ARTICLE - ARE MORMONS KEEPING ROMNEY AFLOAT?

Are Mormons Keeping Mitt Romney Afloat?

By Timothy Stanley

Mar 14 2012, His victories in the Pacific Islands and American West show the power of a strong minority to boost a weak candidate in low turn-out contests.


There are six kids in white shirts and black ties standing in a line. One steps forward and dances around the others, hissing and sneering like a bobcat. He moves to the front on the chorus and the boys start slapping their thighs in a steady one-two-three, one-two-three rhythm. The leader cries, "Grab the book from your pants!" They pull out a black book -- one-two-three. "Slap the book on your chest!" They slap away -- one-two-three. "Read the book, read the book, pray, pray!" One-two-three. "We've got the gospel, you get it, you get it?" Then they step towards the camera and wave their hands. "You come walk in the waters with meeee!" The boys fall to the floor in a fit of giggles. It's one of the odder sights on YouTube.
The book is The Book of Mormon and the boys are young missionaries. They are dancing a Mormon-themed version of the Maori war dance, or Haka -- just one of the many Mormon Haka videos posted on YouTube (if you want to see the dance done with real force, check out this version by by Mormons Elders Hopoate and Ofahulu in Australia.) This extraordinary cross-fertilization of Mormonism and Polynesian culture is quite common. It's a testament to the broad and growing reach of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- and hints at the political power of the Mormon diaspora.
In a primary season as competitive as 2012, every delegate counts. For that reason, the votes of Republican Pacific islanders living in American territories and Hawaii have gained an unusual degree of importance. Last Saturday, beleaguered front-runner Mitt Romney won GOP caucuses in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. On Tuesday he scooped victories in American Samoa and Hawaii. Together, these islands have given him at least 36 delegates -- a small number, perhaps, but one more hard-earned step towards the nomination. He came in third in the American deep South last night, but he still was the day's delegate winner, thanks to the island caucuses.
Romney's victories owed something to the Pacific islands' large population of Mormons. In fact, local members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may have proved crucial to winning each of these caucuses. It wouldn't be the first case of Mormons bailing out Romney this campaign season. They've also helped his candidacy in two critical Western states -- demonstrating that Mormons aren't just a great fundraising network, but a surprisingly powerful demographic force within the world of low-turnout GOP primaries and caucuses.
The Mormon presence in the Pacific islands is certainly substantial. There are an estimated 14,784 Mormons in American Samoa -- where only about 70 Republicans gathered to caucus Tuesday -- and 55,000 in Hawaii -- where more 10,000 Republicans turned out -- along with 1,971 in Guam, and 735 in the Northern Marianas. The heavy concentration of converts is no coincidence. Polynesians have a special place in Mormon theology. According to some Mormons, thousands of years ago a group of Israelites, led by the prophet Lehi, escaped Babylonian captivity and sailed to freedom in Central America. Their new civilization flourished until it was destroyed in a civil war between the Nephite and Lamanite factions in 400AD. The sinful Lamanites, who won, were distinguished by a dark colored skin and were the forebears of the Native Americans.
According to the Mormon Book of Alma, a mixed group of Nephites and Lamanites sailed to Polynesia in 55BC. They settled down peacefully and, mixing with migrants from Southeast Asia, became the modern Polynesians. Many Mormons thus believe that the Polynesians practice a religion that is very close to the early Israelite church -- a claim supported by the fact that they share several myths in common with the Hebrew tradition, including one about a great flood. In the Mormon mind, Polynesians have a covenanted role to play in religious history. Being dark skinned, they bear the "mark" of the Lamanites. But, as the apocalypse approaches, the Book of Mormon prophesizes that they shall become "a white and delightsome people" (NB, the word "white" was changed to "pure" in 1981).

