RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Politics and Current Events Mormon President?

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Son of Mxy said:
Is America ready to elect an RKMB Poster as its President?

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Killconey said:
That's really sad that an otherwise qualified candidate could be shunned because of his religion.

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the G-man said:
Substute "Catholic," "Jew" or another religion in that article JQ posted and you realize just how incredibly bigoted JQ is being right now.

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After Mitt Romney announced this week that he would not seek reelection as governor of Massachusetts, the Washington Post briefly mentioned what could be Romney's biggest hurdle in a presidential run: "Another problem could be his Mormon faith -- which strategists say might turn off some evangelical Christian voters." Accompanying its front page article on the announcement, the Boston Globe speculated about Romney's "viability." The Globe listed "overcoming prejudices about his religion" among two other deficiencies, foreign policy inexperience and being perceived as a Northeast liberal.

In short, much of this thoroughly Christian country has a thing against the Mormon faith. As NR's John Miller reminded readers in his Romney profile earlier this year, a 1999 Gallup poll found that while only 6 percent of Americans refuse to vote for a Jew and 4 percent a Catholic, 17 percent rule out Mormons on their ballots.

Some have dismissed this animus as the Globe did: another prejudice Americans will overcome, like racism. Ted Kennedy took that route in an interview with the Atlantic Monthly this year, bringing up Romney's faith and then dismissing it. "We've moved on," he said. "That died with my brother Jack." If only Teddy had been so outspoken when Romney was smeared in the 1994 Massachusetts Senate race.

While some reluctance toward a Mormon president may be reactionary, many Americans will have legitimate, rational questions about Mormonism that they have already answered about Catholicism. They'll want to know if Mormons are indeed Christians, as the LDS Church says. President Gordon B. Hinckley adamantly maintains Mormons' Christianity: "Are we Christians? Of course we are! No one can honestly deny that."

Yet beyond Christian-sounding platitudes, the Mormon version of Christianity is pretty novel. To Mormons, the Book of Mormon is equivalent to, if not preeminent over, the Bible. Joseph Smith said, "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." Mormons reject the Holy Trinity, instead believing God, Son, and Holy Spirit to be separate beings. People preexisted as God's "spirit children" until we assumed human bodies on Earth. Adam is the same person as Michael the Archangel. Married couples can become gods in the afterlife.

LDS moral teachings will likely displease social conservatives when they learn the church's position on abortion sounds more like a political compromise than a well-reasoned moral teaching. "There is seldom any excuse for abortion," LDS teaches, except when the pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, the "life or health" of the mother is in "jeopardy," or the child has "severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth." In Romney's defense, though, Grover Norquist argues in our December/January issue that some social conservatives like Chuck Colson can back Romney because he supports the Defense of Marriage Act.

The church's policies on blacks and polygamy, while in the past, could rankle many conservatives and liberals alike. Brigham Young banned blacks from the priesthood in 1852. In his Journal of Discourses, Young affirmed the "curse of Cain," the Mormon doctrine that blacks bear the fallen brother's punishment: "The Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin." It wasn't until 1978 that LDS President Spencer W. Kimball (co-signing with counselors N. Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney, a second cousin of Gov. Romney) announced that God had revealed all "worthy male members" could now be ordained "without regard for race or color."

Polygamy was revealed as licit by God to Joseph Smith in the early days of the Church, and then revealed as illicit by God to President Wilford Woodruff in the 1890 "Manifesto." It thrives to this day in Utah -- some estimate there are as many as 50,000 -- and polygamists claim to be following the true, original teachings of the LDS. Their foremost historical figures and prophets were inexhaustible practitioners of "The Principle." Joseph Smith took dozens of wives, often claiming that he was commanded to do so by the Almighty Himself. Brigham Young followed suit, marrying as many as 27 women.

Forget about the press's old maxim, "Does it play well in Peoria?" This doesn't play well in Colorado Springs or in your local church. If there's any doubt, look at the 2004 National Day of Prayer, when Mormons asked to offer a prayer. Shirley Dobson, wife of Focus on the Family's Dr. James Dobson, said no. These aren't small matters, especially to evangelical Christians. The press will report them as soon they take Romney seriously. The country may not openly discuss the Mormon faith when it considers Romney's candidacy, but you can bet they'll be whispering about it. And it will play a role.

