On this board I called his nomination close to a year ago. If I were a betting man I'd still bet on Romney getting the Republican nod.

Romney's a creep and I suspect he's the kind of guy who takes care of business if need be.

Check out his hench Jay 'Trooper' Garrity for further evidence.

unarmedman wrote:On this board I called his nomination close to a year ago. If I were a betting man I'd still bet on Romney getting the Republican nod.

Mark my words:
If he gets the bid, the silent, less political evangelicals will stay home.
The information age will show what it can do. By next November, this man will be damaged goods.

This country isn't even comfortable with a Jewish president. The Old Testament is a Jewish book. We are allies with Israel. Culturally, large segments of America are exposed to Jewish culture and humor daily. Many, many high ranking officals over the years have been Jewish.

However, when Lieberman was running for office, people were less concerned that he was a secret Republican than if he could work on Saturday. They thought his lifestyle was weird.

Compound that by 200, and that's what Romney has to deal with. Documentaries and articles on the history of the LDS will pop up, and the chatter at the office will turn to Joe Smith, the lost tablets, the recent history of polygamy and special underwear.

Quite frankly I have no problem with these things. All religion is full of crazy stories, the Mormons are guilty of nothing more than theirs being, apparently, too recent to be valid. It's OK that Moses parted the Red Sea thousands of years ago, but Smith talked to God in the 1800s? Now that's just crazy talk!

My problem with Romey is I don't trust him. He creeps me out for non-LDS related reasons. He would be a creep if he were a Baptist or a Jain.

My point is that this guy doesn't have a chance with the majority of Americans. As with Kerry, the people who are nominating him can't see that most people are going to look at this man as if he were encased in a cloud of fart.

Their best chance is Huckabee, but they just don't seem to see that.

-A

alex maiolo wrote:
My problem with Romey is I don't trust him. He creeps me out for non-LDS related reasons. He would be a creep if he were a Baptist or a Jain.

Yep, having lived in Mass. under his reign, I can say hes just a very slick, polished politician who will say anything to get elected.

This is a great youtube video showing an newer Romney presidential ad vs. one of his older governor campaign ads.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=widrFYld5Rw

See what I mean? Politics as usual.

You're right Alex. Huckabee could pull it off, but his popularity just isn't there right now.

alex maiolo wrote:

unarmedman wrote:On this board I called his nomination close to a year ago. If I were a betting man I'd still bet on Romney getting the Republican nod.

Mark my words:
If he gets the bid, the silent, less political evangelicals will stay home.
The information age will show what it can do. By next November, this man will be damaged goods.

I sort of agree with both unarmedman and Alex. On one hand I can see his getting the nomination. Have you guys listened to the Limbaugh lately? (My guess is no.) It's almost silly the amount of support Romney's getting from the casual right-wing bible thumper. Here is a direct quote from one scary lady, "I mean, but he believes in Jesus." It seems like a lot of folks are selling the idea that the Mormons take care of their own and are faith and family driven, while completely neglecting their CRAZY (Scientologist crazy) heretical doctrine/history, as though Mormonism was more akin to Baptists, Pentecostals and Charismatics than Catholicism. Think how easy it is for social conservatives to pick and choose what they want to hear... it would require a candidate and the right-wing press to start showing religious intolerance (not a stretch) towards Mormonism for this guy to go away; I have a feeling this is subconsciously a way for many to feel like something other than a bigot by embracing a candidate who's religion is different from their own (but not Muslim). His best shot at being derailed from within his own party is to bring up that he is wishy-washy on the topic of abortion. Specifically that up until 2002 he was pro-choice reportedly because he "became committed to legalized abortion after a relative died during an illegal abortion, and that the abortion made him see 'that regardless of one's beliefs about choice, you would hope it would be safe and legal.'" But with Guiliani in the hot seat with the addition of gay rights to stoke the fire Romney could be safe.

Then again I can't totally see a Mormon winning the nomination... so who knows. But Mitt Romney scares the bujeezus out of me.

I hear a lot more anti-Mormon bias on this board than I do from conservatives or even conservative evangelicals. (Then again, I hear a lot more general anti-religion bias here overall as well.)

In a straight up race between Romney and Clinton, at this point I'd identify Clinton's high negatives as more of a factor than Romney's religion. For whatever reasons (I'd start with latent sexism) she polarizes voters greatly.

(Again, this is all sports talk having nothing to do with my personal preferences).

galanter wrote:I hear a lot more anti-Mormon bias on this board than I do from conservatives or even conservative evangelicals. (Then again, I hear a lot more general anti-religion bias here overall as well.)

I don't think there's much of an anti-mormon view, as there is an anti-evangelical one. regarding politics. Whenever a politician brings his religious views into discussion, honest or contrived, it's natural for us to react the way we do.

alex p. keaton wrote:Their best chance is Huckabee, but they just don't seem to see that.

Word, homie.

The Republican candidates are incredibly weak (first tier) but Huckabee would definitely stand a chance against Hillary.

Yes, Hillary will get the nomination. Fuck me in the ass. Do you think she will change anything? I sincerely doubt it. You don't bet on a losing horse...that's why the Democrats are actually outfundraising the Republicans. She's being bought by the same sorts of people who own Bush.

I have no idea what is going to happen in the Republican race. Usually I could tell you, but it's a field that defies the imagination and explanation. Giuliani as the "front-runner?" Have the Republicans gone crazy?

Actually...the whole Hillary thing...have the Democrats gone crazy?

galanter wrote:I hear a lot more anti-Mormon bias on this board than I do from conservatives or even conservative evangelicals. (Then again, I hear a lot more general anti-religion bias here overall as well.)

In a straight up race between Romney and Clinton, at this point I'd identify Clinton's high negatives as more of a factor than Romney's religion. For whatever reasons (I'd start with latent sexism) she polarizes voters greatly.

(Again, this is all sports talk having nothing to do with my personal preferences).

Clinton would destroy Romney. Period.

Skronk wrote:

galanter wrote:I hear a lot more anti-Mormon bias on this board than I do from conservatives or even conservative evangelicals. (Then again, I hear a lot more general anti-religion bias here overall as well.)

I don't think there's much of an anti-mormon view, as there is an anti-evangelical one.

Exactly. In this thread, and others, my point has been what makes a Mormon's belief any crazier than any other religious person's?
It's all myth that depends on truckloads of faith.

"Can a person walk across a lake?"
"Of course not"
"But you believe Jesus did?"
"Of course I do, he's Jesus!"

Why is this crazier than the Joe Smith story?
It's not.

However, the people in Nebraska won't see it that way. That's all I'm saying.

Like MinotaurP.Keaton and I have said, Huckabee is the guy.
He's Christian, but he's also kind. He believes in creationism, but doesn't think it excludes evolution - which is one of many ways to define "intelligent design," a very misunderstood term by the Left.
He thinks his Christianity demands that he do something about the poor, and regularly says he's embarrassed by what his party didn't do in New Orleans. In short, he practices what he preaches. He is genuinely compasionate. That means people on the left won't freak the hell out if he gets in office because he doesn't have plans on making his views law, but he is stauchly religious in a way that makes him try to be good and honest (ostensibly).

Compare this with Hillary. People on the right *would* freak out if she got into office, which means people will work hard to prevent that. Really, who is going to work overtime to smear Huckabee in the way they would smear H. Clinton, Romney or Giulianni? Those three would be "getting what they deserve," whereas kicking Huckabee is kicking a "good guy."

THAT is the strategy for this election - run someone who isn't going to get out the hate-the-candidate anti-vote.

-A