Mitt Romney fell victim to religious bigotry tonight in Iowa. I am sad…very, very sad, that the Iowan evangelicals took orders from their church leaders and came out in droves—twice as many as eight years ago—in support of Huckabee. They fell right into the trap of the left wing media, who want Huckabee to take the republican nomination. Their ignorance is surpassed only by their loathing of Mormons. Iowans came out to vote for a spiritual leader, not a leader of the free world. What happens from here will be critical—for if the republicans lose the presidency in ’08 to the democrats, the loss will have been deserving.
Today was a great day for the evangelical right, and the media who manipulated them.
Today’s event proved that you cannot buy the presidency, but you can brainwash evangelicals.
Let us be reminded that neither Reagan nor Bush ’41 won the Iowa caucus—and went on to win their party nomination and presidency. Let us also be reminded that Bill Clinton won neither Iowa nor New Hampshire, and went on to capture his party nomination. Finally, neither evangelical favorite Pat Buchanan nor televangelist Pat Robertson went on to win the party nomination or presidency, despite strong evangelical support in earlier states.
I will hope and expect that reason trumps emotion and bigotry—and the best is yet to come for Romney.
The better success story is on the democratic side, where Barack Obama AND John Edwards knocked down Hillary Clinton. The media attention will be focused on this triumph, not the one on the other side of the isle; therefore, tonight’s events will not cripple Romney in New Hampshire.
Technorati Tags: mitt romney, primary elections, mike huckabee, Iowa caucus, evangelicals, mormons and politics
and yet a HAPPY FREAKIN DAY FOR US DEMOCRATS!!! HAHA, your election is lost!
PLEASE!!!! I Totally Disagree with this Chic. Sorry to say But Evangelicals, like my self, vote based on those Candidates they feel match their values and conscience. Our pastors or church leaders have NO Baring on how we vote. I have some Friends and family members that attend Evangelical Churches yet Vote Democrat, i even have a friend that is a Green Party voter... so her statements are totally unfounded.
Attacking Christians that Support a candidate other than hers makes her look like a SORE Loser, she should just gracefully walk away, lick her wounds and promote her candidate another day and other State primaries.
told you so LA Conservative.
Estreitta--Evangelicals can vote based on their values and conscience, but apparently Mormons can't. Why else is there such bigotry toward Romney? He felt compelled to assert that the affairs of the church end where the affairs of the nation begin, while Huckabee freely panders as a leader of the evangelical right--and is awarded for his behavior. Your being in the plurality to Mormonism can blind your sense of justice, but it does not give the plurality a special entitlement.
The statement pastors and church leaders do NOT influence vote is a statistical falsehood.
And your evangelical friend who votes democrat or green is no more an exception to the rule than my African American friend who is a republican. Presenting an insignificant statistic to help your case does not weaken the statistical truth that evangelicals overwhelmingly support--and listen to--spiritual leaders. This is a completely well-founded statement.
A clear double-standard exists; no one, not Huck, pastors, the media, nor you, can deny the truth.
While the reality behind your statement is inaccurate, the theory behind it is correct: No candidate should be subjected to a religious litmus test as a presidential contender. Deductively, no one should benefit from it. by . The fact that Huckabee can run on--and benefit from--a religious platform is hypocrisy of the highest order.
The "attack" that you think Christians face is a walk in the park compared to what Romney has endured. If you think otherwise, then it's time to crawl out from the rock you've been living under.
I will NOT sit idly by while a perfectly good man is denigrated by the deluded mass. Nor will I allow your reverse sense of justice to go unchallenged.
New Hampshire, here we come! Rest assured I will be here another day, another primary.
LaConservative is starting to come off as exceedingly preachy and self-righteous. I appreciate the writing and thought but my god. Get off your high horse.
And for the love of fucks sake, being a Christian is just as cult-like as being a Mormon. It doesn't matter as much as the media portrays. I don't know a single person who has a problem with Romney's religion. It's more about him being Kerry's butt buddy for so many years.
I do think it's great that he tried to make friends with the Log Cabin Republicans. Just because you're gay doesn't mean you don't care about fiscal matters. He's been very successful throughout his career, and that's cool, but when you dig into what he's done to get there it isn't really what conservatives stand for.