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the G-man said:
...another prejudice Americans will overcome, like racism...

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Cindy Sheehan, a mother who lost a son in the Iraq War, is determined to prevent other mothers and fathers from experiencing the same loss.

Courageously she has gone to Texas near the ranch of President Bush and braved the elements and a hostile Jewish supremacist media to demand a meeting with him and a good explanation why her son and other’s sons and daughters must die and be disfigured in a war for Israel rather than for America.

Recently, she had the courage to state the obvious that her son signed up in the military to protect America not to die for Israel.

From the beginning, this war was orchestrated from top to bottom by Jewish Neocons that saw the war as one for Israel’s strategic objectives. They ramped up the war through Jews such as Perle and Wolfowitz, the false intelligence through CIA analyst Stuart Cohen and by Israel’s Mossad, and had a compliant Jewish-dominated media to cheer on the war. The truth is the Iraq War has inflicted incredible damage on America and the American people. It is war against America rather than in defense of America.

Support our troops…bring them home!

Let them protect America and not die for Israel.

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the G-man said:
That would seem to indicate that Duke has more in common opponents of the war than he does with the President.

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the G-man said:
Substute "Catholic," "Jew" or another religion in that article JQ posted and you realize just how incredibly bigoted JQ is being right now.

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rex said:

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the G-man said:
Substute "Catholic," "Jew" or another religion in that article JQ posted and you realize just how incredibly bigoted JQ is being right now.

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I would rather have a catholic or a jew president then a mormon president.


Mormons are crazy. I wouldn't even call them a religion, there more of a cult.

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the G-man said:
Point of Information:

David Duke, former Klansman, is actually critical of the war and President Bush

Cindy Sheehan, a mother who lost a son in the Iraq War, is determined to prevent other mothers and fathers from experiencing the same loss.

Courageously she has gone to Texas near the ranch of President Bush and braved the elements and a hostile Jewish supremacist media to demand a meeting with him and a good explanation why her son and other’s sons and daughters must die and be disfigured in a war for Israel rather than for America.

Recently, she had the courage to state the obvious that her son signed up in the military to protect America not to die for Israel.

From the beginning, this war was orchestrated from top to bottom by Jewish Neocons that saw the war as one for Israel’s strategic objectives. They ramped up the war through Jews such as Perle and Wolfowitz, the false intelligence through CIA analyst Stuart Cohen and by Israel’s Mossad, and had a compliant Jewish-dominated media to cheer on the war. The truth is the Iraq War has inflicted incredible damage on America and the American people. It is war against America rather than in defense of America.

Support our troops…bring them home!

Let them protect America and not die for Israel.

That would seem to indicate that Duke has more in common with opponents of the war, such as yourself than he does with the President.

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Oh great the "Hitler/Nazi" argument.

Some guy: You know who else practiced gun control? THE NAZIS!

Some guy: Even HITLER had the decency not to bomb holy sites and architectural wonders!

In all the nazis are only human you can agree or disagree with them.

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Anonymous One said:

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the G-man said:
Point of Information:

David Duke, former Klansman, is actually critical of the war and President Bush

Cindy Sheehan, a mother who lost a son in the Iraq War, is determined to prevent other mothers and fathers from experiencing the same loss.

Courageously she has gone to Texas near the ranch of President Bush and braved the elements and a hostile Jewish supremacist media to demand a meeting with him and a good explanation why her son and other’s sons and daughters must die and be disfigured in a war for Israel rather than for America.

Recently, she had the courage to state the obvious that her son signed up in the military to protect America not to die for Israel.

From the beginning, this war was orchestrated from top to bottom by Jewish Neocons that saw the war as one for Israel’s strategic objectives. They ramped up the war through Jews such as Perle and Wolfowitz, the false intelligence through CIA analyst Stuart Cohen and by Israel’s Mossad, and had a compliant Jewish-dominated media to cheer on the war. The truth is the Iraq War has inflicted incredible damage on America and the American people. It is war against America rather than in defense of America.

Support our troops…bring them home!

Let them protect America and not die for Israel.

