US election 2012: Mitt Romney's Mormonism thrust back into spotlight (Now they're hitting polygamy)

[markomalley]

please note: this thread is not about mormonism. it is not about mitt romney's beliefs or lack thereof. This is about the continued chicago-style character assassination on him by his democratic opponent.
From the Daily Telegraph (reporting on stuff initially covered by The Daily Beast)

Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith has been thrust back into the political spotlight after a Democrat governor reminded voters that the presidential hopeful’s great-grandfather practised polygamy.

Brian Schweitzer, the governor of Montana, said Mr Romney rarely spoke about his family’s connection to Mexico because his father was born there into a “polygamous commune” founded by early members of the Romney clan.

The governor noted that women voters were “not great fans of polygamy” and suggested that the issue may haunt Mr Romney, who will officially seal the Republican nomination within weeks, as he approaches the November election.

The original, as said above, came from The Daily Beast: Brian Schweitzer: Mitt Romney’s ‘Family Came From a Polygamy Commune in Mexico’ Schweitzer defends his comments, also in The Beast, as well as in HuffPo

Of course, as both commentators Mark Steyn (NRO) and David Maraniss (WaPo), are that Romney's opponent, Mr. Obama, has very little room to speak when it comes to polygamy. From the WaPo commentary:

The line of polygamists in Obama’s family can be traced back generations in western Kenya, where it was an accepted practice within the Luo (pronounced LOO-oh) tribe. His great-grandfather, Obama Opiyo, had five wives, including two who were sisters. His grandfather, Hussein Onyango, had at least four wives, one of whom, Akumu, gave birth to the president’s father, Barack Obama, before fleeing her abusive husband. Obama Sr. was already married when he left Kenya to study at the University of Hawaii, where he married again. His American wife-to-be, Stanley Ann Dunham, was not yet 18 and unaware of his marital situation when she became pregnant with his namesake son in 1961.

Sounds like another dog traveling / eating incident doesn't it?

Naturally, the Obama White House has disavowed all connection to this. However, even with the disavowals, the issue of Mormon polygamy is now fully out on the table for discussion.

Here is a comment that I made a couple of weeks ago when the Ann Romney Not Working thing first surfaced. I think it is especially pertinent here:

Here's the beautiful thing about this Chicago-style campaign that I don't think most are picking up on.

This has been a major topic of all the news now for two full news cycles (yesterday and today). It will, in all likelihood, carry on to a third news cycle and will probably be a topic for discussion all weekend long.

An Obama surrogate said it. It has been disavowed...almost immediately. And repeatedly. But it is still being talked about. And the more it is disavowed, the more it will be discussed. On the right, in the center, on the left. It will feature in a large way on the evening news tonight. And maybe tomorrow. People will be talking about how horrible it is to attack an innocent woman who was just lucky enough to be able to stay at home and care for her family.

That is EXACTLY what Obama/Axelrod want them to do. Exactly.

Because it is an early brush stroke of their portrait of Romney. A painting that will portray him as a rich white guy that was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, doesn't live in the same reality as most Americans, he was an evil wall street tycoon who put people out of work (Bain Capital), and, worst of all, is a (((hush))) (((said in whispered tones))) A Mormon (and we all know how weird their beliefs are...like ____(fill in the blank)___, ____(fill in the blank)___, ____(fill in the blank)___, ____(fill in the blank)___) (Note to anybody who wants to hit the "abuse" button: I am not saying this nor am I making an accusation or characterization of that belief system...I am saying that this will be the campaign strategy of his opponent)

Again, note that I don't see anything wrong with her being a stay at home mom. Nothing at all. I know how hard they work (I see how hard my mom worked and how hard my wife works).

But they are, right now, planting the seeds of doubt in peoples' heads..with full assistance and support of the media. All part of painting a picture.

And Mr. Romney is going to be an extraordinarily easy subject to paint. You won't see the results in the polls, by the way, until the painting is complete.

Although it's evil as *****, it is brilliantly evil.

[Robert Bay]

MODERATOR NOTE

OK, Mark, I will leave the thread up, but members should keep the following in mind:

From the forum rules: It is fair to discuss a politician's or newsmaker's position on the issues and their qualifications for office, it is not fair to discuss their spiritual well being. Criticisms of a anyone's spiritual life or spirituality should be left between that person and their spiritual director or confessor. They are not allowed in the forums. If a politician or newsmaker states that they are a certain religion that is the assumed religion of the politician in this forum, please do not question it.

