Posted on 05/08/2007 9:25:01 AM PDT by Unmarked Package
AFTER THE Democrats won back Congress and the socially liberal Rudy Giuliani and the Jerry Falwell-bashing John McCain emerged as the Republican presidential front-runners, many political observers theorized that the Christian Right's power was on the wane. Last week's Republican presidential debate suggested otherwise.
Indeed, with the candidates more or less agreeing on such major foreign policy issues as the Iraq war and preventing a nuclear Iran, each distinguished himself mostly by how close or how far he stood from the Christian Right.
But history shows that Republican presidential candidates who fall on either end of the continuum, who either embody the Christian Right (Pat Robertson in 1988) or who reject it (Texas Senator Phil Gramm in 1996) lose the nomination. The two most electorally successful Republican presidential candidates of the last 30 years -- Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush -- took a different path, embracing the movement even though they were outsiders to it. If the next Republican to occupy the White House must follow that same strategy, Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor, may be in much better shape than polls suggest.
Like Romney, neither Reagan nor Bush could claim to be a true Christian Right candidate. On paper, Reagan was anathema to the movement; he was a Hollywood divorcé who seldom attended church and who, as California governor, had signed relatively liberal abortion laws.
Bush's family-man credentials and evangelical faith made him a more natural fit for the Christian Right. Still, the movement was skeptical of the moderate reputation Bush honed as governor of Texas.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
The outreach effort to people of faith from Mitt Romney is genuine. Evangelical leaders are lucky to get scraps thrown to the floor from the table of a Democrat president. Mitt Romney's inclusive message of shared values of faith and family is loud and clear."Campaigning in 1980, Reagan adopted an evangelical lexicon and told a huge Christian Right rally in Dallas, "I know you can't endorse me, but I want you to know that I endorse you." As president, he regularly invited Jerry Falwell to the White House and endorsed a school prayer amendment to the Constitution."
...
"Romney's also meeting with evangelical leaders, even sending them wooden chairs mounted with plaques declaring, "You are welcome at our table anytime." Last weekend, he gave the commencement address at Pat Robertson's Regent University."
Another “Reagan” would spoil his uniqueness. There is no other Reagan, there can’t be.
I want to think the same of Romney one day. He won’t get there by saying “Me too, I’m Reagan... Reagan this, Reagan that...”
You do it by being yourself - by being uniquely great in your own way.
Romney and his lovely wife were very impressive on Hannity and Colmes last night.
Thirty eight year marriage, four sons, four daughters-in-law, ten grandchildren.
And this from the Globe? Nope, don’t see any flying pigs outside...hmmmm.
Mitt Romney will tell you what you want to hear, no matter what you want to hear.
People may disagree as to whether or not his outreach is congruent with who he is (I hope that it is). But, the fact remains, Mitt is inviting the Christian Right to the dance. I think he’ll be thoroughly vetted by Evangelical leadership and, if he can overcome the faith obstacle and win their support, his poll numbers will reflect it heading into the primaries.
Mitt is following in the footsteps of Reagan and Bush. Hopefully, "the movement" will be as welcoming to Mitt as they were to Reagan and Bush.
They have appeared together recently in other great interviews on Fox and CNN.
Mitt and Ann have five sons (Tagg, Matt, Josh, Ben and Craig) and five daughters-in-law (Jen, Laurie, Jen, Mary and Andelyne). The five sons are all helping with their Dad's campaign where and when possible.
It would have been nice for Mitt and Ann to have a daughter, but after the fifth boy (Craig) was born, Ann said "That's it, no more! I tried!". :-)
5 sons? Thanks for the correction.
Mitt and Ann are a very impressive pair, with huge family support.
I had never seen her before. She’s radiant.
Ann was on Fox and Friends this morning and she was very good by herself as well. I said on another thread that she reminds me of Lynne Cheney -— very direct and straightforward. While gracious and polite — she is no shrinking violet!
Sorry. The conservative movement doesn’t need “evolvers,” it needs leaders.
And someone who signed a permanent assault weapons ban, socialized medicine complete with taxpayer-funded abortions, homosexualized the public schools, and implemented gay marriage, all in a term he just completed, just doesn’t qualify as a leader...unless you’re talking about as a leader of Democrats.
That’s why the debates are so important ~ so all these differences can come out.
Everything I need to know about Mitt Romney is already “out.”
The debates will (hopefully) be watched by enough thoughtful voters.
Many will see Mitt and his attractive First Family more than his issues.
Let's say you're right. Do you consider that "a good thing"?
I’m prefer substance over style ~ principle over personality.
IOW, Hunter over Romney.
I’d never seen Romney’s family before.
I hope the electorate will look deeply, and have the OPPORTUNITY to see their differences,
in spite of preferential skewing, like the last debate, where Romney got 40% more questions.
What a great answer!
Thank you.
The idea of sending chairs with the "You have a seat at my table" plaque is a good idea. That's a strategy that he should use in advertising to that market. I'd bet that there are some small-time Christian radio stations that would be willing to give him interviews. A few of them might want to create a confrontation over LDS beliefs, but many of them would be willing to give him an honest chance to express himself to their listeners. Having an "open house" at Bible bookstores would be another chance to have outreach to that community. At a time when the other "top tier" candidates are ignoring the religious conservatives, he might be able to draw extra support this way.
Bill
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