Time Turns Up The Volume
Time magazine has decided to make its latest issues all about Mitt and Mormonism, including a stained glass depiction of Romney on the cover announcing “The Mormon Identity.” Here is a link to the abridged, blog version of the feature story (with a pic of the cover) and here is a link to the story itself, though subscription is required to read all of it. They also had a companion feature on the Third Ward in Maryland/DC that Romney would attend should he take up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. This later bit was echoed at the Washington Post, who then went on and did some follow-up.
Lowell and I have managed to seer the whole Meacham/Time piece, and this all seems to be reasonable reporting; just the sort of profile stuff you might expect when a new president takes up residence and joins a new church. The timing; however, is a bit unusual. Such profiles would normally appear in the period after the election, but before the inauguration. So with these pieces Time is clearly trying to ring the Mormon bell louder than it has been rung to date in this cycle.
We do still have some of the less reputable Mormon mentions, say Harry Reid’s, going on. Speaking of which, you have got to love this tweet from former CEO of GE, Jack Welch on Wednesday:
Politics are one thing…but the Senate Majority leader’s comments about Gov.Romney’s taxes and religion reach a new low.
Welch does have a point. But you will recall that yesterday, I analyzed playing the Mormon card this way:
So desperate are the forces defending Obama that they will go to these extreme lengths to take the Mormon shot, which they think will help them. There are only two ways the Mormon shot works. One is to divide the Republican base by splitting off Mormon-objecting Evangelicals. Well, if Mormon-bashing Evangelical Robert Jeffress now says that avenue is dead, it’s dead. The other way the Mormon shot works is “weird.” Well, that may resonate to some extent in the leftie echo chamber, but not out here in the real world. Too many people know a Mormon personally to think they are that weird. And those that don’t know a Mormon certainly know people of deep religious conviction of some sort and don’t find them “weird” – so it just has no play except with those ardently opposed to faith, and there are not enough of them to matter.
So let me offer you an alternative understanding of what Time is up to here. It is commonly bandied about that as the election approaches, the polls are going to come far closer to the real result than they seem to be right now. As Mark Steyn put it on Hugh Hewitt yesterday, “When they start to worry about their paychecks,” more than their politics they will adjust their turnout models and the polls will shift rather dramatically.
What if Time sees the handwriting on the wall? I mean this is some of the first reasonable reporting we have seen from a major outlet on this issue since this whole thing started. These stories are inevitable given a Romney victory. Suppose Time just wants to be ahead of the curve? The pollsters have their paychecks to worry about and journalists have “access.” Do you think the Jon Meacham’s of the world, if they spend the entire cycle bad-mouthing Romney and his faith, are going to get much access to a President Romney?
I speculated on Wednesday that some of the MSM’s infatuation with Obama may be coerced. Well, if when Obama loses, his ability to bring such coercion to bear disappears. I think it possible Time sees that ability on the wane and is responding accordingly. Thirty-nine days from now, I think it is entirely possible that we will look back on this issue of Time as the turning point.
Posted in News Media Bias, Political Strategy, Reading List | 2 Comments » | 
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JLF9999 on 28 Sep 2012 at 7:46 am #
I read parts of the Time piece and agree with John. This is not a hit piece but an unusually honest effort. Maybe some folks find this interest unexpected, but Mormons do not. People are interested in us and rightfully so given all the distortions and misinformation extant about us. Meecham did a pretty good job as far as he went. The part about this nation being set apart by God to be a leader in the world is spot on. That is why we see the Democrat penchant for demeaning our country as particularly distasteful and Obama’s and his party’s neo-socialist ideology as apostacy.
The Church does not teach that we are special above all others having exclusive access to God, the Holy Spirit or religious enlightenment. Maybe if that was understood better it would be helpful to Mitt Romney’s campaign. (The priesthood allows for the sole authority to bind in heaven that which was bound on earth. That is much different from exclusivity of enlightenment or knowledge of God.) However, in politics, the opposition will drag up all the anti-Mormon junk and throw it at Mitt and demand that he answer for it. We saw that with Leslie Marshall on Hannity a couple nights ago. Mitt rightfully should shunt such things aside for the apologists to answer and move on. However we see that the media seldom asks for a responce from those tasked with answering such questions. I suggest it is because they do not want to know. Their interest is in attacking not understanding.
Rockgod28 on 28 Sep 2012 at 9:30 am #
Bang!
TIME magazine looks down the field at the charging forces against the incumbent in the White House to see they are coming at them faster.
A bigger blank fired by TIME and the Washington Post. It didn’t have the effect they were hoping for even in the story itself. The Third Ward is diverse with Black people, immigrants, and other social issues with a political tilt toward the Democratic Party. It kind of makes the bigger blank shot at Mitt Romney more obvious.
I focused on the comments.
At TIME I am starting to believe that it is the unofficial magazine for atheists. It is interesting to note their diversity too. Some have a militant hatred of religion. Some are questioning TIME even focusing on the subject at all. Others mock relegious writing while a few have good points to make about the actual article.
Strangely enough attracted to TIME is the other end of the spectrum. Religious right types. There are moderates in there too but compared to the Leftists and atheists they are a minority. One thing is clear in the comments even as the article tried to play up the 47% ‘gaffe’ is that it did not damage Mitt Romney’s campaign at all.
The Third Ward majority was going to vote for Obama. It is clear they have vested interests to do so beyond political policies or ideology. Economically they depend on a Democrat Party in the White House.
Ultimately the article does no damage to Mitt Romney, shows the diversity of thr LDS faith and while the Mormon bell was rung the general electorate was given a preview of the next President of the United States.
Now how about a look into the biggest story in US history at the Embassy in Libya and the attempted cover up of Presidental incompetence and negligence of duty TIME and Washington Post.
GO MITT! YOU ARE WINNING! 2012!