In fact, it was typical for Christian missionaries to claim that the Polynesians were a lost tribe of Israel: the first Protestant missionary to New Zealand in 1830 called the Maori "dispersed Jews." This helped justify the expense of evangelization, which continued apace during the 19^th century. Mormons often get rough treatment when they try to spread their version of the Good News abroad. But in Polynesia they benefited from cultural norms about hospitality that made the locals natural converts. The LDS Church set up its first mission in Samoa in 1862 and, since then, it's been one of the most popular destinations for missionaries to go -- because Samoans have a culture of welcoming strangers and listen to what they have to say. Only local Protestant and Catholic churches resisted Mormon encroachment, retarding growth until after the Second World War. Since then, the American Samoan church has grown to a likely 22.5 percent of the population. The LDS Church puts the figure as high as 30 percent, and today's Republican vice chairman in American Samoa -- where Romney swept -- played football at Romney's alma mater, the Mormon-owned and operated Brigham Young University. One of the reasons why Polynesians were drawn to Mormonism was that the Mormons were so generous. In addition to building schools locally, they welcomed migration to Utah. As a result, present-day Utah has a population of about 25,000 people of Pacific Islander descent. Although they tend to join wards (churches) in heavily Polynesian neighborhoods, there is little evidence of racial segregation. Given the sometimes difficult historical relationship between white Mormons and African-Americans, the LDS's embrace of Polynesians is an example of how its theology is oddly bifurcated. It has been capable of discriminating against one minority while positively fetishizing another, with the lines of racial demarcation shaped by the peculiarities of scripture.
Did the Mormon/Polynesia link make a difference in the Pacific island votes? Two things that suggest so. First, the Romney campaign made a big outreach to the islanders. The day before the Northern Marianas voted, Mitt's son Matt had lunch with the governor of the islands and the candidate dialed in to say sorry for not being there: "I am apologetic that I can't be with you today, but as you could imagine I'm running from place to place, trying to secure as many delegates as I can." Matt added, "It is important for us to get everywhere we can, everywhere that people vote. This is obviously one of the harder locations to get to but by far, it's one of my favorites so far." And Team Romney dominated among local endorsements -- including that of former Republican congressman Charles Djou of Hawaii, Hawaii House Minority Leader Gene Ward, and Guam Governor Eddie Calvo.
Second, turnout was so low that it's hard not to credit the sizable Mormon populations with some impact on the outcome. Even in the islands with tiny LDS communities, Mormons outnumber the people who participated in the vote. In Guam, only 207 people took part in the convention. There are 1,971 Mormons living on the island.
This is not to suggest a stitch up, but rather to note the surprising demographic strength of the LDS Church. Worldwide, its membership rocketed from 4 million in 1978 to 11 million members in 2000. In America, it has increased by about 30 percent since 1990. There is evidence that domestic growth has flat-lined, but heavy concentration in certain states has given it increased political clout.
Consider the importance of states with sizable Mormon populations to this year's primaries. Shortly after he won the Florida primary, Romney faced his first Western challenge in Nevada. Although he was always going to do well in The Silver State, a strong victory was necessary to prove that Florida wasn't a one off and he had momentum to carry him to victory in Michigan at the end of the month. Romney won Nevada with 50 percent. Importantly, turnout was a dismal 32,894 -- well below the total Mormon population of the state, at 174,662. According to CNN exit polls, a quarter of all participants were LDS members and 88 percent of them voted for Mitt. Nationwide, only 2 percent of Americans are Mormon.
One month later, there was Arizona. Arizona wasn't as important as Romney's home state of Michigan, which voted on the same day, but for a while Santorum was close to Romney in polls and it was vital that Mitt win the Arizona primary. He did so easily, by 47 percent. Turnout was 505,635. The local Mormon population is 381,235 and, according to CNN, 14 percent of voters were LDS members. Three days later came Washington state, which was, again, important for establishing Romney's credibility after a series of defeats by Santorum. Romney won with 38 percent on an appalling 1.4 percent turnout. The turnout equaled 50,764 Republicans -- in a state with a local Mormon population of 263,004. Romney has also won Idaho and Wyoming, both of which have high densities of LDS members (Idaho is the second most Mormon state in America, after Utah). It is surely significant that Mitt has yet to be truly tested in a Western state that doesn't have a significant population of Mormons. The only such challenge he has faced so far was in Colorado, which he lost 40 to 35 percent. Ergo, even if Mormons aren't directly responsible for Romney's Western victories, they have been critical to their scale and maintaining his campaign's momentum.
Much has been written about the role that Mormons have played in the 2012 race, but most of it has operated on a conceptual level. What might voters think of Romney's faith? How will Romney's beliefs influence his decision making? What has been less well studied is the precise impact of Mormon votes and communities on the primary outcome. Given their obvious significance in early Western votes and the way that they have helped add to Romney's delegate count in the Pacific islands, it's clear the extended Mormon family has delivered for Romney and proven itself to be a vital part of the Republican electoral process. If and when Romney sews up the nomination, their Haka may well be heard at the convention.

ARTICLE - EDITORIAL : ROMNEY HAS CAPACITY TO BUILD BRIDGES

Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012

Editorial: Romney has capacity to build bridges

MITT ROMNEY was not our first choice for the Republican nomination for president of the United States, but he was one of two candidates who stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field as sensible, experienced grownups with a history of making things work rather than pursuing ideological fetishes.
We wish he were not so willing to blend in with the political culture as the Republican Party races further right, from seeming at times to repudiate his signature success as Massachusetts governor to playing footsie with the anti-intellectuals who don’t simply disagree that anything should be done but dismiss the overwhelming scientific consensus that the earth’s climate is changing, and that human beings are playing a role in that change.
But we take comfort in the fact that Mr. Romney always has been less interested in philosophy than in problem-solving. As The Washington Post summarized the views of his friends: “obeisance to ideology would impose a rigidity that would inhibit Romney’s real talent, which is forging new ways to fix old problems.”

He has demonstrated that talent to dramatic effect, from making a fortune rescuing companies (and dismantling others) as a private-equities investor to turning the floundering, scandal-ridden Salt Lake Olympics Games into a financial success. He led Massachusetts out of financial crisis, and pushed through a landmark health reform that was seen as the conservative answer to growing demands for a government-centered program, until it became the model for President Obama’s reform package. If there’s anything we need in Washington, it’s more problem solving and less ideological purity.
We initially endorsed Jon Huntsman in Saturday’s presidential primary because he demonstrates the qualities we need in a president. With Mr. Huntsman’s withdrawal, we are endorsing Mr. Romney, because of our continued belief that he can be what we need in a president: Someone who can work within our poisonous political environment to solve our nation’s problems, not simply score partisan points. Someone who understands that negotiation is essential in a representative democracy, and that there are good ideas across the political spectrum. Someone who has a well-defined set of core values but is not so rigid that he ignores new information and new conditions. Someone who has shown himself to be honest and trustworthy and competent. Someone whose positions are well-reasoned and based on the world as it is rather than as he pretends it to be. Someone with the temperament and judgment and experience to be taken seriously as the commander in chief and leader of the free world.
What we need now is for Mr. Romney to fulfill his potential, beginning with this evening’s debate. We are encouraged by his focus on America as the land of opportunity, but he needs to avoid using his newly inspiring rhetoric to dodge legitimate questions about his political and business history. He needs to demonstrate that he can maintain his composure in the face of what likely will be the harshest attacks yet.
Mr. Romney made clear during a discussion with our editorial board that our nation’s problems will not be solved without a president who is committed to working across the political aisle. He’s right about that, and we feel sure we’ll hear more of that in the general election. But he will have far more credibility then if he starts acting like he believes it now. The Republican Party needs a leader who can pull it back from the brink, reminding voters and other candidates alike that passing ideological litmus tests is not a virtue and that negotiation and compromise are not sins, but rather the essential building blocks of a republic. In fact, that view of politics and government is what our nation needs. We will be looking for Mr. Romney to provide it.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/01/19/2119013/romney-has-capacity-to-build-bridges.html#storylink=omni_popular#storylink=cpy

