GOP convention in SLC? Mitt praises city, but isn't taking sides

Salt Lake Tribune ^ | March 6, 2010 | Thomas Burr

[Colofornian]

Washington » Former -- and potentially future -- presidential candidate Mitt Romney isn't weighing in on where the Republicans should hold their next national convention.

Romney told The Salt Lake Tribune on Friday that he believes all three cities vying for the 2012 gathering -- Salt Lake City, Tampa and Phoenix -- are "terrific" cities but that he's not going to give a preference.

"I remember what an extraordinary host Salt Lake was for the 2002 Winter Games," Romney said, "but one thing I will stay a mile away from is any discussion of which city should be the host for the convention."

Romney, who was heralded for turning around the scandal-plagued 2002 Olympics, made an unsuccessful bid for the White House in 2008 and is seen as a potential front-runner if he decides to try again.

Some observers have raised concerns that, if Romney is chosen as the Republican nominee in 2012, a convention in Salt Lake City, headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, would put too much emphasis on his Mormon religion.

Some evangelical Christians do not consider Mormons to be true Christians, a point that may have cost him votes in his presidential run.

Officials from the GOP's site-selection committee are expected to be in Salt Lake City in early April to tour facilities.

[Colofornian]

From the article: Some observers have raised concerns that, if Romney is chosen as the Republican nominee in 2012, a convention in Salt Lake City, headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, would put too much emphasis on his Mormon religion. Some evangelical Christians do not consider Mormons to be true Christians, a point that may have cost him votes in his presidential run.

(What a coincidence that SLC put in to host the convention in this given year)

[Rome2000]

Some observers have raised concerns that, if Romney is chosen as the Republican nominee in 2012,

At this point I seriously think he doesn't have the balls to even run.

Unless he's some kind of masochistic pervert.

[Ripliancum]

Salt Lake is a major convention city, given the amount of hotels, convention space they have built up over the years. They built the venues for conventions to compete in this arena.

Here’s their convention calendar.

http://www.visitsaltlake.com/meeting_professionals/convention_calendar/

That said, I REALLY hope Salt Lake DOES NOT get the GOP convention. It would be too distracting for the GOP, wither or not Mitt is running. Kind of like having to wade past, but mostly ignore all the Mormon stuff you and others continually post on FR.

We need to focus on the conservative message and the challenges that face us. We don’t need distractions in our battle against Obama.

[Venturer]

Mitt should not be high enough in the party where anyone gives a good damn what he says about the city picked for the Republican Convention, Yet I have a sneaky suspicion that he will be picked as the republican Candidate.

I which case I become an Independent the next day.

[GreenLanternCorps]

I lived on Hill Air Force Base (North of Salt Lake and south of Ogden) for two years circa 1979-1981, when my Dad was assigned there. It is a nice area to visit and a good spot for a convention in any year.

Also, Utah is one of the most conservative and Republican states in the Union. That probably should be a plus when selecting the site of a Republican National Convention.

Romney probably will not be the nominee due to his high negatives, and frankly deciding the site of a convention by trying to guess a nominee three years before the convention is just dumb.

[Domandred]

SLC is one of my least favorite cities. Second to Las Angelas.

But SLC is close enough I might be able to convince myself to go to the GOP convention.

[maine-iac7]

Truth is - not only is SLC laid out so as to be one of, if not THE - easiest cities to get around in - it is also one of the safest, by far, to walk around in.

and the self-proclaimed experts on who is and who is not christian can proclaim that THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAYS SAINTS is not a Christian church - does not make their accusations true.

lds.org

[Paleo Conservative]

Also, Utah is one of the most conservative and Republican states in the Union. That probably should be a plus when selecting the site of a Republican National Convention.

Wrong! There's no conceivable way Republicans could lose Utah in 2012. Why waste the convention as an opportunity to pull a battleground state to the GOP column? It would be as stupid as holding the 1992 convention in George Bush's hometown of Houston.

[Grunthor]

“and the self-proclaimed experts on who is and who is not christian can proclaim that THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAYS SAINTS is not a Christian church - does not make their accusations true.”

Who needs to be an expert, just read the Bible and trust in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the one in the Christian Bible and anyone with a lick of sense knows that there is a very good reason that y’all er called “mormon” rather than Christian. AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING A MORMON. Heck I have many friends in many different faiths but you don’t hear Buddhists claiming to be Jews!

[drubyfive]

you don’t hear Buddhists claiming to be Jews

Maybe not, but plenty of Jews who say they are Buddhists. Jubus

[9YearLurker]

Are conventioneers looking for safety—or debauchery?

[Ripliancum]

Are conventioneers looking for safety—or debauchery?
_____________________________________________________

Hotel rooms, meeting space, a close airport and supported infrastructure and conservative company.

But I still hope it doesn’t come to Salt Lake, and I live here.

[9YearLurker]

I thought both national conventions had a racier reputation than that...

[Ripliancum]

I wouldn’t mind seeing that change, no matter where it ends up. The lasciviousness in the conservative movement needs to go away if we’re going to stand apart from the rest.

[9YearLurker]

Or maybe even just because of the massive double standard and joy in the MSM for any Republican misbehavior that can be slapped with the dreaded ‘hypocritical’. (Democrats: no standards, no hypocrisy.)

[NoRedTape]

Romney is a RINO and a mormon. Two strikes against him. Third strike is his suede-shoe approach to politics which changes with the wind.

There's no way he'll ever be the Republican Nominee for President, or any other office. Give it up.

[ansel12]

Some evangelical Christians do not consider Mormons to be true Christians,

I notice that this Salt Lake newspaper tells a lie with that sentence, all Christian churches do not recognize the Mormon religion as Christian, that means that Catholics, Orthodox, Protestant, and Evangelicals are all in agreement.

[Colofornian]

I notice that this Salt Lake newspaper tells a lie with that sentence, all Christian churches do not recognize the Mormon religion as Christian, that means that Catholics, Orthodox, Protestant, and Evangelicals are all in agreement.

Well, to be charitable is how they worded it, they made a distinction between individual members and the church bodies they represent. So, stretching it a bit, it wasn't a lie but an exaggeration. The Trib could have said "most" instead of some when talking about Evangelical Christians; AND it could have better represented our actual position by framing it as you said.

[ansel12]

It could have simply said that Christian churches do not recognize the Mormon religion as Christian, how do Evangelicals figure into it at all?

Nothing is gained by the sentence they used, no one is interested in that meaningless statement, people are interested in whether Christian faiths share a common view that Mormonism is not Christian, and that sentence implies that it is accepted by all the Christian churches except for some die hard individuals from the “Evangelical” persuasion.