Mitt Romney running for president

StrongRad · **Posted:** Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:45 am

PianoManGidley wrote:

IantheGecko wrote:

So AP's reporting that some of Romney's ancestors were polygamists. Seeing as how they're his ANCESTORS, Romney has one wife, and polygamy today is outlawed in the Mormon church and in America...who cares? That doesn't make him a hypocrite for speaking out against it.

That would be a ridiculous reason to vote against someone. Sins of the Father should never be a factor, because it's not the fault of the individual. If you look at anyone's family history, you're bound to eventually come across some sort of bigotry or general immorality. "Frank's great-great-grandfather's second cousin twice removed was a member of the KKK! KILL FRANK! ARRGGBGBBL!!!"

Reminds me of a "Pardon My Planet" comic from last week. A guy was talking to a girl and said something like "I can't afford to trace my genealogy, so I'm just going to run for office."

Of course, it IS a ridiculous reason to vote against someone, but it won't stop people. Most candidates, having no actual substance or message, have to stoop to the lowest common denominator by attacking their opponent's family or personal history. Unfortunately, voters just eat that crap up.

IantheGecko · **Posted:** Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:49 am

My mom won't vote for Romney just because he's a Mormon; she believes the LDS Church is a cult, even though they have 12.5 million members around the world. I say she should put that aside. After all, a lot of people didn't like Kennedy for being a Catholic.

lahimatoa · **Posted:** Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:55 am

Would you mind asking your mom exactly what about Mormons makes them a cult? I'm curious to hear what she says.

Beyond the Grave · **Posted:** Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:57 am

Ian, don't you view the LDS as a cult, too?

IantheGecko · **Posted:** Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:57 am

Well, for one, she's had this book called "The Kingdom of the Cults" by Walter R. Martin since college. It's all about different cults & such. She's practically going to make me read the chapter on Mormons so I can understand why she thinks this way.

PianoManGidley · **Posted:** Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:08 am

Bah...religions are just cults with more members. Seriously, though, the dictionary definition for cult comes up with multiple things:

Quote:

1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
3. the object of such devotion.
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
7. the members of such a religion or sect.
8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.

I wonder which one the LDS church falls under...#1 and #4 could apply to ANY religion, no matter how mainstream or unpopular.

Didymus · **Posted:** Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:15 am

You see, that's why I don't like the term "Cult" when applied to non-orthodox religions. I may not agree with them, but the modern usage of the term has many negative connotations which I don't think apply. That is, when you say the word "cult," most people immediately think of Jim Jones, David Koresh, or that Heaven's Gate guy.

But to answer your concern, Ian, the election of a government official is a matter of civil responsibility. As a citizen, you have a responsibility to select a candidate that best fits your views on matters of civil government. I fail to see why a Mormon candidate would be any less qualified than, say, a lapsed Christian, agnostic, or even atheist candidate. Even if he were a Nicene/Athanasian Christian, I'd still prefer his civil policies to match up with my own civil ideals. Or, as Luther once said, "I'd rather have a good Muslim king than a bad Christian one."

IantheGecko · **Posted:** Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:26 am

Beyond the Grave wrote:

Ian, don't you view the LDS as a cult, too?

No.

Didy, I fail as well. I believe one should vote based on the candidates' political views and nothing else.

Didymus · **Posted:** Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:36 am

How is that failing?

IantheGecko · **Posted:** Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:44 am

I meant to say that I also fail to see why a Mormon candidate would be less qualified just because of his faith.

Didymus · **Posted:** Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:46 am

OIC! I thought you meant it as in, "U fail!" You know, like on the Interwebs.

IantheGecko · **Posted:** Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:47 am

Now why would I ever say that to you outside of my comic?

TOASTPAINT TIME!

Didymus · **Posted:** Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:49 am

4 Da LULXORZ!

JamesCraven · **Posted:** Sat Mar 10, 2007 10:54 am

Getting back to the topic, look who's endorsing him as the next President of the United States:

Mitt, a word or two of advice: RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY AS FAR AS YOU CAN FROM THIS FREAK!

StrongRad · **Posted:** Sat Mar 10, 2007 7:09 pm

God yes... Please, don't associate yourself with Coulter.
That'll win him the party's nod (maybe), but it'd KILL him in the general election.

ramrod · **Posted:** Sat Mar 10, 2007 10:25 pm

JamesCraven wrote:

Getting back to the topic, look who's endorsing him as the next President of the United States:

Mitt, a word or two of advice: RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY AS FAR AS YOU CAN FROM THIS FREAK!

The ghost of Joseph McCarthy is endorsing Mitt? Now's that's creepy.

Seriously though, why now would anyone want to associate themselves with Ms. Coulter? She's beyond extremism.

IantheGecko · **Posted:** Sat Mar 10, 2007 10:28 pm

Romney's not associating himself with Coulter; it's the other way around. After all, Madonna endorsed Gen. Wesley Clark, and it doesn't look like he's a fan.

Mike D · **Posted:** Sun Mar 11, 2007 12:08 am

Romney did win a straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference; 21% of the attendees said they'd vote for him for president, over 17% for Giuliani. Sam Brownback got 15%. Newt Gingrich got 14%. McCain, who no-showed the event, only picked up 12%.