PEOPLE I KNOW WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR WORLD - TEACHER HIGH ON ROMNEY : EVA ADDISON

Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012

Teacher high on Romney

 

By ADAM BEAM 

Eva Addison is not a Republican. But she is a conservative – a conservative who, since 2008, increasingly has become upset with the policies of President Barack Obama, a Democrat.
While Addison says she did not pay attention to the 2008 election, she is paying attention now. And her candidate is Mitt Romney.
“I feel like he’s got family values and that he’s honest with his dealings, and I don’t think there are many politicians that are honest,” she said. “I believe, with all my heart, he has the integrity it is going to take to turn America around economically and morally.”

Like Romney, Addison is a Latter-Day Saint. She attended Brigham Young University in Utah for three years before dropping out to get married, which she says “is a real typical Mormon thing.”
But that’s not why she is voting for Romney. In fact, she first strongly considered Texas Gov. Rick Perry, an evangelical Christian. But Perry’s performances in the debates last fall changed her mind.
“I don’t think (Perry) has the intelligence, and I don’t mean that in a bad way,” she said. “I don’t think he’s quick enough or has the intelligence on spur-of-the-moment stuff to make things work – and that has bothered me.”
Addison, 50, lives in Anderson, where she teaches fifth grade at a local elementary school. Her unhappiness with Obama stems from what she calls a “sense of entitlement” that she says Obama fosters among some people who take advantage of government programs like welfare.
“Obama wants to make things a whole lot easier on them as though they deserve (it),” she said.
In Romney, however, she sees a person who is “willing to sacrifice things we may want in order for our grandchildren to have things (they) may need.”
Romney was criticized last week for saying “I like being able to fire people,” a comment he made while campaigning in New Jersey. Romney was talking about health insurance companies and how he wants Americans to be able to “fire” them if they are unsatisfied with them.
But opponents used the comment to criticize Romney, calling him cold and out of touch with the needs of Americans, many of whom were fired during the Great Recession. (Perry’s campaign went so far as to make the comment a ringtone available for people to download to their phones.)
Addison, Romney’s supporter, is more forgiving.
“At first I thought, ‘Oh my goodness Mitt, you just said something terrible!’ ” Addison said. “But if someone is not doing their job, we have the right to go somewhere else to get somebody competent. I love that idea.”

NEWS - ROMNEY LEADS IN SC AS SANTORUM, GINGRICH FIGHTS FOR SECOND

unreal! in a state thats LARGELY Southern Baptist! its increadable to me that Romney, a MORMON (like me) is in the lead! GO ROMNEY!
MICHELLE
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Romney leads in S.C. as Santorum, Gingrich fight for second

By ADAM BEAM

Three polls out Friday morning show Gov. Mitt Romney leading in South Carolina as Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich fight for second place.
Romney’s support ranges from 27 percent according to a new poll from Rasmussen, 31 percent according to a poll from American Research Group to 37 percent according to a poll from CNN/TIME/ORC.
“We are under no illusions about the challenges facing us in the state – just four years ago Mitt Romney finished fourth in the South Carolina primary,” said Amanda Henneberg, a spokeswoman for the Romney campaign. “But in the closing weeks, we will continue to reach out to voters and make the case that Mitt Romney is the best candidate to beat Barack Obama, and that he is the best choice to grow the economy, cut spending, and create jobs.”

Rasmussen says Santorum is a solid second with 24 percent, while Gingrich is third with 18 percent. But American Research Group shows Gingrich and Santorum tied at 24 percent, while CNN/TIME/ORC shows Santorum at 19 percent and Gingrich at 18 percent.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who canceled three days worth of scheduled events this week in South Carolina following his poor showing in Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses, is at 5 percent in two of the polls and 2 percent in American Research Group.
It is a remarkable surge for Santorum, who two months ago was polling at 1 percent in South Carolina. But his strong showing in Tuesday’s Iowa caucus, where he finished second by eight votes, has vaulted him to the front.
In New Hampshire, whose primary is Tuesday, Romney still has a commanding lead with 40 percent. But Santorum has jumped into third place with 11 percent, the only candidate moving up in that race, according to a daily tracking poll from Suffolk University.
Nationally, Romney leads with 29 percent, followed by Santorum at 21 percent, according to Rasmussen.
Rasmussen polled 750 likely S.C. Republican primary voters on Thursday with a margin of error of 4 percent.
American Research Group polled 600 likely S.C. primary voters on Wednesday and Thursday. A margin of error was not available.
CNN/TIME/ORC polled 1,519 adults, including 485 likely voters, Wednesday and Thursday and has a margin of error of 4.5 percent.
The Rasmussen poll found nearly half (48 percent) of S.C.’s likely primary voters could still change their minds. Forty-one percent of likely primary voters say they will not change their minds.
Paul has the most consistent base, with 62 percent of his supporters saying they will vote for him, while 51 percent of Perry’s backers say they aren’t going anywhere and 50 percent of Romney’s supporters say they will vote for him.
But just 43 percent of Santorum’s supporters say they will not change their minds, while 36 percent of Gingrich’s supporters say they have decided.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/01/06/2103445/romney-leads-in-sc-but-santorum.html#storylink=Afternoon%20Newsletter#storylink=cpy

NEWS - ROMNEY HS CLEAR LEAD AMONG REPUBLICANS

Romney has clear lead among Republicans

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mitt Romney has a growing lead in the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, and almost half of the party's voters expect him to be the nominee, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Twenty-eight percent of Republicans backed the former Massachusetts governor, giving him a lead of 8 percentage points over his nearest challenger Herman Cain in the poll, taken November 10-11.

