The Mormon Factor
Bill McGurn ·
May 24, 2011 at 7:41am
Hadn't quite realized this, but if former Utah Gov. John Huntsman does indeed enter the race, the GOP will have two Mormon contenders. Here's a post from Religion Matters in which Mr. Huntsman talks about his faith, and it includes links to a few interesting interviews he's given. This comment comes from an interview with George Stephanopoulos at ABC:
I believe in God. I'm a good Christian. I'm very proud of my Mormon heritage. I am Mormon. Today, there are 13 million Mormons. It's a very diverse and heterogeneous cross-section of people. And you're going to find a lot of different attitudes and a lot of different opinions in that 13 million.... And I probably add to that diversity somewhat.
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Jun '10
Re: The Mormon Factor
I'm a Utah Mormon. I have no clue what Huntsman really believes but he's very much connected to the LDS Church. His late grandfather, David B. Haight, spent many years on the Council of the Twelve, the highest body save the First Presidency . Huntsman's father, John Huntsman is one of the richest men in Utah--he too currently serves in a high position in the LDS Church.
Huntsman's diversity argument is weak. In the U.S., Mormons, by large margins, are both social and fiscal conservatives.
I really don't understand Huntsman's game, although it appears to me he's trying to distinguish himself from Mitt, who is a very orthodox Mormon. Huntsman is attempting to suggest that he's not as Mormon as Mitt, and thus make himself more appealing to non-Mormons.
In my view, Mitt is by far the better candidate (even with the Romneycare albatross). Huntsman is a man of privilege who has been cultivated to be the politician in the family. He was big on cap-and-trade and he worked for Obama. And the MSM is busy making him the new McCain.
I don't trust him.
Dec '10
Re: The Mormon Factor
Meh. Mormons and Christians differ significantly on very foundational theological doctrines to the point that many Christians do not consider Mormons to be part of the body of Christ. However, that really doesn't matter in the politics. Mormons and Christians of all stripes have more in common politically than most Christians do among themselves theologically. While I'm not certain where most Mormons fall on foreign policy matters, I do know that fiscally and socially they are well placed within conservatism.
Jun '10
Re: The Mormon Factor
You are correct that there are some theological differences between Mormons and other Christians. That, however, does not mean that Mormons don't perceive themselves as Christians. If you think of Christianity broadly, say the approach of C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, Mormons accept just about everything he says (with only a few exceptions).
More importantly, most American Mormons are social and fiscal conservatives.
As to foreign policy, let's put it this way: Mormons love Ronald Reagan. We tend to be extremely strong supporters of Israel and are very patriotic. My wife's uncle was killed in WWII and my Dad suffered a disabling war injury.
Jun '10
Re: The Mormon Factor
The candidate's father, Jon Huntsman, Sr., is a very impressive guy. Famously, many years ago, when he agreed to sell a company that he built, he agreed to the buyer's offer on a handshake. Well, between then and the actual sale, the value of the company skyrocketed. So, the buyer was prepared to boost the price significantly, because they had nothing on paper yet. But, Huntsman said "no, the price hasn't changed." To him, his word and his handshake was as binding as any document you could draw up. I think that attitude comes in good part from being a serious Mormon. That's what I like about Mormons. But, their theology, and the idea of modern prophets, I don't care for much. I would vote for a Mormon, a genuine conservative Mormon. Certainly not someone like Harry Reid.
Jan '11
Re: The Mormon Factor
"Easy on the zeal church-os, I've got something to say. Don't you get it, it's all Christianity, people. The little stupid differences are nothing next to the big stupid similarities."
Bart Simpson interceding in a paint ball showdown between the Western Branch of American Reformed Presbylutheranism and the Roman Catholics.
Re: The Mormon Factor
tabula rasa
You are correct that there are some theological differences between Mormons and other Christians. That, however, does not mean that Mormons don't perceive themselves as Christians. If you think of Christianity broadly, say the approach of C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, Mormons accept just about everything he says (with only a few exceptions).· May 24 at 8:14am
While it's true that Mormons considers themselves Christians, it's also true that no traditional Christian church recognizes Mormon baptism (this is distinguished from the way traditional Christian churches recognize the baptisms of fellow traditional Christians). Likewise, no traditional Christian baptism is recognized by the LDS.
And that's because the differences in our teachings our major, relating to our understanding of the Triune God, sin, the scriptural canon, salvation, etc.
What any of that has to do with whether Huntsman, Romney or Reid, for that matter, would make a good president, I don't know. But no reason to downplay the serious differences.
Dec '10
Re: The Mormon Factor
tabula rasa
You are correct that there are some theological differences between Mormons and other Christians. That, however, does not mean that Mormons don't perceive themselves as Christians. If you think of Christianity broadly, say the approach of C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, Mormons accept just about everything he says (with only a few exceptions).
· May 24 at 8:14am
It's not so much that Mormons consider themselves Christians; rather, many Christians do not consider them to be so. It goes to the very foundations of the theology in ways more divisive than even the rifts between Catholics and Protestants. But, like I said, Mormons and Christians (with the exception of the very liberal bents) line up almost perfectly on the political side of things. The politics are what is important in this one.
What she said ^^
Edited on May 24, 2011 at 8:34amMar '11
Re: The Mormon Factor
Oh, yes, I remember that story - I hadn't made the connection.
I get the impression that the White House and media would like to run against Huntsman Jr, as they think he will be easy to beat - yeah, like Mr Mccain.
I don't care if he is a Mormon, but I do care about Cap and Trade (a modern, secular, cult).
