Whenever I hear this name, I think of that horror flick from the '70s by the same title. Maybe you elders might 'member it? About some nerdy kid who trains/organizes the rats living in his mom's house. Under his command, they begin some sort of reign of terror and vengeance on his behalf (or something like that). It's been very long time. And I think they've done a recent remake that nobody has admitted to seeing.Anyway...
This is really about a different kind of nerdy kid. The GOP variety. The wealthy rich-kid-over-achiever from a political dynasty who smiles way too broadly for me to take seriously, but is just tailor-made for media. Yeah, naturally, his latest gig is running for president.
Far more educated than MSM darling Obama, Willard Mitt Romney sports a tremendous resume'. Graduated Summa Cum Laude from BYU. Joint JD/MBA from Harvard. Graduated near the top of his class. Named a Baker Scholar. CEO. Venture Capitalist. Savior of the Salt Lake Olympic Games. Author. Successful GOP governor of a Democrat state. He speaks well, and is very articulate for a white man.
He has already shown more political and administrative competence, on top of his real world business success, to earn more respect than Obama in the press. But such is not the case. Through their giddy Obama fetish, the press bias is already showing.*link* (No word yet on when the Obama action figure hits the market. I suspect it's just a rumor).
I'm predicting, should Willard turn out to be a force for the nomination, he will be called to answer for his Mormon faith. Should he actually get the nomination, expect to see attempts in the media, or the Hillary campaign, to tie him to Mormonism's history of racism, or questions asking if he really believes women should be treated as breeders by The Patriarchy. Mormonism will be a topic of this campaign, and I sincerely doubt it will center around it's adherent's' reputation for sobriety and family centered values. (anybody still remember the attempts to drape the Connecticut Yankee Heritage of George W. Bush in the Confederate flag?).
It remains to be seen whether or not this Willard will be able to command the rats that infest the Washington establishment. Personally, I don't think he'll get that far.
20 comments:
Is his the hand that's behind the post that KingDavid posted Art is in the eye of the beholder?
The thing I like about Mormons is that most of them have the decency to be pretty low-profile about the wackier facets of their theology.
Compared to say, Southern Baptists, who tend to scream about the crazier stuff (Biblical literalism/inerrancy, creationism) the loudest.
(I say this having lived among both and having once been one of the latter.)
Anyway...I don't know much about Romney...he's probably just too socially conservative for me to ever consider voting for him, but I have always been intrigued by how in the hell a Mormon Republican became the governor of not just any blue state, but Massachusetts. Clearly, he's pretty good at the politics thing.
i'm waiting for kal to offer deeper insights to the guy.
I think I've seen you use the acronym a couple times and I don't know what it stands for -- MSM?
As for "far more educated," that's pretty hyperbolic for something with hardly any backing. Obama has degrees from Columbia and Harvard Law, and he taught for years at Chicago Law (and has a standing offer of tenure). The only basis I can see for your assertion that Romney is "far more educated" is that Romney has a JD/MBA from Harvard, whereas Obama "merely" has a JD. But Obama's undergrad is the higher-ranked institution (by a wide margin), so this likely roughly evens out. Moreover, Obama graduated magna cum laude from Harvard, whereas Romney was only cum laude.
You don't like Obama, fine. But don't go around saying Romney has "better" credentials when you can't even convincingly cite them.
MSM: mainstream media
ok, i'll take correction on the educations part.
my dislike isnt for obama pesronally, but for the media love fest over him.
gino, fair enough. I can definitely get on board with hating on the media.
Ok, this is toungue-in-cheek (I know I don't go there too often, so I thought i'd clarify ; ) ):
how in the hell a Mormon Republican became the governor of not just any blue state, but Massachusetts.
Well, that's just the grand Mormon conspiracy to take over the world showing it's muscle.
Skull and Crossbones is getting a shorter tenure than the Jesuits or the Templars, is all. Things move faster nowadays.
LF beat me to the point about Obama's education. Further, I think Obama has some pretty heavyweight life experience.
Romney is now saying his positions on abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research have "evolved." Well, that's fair. I can think of several issues I've changed or modified my stance on.
But then of course we can't escape the fact that his more liberal statements -- widely documented -- occurred while he was running for governor of a liberal state, and now that he's trying to capture the presidential nomination of the Nutwing Conservatives, his positions are "evolving." I'm sorry, the difference between Romney and Hillary Clinton is...what, exactly?
does a moonbat liberal know a nutwing conservative when he sees it?
