Mormon Paradise: Franklin County, Idaho

[Rob]

Franklin is in the southeast corner of the state, on the Utah border, and it stands out for two reasons: (1) According to ARDA, it is the most Mormon county in the nation, with over 91 percent of residents belonging to the LDS Church; (2) Its politics are terrifying.

First, some background. Home to just over 12,000 people, the biggest town is Preston, with fewer than 5,000 living there. The county is 95 percent white; 35 percent claim English ancestry, 15 percent "American," 9 percent Danish, 9 percent German, and 5 percent Latino- really, a great microcosm of Mormon demographics (also fitting the pattern, 0.1 percent of Franklinites are black).

The county is known for two things, and they are also appropriate. It is the birthplace of Ezra Taft Benson, Eisenhower's Agriculture Secretary, member of the John Birch Society, and eventual president of the LDS Church. In 1963, he alleged that the civil rights movement was "fomented almost entirely by the Communists."

Second, Napoleon Dynamite was filmed in Preston, and the movie's creators reside there. Banking on this dubious honor, the town now holds an annual "Napoleon Dynamite Festival"- celebrating what is, most charitably, a gentle satire of the community.

Franklin first came to my attention because it gave Mr. Bo Gritz his best showing in the nation in 1992. results since then:

1992: Bush 52%, Perot 22%, Clinton 13%, Gritz 12% [Clinton beat the combined minor candidates 524-521]
1996: Dole 63%, Clinton 21%, Perot 15%
2000: Bush 85%, Gore 12%, Buchanan 2%
2004: Bush 90%, Kerry 9%, Peroutka 1%
2008: McCain 84%, Obama 12%, Baldwin 3% [Baldwin's fourth-best showing nationally]

The last Democrat it voted for was Franklin Roosevelt in 1944; even Goldwater broke 60 percent here.

anyway, just goes to show what shenanigans Mormons get up to when they have their own little kingdom.

[HAnnA MArin County]

I'd hang myself if I lived in Idaho. Only place I'd live would be in Blaine County, or possibly Boise.

Check out Madison County, Idaho as well in Southeast Idaho. It's was McCain's best showing in the state.
McCain: 85.24%
Obama: 12.46%

I really don't understand why the Mormons are such solidly Republican voters. I mean, I know they think the Republicans are the party of family values and they like to buy into their divisive and hypocritical talk regarding the sanctity of life and marriage and blah blah blah, but c'mon. I think the white trash racist rednecks in the South are more likely to vote Democratic than these Mormons, and that's pretty bad.

[minionofmidas]

Idaho Mormons aren't quite like Utah Mormons (politically, they're worse. They're also somewhat more whitetrashy - southeastern Idaho is quite a poor country). Hard to pinpoint why. Probably rooted in the early history of the church and the area's settlement.

[Хahar 🤔]

I think I'll be visiting Franklin in a few weeks.

[Person Man]

Idaho Mormons aren't quite like Utah Mormons (politically, they're worse. They're also somewhat more whitetrashy - southeastern Idaho is quite a poor country). Hard to pinpoint why. Probably rooted in the early history of the church and the area's settlement.

It's like adding Mormonism to traditional Dixiecrat Asshatery (The Idahoans are predominantly former Confederates that moved there after they lost their "freedom" in 1865).

I wonder how Non-PC Mormonism would really work. Think about it. There is polygamy. And that means that one dude marries several chicks. I really don't "do" math anymore, but I do know that would mean that all the chicks would be taken even before a good fraction of dudes would be. I wonder what happens to the spare dudes in polygamist societies. I know that the FLDS "ranches" in the Southwest just kick out the dudes they can't use...but what if there was a whole reigion like that where you couldn't "cast out" people? What would happen then?

[Hash]

How did Schmitz the Nazi do here?

[minionofmidas]

Idaho Mormons aren't quite like Utah Mormons (politically, they're worse. They're also somewhat more whitetrashy - southeastern Idaho is quite a poor country). Hard to pinpoint why. Probably rooted in the early history of the church and the area's settlement.

It's like adding Mormonism to traditional Dixiecrat Asshatery (The Idahoans are predominantly former Confederates that moved there after they lost their "freedom" in 1865).

I wonder how Non-PC Mormonism would really work. Think about it. There is polygamy. And that means that one dude marries several chicks. I really don't "do" math anymore, but I do know that would mean that all the chicks would be taken even before a good fraction of dudes would be. I wonder what happens to the spare dudes in polygamist societies. I know that the FLDS "ranches" in the Southwest just kick out the dudes they can't use...but what if there was a whole reigion like that where you couldn't "cast out" people? What would happen then?

Only a small elite, plus some random guys married to sisters, would be actually polygamous.

Just as in Utah in the second half of the 19th century.

[Nym90]

How did Schmitz the Nazi do here?

13 percent of the vote; impressive, though he got 27.5 percent in Jefferson County, nearly doubling McGovern.

[Person Man]

Idaho Mormons aren't quite like Utah Mormons (politically, they're worse. They're also somewhat more whitetrashy - southeastern Idaho is quite a poor country). Hard to pinpoint why. Probably rooted in the early history of the church and the area's settlement.

It's like adding Mormonism to traditional Dixiecrat Asshatery (The Idahoans are predominantly former Confederates that moved there after they lost their "freedom" in 1865).

I wonder how Non-PC Mormonism would really work. Think about it. There is polygamy. And that means that one dude marries several chicks. I really don't "do" math anymore, but I do know that would mean that all the chicks would be taken even before a good fraction of dudes would be. I wonder what happens to the spare dudes in polygamist societies. I know that the FLDS "ranches" in the Southwest just kick out the dudes they can't use...but what if there was a whole reigion like that where you couldn't "cast out" people? What would happen then?

Only a small elite, plus some random guys married to sisters, would be actually polygamous.

Just as in Utah in the second half of the 19th century.

Well, that's a relief...so it wouldn't be like China between like 1700 B.C. and 1924 A.D. or the Abysnid Caliphate? That would be fun...