And he looks like a penis. I can't get over it. A penis with a bouffant of gray pubes. Who is dishonest. And who cannot make a statement about the bible without stuttering and lying. Fuck the bible-- tell me how you're going to fix the deficit. Tell me how you're going to get a middle class white girl some financial aid and quit throwing free money at black people. Tell me how you're going to get tranquilizer guns into the hands of border patrol agents so illegals won't fucking SUE AMERICA BECAUSE WE WON'T LET THEM IN.
Seriously- LaConservative- your dedication to one candidate is admirable. But don't become too blind to what may come to light. I was all for Huckabee until Coulter started pointing out his 'lies.' I care most about what's best for this country-- and who will keep my family safe. Any of them might do alright, but I'm going to be selective. And if you can't tell when someone is promising more than they can give you, that should be a clear sign of their integrity.
Don't cry sweetie. You need some shoulders to cry on? The world doesn't need a damn mormon in office. Get over it hon.
CHE for President! We need a Hispanic Causing Panic running our country!
@ Marvin
I am going to purposely leave up your comment to show how everyone else how ridiculous you are. I can’t believe you just wrote that. Please go take your High School education and enroll in some college courses, specifically History 101. Hopefully, they will explain to you how a murderous piece of scum Che really was.
Idiot.
To tell you the truth, there is no Republican candidate that I really pull for. I hate to tell you, but LDS' is a cult. If you don't think so, go read "Kingdom of the Cults" by Dr. Walter Martin. I just can't vote for a Mormon. They are always at my door. Go to the following URL for more info on Mormons and Mitt Romney.
http://www.watchman.org/lds/A_Mormon_White_House.pdf. It has a chart of the differences between Christianity and Mormonism.
Ben--
You ought to learn to check your facts before attempting to challenge others. First, Huckabee was not outspent 20-1. He says that as a figure of speech, sunshine. Secondly, let me break down Huckabee's statistical voter base.
--60% of republicans in Iowas identified themselves as devout evangelicals in entry polls. 50% of those voted for Huckabee. Huck received 34% of the votes of republicans. The frightening statistic is not that the 30 points of Huck's votes are entirely religion-based, but that only 4 points include diversity.
And it's not difficult to detect that you are a pro-amnesty shill who prefers Huckabee and McCain, as there is a huge block of you RINO's who profess to be republicans/conservatives but break party lines on issues that are convenient to you. People like you have no credibility to me; if you do not agree with one platform entirely, do not declare. It's about choice, not multiple choice.
When you first heard Huckabee you knew this man would make a great president? Newsflash: he won the Iowa caucus, not the presidency. And you make my point about falling for emotional rhetoric of a counselor or therapist of some sort, but the presidency--for THINKERS like myself and clearly unlike you--is about much more than a tone that's music to my ears. It requires a real track record of progress and success.
Tancredo and Hunter did poorly the same way Biden, Kucinich, Richardson (a popular Hispanic pro-immigration candidate) did poorly. It has nothing to do with immigration; the candidates with less cache do not register on the radar--it's the way political races work. For the record, I happen to "like" Biden and Richardson very much, even though I do not agree with them on many issues. But unlike you, I'm not voting for someone because I "like" them. Huckabee is also likeable, and his tone was appealing to me as well before I examined his record and really followed what he was saying--if the blatant change of topics, stance, and distancing now from evangelicals in New Hampshire are not obvious displays of weakness to you, then you are a lost cause.
McCain is competitive in New Hampshire because he won that state in 2000, smarty pants.
And Mitt, a Mormon from the blue-est of BLUE states winning 25% of the votes in the reddest of all red states--DESPITE media bias AND a 60% voter base who came out to vote against him just because they LOATHE Mormonism--is a matter of superior skills and strategy, and cannot be diminished. Now, I have answered all your questions; it's time you answer mine:
If Huckabee won Iowa WITHOUT the strength of evangelicals, I can expect that he'll win New Hampshire by similar margins, right?
WAKE UP, PEOPLE. GOVERNOR ROMNEY IS THE ONLY MAN WHO IS COMPETITIVE IN ALL EARLY STATES, NOT JUST EVANGELICAL STATES LIKE IA AND SC (Huck, Thompson), AND NOT JUST INDEPENDENT STATES LIKE NH (McCain), AND NOT JUST IN LIBERAL STATES LIKE FL (Giuliani). HE'S OUT THERE CAMPAIGNING IN ALL EARLY STATES WHEREAS ALL HIS OPPONENTS PICK AND CHOOSE THEIR FRIENDLY GROUNDS. THIS SHOULD BE A TELLING SIGN THAT HE REPRESENTS ALL ELEMENTS OF CONSERVATIVE VALUES, AND WILL GOVERN IN THE INTEREST OF ALL--NOT JUST THE FRIENDLY FEW.
