When is this personal vendetta against Romney going to end, EE?

We are all losers when conservative media figures are more interested in protecting their egos than target against the real opponent, Barack Obama. Four more years of Obama means 20 years of this country tilting permanently left as the Supreme Court is at stake. Imagine the affirmative action vote with an Obama stacked Court.

And many of my friends are. I have nothing at all against Mormons. I may disagree with them on individual points of doctrine, but I could say the same about Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, or even other Presbyterians. Honestly, I don’t really care about the whole religion issue.

My concerns about Romney are primarily things he has said in the past. Like when he said he would guarantee the “right to choose” for all women in Massachusetts. Or when he said in 2008 that he supported the assault rifle ban and would support similar legislation. Or like when he defended the individual mandate (also in 2008). These were not positions that a liberal state legislature forced him to take. These are positions he chose, he staked out, and he defended. There is a complete record of Romney, after his term as governor was over, staking out positions that were very similar to Nancy Pelosi or Barney Frank. And if Barney Frank had an R after his name and won the GOP nomination, I still would not vote for him.

An amazing 22% of Americans according to Gallup say they are unwilling to vote for a Mormon for President. This compares to 5% for an African American and 9% for a Jewish person. Yet, this is not going to be an issue in the fall if Romney is the nominee?

Mitt has never had an interview that I can recall that went in depth about his religion. I can never recall him being asked about the book of Mormon for example. Or ANY other controversial element of the religion.

He has not been vetted on this topic. He gave one speech 4 years ago. He was vague in that speech. Why are we going to nominate a man that has yet to be tested on this hugely important and potentially fatal topic? Why hasn’t he been forced to discuss this issue anywhere, let alone in a tough environment?

Do you think he won’t have to during the general election? Do you think the media will consider it a hands off topic? Obama had to answer a few questions about Rev Wright.

The thing to remember is that Obama had to do a religion quasi-debate with McCain in 2008. He answered about 30 questions on religion. He did fairly well. Will Romney do as well answering that many religious questions?

Anybody who thinks the topic of religion will be verboden in the fall are fools. Anybody who thinks its a good idea to nominate a candidate without vetting them on their religious views are even dumber.

Any talk that Romney’s three point win last night has placed him in the driver’s seat is wrong. Romney faces terrible terrain as he heads into Super Tuesday and beyond. A quick look at the important states up for grab next week indicate Romney could be foundering again one week from today.

If Santorum wins Ohio, Tennessee, and Oklahoma, Romney will have been dealt a key blow in important primary states. It will be even worse for him if Newt wins in Georgia because it will show Romney doesn’t play in the South. The remaining contests are caucus states and Romney hasn’t excelled in those so far.

Making matters worse for Romney, the week following Super Tuesday features races in Alabama and Mississippi. If Romney underperforms on Super Tuesday, does anyone really expect him to win in the South? I don’t

If Romney loses Ohio, Oklahoma, and Tennessee along with one or tow other caucus states, I believe his campaign will be in just as bad of a shape as it would have been had he lost Michigan, but it all depends on Ohio. If Romney wins Ohio, we’re stuck with him, if he loses Ohio and the party panicks, we could still end up with a white knight.

Mormonism is not a problem for me, but will be a problem for the voters, and we are going to need to waste time to defend him on Mormonism instead of fighting Obama.

Each excuse is more ridiculous than the previous one. If the above is not the most classic of concern trolling, I don’t know what is.

The ardent, hard-core Romney supporters are already freaking out and we haven’t even gotten to the general campaign yet. When they realize the independents and swing voters aren’t going to lay down a red carpet in front of Mitt, and carry him on their shoulders into the White House, we’ll once again see the bitter accusations of bigotry.

Worse yet, because they’ll have convinced themselves stoking bigotry is the key to moving voters, they’ll start to talk up the “Kenyan” attack line again, and when that doesn’t go far enough they’ll stoop to far, far worse. Fight bigotry with more bigotry, will be their unspoken strategy.

Ugh. Bad enough I may have to vote for Romney. Worse yet I might have to apologize for the manic antics of his supporters.

Romney may get my vote. But he won’t get one thin dime from me, that’s for sure. I’m getting peppered with emails and letters asking for contributions, and word is he may have to dip into his own personal finances to keep his campaign afloat. But that’s the way it’s going to have to be, Mitt. You got us in this mess, you might as well pay for it, too.

1) Obama: Jeremiah Wright or Muslim, take your pick
2) Romney: Mormon.
3) Santorum: Catholic and definitely at outspoken conservative end of Catholicism
4) Gingrich: Lutheran to Southern Baptist and then converted to Catholicism (in 2009)
5) Paul: Went from Lutheran to Baptist (conversion?) and then whose kids were raised Episcopalian…

is to ignore Romney’s religion and to call those who raise it as an issue, bigots. Most of the people raising it as an issue during general campaign will be democrats anyways. Turn the bigot charge on them.

Romney’s religion should not be an issue and could be turned into a positive if he attacks any critic as a bigot – it would be easy to have people from other faiths to come to his defense in a very public way.

where to begin…

as people who don’t like romney are fond of pointing out, he’s been running for 5 years. He’s been the presumed nominee as far as the WH is concerned from day one, and that hasn’t changed. Dems view everyone in the field BUT romney as an absolute joke.

Its no secret he’s a mormon. Mormon history on race relations is no secret to anyone either, so if thats the best they got they are going to need to do a lot better.

