Curious as to your feelings

[gopiscrap]

A poll came out last night that said that 20% of folks would not vote for a candidate for president if they knew for sure that that candidate is a member of the LDS (Morman) Church.

Now the question...should the Dems run with that and use it as ammo, or shgould they lay off it because it smacks of being prejudiced against ones religion. I can see both sides, but what bothers me is how the Morman Church throws huge amounts of money at initiatives in which GLBT is the issue, that to me negates any protectyion they may have, but others may feel differently.

[gateley]

1. I think Dems should lay off. The Mormonism Is A Cult group will generate enough fear.

And although I hate that they are so anti LGBT (and other beliefs), I can't feel good about attacking based on religion. And I'm VERY anti-organized religion!

EDIT - changed anti-religious to be more specific about organized religions. I don't begrudge anybody their beliefs. Whatever gets you through the night.

[Angry Dragon]

2. A lot has to do with how they use their religion

If they put it out front and center then
I feel it is okay to attack their religion
if one so desires.

Example: Until recently I did not know that Reid was a Mormon

[CAPHAVOC]

3. Tell the truth about it.

That is all. I mean an Angel from another planet? A white top hat with a rock in it? Special decoder glasses? Golden tablets? Come on. They should change LDS to LSD.

[bahrbearian]

5. Magic mushrooms = Magic underwear

[gopiscrap]

6. Ha Ha that's Pretty funny!

[gateley]

7. Seriously, to me, most organized religions have just as far-fetched beliefs which for some reason

are accepted and embraced. I don't get it, but people have a right to believe in what they feel helps them along.

[think]

10. People can worship rocks for all I care. As long as they are sane on the issues

and don't try to get me to worship rocks also I'm not too concerned.

I believe in Jesus but I don't expect others to. For what it's worth right wing Christians tend to scare me and I can understand why many people have disdain for the religion.

[gateley]

12. They've given a religion of love and forgiveness a bad name, but they weren't the first. They just

upped the rhetoric.

[gopiscrap]

8. Ha Ha that's pretty funny!

[think]

4. I'd stick to important issues and let the Repubs implode over this on their own /nt

[JoePhilly]

9. I'd simply use it as a way to make the fundies go nuts.

[gopiscrap]

11. IMHO that's the best response yet!

[JoePhilly]

13. The fundies HATE pretending that they think Mormons are "real Christians" ...

they HATE it ... but they avoid saying it because those "stupid Mormons" will vote much like a fundie would.

It's kind of like how the far right pretends to love Israel, but only so that Jesus can come back and toss all the Jews into a lake of fire. A certain part of the Jewish community is willing to accept the fundie support, because it helps Israel ... and yet THEY think the fundies are WRONG, and that the Messiah has yet to arrive. Its a marriage of convenience.

So driving a wedge between these groups is a smart political strategy.

[ZombieHorde]

29. Seems like the best call.

Divide and conquer.

[Whisp]

14. I'd say layoff, there's plenty of dirt on Mitt w/o that kind of stuff. nt

[elleng]

15. Lay off it; sounds bad/prejudiced,

but Dems should keep in mind that many will vote (or not vote) based on this.

[denverbill]

16. I don't think noting that Romney is the first Mormon nominee is any worse than Obama being the first

black.

Making voters aware of it is all your are doing. It's up to the voter how they deal with it. Most Americans are fine with a black President, though some voters obviously would never vote for a black. That's no different from Romney's religion, except that religion isn't visible.

[Bluerthanblue]

17. I'd lay off it because prejudice is ugly

no matter who is the target.

If the LDS church is doing something I know is wrong, it doesn't give me license to do wrong and excuse it by saying "yeah but they did this, so it's ok for me to do that". jmo

[southernyankeebelle]

18. This is my straight up answer to your question. No I wouldn't vote for a morman for president.

Nor would I vote for a Muslim president either. You asked and that is how I feel.

[Rowdyboy]

19. My all-time political hero was Representative Mo Udall, one of the strongest progressive Democrats

of the 1970's when that really meant something. Mo was Mormon and an unashamed liberal. I'd crawl a mile over broken glass for the chance to vote for a person with his integrity and philosophy today.

Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota follows Islam. He's also one of the smartest and most progressive members of the house today. I hope to see him on a Democratic ticket someday.

You have a right to feel however you like but remember-stereotyping people often come back to bite you in the ass.

[southernyankeebelle]

21. Yes both men I admire. I still feel the same way. Someone ask and I gave my honest feelings.

Maybe I should restate it this way. It would be one of my issues that I would think about.

[Rowdyboy]

22. One of the reasons I still come here is for differing opinions....

When Udall was my hero ( I was in college in the early 1970's) I don't think I even knew he was Mormon, not that it would have bothered me. It wasn't mentioned in the media, at least not that I remember. This was such a different country then, before the rise of the religious right.

I've been reassessing my political beliefs for over 40 years now, growing more liberal in some ways, more conservative in others. I'm sure that will continue as long as I live. Its part of the fun of self-discovery.

[southernyankeebelle]

23. You know I was the same way. I didn't know that about Mr Udall. Back then I

didn't care. But the more religion is getting into politics the more I am moving away from organized religion. It is to bad. But let's face it with prop 8 in CA showed me how that religion is getting way to involved in politics. I feel the same way about my own religion catholics. I also think that is why people are moving away from organized religion.

[Eid Ma Clack Shaw]

26. Wouldn't you be better off not voting for one who is religiously dogmatic?

Whether Muslim, Mormon, Catholic, Protestant or whatever, wouldn't that be a better reason to abstain from voting for them?

Are you really saying that a liberal, respectful muslim who kept his faith close to his chest wouldn't be worthy of your vote? That a hard-line Christian is somehow more valid?

[southernyankeebelle]

27. Your point is well taken and I could live with that and vote for a person like you mentioned.

Thanks for that prospective. I just don't want ANY politican putting religion before governing. I don't mind them have faith or even being a non believer I just want it out of politics.

[Grateful for Hope]

20. I think this is too sensitive an issue to use as ammo.

I don't see Obama being willing to associate himself with any attempt to use this as ammo.

[renie408]

24. I don't think Obama should touch it with a ten foot pole. Others, however, would be free to...

...proclaim loud and far and OVER AND OVER again that just because Mormons believe that wearing Magic Underwear protects them from...whatever...that shouldn't influence anyone's opinion of Mitt as a candidate.

Obama can take the "Mitt Romney is a Mormon...bless his heart." approach.

[xfundy]

25. No need to mention it at all.

The fundies and other cancervatives know very well Mittens is a mormon; it's all a lot of them can talk about.

Of course FAUX is currently brainwashing them through repetition, and most will be persuaded. The funny thing, though, in the meantime is how much they love GRINCH, the philanderer—BUT, they say, BUT Grinch is forgiven! Clinton, forgiven? Hell, no. No member of the horrible "demoncrat party" will git into heaven for the big BBQ where they'll all eat pork chops off golden cafeteria trays with unlimited beer and shoot at everyone else while floating on the clouds.

[alphafemale]

28. Nearly ALL religions have implausible premises.

But two of those most recently invented

The LDS and the Scientolgist read like they were created by a creative person on a lark as a mockery of religion.

"Let's see how stupid and implausible we can make it"

"Then they'll get that ALL religion is just as stupid."

"Whoa...."

"People didn't get the Sarcasm."

"People are sending me money"

"Let's see how far we can play this shit out."

"I could get rich and laid lots"

[pa28]

30. The issue is fair game.

Best example is George W. Bush telling his fellow world leaders that god talked to him and told him to wage war in the middle east.

We like to believe faith is a personal matter but the consequences are everybody's business if those views merge with policy.

Any viable presidential candidate should be able to address scrutiny of all colors with poise and honesty. If he can't do it he does not belong in the office.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

31. Side Issue...the 20% number...wonder who they are? Can we

assume most of them are Republicans? Or perhaps split between parties?

Hope it's split because if they are Reps then that could mean that Romney
has the potential to be WAY ahead of Obama if they change their mind.

I think it's Mitt's weird authoritarian role as bishop for the Mormons that
needs to be exposed. Like the article in Vanity Fair this month where
he pretty much told his babysitter who was not married and pregnant
that she was gonna get kicked out of the church.

[rug]

32. No. It didn't help the Anti-Masonic Party. The Masons are still here.