Romney was 5 percentage points ahead in a survey November 7-8.

Newt Gingrich, the U.S. House of Representatives speaker in the mid-1990s, solidified a recent rise among conservatives seeking an alternative to the more moderate Romney, coming in third place in the current poll with 16 percent.

Gingrich, who is seen as having performed well in recent debates, was viewed as the second-most "presidential" of the Republican hopefuls, according to the poll.

Whether or not they support him, almost half of the Republicans surveyed expect Romney to become the nominee to oppose President Barack Obama, a Democrat, in the November 2012 election.

Romney, who also ran for president in 2008, has been in first or second place in polls for months and enjoys by far the most campaign funds of the Republican field.
But some in his party see him as too liberal, and he has so far failed to significantly boost his level of support in polls. The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, however, shows he is benefiting from missteps by his rivals.
"As the other candidates falter, his image comes into relief," Ipsos pollster Cliff Young said.
The campaign of former pizza executive Cain has been dogged by allegations that he sexually harassed four women in the late 1990s. He has denied the allegations.

Texas Governor Rick Perry was in fourth place with 12 percent in the latest poll, which was taken on the heels of his disastrous performance in a debate on Wednesday when he could not remember key details of one of his main policy proposals.

He had 10 percent in the November 7-8 poll.
When judged on his personal qualities, Romney was rated strongly by Republicans, while both Perry and Cain trailed in important categories.
Romney, the former head of the Bain Capital private equity firm, says his business experience gives him an advantage over other Republicans and Obama in the quest to create jobs for the sluggish U.S. economy.

Far more voters see Romney as presidential than those who feel the same way about his Republican rivals, with 34 percent in the poll saying he is the most presidential candidate in the field.

"Going into the primaries, he's in a strong position and his image is solidifying around a very important attribute, which is being presidential, or being seen as presidential," Young said.
GINGRICH CHALLENGE
Gingrich, whose campaign is gaining momentum after struggling with staff desertions in the summer, was seen as the second most presidential candidate with 19 percent, 1 percentage point ahead of Cain. Perry trailed at 11 percent.

Gingrich, keeping to his form in previous debates, attacked Obama instead of the other Republican candidates at a debate devoted to foreign policy on Saturday in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

"There are a number of ways to be smart about Iran and relatively few ways to be dumb and the administration has skipped all the ways to be smart," Gingrich said, advocating covert operations to stop Tehran from making a nuclear bomb.

Perry's debate blunder last Wednesday, when he struggled to name the third of three government departments he would eliminate as president, has damaged his campaign but he remains in contention, the poll shows.

When shown the video of Perry's gaffe on Wednesday, 31 percent of poll respondents said he should withdraw from the campaign while just over half said he should stay in.

Romney was picked first when the Republicans were asked who would be "a strong leader for America," at 28 percent, with Cain following at 21 percent. Gingrich was at 20 percent and Perry trailed at 12 percent.
Although portrayed by both Democrats and Republicans as someone who changes his stance for political purposes, Romney fared better than Cain and Perry when respondents were asked which candidate "will say anything to win votes."
Twenty-one percent chose Cain, 20 percent pointed to Perry, Romney was at 19 and Gingrich came in at 8 percent.

When asked which candidates were "too radical to lead America," the Republicans in the poll put Cain at the head of all the candidates with 21 percent and Romney last at 8 percent. Gingrich had 12 percent and Perry was at 11 percent.

Cain and Romney tied at 24 percent when the voters were asked who has the best solutions for U.S. economic problems, with Gingrich at 15 percent and Perry at 12 percent.
When asked who "understands the problems of someone like me," the Republican voters failed to give any candidate more than 25 percent support. Cain was highest at 25 percent, to Romney's 16 percent, 15 percent for Perry and 14 percent for Gingrich.
The poll results are from an online survey of 461 Republican registered voters.

Because this was an online poll, typical margins of error do not apply. Despite that, various recognized methods were used to provide a representative sample and weighted results. If this were a traditional random survey, it would have a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.

 

NEWS - VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN DEFENDS ROMNEYS FAITH (Its Nice To see)

Biden defends Romney's Mormon faith

 

11-5-2011

(Reuters) Vice President Joe Biden defended Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney over his Mormon faith on Friday, saying it was "outrageous" for anyone to suggest he should not be president because of his religion.
With a new Reuters/Ipsos poll showing President Barack Obama facing a tough fight for re-election next year if Romney is the Republican nominee, Biden acknowledged the former Massachusetts governor "may very well be our opponent."
Biden weighed in on the issue of Romney's Mormonism after a controversy over an evangelical Texas pastor's comments last month. The Democratic vice president also referred to opinion polls that have shown concern among some voters about Romney's faith.
"I find it preposterous that in 2011 we're debating whether or not a man is qualified or worthy of your vote based on whether or not his religion ... is a disqualifying provision," Biden told an audience at the University of Pittsburgh.
"It is not. It is embarrassing and we should be ashamed, anyone who thinks that way," he said in a long response to a student's question about how his own religious faith affected his philosophy of government.
Biden, who is Catholic, cited the prejudice John F. Kennedy faced in his run for the presidency in 1960, which he said had "totally legitimized" Catholics for high U.S. public office.
Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress, a supporter of Texas Governor Rick Perry in his bid for the 2012 Republican nomination, touched off a political firestorm in early October when he said Mormons were a cult and were not Christians.
A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll last month showed that 66 percent of Republican primary voters felt "comfortable" with Romney's Mormon faith while 13 percent did "not feel comfortable." A Gallup poll of the broader electorate in June showed 47 percent felt comfortable with his religion while 21 percent did not.
"I think it's outrageous," Biden said about the polling data he had seen.
Romney's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Mormon church is formally called, is one of the fastest-growing and most affluent religions. More than half of its 14.1 million members live outside the United States.

