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You pen a concise, well written commentary, so I'm going to try and address some of the points you made:

My intent is NOT to try and "control" anyone.. First of all, to me, Romney's religion is not an issue. I personally don't like him, nor want him as the nominee, because of Romneycare and because I don't want a retread. However, Romney, if he gets the nomination, will be far preferable to another 4 years of Obama.

With regards to your views about the Mormon Church, and why being a member should thus disqualify Romney from serious consideration for the nomination, let's assume that I concur with your thesis.

However, is it necessary for every political thread to raise the same points, the same issues, the same theological discussion. Every thread becomes an endless "cut and paste" job. And what does that bring to the table? IMHO, nothing..just surf through this thread, and 90% of the commentary has been posted before, hundreds of times.

In 2008, while Rudy was running, the same thing happened. It was impossible to discuss Rudy, anything he said, without triggering the same type of flame war on the threads. Nobody was listening to the other side.... everyone's views were set in cement.

Ultimately, Jim Robinson felt that Rudy's liberal social views were not reconsileable with the values that he wants FR to stand for. So he cleaned house, banished many people. I have no quarrel with that decision. It is his site, he's free to do whatever he wishes.

And it appears now that we are on the same path whenever Romney's name arises. I would hope we don't come to that, but it won't be my decision. I thought that as a possible alternative we could separate the religious commentary from the political threads.

Judging by the responses here, that's not going to happen voluntarily. OK..I tried..now I'll just navigate away from those threads..

Your number 487 sums it up. Romney got shoved aside by McCain. One of the weakest candidates the RNC ever gave us. He in turn, had his head handed to him by the Imposter from Mombasa. Demwits captured many, many seats of power throughout the land as a result of this election debacle.

Romney Care will be used as a club to swing at Republicans. I can hear liberal media screaming from the rooftops, "Romney did it first!" That reason alone is enough to make him unelectable.

Problem is, Romney and Mormonism seem to be inseparable on FR. Recall what I said earlier about the bug zapper. Nearly 500 posts now...

Allow me to break down my response to two things you mentioned. (I'll cover the 2nd thing next post)

You said: I personally don't like him, nor want him as the nominee, because of Romneycare and because I don't want a retread. However, Romney, if he gets the nomination, will be far preferable to another 4 years of Obama.

Unfortunately, my response to this is indeed a "cut & paste" job -- something you've just lamented against. But my response below is one I've haven't posted "hundreds of times." Only once. On a distinct thread as a response to Grunthor. Just last night.

Grunthor said on that thread: The reasons that I will not vote for Romney in the primary has everything to do with his politics and nothing to do with his religion. I will vote for whoever eventually wins the G.O.P. nomination. This nation will not survive another 4 years of Obama.

Here was my response to Grunthor (please especially take to heart the bold-faced comments):

Grunthor, we both know Romney cannot beat Obama, right? Surely you concede that, don't you?

Think of it: 30 yo Mitt as a member of a church denying blacks the ability to be a priest.

The MSM would make it mostly a referenda on racism: White racist Mitt vs. Obama!

Now, if people would only think that through, then they'd know that casting a vote for a candidate that will lose is wasting their vote.

But your 'tude -- along with anybody else who thinks that way -- would only allow Romney to extend the inevitable: He'll lose; and the GOP would be the biggest loser long-term by suffering irreparable damage for putting forth its weakest candidate ever!

Social conservatives/Evangelicals would steer clear of him. Pro-life Democrats wouldn't vote for such a waffle iron. Of the three groups polled several years ago that identified the groups least likely to vote for a Mormon POTUS, it was actually moderates who were 11% less likely than conservatives to vote for one...so he wouldn't get the moderate vote.

He wouldn't get the African American vote, or minority vote identifying with Romney's racist past.

The GOP would be in horrendous long-term shape if it put forth Romney as its candidate!

...let's assume that I concur with your thesis. However, is it necessary for EVERY political thread to raise the same points, the same issues, the same theological discussion. Every thread becomes an endless "cut and paste" job. And what does that bring to the table? IMHO, nothing..just surf through this thread, and 90% of the commentary has been posted before, hundreds of times.

Let me keep this one short:

Granted, some commentary gets repeated. Some of it is quite repetitive. Now if you object to the same exact commercials being hurled at you daily, have you...
...complained to the company or TV or radio station?
...stopped buying those products so advertised?
...No? So what you "put up with" on daily media you won't tolerate on FR?
And unlike some programming where you can't fast-forward thru commercials, you can usually scroll past obvious canned content.

Companies want both saturation and coverage. Saturation for the same viewer/listener to get the same repetition; coverage 'cause they know some programs get distinct viewers/listeners. Likewise, posters know a certain % of their posters -- plus many lurkers -- haven't seen previous points raised.

My key objection to you here is classifying this as "every political thread".

C'mon, Ken, that's overexaggeration. A straw man.

Do you really want me to spend an hour+ going to thru just the Spring Romney FR threads to link for you the hundreds of Romney threads that did not embody any theological discussions, let alone the same ones?

Posters tend to skim through a lot of threads & they think they've got a decent handle on what's been posted. It's not until you put "Romney" in a title keyword search that you see how often his threads have come up! And they are legion!

May I encourage you to back off the "every political thread" hyperbole?

...just surf through this thread, and 90% of the commentary has been posted before, hundreds of times.

Come back NEXT year and you'll find more of the same.

I think the BoM and it's 'volunteer' missionairies make WAY more 'visits' that this.

We are WAY behind in trying to level the playing field.

Do you REALLY want to limit our ability to do that?