Michael Steele on the Mormon Factor in Romney's Defeat
By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country
Michael Steele has been roundly criticized (again) and has issued (another) sort-of apology, this time for comments he made about Mitt Romney's presidential bid. Sitting in for conservative radio host Bill Bennett, the Republican National Committee chairman challenged a caller who suggested Romney would have made a better presidential nominee than John McCain:
Remember, it was the base that rejected Mitt because of his switch on pro-life, from pro-choice to pro-life. It was the base that rejected Mitt because it had issues with Mormonism. It was the base that rejected Mitt because they thought he was back and forth and waffling on those very economic issues you're talking about.
The remarks triggered a counterpunch from Romney and disapproval from much of the conservative establishment. It's bad form to accuse the GOP base of being anti-Mormon, not to mention telling someone that his religion is a political impediment.
But Steele's analysis strikes me as pretty solid.
Romney was defeated last year by Mike Huckabee, who rode the GOP's evangelical base—which Romney so assiduously courted—to victory in Iowa and in a slew of Southern states that Romney needed to challenge McCain from the right. A December 2007 Pew poll showed that evangelical voters were the most skeptical in the electorate toward a Mormon candidate, with 1 in 3 expressing reservations about supporting one.
I interviewed a long list of conservative evangelical leaders, meanwhile, who were unconvinced by Romney's evolution from social liberal to abortion-rights foe.
Romney backers argue that absent Huckabee, the GOP primaries look totally different. But won't there always be a Huckabee, a Sarah Palin, or a George W. Bush who has an overwhelming advantage among evangelical voters? If you think so, then Steele's gaffe contained a fair bit of truth.
- Read more by Dan Gilgoff.
- Read more about Republicans.
Tags: candidates | presidential election 2008 | Republicans | Mitt Romney | Mike Huckabee | John McCain | religion | Mormonism | RNC | evangelicals | Michael Steele
Tools: 
Share
|
| Comments (18) | Print
Reader Comments
Steele nailed it
Steele was correct. One reason Romney didn't get the nomination was because of religious prejudice by Republicans.
RE: Christian Taliban
ShellyGirl of AZ May 12, 2009 13:08:57 PM writes:
"As long as the Christian Taliban is hijacking the party, the GOP will never win again. If they keep alienating a segment of their base (Mormons) they will never win again. The religious bigotry is toxic and people are leaving the party in droves to avoid being the next target.
Mitt is honorable. He shares the same values as other Christians. Many Evangelicals do not have a problem with Mitt. It is the rabid, hate-driven pastors afraid of losing their own members (money) that keep religious bigotry alive and well.
If we learn nothing in this century, let us learn to be accepting and loving towards all races, religions, and groups not like ourselves. We don't have to pass laws to support sins, but we need to be inclusive and respectful with our dialog. The GOP is so damaged by religious extremists, it may take several presidential cycles to reform the party. By then, it will be too late. America will have lost her soul.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Excellent post--I couldn't agree more! And this faux problem that Romney supposedly has with Evangelicals is limited to a minority, and the GOP overall views him very positively.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics2/republicans_give_romney_edge_over_gingrich
April 24, 2009
"Eighty-two percent (82%) of Republican voters have a favorable view of Romney, including 43% whose opinion of him is Very Favorable. Only 12% of GOP voters have an unfavorable opinion of the former Massachusetts governor, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey."
Libertarian Mormons gag on Evangelical Spew
I'm a Mormon and I gagged on the Mitt candidacy because he was a closet big government conservative, a la Bush.
Having said that, the evangelical base doesn't know a friend when they see one. Nothing bothers me more than having conservative Christians cry because they don't want thier candidate to believe in "a different Jesus". They would rather have a candidate that professed ideological purity, but raised tarrifs, regulation, and non-military socialistic spending like George Bush.
advertisement