 

NEWS - HUNTSMAN TRIES TO SHED 'MODERATE' LABEL

Friday, Nov. 04, 2011

Elections 2012

Huntsman tries to shed ‘moderate’ label

 

By GINA SMITH

Jon Huntsman’s S.C. advisers are pushing back on the “moderate” label that has dogged the former Utah governor in his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president.
“We have a story to tell about Huntsman that hasn’t been told yet,” Richard Quinn, a S.C. adviser to Huntsman, said Thursday as Huntsman shook hands and ate barbeque at a Columbia restaurant.
The Columbia stop marked the second day of a three-day swing by Huntsman through South Carolina, an important early-voting state that holds its GOP primary on Jan. 21.

S.C. politicos increasingly agree the S.C. race will come down to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who consistently has finished in the top two in S.C. polls, and a “non-Romney” candidate, likely to be someone further to the political right of Romney.
That means a new narrative is needed for Huntsman who, rightly or wrongly, has been labeled as a moderate by many S.C. voters because of his stint as U.S. ambassador to China under President Barack Obama, his support for same-sex civil unions and his belief in global warming.
For example, Republican Gov. Nikki Haley has singled Huntsman out as a candidate that she would not endorse, saying he was not a “strong conservative.”
Huntsman has not broken out of the low single digits in any S.C. poll.
“He got branded early as a moderate,” said Quinn, who helped Republican nominee John McCain win the state’s primary in 2008. “A lot of that has to do with Obama. Obama tried to destroy him with hugs and kisses. ... The other candidates caught on and have chimed in too.”
Huntsman stopped short of denying the moderate label during his Columbia visit Thursday. Instead, he called himself a “mainstream conservative,” pointing to his pro-life record, support of the Second Amendment and passage of a school voucher bill while he was Utah governor as proof of his conservative credentials.
“People will find out themselves that I have a conservative governing record,” Huntsman said. “You can’t just throw a moderate tag out when you’ve been elected twice in a state of Utah. ... That is a very conservative state.”

NEWS - ROMNEY LEADS IN SOUTH CAROLINA -POLL SAYS

Wednesday, Jun. 08, 2011

Romney leads in S.C., poll says

Palin, who has not said whether she will run, in second place

By GINA SMITH

A new poll affirms former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as South Carolina’s early favorite for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
North Carolina-based Public Policy Polling quizzed 1,000 South Carolinians who usually vote in GOP primaries and found Romney leading with 27 percent support. The poll’s margin of error is 3.1 percent.
Romney, who also ran for president in 2008, also is in first place in three other early-voting Republican contests – in New Hampshire, Nevada and Iowa, according to polls by Public Policy, which made its reputation polling for Democratic candidates.

But Larry Sabato, politics professor and director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, expects Romney to lose his S.C. lead, in part because of his Mormon faith.
“You have to combine a poll with the political reality of a state,” Sabato said. “There’s a reason why (Romney) does so well in New Hampshire, because he was governor nearby in Massachusetts. They know him.
“There’s a reason he’s doing well in Nevada. There are lots of Mormons there.
“But (Christian) fundamentalists are about 60 percent of the Republican base in both South Carolina and Iowa, and they have a problem with Mormons. These are small leads (in South Carolina and Iowa), and we know for sure that Romney has problems in both states. We know that from 2008, and not that much has changed.”
During his 2008 run, Romney spent millions in South Carolina only to finish a disappointing fourth.
That showing has led to widespread speculation that Romney will not campaign much in South Carolina this year as he seeks the GOP nomination. Still, Romney was briefly in the state last month to meet with a group in Irmo to discuss the economy.
According to the poll, Romney’s strongest following is among South Carolinians who say they are moderate Republicans. He received 41 percent of that group’s support to Sarah Palin’s 15 percent.
The poll also found Palin is South Carolina’s second-favorite Republican. The former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate, who has not said whether she will run in 2012, garnered the support of 18 percent of those surveyed.
Both Romney and Palin have close ties to S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley. Romney’s political action committees were heavy contributors to Haley’s 2011 campaign. Palin appeared in Columbia to endorse Haley before the GOP primary.
Former chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza Herman Cain and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, both of bordering Georgia, were tied at 12 percent each in the poll.
The remainder of the field polled in the single digits: U.S. Rep. Michele Bachman of Minnesota at 9 percent, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas at 7 percent, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty at 4 percent and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who was U.S. ambassador to China under President Barack Obama, at 2 percent.
Joel Sawyer, Huntsman’s S.C. director, said his candidate’s low showing is because so few South Carolinians know him.
“The poll results are largely a function of name ID,” Sawyer said. “Gov. Huntsman has been in the state one time. He’s been exploring the idea of running for president for less than a month.”
Sawyer added if Huntsman decides later this month to run, S.C. voters can expect to see him frequently.

