Associated Press – December 2, 2007
DES MOINES, Iowa – Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, striving to be the country’s first Mormon president, will give a speech this week explaining his relatively unknown faith to voters, his campaign said Sunday.
The decision, made after months of debate at his Boston headquarters over whether to make a public address about his religion, comes as the former Massachusetts governor’s bid is threatened in Iowa by underdog Mike Huckabee. The ex-governor of Arkansas and one-time Southern Baptist minister has rallied influential Christian conservatives to erase Romney’s monthslong lead and turn the race into a dead-heat.
Romney will deliver a speech called “Faith in America” at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, on Thursday, outlining his religious beliefs and how they might impact his administration.
“This speech is an opportunity for Governor Romney to share his views on religious liberty, the grand tradition religious tolerance has played in the progress of our nation and how the governor’s own faith would inform his presidency if he were elected,” Kevin Madden, a campaign spokesman, said in a statement. “Governor Romney understands that faith is an important issue to many Americans, and he personally feels this moment is the right moment for him to share his views with the nation.”
Madden stressed that Romney made the decision last week and that the venue doesn’t not indicate that Bush is endorsing Romney.
The Texas site – and speech itself – recalls the address John F. Kennedy made in Houston as he sought to explain his faith during the 1960 campaign and become the first Catholic president.
From the start of Romney’s bid, his Mormon faith has been an issue in the campaign as he tried to position himself as the candidate of the GOP’s family values voters. A Pew Research Center poll in September found a quarter of all Republicans – including 36 percent of white evangelical Protestants – said they would be less likely to vote for a Mormon.
Indeed, skepticism about his religion has proven difficult for Romney to overcome, particularly in Iowa where religious conservatives play a powerful role in GOP caucuses. Romney has invested heavily in the state, hoping to use a win here as a launching pad to the nomination.
Polls show the race a toss up. Just a month ago Romney held a wide lead and Huckabee trailed in the single digits. Huckabee has surged in large part by rallying the GOP’s religious right wing.
Last week, Huckabee sought to exploit Romney’s weaknesses – his Mormon faith and his reversal on abortion as well as shifts on other issues – by running a TV ad in Iowa that emphasizes his own religious beliefs. The ad doesn’t mention Romney but clearly targets him.
“Faith doesn’t just influence me. It really defines me. I don’t have to wake up every day wondering what do I need to believe,” Huckabee says in TV ad. “Let us never sacrifice our principles for anybody’s politics. Not now, not ever.”
But Huckabee, in an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” took a pass when asked if Mormonism contradicts the central teachings of Christianity.
Romney, for his part, sought Friday to strengthen his own support among religious and social conservatives, meeting with members of the grass-roots network the Iowa Christian Alliance in Dubuque, Iowa.
“I am pro-life. I am pro-family,” Romney told them. “If I am the president of the United States – and frankly even if I’m not – I will work hard and tirelessly to preserve marriage as an institution, which is fundamental to the preservation of this great land.”
How he should deal with questions about his faith has divided his campaign advisers.
Some advisers had suggested that he give the speech touching on his beliefs and clarifying the impact of his faith on his governmental decisionmaking. Those advisers privately said that Romney would benefit from such a speech because Mormons pride themselves on the separation of church and state, as well as a tolerance for all religions.
Until now, Romney has chosen an incremental approach supported by other advisers in which he answers questions about his faith during town hall meetings or media interviews. Those advisers’ concern was that discussing the tenets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would draw too much attention to his religion.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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posted December 3, 2007 at 7:51 pm
Now that he is no longer in the lead, Romney feels it is necessary to explain his faith. Anyone who wants to know about Mormonism can find out on their own using the internet…B’net is a good place to learn!
