The integrity of Republican Senator Mitt Romney indicates a uniquely principled culture of conservatism in the state of Utah.
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Two weeks ago, the US Senate took a fateful vote on impeachment. The result was, as predicted, the acquittal of Donald Trump. History was still made, however. Senator Mitt Romney of Utah became the first Senator to vote to convict a president of his same party. By doing so, he brought hope to disgruntled conservatives across the political world, brought Utah into the forefront of conservative political philosophy, and showed a path forward for conservatism in the future.
The first point mentioned above seems self-obvious. It nevertheless deserves our attention. As I have iterated before and will iterate again, Trump is no conservative. His brand of politics is not conservative. Diehard Trumpists are not conservative by any means. However, there are certainly Trump supporters who politically and, in principle, hold to conservativism.
The reasons for this are varied, but the primary reason is that Democrats drive those conservatives towards Trump. As our wonderful editor here at the Liberty Hawk has shown, it is remarkably hard to abandon a party you have supported your entire political life. As I can attest, it is just as hard to remain within the party and oppose Trump without being ripped by the party itself.
There are no other homes for conservativism in the American political spectrum. That’s why so many conservatives remain reluctant supporters of Trump. Democrats gleefully attack his supporters, and yet when principled conservatives stand up and leave the party, they continue to be bombarded by those on the left.
For many, this is a hopeless situation. After Mitt Romney’s vote, the situation has become a little less hopeless. Romney has shown conservatives who remain in the party that there are still prominent elected Republican officials in Washington who stand by their conservative principles, even if it means opposing Trump. As a conservative who has vowed to stay in the party as long as I can, I cannot overstate the wonder I had at his vote.
I will be the first to admit that, in times past, I have opposed Mitt Romney. I find a not-insignificant percentage of his policy preferences to be antithetical to the values I hold. In principle, however, he has proven himself trustworthy, and for that I respect and support him.
The role that the state of Utah, and conservatism in Utah, have played in this should not be overlooked. Historically speaking, major political movements have always had a center of power. In conservatism’s case, the centers of power in time past include Ohio (producing a number of conservative presidents and senators through the 1880s-1940s), Orange County in California (Nixon and Reagan), Wisconsin (Paul Ryan, Ron Johnson, Reince Preibus), and South Carolina (Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Lindsey Graham, Mark Sanford).
Utah is no exception to this rule. Already, the state has produced such principled men as Romney and his fellow Senator Mike Lee. This is a state in which a three-month presidential campaign in 2016 brought in over 20% of the vote with little name recognition. What is amazing, however, is not so much what the state has done as what it looks like the state may do.
In many corners of the country, Romney’s vote was met with shock, disgust, and a sense of betrayal among Republicans. In Utah, this largely has not been the case. Many of the reports out of the state show that Romney’s standing among Utah Republicans has held steady, despite his opposition to Trump. In the Utah state legislature, Republicans dropped support for a proposal that would allow for Romney’s recall.
Assuming that this train of thought continues, it looks promising that Utah could very well become the next center of conservative thought. Indeed, our wonderful editor is himself from Utah. Whatever the origin of this conservative revolution is (I suspect it may be born out of the strong Latter-day Saint presence in the state, given that the Church has a strong independent conservative streak), it should make all principled conservatives happy.
Mitt Romney’s vote was certainly a bright point in a despairing time to be a conservative in America. It has shown conservatives that it is still possible to oppose Trump from inside the party, and shown a light on Utah as a potential center for conservative philosophy.
Most importantly, though, is that it revealed to the country what a truly principled stand looks like. Romney supported his values, despite them putting him at odds with his party. It was certainly worth it. There are 53 Republican senators in Washington currently. Only one has earned his right to his office. Only one stood for the tenets of principled conservatism.
Senator Romney, if you happen to read this, I thank you for your vote. To others, I urge you to do the same.
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None of this surprises me. In the summer of 1976 I had the privilege of attending a summer camp at Utah State University where I came to associate with a group of young people who had been raised in the Mormon faith. Having spent my youth in the neighboring state of Wyoming, I had a passing familiarity with the religion, but had never really been exposed to a community of young people who were truly dedicated to their faith. My first epiphany moment came when we were on a bus trip. A young man from Texas was trying to lure one of the Mormon girls to the back of the bus for a make-out session. One of the Mormon boys intervened. He was a strapping young lad who, as I recall, played defensive end and was captain of the football team. He made it clear that the Texan’s behavior was not acceptable. He also made it clear that he was still a virgin and intended to remain so until his wedding night. He then settled into a quiet discussion on the merits of chastity. This example of gender equity was quite a shock to the rest of us on the bus, particularly the boys, who were constantly contriving ways to get laid. Being a bunch of nerds, we were notably unsuccessful. The purpose of the camp was the study of advanced mathematical concepts, but I, and I suspect many of the other boys, the promise, however remote, of “getting some” was always on our minds. As time has passed my respect for Mormon culture has grown and Mitt Romney’s vote just validates that.