For Mitt Romney, 'Mormon Factor' Could Still Hold Down His Iowa Vote

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A top Romney adviser, speaking on a not-for-attribution basis, said Friday that the former governor's percentage of the vote in the Iowa caucuses will be "held down to some degree by the Mormon factor. It's just a fact of life that we know we have to deal with."

The adviser might have made the statement in part to hold down expectations about Mitt Romney -- which have been rising steadily -- but it also highlights a significant and ongoing problem that Romney faces with evangelical and other voters: their skepticism and even fear of his deep Mormon faith.

Romney's religion is one reason why some GOP strategists and others think he could be a weaker-than-normal candidate for them in the Bible Belt South and elsewhere where conservative Christians are a key factor.

The Romney camp's own concern was on display this weekend as the crucial final Sunday before the Iowa caucuses approached. Evangelical voters in Iowa constitute perhaps 40 to 50 percent of the turnout. Rep. Michele Bachmann, furiously courting them, announced on Saturday that she "will provide her testimony" at Jubilee Family Church in Oskaloosa on Sunday. "In the past two days," her campaign said, "she has secured 22 additional pastor and faith leader endorsements, totaling more than 200 men and women of faith who support her candidacy. She has representation from the faith community in all 99 Iowa counties."

Former Sen. Rick Santorum, who is Catholic, will attend mass tomorrow, a campaign aide said, and named the specific church where he would do so.

But even though Romney told The Huffington Post in an interview on Thursday that he attends church every week, his campaign did not put the event on his Sunday schedule -- his published schedule begins in the early afternoon -- and an aide declined to say where or when he would attend Mormon services in the Des Moines area.

Bachmann, Santorum and Texas Gov. Rick Perry are the three main contenders for the evangelical vote. All have staff and personal ties to the conservative Christian who beat Romney here in 2008, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Huckabee has not endorsed a candidate this time but, ironically, would have to be considered a leading contender for the veep slot should Romney win the Republican nomination.

Power pastors in Iowa -- and they are legion -- have generally refrained from commenting on Romney and Mormonism. And Romney has stressed economic issues in Iowa.

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Comments

[peacedude]

04:00 PM on 01/06/2012

I hope you will reread my previous comments below and try to understand what I am saying. I haven’t mentioned the life experiences which have led me to feel that money is well spent if it helps preserve even one heterosexual marriage. If most Americans disagree I will gladly support any law made by-We, The People- allowing gay marriage. But all should be heard, and ALL should be allowed involvement and a vote, even polygamists should be allowed to vote on the discriminatory “one woman” of prop 08.
I feel that those who love and understand will support traditional marriage. I’ve seen the sorrow caused by the “Bye I love you” teachings, and I’ve researched the issues thoroughly. If you read “Crafting Gay Children” you know that much of the information we are getting about gay issues is not true. Still, I have no animosity against activists, especially those who honestly promote their agenda through media, musicals, with money, through judges, politicians, in churches and so on. That is what America is about. I do have issues with those trying to silence or bury disagreements (this goes on in high places and in many of our organizations- see my comment below on the APA). Most of all, I disagree with those promoting hate against groups that are unwilling to accept the entire gay agenda, and justifying it by painting an already maligned religious minority as “bigots.”

[peacedude]

03:59 PM on 01/06/2012

I’m not saying this is your attitude, but here is an example of the hater justifying his hatred by painting the victim as bigots:

I said: “Mormons cant' express an opinion without feeling they might be fired from their job, have rocks thrown through windows, etc, etc”

The activist says: “Amen! So if you don't like it, then take your bigotry back into the closet, and get your collective holier-than-thou noses out of my life. Oh, the poor oppressed bigots!...." (The rest is too lurid (and I thank Huffington again for allowing this conversation on some very important issues in American politics)

Girlwithlaser says: “As more and more people leave behind the fallacy of religion, morality, fairness, hope, compassion, decency and dignity will prevail on earth. End the religious stranglehold on humans by 2025!” pg 40

It goes on... We won't have peace on earth if we continue like that. The LDS Church has repeatedly called for tolerance and protections for gays and others. But the disrespect and bullying of Mormons is still widespread.
Also, many active LDS and ex-Mormons donated large amounts of money AGAINST prop 08 (rumors include football star Steve Young, the cofounder of Word Perfect etc, but no one complains about separating Church and Mormons against 08.)

