ESSAY - APRIL
12 , 2004
Republicans need to claim the environmental middle ground F
by LaVarr Webb
At a time when the United States is deeply — and evenly —
divided politically, the Rocky Mountain West is firmly in the grasp
of the Republican Party.
Thank goodness.
I believe Republican leaders are better equipped to meet the challenges
that we face both in the West and in the nation. My values and, I
believe, the values of a majority of Westerners are better reflected
in GOP approaches to taxation, personal responsibility, cultural and
moral issues, national security, environmental responsibility and
natural resources development.
On Western matters like wilderness designation, public-lands issues,
energy development, water conservation, and growth and sprawl, Republican
leaders have balanced environmental protection with the basic needs
of citizens for water, power, housing, food and infrastructure like
highways.
Voters have recognized these successes and have responded accordingly
at the ballot box. But the electorate seems restive this year, particularly
with a highly divisive presidential race that is quickly deteriorating
into a mud-slinging contest. Republicans have controlled the Intermountain
West for so long they must guard against complacency.
Heading into an enormous political year with important ramifications
for the future of the country and a host of Western issues, I rate
the status of the GOP not quite as solid as Rocky Mountain granite.
Republicans need to sharpen their messages on some important issues,
particularly the environment.
Only 25 years ago, the Intermountain West was predominantly Democratic.
I remember when some of the most liberal politicians in the country
came out of the Rocky Mountain states, including such luminaries as
Sen. Frank Church of Idaho, Sen. Frank Moss of Utah, and Rep. Morris
Udall of Arizona.
Within recent history, every Rocky Mountain state has had a Democratic
governor, among them some of the West’s best and most popular
politicians: Cecil Andrus of Idaho, Scott Matheson of Utah, Bruce
Babbitt of Arizona, Bruce King of New Mexico, Roy Romer of Colorado,
Mike Sullivan of Wyoming, Bob Miller of Nevada, and Ted Schwinden
of Montana.
The rise of Ronald Reagan Republicanism turned the tide in the West.
With his sunny optimism, communications skills and adherence to bedrock
conservative principles, Reagan rallied Republicans, particularly
in the rural West, like no one before or since. And even though the
Interior West is highly urbanized, with significant in-migration from
other parts of the country, the Republican Party has stayed strong.
The newcomers, particularly those fleeing high taxes and congestion
in Southern California, have tended to be just as conservative as
those with deep roots in the Rockies.
Today, a few liberal Democrats survive in a handful of urban congressional
districts, but most Western Democrats promote themselves as moderate,
practical politicians. Interior West voters view "eastern liberals"
and the national Democratic Party with some suspicion, so they’re
more likely to support Democratic governors and state legislators
than to send Democrats to Washington where they will be part of the
national agenda.
Still, in times like these, Republicans can take nothing for granted.
I believe voters in the Rocky Mountain states tend to be conservative,
but in a pragmatic way that isn’t highly partisan. And with
high numbers of independent voters, this means moderate, practical
Democrats have a reasonable shot at winning.
To remain in power, Republicans need to nominate pragmatic, personable
candidates who speak for centrist Republicans, independents and Democrats.
That’s easier said than done, because the Republican base seeks
candidates who can pass conservative litmus tests on a range of issues,
like prayer in school, abortion, immigration, guns and school vouchers.
One issue Republicans shouldn’t shy away from is the environment,
which will continue to be very important in elections. Republicans
are somewhat vulnerable in this area because they have allowed Democrats
to portray them as anti-environment.
It is a major public relations problem for Republicans. They don’t
seem to have a vocabulary for talking about conservation in a way
that connects. The truth is, every day, Republican governors, county
commissioners, mayors and city council members, in addition to those
in legislative and congressional positions, do things to protect,
clean up, preserve and conserve the region’s natural resources.
Republican governors spend multi-millions of dollars and have hundreds
of employees focused on environmental matters, but they don’t
get the credit they deserve.
With a little effort, Republicans could do a much better job of pointing
out the excellent work they have done. They could also be more vocal
in supporting the efforts of moderate environmental groups like the
Nature Conservancy while sharply criticizing the irrational positions
of the radical environmental groups, like the Sierra Club’s
proposal to drain Lake Powell and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance’s
proposal to place 10 million acres of Utah BLM land in wilderness.
A good place to start developing a pro-active, mainstream environmental
platform would be to look at the work done by the Western Governors’
Association in this area. In particular, the association’s "Enlibra
philosophy," comprised of eight environmental principles, makes
sense to mainstream, moderate voters in both political parties. Enlibra
means "to move toward balance," and it is designed to provide
a rallying place for those who embrace environmental problem-solving
and balance, rather than extreme views and rhetoric.
Voters respond to competent, personable politicians who want to solve
problems. Today, Republicans better reflect the values and ideals
of a majority of voters in the Rocky Mountain states. But Republicans
need to sharpen their message, and claim the middle ground on environmental
issues.LaVarr Webb writes from Salt Lake City, Utah. He
is a political consultant and former newspaper reporter and editor.
He worked for former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt as his campaign manager
and policy deputy for six years. Webb can be reached at lwebb@exoro.com.
