Speaking of “dare,” I daresay that had Mitt Romney been as conservative as most Mormons, there would be far less acrimony now. But nooooo, he’s been largely indistinguishable from Harry Reid on most issues of the day. Had you gained as fine an appreciation for our founding principles over the course of your being a FReeper, I also daresay that you’d be able to overcome mere tribalism to recognize the weakness of the candidate in this regard. No one ever saw me going to the mat for Mike Huckabee, despite apparent religious common ground. He’s an advocate of big government. There we parted ways. That you apparently are unwilling or unable to do the same says much about your priorities, which would appear to be rather oddly grounded in group identity for a putative constitutional conservative.
- President Romney will do very well on the economy and on foreign affairs/national security
- President Romney will conduct himself with honor and integrity both in office and in his personal life
- He will be a better president than either Bush was
These are not such sweeping claims, are they? Do you really think it impossible that Romney will accomplish these goals? I don't.
One of the finer posts on this thread.
Indeed, tribalism is rampant in Utah, Southern Idaho, Southwest Wyoming, Eastern Nevada, and parts of Arizona and Colorado. And it's been rampant among the FREEPER Mormons.
A Feb 08 Salt Lake City Trib article id'd this re: an exit poll after the Utah primaries. It said that unlike other voters in other states, who weighed heavily on "issues" in evaluating candidates, Utah voters chose Romney based upon "personal qualities."... Personal qualities is wink-wink, nudge-nudge, "he's a fellow tribalist."
Now don't get me wrong. I think voters should inject their worldviews and faith considerations into the ballot both -- and support Mormons who would refrain from compartmentalizing their faith. But Mormons are by and large pro-life; Romney's been back and forth so many times in tossing the pre-born under the bus that he can't be named an advocate for them; and Mormons are largely conservative; Romney the biggovt socialist healthcare pioneer and liberal judge-appointer isn't.
Had Evangelicals in a Southern state supported Huckabee 94-6%, the MSM and others would have pounced all over that. But Mormons' penchant for voting ONLY or PRIMARILY on the basis of religion doesn't get even a passing acknowledgement from those who like to cry "bigotry."
They rail and harp and rant vs. non-Mormons who may merely include Mormonism as one consideration among many,/i>; yet they totally ignore it when it's done as a primary or only consideration by Mormon voters. (Can you say religious hypocrisy???)
Instead of consistent applications of their standards, they have "looked the other way."