What's more frightening is that any other GOP candidate will pull apart the GOP coalition: Huckabee will isolate the fiscal conservatives, Giuliani the social conservatives, and McCain will bring together conservatives on the war, but isolate everyone else.
To quote a popular journalist's remarks:
"Let me translate the NewYorkTimes-speak: "Thanks, you bozos in the sticks. We played you like a fiddle. Now it is time to bleed your guy to get our guy."
Chilling, indeed.
I'm sorry to see that so many people have such a great misperception of the Mormon faith - political scientists might agree that it's the result of what's called "selective exposure", perhaps even "selective perception." If you want do find out if Ford makes a good truck, and you ask only Toyota, Nissan, Chevrolet and Dodge dealers, then you are going to end up with a slanted perception. It's easier to hate someone ignorantly than to disagree with someone civilly.
As for the outcome of the election next November, it's much too early to celebrate - for ANY candidate.
Thanks, LA Conservative, for your voice of reason amidst a sea of emotional knee-jerk responses.
Valerie--I have not addressed you because although I agree on some issues, disagree on others, and yet, I know your mind will change eventually on some--I take you to be sincere in the stances and questions you have about politics overall.
Unlike most, my support for my candidate did not begin yesterday nor change multiple times over the course of a few months. I researched ALL candidates well BEFORE the race came to national attention, picked a few I believed in to await further examination, and made up my mind once I was convinced Romney was the best man.
The injustice, hypocisy, and bigotry he's encountered compels me to stand in his defense, for should our country allow such behavior to exist, it would come as a detriment not to one man, but to the entire foundation on which this great country was built.
You have the right to judge whether or not I'm on a "high horse", but I will tell you that it's a much better view from up here. There is no subsitute for being deliberate, decisive, and fair--in speech or in life.
There are plenty of sites out there on the web that tell the truth about the LDS religion.
Mr. Romney doesn't believe in the same God I believe in
I have to agree that the Evangelicals came out in droves to vote for Huck, the Mormons would do the same in Utah, Idaho, Arizona and Nevada. I am pretty certain in my feelings that Huck will not do as well in the bigger states.
I like Mitt and am Mormon myself, however not active. I am not certain he is "the one" that should lead our country yet. But then I am not sure any of them are ready and certainly not any Democrats. My personal top three are Mitt, Thompson, Huck, but thats my opionion. I live in Utah that has very few electoral votes.
acornct_dad, who do you beleive is God? Why are you critical of others beliefs? I just do not understand why people do not understand that people have different beliefs, not wrong beliefs. I am Mormon, not active, but I believe that as long as you live a good life all will go to heaven.
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. Isaiah 64:6
Just because we are good doesn't mean we will get to see heaven and all its glory. We have to have a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Go here for more info.
http://contenderministries.org/romanroad.php
Just because you believe in God doesn't mean you will get to heaven either.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. James 2:19
Also go here. http://www.notreligion.com/
God Bless
acornct_dad you yourself are a godless demon
You are filled with hate, and very judgemental of others. My god is a kind forgiving being. Unlike yourself. Good luck in the afterlife
LACON is using the same rhetoric as the bankrupt democrat Hillary Clinton. A woman, a mormon, a black man. What conservative would dare enter the intellectually bankrupt arena of victimization. Democrats will vote for their favourite victim, but not conservatives.
I admit strong anti-mormon tendencies, but I am a citizen of a country that didn't let Utah into the union because it has scerrulous (low) standards. This country has standards. And, evangelicals are unbending moralists (conservatives). However, there are not nearly as many evangelicals in Iowa as purported. Otherwise, Romney would have received less than second place. My sympathy wanes in the face of the girl that cried wolf.
Roger,
Why is it that non Christians look at Christians the same way, as hate filled and judgemental. My God, too is foregiving, but I must submit to Him and worship and praise only Him.
You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3 - 1st Commandment
Here are the differences between the god of Mormonism and my God.
