Faltering extremism

Could it possibly be that right-wing extremism is losing ground in Utah?

The 2012 neighborhood and precinct caucuses are behind us and all signs point to record turnouts from both the Democrats and Republicans. For many, high attendance was expected as both parties have high-profile races coming up at convention and the various campaigns involved were working hard to get their supporters elected as delegates.

What wasn’t expected, however, is that the extremist right would lose so much ground. Just two short years ago the various tea party groups managed to come together and elect enough delegates to unseat Sen. Robert F. Bennett in the first round of balloting at the GOP convention. At this year’s caucus, however, the tides had turned and it appears that six-term U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch may have enough delegates to not only get through convention, he may have the 60 percent needed to avoid a primary altogether.

Take as another example the actions of Gov. Gary Herbert on Friday, March 16.  After meeting with the face of Utah extremism, Gayle Ruzicka, he defied her expressed desire and used his veto on HB363. This was the bill that would eliminate everything but abstinence from Utah’s sex-education curriculum, as well as prohibit any discussion or advocacy of homosexuality in Utah schools.

Ruzicka, president of Utah’s Eagle Forum, was quoted as saying: “It never entered our minds that the governor who told us he was conservative would veto such an appropriate piece of legislation.” Take special note of that. It never entered Ruzicka’s mind that Utah’s governor would defy her wishes with regard to legislation, yet he did.

These two events inspire hope in me that extremism is on the decline in Utah. The far-right seemingly failed to elect enough delegates to unseat Senator Hatch and, for the moment, it appears that Governor Herbert no longer fears the wrath of Ruzicka.

I’ve made this argument several times, and I will continue to make it: the power of Utah’s extreme right (Gayle Ruzicka, Paul Mero, et al…) is based entirely upon perception. It is perceived by our elected officials that there are serious electoral consequences for defying the wishes of the UEF or the various tea party groups. That perception was reinforced with Bennett’s defeat in 2010, although that could as easily be attributed to good strategy on the part of the challengers as it has been to general feelings that Bennett was too liberal for Utah.

Now another election cycle is upon us and Herbert has apparently heard the voice of the masses. The far-right doesn’t have the delegates it thought it would and it seems logical to assume that with Philpot and Kirkham in the race, Herbert figures he’s not going to get those extremist delegates that were elected. So he appealed to the more moderate areas of Utah’s political spectrum and vetoed HB363.

There is one fundamental truth in politics: perception is reality. As long as the extremist right was perceived as powerful by those in office, they were powerful.  That trend, though, is starting to shift. We’ve seen thousands of Utahns mobilized in response to shenanigans that might have slipped by unnoticed in previous years.

Last session it was HB477, the gutting of the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA); this session it was HB363. The people managed to put enough pressure on the governor to force a veto, something the far right never saw coming.

The fight, however, is far from won. Politics is an ever-evolving arena, the players and the rules change every day. What is important now is that we keep the momentum going, not just to November, but through this election cycle and into the next.

There are large numbers of good candidates seeking public office this year, and each and every one of us has the power to help ensure that Utah’s elected representation moves further away from the extremist right and closer to the real values and ideals of Utah’s citizens.

The participation of the people, in unprecedented numbers, has helped to weaken the perception of power, and hence the actual power of Utah’s extremist right. That continued participation will fuel even greater change in the months and years ahead.

You never know which voice is heard in the sometimes chaotic political arena. You never know which email will be read, or which vote will be the one that pushes rationality over the top of extremism. But now you know it can happen, and it can happen here. Keep up the good work, rational Utah!