Guv's departure could tilt Utah further to the right

A battle is raging nationally and in Utah for the soul of the Republican Party. With the imminent departure of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to China, Utah has lost a strong moderate Republican voice. That raises some interesting questions:

With Huntsman gone, will the Utah Republican Party tilt sharply to the right, and are there any strong moderate leaders who can continue the Huntsman tradition?

Webb: A little tilt to the right would be OK. Utahns favor solid, pragmatic, responsible conservatism. Far more Utahns label themselves conservative as liberal, and most residents want limited government and maximum freedom. But Utah is not a far-right state. Those espousing angry, harsh, reactionary, government-hating, right-wing social conservatism are a small, but vocal, minority. If the Utah GOP reverts to that strident form of arch-conservatism it will be in big trouble, even in Utah.

Utah has lost its main moderate voice, but Governor-to-be Gary Herbert is smart enough to know that most Utahns don't want a right-wing governor. He will be more conservative than Huntsman, and that's OK, but incumbency will absolutely have a moderating influence on him. In my 35-plus years of watching Utah politics, the state has always had centrist, practical, problem-solving, mainstream (and generally popular) governors from both parties. That's the sort of governor Utahns want. Herbert can be a responsible conservative, and still govern in the centrist tradition of Utah's excellent governors. He would be foolish not to. If he turns out to be a conservative ideologue, he might not last past 2010. But my guess is that those expecting Herbert to champion right-wing causes will be disappointed.

Pignanelli: "I smell a rat in Philadelphia." — Patrick Henry (declining participation at the Constitutional Convention). Many are amused that the recently organized ultraconservative Patrick Henry Caucus — dedicated to strict adherence to the U.S. Constitution — should honor someone who hated the document and toiled against ratification. However, the caucus is a shrewd response by Republican lawmakers to harness the "tea party" movement of Americans frustrated with national Democrats and Republicans. They clearly understand this anti-Washington emotion is a source of interparty opposition to Sen. Bob Bennett.