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The Wrong Kind of Minority [More Mitt Propaganda from NRO]
National Review ^ | December 30, 2011 | Mona Charen

Posted on 12/31/2011 2:59:44 PM PST by greyfoxx39

The Washington Post proclaimed in a recent headline another historic “first” for the United States — the first female usher-in-chief at the White House. Stop the presses! The accompanying story reveals that the nominee hails from Jamaica, so it’s probably a two-fer. Oh boy.

The Post and other liberal organs are obsessed with firsts. The first female letter carrier to handle the Capitol Hill route will get a mention in the press. The first African-American anything is guaranteed at least a nod. You don’t even have to be first to get “first” treatment. The last two Supreme Court nominees have been women, joining a court that had already seated two women (one retired). Nevertheless, the femininity of the candidates was cheerily chatted up. When Barack Obama became the first black nominee of a major party and then the elected president, dignified notice of an historical milestone would have been appropriate. But you know what happened — the media went on an inebriated, extravagant first binge.

Funny how the first effect only works for some. If Mitt Romney is nominated and elected, he will be the first member of a highly persecuted American minority group to be so honored. Yet no one is celebrating the possibility of the first Mormon president. Anti-Mormon bias, which has proved remarkably persistent over decades, is scarcely ever condemned.

It isn’t that Mormons have not suffered. Following the religion’s founding in upstate New York in 1830, the Mormons faced immediate hostility from their neighbors. Hounded by New Yorkers, the growing community moved west to Ohio, Missouri, and Kansas. In Jackson County, Mo., Mormon leaders were tarred and feathered, Mormon homes torched, and Mormon property brazenly stolen.

County after county drove the Mormons out, sometimes threatening to kill even the children if they did not evacuate, culminating, in 1838, in an “extermination order” issued by Gov. Lilburn Boggs. Instructing the state militia, Boggs wrote, “The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the state if necessary for the public peace — their outrages are beyond all description.” Thousands of Mormons were forced to flee, some with just the clothes on their backs, in the dead of winter. Illinois offered sanctuary for a time, but it was in that state that the religion’s founder, Joseph Smith, was imprisoned and murdered by a mob.

The Mormons attempted to defend themselves, and committed an atrocity of their own, the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857 (for which the militia leader in charge was tried and executed by the Mormons). But most of the time, the group was on the defensive. Throughout its first seven decades, the sect was harried, persecuted, expelled, reviled, and chased across a continent.

The practice of polygamy stirred hostility. As a Jew though, I cannot help noticing that Mormons were also hated because they seemed to prosper economically, because they rose to the top of organizations they joined, and because they were so loyal to one another.

Outsiders can surely be fair-minded enough to acknowledge that the Latter Day Saints church gets results. Utah has the nation’s lowest levels of welfare dependency, child poverty, and single-parent homes. Its students are among the top scorers in the nation despite relatively low levels of education spending. It ranks highest for contributions to charity by the wealthy, and among the lowest for incarceration and cancer rates. Prominent Mormons established the Marriott hotel chain, JetBlue, and Bain Capital (of course). Mormon Americans invented the television, word processing, and the hearing aid, among other things. Mormons have distinguished themselves in entertainment, sports, and politics — where they have risen to prominence in both parties.

Polygamy having long since been discarded, anti-Mormon bias today, ironically, often focuses on the LDS church’s opposition to same-sex marriage. During the contest over California’s Proposition 8, which limited marriage to the bond between men and women, opponents sought to intimidate Mormons who contributed financially or otherwise to the initiative. While there has been speculation that Mitt Romney’s faith might suppress support among Republicans, a recent Gallup survey found that Democrats (27 percent) were more likely than Republicans (18 percent) to say they would not vote for a Mormon candidate for president.

Mormons are obviously the wrong kind of minority. Oh, they’ve been persecuted. But through a strong work ethic, self-discipline, traditional morality (yes, there’s an irony there, but get over it), and group cohesion, they have triumphed for themselves and for the country. The first Mormon president would be a milestone. But don’t hold your breath for the applause.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: antichristian; hogwashfromcharen; lds; mormon; rino; romney; romneycare; sayno2rinos
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Charen joins in the love affair for Romney at NRO. I think she took lessons in propaganda from the Obama camp. What a total bunch of hogwash!
1 posted on 12/31/2011 2:59:52 PM PST by greyfoxx39
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To: Colofornian; Elsie; FastCoyote; svcw; Zakeet; SkyPilot; rightazrain; Tennessee Nana; ...

