"I know the South, and you have to win the South. Mitt Romney did not win it when he ran against John McCain” in the 2008 primaries, said Mr. Cain. “The reason he will have a difficult time winning the South this time is because when he ran the first time, he did not do a good job of communicating his religion. It doesn’t bother me, but I know it is an issue with a lot of Southerners."
We've elected a Catholic and a black to the job; surely the ceiling has been cracked for others. A Mormon, a woman, a Jew, or a Hispanic occupying the White House is not only possible, but probable in the decades to come, IMO.
I too live in the South, and contrary to elitist opinion, most folks here are savvy. They know that many Mormons are not only good moral Christians, but also fierce patriots. After witnessing the lukewarm (at best) faith of Obama, I think people in the Bible Belt will trip all over themselves to vote for a practicing Christian (and that includes a Mormon) if his/her politics are socially and fiscally conservative.
I think that Romney's reputation as a flip-flopper and his disastrous flirtation with socialized medicine are more likely to sink his election chances than his faith. What do you all think? Will Romney's faith cost him votes?
I do think it will cost Rommney a few votes, but perhaps not enough to affect anything. Just like being a Catholic cost JFK a few votes. But all in all I think the number of folks is dwindling who would judge someone by their faith.
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't stop me from voting for him, per se. Because as you state LR it is his flip flopping, socialized medicine, and I would add views on global warming, cap and trade that worry me more.
I am sure it will cost him votes, but like you, I am certain that his foolish socialized medicine venture will cost him far more.
ReplyDeleteThen again, I wouldn't be able to vote for him anyway, as I apparently would be looking for an incorrect spelling on the ballot.
ReplyDeleteI've known a number of Mormons; all of them have been good folks. I wouldn't see what the problem was. Like you, though, I think Mittens is too much of a Donk-appeasing RINO to appeal to me, which has nothing to do with which church he attends.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't have any problem at all with Romney being a Mormon, I have no idea if that feeling would be shared by the average voter. Of course, I'm sure that the media will make it an issue and hunt down the two or three people for whom it is a problem.
ReplyDeleteAs others have said, his squishy RINO tendencies are the issue. If Mitt does manage to secure the Republican nomination, it will likely be purely a result of name recognition. He's run before and he's got plenty of money to spend. If I asked my wife (who is a damn sharp woman, but doesn't have the time or inclination to follow these things) to name the current Republican hopefuls, she'd probably only be able to name Romney... and then ask if Rudy or Chris Christie are running.
I know we still have a way to go, and a lot can change before the 2012 election, but I'm not entirely convinced that Romney can beat Obama. I don't see him firing up the base, and we need someone who will. Even though O's not polling too well right now, he has strong supporters who will not only vote for him- but who will eagerly campaign for him- even if the economy is completely tanked. A Romney win would rest heavily on votes cast against Obama.