We Squabble While They Take Aim
Latest Polling – Romney up in South Carolina by 21 points! I never, ever thought I would see numbers like that there. I had hope Romney might squeak on out in SC, but 21 points?! One is tempted to start using words like “juggernaut” and “steamroller,” but smart people don’t do that in politics – thing change too quickly.
South Carolina has clearly changed. Evangelicals cannot make up your mind(?!), but the polling seems to indicate the voters are well on their way to doing so. Things get personal and the voters make it clear it is time to unite. We seem to be able to get it together on issues, so why all the sturm und drang when it comes to picking a POTUS nominee? Why do we still see things that try to help but don’t help – like this.
It seems like the voters have figured out what the apparent Evangelical political leadership cannot. Those leaders went and picked Santorum to hoist their banner yesterday. Now, don’t get me wrong – I like Santorum. In point of fact Santorum is probably closer to me on a whole host of issues than Romney – but this is not about who looks like me – this is about who can win and move the ball closer to my goals. Unlike some of the other goofs in this thing, should Santorum somehow prevail, I would not have to hold my nose to cast my vote in the general – but at this point it seems pretty apparent he is not going to prevail – So, “What’s up ‘Evangelical Leaders’?”
Even The Left Has It Figured Out
They have a Romney book coming out. Here’s all you really need to know:
Mitt Romney‘s business career, faith, family and 2008 presidential campaign get a closer look in “The Real Romney,” a book coming out Tuesday on the GOP front-runner by Boston Globe reporters Michael Kranish and Scott Helman.
If it is from Globe reporters, you can bet it’s a hit piece. As the WSJ look just link reveals – its thesis is not reportage, but finding fault. And despite the fact it does not come out until Wednesday, the advance copies littered about the pundit class are giving them all sorts of ammo. WaPo hit hard and Maureen Dowd went low, even for her:
Romney’s religion pulls a curtain over parts of his life story because some important moments for Mormons are restricted to Mormons. After Mitt and Ann were married in Michigan in 1969, they flew to the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City for a ceremony where Mitt wore white robes and they were “sealed” for eternity. But Ann’s parents were not Mormon, so they were not allowed inside to see it.
Oh yeah, and they are warming up the racism knives too. It seems apparent that the left has also figured out that they will be facing Mitt Romney in the fall, and they are preparing for war.
And So, “Evangelical Leaders”…
…there is little left to say. We have said over and over and over again on this blog, but apparently you have chosen to ignore it. I have no rhetoric left. This video is dedicated to you.
Posted in News Media Bias, Reading List, Religious Bigotry | 4 Comments » | 
Print this post
| 
Email This Post
coltakashi on 15 Jan 2012 at 9:06 am #
The Jan 15 Wall Street Journal had an article interviewing three people who were depicted in the anti-Romney movie as being laid off by Bain Capital when it owned the commercial washing machine factory they worked for. Turns out the movie is a blatant lie. During Bain’s ownership they were NOT laid off, and one gentleman was actually promoted and got substantial raises. Bain sold the company to a Canadian teachers pension fund, which later laid off workers at one plant and consoludated operations in Wisconsin. The gentleman featured in the film started his own business maintaining commercial washers. He is quoted saying he will have to vote for Romney to apologize, because he sure is not going to vote for Gingrich.
TVHall on 15 Jan 2012 at 11:05 pm #
In the world of politics, we are continually told that “perception is reality.” By that standard, the main, if not the only, reason for this action by the “Evangelical leadership” is Mitt Romney’s membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’m not sure whether to be happy or sad that they have chosen to expose themselves in this manner. However, as a fan of irony, I do wonder if they are not accomplshing the one thing they worried about, with respect to validation, if a Mormon were to become POTUS.
coltakashi on 15 Jan 2012 at 11:07 pm #
The news Sunday night is that Huntsman is dropping out of the race and is endorsing Romney. It seems likely that Huntsman supporters are mostly going to follow his lead and add several percent to Romney’s vote in South Carolina.
On the other hand, Perry and Gingrich are too vain to follow Huntsman’s example, so will continue to keep Santorum’s numbers low compared to Romney. If Perry then drops out, Romney will have an air of inevitability that will help him dominate in Florida even if Gingrich also drops out.