Ping


2 posted on 12/31/2011 3:03:05 PM PST by greyfoxx39 (The Iowa caucuses gave you Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. You're WELCOME, America.-Iowahawk)
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To: greyfoxx39

If Mitt Romney is nominated and elected, he will be the first member of a highly persecuted American minority group to be so honored.

- - - -
Oh please! Someone has been drinking the Kool-Aid.


3 posted on 12/31/2011 3:06:34 PM PST by reaganaut (Mormonism is all about glory to self, not Glory to God. - which explains Mitt Romney)
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To: greyfoxx39

I’m going to suggest that everything from NRO be prefaced with a BARF alert. They are actually worse than Time or Newsweak. At least those magazines dont claim to be the voice of conservatives.

NR is a worthless rag dedicated to advancing Romney and his socialistic ideas.


4 posted on 12/31/2011 3:14:33 PM PST by vmivol00
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To: greyfoxx39
Romney is a documented backstabber.

Is that really what the GOP wants?

"Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney"

"Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?"

"Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?"

"Romney Supporters Trashing Palin"

"Romney advisors sniping at Palin?"


Poor sport spoiler Romney doing what he does best:

Novak: "Fred Thompson drop-out rumors traced to Romney campaign"

Said Novak: "The rumors were traced in part to Mitt Romney's campaign,
trying to stir up strife between McCain and Thompson
."

"Despite outspending his rivals by huge margins throughout the primaries,
(Mitt Romney, Carpetbagger UT,CA,MA,NH,Mexico) lost Iowa, South Carolina, Florida and California.
The only primaries he won were in Michigan, where Dad was governor; LDS states;
and a few states on Super Tuesday in which his California-obsessed rivals
couldn't spare the cash to advertise.
Only John Connolly in 1968 had a worse cash-to-delegates ratio.
And John McCain rightly did not like Romney's tactics during the primaries.
(W)hen (Romney's early leads) started slipping away, he resorted to unfair,
distorted, scorched-earth negative ads, betting that his opponents couldn't
afford to spend enough for the truth to catch up to his charges."

[Romney: A Mistake for McCain, 7/23/2008, Dick Morris]



5 posted on 12/31/2011 3:16:49 PM PST by Diogenesis ("Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. " Pres. Ronald Reagan)
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To: greyfoxx39

Last I checked Harry Reid was a Mormon.

As Joe Biden would say “That’s a BFD!”. Sarcasm.


6 posted on 12/31/2011 3:17:03 PM PST by vmivol00
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To: greyfoxx39

Mona’s been a CINO for years.


7 posted on 12/31/2011 3:17:24 PM PST by Josh Painter ("The only thing these 'investments' will get us is a bullet train to bankruptcy." - Palin)
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To: greyfoxx39
Romney is a documented backstabber.

Is that really what the GOP wants?

"Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney"

"Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?"

"Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?"

"Romney Supporters Trashing Palin"

"Romney advisors sniping at Palin?"


Poor sport spoiler Romney doing what he does best:

Novak: "Fred Thompson drop-out rumors traced to Romney campaign"

Said Novak: "The rumors were traced in part to Mitt Romney's campaign,
trying to stir up strife between McCain and Thompson
."

"Despite outspending his rivals by huge margins throughout the primaries,
(Mitt Romney, Carpetbagger UT,CA,MA,NH,Mexico) lost Iowa, South Carolina, Florida and California.
The only primaries he won were in Michigan, where Dad was governor; LDS states;
and a few states on Super Tuesday in which his California-obsessed rivals
couldn't spare the cash to advertise.
Only John Connolly in 1968 had a worse cash-to-delegates ratio.
And John McCain rightly did not like Romney's tactics during the primaries.
(W)hen (Romney's early leads) started slipping away, he resorted to unfair,
distorted, scorched-earth negative ads, betting that his opponents couldn't
afford to spend enough for the truth to catch up to his charges."

[Romney: A Mistake for McCain, 7/23/2008, Dick Morris]



8 posted on 12/31/2011 3:17:24 PM PST by Diogenesis ("Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. " Pres. Ronald Reagan)
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To: vmivol00

I actually thought of putting a BARF alert on this title.


9 posted on 12/31/2011 3:23:39 PM PST by greyfoxx39 (The Iowa caucuses gave you Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. You're WELCOME, America.-Iowahawk)
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To: greyfoxx39

We have already had a VP who is now Mormon, Dan Quayle.

Mormons who raise money for NARAL turn me off. I think many of us could live with Bay Buchanan or Glenn Beck in the White House. Mitt Romney, anything named Udall, Orrin Hatch? Not so much.


