Democrats: Obama will not use Mormonism against Romney

Scripps ^ | 04/05/2012 | THOMAS BURR

[Responsibility2nd]

WASHINGTON - The head of the Democratic Party scolded Sen. Orrin Hatch for alleging that President Barack Obama would use Mitt Romney's Mormonism against him in the White House race.

"That is just preposterous," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, told MSNBC on Wednesday. "That suggestion is utter nonsense."

Hatch, during a campaign stop in northern Utah, raised the prospect that Obama's re-election campaign would play the religion card to harm Romney's chances of toppling the incumbent Democrat.

"You watch, they're going to throw the Mormon church at him like you can't believe," Politico quoted Hatch as saying at a town hall.

Wasserman Schultz told MSNBC that Obama faced unfair criticism during his 2008 bid about his birth certificate and whether he was a Christian.

"For them to suggest," the Florida congresswoman said, "that religion will be injected by President Obama and the Democratic Party, I mean, I think they need to take a look inward at the accusations that their party and their supporters have hurled before they take that step."

The Utah Democratic Party also criticized Hatch's remarks, arguing that the six-term Republican senator should show more civility.

"Senator Hatch is absolutely making this up," Craig Janis, a Democratic official who oversees party outreach to Mormons, said in a statement. "The Obama campaign and President Obama himself have been crystal clear: For them, religion is off the table. The comments by the senator show, once again, how out of touch he is with Utah and with the civility we value here."

Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt reiterated a previous statement that the re-election bid isn't going to touch Romney's faith.

"Attacking a candidate's religion is out of bounds," LaBolt said, "and our campaign will not engage in it."

Hatch's campaign declined to comment. But the Utah senator isn't the first to throw out the idea that liberals would target Romney's religion to score points.

"The secular liberals are going to mock Mormonism," Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, told an audience last year at the National Press Club. "They're going to start doing documentaries on Mormonism and try to scare independents about him. They ought to be ashamed of themselves, and they will do this."

A Salt Lake Tribune national poll last year found sizable portions of Americans uncomfortable voting for a Mormon for president.

Among Republicans, 14 percent were uncomfortable with casting a ballot for an LDS presidential candidate and 27 percent of independents felt the same way. Among Democrats, 36 percent said they would be uncomfortable with a Mormon president.

[Titus-Maximus]

Larry O’Donnell is OD-ing on Mormon hate. He was on the idiot box saying Joseph Smith was caught screwing dozens of women - and that is why he started Mormonism, to defend the behavior.

The hate is coming. Next is the race angle.

Hatch is right.

[svcw]

And the incorrect part of O’Donnell’s statement is what?

[Psalm 144]

There is no need to. That is what surrogates are for. “Proxies with the moxie”, I think they were called when Willard used them. 2012 is going to be a national freak show.

[Psalm 144]

“Now watch Mormonism being ripped down more than EVER!”

After they have given the nation such splendid people as Willard and Harry Reid. What a shame.

[Thorliveshere]

After they have given the nation such splendid people as Willard and Harry Reid. What a shame.

What a bloody good point. What the heck was I thinking....

[Cheerio]

FR should post a permanent link to this story so we can immediately find it once the promise is broke. Oh that's right RATS have no morals and therefore cannot tell a lie. We are only to judge their intentions, not the actual results.

[af_vet_rr]

Two comments.

First, has Hatch ever stopped to consider why it is a liability? Any Mormon who worries about this has got to, on some level, realize why Christians would look down upon Mormons or have serious misgivings.

Second, the Democratic party won't have to make it an issue. The MSM be the ones to destroy the Mormon church in the eyes of the public. They'll drag out Mitt's ancestors, his crazy relatives in Mexico, all of the crazy crap Mormons have done in the name of their church, why they worked to keep black people from being treated as equals until the late 1970s, etc. etc. They'll bring up the planets, the gods, they'll make sure and ask Romney if he believes the head of the Mormon church is an actual prophet of God, and what influence that will have on him if he somehow won.

It'll be the exact opposite of how they treat radical Muslims...

[stephenjohnbanker]

” “That is just preposterous,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, told MSNBC on Wednesday. “That suggestion is utter nonsense.”

This means the Mormon attacks will begin tomorrow morning..

[Anti-Bubba182]

He won't use Mormonism, but plenty of his fellow travelers will and he won't repudiate them.

[Anti-Bubba182]

Let’s see Larry O’Donnell try that on Scientology. Their story is a lot weirder than Mormonism.

[Osage Orange]

This means the Mormon attacks will begin tomorrow morning..

Which is something....many have been saying here...for months.

Me included....

[stephenjohnbanker]

This administration is so evil, if you assumed they lie every time they speak, you would have a 980 batting average.

[RichInOC]

Like hell they won’t. Any stick is good enough.

[Osage Orange]

Can’t argue that..............

[garjog]

Since when has Obama laid off any means of advancing his power? He will let his buddies attack Mormonism. It is target rich. Might as well be nominating a Scientologist.

Check out my blog for more Obama outrages: The Obama Clarifier http://obamaclarifier.blogspot.com/

[MarkBsnr]

She knows the job is being well done by conservative Christian Mormonophobe bigots.

Christians have a belief in Christ which comes from Jesus, and more closely defined in Nicea (canon of Scripture and Creed), not anywhere in Ohio, Illinois, Missouri or Utah.

[newzjunkey]

Downer Debbie and Obama are liars. They’ll have hoards of surrogates attacking Mormonism, from their activists to the Media.

[MHGinTN]

The emocrap party little snapping dog, Larry O’Donell has already started it so Debbie is quite obviously lying openly and boldly ... typical of the children of their father, the father of lies. They believe themselves now immune from the truth so they lie as easily as they breath, which is an automatic function, too.