigger issue than having the appearance of saving the economy. (Whether true or false)

Personally though I think while he doesn’t have a hope of national office that few would do a better job than Huntsman. I wish the national party would model themselves on him more.

Related posts:

  1. Thoughts on the Mormon Political Scene
  2. Huntsman Obama’s Biggest Rival?
  3. Hardy on the Book of Mormon & Immigration
  4. Huntsman on GOP & Science
  5. Mormon Problem for Republicans
  6. Mexican Mormon Museum

Comments

11 Responses to “Utah Republicans Becoming Liberal”

I agree. The Republican part, the party of small federal governance, is no longer. At least not on the national level. People like Huntsman and Ron Paul are continually shoved to the side and belittled as being on the fringe, simply because there are a few wacko voices amongst libertarians.

No one wants to remove power from Washington DC. And until people have another 9/11-like wake up call, they are going to continue demanding their entitlement checks.

Well I’m anything but a fan of Ron Paul. Huntsman though seems to hold a kind of practical libertarianism I can appreciate.

Nice post. As an outsider (both in the sense that I am a democrat and no longer a residence of Utah) I have been impressed with Huntsmans time in office for many of the reasons you listed in your post.

When Huntsman was elected I assumed it was all on name recognition and had little to do with his political bone fides but I think he is a better governor at this point than Levitt was. Again as an outsider I may be missing a lot.

What was Gov. Huntsmans response to the stimulus, was he one of the gov. saying they would refuse stimulus money?

Huntsman is more a social moderate (and moderately conservative) than he is libertarian.

DJ,
Gov. Huntsman was supportive of the stimulus.

Clark,
We have chatted about Cannon before, but I think that it had much to do with his prickly personality.

As for the SSM issue in Utah, the Church was not as active because it did not need to be. There was little doubt that is would be banned in 2004.

Looks like Huntsman will be stepping down to serve as Obama’s ambassador to China. Wonderful.

Huntsman would make an excellent ambassador to China. He had a ton of experience in Asia doing business work. He was ambassador to Singapore under Bush Sr. and deputy trade rep under Bush Jr. before running for governor. Supposedly we find out whether the rumors are true tomorrow.

Chris, that’s an interesting comment. I’ve heard the opposite. That it’s more due to a view of the proper role of government than social moderateness. For instance while I’m not real libertarian I tend to think the government shouldn’t be regulating many social practices without good justification. (That latter bit is why I’m not a libertarian – I don’t have an ideological objection. Just that I think the government should be small and only act when justified practically.)

rumors are true. Looks like Obama’s been reading your blog!

Interesting to read the take of Weaver on all this. Sounds like Huntsman was feeling the waters for a Presidential bid and then decided that in the current environment there was no hope. Of course Huntsman coming out in favor of gay unions surprisingly probably plays better in Utah than the south and the Ohio region. Add in the latent anti-Mormonism in some areas (such as Romney found) and Huntsman coming from a “giveme state” and I don’t think Huntsman had a realistic chance. (I think Romney had a chance only because he’d been governor of a big eastern state – plus the place of his father in politics)

Now Huntsman may play for a VP spot in 2012. But my guess is that the GOP is going to have yet an other huge defeat and perhaps then will finally reform itself. I thought 2006 would be the lesson to them but neither than nor 2008 was.

Two things: (1) I don’t think Utah has moved to the left so much as Huntsman has moved to the left. (2) That said, Utah has never been dominated by fire brand conservatives – not in the last century at any rate. Herbert is likely to be the most authentic conservative to be governor in sixty years, and he is enormously fortunate to be in that position. Movement conservatives rarely get elected to statewide office around here.

Third thing: The suggestion that Huntsman is a libertarian on anything other than social issues is dubious. Real libertarians are small government folks which Huntsman is not. Huntsman is a run of the mill country club Republican. Libertarians are generally on the outer fringes of American politics, where they make an appearance at all.

Leave a Reply