Speaking at a press conference after being declared winner of today's Republican caucuses in Nevada, Romney was asked whether his victory was due to the large share of Mormons who turned out. Romney pointed out that his margin of victory is big enough that he would have won without a single Mormon vote. He also noted that he took 38-percent of evangelicals, who represented slightly more than a quarter of caucus goers. He's right on both scores. But looking at entrance polls, God-o-Meter is still blown away by Romney's almost unanimous support from Nevada's Mormons, who accounted for as big a share of caucus goers today as evangelicals. Romney got 94-percent of Mormon votes. 94-percent. That makes Huckabee's evangelical support look tepid. God-o-Meter knows members of the Church of Latter-day Saints are ecstatic at the prospect of a one of their own in the White House. But that 94-percent is worth a million words.
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You do realize that Mitt received 94% of the *Republican* LDS vote right? There are Democrats that are LDS and there are lots of independents that are LDS. It is unlikely those populations would have shown up at a Republican caucus. Last I heard the LDS population was only about 55% Republican. You should keep that in mind before you stick your foot in your mouth. (Oh, that's right, you already did.)
It is entirely possible that in Nevada what we saw is the natural response of ordinary people to a religious bigot named Huckabee.
I think the MSM needs to take a hard look at what Romney actually did in the west before attributing his success to a handful of members of a particular church.
I remember what Salt Lake City was like before Romney took over the Olympics there. I was there until just after Romney was announced to take over, then I went out of state to school. I know exactly what kind of hornets nest he walked into.
Most of the venues were at least started, some were finished, but the SLOC was operating at a large deficit. The people of Salt Lake had made it abundantly clear that they only supported hosting the games if it paid for itself. The head of the SLOC had just been indited and it was revealed that he was also abusive. He had been totally disgraced. The means that had been gone to in order to secure the bid had just been revealed, and the SLOC and the IOC were considered a bunch of crooks. The popular sentiment was that the IOC could take it's stupid Olympics and shove it up its collective orifice. There were even popular civic leaders calling for the SLOC to tell the IOC to take their games somewhere else.
Mitt walked into this. Mitt turned it all around. After Mitt had been there for just a short while, my brother, who was a staunch anti-Olympics man, actually told me that he was glad the Olympics was coming to SLC. Any man who can turn around such a total disaster can lead my government any day. (I even heard that the Olympics ended up making a profit, as promised, under Mitt.)
I'll take my chances on a Mormon before I'd throw my support behind anyone who panders to the Religious Right. Frankly, I'm so disgusted by the pandering all the candidates are doing (not so much Romney) toward the religios in this country.
I'll be changing my party affiliation to Independent just like a lot of my peers not only because this Republican Party is currently not the fiscally conservative party I once admired, but socially it just keeps getting more and more radical to the extreme right. If the Religious Right has it's way it's going to influence legislation to justify dictating my religious beliefs and how I live out my faith.
Enough is enough! I may be a Christian, but I don't support the Republican Party's pandering to the most extreme, socially self righteous bunch I've ever seen! They've taken over my party, so I'm leaving it! Gee, Hillary is starting to look awfully appealing!!!
Patrick Carle,
Here, Here Sir. I couldn't agree with you more. Romney has been my selection for sometime now. Believe it or not a Southern Baptist working for one of our National Security Agencies strongly recommended him to me and I've been following him ever since. So far he has been 100% correct and I've not wavered from my support for Mitt.
I do disagree with you on the party change you alluded too. While yes, the party has strayed far from where it ought to be, I don't recommend jumping to a 3rd party or independant status. Our electoral system isn't set up very well for more than 2 parties. A 3rd party or independant simply draws votes away from one of the two others normally the incumbanant and never presents any real hope of getting in office. You only have to look at the house to see the sparse collection of 3rd parties. Nope all they end up being is a distraction. It is better to get involved within your selected party and effect change from within, as much as you can. From the issues you stated you'll find a great many folks ready to stand with you within the GOP.
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