Posted on 01/21/2012 8:33:06 PM PST by Colofornian
Many GOP voters -- including some well-meaning Freepers -- keep attempting to lecture voters that Mitt Romney's Mormonism "doesn't matter."
Well, tell that to three of every five South Carolina primary voters who, according to CNN exit polls, said a candidate's religion mattered either "a great deal" or "somewhat."
Click EXIT POLLS: South Carolina for polling data.
Only 40 percent of South Carolina GOP voters said that the "Religious Beliefs of Candidates Matter... Not Much/Not at All"
Two-fifths of the "Not Much/Not at All" Crowd voted pro-Romney -- compared to...
...less than one-third of them voting for Gingrich...
...less than 1 in 8 for Paul...
...and less than 1 in 16 for Santorum.
BUT...of the "Great Deal/Somewhat" Voting bloc...Romney couldn't even beat Santorum...(20-22%)...while 46% of them voted for Gingrich!
80 percent of South Carolina GOP voters identified themselves as Protestants. Their vote breakdown was:
* 42% Gingrich;
* 27% Romney;
* 17% Santorum;
* 12% Paul.
13 percent of South Carolina voters identified themselves as Roman Catholic. Their vote breakdown was:
* 37% Gingrich;
* 29% Romney;
* 15% Santorum;
* 10% Paul.
When you split out the Evangelicals/born agains within the Protestant vote, they voted:
* 44% Gingrich;
* 22% Romney;
* 21% Santorum;
* 13% Paul.
For every Evangelical voting for Romney, one was voting for Santorum...and more than two were voting for Gingrich.
For those who might be tempted to reduce these South Carolina results to a "bigoted" Southern state, think again. A late 2006 Rasmussen poll -- Election 2008: 43% Would Never Vote for Mormon Candidate (Rasmussen Poll) -- revealed:
The Rasmussen Reports survey found that 35% say that a candidate's faith and religious beliefs are very important in their voting decision. Another 27% say faith and religious beliefs are somewhat important. Ninety-two percent (92%) of Evangelical Christian voters consider a candidate's faith and beliefs important. On the partisan front, 78% of Republicans say that a candidate's faith is an important consideration, a view shared by 55% of Democrats. However, there is also a significant divide on this topic within the Democratic Party. Among minority Democrats, 71% consider faith and religious beliefs an important consideration for voting. Just 44% of white Democrats agree.
So…what percent of the following groups found that a candidate’s faith and religious beliefs are an important consideration for voting?
(1) Americans: 62%
(2) Evangelical Christians: 92%
(3) Republicans: 78%
(4) Minority Democrats 71%
(5) Democrats: 55% [still a majority]
If the other-worldly worldviews of a POTUS candidate doesn't phase your trust in their character, gullibility, level of discernment, etc...So be it. (It's a Free Republic)
But for those voters who do integrate such considerations amongst other criteria such as social issues' stances, candidate viability, scandal-free past, economic policies, and the like, this included dimension of religion describes a majority of voters!
That has been the story all along.
The stats are the stats. They speak for themselves. Religion matters to 60% in the exit interviews.
The MSM have been trying their hardest to convince the voting public that: it’s wrong to consider a candidate’s religious affiliation; that only religious zealots let it affect their opinion of a candidate’s character; and that hardly any Americans actually let it affect their opinion.
Well, the exit poles say different.
A whole lot of Americans have been cajoled by this constant media onslaught, and the collective American conscience has been set adrift from it's religious/moral ethos.
and
... I’m sick of the elitized Republicans whose opinions have become tainted by the new, normal, politically correct way of thinking.
It’s why Mitt doesn’t want his taxes released. It would disclose the millions and millions of dollars that Mitt has tithed to the Mormon church. And Mitt will have problems when voters then look at the tenets of Mormons.
This is just another attempt to guilt people into voting. First it was the ‘if you don’t vote Obama you’re racist’ now it’s ‘if you don’t vote Romney you’re a religious bigot’
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Actually, you are not even close in this. The OP is one of those who speak out against Mormonism and posted this as a counter to those who say that if we take religion into consideration at ALL then we are bigots.
