the mediots are at it again. they are taking on the monumental task of destroying mitt romney before he even gets a fair shot to make his case to the american people. the latest smear is a low blow even by MSM standards. they are now trying to associate governor romney with some relatives of his who just happened to be polygamists. he has only one wife himself, so why does this new information matter? he’s not a polygamist. if the media wants to destroy romney, there are more effective lines of attack than this. this attempt is quite pathetic and stupid.
there are many valid criticisms of romney and we all know what those are, but there’s no reason that he should be disqualified from being president just because he’s a Mormon. what are we so afraid of? that romney will mandate polygamy by executive order? i don’t buy into Mormonism, but mitt romney doesn’t look like a religious nut to me. i haven’t seen any proof that he would be one as president. there should be no religious litmus test. we should elect the best qualified candidate in the field, no matter what religion he or she happens to be. being a person of faith, or if we can be so bold as to say “someone who believes in God” might be helpful in a republican primary, but it doesn’t necessarily make you fit to be president. just ask any sane rational person who knows jimmy carter’s history.
when governor romney talks about “people of faith”, it sounds so new-age and abstract. i’m not sure this is the best way for him to deal with the questions about being a Mormon. i wish he would make this more about shared values between Christians and Mormons rather than trying to say that it doesn’t matter what kind of God you believe in. if you’re someone who believes in God just say so. tell us who you are. i don’t think that we really know who romney is and what he really believes. that’s a tall order for the campaign staff and for the candidate himself. conservatives in particular and republicans in general don’t know what to do with a candidate like romney. he doesn’t look or act like the kind of guy republicans usually elect. maybe that needs to change. we need to put some more thought into this process if we can’t find room for candidates like mitt romney.
i’m just wondering what the media sees in him that the rest of us are missing. he is running a distant 3rd or 4th (generally after newt, who hasn’t announced yet) in most polls. his name recognition is much lower than giuliani and mccain, and that also needs to go up dramatically for him to be a viable contender. the only press about him seems to be bad press, and there are never-ending questions about his evolving positions on social issues.
the media is being very helpful to mccain and guiliani in creating fake scandals to keep romney from gaining any momentum. they have more faith in his future status in this race than republicans do. why else would they coordinate this hit campaign against him? if this is the worst thing they can find in his past, governor romney will survive the media scrutiny just fine, and might even gain a few supporters in the process.
tags: mitt romney, ’08 election