We shouldn’t give up on peace, and I’m trying to make the world safer for my family. What are you trying to do?

[peacedude]

01:22 PM on 01/06/2012

I’m posting a few (hoping not to tire the poor monitors)of many quotes by American Founders to show that there is a difference between true American separation and some activist’s ideas of separation of Church and State.:

Thomas Jefferson
"God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God?..."

Sam Adams
"And as it is our duty…I conceive that we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world that the rod of tyrants may be broken to pieces, and the oppressed made free again; that wars may cease in all the earth, and that the confusions that are and have been among nations may be overruled by promoting and speedily bringing on that holy and happy period when the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ may be everywhere established…who is Prince of Peace."
--As Governor of Massachusetts,

"The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity.” Sam Adams
James Monroe
"When we view the blessings with which our country has been favored…drawn to the source from whence they flow. Let us then, unite in offering our most grateful acknowledgements for these blessings to the Divine Author of All Good."
-- 2nd Annual Message to Congress

[peacedude]

01:12 PM on 01/06/2012

I believe that LDS article of faith that says “We believe” in allowing all to worship how or what they may. Still, Founding Americans had a view that differed from many activists and the ACLU etc:
"While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian."
--The Writings of Washington, pp. 342-343.
"Whoever believes in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion of Jesus shall prevail… And may the associated distribution of the Bible proceed and prosper till the Lord shall have made 'bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations,”-Life of John Quincy Adams, p. 248.
Some rights that the aclu has taken or seeks to take from Awmericans: the right to freely speak or read from pioneer journals on the Mormon Trail in Wyoming (because the journals contain religious content not approved by the aclu, yes, seriously), to talk kindly about God (especially Jesus) in school even if I’m a teacher, to ask promoting religious questions on public property without lawsuits, to donate money to certain moral causes etc, to buy dead-end streets adjacent to Temples, etc, etc etc.

[peacedude]

12:40 PM on 01/06/2012

I hope you can overcome any anti-Mormon feelings you might have. I have no ill feelings toward you, or atheists in general. No one is perfect. My grandmother was Irish. Her family was Protestant in Dublin. They loved Ireland, but one only remembered blood running down the gutter. Due to her open-minded attitude I don’t blame Catholics for that, I blame politics, a lack of conversations, and lack of Christian feelings of forgiveness among a FEW on both sides. Also due to open-mindedness and faith, they were able to find the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. Atheism is not the only way to peace however. As you may know, many millions of people were destroyed under atheistic regimes also.
If I remember correctly Salt Lake City was only about 50% LDS at the turn of the 19th Century (the mining industry etc). Since then Mormons have become a hated minority group in SLC, which has been run by Liberal “Humanists” like Rocky Anderson whose goals seemed to be: more beer, less Mormons, debating Sean Hannity and hating on the President of the USA. I have been discriminated against for my religion frequently there. I attended the U briefly in the eighties, and all the Mormons were asked to raise their hands in a philosophy class. I was the only one, and was singled out for ridicule etc. In every other class there were false anti-Mormonisms presented, shown in movies, etc paid for by my tax dollars.

[peacedude]

12:19 PM on 01/06/2012

Mormons were a persecuted minority in my Utah High School also. My friends were mostly Catholics, one JW, atheists, an evangelical, and two semi active LDS. They were Black, white, Hispanic, Polynesian, and one Asian. The evangelical and JW gave me anti-Mormon lit regularly at our fast-food job. The evangelical had been taught that Mormons worship the devil. Still, I did not blame any of them for the abuses of others (those punching Mormons, yelling anti-Mormon epithets etc). All of their non-Mormon parents were employed. I have many stories of situations where I knew that Mormons were misunderstood or falsely accused of discrimination and of Mormons being discriminated against in UTAH, and especially outside of Utah. I’ll share only one: When I later married and moved to Utah County (predominantly Mormon) we were excited to learn that our back neighbors were Baptists. We hoped to make friends. My children ran back to the fence every time their children were outside. My children repeatedly asked if the Baptists could play. They asked their father, who said no. After several months my children gave up. When this family later moved away, they said it was because “the Mormons wouldn’t play with their children.”

