Huntsman: Civil Unions Will Broaden GOP Tent
National Journal's Amy Harder spoke with UT Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) about the future of the GOP, exploring the notion that the party has to embrace a less stringent social policy agenda -- on civil unions, in particular -- to bring voters back into the fold.
Click through for the full interview and audio. Here are a few choice excerpts of the conversation with Huntsman:
NJ: You recently said the GOP "isn't moving anywhere right now." How do you think Republicans should move forward?
Huntsman: There is a course, and it's the same course the Democrats had to take 10 years ago. Things go in cycles, historically speaking, and we'll be back in action over time; it's just the pathway that we choose at this point and whether or not that's a short-term comeback or a long-term comeback.
It must begin with a meritocracy of ideas. You've got to have ideas competing in the marketplace under the Republican banner that are playing out in the incubators of democracy called the states.
NJ: Would you consider yourself more moderate than other Republicans when it comes to social issues?
Huntsman: I don't do well with tags. I'm a traditional Republican. People hired me to balance budgets, to make the economy work and to find fixes for health care and energy and transportation, and that's what I spend every waking hour doing. They didn't hire me to be a moralizer.
NJ: Why have you chosen to speak out in favor of civil unions?
Huntsman: Well, I didn't speak out on them, I was asked. And that's typically how journalism works. You're asked a question, you answer it and then it becomes a story. I have long been in favor of fairness and equality as long as I've been in office, and as long as I am in office that's exactly what I'll stand for.
I'm a traditionalist when it comes to gay marriage. I believe [marriage] should be between a man and a woman. I believe marriage ceremonies are sacred and they draw strongly on all sorts of traditions. But subordinate to that, we've not done a very good job in providing others who are in nontraditional relationships equal treatment. And I think there's probably room for improvement there.
NJ: There has been movement in states around the country toward gay marriage, and McCain campaign director Steve Schmidt recently called for the party to support such marriages. What's your reaction to Schmidt's comments?
Huntsman: We have a real need to broaden our base as a party. When you look at the demographics of the Republican Party, we've lost a good many voters and a good many voters have gone independent. And you have to ask yourself a question: Why is the independent "party" larger than either the Republican or Democratic Party?...
The Republican Party is going to have to make some strides to win independents back into the fold, and that's not going to be an easy thing to do. But if we do something about showing a sense of fairness and equality toward all citizens, that might be a good first step.
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