To me it would be remarkable to see the US vote for someone that is a Latter-day Saint since most view the Church as 'out of the loop' of mainstream Christianity. Would Republicans in general even back someone that is LDS?
Romney is quite well respected by the Republicans, but I doubt that he would get the nod. Everyone is trying to figure out who can beat Hillary, and the religious angle would definitely cause some losses to Governor Romney, especially among the evangelical christian groups.
Members of the church have served in government positions, even cabinet positions, over the years. However, I think the presidency is still a wee far off.
He's handsome enough for the job, though.
PIGNANELLI & WEBB: LDS PRESIDENT IS POSSIBLE, EVEN LIKELY -- ONE DAY
Webb: The likely presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney raises an obvious question that is being discussed in local and national political circles: Can a Mormon become president?
Ref. https://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1%2C1249%2C.52103%2C00.html
I was reading some old information concerning Gov. Mitt Romney and I decided to started this thread. He is an LDS member in full fellowship, yet he is in agreement with abortion:
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During the debate, Sally Jacobs of the Boston Globe asked: "Mr. Romney, you personally oppose abortion and as a church leader have advised women not to have an abortion. Given that, how could you in good conscience support a law that enables women to have an abortion, and even lets the government pay for it? If abortion is morally wrong, aren't you responsible for discouraging it?" His reply: "One of the great things about our nation, Sally, is that we're each entitled to have strong, personal beliefs. And we encourage other people to do the same. But, as a nation, we recognize the right of all people to believe as they want and not to impose our beliefs on other people. I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country. I have since the time when my Mom took that position when she ran in 1970 as a U.S. Senate candidate. I believe that since Row v. Wade has been the law for 20 years, we should sustain and support it. I sustain and support that law and the right of a woman to make that choice. And my personal beliefs, like the personal beliefs of other people, should not be brought into a political campaign," |
The one statement that just floors me is this:
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"And my personal beliefs, like the personal beliefs of other people, should not be brought into a political campaign" |
This is one where I cannot agree with Romney. He is obviously doing this to pacify his left-leaning public. His mentality is summed up and confounded by an Ensign article Elder Oaks wrote in 2001. This excerpt is long, but it addresses this situation with exactness:
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More than 30 years ago, as a young law professor, I published one of the earliest articles on the legal consequences of abortion. Since that time I have been a knowledgeable observer of the national debate and the unfortunate Supreme Court decisions on the so-called "right to abortion." I have been fascinated with how cleverly those who sought and now defend legalized abortion on demand have moved the issue away from a debate on the moral, ethical, and medical pros and cons of legal restrictions on abortion and focused the debate on the slogan or issue of choice. The slogan or sound bite "pro-choice" has had an almost magical effect in justifying abortion and in neutralizing opposition to it. Pro-choice slogans have been particularly seductive to Latter-day Saints because we know that moral agency, which can be described as the power of choice, is a fundamental necessity in the gospel plan. All Latter-day Saints are pro-choice according to that theological definition. But being pro-choice on the need for moral agency does not end the matter for us. Choice is a method, not the ultimate goal. We are accountable for our choices, and only righteous choices will move us toward our eternal goals. In this effort, Latter-day Saints follow the teachings of the prophets. On this subject our prophetic guidance is clear. The Lord commanded, "Thou shalt not "¦ kill, nor do anything like unto it" (D&C 59:6). The Church opposes elective abortion for personal or social convenience. Our members are taught that, subject only to some very rare exceptions, they must not submit to, perform, encourage, pay for, or arrange for an abortion. That direction tells us what we need to do on the weightier matters of the law, the choices that will move us toward eternal life. In today's world we are not true to our teachings if we are merely pro-choice. We must stand up for the right choice. Those who persist in refusing to think beyond slogans and sound bites like pro-choice wander from the goals they pretend to espouse and wind up giving their support to results they might not support if those results were presented without disguise. For example, consider the uses some have made of the possible exceptions to our firm teachings against abortion. Our leaders have taught that the only possible exceptions are when the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest, or when a competent physician has