Mormons on Cusp of New Powerful Era

The Hill ^ | July 23, 2012 | Cameron Joseph

[greyfoxx39]

Next year could be a banner one for Mormons in the nation’s capital, with their numbers and influence likely to grow whether or not Mitt Romney is elected president.

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) could raise the number of Mormons in the upper chamber to seven, should he and Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) win in November.

Depending on who controls the Senate, it will have either have a Mormon Senate majority leader in Harry Reid (D-Nev.) or a Mormon president pro tempore and Finance Committee Chairman in Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).

And if Romney wins the White House, not only will the United States have its first Mormon president but a number of prominent Mormon Republicans might be selected for plum administration positions.

“I wouldn’t be surprised, especially in a Republican administration, to see members of my faith well represented,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), a rising Tea Party star who is Mormon, told The Hill.

“I don’t think that Mormons will be necessarily any more or any less represented in a Romney administration than they would in others…. But sometimes people tend to hire other people that they know, that they’ve worked with in the past.”

There are currently 14 Mormons in Congress: Sens. Reid, Hatch, Heller, Lee, Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.), and Reps. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), Wally Herger (R-Calif.), Raul Labrador (R-Idaho), Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), Rob Bishop (R-Utah), Jim Matheson (D-Utah) and Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah).

Those numbers are likely to grow some in the fall.

Flake, who traveled with Romney during the Iowa caucuses, is the frontrunner in both his primary and general election, though another Mormon, businessman Wil Cardon (R), is giving him headaches in the primary. Heller is locked in a tight race with Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.).

Flake’s old House seat will be filled by a Mormon, either former Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.) or former Arizona House Speaker Kirk Adams (R). Chris Stewart, a Mormon Republican, is considered a lock for a newly-created House seat in Utah. Mia Love, the African-American mayor of a small Utah town and a highly touted recruit running against Matheson, is also Mormon.

On top of that, if Romney wins the presidency there are a number of Mormon Republicans who are in line to gain political power.

Chief among them is former Utah governor and Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt (R), a close Romney ally who has been tapped to head Romney’s transition team. He has been mentioned as a possible White House chief of staff.

A number of prominent Mormons have been major Romney donors — the types of people who often wind up getting offered ambassadorships.

These include Bill Marriott, a longtime family friend of Romney’s, and Kevin Rollins, a former partner of Romney’s at Bain & Company. JetBlue founder David Neeleman and Credit Suisse banking division CEO Eric Varvel, both Mormons, are on Romney’s finance team.

“A lot of these folks are very dear friends of his — they’ve known each other for decades now,” Hatch said. “I know every one of them and I don’t know of one of them that wants anything from their donations.”

But Hatch, who was an early Romney backer in 2008 and received Romney’s support in his contested Senate primary this year, said there was a natural tendency for anyone to bring along people they know and trust.

“Let’s face it, you do tend to want to bring some people with you that you know very well, that’s just a natural thing. I don’t care who it is, people all feel the same way,” Sen. Hatch said.

“Should Romney win and bring some of his people into the government, there will be a lot of people who are devout Mormons in positions of power,” said Paul Hatch, a longtime Republican strategist who grew up Mormon in Utah.

“As far as ambassadorships, Romney really does have a very strong donor base among Mormons that he’s cultivated since he ran in 1994 against Ted Kennedy for Senate.”

President Obama has appointed Mormons to serve in his administration, including former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. (R), who served as his ambassador to China. He also tapped Larry Echo Hawk, a former assistant secretary of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Sen. Mike Lee noted that President Reagan named a number of Mormons to top positions, including Lee’s father, Rex, who was Reagan’s first solicitor general.

“While he was there he happened to hire one or two people who happened to be members of the Mormon faith, but that was not a conscious decision of ‘I’ve got to get more Mormons here,’ ” he said.

One of them was Terry Crapo, the brother of Sen. Crapo, who Rex Lee picked to be his deputy but died of leukemia before he could take the job.

“They had gone to [Brigham Young University] together,” Sen. Lee said. “It wasn’t about Mormonism — he was just one of the people he knew, an exceptionally bright lawyer.”

Paul Hatch, who ran Leavitt’s gubernatorial campaign and is now a consultant for Love’s campaign, said that devout Mormons tended to spend more time involved in church activities than those in other religions. He cited the church’s policy of having lay clergymen rather than full-time ministers as a reason.

“For a lot of people the Mormon Church becomes the center of their life. It’s more than going to Temple on Saturday or Mass on Sunday for an hour. People’s social circles are centered on their religious experience, particularly in Utah,” Paul Hatch said.

