Questions For Mitt Romney

Richard Packham (revised by Bonaparte) | unpublished | Richard Packham (revised by Bonaparte)

[Bonaparte]

All helpful commentary on this list of questions is welcome and appreciated. I would especially like to hear from any practicing Mormons who are posting on the forum.

[Clintonfatigued]

I’m not a Mormon myself. But I do know that there is no religious test for political candidates.

We didn’t hear any of this when Harry Reid became Senate Majority Leader.

[Bonaparte]

There is no religious test. But this only means that our government and our laws cannot require adherence to any religious creed in order to qualify for candidacy and election to office. Nor can our government and laws forbid the candidacy and election of an otherwise qualified person on the basis of his existing religious belief.

It does not mean that a gag order has been placed on voters, journalists and others concerning which questions they can legally and legitimately ask any candidate. Those questions can apply to everything from his state of health to his drinking habits to his religious belief. Nothing is off-limits according to our Constitution.

Let the people have the information and then make their decision. It's all part of being engaged and informed voters.

[Vigilanteman]

I'm curious as to what any of this has to do with the key political issues of our day such as:

1. Winning the war on Islamofacism.
   
2. Appointing qualified judges who follow the law rather than rule by decree.
   
3. Securing the borders.
   
4. Keeping the economy growing by keeping taxes low and simplifying the tax codes.
   
5. Gaining energy independence rather than pandering to narrow environmental extremists.
   
6. Ending the Balkanization of America by making sure new immigrants come here to contribute rather than to suckle the taxpayer teat.
   
7. Ensuring equal treatment of the law for all Americans and legal residents rather than pandering to favored ethnic groups, genders or lifestyle choices.

These are the type of things which matter, not the crap you are throwing up which may, or may not be Mormon Doctrine. I tend to think it is the poster's view of Mormon Doctrince, since he obviously hates them.

FWIW, Duncan Hunter happens to be my first choice because I think he is the most qualified, not because I agree with his religious denomination. I'm not going to ask him if he, as a Baptist, literally beleives he will rise up in the air to meet Jesus at the second coming. It sounds a little quirky to me, but it is totally irrelevant to Rep. Hunter's views and track record on the above list of key issues.

People need to evaluate Gov. Romney the same way I've evaluated Rep. Hunter.

[onja]

I really don’t see how this matters at all. He is not a good little Mormon. He is just like most Americans. Religious in name only. The fact that he is a Mormon really doesn’t affect his life much.

[Bonaparte]

"We didn’t hear any of this when Harry Reid became Senate Majority Leader. "

True enough.

But we sure heard about it when George Allen was running for re-election to the Senate, didn't we -- even though Allen's Jewish ancestry had nothing to do with his personal beliefs and religious practices.

The media are free to ask any questions they want to ask -- even if they cherry-pick which questions they ask of which candidates, all in the service of their own idealogical persuasion.

[Capt. Cox]

yes, the mormon faith sure seems like a rich religion. Full of allegory, rituals and inspiring tales.

Thanks for sharing the elements of your faith with us but I suspect Mitt Romney might be too busy to respond because at the moment he is running for president. Try contacting your local pastor or something and he might be able to help you out.

[Bonaparte]

"He is just like most Americans. Religious in name only."

I'm not sure I would agree with you that most Americans are "religious in name only," ie. are mostly a bunch of insincere, religious hypocrites.

That said, I don't recall hearing Romney himself say that his religious adherence is strictly pro forma and that he doesn't really take it seriously.

If that is what he actually believes, then this voter (and probably his church) would want to know it.

Can you provide me a source for any statement the candidate has made, disavowing the sincerity of his Mormon conviction?

[Bonaparte]

"Thanks for sharing the elements of your faith with us..."

I did not do that.

"... but I suspect Mitt Romney might be too busy to respond because at the moment he is running for president."

If Mr. Romney were "too busy to respond" to legitimate questions voters have concerning the sincerity of his religious belief and the role it might play in his performance as President of the United States, then this voter would be "too busy" to vote for him.

I have to wonder why you would be so fearful of such questions being posed to your candidate?

"Try contacting your local pastor or something and he might be able to help you out."

