Opinion: Where were the Republican leaders a decade ago challenging coarse political discourse?

In a session at the University of Utah on Dec. 15, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and former governors Gary Herbert and Mike Leavitt addressed the coarse political climate in the United States today. It was particularly exemplified in President Donald Trump’s woefully callous and inappropriate response to film director Rob Reiner’s death. Herbert specifically called on Republicans to “hold our candidates to a higher standard.” He added: “Why do we tolerate people that call others names, don’t show any kind of respect or civility to the opposition?”

Yes, why? But also, why now? Why not 10 years ago, when Donald Trump first entered the national stage as a presidential candidate? At that time, he said the same kinds of things he says now. He mocked disabled people. He called Mexican immigrants murderers and rapists. He considered Democrats to be “enemies of the people,” a popular phrase in 1930s Nazi Germany. Then, he was just as insulting, just as disrespectful, just as lacking in civility as he is now.

Yet, some Republican leaders, both in Utah and nationally, remained largely silent and continued to support Trump regardless of his offensive behavior. Then, they did not call on Republicans to hold their leaders to a higher standard. They did not use their position to condemn him at that time for his derogatory language and behavior.

Over the past decade there have been repeated occasions when they could have spoken out. A few, very few relatively, did condemn Trump’s attitudes and behavior at various times. One of the first was Mitt Romney. Romney did so repeatedly while Trump was president, even voting twice to remove him from office for his behavior. Another was Jeff Flake. Flake, disgusted by how Trump acted, publicly urged Republicans to choose “country over party” and not support Trump.

Still others in the past decade have included former Rep. Liz Cheney. She was willing to take on Trump after January 6, 2021. Similarly, former Rep. Adam Kinzinger called out Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. And former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers refused to violate his constitutional oath of office and blocked Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the presidential election results in Arizona.

Impressively, these Republicans valued their honor over their ability to remain in office. They knew they would pay a political price for their courage. However, history will judge them favorably for standing up for their principles at a time when those principles had become unpopular with their own partisans.

This past dark decade of the history of the Republican Party has had few heroes. Imagine how different the last decade would have been had many more Republican leaders stood up much earlier, such as when Trump first ran for president. There would not have been a decade of coarsened public discourse led by, of all people, the president of the United States. There would not have been the big lie that the 2020 election was stolen. There would have been no January 6. The petty, vengeful prosecutions of opponents would not have happened. Indeed, there would still be an East Wing of the White House.

It is likely the Republicans would have won the White House at least once during the last decade. But they would have done so with someone who appreciated public decency and civility such as Nikki Haley, Jeb Bush or Mike Pence. The country would have been better off with a Republican like them rather than Donald Trump.

For too long, nearly all Republican leaders, both in Utah and the nation, were complicit in Donald Trump’s behavior. They said little or nothing. It is good they are finally saying something now. But how different things might have been had they done so a decade ago.