Accusations of flip-flopping are also picking up against Romney; his detractors are calling him "Multiple Choice Mitt." To my surprise, redstate.com even got in on the act. It really does seem like a lesser-of-various-evils choice for the Republicans this time around.

Of course, it's still too early to know anything for sure. I'm hearing rumors that Fred Thompson might try for the nomination. Wonder how he'd do?

Mike

lahimatoa · **Posted:** Sun Mar 11, 2007 2:41 am

What I love about politics is that if someone changes their position, they are labeled as a flip-flopper.

But if you don't change your mind, you're labeled as stubborn and inflexible (for example, see the media's criticism of Bush).

Can't win that game.

Code J · **Posted:** Sun Mar 11, 2007 3:18 am

lahimatoa wrote:

What I love about politics is that if someone changes their position, they are labeled as a flip-flopper.

But if you don't change your mind, you're labeled as stubborn and inflexible (for example, see the media's criticism of Bush).

Well, either way, you screwed up, and you're gonna get criticized for that no matter what.

StrongRad · **Posted:** Sun Mar 11, 2007 3:20 am

Code J wrote:

lahimatoa wrote:

What I love about politics is that if someone changes their position, they are labeled as a flip-flopper.

But if you don't change your mind, you're labeled as stubborn and inflexible (for example, see the media's criticism of Bush).

Well, either way, you screwed up, and you're gonna get criticized for that no matter what.

That doesn't make sense, though.

You screwed up by not changing your mind AND you screwed up by changing it...
Sounds like a "danged if you don't, danged if you do" kinda thing.

Politics is like Nuclear War. The only winning move is not to play.

lahimatoa · **Posted:** Thu Apr 05, 2007 11:37 pm

Here's a link to an article Orson Scott Card wrote about Mitt Romney running for president. Yes, Card is LDS. It's still a well-written article outlining some of the attacks Romney has been experiencing and responses to them.

IantheGecko · **Posted:** Fri Apr 06, 2007 3:53 am

Wow. Nice blog. I'm voting for Romney!

Acekirby · **Posted:** Fri Apr 06, 2007 5:33 pm

lahimatoa wrote:

What I love about politics is that if someone changes their position, they are labeled as a flip-flopper. (See the media criticism of John Kerry)

But if you don't change your mind, you're labeled as stubborn and inflexible (for example, see the media's criticism of Bush).

Can't win that game.

Forgot the media bias against Democrats.

lahimatoa · **Posted:** Fri Apr 06, 2007 5:37 pm

Quote:

Forgot the media bias against Democrats.

I did? Or you did?

Acekirby · **Posted:** Fri Apr 06, 2007 5:44 pm

You did. You left out that a ton of people tore Kerry apart for being a "flip-flopper" in the last election.

lahimatoa · **Posted:** Fri Apr 06, 2007 5:48 pm

Oh, I see. I suppose I did fail to cite an example of someone being criticized for flip-flopping in that post.

Sorry about that.

IantheGecko · **Posted:** Sat Apr 07, 2007 3:27 am

Here's the funny thing about Romney. People see stuff like:

Quote:

the kids went to church. They didn't smoke or drink. They did things together as a family. Took vacation trips packed into an ordinary station wagon.

And think he's a good ol' red-blooded American. But the second they see the word Mormon, they're all "OMGRICHPOLYGAMISTNUTBAG!!!!1one". Romney supports the conservative, evangelical Christian agenda, so that would win him a lot of votes...if only he weren't Mormon.

Now I know Mormons aren't considered "mainstream Christians" in some circles, but neither are Catholics. That didn't stop JFK. That guy was a war hero and a successful senator.

Besides, as the blog points out, Romney was a Republican governor of Massachusetts.

Quote:

He balanced an out-of-control budget -- without raising taxes.

His record on civil rights -- including for homosexuals -- is unimpeachable, except for opposing judges who redefine marriage without the slightest attempt at democratic process; and yet his stances on moral issues should make him completely acceptable to the religious right.

Unlike any of the leading Democratic candidates, he has actually governed something.

He also saved the scandal-ridden, heading-for-bankruptcy Salt Lake Olympics.

So now I'm leaning between Romney & Huckabee, but I still want to see a clear position and/or strategy for the war in Iraq from both of them.

Acekirby · **Posted:** Thu Apr 12, 2007 4:19 am

I still don't like Romney.

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but Romney basically abandoned Massachusetts the last year he was in office to prepare his presidency run. For quite a while before the latest gubernatorial elections, the state was run by Acting Governer Kerry Healey, who then lost to Deval Patrick. Romney just kinda disappeared from Massachusetts news.

putitinyourshoe · **Posted:** Thu Apr 12, 2007 2:54 pm

i like your Luther quote, Didy. although in the modern world, i'd like to think that we should elect leaders without really even thinking about their faith. Faith of any kind is certainly not a requirement for the Presidency.

As for ol' Mitt- mormon or not i just don't like him.

and as an aside- i think the culture in politics of spurning people who change their mind is sickening. It's like they're begging for bad leadership. But people would rather be stern and inflexible to try to prove that they are right. If a president can't admit he's wrong now and then, he's an oafish, bumbling fool.

Homestar Runner Wiki Forum

Mitt Romney running for president

Who is online