That would seem to indicate that Duke has more in common with opponents of the war, such as yourself than he does with the President.

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Oh great the "Hitler/Nazi" argument.

Some guy: You know who else practiced gun control? THE NAZIS!

Some guy: Even HITLER had the decency not to bomb holy sites and architectural wonders!

In all the nazis are only human you can agree or disagree with them.

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Some guy: You know who did scientific research on cancer? THE NAZIS!

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Captain Sweden said:

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Anonymous One said:

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the G-man said:
Point of Information:

David Duke, former Klansman, is actually critical of the war and President Bush

Cindy Sheehan, a mother who lost a son in the Iraq War, is determined to prevent other mothers and fathers from experiencing the same loss.

Courageously she has gone to Texas near the ranch of President Bush and braved the elements and a hostile Jewish supremacist media to demand a meeting with him and a good explanation why her son and other’s sons and daughters must die and be disfigured in a war for Israel rather than for America.

Recently, she had the courage to state the obvious that her son signed up in the military to protect America not to die for Israel.

From the beginning, this war was orchestrated from top to bottom by Jewish Neocons that saw the war as one for Israel’s strategic objectives. They ramped up the war through Jews such as Perle and Wolfowitz, the false intelligence through CIA analyst Stuart Cohen and by Israel’s Mossad, and had a compliant Jewish-dominated media to cheer on the war. The truth is the Iraq War has inflicted incredible damage on America and the American people. It is war against America rather than in defense of America.

Support our troops…bring them home!

Let them protect America and not die for Israel.

That would seem to indicate that Duke has more in common with opponents of the war, such as yourself than he does with the President.

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Oh great the "Hitler/Nazi" argument.

Some guy: You know who else practiced gun control? THE NAZIS!

Some guy: Even HITLER had the decency not to bomb holy sites and architectural wonders!

In all the nazis are only human you can agree or disagree with them.

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Some guy: You know who did scientific research on cancer? THE NAZIS!

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Anonymous One said:
Oh great the "Hitler/Nazi" argument.

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the G-man said:

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Anonymous One said:
Oh great the "Hitler/Nazi" argument.

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Uschi brought up David Duke, not me.

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the G-man said:
fDon't ube cstupid, kbe a ysmartie. oStop ubringing up the Nazi party

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Mitt Romney had a successful career in management consulting and capital management, culminating with a stint as CEO of Bain & Co. In 1994 he made his first political run, challenging Sen. Ted Kennedy. Even that year's Republican tide was not enough to drown Mr. Kennedy, who won 58% to 41%. Yet Mr. Romney's showing remains the best of any challenger Mr. Kennedy has faced. Mr. Romney got high marks for turning around the debt- and scandal-plagued organizing committee for Salt Lake City's 2002 Winter Olympics, and in 2002 he defeated Democrat Shannon O'Brien to become the Bay State's fourth consecutive GOP governor.

Mr. Romney could be an attractive presidential candidate. His sunny disposition puts one in mind of Ronald Reagan--he laughs easily and smiles almost continuously. He is a governor, as four of the past five presidents were; but he can claim more international experience than most state executives. In addition to his work on the Olympics, he has served on the federal Homeland Security Advisory Council, chairing its working group on intelligence and information sharing.

Not Mr. Romney, whose views put him well within the mainstream of GOP conservatism. A self-described "fiscal hawk," he takes credit for staving off tax increases, no mean feat given that the Democrats have a veto-proof legislative majority. When he took office, the state had a $3 billion budget deficit. "We held the line on taxes, we did not borrow more money, and instead we cut back on state programs," closing the gap. He hopes next year to persuade the Legislature to cut the top income tax rate to 5% from 5.3%.

Mr. Romney's background as a businessman leads him to think of government in pragmatic terms. "I tend to be more analytical than I think the average politician [is]. I tend to look for a lot of data, and don't reach conclusions based on . . . political doctrine, but instead based on analysis. . . . I look at each issue and try and evaluate what I think the right answer is."

