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Romney's Religion Problem
National Review Online ^ | Oct. 4, 2011 | John Hood

Posted on 10/05/2011 8:05:15 AM PDT by Colofornian

After Rick Perry’s wobbly performance shifted some momentum back to Mitt Romney, conservatives began another round of speculation about his appeal in the early-primary states. It seems that his religious affiliation remains a serious problem for him.

USA Today reported on latest Gallup poll question:

Although three of four Americans say they would support a presidential candidate who is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Gallup Poll finds that 22% say they would not.

That figure has not changed much since Gallup started measuring opinion on this subject in 1967. One difference comes by party: While 27% of Democrats say they would not support a Mormon for president, that figure is 20% for Republicans.

Those rates may not sound like much, but they could tip a close election — and are likely to be somewhat understated because some poll respondents would be reluctant to admit to anti-Mormon bias. Another recent survey by pollster Gary Lawrence, himself a Mormon, confirmed the bias, but Lawrence offered a more positive spin:

Lawrence’s poll also asked voters to what extent they would consider voting for a person of a specific religion. Five times as many voters would never consider voting for a Mormon (20%) as compared to a Catholic or a Baptist (4%). As for support, 50% would definitely consider a Catholic and 47% a Baptist, but only 30% would definitely consider a Mormon.

However, while such results have been touted as an uphill battle for Mormons running for office, other questions demonstrate these generic measures may not be that important.

“If religion played a big role in the vote decision, more people could correctly identify candidates’ religions,” Lawrence said. “While 85% of voters have heard of Mitt Romney, only 41% know he is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka Mormon, despite considerable publicity. Only 11% and 6% respectively know that Jon Huntsman, Jr. and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are also Mormons.”

Similarly, the survey found that 7% of voters correctly identify Michelle Bachman’s evangelical Lutheranism, and merely 1% know Rick Perry is a Methodist. Further confusion: 17% still think Barack Obama is a Muslim.

“Those aren’t numbers that suggest passionate interest,” Lawrence said.

Perhaps, but by Election Day a significant majority of voters will know Romney is a Mormon. I don’t think that should matter one bit. But it might.


TOPICS: Current Events; Other Christian; Religion & Culture; Religion & Politics
KEYWORDS: cowardmilt; ignoreissues4romney; inman; lds; milt; mormon; mormoncard; nro4mormoncard; nro4romney; perry; romney; romneybigdig; romneycare; romneydeathpanels; romneyfailure; spiltmilt; yellowmilt
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From the article: Although three of four Americans say they would support a presidential candidate who is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Gallup Poll finds that 22% say they would not. That figure has not changed much since Gallup started measuring opinion on this subject in 1967. One difference comes by party: While 27% of Democrats say they would not support a Mormon for president, that figure is 20% for Republicans. Those rates may not sound like much, but they could tip a close election — and are likely to be somewhat understated because some poll respondents would be reluctant to admit to anti-Mormon bias.

"Anti-Mormon bias" = anti-worldview discernment. (Sorry, I don't vote for self-proclaimed "gods" for POTUS; nor candidates whose open beliefs deem us Christians to be apostates who adhere to 100% creeds of "abomination"...btw, abominable apostates is the "N" word equivalent for Christians...voters voting for true-propagandized Mormons would be like a black voting for a KKK member)

From the article: Five times as many voters would never consider voting for a Mormon (20%) as compared to a Catholic or a Baptist (4%). As for support, 50% would definitely consider a Catholic and 47% a Baptist, but only 30% would definitely consider a Mormon.

Only 30% of voters would definitely consider a Mormon candidate...and the RINOs want him as their candidate? What fantasyworld do they live in?

From the article: “While 85% of voters have heard of Mitt Romney, only 41% know he is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka Mormon, despite considerable publicity.

Just wait until the MSM runs its campaign to ensure the other 59% of America finds out that Romney is Mormon!

1 posted on 10/05/2011 8:05:18 AM PDT by Colofornian
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To: Colofornian

That 22% is probably most leftists who don’t like Mormons, and would never vote for a Republican anyway.