While Romney had a highly active life outside the church, he had also been heavily involved in its operations in Massachusetts, he added.

“Mormons are often who Mormons know — that’s who they’ve worked with, who they’ve built trust with, and the natural result is they’d bring in some of those people as staffers and assistants.”

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

“Assalam Alaikum” so said Barack Hussein Obama as the opening remarks when he gave his famous (appeasement/apologist) speech in Cairo.

The Islamic greeting is Assalam Alaikum (May God grant you protection and security). The response to this is wa Alaikum Assalam. These brief Arabic words let Muslims know that they are among friends, not strangers. According to Muslims, "each time a believer says the words Assalam Alaikum or responds to this greeting, his bank of good deeds is increased."

BTW, said “Greeting” is RESERVED for Muslims to other Muslims ONLY!

“I have KNOWN Islam on 3 Continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed……THAT EXPERIENCE GUIDES MY CONVICTION!”

To George Stephanapolous: “Your absolutely right in that John McCain has not talked about MY MUSLIM FAITH!”

“We will convey our DEEP APPRECIATION for the Islamic Faith which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world”

“I would like to speak directly to the people and leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran:

Your GREAT AND CELEBRATED CULTURE OVER MANY CENTURIES, your art, your music, literature and innovations HAS MADE THE WORLD A BETTER AND MORE BEAUTIFUL PLACE. We know you are a great civilization and YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS HAVE EARNED THE RESPECT HAVE EARNED THE RESPECT OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE WORLD.”

“I also know civilizations debt to Islam. It was Islam that carried the Light of Learning for so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment.”

“In ancient times and in modern times, Muslim Communities have been in the forefront of innovations and educations”

“ISLAM IS NOT PART OF THE PROBLEM IN COMBATING VIOLENT EXTREMISM; ISLAM IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF PROMOTING PEACE”

“In the United States, rules on charitable giving have made it harder for Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation. That’s why I’m committed to working with American Muslims to insure they can fulfill Zakat.”

(SEE: The Holy Land Foundation Trial and the fact that “Zakat” is are ruse to raise funds in support of Islamic TERRORISM as well as the FACT that Zakat is ONLY aimed at assisting fellow Muslims and NEVER to be used to help ANY “Infidels.” In fact, Muslims are actually FORBIDDEN from bestowing this "charity" onto non-Muslims)

“It is important for Western Nations NOT to impede Muslims from practicing their religion as ‘THEY’ see fit and I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States, to fight against negative stereotype of Islam wherever they appear”

“WE ARE NO LONGER A CHRISTIAN NATION”

“The United States as been enriched by Muslim Americans. Since our founding American Muslims have enriched the United States.” “If you actually took the number of American Muslims, we would be one of the largest Muslim Countries in the world. “LET THERE BE NO DOUBT, ISLAM IS PART OF AMERICA”

Ah, but I’m certain that ANY MINUTE now, one of you Hate Mitt and Mormons gang will show up to provide us all with similar quotes by Romney showing his praise, defense, support for, and undivided loyalty to that which is our sworn enemy and that which has VOWED to DESTROY our Republic and replace our Constitution with the “Book of Mormons” as our sole authority……Mormonism!

Oh wait, none of you can, can you? Other than bring up things 100+ years ago that Joseph Smith said or some other passages in the Book of Mormons,.....

....but can NOT produce ONE SINGLE example of whereby (TODAY, NOW) Mormons or the Mormon Religion seeks World Hegemony and FORCED CONVERSIONS; Tens of THOUSANDS of incidents of Terrorism since 9/11; the MODERN day persecution and MURDER of Christians, Jews and others DAILY; Honor Killings; the Jailing/Executions of Apostates; the Stoning of women accused of adultery; the hanging of Gays; etc., etc., etc.

The Muslim Brotherhood Agenda as outlined in 1991 in Phildelphia:

The process of settlement [of Islam in the United States] is a "Civilization-Jihadist" process with all the word means.

The Ikhwan must understand that all their work in America
is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within
and "sabotaging" their miserable house by their hands
and the hands of the believers
so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all religions.

Without this level of understanding, we are not up to this challenge and have not prepared ourselves for Jihad yet. It is a Muslim's destiny to perform Jihad and work wherever he is and wherever he lands until the final hour comes, and there is no escape from that destiny except for those who choose to slack.

OK, I ask again, which is the more dangerous and a threat to us and our Country???

And of these 2, which is more dangerous to our survival?

[cuban leaf]

After reading your post I think you can grasp what I mean when I have said, over the past several months, that trying to choose between Obama and Romney is like being a Jew and trying to decide between Stalin and Hitler.