Also, attacking any candidate because they are a certain religion is not allowed here. Stick to the issues. In a recent CBS interview, Cardinal Dolan addressed Mitt Romney’s Mormonism saying, “There may be reasons not to vote for Mitt Romney as President of the United States, that he’s a Mormon cannot be one of them.” At a recent Jewish conference the Cardinal attended he told the group, “we Catholics and we Jews have felt the sting of the other side. And now, one of the ways we can cooperate is to see that religious prejudice, religious bigotry doesn’t enter the campaign.”

[markomalley]

Originally Posted by Robert Bay

MODERATOR NOTE

OK, Mark, I will leave the thread up, but members should keep the following in mind:

Thanks, Robert.

I think the strategy being employed here is definitely worth discussion...although I fully agree that whether either candidates' ancestors were polygamists is rather irrelevant.

That's why the large, bold, red font at the top...

[estesbob]

This will blow up in the Obama Campaigns face just like the "Ann Romney never worked a day in her life" and the "Romney strapped his dog to the roof" ploys did.

[gilliam]

Originally Posted by estesbob

This will blow up in the Obama Campaigns face just like the "Ann Romney never worked a day in her life" and the "Romney strapped his dog to the roof" ploys did.

Obama needs to speak out against such attacks if they are to stop.

[markomalley]

Originally Posted by gilliam

Obama needs to speak out against such attacks if they are to stop.

Part of the Chicago smear is for the candidate to speak out against the attacks in public while the surrogates continue with the whispers. That way gets more coverage for the attack, while immunizing the candidate from accusations of "dirty politics".

It's an art form, really.

[meltzerboy]

Originally Posted by markomalley

please note: this thread is not about mormonism. it is not about mitt romney's beliefs or lack thereof. This is about the continued chicago-style character assassination on him by his democratic opponent.
From the Daily Telegraph (reporting on stuff initially covered by The Daily Beast)

Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith has been thrust back into the political spotlight after a Democrat governor reminded voters that the presidential hopeful’s great-grandfather practised polygamy.

Brian Schweitzer, the governor of Montana, said Mr Romney rarely spoke about his family’s connection to Mexico because his father was born there into a “polygamous commune” founded by early members of the Romney clan.

The governor noted that women voters were “not great fans of polygamy” and suggested that the issue may haunt Mr Romney, who will officially seal the Republican nomination within weeks, as he approaches the November election.

The original, as said above, came from The Daily Beast: Brian Schweitzer: Mitt Romney’s ‘Family Came From a Polygamy Commune in Mexico’ Schweitzer defends his comments, also in The Beast, as well as in HuffPo

Of course, as both commentators Mark Steyn (NRO) and David Maraniss (WaPo), are that Romney's opponent, Mr. Obama, has very little room to speak when it comes to polygamy. From the WaPo commentary:

The line of polygamists in Obama’s family can be traced back generations in western Kenya, where it was an accepted practice within the Luo (pronounced LOO-oh) tribe. His great-grandfather, Obama Opiyo, had five wives, including two who were sisters. His grandfather, Hussein Onyango, had at least four wives, one of whom, Akumu, gave birth to the president’s father, Barack Obama, before fleeing her abusive husband. Obama Sr. was already married when he left Kenya to study at the University of Hawaii, where he married again. His American wife-to-be, Stanley Ann Dunham, was not yet 18 and unaware of his marital situation when she became pregnant with his namesake son in 1961.

Sounds like another dog traveling / eating incident doesn't it?

Naturally, the Obama White House has disavowed all connection to this. However, even with the disavowals, the issue of Mormon polygamy is now fully out on the table for discussion.

Here is a comment that I made a couple of weeks ago when the Ann Romney Not Working thing first surfaced. I think it is especially pertinent here:

Here's the beautiful thing about this Chicago-style campaign that I don't think most are picking up on.

This has been a major topic of all the news now for two full news cycles (yesterday and today). It will, in all likelihood, carry on to a third news cycle and will probably be a topic for discussion all weekend long.

An Obama surrogate said it. It has been disavowed...almost immediately. And repeatedly. But it is still being talked about. And the more it is disavowed, the more it will be discussed. On the right, in the center, on the left. It will feature in a large way on the evening news tonight. And maybe tomorrow. People will be talking about how horrible it is to attack an innocent woman who was just lucky enough to be able to stay at home and care for her family.

That is EXACTLY what Obama/Axelrod want them to do. Exactly.

