Betsy's Page
HOME
Comments from an AP history
and government teacher in Raleigh, NC.
e-mail betsynewmark AT gmail.com
Commissions earned from selling items through Amazon will go towards buying materials for my classes. Thank you.
Site Feed
Betsy neither necessarily uses,
nor endorses,
the products advertised on this site.
The truth about Avesil
Cheap Hosting
Atlanta Bankruptcy Attorney
Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney
Wikio
Get exclusive travel deals and book discount cheap flights
Online Bachelors Degree
Comments from an AP history
and government teacher in Raleigh, NC.
e-mail betsynewmark AT gmail.com
Commissions earned from selling items through Amazon will go towards buying materials for my classes. Thank you.
Site Feed
Monday, September 11, 2006
Is Mitt Romney the next president?
Bill Sammon of the Washington Examiner seems to think so. That is how he titles his article about Romney in today's paper.Meet the next president: Mitt RomneyAs with most articles on Romney, Sammon focuses on Romney being a Mormon. And that is what the "experts" quoted in the article all focus on.David YepsenI think the pundits have convinced themselves that the great majority of Americans, particularly evangelical Christians, have a real prejudice against the Mormons. Perhaps, that is so. I don't really know because I don't hang in those circles. However, it strikes me as quite an insulting stereotype about those evangelical Christians and about Mormons. I see so much hand-wringing about this one issue and Romney, but I don't remember any of this when his father ran in 1968. Granted, I was a kid then and his father dropped out early. Perhaps some of my readers might remember some of that. But there was absolutely none of these insinuations when Orrin Hatch ran in 2000. Was it just because no one thought he had a chance and they're more concerned with what might harm a guy who perhaps has a real opening to get the nomination? Gosh, Michigan elected his father as governor and Massachusetts elected Mitt Romney himself. Apparently, those states could deal with a Mormon leader. And no one says that Harry Reid shouldn't have a lead position in Congress because of his religion. It's only Mitt Romney who pundits think will arouse such prejudice.
Political columnist, Des Moines Register
PRO » “He’s optimistic, energetic, upbeat … He’s doing about as well as any Republican is in this state.”
CON » “The Mormon question keeps coming up, but I hear more media people asking it than I hear rank and file in Iowa talking about it.”
Charlie Cook
Editor - Cook Political Report
PRO » “The guy’s got movie-star good looks.”
CON » “I can hear in my mind a phone bank in South Carolina saying: ‘Do you realize that if Mitt Romney’s elected president, he’ll be the first president to take an oath of office with his hand on the Book of Mormon?’
Larry Sabato
Political scientist, University of Virginia
PRO » “Romney has as much or more charisma than anyone in the GOP field. He’s a good speaker and he cuts a dashing figure.”
CON » “Christian conservatives have major doctrinal problems with Mormonism … and most Republicans really don’t trust anyone, even a Republican, who can get elected in the liberal Bay State.”
Also, in 2000 we had an Orthodox Jew run for the vice presidency and the media thought that was just swell. I didn't see one article wondering if people's anti-Semitism would keep them from voting for the Gore-Lieberman ticket. And in 2004, we had only the third Catholic to run from a major party. And no one said a peep about that except to discuss how far we'd come since 1928 and Al Smith and 1960 and John F. Kennedy. Surely, those evangelical Christians have just as many doctrinal disputes with Orthodox Jews and Catholics as they do with Mormons. So, why obsess over the possible obstacle Romney's religion is now?
The media needs to get over its Mormon obsession. Wait until we can see some tangible sign that his religion is harming him. I think Yepsen is exactly right. It is the media that is fixated on this question. They're the ones who bring it up all the time. They're the ones who will be waiting, hawk-eyed for any indication that those evangelicals and their latent prejudices will surface and keep this candidate from winning. And, I suspect, that if there is no such prejudice, they'll still keep coming back to the subject over and over just to remind conservative Christians that they're expected to be biased against Mormons.
Perhaps the real prejudice is in the minds of these pundits and journalists. They think that evangelicals are a bunch of bigots any way so why not assume that they'll draw the line at voting for a Mormon.
0 comments
Comments:
Bill Sammon of the Washington Examiner seems to think so. That is how he titles his article about Romney in today's paper.
