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Analysis: How a Mormon can be U.S. President
Mormon Times ^ | 01 February 2011 | Jamshid Ghazi Askar

Posted on 02/02/2011 12:53:42 PM PST by T Minus Four

Now that it's official Jon Huntsman is resigning the U.S. ambassadorship to China effective April 30 (presumably to make a run for the White House), the question du jour becomes whether a candidate's Mormon faith precludes a viable candidacy for the U.S. presidency.

Mounting evidence is increasingly pointing to a brave new world where the perceived biases that potentially derailed Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign are dissolving and, lo and behold, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints could realistically be elected president of the United States in 2012.

The Washington Post currently has two articles up examining the issue — a poll-based analysis and an op-ed piece.The article relying on polling culls its data from the 2008 election cycle, when the percentage of respondents saying they'd be less likely to vote for a Mormon presidential candidate dropped over a one-year period from 36 percent to 21. The opinion piece asks whether 2012 could be the Year of the Mormons

Over at Christianity Today, Tobin Grant examines which candidate Evangelicals like now that Huntsman is apparently entering the fray — and of course Mitt Romney is a big part of that discussion. An interesting snip:

"In an open memo to 'conservative and evangelical leaders,' Mark DeMoss, of the Christian public relations firm The DeMoss Group, said that all of the potential candidates for the Republican nomination pass the traditional litmus tests on abortion and marriage. DeMoss offered a new litmust test: 'A candidate for president of the United States should be capable of becoming president, and then competent to be the president.' For DeMoss, the candidate that passes that test is Mitt Romney."

Finally, as we mentioned last week, Time Magazine recently rolled out a big profile on Mitt that makes almost no mention of his LDS affiliation.

Add it all up, and what do you have? While no one knows how Huntsman and Romney will fare in the Republican presidential primaries, it's now looking more and more like their Mormon affiliation won't amount to a de facto disqualification.


TOPICS: Massachusetts; Campaign News; Issues; Parties
KEYWORDS: huntsman; lds; mormon; rino; risingrino; romney; romneyclone; utah
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To: svcw
Both men are liberals, they should run as democrats.

I agree. And the democrats would swoon all over them.

21 posted on 02/02/2011 1:49:33 PM PST by T Minus Four ("If Mormonism were a cult, I would know it and I would not be in it")
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To: Utah Binger

I hit the jackpot on the Mormon Times website :-) And it is freaking cold!!!


22 posted on 02/02/2011 1:51:30 PM PST by T Minus Four ("If Mormonism were a cult, I would know it and I would not be in it")
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To: T Minus Four

It was below zero down here this morning and it is still only 18 degrees. I thought I lived in southern Utah.


23 posted on 02/02/2011 1:56:16 PM PST by Utah Binger (Southern Utah where the world comes to see America)
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To: T Minus Four; delacoert
I don’t think things change all that fast. ‘Twas only 50 months ago that a Rasmussen report was headlined:
Election 2008: 43% Would Never Vote for Mormon Candidate: Romney’s Faith May Be Hindrance

Delacoert sized up that report last year

From Delacoert as follows:

From the article: Add it all up, and what do you have? While no one knows how Huntsman and Romney will fare in the Republican presidential primaries, it's now looking more and more like their Mormon affiliation won't amount to a de facto disqualification.

Journalist Jamshid Ghazi Askar writing for this Mormon church-owned newspaper apparently doesn't know democracy works in this country -- even his version of "de facto" democracy. No Mormon gets "disqualified" because he's Mormon. (Otherwise, we wouldn't have Harry Reid in the Senate now, would we?)

Point 1- RELIGION: Religion IS NOT a qualification or disqualification for public office; but it's certainly one quality of voter discernment among many others...namely, voting record, present position statements & rampant inconsistency of past position statements, social issues' stances, character, viability, scandal-free past, etc.

POINT 2 – ELIGIBILITY: Newsflash!! Every person on the ballot, & even most write-in candidates, have proper "qualifications" to not be excluded from office consideration (based upon religious grounds). Of course, millions of us have the "qualifications" to be considered a potential POTUS & shouldn't be excluded outright from a ballot because of the religion we hold! Nobody has a "Religious Ineligibility" tattoo on their forehead!

POINT 3- BOTTOM LINE: Too many people confuse ”disqualifications” and "qualifications" (the latter language within the Constitution) with "qualities." (language that’s NOT in the Constitution). I focus on what voters base their votes on in the "real world": Qualities

Otherwise, who’s telling voters how they are to weigh--or not weigh--the "qualities" of a candidate?
Who’s claiming that we voters MUST 100% disregard character, beliefs, other-dimensionly commitments, and spiritual discernment in weighing candidates?

"Qualifications" have to do with what gets a man on a ballot.
"Qualities" has to do with who gets elected.