10 posted on 12/31/2011 3:23:54 PM PST by Dr. Sivana (May Mitt Romney be the Mo Udall of 2012.)
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To: reaganaut

Lived in mass during his stay of power. Somethings he did right. He cut certain porkfat out of the spending budget,but balanced it out by increasing fees and certain taxes,plus incited the godforsaken socialist medical plan.


11 posted on 12/31/2011 3:25:32 PM PST by vampiric aristocracy
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To: greyfoxx39
If Mitt Romney is nominated and elected, he will be the first member of a highly persecuted American minority group to be so honored.

I thought obama was the first openly socialist president.

12 posted on 12/31/2011 3:30:56 PM PST by Caipirabob ( Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: greyfoxx39; Zakeet; All
From the article: If Mitt Romney is nominated and elected, he will be the first member of a highly persecuted American minority group to be so honored.

Oh, give me a break

Here's another look at things:
* MORMONS - PERSECUTED, PERSECUTOR OR BOTH?
* Violence in Early Mormonism - Was It All Unjust Persecution?

13 posted on 12/31/2011 3:31:15 PM PST by Colofornian (Martyrs don't die in shootouts! Sacrificial lambs aren't armed! J. Smith fired 2 weapons as he died)
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To: greyfoxx39
Ummmm. Who first spoke of "extermination," Governor Boggs about the Mormons, or the Mormons about the gentiles?

And would Ms. Charen like to mention why Joseph Smith was jailed? Does she have an issue with martial law under a theocratic militia? That's . . . treason. Because Smith was not only the prophet, he was General of his own army, the Nauvoo Legion, and had been crowned King of the World twice. And he declared martial law against the federal and state governments after he ordered a printing press destroyed primarily for disclosing that he was a polygamist.

The Missouri Wars involved fighting on both sides (I didn't see Charen mention the Danites). Reading this it like reading the description of an Ali-Frazier prize fight that only mentions the blows struck by Ali.

"Oh, and Ali hits Frazier."

"Another unprovoked blow by Ali!."

"And Ali hits Frazer again and people are even cheering"

"Oh! And Ali hits Frazier's fist with his face! How unfair!"

"And they have Frazier boxed inside these ropes! He's being persecuted! And Ali hits Frazier's fist with his stomach! Again! And again!"

"And Ali hits Frazier!"

"And there's a man in the ring WATCHING as this persecution goes on!"

"And now Frazier's down and they are raising Ali's hands and the crowd is cheering for him! Anti's! Anti's! Listen to all the Anti-Fraziers!."

This "we did nothing wrong and it was all just persecution" is detached from reality, and LDS historians have acknowledged it. But it serve Brigham Young and the church well, for his people to have a common enemy and a sense of persecution.

14 posted on 12/31/2011 3:31:49 PM PST by Scoutmaster (You knew the job was dangerous when you took it)
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To: vampiric aristocracy; 50mm; TheOldLady

Uh huh...

Welcome to FR. And I’m hoping that was sarcasm, if not your stay shall be brief.


15 posted on 12/31/2011 3:33:48 PM PST by reaganaut (Mormonism is all about glory to self, not Glory to God. - which explains Mitt Romney)
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To: greyfoxx39

Both willing and unwilling conservatives will be drawn into the irreversible act of the legitimization, embracing and mainstreaming of Mormonism to the Christian and conservative population of America, if Romney becomes the head of the ticket for the Republican party.

There is just no way around that necessity (for most commentators and pundits) and (unconscious impulse) for reluctant others, if Romney is nominated.


16 posted on 12/31/2011 3:39:36 PM PST by ansel12
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To: Dr. Sivana

Quayle is Mormon? When did THAT happen?


17 posted on 12/31/2011 3:41:29 PM PST by reaganaut (Mormonism is all about glory to self, not Glory to God. - which explains Mitt Romney)
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To: vampiric aristocracy

He left with 34% approval and turned the seat over to the democrats, and devastated the state GOP, that doesn’t spell effective Governor.


18 posted on 12/31/2011 3:51:20 PM PST by ansel12
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To: vampiric aristocracy
He cut certain porkfat out of the spending budget,but balanced it out by increasing fees and certain taxes

Increasing taxes and fees is what liberals do. Myth is a principleless liberal. Your argument is from a liberal point of view. FAIL.


19 posted on 12/31/2011 3:52:24 PM PST by 50mm (Trust nobody and you'll never be disappointed.)
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To: reaganaut

I read it somewhere of a recent conversion on FR recently, but now I can see no evidence of it. Apologies if mistaken.


20 posted on 12/31/2011 4:08:39 PM PST by Dr. Sivana (May Mitt Romney be the Mo Udall of 2012.)
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