Comments on: Dredging Up The Question: “Romney’s Mormon faith remains a political question mark . . . .” http://www.article6blog.com/2008/07/15/dredging-up-the-question-romneys-mormon-faith-remains-a-political-question-mark/ Religion in the 2008 Presidential Campaign: Commentary by an Evangelical Christian and a Mormon Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:01:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Lori http://www.article6blog.com/2008/07/15/dredging-up-the-question-romneys-mormon-faith-remains-a-political-question-mark/#comment-12679 Lori Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:46:33 +0000 http://www.article6blog.com/2008/07/15/dredging-up-the-question-romneys-mormon-faith-remains-a-political-question-mark/#comment-12679 While everyone knows that there is a segment of Evangelicals who cannot separate their disdain for Mormonism from politics and cannot show an appreciation for religious freedom for all, it was pretty obvious that Huckabee was trying to appeal to that very segment. However, Romney was much more gracious than to state the obvious. He really made the point that rather than Evangelicals turning away from him, they were just turning to a fellow Evangelical. That they wanted one of their own to be the nominee is the very definition of identity politics. "Vote for me, I am one of you". While there was some "Don't vote for the other guy, he is not like us" and most of it was ugly and unAmerican, Mitt is ever the gentleman giving the Mormon-haters the benefit of the doubt. Still he recognizes that identity politics, voting for someone who shares your identity, is not good for America. It only sustains the divisions in our country and keeps us from being one nation indivisible. While everyone knows that there is a segment of Evangelicals who cannot separate their disdain for Mormonism from politics and cannot show an appreciation for religious freedom for all, it was pretty obvious that Huckabee was trying to appeal to that very segment.

However, Romney was much more gracious than to state the obvious. He really made the point that rather than Evangelicals turning away from him, they were just turning to a fellow Evangelical. That they wanted one of their own to be the nominee is the very definition of identity politics. “Vote for me, I am one of you”. While there was some “Don’t vote for the other guy, he is not like us” and most of it was ugly and unAmerican, Mitt is ever the gentleman giving the Mormon-haters the benefit of the doubt.

Still he recognizes that identity politics, voting for someone who shares your identity, is not good for America. It only sustains the divisions in our country and keeps us from being one nation indivisible.

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