[peacedude]

12:18 PM on 01/06/2012

There are only two active LDS who are fulltime employees at the SLC Company I work for (out of over 120?). Two of the highest ranking bosses are gay. There are several other gay and bisexual employees. I get along very well with them and they have all been kind to me. Most people don’t know about my religion. I don’t discuss it because I don’t want the issues I’ve had in the past (this is all in Utah). I have had heard some disparaging comments, I take them with a smile, and, due to diversity training, some people have been able to accept me, even though they know I’m LDS. I was asked nothing about my religion when they hired me, but I intentionally left mission experiences off my resume as I had been having a difficult time finding employment after being fired from a job, seemingly due in part to an assistant manager’s objections to my faith (which I never discussed, but she did find scriptures in my drawer, which I read on break).

[peacedude]

11:47 AM on 01/06/2012

part five or something : )

Due to time constraints, I haven’t mentioned the discrimination I was subjected to at the job before my last job, or some before that. I quit that one due to the animosity expressed by supervisors and coworkers (two gay, one evangelical exmo, one Catholic.) I don’t usually speak of it (I’ve only mentioned most of this to my wife) because I like to see the good in the world, and know that most non-Mormons are kind and non-hateful. My hope in mentioning these things is that you are able to forgive those who may have discriminated against you. And, perhaps, if you think back, you may have known at least one good Mormon that may have encouraged feelings of compassion. I don’t think it ever does much good to paint entire groups as evil or hateful due to the actions of a few.

I hope all goes well for you if we don’t speak again, and I will try to speak kindly of you and hope you will try to speak kindly of me and other Mormons.

[Melia HayesBiedscheid]

11:23 PM on 01/05/2012

peace dude, HP is refusing to publish my part 2 so i will re-write. you cited many quotations of people threatening violence, or indeed, inflicting violence, on your people. i resent that you imply that i would ever do anything to harm any individual mormom or condone anyone doing or even threatening to do anything violent. if you will re-read my posts you will see that i have repeatedly said that i respect EVERYONE'S right to practice their religion in peace, but there is supposed to be a separation of church and state in this country, and I find your church’s attempts to use its great wealth to manipulate politics apalling. I am a non-violent person and do not condone the violence and threats of violence you cite and I resent your attempt to paint me with that same brush.

[peacedude]

10:52 PM on 01/05/2012

On marriage. I think most Americans agree that some people should not marry whoever they love. Polygamists, children, young teens, bisexuals etc. Most gays agree that we should prevent all of these from marrying but cannot give any rational or fair reason why gays should marry and these others should not. Gays, however, can already marry if they really want to.
I do feel that gays should have extra protections. But, gay marriage is not a protection. It is unneeded, and research indicates that it is probably harmful for governments to promote homosexuality through legally binding people into homosexuality. Gays can love who they want and be monogamous. But keeping heterosexual marriage sacred preserves America and it is crucial for all of humanity. As Judge Vaughn explained, marriage isn’t about rights, protections or taxes (unions can take care of all that). Marriage is about “social meaning.”
Social meaning creates environment, and environment creates a Nation. Environment has also been shown to “illicit” homosexuality, and promoting homosexuality has been shown to be harmful. And, although research indicates that many gays can change, most will never be able to do so, even if they really want to. This is partially due to the fact that some activists are trying to shut down helpful sources.

As I've said, I've seen the sorrow of families abandoned for homosexual desires, and many activists encourage this. Even one family saved is worth all the time and money. We should all be for this.

[Melia HayesBiedscheid]

11:39 PM on 01/05/2012

you are never going to give up, are you? i cant believe HP is letting this little dialog between you and me, all by our lonesomes, go on.
you said: "On marriage. I think most Americans agree that some people should not marry whoever they love. Polygamist­s, children, young teens, bisexuals etc" the point here is that most americans agree that 2 gay people should be allowed to marry. gallup poll, cited below. (your disbelif in polls doesnt change their results). who is advocating for pedophelia (sex or marriage involving minors)? NOT ME! (that was joseph smiths specialty) and i highly resent your repulsive insinuation. as for plural marriage - if the partners are consenting adults, i, personally dont care. you seem to have trouble understanding the concept of same-sex marriage - so heres a good explanation: http://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad/how-gay-rights-is-nothing-like-legalizing-beastali
"

[Melia HayesBiedscheid]

11:50 PM on 01/05/2012

i work in the public schools in a western state. the vast majority of the single family homes i see are headed by heterosexuals.

i have personally experienced the sorrow of being a catholic kid in utah whose father cant support his family because he was a catholic.

