Romney Speaks… but did America listen?

Can the words of a devote man sway the uninformed?

This morning, December 6^th 2006, Mit Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, spoke to the American people on the topic of his Mormon faith and how it might influence his presidency if elected.

Before I comment any further, let me state for the record that I was raised Presbyterian, and am largely against organized religion as a guiding influence in my personal life. With that said, I do consider myself a spiritual person grounded in the Christian principles upon which I was raised and which this country was founded. Furthermore, at this writing, I am leaning toward former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson in the presidential race. So no “Romney bias” here.

Without hearing the speech in its entirety, what I have heard was impressive. I heard a man impart that he is guided by religious principles founded in Christianity, albeit a sect that does not exactly adhere to the same doctrine that I personally subscribe; there is no question in my mind that Mit Romney is NOT a danger to the republic at large.

What I really find most disturbing is the commentary from conservatives immediately following the speech. Based on the content of their comments, I hear the words of the uninformed, the words of the ignorant, the words of anarchists. Some still clinging to the unfounded belief that Mormonism is a “cult”. Based on what? There is nothing that grabs my grapes harder than people who convict on speculation and/or circumstantial evidence. In my memory, conservatives have always stayed above the fray and what I have always admired is “we do not eat our own”. I’ve always thought this to make conservatives a class act, and why I am befuddled and find these baseless attacks on Romney to be out of character. This has always been a tactic of the left and what I have come to expect from liberals. Since when have conservatives been afraid of faith? This goes back to fear of the unknown, the fear of fear. These are the same folks who are afraid of the dark.

I do not claim to understand what the Book of Mormon is all about; I don’t claim to understand why Mormons cannot consume caffeine, why they can’t consume tobacco. It’s probably based on the old Christian fundamental that “the body is a temple”, so don’t trash it… But none of my Mormon friends have ever explained it. What I can say about most of the Mormons with whom I have a relationship is: they are honest, hard-working, self-reliant and family and community-oriented. That’s not to say I don’t know a couple of “bad apples”, but as a group, the Mormons are amongst the most honorable and patriotic Americans one could know.

Some of the Mormon principles that I am aware of and do admire is their commitment to Self-Reliance, Self-Determination, Independence from Government Handouts, and a Genuine Concern and Compassion for the members of their community. What’s wrong with that?

As for Mit, I gotta go with my gut (and my gut rarely fails me). Mit Romney is an honorable man with a genuine desire to make the country a better place for all of us to live. So I say to all conservatives, give the man a chance. Every candidate, regardless of party affiliation or religious belief or lack thereof, deserves the opportunity to sink or swim based upon their own merits. I have always subscribed to the belief that a person should always be given enough rope to hang themselves. This tactic normally results in the person exposing themselves for whom and what they are. Before Bill Clinton was elected president, he exposed himself as an adulterer, a prevaricator, and a hypocrite, and yet he was still victorious in his two presidential runs.

To that end, I ask that we as a society of principle must give Mit the chance to show us the content of his character before we judge him as a man and as a prospective president.