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thats serisouly very difficult for me to recon with, as SC is largely a baptist state, sitting in the middle of the "bible belt". and for the most part Baptists have had issues with the doctrines of The Church of Jesus CHrist of Latter-Day Saints.
very hard for me to see that ROmney would be ahead in the polls there.
perhaps, hes the "lesser, of two evils" lol
MICHELLE

NEWS - MITT ROMNEY MORE COMPETATIVE W/OBAMA IN POLL, BUT RELIGION REMAINS A STICKING POINT

Mitt Romney more competitive with Obama in poll, but religion remains a sticking point
June 08, 2011|By Michael Muskal | Los Angeles Times

Republican presidential hopeful, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney answers questions during a town hall style campaign event at the University of New Hampshire.

Mitt Romney is stepping away from the rest of the field for the GOP presidential nomination and is increasingly competitive against President Obama, though the former Massachusetts governor faces a potential problem because of his religion, according to the Quinnipiac poll released on Wednesday.

A quarter of Republicans or GOP-leaning independent voters said they would back Romney over the rest of field for the Republican nod. It was the best showing for Romney in months and the first time any Republican had garnered so much support from his own party, a sign that Republicans may be coalescing a bit in these early days of the 2012 presidential campaign.

Still, Romney faces a possible political problem because of his religion, the Quinnipiac poll and other surveys have found. Overall, only 45% said they had a favorable opinion of the Mormon religion, while 32% said they had an unfavorable one. Other polls have found different numbers, but most agree that between a quarter and a third of voters say they would have a problem voting for a Mormon, creating a tough situation for Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who is flirting with a presidential bid.

“The fact that less than half of voters have a favorable view of the religion is likely to be a political issue that Gov. Mitt Romney, and should his campaign catch on, Gov. Jon Huntsman, will have to deal with as they pursue the White House,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

The nation’s anti-Mormon feelings aren’t new. In 2007, Romney tried to defuse the issue with a speech stressing common values.

According to the poll, Romney has opened up a lead over the rest of the GOP field, which has been seen as weak and fluid. Ranking in second place was Sarah Palin, the party’s 2008 vice presidential nominee, who received 15%. Palin has yet to announce her intentions, though she captured the media’s attention in her recent bus tour of patriotic sites in the East.

Palin, however, did better in the Reuters/Ipsos poll also released on Wednesday. That gave her 22% to Romney's 20%. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

In the Quinnipiac poll, Herman Cain, a businessman, continues to draw attention in third place with 9%, while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, are tied at 8%. Rep Michele Bachmann gets 6% and former Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty is at 5%.

The Quinnipiac poll is based on telephone interviews with 1,946 registered voters, conducted from May 31 to Monday. It has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, though some questions dealing with GOP primary preferences have smaller samples and a higher margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Perhaps most significantly for Romney, the poll found that in a trial heat against Obama, the former businessman runs close, losing 47% to 41%. It is the best showing by a Republican candidate in the poll; Pawlenty loses by 12 percentage points and Palin by 17.
Voters remain split on whether Obama should be reelected, with 46% favoring and 48% opposed.
It was the second day of good polling news for Romney. On Tuesday, the ABC/Washington Post poll had Romney ahead of Palin, 21% to 17%. The poll gave Romney a three percentage-point margin over Obama, but the race was a statistical dead heat.

The ABC/Washington Post poll was based on 1,002 telephone interviews conducted Thursday through Sunday. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
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i. myself, dont see Romney getting the presidential seat, based on the religion factor alone.
it held him back before, and it will continue to hold him back.
and, i have no doubt, it will also effect Hunstman...as he is LDS as well.
for whatever reason (and its mostly false info they have indoctrinated within themselves) people cant get past the Mormon issue.
were NO diferent than anyone else.
we work, have lives, kids, and most of us have allot of kids.
we DO NOT have more than one wife!
we DO NOT intend to try to convert the nation once we have a Mormon in office!
NOT all of us are ultra conservative, some of us are actually very modern...like me.


Romney has a proven track record for taking bad financial situations and recovering them to a flow of sustainability.
He COULD very well start this country back on its feet again...
but well never see that happen, if the nation thinks his faith comes ahead of his Job.


MICHELLE

NEWS - IS AMERICA READY FOR A MORMON PRESIDENT?

03:04 PM ET

Is America ready for a Mormon president?

By Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor

(CNN) - Mitt Romney’s campaign team knows that his Mormon faith scared off Republican voters the last time he ran for president.

But they believe a lot has changed in the last four years.

For starters, Romney is now much better known. The former Massachusetts governor campaigned hard in the 2008 primaries – even addressing his Mormonism head-on in a major speech — and has stayed in the public eye since, popping up on late-night talk shows and on cable news channels.

Romney’s Mormonism, the thinking goes, is less exotic than it was four years ago because the candidate is more familiar.

Plus, unlike in 2008, there’s a Democrat in the White House for Republican voters to unite against. The Romney camp hopes the Obama factor will boost support for a battle-tested candidate who’s shown he can raise the hundreds of millions of dollars White House bids require, regardless of the candidate’s religious affiliation.

And unlike the 2008 Republican primaries, when George W. Bush was in the White House and debate over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan loomed large, next year’s elections are poised to hang on the economy. Not a bad time, maybe, for a guy with a Harvard MBA and a career spent turning around financially troubled companies and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“The country’s really in a tough situation — the economy’s in a bad place and so people suddenly think that a guy with Mitt Romney’s capacity and experience looks a lot more attractive than he did four years ago,” says Mark DeMoss, a senior adviser to Romney’s campaign, which launched Thursday.

“That makes his faith much less of an issue than it was four years ago,” says DeMoss, who is tasked with helping Romney woo evangelical voters, a huge chunk of the GOP base and a constituency that’s historically been wary of Mormonism.