2 posted on 10/05/2011 8:07:21 AM PDT by proxy_user
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To: Colofornian

Has it occurred to anyone in the GOP that it might be unwise to oppose a semi-black man with a mormon, whose church taught for many years that blackness was a mark of sin?


3 posted on 10/05/2011 8:08:47 AM PDT by Jedidah
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To: Colofornian

We would hear 1000 times a day that Romney’s great-grandfather had 5 wives.


4 posted on 10/05/2011 8:09:02 AM PDT by petercooper (2012 - Purge more RINO's.)
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To: Colofornian

NRO Must PIMP their Romney.

Can't push any of his ideas
(RomneyCARE, Fees(Taxes), BIG-DIGs, proMexico, .......)
so they crawl under his skirt
where they feel at home
and plead, for the 10 trillionth time, the Mormon card.

5 posted on 10/05/2011 8:09:11 AM PDT by Diogenesis ("Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. " Pres. Ronald Reagan)
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To: Colofornian

the media is just holding off “educating” people about some of the tenets of mormonism until the day after Mittens is nominated

Then I suspect we will all be treated to accurate or inaccurate exposes about the sons of Cain and the planet Kolob, among other topics, and obama (and even Tom Cruise) will look mainstream by comparison


6 posted on 10/05/2011 8:10:51 AM PDT by silverleaf (Common sense is not so common - Voltaire)
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To: All
What I would like to hear from the "his Mormonism is immaterial" crowd...
...is to explain how Romney's socio-political viability as a Mormon candidate is somehow also immaterial...

It seems to me this crowd is always ignoring the elephant in the living room. They seem to keep saying, "Well, ya know on my corner of the living room, that elephant ain't botherin' me a bit."

7 posted on 10/05/2011 8:11:07 AM PDT by Colofornian
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To: Diogenesis
NRO Must PIMP their Romney.

True. Lopez of NRO was the most prominent pimp in 07.

8 posted on 10/05/2011 8:14:30 AM PDT by Colofornian
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To: Diogenesis
IMO, this propaganda campaign to "acquaint people with the mormon religion (Mormons 'R' Us)", will prove to be self-defeating. The heresy of the sect being brought to the attention of voters will cause them to wonder..."WTH is Mitt thinking, running against a black man while clinging to the racist doctrine of mormonism?"

The media wants Romney to be the nominee..that's why they are holding fire on the racism until the nominee is chosen.

9 posted on 10/05/2011 8:17:49 AM PDT by greyfoxx39 (Joseph Smith, AmericaÂ’s first Comic Book author. He Produced the Adventures of Nephi-Mormon-Moroni)
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To: proxy_user

The 22% comes from both ends of the political spectrum, to my understanding, but for different reasons. I saw on another thread where dems are actualy less likely to vote for LDS than pubs because of the general political views they perceive the majority of LDS hold, while the majority of those who won’t vote for a LDS because of their own religious views are much more likely to be pubs.

Freegards


10 posted on 10/05/2011 8:18:40 AM PDT by Ransomed
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To: petercooper
We would hear 1000 times a day that Romney’s great-grandfather had 5 wives.

The media would obsess about his magic undies, use polygamy as a target weapon against him and his church by supporting polygamists to march and stage protests getting the evangelicals upset, delve into the Mormon's history and plaster it over the air waves/news papers making the Mormon church look kookier than it already is.

The GOP has to think like the left. There's just too much to about Mormonism to use against Romney for him to be an effective president.

If the media chooses to make something a topic, it will and if it decides to ignore something, they'll do that too.

11 posted on 10/05/2011 8:22:01 AM PDT by dragonblustar (Allah Ain't So Akbar!)
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To: Ransomed

Didn’t we dispense with religious concerns after JFK was elected in 1960? What am I missing here?

When Joe Lieberman was the VP nominee in 2000, he became the first non-Christian candidate for either president or vice-president, of a major political party. Yet that fact was barely mentioned in the campaign, and his religion was a non-issue.

