Romney Favors Hubbard Novel

The New York Times ^ | April 30, 2007 | Jim Rutenberg

[Labyrinthos]

When asked his favorite novel in an interview shown yesterday on the Fox News Channel, Mitt Romney pointed to “Battlefield Earth,” a novel by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.

[horse_doc]

I’m guessing that he’s waiting until the Iowa caucuses to announce that his favorite movie is “Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace”.

[Red Badger]

If Travolta were not in the movie, replaced by say [anybody else that can read], then it might have been a fair flick............He looked and sounded like Vinnie Barbarino in a Klingon costume for a Halloween party......

[KarlInOhio]

I said it was "pretty good" not great. The Dune series is great...............

I agree. However on a recent rereading, I was rooting for the emperor and against the Atreides jihad. Hmmm, I wonder why?

[pookie18]

[Red Badger]

I’m guessing that he’s waiting until the Iowa caucuses to announce that his favorite movie is “Bridges of Madison County".......

[mmichaels1970]

I am not an athiest, but I like Atlas Shrugged.

You beat me to it. Kudos!

[LIConFem]

LOL!! He wasn’t at his best, I’ll give ya that. But in general, he’s just so quirky that I find him interesting to watch.

[Dustbunny]

Geeze, now I wonder if he is mentally capable. Hope this is not true.

Read or attempted to read one of Hubbards novels many, many years ago, it stunk. I read it on fast forward just to get to the end. Never again!

[CholeraJoe]

A master of the English language can say in two or three words what it takes an average writer ten to say.

That logic distills JK Rowling's 7 book "Harry Potter" series down to 10 words: "An orphaned boy finds his parents' killer and takes revenge."

[Red Badger]

It really wasn’t too bad if you take Travolta’s part with a cow-lick sized block of salt........Everybody else was okay.......

[Leg Olam]

Scientology: satisfaction or no money back guaranteed!

[taxcontrol]

I liked Battle Field Earth
The rest of L. Ron you can keep.

[Red Badger]

Wait for the Tom Cruise remake.

Then it will suck and blow......

[SF Republican]

I am not an atheist, but I like Atlas Shrugged. What does that make me? - I was trying to figure out a way to say that, well done. Sometimes folks logic here is somewhat suspect.

[raccoonradio]

Yes the Boston Herald mentioned it the other day.

---

“Actually, the one by [L. Ron Hubbard],” [Mitt Romney] said when asked to name his favorite novel. “I’m not in favor of his religion by any means, but he wrote a book called `Battlefield Earth’ that was a very fun science fiction book.”

The Mark Twain novel “Huckleberry Finn” tops the book list on Romney’s My Space page. “Battlefield Earth” isn’t on the list.

Michael Goldman, a Democratic consultant with the Government Insight Group, chalked it up to one of those “mind blips” that happens in campaigns, but he said the “Battlefield Earth” revelation will hurt Romney. “It’s such a bizarre choice. We don’t necessarily want our president to be Albert Einstein but we don’t want people to make fun of our president either,” Goldman said. In addition to his literary choices, Romney has also been slammed for changing positions on abortion and gay rights.

Mitt’s new flip-flop is out of this world
[All Editions]

Boston Herald - Boston, Mass.
Author: JESSICA HESLAM

[fabian]

o come on...why can’t you believe that is his favorite novel? You just assume that he is saying it to pander which going by his conservative character and all the good he has done just doesn’t match up.

[SkyPilot]

[Bosco]

I’m a Christian and liked “Atlas Shrugged” as well.

[RightWhale]

Hubbard was a pretty good sci-fi writer until he followed though on his observation that he could create a religion out of thin air. Bright guy for a while and good on the keyboard.

[fishtank]

I like “BE” as well, as a novel.

Having said that, it is way, way down the list of what would be my personal favorite novel.

As long as we’re naming favorite novels, I’m going to list some of my favorites, in no particular order:

The Sherlock Holmes stories

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Lord of the Rings

Left Behind

Grisham’s stuff

Crighton’s stuff