Feb 10
The Governor Did What????
2009 at 3:37 pm | posted by Rep. Craig Frank 9 comments
Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. (not to be confused with Jon, Sr., Area Authority Seventy for the LDS Church), recently announced that he supports Civil Unions…contrary to 70% of Utahns who don’t support such a measure. Click HERE for Salt Lake Tribune article.
AS A SIDE NOTE…
Huntsman, a four-year lame duck (announced during the State of the State Address he would not seek re-election), would have found it hard to run for re-election AND president of the United States…simultaneously. With an 88% state-wide job approval rating, he shouldn’t find it that difficult to convince the National GOP, and the rest of the Electorate, that he would make an exceptional commander-in-chief.
February 10th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
If Huntsman is in favor of “civil unions”, he must then no longer support the marriage ammendment because you cannot support both. The word “civil” means “of, or related to, or based on civil law”. The key word is “law”. Meanwhile, the marriage ammendments (which by the way, have passed by 60-70% marriages in over two dozens states without a single failure) sought to define marriage in statute (or “law”) that marriage is between man and a woman. You can’t have “civil law” defining marriage between man and man or woman and woman while at the same time having a contradictory law defining marriage as only between man and woman. Huntsman should therefore now renounce his previous support for the marriage ammendment.
February 10th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Amen.
February 10th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
The good governor no longer has any reason to kowtow to the state’s conservative base. He has what he wanted from them. It’s surprising that only now are people starting to realize that Gov. Huntsman is Republican in a similar sense as some of the GOP politicians from the northeast; much like his pal, the Governor of California.
February 10th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Craig, as a liberal, I hope you get yourself a nice spot as the spokesperson of the GOP not only here, but nationally. And I mean that! Heh.
Though I’m no fan of Huntsman, you can see trend across the US with Republican Governors (arguably more in tune with their constituents than the Senate or House delegates from any state) endorsing more moderate approaches to the traditional “social wedge issues” that Republicans have campaigned on for over a decade. What they are seeing is that the “base” of the religious right that has propped the party up (usually simply by shouting “abortion!” like Rep. Wimmer is still doing) as a base is not longer large enough of a voting bloc to get them elected in and of themselves, and in chasing this base (see Sarah Palin if you’d like an example) they lost the moderates.
The next Republican to win the white house will embrace a libertarian approach to marriage definition (if not endorse gay marriage outright), and will espouse a moderate approach to abortion legislation (while remaining pro-life, personally).
Rail against the Gov all you’d like (I won’t stop you, I’m not a huge fan myself) but the positioning you take here now has a shelf life. And national attitudes will “trickle down” within a cycle or two.
February 11th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
I share your outrage, Rep. Frank!
How dare Governor Huntsman break from the mainstream! What good and progress has ever come to this country from dissent anyway?
I bet Governor Huntsman is also in favor of teaching children in schools that homosexuality is A-OK (let’s be honest, that’s what marriage equality is really about!).
The children! The children! Won’t someone Puh-leaze think of the CHILDREN!?
February 11th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Tom, you need to get out of the law library and into some fresh air…QUICK, QUICK, RUN!!! Kidding aside, I hope you’re getting everything out of law school…you’re paying for…you’d like….you deserve…you’d hoped for. (take your pick)
February 11th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
jasonthe, I agree with you when you say that the attitudes will “trickle down” and that Huntsman is following a national trend. Doesn’t make it right, however.
February 14th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Government has been destroying and undermining marriage for decades now. The only solution is to return marriage to the churches, and allow each couple to make their commitment to each other based on eternal truths.
February 15th, 2009 at 1:39 am
Government created the institution/law of marriage and their associated licensure.
God joined man and woman together. What God has joined together, let no man put usunder. Gov’t will still get a state licensure fee out of priests and sealers.