As speeches go, it was a good one. Mitt Romney covered all the bases, the Founding Fathers, John F. Kennedy, patriotism, religious freedom, mom and apple pie. We are all now assured that there won’t be a hotline between the White House and Salt Lake City if he is elected as our next president. Specifically, he attempted to convince us that, as president, he will be guided by what is best for the American people as a whole and not the particulars of his personal faith.
Holy council of apostles, Batman! Did he really say that? Does he really want us to believe that as a 3rd generation Mormon, raised in one of the most prominent Mormon families, and a long time Mormon leader himself, he doesn’t subscribe to his convictions sufficiently to make them the guiding principle in the critically important decisions of the presidency? What kind of a faith is that?
My issue with Romney isn’t his Mormonism. As a Mormon he isn’t likely to make any worse decisions than, say, a Methodist. His Mormonism hasn’t seemed to hurt him as a businessman or Massachusetts governor. He’s been generally successful in those arenas. And, we sure can’t fault a guy aspiring to be a god someday for wanting to stop by the presidency along the way.
I just don’t believe him when he says he won’t be governed by his personal faith when it comes to the presidency. Hopefully, we all are guided by the convictions of our personal belief system. If elected, I wouldn’t fault him for bringing his Mormon worldview to the table. He should be free to quote the Book of Mormon just like Lincoln or Clinton quoted the Bible. He should be respected for soliciting advice from trusted advisors in his faith community, as have most presidents. These are things we would expect of anyone with a heartfelt faith. But Romney is trying to convince us that he will erect a wall of separation between himself and his Mormonism when he is the president. That strikes me as a very disingenuous, politically motivated thing to say.
Of all the candidates seeking their party’s nomination for the presidency today, Mitt Romney seems to be the most flagrant in telling the voters what they want to hear. In this case, he’s trying to calm the fears of evangelicals and Religious Right types who are skittish about Mormonism, just like he has tried to do with his abortion rights flip-flop. He’s an ear-tickler if there ever was one. Remember, slick Willy? Well, from where I sit, this guy is slick Mitt. I’m not buying it.
