Is Utah the New Standard?

A few weeks ago, three-term Utah Senator Bob Bennett was denied the opportunity to hold his party’s banner in the 2010 general election, which he would have undoubtedly carried to his fourth term in the upper chamber. Okay, fair enough. The GOP in Utah grew tired of his representation of them and, after 18 years, wanted change. That is understandable and it is democracy (other than the fact that the vote was only open to the people that participated in the convention).

But now, Utah’s senior Senator, Mr. Hatch is on the hot seat; popular Congressman Chaffetz is contemplating a run against him in the 2012 GOP primary. Although Senator Hatch is a consistent conservative, he is being watched closely by the new tea party activists in his state, who are apparently worried he might actually give Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan a fair hearing. This assumption is based on the fact that Senator Hatch was one of only seven Republicans to vote for her when she was the nominee for Solicitor General last year.

There are also many Utah Republicans who point to his record of working across the aisle as a sign of his betrayal – specifically his work and friendship with the late Ted Kennedy. As the argument goes, if he is working with ultraliberal Ted Kennedy, he cannot be representing ultraconservative Utah. Conversely, Utah conservatives are sure they can trust Rep. Chaffetz to never do something as daring and reprehensible as working with the other side. It’s simply not his style.

Elected in 1976, Hatch shares the honor of the longest serving Republican with Senator Lugar. In a democratic body that places heavy emphasis on seniority, this is a big deal, especially for the people he represents. Given his seniority, he can have his pick of just about any committee he wants to chair when his party comes back into power, which will enable him to deliver services that a freshman member simply can’t. That alone should be enough to overlook the “betrayal” of working with the other side one percent of the time. But it isn’t.

To be clear, the Utah Republicans are not the only group that has kicked an incumbent out of office for disagreeing with his/her party (see the Democrats in Connecticut circa 2006). Selecting a Congressman or Senator should be celebrated, regardless of who it is, because the simple act of declaring your preference is an important practice in democracy, and American democracy has been the envy of the world for centuries. However, if we want to retain this envy and enjoy having other countries look up to us, we need to encourage, not punish, elected officials that put policy and collaboration ahead of politics and polarization.

We need less partisanship and less polarization, not more. We need more honest and fair deliberation, not less. Let’s hope Utah’s recent behavior is the exception, not the new rule.