Huckabee is a bit scary to me as a possible president, former Baptist minister…and folks are concerned about a Mormon being president?? The Mormon religion says there should be a separation of church and state…but I’m not sure about the Baptists. After having said all that, I believe the religion of the president SHOULD have nothing with decisions made for the good of this country….but I’m not sure that some presidents can separate the two…an example being the current man in the White House.
posted December 3, 2007 at 8:07 pm
It will be interesting to hear or see what he says and how close it comes to being objective and hitting the important points.
posted December 3, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Whether or not the religious beliefs of a president SHOULD influence the decisions being made, the fact remains that they do. Just as my religious beliefs influence the decisions I make. My sincere prayer is that whoever the next president is will focus on what is best for the country, and not what favors a particular political party or philosophical point of view just because it is politically correct or politically popular.
posted December 3, 2007 at 9:55 pm
After reading the answers from the “Democratic Contenders” about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and also the “28 Retired Generals and Officers” of the Military about same, the consenses is “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” should disappear! Everyone of the “Republican Contenders” say no the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” should stay. Now when you compare the reasons for staying or leaving the Democrats have it hands down, or is it up! The Generals and the Officers comments were uplifting, and certainly more knowledgable then the “Republican C.” on the subject. When Huckabee was asked if he was looking for the “Log Cabin” members for their vote after what he said, he said, “Sure I’ll need all the votes I can get”. Spoken like a true politician, but not a President in my book. You can read this on The Advocate.
posted December 4, 2007 at 1:01 am
This may be like hearing a confirmand reading their own statement of faith. More likely he will have handlers and writers craft the thing fo rhim. i would rather hear him explain his beleifs and their interaction with the choices he might have to make as president.
Nonetheless, don’t like him, don’t trust him, won’t vote for him. But its fun to see him squirm.
posted December 4, 2007 at 11:35 am
I would NEVER vote a mormon into presidency! NEVER!
posted December 4, 2007 at 11:46 am
I wouldn’t vote for Romney, why vote for someone who believes a false church is true…If one of Romney’s “apostles” prohecize something and make it a declaration technically…Romney would have to do whatever the church wanted… Why would I vote for someone who believes in a church that was founded by a lying, cheating, criminal such as Joseph Smith. Romney just trying to spread the lies nationally, please this is the greatest of all home vists any elder could wish for! I would never vote for a mormon, even if he was a democrat!
posted December 4, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Jesus was considered a criminal in his time also.
posted December 4, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Someone once said: “you can’t argue with people who are ignorant of the facts”. Clearly, there is still great ignorance in America with regard to Mr. Romney and Mormanism. I doubt his speach will be sufficient to dispell much ignorance or bias, which is unfortunate for all of us.
posted December 4, 2007 at 2:02 pm
No Mormons ’08:
A churche’s validity is in it’s member’s beliefs. Everyone has different ideas of what is the “true religion.” Just because you don’t think Mormons have a true religion, doesn’t mean that it isn’t. Some folks have a hard time with the RCC, or Buddhism, or the Muslims or Pagans or Methodists etc. There is no “true religion”. Each person makes up their own mind as to what their true religon is…or choose to be an Atheist…also fine.
Any good candidate who becomes the president of this country should keep his religious beliefs out of his public policy. JFK made that clear. Separation of church and state is for a reason. I think it is interesting that you feel that Romney is a lier…who’s to say the other candidates aren’t also?? They are all politians, who, for the most part, will tell folks what they want to hear.
Do you find our current White House occupant OK? Does he tell the truth? Has he been a good “leader” because he is a Christian? (born again even!!) IMO, no, but you might disagree.
posted December 5, 2007 at 12:33 pm
They do believe that when you die that you can become a god of your own planet…rotflmao
posted December 5, 2007 at 4:35 pm
“They do believe that when you die that you can become a god of your own planet…rotflmao”
And some people believe they’ll go to a heaven or a hell and chat with a god or his creature. Forever. rotflmao.
posted December 5, 2007 at 7:06 pm
“They do believe that when you die you can become a god of your own planet..”
Is that any different than any other religion’s beliefs? Is it any more extreme than believing in a heaven or hell or limbo or reincarnation…AKA multiple lives on earth as different creatures perhaps? No.