Something I've been wondering about for a while...can the Mormons be flipped to liberalism as the Episcopalians were? blog.supplysideliberal.com/post/280698689…
@Noahpinion There's a story to tell about how Mormons were flipped to the GOP in the late 19th century. Until then, they were progressive.- @Noahpinion The Mormon Church made a deal with the Republicans for Utah statehood in exchange for encouraging Mormons to vote Republican.
- @Noahpinion Statehood was a high priority for the Mormon Church, because the Federal government had been very hostile to the Mormon Church.
- @Noahpinion Church leaders who were genuinely GOP were encouraged to speak, while Dem. church leaders were muzzled.
- @Noahpinion As a result, Mormon GOP beliefs have an organic quality from the organic beliefs of those Church leaders who were GOP then.
- @Noahpinion But before this encouragement of GOP Mormon leaders to speak and muzzling of Dem. leaders, most Mormons were progressive.
- @mileskimball I told Tyler S. I thought that Mormon communitarian values naturally bias them toward liberalism. He didn't agree...
- @mileskimball Are Mormons just put off by liberalism's tolerance of gays, abortion, and single parenthood?
- @Noahpinion Yes. Besides the general tendency of high-intensity Christianity toward social conservatism, Mormonism had to live down polygamy
- @mileskimball So Mormons are still afraid of being tarred as a "free love" New Age type religion, and are overcompensating?
- @Noahpinion That would scare Mormon Church leaders, since they are so committed to a polygamy ban despite pro-polygamy scriptures.
- @Noahpinion Fear of dealing with pro-polygamy scriptures without the legal prohibition as an excuse bolsters Mormon gay marriage opposition.
- @mileskimball I don't mean we should condone polygamy, I mean we should start stereotyping Mormons as typical family-values conservatives.
- @Noahpinion Good idea. Besides it is accurate. People don't realize the depth of the Mormon Church's opposition to polygamy.
- @mileskimball Basically, to flip Mormons, we need to emphasize the poverty-fighting aspect of liberalism...
- @Noahpinion How about having the Democratic party embrace Supply-Side Liberalism?
- @mileskimball Doesn't the "supply-side" mean low taxes? Where do taxes fit into the political calculus of the Mormon Church?
- @Noahpinion Support for low taxes partly just reflects Republicanism, but also remember that Mormons are paying 10% of income as tithing.
@mileskimball @Noahpinion think its a bit more complex. Late as 28 still lots of prog. statements in manuals. keepapitchinin.org/2011/10/28/the…- @mileskimball @Noahpinion Also in 1934 pro-union statement in Church magazines like this: keepapitchinin.org/2011/10/14/the…
- @mileskimball @Noahpinion admittedly Joseph F. Smith had pushed Utah towards Republicans. But it was a more gradual change.
mileskimball
Miles Kimball
Professor of Economics and Survey Research at the University of Michigan
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