I'd prefer someone that the media really hates...
Jun '10
Re: The Mormon Factor
The most important ingredient of being a "good American" is being a good neighbor, and Mormons certainly are that.
Jan '11
Re: The Mormon Factor
Bill McGurn: Hadn't quite realized this, but if former Utah Gov. John Huntsman does indeed enter the race, the GOP will have two Mormon contenders. Here's a post from Religion Matters in which Mr. Huntsman talks about his faith, and it includes links to a few interesting interviews he's given. This comment comes from an interview with George Stephanopoulos at ABC:
This is his attempt to walk back his previous comments to Time Magazine. Weasel.
Aug '10
Re: The Mormon Factor
I somewhat echo Tabula in that even though I'm a practicing Mormon I'm more than a little leary of Huntsman Jr. I don't live in Utah so I'm not intimately familiar with his record as governor but I do know he quit half way through his second term to become ambassador to China. (I'm not a big fan of the quitters. If people elect you to an office then have the decency to serve out your term!)
Huntsman has no shot at the nomination in 2012 and would get crushed in 2016 assuming there's no GOP incumbent so I'm not sure what his game is. VP? Perhaps, but I don't think an all Mormon ticket would thrill a lot of people.
On a broader note I sincerely hope this country is beyond discriminating against a candidate because of their religion. If people don't want to support Romney because of his policies that is perfectly fine. If they won't vote for him because of his religion that would make me very sad because of what it would say about our country.
Dec '10
Re: The Mormon Factor
Frozen Chosen:
On a broader note I sincerely hope this country is beyond discriminating against a candidate because of their religion. If people don't want to support Romney because of his policies that is perfectly fine. If they won't vote for him because of his religion that would make me very sad because of what it would say about our country. · May 24 at 8:58am
I agree, but there are rational reasons to not support a person based on his/her faith. It is not merely discrimination/bigotry. But that is a can of worms probably left sealed shut.
Nov '10
Re: The Mormon Factor
There are numerous polls that show that a huge number of Republicans will not vote for a Mormon, regardless of how conservative they may be. The numbers indicate that as many as 25% of registered Republicans are unwilling to vote for any Mormon, under any circumstances. I am unaware of any polling data that contradicts this basic idea.
Beyond Romney's questionable conservative credentials, this antipathy represents a fairly major challenge, in his quest for the nomination. Romney certainly has "name recognition," and this may somewhat offsets his disadvantage, running as a Mormon. And the Republican primaries are structured in such a way that certain tactics and strategies can mitigate such a disadvantage. But the rather obscure Huntsman is simply not a viable candidate.
The simple fact of the matter is that, in a general election, millions of Republicans will stay home, rather than cast a ballot for a Mormon. Whether or not this is a rational position is an entirely irrelevant question, at this juncture in our nation's history. It is simply a reality that must be faced by our party.
Can the Republican Party really afford to nominate a Mormon candidate now? I do not think so.
Dec '10
Re: The Mormon Factor
Raconteur: There are numerous polls that show that a huge number of Republicans will not vote for a Mormon, regardless of how conservative they may be. The numbers indicate that as many as 25% of registered Republicans are unwilling to vote for any Mormon, under any circumstances. I am unaware of any polling data that contradicts this basic idea.
· May 24 at 9:50am
In gaming we like to say, "Screen shot, or it didn't happen." Please provide links to the polls. Otherwise, your statement is an unsupported assertion.
Apr '11
Re: The Mormon Factor
I am a born-again Christian and can testify to the major theological differences between the Mormons and Christianity. However, I'm not looking to elect our next "Pastor-In-Chief"! I think that the less we derail from the actual situation/problems/solutions, the better!
It would be nice, though, to elect someone who was a real fighter...for this country, for our [former] moral values, for fiscal conservative values, etc., etc. And someone who wasn't constantly apologizing for some supposed American misdeed! [Oh, and the bowing thing...ummm...NO! ]
Mitt would be fine with me if he had a smidge more of Christie in him!
Jul '10
Re: The Mormon Factor
Oh, the Left just loves it when we start talking about religion. A substantial number of the highly-coveted independent vote is agnostic and they get very nervous when the slightest whiff of religion wafts into the political arena. They want their politics to be secular, thank you very much and we play into the hands of the Democrats when we talk about this stuff.
Re: The Mormon Factor
While I don't buy that all, the fact is that a more serious problem for GOP candidates seeking a primary win is the propensity among some evangelicals to confuse the political realm with the spiritual realm. They need to learn how to make that distinction and that requires public discussion. I'm sure we can all handle it.
Sep '10
Re: The Mormon Factor
Kenneth Minogue, The Liberal Mind
Edited on May 24, 2011 at 12:27pmAug '10
Re: The Mormon Factor
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
While I don't buy that all, the fact is that a more serious problem for GOP candidates seeking a primary win is the propensity among some evangelicals to confuse the political realm with the spiritual realm. They need to learn how to make that distinction and that requires public discussion. I'm sure we can all handle it. · May 24 at 12:09pm
Take it from a guy who once circulated a petition for Pat Robertson-at a Kenneth Hagin rally-there is an abundance of ardently misguided evangelicals ripe and ready for the next COP candidate to come pull a Huckabee on them.
More is the pity.
Jul '10
Re: The Mormon Factor
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
While I don't buy that all,
Poll after poll shows that independent voters are less religious than Republicans. In the 2004 American National Election Study, 56% of independents said they rarely or never attend church, compared to 50% of Democrats and 42% of Republicans.
The religious right makes independents nervous and Democrats use that for all it's worth.