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Romney urges grads to honor family commitments

May 12, 2012 RSS Feed Print

But he's mostly avoided talking about it on the campaign trail, largely avoiding religious forums and events throughout the primary season.

And at arguably the most religious venue he's addressed during the campaign — since announcing his bid, Romney hasn't made a public appearance in a church of any kind — he continued to keep his own faith in the background.

"This isn't a speech about Mormonism," senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom told reporters Friday on a conference call. Fehrnstrom pointed to the speech Romney gave in Texas in 2007 outlining his faith and defending religious freedom — the last time the former Massachusetts governor has addressed his faith in any detail.

Still, it was clear the campaign was keenly aware of the overtones. Romney was introduced by Mark DeMoss, an evangelical who has repeatedly defended Romney's faith on the campaign trail. "I suspect I won't agree with Mitt Romney on everything, but I will tell you this: I trust him. I trust him to do the right thing," said DeMoss, who went on with a lengthy testament to Romney's values.

Despite the concern, surveys have shown for months now that whatever reservations Republican evangelicals have about Romney's faith, they are likely to back him in a general election.

A spokesman for Liberty said that Romney is not the first Mormon to speak at a university commencement. "This is our 39th commencement speaker, and 21 of those 39 speakers would not necessarily meet Liberty's doctrinal theological statement," said the spokesman, Johnnie Moore, explaining that anyone who teaches at the university is held to that doctrinal standard.

Romney's selection as commencement speaker was an issue for some students who graduated from Liberty this weekend. When the school announced Romney as commencement speaker, hundreds of angry comments were posted on Liberty's Facebook page by people who said they were students or alumni, objecting to giving a Mormon a platform. The school responded by affirming its welcome to Romney.

"There was some concern in my family, yes," because of Romney's Mormonism, said Robert Maginnis, a retired Army colonel whose nephew is a member of the 2012 class.

Ahead of Romney's remarks, University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said the school's invitation to him should not be considered an endorsement. He noted that his father, the school's founder, said that Christians should vote for the candidate who shares their political positions "not the candidate that shares his or her faith or theology."

___

Zoll reported from New York. Associated Press writer Ken Thomas in Washington contributed to this report.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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rich bitch

You're a rich girl, and you've gone too far

'Cause you know it don't matter anyway

You can rely on the old man's money

You can rely on the old man's money

I t's a bitch girl but it's gone too far

'Cause you know it don't matter anyway

Say money but it won't get you too far,

Get you too far

And don't you know, don't you know

That it's wrong to take what is given you

So far gone, on your own

You can get along if you try to be strong

But you'll never be strong

'Cause

You're a rich girl, and you've gone too far

'Cause you know it don't matter anyway

You can rely on the old man's money

You can rely on the old man's money

It's a bitch girl and it's gone too far

'Cause you know it don't matter anyway

Say money but it won't get you too far,

Get you too far

High and dry, out of the rain

It's so easy to hurt others when you can't feel pain

And don't you know that a love can't grow

'Cause there's too much to give, 'cause you'd rather live

For the thrill of it all, oh

You're a rich girl, and you've gone too far

'Cause you know it don't matter anyway

You can rely on the old man's money

You can rely on the old man's money

It's a bitch girl and it's gone too far

'Cause you know it don't matter anyway

Say money but it won't get you too far,

Cuz you can't feel any pain, she's enrich bitch of CO 9:19PM May 12, 2012

Why is the mainstream media still focusing on Mitt Romney when he will NOT even be the Republican nominee? Hello!! Is this some form of denial that these people can't get over, or are they just that bad with simple math? Romney will get the boot at the Republican convention, and a well-deserved boot it will be. Besides, what is there to get excited about robot Romney? Even his own party had to hold their noses when they finally (and reluctantly) decided to "settle" for this idiot. He's boring as plain yogurt, has a completely lackluster (do nothing) plan for the economy, and is a religious nutjob and a flip-flopping empty-suit robotic clown. Even sheep wouldn't follow this guy but some fairly ignorant people most certainly will.

It's time to start reporting the truth that Romney will never have enough delegates to win the nomination. By the time this is all over, Romney will will be like the character "Bill" in the HBO show Big Love; a discredited political hack whose selfishness brings his demise.

It's either Ron Paul or 4 more years of Obama!

Ron Paul 2012!!

Bob Vondruska of CA 8:23PM May 12, 2012

STRANGE INDEED THAT ROMNEY WOULD DERIDE CARTER AND CONSTANTLY TRY TO USE HIM AS A FODDER FOR HIS POLITICS. LET'S COMPARE.

CARTER was top his class at the US naval academy and served in a war; Romney absconded to a luxury apartment in Paris to avoid military service while his countrymen fought in the trenches of war-ravaged Vietnam.

CARTER achieved a lot as President including starting America's first foray into energy conservation and clean energy; Romney is completely in bed with fossil fuel polluters.

CARTER is empathetic; Romney is ruthless, cold, calculating, heartless and thoroughly self-seeking.

CARTER was decisive and took the risky step of containing Iran's aggression toward the United States. That his mission to rescue the hostages failed was both a factor of failure in proper military planning by Pentagon and the CIA but he acted. If Obama's Pakistan Mission had failed, Romney would have blamed him alone; now he gives all the credit to the military and non to the Commander-in-Chief. Romney on the hand equivocates on all matters: he could not stop the woman who said in his face that the President of the United States should be charged of treason. Romney could not defend the gay person he hired as his senior foreign policy adviser when he was under attack and let his go without taking a stand. Romney could not take a stand on so many pressing issues of this campaign. he fails even to tell us what he would do as President, what programs he would cut, and so forth. That is lack of courage.

CARTER, since leaving office, has proven abundantly that he is a true humanitarian while Romney wallows in all the nastiness of selfish individualism as a vulture capitalist. SURELY, Romney doesn't measure up to Jimmy Carter's stature.

Dr. Sam of CA 3:02PM May 12, 2012

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