http://www.citywatchla.com/lead-stories/2085-will-mormons-save-the-gop-from-xenophobiaTwo growing forces in conservative politics are on a collision course: xenophobic nationalism and Mormonism.
The Tea Party movement, with its rejection of Chamber of Commerce-type Republican elites, rose-tinted view of America’s past, and belief in self-reliance and small government,
has reinvigorated isolationist nationalism within the GOP. Though much of the movement’s rhetoric has lately focused on public spending,
suspicion of all things foreign—be they immigrants, overseas military missions, or Obama’s family roots—is one of the Tea Party’s animating forces.At the same time, we’re in the midst of a Mormon political moment, with two active Mormons vying for the Republican presidential nomination.
Though conservatives, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman are internationalists whose backgrounds suggest they must find it very distasteful to have to pander to the isolationist crowd in their own party.Though already-conservative members formed the bulk of activists, the Church was also able to draw more moderate members into its efforts. On immigration, and possibly down the line on issues like foreign aid and trade, an internationalist Church leadership would presumably be more at odds with many in its flock than it has been when touting a socially conservative agenda.
The Republican Party is torn these days between its corporate base, which still clings to a more internationalist outlook, and its socially conservative base, which is embracing a more insular worldview – turning first against immigration and trade, and more recently against foreign military interventions as well. It’s surreal to think that, not long ago, a conservative Republican president, George W. Bush, was pushing for comprehensive immigration reform.
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