Today on Fox, Chris Wallace questioned the Gingrich Super PAC about the anti-Romney movie’s misrepresentations, and Gingrich’s own affiliation with a Bain competitor. The guy kept trying to put the burden on Romney to refute the baloney, not even willing to admit the lies pointed out by the people who were filmed–and paid by the producer. The man even claimed that calling Romney a “vulture” was praise for a capitalist. Wallace was clearly not impressed by the guy’s truthfulness.
Phil T. on 19 Jan 2012 at 1:19 am #
I sent the following letter to Maureen Dowd and one similar to it to Joel Belz.
Dear Ms. Dowd:
Last summer during our family vacation journey we went to Salt Lake City and we were restricted from entering only one building. Our young children couldn’t enter the Salt Lake Temple because of a custom similar to that practiced by the Jewish people that you may recall from your childhood Sunday School lessons, i.e. the practice that only qualified Jews were permitted to enter into their temple. The following experience helps illustrate what makes the personal religious experiences in LDS temples “sacred” and therefore private and confidential.
“Ellen Breakell joined the LDS church in Preston, England in 1837 and immigrated to America with her husband in 1841. Her husband set up a dental practice in Nauvoo, IL before being driven out by the mobs in 1846. They stayed in Winter Quarters (near Council Bluffs, IA) and in the spring of 1848 they sold everything to continue west. This left no money for trail-worthy boots or shoes so Ellen crossed the plains with her feet wrapped in rags – over 1,000 miles arriving in the Salt Lake valley in the fall of 1848. For the next 8 years Ellen had little money for anything other than necessities. Not until 1856 did Ellen save enough to send off to a mail-order house for a pair of high-button shoes, and she knit herself a pair of stockings. The shoes arrived not long before October general conference 1856. That was a momentous conference because on Sunday, October 5, Brigham Young stood and announced they had just learned there were two handcart companies (close to 1,000 people) out on the plains encountering snowy weather and they needed to be rescued.”
“Brigham called for wagons, teams, food, blankets, and clothing, including shoes from the members to send with the rescue wagons. In an inspiring example of sacrifice, after all those years of going without, Ellen gave her new pair of shoes and the stockings to the rescue effort. Here, in her granddaughter’s words, is what followed:”
“Customarily, the Saints in the valley lined the streets to welcome the weary companies as they entered Salt Lake. You can imagine as Ellen stood on the street that day to greet the beleaguered handcart pioneers, was she watching faces, or was she watching feet to see whose footsteps she had lightened? Much to her surprise, when she recognized her shoes, she also realized that the woman wearing those shoes was a dear friend of hers from England who had joined the church after Ellen had left her native country. Through her sacrifice, she had unknowingly helped to rescue the life of her dear friend.”
“Talk about a ‘coincidence’! With close to a thousand people being rescued that winter… Ellen’s shoes ended up on the feet of her dear friend. Surely there were 2 women who wept that day in gratitude for this delightful blessing from the Lord. And surely Ellen understood that this was Heavenly Father’s way of saying to her; ‘Thank you my dear daughter. Thank you for being who you are.’” (Story quoted from “Divine Signatures – The Confirming Hand of God” by Gerald N. Lund)
To worldly skeptics this occurrence was just a coincidence but to LDS church members revelatory experiences like this occur in LDS temples worldwide and are “pearls” that stop them in their tracks to pause and ponder how God directs, uplifts and helps their lives. Call them “Mary, mother of Jesus moments” because like Mary most members keep all these things and ponder them in their hearts. To them some personal religious experiences are too sacred to publicize because “spiritual bullies” like Maureen Dowd for some reason mock what they don’t understand in order to perpetuate incorrect negative stereotypes. Consequently what plays in the temple stays in the temple – something about not casting your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet. Perhaps a retraction is in order unless the intent of your “gossip column” piece is to promote misunderstandings.
For a better understanding check out mormon.org or LDS.org and look up the 170 year old Relief Society. It’s the largest women’s organization in the world with over 5 million women members 18 years and older in nearly 170 countries run by you guessed it, women. Being a little more open minded about closed minded Mormons might help you see a little more good in the world. You’re smart, liberate yourself from being a subservient gal analyst analyzing two more guy analysts like Michael Kranish and Scott Helman who try to find fault for a buck and do your own research.
By the way your column hints that you may be a “big name wedding planner”. Do you ever counsel couples that the Kittels, kilts, kimonos or crowns that some cultures wear in their wedding ceremonies are okay?:-)
Sincerely,
Phil T.
Catholic-made Mormon since 1977