Religion Looms Large Over 2008 Race: Issue is most problematic for Romney

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT/AP: Religion Looms Large Over 2008 Race
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 30, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- When George Romney ran for the 1968 Republican presidential nomination, his Mormon heritage was mostly a footnote. It was scarcely mentioned in news accounts of the day. But for son Mitt Romney, the family religion presents a formidable political hurdle.

The younger Romney repeatedly is called on to defend his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its teachings, encountering skepticism particularly from Christian conservatives, a key component of the GOP base.

Religion has not played so prominent a role in a U.S. national election since 1960, when John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic to be elected president.

And it's not only Romney under scrutiny. All the Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls have been grilled on their religious beliefs. Most seem eager to talk publicly about their faith as they actively court religious voters....

***

Clearly, the religious issue is the most problematic for Romney. Polls suggest he faces continued misgivings over his faith. An ABC News-Washington Post poll conducted July 18-21 showed that 32 percent of those who said they leaned Republican described themselves as ''uncomfortable'' with the idea of a Mormon president....

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Politics-and-Religion.html

[FredStembottom]

1. I'm not a Christian, so I apologize....

...if this is an ignorant question but I thought Mormons were a major slice - or even dominant - in the Religeous Right Conservative movement? No?

Was it just a marriage of temporary convenience and now, as the Religeous Right stock plummets, other Christian sects are going right back to their traditional Mormon hating?

[DeepModem Mom]

2. I'm not an expert, but I don't think of Mormons as part of the "religious right," although...

I believe a majority do support conservatives/Republicans. Anyone else have a better understanding of all this?

[beastieboy]

3. I think the conventional religious right (Fallwell, Robertson etc) are skeptical

of the Mormons. Most christians consider mormonism to be a cult.

[beastieboy]

4. That being said......

I think the religious right would back Romney if he was the nominee, anything but a heathen democrat as far as they are concerned.

[KKKarl is an idiot]

6. The Mountain states with

large Mormon populations like Utah gave Bush his biggest victories in '00 & '04. Many of the hardliner religious right will not support Romney for President. The religious right always want to make everything a big issue that is really nothing at all (they basically major in the minors). Lots of people only recently found out the Harry Reid is a Mormon when the whole issue about Romney being a Mormon became a problem.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

5. This is why Romney is their weakest GE candidate

It is sad, but bigotry is still a factor in society and people's bigotry does not vanish in the voting booth. The religion issue alone makes Romney a weaker GE candidate than Thompson, Guiliani, or McCain. This is why I hope he wins their nomination.

[AnotherGreenWorld]

7. I don't know

I live in Iowa--where Romney is in first place on the Republican side--and a lot of his supporters aren't even aware that he's a Mormon. (Also, Rudy supporters usually don't know that he's pro-gay rights, pro-choice, and likes to dress up in drag for fun. But most fundies are aware that Rudy's pro-gay rights, and hence he isn't doing well here. Don't believe the pundits when they make claims about the electorate, trying to make sense of polls. As a general rule: never underestimate how ignorant the average American is. This is especially true of Republicans.) What Romney does in the debates now is smart politically--he just talks about his faith in God, not his Mormonism. If he stops doing stupid things like going after Sharpton for Hitchen's remark about the Mormon church being officially racist until a few decades ago and just talks about how he loves God a lot, I think he could win.

I've asked a few Romney supporters if they know that he's a Mormon and what they think about that. Some don't know and seem mad about it. Others deny it as just another lie from the liberal media. Never forget that card all Republican candidates have up their sleeve. Any fact about them can be denied and made to seem a fabrication of that god-for-saken demon liberal media.