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February 7, 2007
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Carlos Osorio/Associated Press
Mitt Romney gave the first major policy speech of his presidential campaign Wednesday in an address to the Detroit Economic Club. |
Posted on 02/08/2007 2:31:51 PM PST by Plutarch
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 — As he begins campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is facing a threshold issue: Will his religion — he is a Mormon — be a big obstacle to winning the White House?
Polls show a substantial number of Americans will not vote for a Mormon for president. The religion is viewed with suspicion by Christian conservatives, a vital part of the Republicans’ primary base.
Mr. Romney’s advisers acknowledged that popular misconceptions about Mormonism — as well as questions about whether Mormons are beholden to their church’s leaders on public policy — could give his opponents ammunition in the wide-open fight among Republicans to become the consensus candidate of social conservatives.
Mr. Romney, in an extended interview on the subject as he drove through South Carolina last week, expressed confidence that he could quell concerns about his faith, pointing to his own experience winning in Massachusetts. He said he shared with many Americans the bafflement over obsolete Mormon practices like polygamy — he described it as “bizarre” — and disputed the argument that his faith would require him to be loyal to his church before his country.
“People have interest early on in your religion and any similar element of your background,” he said. “But as soon as they begin to watch you on TV and see the debates and hear you talking about issues, they are overwhelmingly concerned with your vision of the future and the leadership skills that you can bring to bear...”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
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February 7, 2007
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Carlos Osorio/Associated Press
Mitt Romney gave the first major policy speech of his presidential campaign Wednesday in an address to the Detroit Economic Club. |
Well, let's see...
Mormon's don't preach the killing of non-Mormons
Don't advocate wife-beating, stoning of women or torture,
Don't impose their beliefs on society.
Nope, don't have a problem with a Mormon President.
Are there any senior Freepers around who recall what the NYT's take was when a Roman Catholic ran for the presidency in 1960?
Harry (G)Reid is a mormon.
Not an issue with me.
I like Mitt, very quick. (We'll see if he's ready for prime time when the attacks start. I'll wager he'll hold his own.)
And why hasn't Hussein Obama's candidacy stirred this "discussion" in the pages of the NY Times? Geez, I wonder.
The only concern about this is in the diseased minds of the NYT editors. Excerpts of the official policy of the LDS Church regarding political neutrality of church members who are elected, public officials are provided below:
begin excerpt ________________________________
Elected officials who are Latter-day Saints make their own decisions and may not necessarily be in agreement with one another or even with a publicly stated Church position. While the Church may communicate its views to them, as it may to any other elected official, it recognizes that these officials still must make their own choices based on their best judgment and with consideration of the constituencies whom they were elected to represent. (Emphasis added)
and...
The LDS Church does not:
-Endorse, promote or oppose political parties, candidates or platforms.
-Allow its church buildings, membership lists or other resources to be used for partisan political purposes.
-Attempt to direct its members as to which candidate or party they should give their votes to. This policy applies whether or not a candidate for office is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
-Attempt to direct or dictate to a government leader.
end excerpt ________________________________
By way of a personal observation as a non-member of the LDS Church, I don't recall a single political conversation of significance with any of my LDS friends, teachers, employers, Boy Scout leaders, etc., during the 16 years I lived among them. Nothing political at all, and certainly never anything political from the pulpit when I attended LDS church services at the invitation of my friends which was often.
Things may have changed since I lived in Utah, but from what I observed it's one of the most politically neutral religious faiths in the U.S. even though the LDS members vote Republican in overwhelmingly numbers. Surveys from the 2000 election show Mormons voted for George W. Bush by nearly a 9-to-1 margin.
Wrong. It wasn't long ago we had an Orthodox Jew running as VP and nearly elected. That received a lot of attention. The NYT seems to have amnesia or sloppy research......what else is new?
He believes in God. Thats going to be more of a problem for Democrats than it is for Republicans, by and large.
The NYT just officialy sanctioned Mormon-bashing as an acceptable sport.
"The Saints can testify whether I am willing to lay down my life for my brethren. If it has been demonstrated that I have been willing to die for a 'Mormon,' I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a good man of any other denomination; for the same principle which would trample upon the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination who may be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves." - Joseph Smith, Jr.The Articles of Faith
11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
I will support any Repub candidate that can and will defeat the Demrats!
I don't remember, but did Nixon get a lot of grief for being a Quaker?
Let's fire up the 'ol WikiPedia...
Mother Quaker...father converted from Mehodist to Quaker...Congressional run...Senate run...Vice president...little flap about wife's fur coat...Checkers the spaniel was a campaign contribution...presidential run #1...stubble on his face...CA governor run...won't have Nixon to kick around anymore... presidential run #2...dissed the hippies...won.
Not a word about his being a Quaker or how that would affect his role as president. Hmm.
I guess when your finances are going down the toilet you're more focused on finding a job than current events.
Not the first Mormon candidate for President.
I recall Joseph Smith himself, and Mitt's Dad.
I think.
>>popular misconceptions about Mormonism <<
Yes, those can be nicely cleared up by going to ex-mormon.com, ex-mormon.org and ex-mormon.net.
One of my favorites: http://www.exmormon.org/2nephi5.htm
Ronald Reagan included more members of the LDS Church in his administration than any other American president (more than 15). Provided below is a statement from a member of Reagan's administration:
"Ronald Reagan truly admired the Latter-day Saints. His administration included more members of the Church than any other American president, ever. Three of us, David Fischer, Gregory Newell and I, served on his personal White House staff. Richard Wirthlin was his chief strategist. Ted Bell served as Secretary of Education, Angela Buchanan was Treasurer, Rex Lee was Solicitor General. His White House included Roger Porter, Brent Scowcroft, Richard Beal, Blake Parish, Jon Huntsman Jr., Dodie Borup and Rocky Kuonen, and there were many other Latter-day Saints throughout his Administration. President Thomas S. Monson served on a Presidential Commission on Volunteerism. Others were ambassadors. LDS senators and representatives were held in special regard, and the Tabernacle Choir was his special inaugural guest."
-Stephen M. Studdert, Special Assistant to President Reagan
You forgot, at least you forgot according to past LDS prophets: "Does not engage in politics..." and does not break the "holy ground" of the "separation of church and state." At least, those are the claims of Joseph F. Smith (not the founding prophet, but a relative who assisted Brigham Young & later became the prophet at the turn of the century).
So, we need a "reality check" a century later: Any FREEPERS want to confirm that (a) the LDS does not engage in politics (at all, even in SLC)? and (b) Anybody want to comment why the LDS would want to agree with folks like the ACLU in practicing the "separation of church and state?"
The NYT's is simply TRYING to ACT relevant. They are not, and in their Christian Ethic Hating Ways they will use this against Mitt. I am not big on the Mormon religion, thats a separate discussion, what is key here is that the NYT will hate this man for his virtuous stand in the public square.
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