I have not denied that part of their justification is that Romney’s record in MA is an anomaly. However, I’m suggesting that part of the motivation behind accepting this erroneous argument, for Mormons at least, is that Romney is a fellow Mormon, someone who they feel they can implicitly trust. That would explain the overwhelming majority of Mormons supporting him, not just a small amount comparable to the rest of the conservative base. It’s the overwhelming majority which I’m contending with here, not small amounts.
The options really, in the end, considering that Evangelicals and Mormons have similar political goals, are either that:
(1) Evangelicals accept arguments against Romney in large part because of their bias against Mormons;
(2) Mormons accept arguments in defense of Romney in large part because he is a fellow Mormon.
Considering the two diametrically opposed breaks for and against Romney amongst the “religious right,” it really comes down to these options. All things considered, option (2) makes more sense to me.
Work to nominate the most conservative or trustworthy candidate which you can possibly get. Even if you have strong opinions which may clash with the preceptions of others on the pro-America team.
Failing that, vote for the most viable though imperfect candidate running against Barack Obama because you know he represents pure evil.
BTW, I certainly agree that your option (2) probably makes more sense than option (1) if, for no other reason, that Mormons do not have their own little sub-group of religious zealots who maintain the false illusion that they can silence or drive away anyone who disagrees with their theology.
A certain very vocal minority among the fundamentalists, unfortunately, still cling to that illusion as evidenced by the fact that they can call in their fellow travelers and immediately swamp any thread on this forum with their useless cut and paste garbage if they want to.
I actually confess to having a soft spot for any sect which is a target of that type of bullying. Maybe it is because of my Native American heritage.