Comments on: The problem with being a Massachusetts Mormon

By: Friend of the Court

Friend of the Court — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 21:05:56 +0000

Of course it is because he is a Mormon. Voters are ignorant and just vote for someone they think is like themselves, hence Gingrich’s success in Georgia. Romney needs to get saved by Billy Graham and renounce the Mormon heresy and then all will be sweetness and light. With his history of flip-flopping, a campaign deathbed conversion is not out of the question. He would probably skin his own grandmother for a shot at the White House, although come to think of it, that might not go down well with moderate Republicans.

By: Mountainviewer

Mountainviewer — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:04:22 +0000

I hope you’re right!

By: wjl5926

wjl5926 — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 23:03:53 +0000

The problem the "evangelicals" have with the Mo's, are many. But, basically, the theological differences revolve around the concept of Divine Grace.
The LDS do not believe in Grace.

By: spinnerator

spinnerator — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:41:08 +0000

Mormon? Mormon? Oh, I thought you said Moron.

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:59:36 +0000

I think it is sad that people would let petty anti-religious prejudices decide the fate of our country, but I can see why the misinformed would think that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is “weird” or “peculiar.” Generally religion has moved away from the Church that Jesus established and most people don’t even recognize His Church, even when He re-established it in its original form. However, almost everything unique about Mormons was had among the earliest of Christians. Check out this link if you want to learn the truth:

http://www.fairlds.org/authors/bickmore-barry/restoring-the-ancient-church-joseph-smith-and-early-christianity

By: sharksbreath

sharksbreath — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:18:02 +0000

Obama:

"But the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there’s not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. So it’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

No truer words have been spoken about the Republican party of these days and times.

If this mindset could ever be vanquished the Republican party would die.

By: khalleron

khalleron — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:13:25 +0000

Whinging is British for whining.

Well, it is.

By: shaggylocks

shaggylocks — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:59:36 +0000

whinging?

By: alden

alden — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:51:32 +0000

Just this morning I was thinking about the old days when “favorite sons” were important in the primary process. Today the public is in charge, with the chaotic results we’ve been seeing. Clearly the smoke-filled room and the favorite sons made for better discipline and better-run campaigns. Perhaps Newt Gingrich’s Georgia-stronghold tactic is a throwback to the favorite-son strategy – or the first inkling of the GOP’s future! He’ll be the first to say “told you so,” I think.

By: jtanneru

jtanneru — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:31:47 +0000

I think the evangelicals would be able to accept Mitt's Mormonism just like Newt's and Rick's Catholicism if his position on wedge social issues was more closely aligned with the Mormon church. Remember that Mormons worked hard to fight Prop 8; their doctrine is just as aligned with evangelicals as Catholicism is.

Romney has ceded the hard-right social issue territory to his opponents -- probably because he isn't too credible there, anyway, with his Massachusetts record. With Santorum and Gingrich competing for the evangelical voters, he has the luxury of ignoring them. Evangelicals control mostly red states, so I think he believes they won't help him that much in the general election.

What might hurt him in the general, however, is that the Republican vote in some swing states includes a lot of evangelicals. Minnesota and Colorado, for example, might be easier for Obama to keep if evangelicals are not enthusiastic about the Republican candidate.

Reagan sold his soul to Jerry Falwell in exchange for the 1980 victory, and evangelicals have been dominant in the Republican party ever since. If not for their special issues, Republicans would have lost a lot of races. The boost they get from evangelicals allows the Republican party movement conservatives to pursue their crazy economic policies, which are unpopular with about 60% of the electorate.

Now we are seeing the fruit of this "holy" alliance, where two candidates that appeal to the Republican base have no hope of winning the general election, and a candidate who can compete in the general is reviled by the base.

We are seeing the demise of the Republican party.

By: anon anon

anon anon — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:26:13 +0000

Romney’s faithful apparently don’t have a problem with forced conversions.

By: firstpersoninfinite

firstpersoninfinite — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:04:43 +0000

"Here the thing-were this a "winner take all" caucus season, Romney would be that much further along."

But it isn't a "winner take all". So who's dealing in frivolity here? The Republican primary audience looks like a horror show featuring rednecks with hammers.

By: Kenjii

Kenjii — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:02:34 +0000

LOL! That was a very good impersonation of a mindless drone. You made it sound like you were one of those dopes inside the bubble, believing that Obama WANTS to raise the price of gas just before an election. Nicely done.

By: dissmiss

dissmiss — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:39:42 +0000

Sorry, “really don’t like”

By: dissmiss

dissmiss — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:32:33 +0000

I think that one of the enduring lessons of the last 16 years or so is that Republicans really, really doesn’t like democracy. When it comes right down to it, they hate the idea that normal people out there might actually have some say in how they want to run things.

By: tasherbean

tasherbean — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:24:38 +0000

“There’s little evidence that this bruising primary will really hurt Mitt’s chances in November.”
I wouldn’t be so certain about that. His stances on women’s reproductive rights (those aren’t the words he would have used….), “self deportation” of illigal immigrants, the potential failure of Chrysler and GM, etc., etc. are not going to be forgotten by some hefty voting blocks…and rest assured that Obama’s reelection committee won’t let anyone else forget either…..

By: Mountainviewer

Mountainviewer — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:14:37 +0000

Amen. Should have read your comment before posting my own. Because it’s not like Mississippi is going to swing for Obama because of low fundy turnout. It’s in places like OH, PA, FL, etc, that Romney’s not-conservative-enough-ness might, I fear, actually help him enough to prevail.

By: rorschach

rorschach — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:13:50 +0000

So Mittens Moneybags finally cracked the 50% of the votes barrier in a primary race? Good for him! I guess he IS the People’s Choice after all!

By: Mountainviewer

Mountainviewer — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:09:30 +0000

Yeah, but you know what gang? Welcome to the twenty-first century. There are no more copy editors. Even most scholarly books and articles aren't really copy edited any more. I'm sure Salon would be thrilled if you volunteered to provide free editing for them. Otherwise they have the money either to pay writers or to pay copy editors. If you think the blemishes are bad enough to make it not worth reading, the simple response is: don't read it. Otherwise, well, the whinging doesn't help.

But I'll warn you, the next, oh, twenty years are going to be rough for you. By then computers should be able to edit on their own. But until then, expect the quality of published prose to decline steadily.

By: Mountainviewer

Mountainviewer — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:04:00 +0000

And here's why this doesn't matter all that much: In the swing states that will be hotly contested in November, the fundy and tea bag ratios are lower (like Ohio), so Mitt doesn't have to sweat it so much. In the places where the fundy and tea bag ratios are high, those voters hate Obama so much they'll hold their noses and vote for Mitt (just like I'll hold my nose and vote for Obama).

Much of the GOP propaganda machine is intentionally over-reacting to all this precisely to lull Dems into complacency. There's little evidence that this bruising primary will really hurt Mitt's chances in November. Obama still has a slight edge in the odds, but all this is just a side show and psy op.