Also, in 2000 we had an Orthodox Jew run for the vice presidency and the media thought that was just swell. I didn't see one article wondering if people's anti-Semitism would keep them from voting for the Gore-Lieberman ticket. And in 2004, we had only the third Catholic to run from a major party. And no one said a peep about that except to discuss how far we'd come since 1928 and Al Smith and 1960 and John F. Kennedy. Surely, those evangelical Christians have just as many doctrinal disputes with Orthodox Jews and Catholics as they do with Mormons. So, why obsess over the possible obstacle Romney's religion is now?
The media needs to get over its Mormon obsession. Wait until we can see some tangible sign that his religion is harming him. I think Yepsen is exactly right. It is the media that is fixated on this question. They're the ones who bring it up all the time. They're the ones who will be waiting, hawk-eyed for any indication that those evangelicals and their latent prejudices will surface and keep this candidate from winning. And, I suspect, that if there is no such prejudice, they'll still keep coming back to the subject over and over just to remind conservative Christians that they're expected to be biased against Mormons.
Perhaps the real prejudice is in the minds of these pundits and journalists. They think that evangelicals are a bunch of bigots any way so why not assume that they'll draw the line at voting for a Mormon.
0 comments
Bill Sammon of the Washington Examiner seems to think so. That is how he titles his article about Romney in today's paper.
Meet the next president: Mitt RomneyAs with most articles on Romney, Sammon focuses on Romney being a Mormon. And that is what the "experts" quoted in the article all focus on.
David YepsenI think the pundits have convinced themselves that the great majority of Americans, particularly evangelical Christians, have a real prejudice against the Mormons. Perhaps, that is so. I don't really know because I don't hang in those circles. However, it strikes me as quite an insulting stereotype about those evangelical Christians and about Mormons. I see so much hand-wringing about this one issue and Romney, but I don't remember any of this when his father ran in 1968. Granted, I was a kid then and his father dropped out early. Perhaps some of my readers might remember some of that. But there was absolutely none of these insinuations when Orrin Hatch ran in 2000. Was it just because no one thought he had a chance and they're more concerned with what might harm a guy who perhaps has a real opening to get the nomination? Gosh, Michigan elected his father as governor and Massachusetts elected Mitt Romney himself. Apparently, those states could deal with a Mormon leader. And no one says that Harry Reid shouldn't have a lead position in Congress because of his religion. It's only Mitt Romney who pundits think will arouse such prejudice.
Political columnist, Des Moines Register
PRO » “He’s optimistic, energetic, upbeat … He’s doing about as well as any Republican is in this state.”
CON » “The Mormon question keeps coming up, but I hear more media people asking it than I hear rank and file in Iowa talking about it.”
Charlie Cook
Editor - Cook Political Report
PRO » “The guy’s got movie-star good looks.”
CON » “I can hear in my mind a phone bank in South Carolina saying: ‘Do you realize that if Mitt Romney’s elected president, he’ll be the first president to take an oath of office with his hand on the Book of Mormon?’
Larry Sabato
Political scientist, University of Virginia
PRO » “Romney has as much or more charisma than anyone in the GOP field. He’s a good speaker and he cuts a dashing figure.”
CON » “Christian conservatives have major doctrinal problems with Mormonism … and most Republicans really don’t trust anyone, even a Republican, who can get elected in the liberal Bay State.”
Also, in 2000 we had an Orthodox Jew run for the vice presidency and the media thought that was just swell. I didn't see one article wondering if people's anti-Semitism would keep them from voting for the Gore-Lieberman ticket. And in 2004, we had only the third Catholic to run from a major party. And no one said a peep about that except to discuss how far we'd come since 1928 and Al Smith and 1960 and John F. Kennedy. Surely, those evangelical Christians have just as many doctrinal disputes with Orthodox Jews and Catholics as they do with Mormons. So, why obsess over the possible obstacle Romney's religion is now?
The media needs to get over its Mormon obsession. Wait until we can see some tangible sign that his religion is harming him. I think Yepsen is exactly right. It is the media that is fixated on this question. They're the ones who bring it up all the time. They're the ones who will be waiting, hawk-eyed for any indication that those evangelicals and their latent prejudices will surface and keep this candidate from winning. And, I suspect, that if there is no such prejudice, they'll still keep coming back to the subject over and over just to remind conservative Christians that they're expected to be biased against Mormons.
Perhaps the real prejudice is in the minds of these pundits and journalists. They think that evangelicals are a bunch of bigots any way so why not assume that they'll draw the line at voting for a Mormon.
Comments:
Post a Comment