Because it is an early brush stroke of their portrait of Romney. A painting that will portray him as a rich white guy that was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, doesn't live in the same reality as most Americans, he was an evil wall street tycoon who put people out of work (Bain Capital), and, worst of all, is a (((hush))) (((said in whispered tones))) A Mormon (and we all know how weird their beliefs are...like ____(fill in the blank)___, ____(fill in the blank)___, ____(fill in the blank)___, ____(fill in the blank)___) (Note to anybody who wants to hit the "abuse" button: I am not saying this nor am I making an accusation or characterization of that belief system...I am saying that this will be the campaign strategy of his opponent)

Again, note that I don't see anything wrong with her being a stay at home mom. Nothing at all. I know how hard they work (I see how hard my mom worked and how hard my wife works).

But they are, right now, planting the seeds of doubt in peoples' heads..with full assistance and support of the media. All part of painting a picture.

And Mr. Romney is going to be an extraordinarily easy subject to paint. You won't see the results in the polls, by the way, until the painting is complete.

Although it's evil as *****, it is brilliantly evil.

This is just the kind of dirty politics I abhor from either side. Also, it is a real, and in some cases an intentional, distraction from the important issues of the campaign. I have plenty of reasons not to vote for Romney, and a few not to vote for Obama, but their faith is not (and should not be) one of them. I agree 100% with Cardinal Dolan on this matter.

[Pork Roll]

“There may be reasons not to vote for Mitt Romney as President of the United States, that he’s a Mormon cannot be one of them.”

It is diffucult in light of our situation to see how Romney's mormonism would disqualify him. However, I don't think the Bishop Dolan's statement is supporting the idea that religion doesn't matter or that mormonism is as good as catholicism.

[Jeanne S]

So,what re Romney's grandfather?JFK a Catholic came from a long line of philanderers.That wasn't an issue for him.Oh,I forgot he wasn't Republican

[GaryTaylor]

Originally Posted by Pork Roll

It is diffucult in light of our situation to see how Romney's mormonism would disqualify him. However, I don't think the Bishop Dolan's statement is supporting the idea that religion doesn't matter or that mormonism is as good as catholicism.

Paraphase? I heard his talk on this can't remember exactly what he said. He didn't have a issue, I remember that. Ugly politics is all.

[Jerry Miah]

The Obama campaign is probably mad at this governor for shooting his mouth off. It just puts them on the defensive, it's just used by Obama opponents to go wild about. In other words, if the anti-Obama forces didn't take this and run with it, few would know about and even fewer care when the Governor of Montana makes a dumb remark about Romney's Mormon background. For them to scream bloody murder, or for someone to say this is "Chicago Style character assassination" is pretty ironic, though, given the onslaught of Obama-is-a-Muslim dirty politics that we have had to put up with for years now.

Likewise your theory that this is a "brilliantly evil" plot by the Obama campaign, as was the Rosen brouhaha. Don't you think that is a bit extreme, a bit much?

When you say:

Because it is an early brush stroke of their portrait of Romney. A painting that will portray him as a rich white guy that was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, doesn't live in the same reality as most Americans, he was an evil wall street tycoon who put people out of work (Bain Capital),

Taking the word "evil" out of that, are you saying that Romney isn't an extremely rich guy who was born that way, that he wasn't a tycoon that increased his wealth through leveraged buyout of companies that involved laying off employee soon after? These are statements of fact.

[SusansChoice]

The Obama camp will continue their smear campaign on Mitt Romney. Anything to keep the focus off of the real issues and the Obama administration's failed policies.

[Scott_Lafrance]

Originally Posted by estesbob

This will blow up in the Obama Campaigns face just like the "Ann Romney never worked a day in her life" and the "Romney strapped his dog to the roof" ploys did.

If the Obama campaign can't attack the GOP on a personal level, how are they going to run for re-election? On the record of accomplishments?

[Jeanne S]

Originally Posted by SusansChoice

The Obama camp will continue their smear campaign on Mitt Romney. Anything to keep the focus off of the real issues and the Obama administration's failed policies.

Yep:

[Jerry Miah]

Originally Posted by Scott_Lafrance

If the Obama campaign can't attack the GOP on a personal level, how are they going to run for re-election? On the record of accomplishments?

A strange and superficial claim. Maybe you're just joking? The Obama campaign has such a long list of accomplishments, it's not possible for a well-informed person not to know about them; however, given the long list, it is possible to forget about them sometimes. I'm not even going to start the list, but c'mon...