Could Mr. Romney win the Republican presidential nomination? Three early primaries look promising: New Hampshire, where he is well known from governing the state next door; Michigan, where his family name has cachet; and Arizona, which has a large Mormon population. But these are not enough--as Sen. McCain, who won all three contests in 2000, can attest.
A crucial question will be whether Mr. Romney's religion is a handicap. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is indigenous to America, but many Americans view it with suspicion. In a 1999 Gallup poll, 17% of those surveyed said they would not vote for a Mormon for president, far more than said the same of a Jew (6%) or a Catholic (4%).

In 1994 Sen. Kennedy made an issue of the LDS Church's tardy embrace of racial equality (it did not allow the ordination of blacks until 1978). "I don't think that's the reason I lost to Ted Kennedy," says Mr. Romney, and he's surely right. In any case, Mr. Kennedy doesn't seem to have any problem today answering to a Mormon Senate leader, Harry Reid.

Mr. Romney also says religion wasn't a problem for his father: "When he was running for president . . . he was the front-runner. His faith just didn't factor in. . . . His statement on Vietnam--that put him under, but certainly not his faith."

The trouble is that much of today's anti-Mormon sentiment is found on the religious right, a constituency that looms much larger in the GOP now than it did in 1968, or than it ever has in Massachusetts. Ask a conservative Christian what he thinks of Mormonism, and there's a good chance he'll call it a "cult" or say Mormons "aren't Christian."

How would he overcome anti-Mormon prejudice if he seeks the presidency? He doesn't answer directly, but cites his experience in Massachusetts: "As people got to know me . . . they accepted me for who I am, and religious doctrines didn't make much difference to them."

In the end, there's probably not much Mr. Romney can do about the "Mormon problem" other than put his faith in the American tradition of religious pluralism. "I think our nation needs people of faith in public service," he says. "My policies in the public sector are not a mirror image of any church's doctrines. But of course the respect I have for American values flows from the faith that I have." If Mr. Romney runs for president, it may test the proposition that the religious right is an issues-based movement as opposed to a sectarian one.

The United States faces a critical period in its history said Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, but expressed optimism for the country’s future.

“This country always rises to the occasion and responds to challenges. Challenges make us stronger,” he said yesterday.

Crisscrossing the state like the possible Presidential candidate he is, Romney traveled from Keene in the morning to Derry in the evening with stops in Hampton and the state capital in between.

Speaking to the Central New Hampshire Republican Women’s Club in the Presidential Primary reading room in the State Library, he praised Republican candidates for office and Republican principles which he says work, citing the elimination of the $3 billion deficit Massachusetts faced when he took office.

Romney said he refused to raise taxes, consolidated some agencies and eliminated others, and did away with several programs to reduce spending.

The Wolfeboro second-home owner also said the country faces four serious challenges in the coming years.

The Jihadists are not a tiny group of extremists alone in the hills of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Romney said, but a movement seeking to collapse the United States’ economy and end the country’s super power status.

“Fortunately we have a President who recognizes how dangerous a situation this is,” he said. “It is our responsibility to always be the super power.”

The second challenge is regaining fiscal responsibility, he said. “In Washington, Congress is spending too much money,” Romney said.

It is not just the pork barrel projects and the ear marks, he said, entitlements like Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security should be reformed.

The third challenge is the rise of Asian economic might as China and India seek a larger role in the world market.

Romney said he asked a Massachusetts high-tech manufacturer where he saw manufacturing in 10 years. The person said he expects 90 percent of his manufacturing to be in Asia, not because of cheap labor, but because of Asia’s knowledgeable workers, Romney said.

Student interest in math and science has to be expanded, the country has to invest more in technology both in the public and private sectors and the regulatory burden should be reduced, he said.

Romney said the fourth challenge is for the United States to decide “What is the culture of this country, what are our underpinnings?”

“We respect hard work . . . We are self reliant, we respect human life, we are a religious people . . . We are a purpose-driven people founded on the family unit,” Romney said. “I think every child deserves to have a mother and a father.”

“Some feel daunted by the seriousness of the challenges we face, but I am optimistic about the future,” Romney said. But he warned, “If we assume we will always lead the world, we could find ourselves as the France of the 21st. Century.”

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wannabuyamonkey said:
Seriously did your dog die this-morning or something?

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Animalman said:

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wannabuyamonkey said:
Seriously did your dog die this-morning or something?

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...it's a joke. Do you always take things so seriously?

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