Good government requires open and meaningful debate sustained through competition between strong political parties. On the other hand, one-party dominance produces bad policy and governmental abuse. Utah is no exception. The consistent result of one-party dominance in Utah is closed-door, veto-proof policy that is out of touch with the views of most Utahns.
The pitfalls of one-party dominance have prompted highly-Democratic Massachusetts voters to elect a Republican governor for the past 16 years. Mitt Romney, Massachusetts' current Republican governor, observes, "Democracy requires two strong parties. I make that pitch all the time - you need more Republicans in Massachusetts, and I'm not embarrassed to say there are good Democrats in Utah as well. You need a strong Democratic Party."
Romney accurately concludes: "Good Republicans need good Democrats to keep them sharp, and keep waste, abuse, and special interest from taking over."
The Tribune accurately points out the danger of Utah's current political trajectory. Strangely, however, this context serves as their endorsement's core justification. The newspaper's editorial argues "that Huntsman, by virtue of party affiliation," should be Utah's next governor. "Though highly qualified," they continue, "Matheson's party affiliation would, we fear, work against him and others in both political parties attempting to bring greater diversity to the distribution of power in state government."
The argument is startlingly unsound. Electing Scott Matheson Jr. as Utah's next governor would, by definition, produce a much-needed shift in the distribution of power in state government. This shift would benefit our political system for all Utahns - Republican, Democrat, and independent. A Matheson administration would immediately provide legitimate veto power over the Legislature, dampen the right wing's control of policy and revive Utah's once-vibrant political system.
Another Republican governor is not the key to solving Utah's political imbalance. Indeed, by The Tribune's own accounting, the last two Republican governors - Gov. Olene Walker and Mike Leavitt - were moderate Republicans who were unable to prevent the closed-door meetings and out-of-touch legislation that marks a typical day at the Utah Legislature.
If the solution were as simple as The Tribune suggests, moderates like Leavitt and Walker would have fixed the problem long ago.
Political vibrancy requires at least two strong parties. Otherwise, the most extreme faction of the dominant party begins to make decisions for everyone. This explains the Republican ousting of moderate Walker in spite of her overwhelming popularity with Utah's electorate.
The Tribune rightly mourns a time when Utah's political system was sufficiently healthy to produce some of Utah's "most popular and pragmatic governors." The Tribune fails to recognize, however, that the vitality of that era was the result of a strong two-party system where open and meaningful debate spawned sound policy.
Utah suffers from political imbalance largely because too many people vote for the party rather than the person. In another profound self-contradiction, The Tribune simultaneously laments the consequences of this phenomenon and proceeds to employ it in endorsing Huntsman.
The Tribune posits that Huntsman is more capable "of leading Utah closer to a day when political diversity in Utah is more than humorless oxymoron." The only rationale offered for their argument is that Mr. Huntsman is a Republican while Mr. Matheson is a Democrat. We believe that a more useful analysis would have involved a careful evaluation of what distinguishes the candidates.
The election of Scott Matheson Jr. as Utah's next governor would resurrect a vibrant, two-party political system. On Tuesday, Utah has the opportunity to vote for a truly accomplished, capable and prepared candidate. The fact that he happens to belong to the minority party makes Mr. Matheson more, not less, able to restore balance to Utah politics.
Indeed, Matheson's candidacy offers the only opportunity - perhaps for years to come - to bring our state's political system back to a healthy balance. If the voters seize this opportunity, the entire state will be better off.
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Calvin L. Rampton served as Utah's governor from 1965 to 1977. He is chair of the Matheson for Governor Campaign. M. Walker Wallace is a community business leader and independent voter.