Whether DeMoss is right may make the difference in whether Romney, the current Republican frontrunner based on polls and fundraising, can actually win the Republican nomination and, ultimately, the White House.

But Romney may not be the only Mormon running for president. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is seriously flirting with a presidential bid.

Huntsman, Obama’s former ambassador to China, recently took a five-day swing through New Hampshire, site of the first-in-the-nation Republican primary, and has hired staff in South Carolina, another key primary state.

The prospect of a Huntsman campaign means the nation could see an unprecedented test of whether the GOP — and, perhaps, the rest of the country — is ready for a Mormon president in an era when candidates’ religious beliefs have become weighty campaign issues.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Mormon Church is officially known, certainly seems eager for Mormonism to be less an issue in the presidential race than it was for Romney in 2008

“Recent media coverage seems to lean toward the conclusion that among many Americans, faith will be less of an issue in this election than it was in 2008,” church spokesman Michael Purdy said in a statement to CNN. “But it’s really for others to speculate on this.”

Public opinion polls suggest a lingering bias against Mormon candidates. A survey released Thursday by the Pew Research Center found that a quarter of American adults admit to being less likely to vote for a Mormon candidate for president. (that doesnt surprise me)


The survey found that resistance to Mormon candidates was even higher among two groups: liberal Democrats and evangelicals, who overwhelmingly vote Republican. One in three white evangelicals said they were less likely to support a Mormon candidate.

That creates a stiff headwind for Romney and Huntsman, given evangelicals’ primary power. In 2008, evangelicals accounted for 60 percent of Republican voters in Iowa, home to the first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, and in South Carolina, whose primaries come hard on the heels of New Hampshire’s.

In 2008, Romney’s Mormonism “was a real factor in Iowa and South Carolina that predisposed many potential voters to never to consider Romney or hear his message,” said Gary Marx, who directed conservative outreach for Romney the last time he ran.

That year, Romney placed second in Iowa and fourth in South Carolina behind then-frontrunner Mike Huckabee – a Baptist preacher who won major evangelical support.

Though Mormons consider themselves to be Christians, many evangelicals consider the Latter-day Saints to be a cult. (and because of such nonsense, this is why he wont win)


Evangelicals object to the Mormon belief that the Book of Mormon is the revealed word of God and to such Mormon practices as proxy baptisms for the dead. Evangelicals and Mormons also compete for converts.

Many evangelical leaders have discouraged their followers from translating such differences into opposition to Mormon candidates. But that message isn’t always heeded.

“I don’t think it’s much of an issue among the leadership in evangelical circles,” Michael Farris, an influential evangelical activist, says of Mormon candidates. “But I don’t know if that is always true at the grassroots level.”

Richard Land, who directs public policy for the Southern Baptist Convention, the country’s largest evangelical denomination, says evangelicals could coalesce around Romney but that the conditions would have to be just right.

“If Southern Baptists have a choice between an evangelical candidate, a Catholic and a Mormon and all three appear to be equally conservative and equally likely to beat Barack Obama, they’ll vote for the evangelical,” says Land, who has informally advised Romney on how to deal with his faith on the campaign trail.


“If there’s no such evangelical [in the] race, they’ll vote for the Catholic,” he says, “But if there’s no other candidate who’s likely to beat Obama, they’ll vote for the Mormon.”

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, an evangelical, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Catholic, are running for the GOP nomination.

Beyond theological challenges, conservative activists like Land and Farris say Romney faces skepticism among religious conservatives because he once supported abortion rights and signed a healthcare law in Massachusetts that critics say represented a dramatic government overreach.

But those close to Romney argue that Huckabee’s decision not to enter the 2012 race creates an opportunity for Romney to pick up more evangelical support. Or, they say, it could wind up splitting evangelical voters among multiple primary candidates, making evangelicals a less potent force.

DeMoss, a Christian public relations executive who also helped Romney with evangelical outreach in 2008, says one of the victories from the last campaign was that no big-name evangelical came out against Romney over his Mormonism. This time, DeMoss is working to get some evangelical leaders to go a step further and publicly support Romney.

After Romney’s 2008 defeat, one nationally known evangelical leader privately told DeMoss that he’d voted for Romney in the primaries.

“I remember thinking, it would have been nice if somebody else knew that,” says DeMoss, who believes such revelations would have made more evangelicals comfortable supporting a Mormon candidate.

Huntsman’s entry into the presidential race could make Mormonism less of an issue if it has a mainstreaming effect. But the two candidates’ religious affiliations could play out quite differently.

Romney has long been active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), having occupied Mormon leadership positions like bishop (the rough equivalent of a lay pastor) and stake president (someone who oversees groups of Mormon congregations).

“I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it,” Romney said in a December 2007 speech in which he addressed his Mormonism. “My faith is the faith of my fathers — I will be true to them and to my beliefs.”

Huntsman, like Romney, spent two years abroad as a Mormon missionary but has kept some distance from the LDS church. As governor of Utah, he loosened liquor laws that had been inspired by Mormon orthodoxy and broke with his church in signing a law allowing civil unions for gay couples.

In a recent television interview, Huntsman affirmed his Mormon faith but added that Mormonism is “a very diverse and heterogeneous cross-section of people. ... I probably add to that diversity somewhat.”

A Huntsman adviser who often deals with the media declined to respond to requests for comment.

Matthew Bowman, an editor at a Mormon studies journal called Dialogue, says Huntsman hails from a slightly younger generation of Mormons who are less defensive about their Mormonism.

“Huntsman is a Mormon who thinks of his faith not as something that separates him from American culture or as something he has to defend or explain away, which is what Romney did,” says Bowman. “Romney is always hyperaware of his Mormonism.”