[peacedude]

10:47 PM on 01/05/2012

Melia, hope you don’t mind if I don’t believe everything I read on the internet. I’ve been lied to, too many times. I’m not saying I think you are lying, but I do hesitate to believe anything.
I haven’t looked back to see if I said you were paid or gay, but, even if you don’t think so, you still seem to be an activist, or, at maybe just a person with anti-Mormon prejudices, who is using 08 as one more way to justify bad feelings towards Mormons. No offense, just sayin what I’m seein :).
Also, very few activists that I’ve spoken to admit they are activists (even many of the ones making the comments that I posted below), yet they promote gay marriage day on night in comment sections and they single out Mormons for maligning.

[Melia HayesBiedscheid]

11:12 PM on 01/05/2012

LOL flattery will get you nowhere!

[Melia HayesBiedscheid]

01:06 AM on 01/06/2012

BTW, i am posting under my own real name. i am on facebook under the same name. my facebook page is open to the public, so you can look at if you are on facebook, heck you can even post on it if you want. you will see i am a middle-aged white woman, proud mother of 2 wonderful young adults and still married to my wondereful first (and only) husband of 31 years. hardly the profile of a gay-rights activist.

why are you hiding behind a pseudonym, peace dude?

[Melia HayesBiedscheid]

10:14 PM on 01/05/2012

the mormon church spent 20 MILLION DOLLARS to defeat Prop 8 and deny civil rights to gay people. think of the good the mormon church could have done with that money. children are starving and dying of preventabl­e diseases all over the world and that amount of money could have saved many lives. instead it choose to use it to prevent people from marryin the people thay love. SHAME!

[Melia HayesBiedscheid]

10:03 PM on 01/05/2012

part 4

peace dude quoted “

"LDS here have lost…jobs [had] our businesses boycotted, received harassing calls at home and at work as a result… "
[Good] We are going to go after your church every day... I would delight if every [they] ended up unemployed¬, penniless and starving on the street…
Boycott all Mormon businesses¬. Drive them into the ground and let them know what we'll do….”

perhaps you did not read my post in this forum a few days ago about my dad….so I will repeat and expand a bit: my father served 28 years in the air force, ending his service after 4 years at Hill Air Force Base in Utah with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was a devout catholic and we kids (6 of us) were all enrolled in catholic schools. he did not want to uproot us so we stayed in salt lake city after he retired. he tried, unsuccessfully, to get a job in SLC for the next 10 years. at some point, during every interview, someone would say something like…”what ward are you in?” or “do you have a letter from your bishop?” so, sorry, no sympathy here. religious groups use their religious communities to network and build business all the time. they should not be surprised if they are boycotted by people who disagree with them. boycotting is an excellent non-violent form of protest.

also, gays frequently lose their jobs just for being gay

[Melia HayesBiedscheid]

09:35 PM on 01/05/2012

part 3

peace dude also said:

“Some activists have long sought to silence religious voices. Many argue that if religious persons or groups speak out against ANYTHING (murder, pedophilia¬, speeding, etc) that it is forcing their religion on others.”

I am not an advocate of silencing anyones voices - speak out all you want. but that is an entirely different matter from a church contributing 20 MILLION DOLLARS (probably more) to prevent a certain group of US citizens from marrying the person they love.

[Melia HayesBiedscheid]

09:03 PM on 01/05/2012

part 1

dear peace dude,

I don’t know why you think I am an activist. I am just an individual citizen speaking only for myself. I don’t belong to any organizations except those related to my work (in public education). I am not a member of “the gay community.” I am not even gay – not that it’s really anyone’s business, but I want to clear up your misconception that I am a gay rights activist, and a paid one, at that. and it looks like it is just me and you here, I don’t personally know anyone else who posts on huffington post, so you are at no disadvantage.