It is really no choice at all.

[Diogenesis]

Has your Master apologized to Gov. Palin and Americans
for throwing the last election to Islamic Obama?

One doubts it because Mr. RomneyCARE has the conscience of evil
and truly hates America (except as it might help HIM).

FLASHBACK:

The McCain/Palin ticket was up ++4 to 10 pts
in some polls, days prior to Election 2008.
So rather than helping the GOP, Romney and
TeamROMNEY and the RNME (Republican National Media Establishment)
decided …to attack Gov. Palin to throw Election2008.

Romney, and the Van der Sloot RNME RINOs for Obama in 2008

Late in October, The American Spectator's The Prowler revealed:
"Former Mitt Romney presidential campaign staffers…
have been involved in spreading anti-Palin spin to reporters, seeking to diminish her standing after the election.
'Sarah Palin is a lightweight, she won't be the first, not even the third, person people will think of when it comes to 2012,'
says one former Romney aide…
'The only serious candidate ready to challenge to lead the Republican Party is Mitt Romney.
"Some former Romney aides were behind the recent leaks to media, including CNN, that Governor Sarah Palin was a 'diva' and was going off message intentionally."

---

The Palmetto Scoop reported: "One of the first stories to hit the national airwaves was
the claim of a major internal strife between close McCain aides and the folks handling his running mate Sarah Palin."
"I’m told by very good sources that this was indeed the case and that a rift had developed, but it was between Palin’s people and the staffers brought on from the failed presidential campaign of former Gov. Mitt Romney, not McCain aides."
"The sources said nearly 80 percent of Romney’s former staff was absorbed by McCain and these individuals were responsible for what amounts to a premeditated, last-minute sabotage of Palin."
… aides loyal to Romney inside the McCain campaign, said The Scoop, reportedly saw
that Palin would be a serious contender for the Republican nomination in 2012 or 2016, which made her a threat to another presidential quest by Romney.

---

"These staffers are now out trying to finish her off ….hoping it would ingratiate themselves with Mitt Romney."

---

"Who's the Palin Leaker from the McCain Campaign?
National Review Online The publication of a Vanity Fair profile of Sarah Palin
appears to have opened old wounds in the McCain campaign.
... the source of the “Diva” leak was Nicolle Wallace’s husband."

---

"Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney"

"Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?"

"Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?"

"Romney Supporters Trashing Palin"

"Romney advisors sniping at Palin?"

---

[fishtank]

Well, duh.

(Believe me, I really didn’t want to say “duh”, but the shoe fits.)

Jewish people don’t try to fool people into thinking they are Christians.

“There are also probably other “Christian” denominations”

.... Yeah, they’re called heretics, cults, apostates, etc.

[fishtank]

You really need an animated GIF to go with your post.

ha ha ...

/sarc

[Erik Latranyi]

Bigotry is 52,000 mormon missionaries going out every day worldwide knocking on the doors of Christians and proclaiming their Christian faith is bogus, and the only way to gain salvation is to be baptized and confirmed mormon and to take part in rituals in mormon temples.

I guess your church never tries to convert anyone without violence, huh?

[headsonpikes]

This probably means that it will be even harder to get a decent cup of coffee in Utah.

Damn!

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

So after accusing EVERYONE of being antiMormon, YOU celebrate the Meadow Mountain Massacre, making light of it. Do tell.

Yes, do tell oh ye who is so filled with hatred that he can not tell when someone is being made a fool of

I do not bring up the Mountain Meadows Massacre to make "light of it," dingbat, I bring it up to show that none of you can produce anything CURRENT (you know like TODAY) which in any way reflects nearly as badly or is in any way, nearly as dangerous or a threat than that which [he] who you and your ilk want to see reelected, Barack Hussein Obama.

CAIR to reply to my post about Obama's comments about Muslims/Islam/Sharia???

[ejonesie22]

You left of “Nazi's”...

If you are going to do desperate hyperbole do it right...

[Diogenesis]

First, YOUR CANDIDATE Mr. ROMNEYCARE supports SHARIA.

Second, YOUR CANDIDATE Mr. ROMNEYCARE supports
the 911 VICTORY MOSQUE.

Third, YOUR CANDIDATE Mr. ROMNEYCARE even proposed
RomneyCARE for Hezbollah paid for by the USA.

YOUR CANDIDATE IS AN ASS, and you do not even have
the testicular fortitude to admit it,
or his real positions. Just like Mr. RomneyCARE.

[greyfoxx39]

Ho Hum...there have been numerous FR threads daily listing the same accusations you make against Obama...all the colored fonts and graphics will not change the fact that the mormon church has taught for 180 years that mormonism will take over the world and govern it.