Mormonism
The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three separate
Gods, though one Godhead. God the Father was once a mortal
man like us and became exalted to Godhood. He still has a
physical body. He has a wife in heaven, a Goddess.
Christianity
There is one and only one God (Is. 43:10; 44:6-8; 1 Tim. 2:5);
the “Godhead” is one Divine Being (Acts 17:24-29). God the Father
was and is not a man but is an infinite Spirit (Ps. 139:7-10; John
4:20-24). There is no Goddess.
I will pray for you Roger and hope that you can truly see the differences between Mormonism and Christianity. You can label me anything you want to. I forgive you, Roger
My conscience won't let me vote for Mitt Romney. That's also why I can't vote for liberals. Christ has convicted me of the difference between right and wrong. While I am not perfect, Christ forgives me of my sins. Our God is an awesome God!!
God Bless
Antilib2008--Rhetoric? You call "rhetoric" what you immediately profess to--in the paragraph that follows--as your bigotry toward Mormons. Sharpen your debate skills. Your effort to establish that I'm playing a "victim" role does not absolve your being guilty of bigotry.
"I admit strong anti-mormon tendencies, but I am a citizen of a country that didn't let Utah into the union because it has scerrulous (low) standards. This country has standards. And, evangelicals are unbending moralists (conservatives)."
In THIS century and in THIS country, we are governed by laws. As an "unbending" moralist, you should begin by reading the constitution.
RogerD--Evangelicals did not come out in droves to vote for a Christian; they came out in droves to vote against a Mormon.
LaConservative, even as a Mormon I have some anti mormon views. I dont believe everything I am told, I go by my personal faith and feelings. They are good people and in so many areas misunderstood. They are indeed "Christians" no matter what people read or opinions they have.
I am a product of faith, and would not be alive if certain people did not have it. Prayer saved my life at two years of age. I have saved lives myself in my proffesion, one I attribute to some force calling me to the scene. I am not saying it was mormon faith, but a faith in God. I am not really a religious person, I have my faults and I am sorry for what I said about acornct_dad. That was a weak moment.
Ben--
Clearly you are not man enough to answer my question. Are you really "Ben" or a less masculine being hiding behind the mask? You posed questions to me, to which I answered thoroughly.
California is NOT among the first states, to which my point specifically addressed. Where is Huckabee in New Hampshire? And Michigan? And Wyoming? Yes, ROMNEY won Wyoming tonight!
I asked you ONE question to which you refuse to answer. You are utterly intellectually dishonest. Clearly rationale and courage are above you. THIS is the reason why we perceive differently, and choose candidates different. I do so based on logic, you on emotion. Join the liberals: You too, do not think, for it is much easier to leap from emotion to emotion.
Ben--
"You should apologize to the good people of Iowa."
NOT before bigots like Antilib and Acorn apologize to the NATION for their bigotry.
I want to hear you deplore them for openly admitting bigotry, and further, defending their admissions with entitlement.
LA,
What I was doing is NOT bigotry.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32
Just because I know the truth about Mormons, you call me a bigot. Shame on you. Maybe you need to do some research on Mormonism.
Go to http://www.equip.org or http://www.watchman.org and obtain one of the many resources they offer concerning the Mormon religion and how it is not the same as Christianity.
I can't vote for a Mormon for the same reason I can't vote for a liberal. They don't know the truth and if they do, they choose to ignore it in favor of being popular rather than right.
God Bless
"Ben" or whoever you are,
Pretending to miss my point does not get you off the hook.
You clearly are incapable of answering a direct question. I'm NOT anti-gay and NOT anti-Christian, but you cannot attempt to smear me by glossing over the the fact that you ARE an anti-Mormon BIGOT and a PRO-AMNESTY SHAM.
(Hmmm...smells very much like a tactic from a certain GOPLatina/GOPLatino. UrbanConservative, you see that? Now she's a "Ben".)
That I am a leader or follower is not for your ilk to decide, nor is it the topic of this post. It would be HELPFUL if you stay on topic like the rest of the folks, instead of diverting when you've been cornered.
RON PAUL 2008!!! Mitt's an asshole, Huck's a right wing christian nut job, McCain shakes when he speaks he is so old, Rudy is Rudy...
THE ONLY MAN FOR THE JOB IS RON PAUL.
He will turn this country around.