Posted on 02/02/2011 12:53:42 PM PST by T Minus Four
Now that it's official Jon Huntsman is resigning the U.S. ambassadorship to China effective April 30 (presumably to make a run for the White House), the question du jour becomes whether a candidate's Mormon faith precludes a viable candidacy for the U.S. presidency.
Mounting evidence is increasingly pointing to a brave new world where the perceived biases that potentially derailed Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign are dissolving and, lo and behold, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints could realistically be elected president of the United States in 2012.
The Washington Post currently has two articles up examining the issue — a poll-based analysis and an op-ed piece.The article relying on polling culls its data from the 2008 election cycle, when the percentage of respondents saying they'd be less likely to vote for a Mormon presidential candidate dropped over a one-year period from 36 percent to 21. The opinion piece asks whether 2012 could be the Year of the Mormons
Over at Christianity Today, Tobin Grant examines which candidate Evangelicals like now that Huntsman is apparently entering the fray — and of course Mitt Romney is a big part of that discussion. An interesting snip:
"In an open memo to 'conservative and evangelical leaders,' Mark DeMoss, of the Christian public relations firm The DeMoss Group, said that all of the potential candidates for the Republican nomination pass the traditional litmus tests on abortion and marriage. DeMoss offered a new litmust test: 'A candidate for president of the United States should be capable of becoming president, and then competent to be the president.' For DeMoss, the candidate that passes that test is Mitt Romney."
Finally, as we mentioned last week, Time Magazine recently rolled out a big profile on Mitt that makes almost no mention of his LDS affiliation.
Add it all up, and what do you have? While no one knows how Huntsman and Romney will fare in the Republican presidential primaries, it's now looking more and more like their Mormon affiliation won't amount to a de facto disqualification.
They’ll fail because they’re RINOs.
And both are back-stabbers to conservatives. One worked for 0 and the other is a big socialist.
I’m almost certain Huntsman will be getting money from China, where he was ambassador after all. I wouldn’t be surprised. Be too odd if the commie Chinese didn’t have a stake in his “success”.
No more Rinos.
A moron is currently the U.S. President. What's that?
Mitt and Reid are the only two “Mormons” that I’m aware of (with any notoriety anyway) and I’m completely unimpressed.
Someone from Foggy Bottom should think before contemplating going against the liberals in the media.
Stand by to be unimpressed with Jon Huntsman, Jr.
Hahaha!
I am sure they would prefer open borders, since that would be future potential converts, ie forced 10% tithers for LDS Inc.
Get the Majority of the Electoral Vote.
What did I win?
Easy, by not being a socialist RINO.
For mcromney, this is an impossibility.
Don't bother mitt. It's already over for you.
I would think twice before voting for an individual with the “goofy” beliefs held by LDS.
Yes, I think it would be a hard thing for many Christians to actually vote for a Mormon presidential candidate. Many see LDS as cult-like or just strange, non-Christian.
They have some weird beliefs originating with an obviously false prophet. Those beliefs give one pause.
You think they ridicule Palin, wait til the media start on Kolob, undergarments, peepstones, Indian jews, and a ton of other stuff. How does Mitt square these views?
Will they?
Both men are liberals, they should run as democrats.
Must also be too cold up there west of Ogden to go out shopping or to the grocery store.
I thought only Elsie did the Freep a thons.
LOL
“You think they ridicule Palin, wait til the media start on Kolob, undergarments, peepstones, Indian jews, and a ton of other stuff.”
[Will they?]
The day after he wins the primary. A sizeable fraction of protestants and catholics won’t vote Mormon. That number is likely north of 3% of the electorate, the Dems won’t miss that opportunity.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.