“What the world calls ‘Mormonism’ will rule every nation...God has decreed it, and his own right arm will accomplish it. This will make the heathen rage.” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 53)

[ejonesie22]

You really think this is all about politics...

[JoeProBono]

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

Has your Master apologized to Gov. Palin and Americans for throwing the last election to Islamic Obama?

One doubts it because Mr. RomneyCARE has the conscience of evil and truly hates America (except as it might help HIM).

HEY MOONBAT.....let's get this straight once and for all....

I am NOT a "MITT-BOT" nor do I now (NOR HAVE I EVER) supported Romney

Mittens was my LAST choice during the primaries....OK, not my "last" choice, but I never considered MORON, Ron Paul a "Real" candidate

I have never said anything which would indicate that I support Mittens but feel free to come up with any comments to disprove me

I have never (nor will I) contribute to his campaign.

And I can NOT dispute what you, Jim or others argue about his positions on "SOCIAL ISSUES."

THAT SAID, and being a Vet who has served in harms way; as well as having been around almost 70 years, I am more concerned about the SAFETY, SECURITY and SURVIVAL of our Republic, which IMHO, "TRUMPS ALL!"

When any of you can show me whereby Mitt is as dangerous or a threat as OBAMA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE (through words, deeds or actions) then maybe you can convince me NOT to vote for the "Lesser of 2 Evils!"

[Diogenesis]

Your silence heralds your support of the 911 Victory Mosque,
AND Mr. ROmneyCARE's support of it, and Mr. RomneyCARE and BAIN
having made $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ from it.

---

"(The GroundZero Mosque) cleared its final hurdle ….
developers plan to build the $100 million center which will include a mosque.
Since its incipient stages in July 2009, when a Muslim-run real-estate development
company purchased the damaged, vacant building and land where the new center
will be built, the project has sparked controversy and debate.
.... the tattered building that was bought by the Muslim real estate company had
been owned by a subsidiary of Bain Capital, a company Romney founded in 1984.
So it's OK if his company can profit off the sale of the land ."

---

"Bain Capital, has cut checks totaling $90,000 to Romney's operation. "

---

Ground Zero mosque developers apply for federal grant
The developers behind the proposed Ground Zero mosque have applied
for about $5 million in federal grant money set aside for redeveloping
downtown Manhattan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks....
run by the Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Corp.
LMDC Board of Directors
John C. Whitehead, Founding Chairman"

---

John C. Whitehead AKA John Cunningham Whitehead
Romney for President "

[GraceG]

Well if the Mromons weren’t already corrupt, after they get power in washington they surely will be.

[greyfoxx39]

I guess your church never tries to convert anyone without violence, huh? What exactly is the accusation here?

Typical mormon-Alinsky tactics. Attack the messenger.

MY church teaches the words of Jesus, doesn't spend millions on PR propaganda campaigns flooding the internet, TV and radio along with the 52,000 missionaries claiming the Christian faith is bogus...based on the fiction of an adulterous, lying con man.

*************************************************

Believers in the doctrines of modern Christendom will reap damnation to their souls.”

- Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, see pp. 45-46
--------------

"...the Book of Mormon remains secure, unchanged and unchangeable, ...But with the Bible it was not and is not so....it was once in the sole and exclusive care and custody of an abominable organization [Christianity], founded by the devil himself, likened prophetically unto a great whore, whose great aim and purpose was to destroy the souls of men in the name of religion. In these hands it ceased to be the book it once was."

- Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, The Joseph Smith Translation, pp. 12, 13

[dixjea]

You left off “f” from your “of”. If you are going to do desperate spelling, do it right...

[dixjea]

You left off “f” from your “of”. If you are going to do desperate spelling, do it right...

[alicewonders]

Thank you, thank you, thank you - for your post, which points out what is so unflinchingly obvious to most sane and rational adults!!! That's what it boils down to - isn't it? This election is going to go one of two ways - Obama or Romney. I believe this is mostly motivated because Romney is a Mormon. Obama is a Muslim, and if you think for one minute that doesn't have an impact on the things he does - YOU ARE DELUSIONAL.

How crazy do you have to be to think that an Obama victory is better than a Romney victory? With Romney, we live to fight another day - with Obama - we just die, THERE WILL BE NO TOMORROW. I grieve to think there are some conservatives (tiny minority that they are) that are planning to not vote for president or to vote for someone that cannot possibly win. We CANNOT withstand four more years of Barack Hussein Obama.

GOD will turn his back on us - possibly forever - if we let Obama win again.