spokesNspin

If anyone has read my earlier posts they could probably assume that I am not a Mitt supporter.   Woohoo big surprise! The assumption would be correct.  It hasn’t always been that way. 

 I was living in Utah when Romney was there running the 2002 Olympics.  At that time there was some talk of him staying in Utah and running for Governor.    I was in favor of that. Not because I was particularly fond of him but due to other reasons.  One is that he fit the unwritten but practical religious requirement for being elected Governor in Utah.  He is a white Mormon male.  There has for several years been an unwritten religious test in Utah.   The interesting thing is that in spite of the fact the he got 90 percent of the votes in the Utah presidential primary a lot of Utahns were not excited about him running for governor six years ago.  Why? Because at that time he was Mitt the moderate, not Mitt the candidate trying to pander to the religious right.  The exact reason I was in favor him running for governor in Utah. 

So now to my friend Pat.  She sent me an article entitled “Mormons Dismayed by Harsh Spotlight” and ask what I thought of it.  I have reproduced parts of the article below with my thoughts in italics.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll in late January revealed that 50% of Americans said they would have reservations or be “very uncomfortable” about a Mormon as president. That same poll found that 81% would be “enthusiastic” or “comfortable” with an African-American and 76% with a woman. The article doesn’t mention until later that 45 percent of Americans wouldn’t vote for an Evangelical Christian either.   That fact seems to be lost on all the complaining Mormons.  I have for years said that Mormons were too cozy in bed with the religious right because first chance they got the religious right would kick them out of the bed.

Mr. Romney was reluctant to speak publicly about his religion. Eventually, senior advisers persuaded him to do so to allay voter concerns about how it might affect his decision-making as president. …Although Mr. Romney’s December speech was well-received by political pundits, it did little to move his polling numbers. It wasn’t a speech about tolerance for everyone, just  Mormons.  It was a blatant pandering to the religious right. It specifically excluded non believers as worthy to serve.

In December, while campaigning for the Iowa caucuses, former Baptist preacher and Republican candidate Mike Huckabee asked a magazine reporter: “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?”

Mormon church leaders, who repeatedly asserted the church’s neutrality in elections, had tried to keep out of the political fray. Church spokesman Michael Otterson says they couldn’t ignore Mr. Huckabee’s comment. Members said it implied that they were devil worshipers. Phones were ringing off the hook at church headquarters in Salt Lake City. Huckabee recently said his comments were taken out of context.  Right!  He knew exactly what he was doing.  But I also believe that LDS members who responded to his statement soft pedaled the issue. But such religious doctrine should not have to be justified or explained.

The allegations about blacks stung the most. Many Mormon historians say Mr. Smith welcomed blacks from the church’s inception, had ordained some blacks, and ran on an abolitionist platform for president in 1844. Blacks were barred from being church leaders, they say, by his successor, Brigham Young. Many Protestant churches, Mr. Bell pointed out, were segregated well into the 20th century. In 1978, the church lifted the ban on blacks becoming leaders. The point here that seems to be lost on most LDS members is this.  Yes the ban was lifted.  But the LDS church does not acknowledge or accept that the ban may simply have been the result of racism and bigotry on the part of Brigham Young.  Just as it was for many of his generation.  There is a difference in the eyes of most people between saying “we were wrong so we have now granted the priesthood to all worthy male members” and saying “it was God’s will until 1978 but now it is His will that they be given the equal opportunity.” A relevant post is Chocolat & Voting for Mitt Romney.    

For some reason the “values” debate has become over riding for many people and confused with other civil issues. Unfortunately the debate has been hijacked by radical religious believers, Mormons included.

I am sure Pat wishes she had never asked the question. J

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 at 6:03 pm and is filed under Politics, News & Social Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.