The opposite of what you claim this is about.
probably not, considering that there is a Mormon in the running.However, may I point out that the so called evangelical Christians are themselves in serious error. For a group of so called "Christians" who themselves are questionable to suggest that someone of another belief, even if not Christian, is not acceptable as a presidential candidate is ludicrous. I am not a Romney fan, I am not a believer in the Morman religion, however being in error is being in error...which error is irrelevant...wrong is wrong, and the so called evangelicals are so misinformed as to be subjects of compassion...
The unchurched don’t know it from Marsupialism.
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Or as my (now) husband used to say...
“Mormons....marmosets...some sort of lemming.”
I was watching CNN as they described these numbers and the whole thing is a crock.
No one gives a damn about Mutt’s religion when they examine his record.
The man is a one trick pony.
One success in business and one term as a governor.
other than that he has been a veritable loser when running for any office.
Mutt:
Your guys faked the results in Iowa. You are a cheat and if it wasn’t you it’s your team and you the leader of that hideous hydra.
Santorum won.
You couldn’t even muster a majority in New Hampshire that was much above what your floor support levels are.
Lame.
South Carolina - Your guys have been paying everyone to go on TV and proclaim you the de facto winner. Your supporters in various news organizations fail to reveal their support for you is a direct result of sharing the same faith.
Think about that. They can’t be honest with themselves to say they are LDS but, they are all to happy to whine about how you aren’t getting any respect because of your religion.
Really?
Barrack Hussein Obama got elected with a very oddball and outright racist pastor but you are getting your clock cleaned for merely being a Mormon?
Get real.
You are getting your clock cleaned because you don’t stand for anything and you are generally full of shit.
Go ahead Mitt, tell me point blank where you stand and then let me test that stance with a follow up question.
There should be no perceived equivocation, evasion of mind in yourself. You ought to be understood crystal clear and you aren’t.
You are a parser and I’m going to name a herb after you.
I won’t eat it because I’ll never know what I’m eating.
And that is why I thought the whole thing was contrived with predetermined outcomes or there a bouts.
I’m assuming that his transfer of funds to the cult will be in the tens of millions.
Could it be 20 or 30 million or is that unlikely?
I would believe it. Even many of the mitt-bots on here are LDS.
That has been the story all along.
The stats are the stats. They speak for themselves. Religion matters to 60% in the exit interviews.
The MSM have been trying their hardest to convince the voting public that: it’s wrong to consider a candidate’s religious affiliation; that only religious zealots let it affect their opinion of a candidate’s character; and that hardly any Americans actually let it affect their opinion.
Well, the exit poles say different.
A whole lot of Americans have been cajoled by this constant media onslaught, and the collective American conscience has been set adrift from it's religious/moral ethos.
and
... I’m sick of the elitized Republicans whose opinions have become tainted by the new, normal, politically correct way of thinking.
You REALLY trust CNN, the Commie News Network?
That being asked, just what is it that puts a curse on Mormons?
Is it something like being a Wicken, or a devil worshiper?
I don’t think so.
By the way, I am NOT a Romney bot
* 29% Romney;
This is sickening to me.
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I was a little surprised that it was that high myself. OTOH, we often hear comparisons of Romney to JFK and sometimes hear Catholics defend Mormons on here. Perhaps those are reasons. I really don’t know.
But this is not the case here.
I think most Americans are sick and tired of wimpy republicans. We want someone to verbally bitch slap the left, beat down the MSN and go after America's enemies with an iron fist, unlike the taint tickler in chief we have for a president now.
I don’t like the theory that Mitt was defeated because of his religion. Gee..we have an incompetent (thank God) muslim half-black, traitor communist POTUS. Isn’t it obvious that what we really want is someone who can shred zero, flush him down the garbage disposal and then get this country back to where it belongs?
To me Mitt’s religion has not one thing to do with it.
For that reason, I'd have no problem voting for you. You are not claiming to be something that you clearly aren't.
Fox news exit polls were the same or very very close.
How much do you know about Mormonism?
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