Comments on: The Contrast Is So Plain, The Whisperings Are Noted, and more… (UPDATED) http://www.article6blog.com/2007/12/12/the-contrast-is-so-plain-the-whisperings-are-noted-and-more/ "Religion, Politics, the Presidency: Commentary by an Evangelical Christian and A Mormon" Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:29:49 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: coltakashi http://www.article6blog.com/2007/12/12/the-contrast-is-so-plain-the-whisperings-are-noted-and-more/comment-page-1/#comment-10693 coltakashi Thu, 13 Dec 2007 05:26:59 +0000 http://www.article6blog.com/2007/12/12/the-contrast-is-so-plain-the-whisperings-are-noted-and-more/#comment-10693 The Drudge Report has quoted from a speech that Huckabee as governor of Arkansas gave at the 1998 Southern Baptist Convention in Salt Lake City, in which he calls on the ministers present to "take back America for Christ." He also describes going into politics as being like entering the belly of the beast and attempting to implement Christian principles there. He clearly was portraying himself as trying to convert government into a Christian institution. Based on Clinton's tenure in Arkansas, the statehouse could probably use some repentance. But Huckabee is clearly continuing the same message in his campaign. I seriously cannot envision Huckabee winning the electoral votes of Utah in light of the strong commitment of the SBC to the position that Mormonism is a non-Christian cult, including disseminating videos and books to its member churches with that message. I think a lot of Mormons will pass on the presidential contest, or even write in Mitt Romney or some third party candidate, rather than help elect someone who has used his campaign to paint Mormons as unworthy of full participation in politics, so that the Democratic candidate could get the plurality of votes and Utah's 5 electoral votes, meaning a 10 vote switch. Huckabee as the Republican nominee would cast a pall over Republican Party campaigns all through the Mormon west, including Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and Nevada. Money and volunteers will dry up, and then votes. When the Electoral College margins are as slim as they have been, and the margins of victory in several of these states has been so small, even the small number of Mormons can tip the balance, especially since they tend to volunteer and vote out of proportion to their numbers in the population. I can imagine a nominated Huckabee making the traditional visit to the LDS Church leaders, to try to counteract this problem, but it seems that his core constituency would be upset at him for doing so. And what kinds of demands will they make of him if he were elected? He would have to say something along the lines of a positive commendation of the LDS Church, which would mean that he DOES know something about it, meaning he was lying before. The Church leaders will maintain their neutrality and meet with him, and they will give him his genealogy, but I wonder how nice he can be to them in return without alienating the rabid Anti-Mormons among his supporters. He has dug himself into a hole by playing off one element of the Republican base against another. He is a divider, not a uniter. The Drudge Report has quoted from a speech that Huckabee as governor of Arkansas gave at the 1998 Southern Baptist Convention in Salt Lake City, in which he calls on the ministers present to “take back America for Christ.” He also describes going into politics as being like entering the belly of the beast and attempting to implement Christian principles there. He clearly was portraying himself as trying to convert government into a Christian institution. Based on Clinton’s tenure in Arkansas, the statehouse could probably use some repentance. But Huckabee is clearly continuing the same message in his campaign.

I seriously cannot envision Huckabee winning the electoral votes of Utah in light of the strong commitment of the SBC to the position that Mormonism is a non-Christian cult, including disseminating videos and books to its member churches with that message. I think a lot of Mormons will pass on the presidential contest, or even write in Mitt Romney or some third party candidate, rather than help elect someone who has used his campaign to paint Mormons as unworthy of full participation in politics, so that the Democratic candidate could get the plurality of votes and Utah’s 5 electoral votes, meaning a 10 vote switch. Huckabee as the Republican nominee would cast a pall over Republican Party campaigns all through the Mormon west, including Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and Nevada. Money and volunteers will dry up, and then votes. When the Electoral College margins are as slim as they have been, and the margins of victory in several of these states has been so small, even the small number of Mormons can tip the balance, especially since they tend to volunteer and vote out of proportion to their numbers in the population. I can imagine a nominated Huckabee making the traditional visit to the LDS Church leaders, to try to counteract this problem, but it seems that his core constituency would be upset at him for doing so. And what kinds of demands will they make of him if he were elected? He would have to say something along the lines of a positive commendation of the LDS Church, which would mean that he DOES know something about it, meaning he was lying before. The Church leaders will maintain their neutrality and meet with him, and they will give him his genealogy, but I wonder how nice he can be to them in return without alienating the rabid Anti-Mormons among his supporters. He has dug himself into a hole by playing off one element of the Republican base against another. He is a divider, not a uniter.

]]> By: JLFuller http://www.article6blog.com/2007/12/12/the-contrast-is-so-plain-the-whisperings-are-noted-and-more/comment-page-1/#comment-10675 JLFuller Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:06:33 +0000 http://www.article6blog.com/2007/12/12/the-contrast-is-so-plain-the-whisperings-are-noted-and-more/#comment-10675 What a proud moment that was for Ms. Thompson when she got the chance to actual see Romney's underwear. Laura Vozzella's reporter friend, Candus Thompson, actually bragged about it. Apparently the "peek" opportunity came to her while an invited guest at the Romney's Park City, Utah residence when she was offered the use of the master bedroom john before leaving a party. Do you suppose she will ever get an invite to the White House? Maybe the out house. What a proud moment that was for Ms. Thompson when she got the chance to actual see Romney’s underwear. Laura Vozzella’s reporter friend, Candus Thompson, actually bragged about it. Apparently the “peek” opportunity came to her while an invited guest at the Romney’s Park City, Utah residence when she was offered the use of the master bedroom john before leaving a party. Do you suppose she will ever get an invite to the White House? Maybe the out house.

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