determined that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy or that the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth. But even these exceptions do not justify abortion automatically. Because abortion is a most serious matter, we are counseled that it should be considered only after the persons responsible have consulted with their bishops and received divine confirmation through prayer. Some Latter-day Saints say they deplore abortion, but they give these exceptional circumstances as a basis for their pro-choice position that the law should allow abortion on demand in all circumstances. Such persons should face the reality that the circumstances described in these three exceptions are extremely rare. For example, conception by incest or rape-the circumstance most commonly cited by those who use exceptions to argue for abortion on demand-is involved in only a tiny minority of abortions. More than 95 percent of the millions of abortions performed each year extinguish the life of a fetus conceived by consensual relations. Thus the effect in over 95 percent of abortions is not to vindicate choice but to avoid its consequences. 1 Using arguments of "choice" to try to justify altering the consequences of choice is a classic case of omitting what the Savior called 'the weightier matters of the law." |
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If we say we are anti-abortion in our personal life but pro-choice in public policy, we are saying that we will not use our influence to establish public policies that encourage righteous choices on matters God's servants have defined as serious sins. I urge Latter-day Saints who have taken that position to ask themselves which other grievous sins should be decriminalized or smiled on by the law due to this theory that persons should not be hampered in their choices. Should we decriminalize or lighten the legal consequences of child abuse? of cruelty to animals? of pollution? of fraud? of fathers who choose to abandon their families for greater freedom or convenience? Similarly, some reach the pro-choice position by saying we should not legislate morality. Those who take this position should realize that the law of crimes legislates nothing but morality. Should we repeal all laws with a moral basis so that our government will not punish any choices some persons consider immoral? Such an action would wipe out virtually all of the laws against crimes. |
He seeks in becoming the presidential candidate for 2008. He is the governor of the state of Massachusets and I think he is the closest so far as a member of the Church have reached to obtain a political office of such magnitude (except for Joseph Smith). But the question would be...does he has what it takes? Will the US citizens vote for a "Mormon" President? Why did he change his views on abortion?
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Tall and urbane, Mitt Romney has a prime political pedigree, an unblemished personal life and the cool confidence of a CEO. He is a conservative Republican who won easy election in a fiercely liberal state -- then streamlined Massachusetts' government and enacted the country's most sweeping healthcare overhaul. He is a passionate defender of states' rights and recently has embraced strong views against stem cell research and abortion -- a reversal of earlier positions. He never swears, and his sole vice is Diet Coke. Not incidentally, the 59-year-old governor boasts Ivy League credentials and movie-star looks. But Romney faces a potential obstacle that has not confronted a presidential hopeful for almost 50 years. As a devout Mormon -- and a onetime bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- Romney adheres to a faith that makes many Americans uncomfortable. Not since John F. Kennedy, a Roman Catholic, sought the White House in 1960 has the religion of a potential president been an issue. A recent Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll found that most religious barriers to high office had crumbled, but that 35 percent of Americans would not vote for a Mormon president. "He starts out with a deck stacked against him," Emory University political science professor Merle Black said of Romney. "Obviously he overcame this in Massachusetts. But he is going to be dealing with a different voting group on the national level." Since he announced in December that he would not seek a second term as governor, Romney has campaigned in key primary states -- steadfastly decreeing that his faith was a private matter. He deflects most inquiries by stating that Jesus Christ is his savior. A favorite Romney quip is that in his church, "marriage is between a man and a woman and a woman and a woman." This laugh line, and his reluctance to delve deeper into his beliefs, only add to the mystery of a faith that many Americans associate with polygamy -- although that practice has long been outlawed by the church -- and with customs such as marrying people after they have died and converting the dead. "Evangelicals are appalled by all that," said Pastor Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals in Colorado Springs, Colo. "We evangelicals view Mormons as a Christian cult group. A cult group is a group that claims exclusive revelation. And typically, it's hard to get out of these cult groups. And so Mormonism qualifies as that." |