That means Huntsman may face fewer questions about his Mormonism should he run.

The LDS church, for its part, says its policy is to steer clear of electoral politics. Some church observers say the controversy the church generated by supporting California’s 2008 gay marriage ban, Proposition 8, exacerbated its political reticence. (most mormons dont support gay marriage)

At the same time, the church has capitalized on increased attention paid to Mormonism - provoked by everything from Romney’s 2008 campaign to the current hit Broadway musical, “Book of Mormon” - with a succession of public awareness campaigns.

The church website Mormon.org, for example, was recently revamped with an eye toward educating non-Mormons about the religion. The site features video profiles of Mormons from different walks of life.

“The message of these ads is that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are your friends and neighbors,” says Purdy, the church spokesman. “We are professionals and tradespeople, artists and teachers and everything in between.”

Put another way, the message is that Mormons are normal, everyday Americans.

With the Republican primary race finally starting in earnest, the nation is about get a major glimpse into whether GOP voters agree.

NEWS - ROMNEY TO CAMPAIN IN SC TODAY

Saturday, May. 21, 2011
Romney to campaign in S.C. today
By GINA SMITH

Likely GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney is in South Carolina today, meeting with a small group of business owners.

“It’s a chance for him to hear from real people about the economy and how it’s affecting them,” said state Rep. Nathan Ballentine, R-Lexington, who set up Romney’s one-stop visit to Meetze Plumbing in Irmo to speak with up to 20 business owners.

Gov. Nikki Haley, who endorsed Romney in the 2008 GOP presidential race, will not attend the event because her schedule does not match up, said Rob Godfrey, Haley’s spokesman. The two did speak on the phone Friday, he added.

“They were just touching base,” Godfrey said. “The governor told Governor Romney she was sorry they couldn’t catch up this time, and he let her know that he’d be back often.”

Haley, who received nearly $59,000 from Romney’s political action committee in her run for governor last year, has said she will endorse a GOP candidate for president but has not done so yet.

Meanwhile on the state’s airwaves, a Democratic group is blasting Romney in the first ad of the 2012 campaign cycle, on the issue of health care.

The TV and Internet ad, airing this weekend across the state, also notes another Republican presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich, who recently criticized a GOP plan to convert the federally funded Medicare and Medicaid programs into block grants

Romney spokesman Andrea Saul said the ad – sponsored by a group of former members of President Barack Obama’s campaign team and former S.C. Gov. Jim Hodges – is a “desperate” attempt to change the conversation.

“With 9.6 percent unemployment in South Carolina, voters are looking for a jobs plan not a smear campaign,” Saul said.

Today’s visit marks the former Massachusett governor’s first visit to South Carolina this election cycle, considered a frontrunner for the GOP nomination.

Romney finished fourth in the state’s 2008 GOP presidential primary. That weak showing led to speculation that Romney will all but skip South Carolina despite its prestigious first-in-the-South primary. He, along with several other high-profile candidates, sat out a presidential debate in Greenville earlier this month.

However, more recent polling shows more promise. An April poll of likely S.C. Republican voters put Romney is second place behind former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who since has said he won’t run.

Asked about campaigning in South Carolina, Saul said, “Governor Romney will be campaigning in South Carolina, as he will other states.”

Ballentine, a Haley ally who also endorsed Romney in 2008, doubts Romney will skip South Carolina. “He’s smart enough to know he has to spend time here.”
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im sorry i missed seeing him in my old home turf. i voted for him (only vote ive ever cast) here, in Oklahoma. but he didnt win.
when he lost, there was a ton of speculation hed run in 2011. i didnt think he would, but im not surprised he is.
im not so sure the world is ready for a MORMON in office, altho allot of the congress personell happen to be , in fact, LDS...
the world thinks we want them all to be like us..we dont, we want you to decide on your own if you want to be among us.
but thats a personal choice.
an we cant change that.

i dont see what the big deal about ROMNEY even being a president is. everytime anyone relishes on the fact they like someone from the past as far any president goes, they always site a conservative president.
so, ROMNEYS pretty conservative, if he holds true to his mormon ways.

hes not the ONLY member of the faith running. i hear theres another contender.
maybe hell squeeze in there. i havnt heard about him much, i do know that glen beck says hes the next president. we shall see glen, we shall see.

MICHELLE

NEWS - WOULD YOU VOTE FOR SOMEONE JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE LDS/MORMON ?

Would You Vote for Someone Just Because They’re Mormon?

Ashley Evanson - 2 days ago

Buzz about the 2012 presidential election is already in full swing. But with no real Republican front-runner, really, anyone is game. We’ve been hearing Mitt Romney’s name tossed around as a potential for a while now, but two weeks ago we started hearing another familiar name: Jon Huntsman.

While Huntsman doesn’t have the same national profile as Romney, he has gained status as the ambassador to China and might become more of a threat in the upcoming year. Can you imagine—TWO Mormons (gasp) both running for president?

Now, I understand my next thought doesn’t apply to every Mormon, BUT, I know of a lot of members who vote for politicians based on the fact that they, too, are LDS. And honestly, I know that I’ve been unjustifiably biased toward LDS politicians for the sole reason that we share a religion.

But what if Romney and Huntsman go head to head in 2012? Who will the Mormons vote for?! If their only choice was Romney, I bet a fair number of Mormons wouldn’t really give the other candidates a second thought. But throw Huntsman into the picture and we might actually have to do more research on each candidate’s stances. If they both end up running, it will be interesting to see how members react to the situation over the next two years. Do I sense a hint of BYU vs. Utah-style rivalry in the air?

there was a poll provided, im not saying which way i voted, but the numbers speak for themselves i think