24 posted on 02/02/2011 2:00:30 PM PST by Colofornian
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To: cripplecreek
I'd vote for a mormon in a N.Y. minute....if they were a full on Conservative. Neither of these guy's are even close.

Fact is...I voted for Romney over McCain in the primary...because I thought he would have been some better.

25 posted on 02/02/2011 2:06:34 PM PST by Osage Orange (MOLON LABE)
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To: albie
Add the useless RINO Orrin Hatch to your memory.....

He will go the way of Bennett in the next election...and I think he knows it.

The guy is just another poster boy for "TERM LIMITS".

26 posted on 02/02/2011 2:08:53 PM PST by Osage Orange (MOLON LABE)
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To: DaxtonBrown
How does Mitt square these views?

He can't. He won't.

IF...the RNC pushes Mitt Romney on us...there will be revolt in the Republican Party.

27 posted on 02/02/2011 2:13:33 PM PST by Osage Orange (MOLON LABE)
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To: T Minus Four

I will never vote for a Mormon for public office...ever. I know too much.

And anyone who is considering it needs to read THIS books first...

http://whensaltlakecitycalls.wordpress.com/


28 posted on 02/02/2011 2:14:44 PM PST by reaganaut (Mormonism is its own worst enemy.)
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To: Utah Binger
Zero here this morning....I think 19 the high.

Supposed to be 9 below tonight....with a high of 12 tomorrow.

Cold!

Be warm my FRiend!!

29 posted on 02/02/2011 2:16:00 PM PST by Osage Orange (MOLON LABE)
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To: Osage Orange

Wow! I would think you would have dreamy warm algore weather in your neck of the woods.

The liberal wife of our development director is a big ‘Climate Change’ nut. I just sent her an email asking her to turn on the global warming turbines and point it our way.


30 posted on 02/02/2011 2:23:00 PM PST by Utah Binger (Southern Utah where the world comes to see America)
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To: Utah Binger
You should have just asked her to ask algore...to turn up the thermostat.

I mean I'm burning horrible damned fossil fuel to heat my house...and what's worse I'm burning wood to heat my den!!!

AGAGHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

31 posted on 02/02/2011 2:35:24 PM PST by Osage Orange (MOLON LABE)
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To: Utah Binger

Has all the flooding turned to ice?


32 posted on 02/02/2011 2:50:20 PM PST by T Minus Four ("If Mormonism were a cult, I would know it and I would not be in it")
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To: Osage Orange; T Minus Four
Believe it or not our new building here is heated with geo thermal. No electric or gas bill except for the fans and the lights. We have six trenches six feet deep fanning out 100 feet each. Constant temperature of 58 degrees gets converted to both heat and cool in the heat exchanger.

I love it when during this cold weather our bill stays constant.


I show you this because this is where we have sunrise services on Sunday mornings.

33 posted on 02/02/2011 2:50:55 PM PST by Utah Binger (Southern Utah where the world comes to see America)
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To: T Minus Four

We didn’t have any flooding over here but the snow from Christmas week still hasn’t fully melted.


34 posted on 02/02/2011 2:54:20 PM PST by Utah Binger (Southern Utah where the world comes to see America)
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To: reaganaut

Ah, nuts, not in E-book format yet. I doubt I’ll find it in the DI but you never know :-)


35 posted on 02/02/2011 2:54:58 PM PST by T Minus Four ("If Mormonism were a cult, I would know it and I would not be in it")
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To: Utah Binger
My FRiend....you live in a wonderful place.

I will send pictures of where I live one day. It's extremely pretty too...but in a different way.

GeoThermal is a good system...IMO.

Be warm!!

36 posted on 02/02/2011 2:56:35 PM PST by Osage Orange (MOLON LABE)
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To: Utah Binger

Well cool, now yuo can burn tires just for fun :-)


37 posted on 02/02/2011 2:57:58 PM PST by T Minus Four ("If Mormonism were a cult, I would know it and I would not be in it")
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To: T Minus Four

I’ve heard rumors there is a new edition coming out for this election cycle. It is worth getting.


38 posted on 02/02/2011 3:00:22 PM PST by reaganaut (Mormonism is its own worst enemy.)
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To: reaganaut

Oddly enough, it’s not in the local county library :-)


39 posted on 02/02/2011 3:11:03 PM PST by T Minus Four ("If Mormonism were a cult, I would know it and I would not be in it")
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To: T Minus Four

You live too close to Hooper. We used to burn tires out where the big ponds would freeze over as we skated all night long when I was a kid. During the winter of 1947 we had four-five feet of snow in Hooper.

Also there was a huge pond up near Smith and Edwards where we would do the same after we moved to Farr West to a larger dairy farm. We would also go up to the top of the foothills above Pleasant View and coast down on our sleds late at night.

Great memories of Weber County.


40 posted on 02/02/2011 3:12:53 PM PST by Utah Binger (Southern Utah where the world comes to see America)
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