Nobody ever talks about Harry Reid being Mormon.

Is religion an issue only for Republican candidates for office???? Are good Democrats given a pass, because their liberalism overrides whatever religious doctrines they believe in????


12 posted on 10/05/2011 8:23:57 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Colofornian
Most stupid line of the day.

Perhaps, but by Election Day a significant majority of voters will know Romney is a Mormon. I don’t think that should matter one bit. But it might.

That idiot doesn't know how quickly the MSM media will crucify Mr. dummy Romney once they get him up against their savior Obambi. That is the plan of the left. And what a time they will have with the pre 1978 material in addition to the polygamy issue. I will also bet that the MMM ordeal will be pinned on him as well. Not a good time to be a Mormon candidate in my opinion.

13 posted on 10/05/2011 8:24:33 AM PDT by Utah Binger (Southern Utah where INVITED Freepers will meet again next summer. Jim Robinson Too)
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To: Ransomed

More likely people are not favoring mormons because of their religious views but because of the religious views of mormons.


14 posted on 10/05/2011 8:24:48 AM PDT by svcw (Those who are easily shocked... should be shocked more often. - Mae West)
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To: Colofornian

Romney’s religion problem is that nobody cares, so it can’t be used to deflect people from holding him accountable for Romneycare and his Planned Parenthood fundraising.


15 posted on 10/05/2011 8:27:32 AM PDT by MrEdd (Heck? Geewhiz Cripes, thats the place where people who don't believe in Gosh think they aint going.)
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To: Colofornian

Romney’s religion problem is that nobody cares, so it can’t be used to deflect people from holding him accountable for Romneycare and his Planned Parenthood fundraising.


16 posted on 10/05/2011 8:27:43 AM PDT by MrEdd (Heck? Geewhiz Cripes, thats the place where people who don't believe in Gosh think they aint going.)
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To: dragonblustar

So are you suggesting that the media should have a veto power over who the Republican nominee is?

I would suggest that you have a point, that the MSM will go after Romney and Mormonism. I would also suggest that the MSM will go after any Republican nominee, based on whatever criteria they decide will be the best line of attack.

The media will find something wrong with ANY GOP nominee. I think it’s a given that the MSM will be in the tank for Obama again in 2012.


17 posted on 10/05/2011 8:28:27 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Colofornian

Romney’s religion problem is that nobody cares, so it can’t be used to deflect people from holding him accountable for Romneycare and his Planned Parenthood fundraising.


18 posted on 10/05/2011 8:28:37 AM PDT by MrEdd (Heck? Geewhiz Cripes, thats the place where people who don't believe in Gosh think they aint going.)
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Yes, it is pretty much only for pub candidates, unless there would be a dem Muslum running, in which case it would reverse, with the howls coming from the libs about intolerance.

I think there are many things to consider when voting, and there is nothing wrong with using religion to inform one’s choice, if that’s what you decide to do.

Freegards


19 posted on 10/05/2011 8:30:43 AM PDT by Ransomed
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To: Dilbert San Diego
Catholicism and Judaism are mainstream religions with an easily understood theology that most Americans are familiar with and which doesn't sound strange to them.

Although there was a concern that a Catholic President would take his ‘marching orders’ from the Pope - a long history of Catholic Monarchs and Prime Ministers showed that the Pope was unlikely to attempt it - and they were even less likely to heed it.

Mormonism, by contrast, posits that any Mormon can receiver at any time a divine “revelation” or “prophecy” - either Mitt himself or anyone above him in the Mormon hierarchy - and who knows what it will say or what credence Mitt would give it.

Also their theology is an absolute mess.

I can see the mental constructs the MSM would be creating....

A vote for Romney is a vote for Black skin being a mark of evil.

A vote for Romney is a vote for Jesus and Satan being spirit brothers.

Etc, etc, etc.

20 posted on 10/05/2011 8:32:39 AM PDT by allmendream (Tea Party did not send the GOP to D.C. to negotiate the terms of our surrender to socialism.)
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