The proposed questions are not addressed to my pastor, nor would he consider himself qualified to speak for Mr. Romney, who is perfectly capable of answering such questions himself.

[Bonaparte]

"These are the type of things which matter..."

I do not recognize you as the final arbiter of "what matters" to all voters. Nor do I consider you an unimpeachable authority on the right method by which all voters must evaluate candidates.

There are many on this forum, including myself, to whom such questions matter a great deal. And before you claim that this is our only issue, let me assure you that it is not.

Every deserves to have the candidate's answers to his questions, even those you may not happen to agree with.

[Bonaparte]

In my first post to you, make that, "Every voter deserves..."

[onja]

He openly has said that his religion does not really affect his life.

As to whether or not most people truly are religious in name only... I’ll leave it for you to decide. I can’t prove it. Still, nearly every American professes to believe in god but only a tiny fraction attend church or show any sign at all of being religious. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, you can reasonably assume that it is a duck.

[Bonaparte]

As for the relevancy of the proposed questions, let me ask you both --

If Mr. Romney answered, "yes," to the third question above, how likely is it that he would be able to work with the diverse American religious community in our country? In fact, if he answered, "yes," how likely is it that he would alienate too many voters to be elected in the first place?

If Mr. Romney answered, "yes," to the fourth question above, how like is it that he would be able to work with minority communities and leaders as President? How like is it that he would get their votes?

Of course, if Mr. Romney answered, "no" to these two questions, he might get more votes and he might be able to work well with diverse religious and ethnic groups, but he might also risk losing his good standing in the Mormon Church also.

I hope you can see why such questions as these do, in fact, "matter." At least, to some of us they do.

[JCEccles]

And what is your religion? Give me an hour and I will propound a similar list to you.

[JCEccles]

You’re a total fruitcake to a lot of other people. I guarantee it.

[Bonaparte]

"... but only a tiny fraction [of Americans] attend church or show any sign at all of being religious."

Polling data says otherwise.

82% of Americans believe in God.

60% of Americans say religion is very important to them.

60% of American pray often.

40% of Americans attend church nearly every week.

"If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, you can reasonably assume that it is a duck."

We agree!

[Vigilanteman]

To avoid restating the obvious, we are electing a president, not a spiritual adviser. I think most Americans are smart enough to realize that. Forgive me for making a statement which you felt included you in that group.

If I was in the market for a new religion, I might ask Mitt Romney some of your questions. More likely, I'd look up the local Mormon Missionaries or Bishop and ask them.

Since I am not in the market for a new religion, but I am in the market for a presidential candidate who can propose workable solutions to some of the key problems I've listed, I'll ask my questions and you are free to be a moron and invoke your narrow little religious test.

In all likelihood, you will drive people toward the object of your hatred because Americans, by and large, do not like bigots. By handing Romney the religious persecution card to play, you will win him sympathy votes which, in turn, might divert votes away from my first choice Duncan Hunter.

But that's okay too, because if Duncan Hunter falters, I'm willing to look at Mitt Romney. Like Ann Couter says, any real conservative has got to love the Mormon view on government considering that Bill Clinton finished in third place in Utah and John Kerry managed 26% in 2004.

What's not to like about that kind of voting record?

Good hell, it's enough to make me want to visit the local Mormon congregation next Sunday, because if they are that right in their views on government, maybe there is something to their theology too.

Unfortunately, Sunday is the only day I have to catch up on my sleep.

[onja]

I’ll just also say that I’ve known a number of Mormons and none of them believed this stuff. They have long since stopped believing in much of this stuff just as many Jews and Christians (all of us included) don’t follow much of the Old Testament any more.

[Bonaparte]

"You’re a total fruitcake..."

Thankyou for your thoughtful, well-reasoned and fact-laden response.

[Bonaparte]

Yes, I believe you most likely have met some Mormons who do not believe in all of their holy writ.

However, I doubt that those Mormons are running for the office of President of the United States.

Romney, on the other hand, is running for that office.

All voters have every right to ask any questions they want when considering a candidate.

These questions are just as legitimate as the questions on your "approved list," and whether Romney answers or evades, we will have our answers from him.