UT-Gov: Huntsman Primaries the Party Faithful

[ccharles000]

As mentioned on today's issue of Politics1.com
Huntsman says, against conventional wisdom (at least for the Republican base), that their party can't be a party of "no", among other things.

Also, a question: Is Utah so Republican that there are Republicans who are more liberal than Democrats there (as I've heard there are Democrats in Massachusetts who are more conservative than Republicans)?

PS.Gov. Huntsman backs civil unions

http://www.swingstateproject.com

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/19181.html

[liberalmuse]

1. The Republicans in Utah are especially noxious...

but the Democrats are hard core and some of the best liberals I've ever associated with. Can any city other than San Francisco claim to have had a Mayor as awesome as Rocky Anderson?

[ccharles000]

2. ...

Huntsman seems like a good republican(that is one of the few times I have ever thought that).

[Drunken Irishman]

4. He's ok, sometimes.

He supported and signed off on vouchers a few years back, even though most Utahns didn't want it (and they voted it down that same year, much to the dismay of the conservatives here). Yet he also backed McCain over Romney in the Republican Primary, even though Romney was the favorite son of Utahns.

He's Mormon, but doesn't use his faith as a wedge issue.

And if I recall, he didn't even graduate HS, opting to get his GED later.

[Hamlette]

6. maybe but he does have a bachelor's degree

his mother had breast cancer (she is survived) and his dad started the Huntsman Cancer Institute here. He (the gov's father0 was born very poor but made tons of money as owner of Huntsman Chemical and has given zillions to mostly worthy causes. The Cancer Institute building has this quote on it:

"Selfless giving unto others represents one's true wealth."

Republicans who get elected to state wide office in Utah are mostly quite moderate. I wasn't a huge fan of Levitt (our last governor) but he was no ideologue the the GOP gov before him, Bangerter, was a great guy too.

[Drunken Irishman]

3. Utah is a weird place.

I've lived here all my life and I still haven't figured it out.

There is one of the most progressive communities in America here in Salt Lake, where we elected Rocky Anderson twice and an equally liberal (if not more so) to succeed him. However, once you get out of Salt Lake and some mini-pockets of liberalism (Moab and Park City), everything shifts to the extreme right.

Utah conservatism is unlike anything I've ever seen before.

They try to say they're libertarian conservatives, but they're not. They like the government dictating what YOU can do with YOUR life.

They are Mormons, most of 'em, anyway, who seek the opinion of the LDS Church and often shape policy based on what the Church says.

They are loyal to anyone with a Republican in their name. Which explains why Chris Buttars, who called a bad bill an ugly black thing and openly bashed gays can still get elected over and over again.

Yet our governor is a moderate Republican. He believes in global warming, supports civil unions and isn't above attacking his own party. But he's still a Republican and since he is a Republican, no matter what he does, he'll remain popular in Utah. No Democrat could get away with doing and saying what he does, but if a Republican does it, that's fine.

Now there are far more progressive Democrats than the governor, especially in the legislature (all Salt Lake house & senate members are Democrats) and the mayor of Salt Lake is more liberal by wide margins than Huntsman. But Utah's lone Dem congressman, Jim Matheson, is probably right of center of Huntsman as I doubt even he supports civil unions.

Go figure!

[Hamlette]

5. abortion changed politics in Utah

the old saw goes, when Utah wanted to become a state, the feds, in addition to making them give up plural marriage, were concerned the church would make Utah a one party state. In an effort to allay the concerns, one Sunday morning the bishop got up in front of his congregation in each church (ward) in the state and said, those of you on the this side of the church are democrats and those of you on this side are republicans.

Dems had a majority in the Utah legislature as recently as the 70s but all that changed with abortion. It's rare now to find a Mormon who will admit to being a dem but there are some. A friend of mine did his poli sci thesis on why Utah switched and he says that's what he tracked it back to. Sounds right time wise to me.

I've lived here since I was 6 and being active in politics goes back a few generations (dems, atheists). Even the crazies like Butters are no crazier than fundamentalist evangelical southern baptists. IMHO.

Politics starts to look like religion in some areas. You won't even consider voting for someone on the other side and you follow the politics of your parents. Maybe politics is becoming a substitute tribal connection for religion.

[Drunken Irishman]

7. I do think it's slowly shifting.

It might be a generation, but we're moving in the right direction.

As more outsiders move into the state and the older guard dies off, Utah will become increasingly liberal, just like the rest of the west.

I mean, Salt Lake County managed to go for Obama, which I didn't think was possible.

[Hamlette]

9. yep, welcome surprise

in 2004 only about 26% of us voted for kerry but this year it was like 32%. In 2004 I was one of four, now I'm one in 3 and feeling less alienated and alone.

[Drunken Irishman]

11. Thankfully I live in liberal Salt Lake.

Where I get thumbs ups for my Obama bumpersticker and sign.

[Hamlette]

12. me too, on the aves...damn near commies up here!

during the election I couldn't believe how many Obama signs were up, seemed like every 3rd house. I only saw 2 McCain signs on the aves. Lonely.

[camera obscura]

8. I hope Huntsman runs in 2012. He would be harder to beat but he seems to have his wits about him.

Of course in the Republican party, being able to acknowledge factual evidence (global warming) and basic human equality (civil unions) puts you far and above the rest of the pack.

Still, he seems like an OK guy. And anyone who can speak fluent Chinese has to be somewhat intelligent. Way too conservative on the economy and choice for me to vote for, but at least he's not a wingnut, and he's not obsessive about saying "no" to the Democrats, since he took the stimulus money. I hope he succeeds in pulling the party into the present, like he says in the article, because it won't be easy.

[Drunken Irishman]

10. He'd never win the Republican nomination unless he pulled a Mitt Romney.

And I don't think Huntsman is as as slimey as Romney.

Huntsman supports civil unions and that right there would kill him.

Oh and he's an environmentalist, supporting the idea of global warming.

They'd eat him alive unless he flipped on every key issue like Romney did.

Then again, I once respected Romney and there were talks about him running as a Democrat for governor here in Utah after the Olympics. He backed our mayor (the liberal Rocky Anderson) and often joked that he was far too liberal in Utah to be considered a Republican.

:/