Mormons, Christians and the White House

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is a case study in contradictions. He is a Mormon Republican in a liberal Catholic state. In 2002, he had to choose between the safe bet of replacing Gov. Leavitt in Utah, where he is a hero for saving the Olympics, or running for the more high profile, high risk governorship in Massachusetts. He pulled off a win, but his Mormon credentials caused many to wonder how he would fit in, especially considering the hostile homophobia of his religion.

In 2004, this clash became evident. The Commonwealth passed the first gay marriage bill in the US, and overrode his veto in the process. He fled to Washington, begging Congress to override his own state government by passing the Federal Marriage Amendment. On the very day that he testified on the horrors of gay marriage in his own state, his two predecessors, former Republican Governors William Weld and Jane Swift, were attending the wedding of one of their former male staffers to another man. While he was spewing hyperbole at gay marriage, his fellow Republicans were throwing rice at a gay wedding.

In part because of this, Romney is highly unpopular in his own state. He probably will not seek re-election, and I view his testimony before Congress as a betrayal to his own state. In exchange, he thinks that his anti-gay stance will win over GOP voters in his bid to become the first Mormon President of the US, something that previous candidates like George Romney (his father), Joseph Smith or Orin Hatch came close to achieving.

Ironically, it is his Mormon religion that may be his undoing. Highly Mormon Utah is one of the most solid GOP states. Other than in downtown Salt Lake City, hippie Moab and ski resort Park City, the GOP is the only game in town. The LDS Church has tried to ally itself with the Religious Right on social issues ranging from antigay initiatives to abortion. They have swallowed the red pill without even tasting it first.

The Religious Right, however, is not so keen on Mormonism. Southern Baptists and other Evangelical Fundamentalists view Mormonism as a perversion of Christianity. Just yesterday, someone handed me a flier in downtown DC debunking the idea that Mormons are truly Christians. They will take LDS votes, but still insist that Mormons are not one of them.

Will Mitt Romney be able to overcome both the concerns of liberals and moderates that Mormons are too conservative and the concerns of the Religious Right that Mormons are a cult? With a religious background that reeks of polygamy, racism, sexism, secretism and rampant homophobia, Romney will have to work hard to convince Americans that he won't be taking orders from Salt Lake City and try to bring back Prohibition. (Ever try getting a drink in Utah??) Will he even be able to get out of Super Tuesday with Southern Republicans worried about putting a non-Christian in the White House?

Romney has cast his lot with the Religious Right. The question remains if the Religious Right will accept him as one of their own:

Is Romney Christian enough for the Theocrats?