In 2008, Will It Be Mormon in America?

[Moooooo]

From The Weekly Standard:

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will certainly be pleased with this article about him by Terry Eastland in the Weekly Standard. Mr Eastland sees in Romney a highly plausible presidential candidate.

We start with a summary of Mr Rommey's career to date: corporate consultant; venture capitalist; challenger to Ted Kennedy in 1994; saviour of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics; and Governor of Massachusetts, turning a budget deficit into a surplus without raising taxes or borrowing. "He looks like someone who could be president of the United States," Mr Eastland believes. "He is also ambitious."

Mr Romney told Mr Eastland that whether or not he would run for president would have an important bearing on whether or not he would seek re-election as governor. "There are probably some states where the people would say, 'Hey, we are going to elect you as governor and we don't care if you do something else full-time for two years'," Romney said to Eastland, "but Massachusetts isn't one of those states." Romney also noted that Bill Frist and Rudy Giuliani were potential 2008 candidates who would be running without holding current office, and that Ronald Reagan and Howard Dean were previous examples.

Whilst focusing on appealing to conservatives in his speeches outside Massachusetts, Romney has, according to Mr Eastland, "also found a way to talk beyond the present moment and toward the unknown political landscape of 2008 by describing challenges to our national security, to the economy, and to the culture."

Noting a poll - mentioned here previously - saying that 17% of Americans said they wouldn't vote for a Mormon under any circumstances, Mr Eastland suggests that a Mormon such as Romney "running for president may find his religion a handicap." However, some of the objections to Mormons "might fade if voters got to know a Mormon of compelling political credentials, and came to feel comfortable with him," Eastland argues. He also notes that the Mormon church itself is firm about staying out of party politics, refusing to endorse any candidate or allowing church membership lists to be used for politics. It does, however, occasionally get involved in ballot initiatives such as its opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s or its more recent support for constitutional bans on same-sex marriages. Romney himself "emphasizes his independence" from his church in assessing political issues, arguing that, like most other religious people, his faith is not his sole guide in reaching conclusions.

Despite the substantial historical and ideological differences between Mormonism and other Christian faiths, and the history of particularly fierce hostility from evangelical Protestants who dominate the Republican Party, Mr Eastland sees Romney's social conservatism as compensating for his religious faith in the eyes of some Christian conservatives. "Over the past quarter-century," Eastland writes, "Mormons have made common cause wutg politically conservative evangelicals (and Catholics) on a broad range of issues involving marriage, family, abortion, stem cells, pornography, and religious liberty." Much would depend on who else was on offer for the GOP nomination. "Romney's appeal to evangelicals might slacken if a competent evaneglical or Catholic with social views similar to Romney's were in the race," Eastland found. Even on social issues, however, some conservatives argue that Romney could do more as governor against same-sex marriage, embryonic stem-cell research and abortion.

There remains the possibility of Romney's religion being overtly raised to hurt him during an election campaign. "If Romney ran and were in the lead or gaining ground, a desperate candidate, or more likely a political action committee, might bring up the church's pre-1978 exclusion of blacks from the priesthood, or the continuing exclusion of women," Eastland suggests. However, he notes that among those defending Romney if that were to happen would be Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid - also a Mormon.

Asked himself what difference he thought his faith might make, Romney said: "This is a nation that will always welcome people of faith," and added that his religious beliefs were only one aspect of him that people would use to decide whether or not to vote for him.

[Notre Dame rules!]

Romney's cool, but it's not going to be 'Mormon in America.' at least not in '08.   I now believe that Allen is going to be the GOP nominee, though having Romney as veep couldn't hurt, especially among 'moderates' in the NE.

[Secular Politico]

Romney stands no chance of either being nominated or elected in '08.

And its hardly surprising that a neo-con mouthpiece such as the Weekly Standard would give him such a good write-up.

I think Romney's bare faced opportunism will kill any Presidential notions he has, that and a likely defeat if he decides to run for re-election as governor.

When running for governor in Massachusetts he positioned himself as a moderate Republican and now that he wants to curry favor with the religious right fanatics who control the national GOP, he is coming over as a conservative Republican.

The man is a hypocrite who lacks any degree of principle and would be one of the early casualties in the '08 Primary season if he decides to run.

[Smash255]

Romney stands no chance of either being nominated or elected in '08.

And its hardly surprising that a neo-con mouthpiece such as the Weekly Standard would give him such a good write-up.

I think Romney's bare faced opportunism will kill any Presidential notions he has, that and a likely defeat if he decides to run for re-election as governor.

When running for governor in Massachusetts he positioned himself as a moderate Republican and now that he wants to curry favor with the religious right fanatics who control the national GOP, he is coming over as a conservative Republican.

The man is a hypocrite who lacks any degree of principle and would be one of the early casualties in the '08 Primary season if he decides to run.

If he continues his rightwartd move & decides to run for re-election he won't have to worry about primary season because their will be none.  Getting ousted in your home state (even though it would have no chance of going GOP in a Presidential election anyway) would really damper his chances.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Reid vs. Romney, haha.

Anyways, I'm not sure if his losing would be much of a liability, just like Warner losing a 2006 Senate race might not be much of a liability. Both Lincoln and Nixon were losers before they became President (1858 IL Senate "race", 1962 CA governor).

[Secular Politico]

My guess is that Romney will chicken out of running for re-election and will try to spin his cop-out to the effect that he wants to devote all his time to running for President in '08.

As Smash correctly pointed out, he stands no chance of winning a governors race in progressive Massachusetts while he continues his right ward drift and pandering to the homophobes of the Christian right 

[AuH2O]

In today's climate, I don't think you can lose a race and then win a Presidential nomination.

[Jake]

Romney is the only moderate conservative with a good chance of being nominated. With New Hampshire early, you can never dismiss moderate New Englanders and certainly not someone with Romney's charisma. He's a second flight candidate if he wins re-election, lower if he decides not to run, and out of the running if he should lose. Saving grace for him is the weakness of the Democrats who have announced so far.

[PADem]

I hope he does run. A Bayh/Warner v Romney/[insert McCainesque Republican here] race would be just what this country needs.

[Citizen James]

I think his chances of winning the election if nominated are greater than those of his winning the nomination (if that makes any sense).

Given the number of individuals on the 'religious right' which make up one of the bigger bases in the GOP, and the fact that many fundementalists don't consider Mormons to be 'real Christians', I think his main chance at the nomination would be for the fundy vote to be divided between two or more other candidates - and possibly a brokered convention.

[MODU]

I highly doubt anyone will pay much attention to his religious affiliation compared to what he believes in politcally.

[danwxman]

Mitt Romney has impeccable credentials. 

Successful business executive, saved the Salt Lake Olympics from disaster and made them succeed, great Governor.

He has great integrity and character.

He has charisma, and is a very effective debater and campaigner.

He steers a moderate course.

If he runs for re-election as Governor he will win.

He is a proven leader, capable of making tough decisions.

As a leader and a person I like him very much. 

He would make a great President.

Are you going to be his campaign spokesman?

[MODU]

Of of kso's list, I would agree with everything except for him winning re-election.  While it is possible, it's not a sure thing.  He has had to take some harder Republican positions (such as gay marriage and embrionic stem cell research) recently, which might rub his moderate Democratice base the wrong way.

[MODU]

I will admit that I am not too aware of the in-state political climate and who might or might not run in the next election.  I'm having a hard enough time keeping up with Virginia as it is.  *laughs*  One of my fellow allumnist is running for a state position here, and he's been beating me up with marketing material.  Trying to figure out how to say "knock it off . . . or I might vote against you."  HAHAHA