Mormonism will not be an issue if he makes it past primaries, assuming there exists no dark horse independent like Mike Savage (that's a joke).
To consider Mormonism as such a bogeyman for Christian Conservatives is to consider them imbiciles. They are so opposed to the likes of Hilary and Barrack that even if they are lukewarm on a candidate because of his wacky theology they will vote against the Dems in '08.
Anti-Mormonism died in this country long ago, and is part of our history books. The only role the religion plays is that of a wacky theology that people understand him to be born to. Christian Conservatives will respect that when they come to the understanding that it IS Christianity.
LC:
anybody who holds a theological view of christianity will not admit a mormon as a christian. anybody who believes he can be a god, cannot pass theological muster.
a significant minority will oppose just for the mormon thing, and not show up to vote.
mormonism, trust me, will become an issue if he makes it to the general election. the liberal wing of the MSM will see to it.
especially if they see the need to gin up black turnout in the battleground states (OH,FL,PA,IL).
remember the NAACP ads placing bush at the murder of byrd,in TX?('00)
ok, maybe you dont. but some of us do.
I agree, gino. As a reformed right-wing fundamentalist, I can promise you that most of my (former) ilk regard Mormons with almost as much bigotry as the anti-religious left.
LF: back in my activist days, i 'member a race pitting a qualified fundie and a qualified lds in the primary(among some others). it was a battle over who we would support, and therefore deliver the primary too, and with it, the seat (heavy GOP district).
my side chose the lds, based on personality,profesionalism and other intangibles that made the person the better 'fit' to advance the agenda in sacramento. (it was the agenda that mattered,afterall)
it caused a major schism within the network, and ended some freindships. it didnt help when i proclaimed my willingness to support satan's spawn if i thought it would advance the agenda.
invective was then hurled my way, and i hurled back.
then things got ugly.
i thought i was gonna die that night.
but at least i had more fun.
and found out who among them were my friends.
the mormon went to sacramento, and was promptly awarded a leadership position.
Personally, a person's religious affiliation is not an issue for me in voting for them. Gordon Smith (R-Oregon, a Mormon) has been a fine senator, and I am likely to vote for him in the future. (I also voted for Giuliani (Catholic) and Bloomberg(Jewish), but they're more liberal than Hillary (Methodist), so that hardly counts.) From a theological perspective, I have a REALLY hard time with Mormonism, but I wouldn't vote against a person on that basis. But I can't conceive of the potential Democratic nominee who would inspire me to vote for Romney. And I agree with LF, the fundamentalist "base" of the GOP is NEVER going to support a Mormon. They'll find a 3rd party candidate first.
Out here in Oregon, I'm pretty sure the anti-Mormon prejudice would be very strong, from secularists and from most conservative Christians (of every stripe). Despite Senator Smith. President is a WHOLE different ballgame.
If he manages to pass himself off as not-really-SO-Mormon (like Kerry and JFK were "Catholic" candidates), he could get the more rational of the prejudiced folks to listen to him. But there will be a very serious set of people who simply won't, just as there were a very serious set of people who wouldn't vote for Kerry. It would be, you see, a matter of principle--Gino's satan-spawn suggestion is taken sometimes very seriously.
LC, is anti-Mormon prejudice really that absent in Ohio, that you can't imagine it being a factor at all? Impressive. I thought it was a nationally accepted prejudice, like the one against Catholics seems to be.
kr: my satan-spawn suggestion was serious. i meant it.
Yup- this is definitely regional. Mormonism is treated pretty much the same as Scientology in Ohio- I've never noticed any prejudice. Of course I live near a city where there is no shortage of blacks to get your prejudice fix with.
LC: LOL
everybody needs a bogeyman,eh?
i'm finding even the self proclaimed tolerant and non-judgemental folks need somebody to judge and be intolerant of.
_Scientology_ doesn't garner prejudice and suspicion?!? LC, we definitely live on different planets! Crazy. I guess I could see that being a West Coast thing; they have way more direct sway here.
Oh, no, Gino, I knew you were serious. I was trying to communicate the depth of revulsion some folks feel toward Catholics and Mormons, was all.
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