Romney Camp Balks At Steele's Mormonism Comments

When guest-hosting Bill Bennett's radio show last Friday, Republican National Committee chair stumbled into another embarrassing public statement. Overshadowed by his comments on empathy was a harsh critique of potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

"Remember, it was the base that rejected Mitt because of his switch on pro-life, from pro-choice to pro-life," Steele told a caller. "It was the base that rejected Mitt because it had issues with Mormonism. It was the base that rejected Mitt because they thought he was back and forth and waffling on those very economic issues you're talking about."

Romney's people, understandably, objected. "Sometimes when you shoot from the hip, you miss the target," said Romney spokesman Eric Ferhnstrom. "This is one of those times."

Gail Gitcho, the Republican National Committee's new spokesperson, sent out a statement, her first (but probably not her last) clarifying the chairman's remarks.

"Chairman Steele regrets the way his comments have been interpreted. Chairman Steele believes Mitt Romney is a respected and influential voice in the Republican Party and looks to his leadership and ideas to help move our party and our nation in the right direction."

In an amusing coincidence, Gitcho worked for Romney during the presidential campaign.

Meanwhile, Romney himself made a rather bold statement on Laura Ingraham's radio show last week. Asked about his perceived swipe at Sarah Palin, the former governor said. "Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh are two of the most influential voices in our party and thank heavens for that."

Comments

[sheaintsayin]

I think even Mr. Romney would have to agree with Mr. Steele's assessment; this is just a publicity stunt - the desire to be on the record giving props to the almighty radio dude and the pageant walker, the front end of the sinking ship.

[zakwouldhave]

Mitt seems like a decent enough guy and his family seems very decent. Mormonism scares the hell out of me as most organized religions do when it comes to the arena of politics. The organized religions were not set up to accept ideas outside of ideology. Therefore what good are they in the political arena?
We hear the extreme right preach about how they love this country for its freedom...­I agree, but mostly because of the separation of church and state and our freedom of speech, etc.

[natepetedmb]

Saying this as a Mormon myself, Steele comments were just a fact. I did not think they were malicious. Thats why a lot of southern evangelicals (and others) rejected Romney. For myself... I rejected him for other reasons. I honestly wonder if this would happen in the Democratic party (that answer may have changed post Prop 8). But Harry Reid is Mormon and there are not many complaints about that.... I mean there are other complaints about Harry Reid but not so much that.

[Whatashame]

The Rethug party is the party of AOWM (angry old white men).

[ChaoticGood]

It's just like watching bums fight it out in an alley. Keep it up, it makes great theatre of the absurd

[joeyfoto]

I would like to think that I could come up with a more apt metaphor for the Republican Party, but I can't shake the image of a circular firing-squad. Michael Steele shoots from the hip but misses hitting himself in the foot only when he plinks-off another Republican.

It's not that Steele is necessarily a bad guy; he's got an impossible job. He's tasked with building a pyramid of bare-foot gymnasts while standing on broken glass. The Fundamentalist base is so toxic with institutionalized ignorance, bigotry and intolerance, that whoever attempts to mount it, ends up gushing blood. America has, in the majority, had it with Fundamentalist's ugliness and their obsession with unproductive agendas but Republicans need them or they have nothing left. Yet, if they keep them as their base, they can play only in the darkest pockets of American politics and can't build themselves up to being a competitive national party.

I think that's an interesting way of stating the obvious, but the dilemma is profoundly complex. As my old friend Jim Shea used to say: "A drowning man will grab for anything even the anchor chain.." Is that why Dick Cheney said that if he had to choose he'd take Rush Limbaugh over Colin Powell, to represent the future of the GOP? No one who could shoot straight is that stupid. That is a monument on the grave of a dead political party. Where do they go from here? We'll see...

[Alex02139]

Steele is right in his analysis, those are the reasons Romney lost. There are good reasons that Mormonism makes a lot of people uncomfortable, both conservatives and liberals.

[Nostrodamus]

the former governor said. "Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh are two of the most influential voices in our party and thank heavens for that."

Yes we know Palin and Limbaugh are objects of worship with in the Republican party. It is degenerated into a lurid cult.

[Middleclassvotingbloc]

Okay, lets start the countdown again---I will give Steele less than 4 months and he will be out.

[Amalek]

I hope not, he is doing a wonderful job.

[Middleclassvotingbloc]

What is wrong with these people?

[Azmom]

What's not true about what Steele said? Face it, Mi-tt, most people consider Mor-manism, to be a cu-lt. Most Evangelicals will tell you the same thing. It's why you weren't their candidate.

[Shay McDaniel]

No most people don't consider the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as a cult--only the ignorant. ...and if some of you lived back in the actual time of Christ when apostles were upon the earth--would you declare that group a cult? ...because they listened to those who would teach them the word of God? Quit being so ignorant. If God had a prophet on the earth today, would you listen to him? ..or would you pass him off as a cult leader? Your ignorance is all you have.

[wilray]

Obviously you don't know the definition of cult. or you wouldn't ask the question. But yes, Christianity would have been considered a cult. Whereas, worshiping a pantheon of Roman gods would have been considered terribly mainstream.

[Dooley50]

The title of this story is misleading. Romney's team did nothing.
Steele has a point, the south will never support an LDS candidate. The LDS church's reaction to having a presidential candidate would be interesting to watch.
I think Huntsman is a better "mormon" candidate. He seems to think before he opens his mouth.

[Dupree]

For the first time, Michael Steele opened his mou th and truth slipped out. He should be given a cookie for being honest about the reality on the ground...b­ut instead..i­t appears that people in the Mit Romney party....h­as trouble with truth. This information that Steele shared was news already reported throughout the campaign season. Perhaps Romney did not know why he lost to McCain and Huckabee. He should have asked anyone on the street. The "right winged Christians" did not feel comfortable with his affiliation with Mormonism. McCain was successful in shaping the conversation around Romney being a flip flop....th­e accusation did in fact stick to him and he was done. Mr. Romney...t­ruth has merit and if you are considering running for office...t­he last thing this country need is another president that rewrite history and never connect dots in life. Been there done that....re­ad the book and tired.

[Victorinox]

Steele did hit the mark here. The irony is that the Republicans can't accept their best candidate because of his liberal leaning and non-Protestant faith.

[Montgriz]

He is not even a good candidate.­...If any educated person who has read the Book of Mormon and the subsequent follow ups by various 19 Century bumpkins supporting it, can believe one thing out of that fantasy, he or she is not fit to be in any position of responsibility in this government­....It is a cult.....j­ust because they wave the flag doesn't make it patriotic.­..just nuts...

[wonkguy]

You are correct. Romney probably is there best candidate and while that scares the bejesus out of me, I can take comfort in the fact that the base of that party would never go for him.

[wonkguy]

that would be their best candidate

[Amalek]

I don't think Romney is liberal leaning. I think he has no principles and will simply bend with the wind. In order to be a govenor in Massachusetts he became liberal. To win the republican nomination he will be a conservative. If he wins we have no ideas what he will do, and that should scare us.

[FanofPaine]

Actually, Michael Steele finally speaks a truth. Evangelical right-wing Christians don't like Mormons. I went to a Southern Baptist influenced high school when I was younger (less than 10 years ago) and we were taught how to effectively argue against the "cults" of Mormonism and Jehovah Witnesses. Evangelicals are not gonna vote for Mitt Romney. Mormonism is really only a spot higher than Islam, which is equated with devil worship in those circles.