Does America Have Faith in Romney?
Tommy Christopher
Contributor
Posted:
12/6/07
"Faith in America", Mitt Romney's speech today at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library, was billed as a pivotal moment for the candidate, a chance for him to quell concerns from evangelical Christians about his Mormonism. Basically, it was a chance to pick up votes from people who believe that the Earth is 6,000 years old, by assuring them that his beliefs aren't too "out there." I saw a bigger opportunity for Mitt. Let's see how it turned out.
I tried to approach this speech from a purely political standpoint, inasmuch as it helps or hurts Romney in the Republican primary, and the general election. While I'm no Romney supporter, I do think he might be the best Republican candidate. I've corresponded a great deal recently with an ardent Mitt supporter, and my respect for her has made me examine Romney more closely than I otherwise might have.
My view of Romney is that he's a moderate at heart, who has had to run from every reasonable position he has in order to appeal to a narrowing Republican base. I saw in this speech an opportunity for him to significantly broaden his appeal and still pick up some of those uncertain evangelicals. It would have required all of the charisma and deftness that Romney displayed in his best moments at the Republican Youtube debate, with no room for error.
Alas, it seems Mitt didn't aim that high, and in the process, he missed both marks. Evangelicals who distrusted Mitt's Mormonism aren't likely to be assuaged. I don't know enough about Mormonism, beyond a vague connection to polygamy and a knack for making really great commercials, to know even what their questions are, and I learned nothing from his speech. He was right to say, basically, "None of your business.", but then why give the speech?
He hit all the right notes for people with a casual curiosity about the divide between Mormons and other Christians, pointing to common religious ground and a shared love of our country, particularly with the Sam Adams anecdote, although I think the story's better if they all share a beer.
In picking up that tiny sliver of people, however, he failed to address any of the concerns of the Mormophobes, and alienated the 44% of Americans who are dissatisfied with the influence of organized religion on American life. He conspicuously espoused baskets full of freedom for everyone except those who are not religious, or more specifically, who are not religious Christians. If he ever makes it to a general election, he'll have to answer for that. I think the Republicans misunderstand the difference between freedom of religion and freedom from religion, not just for atheists, but for regular, NFL-loving, porn-watching Americans who also believe in God.
The particulars of the speech were amusing in some places, as he ticked off a laundry list of condescending positives for each Christian religion, culminating in his admiration for how Jews never change and Muslims are constantly praying. He also drew a curious connection between state-sponsored religion in Europe and the decay of centuries-old church buildings.
He also correctly noted that people don't respect "believers of convenience", helpful in his defense of his religion, but an unfortunate reminder of his shifting political positions.
In the final analysis, this speech probably helped Mitt somewhat in the Republican primary, which is all it needed to do. I think that his chief rivals, scandal-ridden Rudy Giuliani and Wayne Dumond-dogged Mike Huckabee are on a train to Loserville, leaving Mitt the presumptive nominee. It's a shame he had to pretend to such a profound ignorance of the true nature of this country's foundation, and of it's citizens' true beliefs about freedom.
I tried to approach this speech from a purely political standpoint, inasmuch as it helps or hurts Romney in the Republican primary, and the general election. While I'm no Romney supporter, I do think he might be the best Republican candidate. I've corresponded a great deal recently with an ardent Mitt supporter, and my respect for her has made me examine Romney more closely than I otherwise might have.
My view of Romney is that he's a moderate at heart, who has had to run from every reasonable position he has in order to appeal to a narrowing Republican base. I saw in this speech an opportunity for him to significantly broaden his appeal and still pick up some of those uncertain evangelicals. It would have required all of the charisma and deftness that Romney displayed in his best moments at the Republican Youtube debate, with no room for error.
Alas, it seems Mitt didn't aim that high, and in the process, he missed both marks. Evangelicals who distrusted Mitt's Mormonism aren't likely to be assuaged. I don't know enough about Mormonism, beyond a vague connection to polygamy and a knack for making really great commercials, to know even what their questions are, and I learned nothing from his speech. He was right to say, basically, "None of your business.", but then why give the speech?
He hit all the right notes for people with a casual curiosity about the divide between Mormons and other Christians, pointing to common religious ground and a shared love of our country, particularly with the Sam Adams anecdote, although I think the story's better if they all share a beer.
In picking up that tiny sliver of people, however, he failed to address any of the concerns of the Mormophobes, and alienated the 44% of Americans who are dissatisfied with the influence of organized religion on American life. He conspicuously espoused baskets full of freedom for everyone except those who are not religious, or more specifically, who are not religious Christians. If he ever makes it to a general election, he'll have to answer for that. I think the Republicans misunderstand the difference between freedom of religion and freedom from religion, not just for atheists, but for regular, NFL-loving, porn-watching Americans who also believe in God.
The particulars of the speech were amusing in some places, as he ticked off a laundry list of condescending positives for each Christian religion, culminating in his admiration for how Jews never change and Muslims are constantly praying. He also drew a curious connection between state-sponsored religion in Europe and the decay of centuries-old church buildings.
He also correctly noted that people don't respect "believers of convenience", helpful in his defense of his religion, but an unfortunate reminder of his shifting political positions.
In the final analysis, this speech probably helped Mitt somewhat in the Republican primary, which is all it needed to do. I think that his chief rivals, scandal-ridden Rudy Giuliani and Wayne Dumond-dogged Mike Huckabee are on a train to Loserville, leaving Mitt the presumptive nominee. It's a shame he had to pretend to such a profound ignorance of the true nature of this country's foundation, and of it's citizens' true beliefs about freedom.