Two weeks ago, Mitt Romney said he saw no need to address the subject of his Mormonism. Over the course of the last couple of weeks, he has seen his lead in states with early primaries slipping in some places and and dropping like a rock in others. At the same time, former Governor and Baptist minister Mike Huckabee is moving up rapidly in the polls. Huckabee's support has come from a broad spectrum of potential voters, but especially among evangelicals who were reluctant to support him when he was languishing in the second tier of Republican hopefuls, but are jumping on the Huckabee bandwagon now that he is more viable and therefore more attractive.
Suddenly finding himself trailing Huckabee by 22-points, Gov. Romney now sees the need to address his religion.
Many evangelicals view Mormonism as out of the mainstream of Christianity at best and a cult at worst. So the former Massachusetts governor comes to the George Bush Library in Houston this morning to talk about religious liberty, freedom and tolerance. Many in the media are comparing Romney's "Mormon Speech" to the famous one made by John F. Kennedy during the 1960 presidential campaign.
That speech was a turning point for Kennedy's campaign as he effectively reassured voters that his Catholic faith would not negatively impact the way he would govern as Chief Executive. The Nixon campaign - in a move foreshadowing dirty tricks yet to come in the 1970s that would ultimately lead to his 1974 resignation - tried to portray Kennedy as beholden to or even controlled by the Pope and the Vatican. Kennedy's speech convinced enough voters that he was a regular guy for him to squeak out a razor thin margin of victory over Nixon.
But to paraphrase Lloyd Bentzen's biting comment to Dan Quayle from the 1988 campaign, Gov. Romney, you're no Jack Kennedy. The speech today was well crafted and my hat's off to the speechwriter who penned it.
There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they are at odds with the nation's founders... Freedom requires religion, just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.
There's certainly nothing there to disagree with, which is part of my problem with it. Romney comes across to me as too perfect, too crafted, too correct, and too much a product of consultants and advisors. He's about as real as a plastic Christmas tree, perfectly shaped and proportioned but devoid of character and life. (And in Romney's case, devoid of lifelong convictions that are not subject to change with the latest polls or the demographic of the people he wants to secure the votes of.)
My problem with Mitt Romney has nothing to do with the fact that he is a Mormon. My problem with the Governor is that he changes his opinions, convictions and policy statements more often than most of us change our socks.
I do not believe that Mormonism is a Christian sect, and I certainly don't believe that it should be considered an Abrahamic religion alongside Christianity and Judaism. If you seriously study the core tenets of the Mormon faith and the history of the Mormons in America, you cannot escape the conclusion that it is a cult.
But, that said, I would not have a problem voting for a sincere Mormon for President if I was convinced he was the right man for the job. Mitt Romney most decidedly is not.
Read the CNN story here.
Comments