I do agree that everyday we’re stuck defending dumb things our candidates say and do is bad day. But nothing sums up the santorum ‘surge’ better, frankly. All we’ve done since he got his little moment in the sun is defend the dumb (whether you agree with them are not, they are dumb politically) things he’s said.

I don’t think dems are going to want to make too too big of a deal about religion and church. First, i don’t think they want the 20 years obama spent in rev wright’s pew being revisited; and second, he has a hard enough time convincing people he’s even a christian himself. I really don’t think thats something they are going to want to get into.

Im not saying they won’t try. The left will try anything. Im just saying it won’t matter and/or will backfire.

Obama is no position to criticize anyone’s faith.

What troubles me about this is once again we have someone ignoring what is already happening to one of the not romney’s…ie santorum can’t talk about anything important because he’s made so many controversial statements and rush and sean are having to spend all day defending him…keep in mind that is ALREADY HAPPENING with santorum…its not a hypothetical as it is with romeny…we’re already having to waste out time defending him on his stuff.

But we can’t have romney because the thing that is already happening to santorum MIGHT happen to Romney.

Look, only four incumbents have been knocked off in the past 100 years so R’s have a tough slog ahead regardless of who we nominate. The media is invested in obama and will be at least as much in the tank for him as they were in 08.

Where they are really going to hit romney is on his wealth.

but thats i fight i want to have. I want to have the fight the wealth=theft crowd. I want to see if this country really is that far gone…that a guy who risked capital and made it honest is viewed as the villain next to the community organizer who’s never had a real job.

Mitt may not win…but none of the other three have a prayer.

I think the country is sick of obama and when all this dust settles and the american people are presented with a clear choice…and it doesn’t get more stark than obama and romney…the embodiment of the private sector vs the embodiment of the career politician…

i think Romney pulls it out. I really do.

As Herman Cain would say, “I don’t have any facts to back this up, but..” I’m positive that significantly more than 22% of Americans would not vote for any Democrat, compared to the 22% saying ‘no’ to any Mormon. So the ‘anti-Mormon’ mythic hurdle is just that, a myth.

The fact is that most of those that wouldn’t vote for a Mormon are hard-right people in reliably Red States, so Romney losing their votes in a general is not a large concern- they’ll remain Red. We’ve already seen that self-described ‘Evangelicals’ in Nevada, Florida, Arizona and New Hampshire are a very different breed than those in South Carolina. The anti-Mormon bias melted away in those states. And it is the swing states that really matter.

“”The fact is that most of those that wouldn’t vote for a Mormon are hard-right people in reliably Red States”"

Actually, the numbers break down as followed…

Dems-27%
Ind-19%
Rep-18%

And the battlegroud area of the midwest had the highest numbers at 26% saying they were unwilling to vote for a Mormon. Not the south.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/148100/Hesitant-Support-Mormon-2012.aspx

The problem is that you are putting yourself in a 22% handicap right off the bat.Its hard to win 50% of 78%. Lets add the we don’t know how high the number might get if the media starts making fun of Mormonism or pointing out their beliefs. The numbers could go down or up.

You hate Romney. He’s not my first choice either. I’d much rather have a Jeb Bush or Bobby Jindal, but they’re not running. But now bringing up Romney’s faith as another potential roadblock to defend, in my opinion, is ridiculous. (But, then again, I’m Mormon.)

This hatred of yours towards Romney is bordering on an obsession. We will (or at least should) rally around whoever our nominee is. I think your constant negative postings on Romney are making that more and more difficult. You seem determined to help make your prediction of Romney losing badly to Obama in November a reality.

Hey, it’s your site, do what you like, but I would recommend you leave yourself an opening to rally around our nominee, whoever that may be.

Erick Erickson should set up a formal meeting with Markos Moulitsas (Daily KOS), and work out a common coordinated plan to keep Romney out of the White House.

There’s no need for wasteful duplication of effort by these two men, now that RedState and Daily KOS are on the same side on this issue.

a sworn allegiance to implement an agenda set by the LDS church I don’t see anything bigoted about it. A president bound by his blood oath to put the Mormon platform ahead of the Constitution for instance, should if anything be a bigger issue in the general election than it will likely turn out to be.

N/T

Jon Huntsman. A brokered convention result we can all live with.

Also, Charles Blow of the NYT times recently made a crack about ‘magic underwear” and got quite a bit of heat over it…enough so that he publicly apologized.

I live in TN and Romney (to my surprise) is running strong here. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins. People here arn’t that crazy about santorum. Before newt fell off the map everyone was for him but they’ve gone over to santorum reluctantly if at all.

I really don’t understand Erick’s idea that after winning by 20 in AZ, winning michigan by 3 (but really by 8 if you exclude the UAW thugs who voted for santorum) that Romney is ‘coming into the south weakened.”

If you think he’s weak i could understand but what is clear is that he’s coming in stronger than he was 2 days ago.

He’ll win Ohio. You can bet the rent on that. He’ll also win Virginia (obviously as neither newt or santorum made it on the ballot) and he’ll win Mass and Vermont.

And, as i said, i wouldn’t be surprised if he carries my state…TN. And obviously he wins idaho.

Newt will almost certainly win georgia.

im not sure where that leaves santorum. its going to be a rough day for him.

But this idea that we should nominate an inferior candidate based on the chance that the left will demonize (successfully) Romney’s religion just doesn’t strike me as cogent thinking.

they are going to have to take harry reid down with them in order to do that.