Election News and Features
Pundits Chew Over Romney’s Faith Speech
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Commentators evaluate the success of Mitt Romney’s Dec. 6 “Faith in America” speech, intended to boost the presidential candidate’s languishing campaign; journalists and the electorate of both political persuasions appear largely underwhelmed.
30-Second Summary
According to The Wall Street Journal, Mitt Romney tried to focus on the similarities between his Mormon faith and other religions. The candidate noted that the American government is “tolerant enough” to include a variety of faiths.
Charles Krauthammer of The Washington Post responded by expressing his wish for an election in which a candidate’s religion would not be attacked or require explanation.
“It is un-American. It is unfortunate that Romney has had to justify himself in response,” wrote Krauthammer.
Some other pundits were less sympathetic. Andrew Sullivan and Maureen Dowd interpreted the speech, respectively, as veiled intolerance and as a desperate bid to compete with presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas.
As the dust cleared from Romney’s Texas podium, a Gallup poll was published on Dec. 11 under the banner “Percentage Unwilling to Vote for a Mormon Holds Steady.”
Charles Krauthammer of The Washington Post responded by expressing his wish for an election in which a candidate’s religion would not be attacked or require explanation.
“It is un-American. It is unfortunate that Romney has had to justify himself in response,” wrote Krauthammer.
Some other pundits were less sympathetic. Andrew Sullivan and Maureen Dowd interpreted the speech, respectively, as veiled intolerance and as a desperate bid to compete with presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas.
As the dust cleared from Romney’s Texas podium, a Gallup poll was published on Dec. 11 under the banner “Percentage Unwilling to Vote for a Mormon Holds Steady.”
Headline Link: Mitt Romney's speech
The official Web site of Mitt Romney's 2008 campaign carries video of the presidential candidate's address "Faith in America."
Source: Mitt Romney for President 2008
Opinions & Analysis: Weighing up 'Faith in America'
The Wall Street Journal considered the way Romney tried to position his religion by drawing attention to its similarities with other faiths. Romney stated that "a common creed of moral convictions” allows him to come to the same policy decisions as the religious right.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Slate judged Romney’s speech to be incomplete—the word “Mormon” was used only once and Romney only touched on the specifics of his beliefs before highlighting the similarities between Mormonism and other religions. Slate argues that Romney’s one line on Jesus Christ will not have been enough to satisfy evangelical Christians in that it did not state exactly what Romney thinks of Jesus. "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind," Romney stated.
Source: Slate
In “What Iowans Should know About Mormons,” Naomi Schaffer Riley of The Wall Street Journal explains that a recent Pew poll showed that only 53 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Mormons, but she believes that figure might change if the public knew a little more about the practitioners of this faith. “They don't drink, smoke or gamble. Members give at least 10 percent of their income to the church and often volunteer more than 20 hours a week in some religious capacity … Rather than behaving like an insular cult, members are integrated into the society around them, sending their kids to public schools and assuming leadership positions locally and nationally.”
Source: The Wall Street Journal
In her op-ed for The New York Times, Maureen Dowd asserted, “The problem with Mitt is not his religion; it is his overeager policy shape-shifting. He did not give a brave speech, but a pandering one. Disguised as a courageous, Kennedyesque statement of principle, the talk was really just an attempt to compete with the evolution-disdaining, religion-baiting Huckabee and get Baptists to concede that Mormons are Christians.”
Source: The New York Times
Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer longs for an election in which a candidate’s religion will not be attacked or require explanation. “I suspect that neither Thomas Jefferson's Providence nor George Washington's Great Author nor Lincoln's Almighty would look kindly on the exploitation of religious differences for political gain. It is un-American. It is unfortunate that Romney has had to justify himself in response.”
Source: The Chicago Tribune
Andrew Sullivan, former editor of the New Republic online edition, questions how Romney can uphold American pluralism while not including non-religious groups. “I would have had no qualms in supporting a Mormon for the presidency, as long as he vows to represent people of all faiths and none,” writes Sullivan. “But Romney decided against that. That matters. It is veiling intolerance under the guise of tolerance.”
Source: The Times of London
A Gallup poll published on Dec. 11 found that around one in six Americans, with the proportions remaining approximately the same among Democrats and Republicans, would be unwilling to vote for a Mormon candidate.
Source: Gallup
Reference: What is Mormonism?
According to PBS, Mormons believe that their religion is restoring Christianity to its true form. The faith shares many tenets with Protestantism and Catholicism, including their belief in the significance of the Gospels, the importance of Baptism, and the second coming of Christ. Mormons hold it that Christ will create the "new kingdom" in America, as laid out in “The Book of Mormon.”
Source: PBS
Mormonism was founded by Joseph Smith, who claimed he was visited by “heavenly manifestations” before receiving “The Book of Mormon” from the Prophet Maroni. Smith led followers from New York to Ohio to Missouri, and then to Illinois, where close-knit communities were established. Led by Brigham Young, following the murder of Smith by a mob in 1844, the Mormons finally settled in Utah. They abandoned the practice of polygamy in 1890.
Source: Mormon History Association
The official Web site for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the full title of the Mormon church, states that it has 12,868,606 members worldwide. The Web site also offers the latest press releases and stories about Mormonism and information about Mormon missions around the world.
Source: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
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