Herbert, GOP legislators really love each other

Get ready for the upcoming love fest between Gov. Gary Herbert and Republicans in the Utah Legislature.

We haven't seen anything like this since former GOP Gov. Norm Bangerter — who himself was a speaker in the Utah House — sat in the governor's chair.

"He's our guy," House Majority Leader Kevin Garn, R-Layton, says of Herbert.

Conservatives in the House support Herbert, a Republican, in the 2010 gubernatorial race, where he seeks to win the final two years of former Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s term.

Certainly other governor wannabes have had an in with the Legislature.

In 2004, then-House Speaker Marty Stephens formulated his campaign for governor on his ties to Republican legislators.

But for 16 years, over the span of three governors, we haven't seen the respect, if not down-right love, that we're seeing now between the executive and legislative branches of government.

Now, the cynic among us may say that one reason the current GOP legislative leaders — House and Senate — like Herbert so much is because they believe they can either overpower him or manipulate him into doing what they want.

Others would say it is simply mutual respect, like-mindedness and the seeking of common sense solutions on important issues that bring Herbert and GOP leaders together.

(Herbert touts his conservative ideals, where Leavitt, Huntsman and Gov. Olene Walker more resembled the moderate wing of the Utah GOP.)

Even though they were in the same political party, Huntsman and Leavitt had some monumental fights with legislative conservatives, especially over budget matters.

Walker, only in office for one legislative session, threatened to veto the whole 2004-05 budget if GOP legislative leaders didn't find $15 million she wanted for a public school reading program.

Several conservative lawmakers were beside themselves when Huntsman, toward the end of the last general session, said he approved of the various bills in the Common Ground gay rights initiative. (All the bills were basically dead by the time of Huntsman's endorsement.)

Several times during the Huntsman and Leavitt administrations, the Legislature tried to take away some of the governor's powers.

Leavitt stormed out of one meeting with GOP leaders.