JFK, Reverend Jeremiah Wright and Mormonism

[_sock puppet]

No, the subject line is not the beginning of a parody by me of the late, great Johnny Carson's occasional skit, Carnac the Magnificent.

Living in the Mormon belt as I do, I hear repeatedly exasperated complaints by Romney supporters that the other Republican presidential candidates and Pres Obama, the presumptive Democrat nominee, and the press, are going to make Romney's religion as issue in the campaign. They rue the possibility, claiming it has not been an issue since JFK's Catholicism was raised during the 1960 presidential campaign.

I try to bring them down to earth a bit by reminding them that the media, Fox News in particular, had a field day in 2008 over Reverend Jeremiah Wright's rants, and then candidate Obama's having sat in the pews hearing those rants for almost 20 years, having been married in Wright's church and his children baptized there. I don't recall too many Mormons where I live having complained in 2008, just 4 years ago, not like the way they are crying 'foul' in 2012.

[_Hoops]

Which is why it might be hard for the Obama campaign to use Romney's religion as an issue. NOt to say others won't or can't, but it's tough waters to navigate.

Dontcha think?

[_MCB]

Why? Obama disassociated himself from Wright's church as soon as it hit the newsstands.

[_Fence Sitter]

It isn't the Democrats or the other Republican wannabes that will make it an issue. The press itself, as we just saw in the BBC interview with Holland, will make it an issue. There is just so much interesting stuff. See also Morely's thread about news article regarding the Church sealing black slave/wives to their masters like Thomas Jefferson.

[_sock puppet]

Which is why it might be hard for the Obama campaign to use Romney's religion as an issue. NOt to say others won't or can't, but it's tough waters to navigate.

Dontcha think?

I do, so think. But I also think it was dangerously close to having gained traction in '08 and buried Obama's candidacy.

[_sock puppet]

Why? Obama disassociated himself from Wright's church as soon as it hit the newsstands.

And Romney said it is not a sin to interracially marry. He also was against abortion before he was for it, before he's again against it--but likes to point out his mother was for it.

[_Hoops]

Which is why it might be hard for the Obama campaign to use Romney's religion as an issue. NOt to say others won't or can't, but it's tough waters to navigate.

Dontcha think?

I do, so think. But I also think it was dangerously close to having gained traction in '08 and buried Obama's candidacy.

Agreed. Still could do the same for Romney and leave Obama unscathed as being old news. Should be interesting if nothing else.

[_MCB]

And Romney said it is not a sin to interracially marry. He also was against abortion before he was for it, before he's again against it--but likes to point out his mother was for it.

LOL Ask him a few more questions to see which he wants more-- the LDS church or President. It will boil down to one or another.

[_richardMdBorn]

Why? Obama disassociated himself from Wright's church as soon as it hit the newsstands.

Let's review Obama's statement:

Obama said that he did not know the extent of Wright’s controversial comments until recently. He confirmed that he was not in the church when Wright made the comments that were reported this week.

"I wasn’t in church during the time that these statement were made," Obama said. "I did not hear such incendiary language myself, personally. Either in conversations with him or when I was in the pew, he always preached the social gospel."

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/20 ... -comments/

However, a year earlier, Obama disinvited Rev. Wright from participating in the announcement of his candidacy for the presidency.

Mr. Wright said that in the phone conversation in which Mr. Obama disinvited him from a role in the announcement, Mr. Obama cited an article in Rolling Stone, “The Radical Roots of Barack Obama.”

According to the pastor, Mr. Obama then told him, “You can get kind of rough in the sermons, so what we’ve decided is that it’s best for you not to be out there in public.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/06/us/po ... nted=print

I guess Rev. Wright got rough in sermons Obama both heard and did not hear. Oprah attended Wright’s church.

Winfrey was a member of Trinity United from 1984 to 1986, and she continued to attend off and on into the early to the mid-1990s. But then she stopped. A major reason—but by no means the only reason—was the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

According to two sources, Winfrey was never comfortable with the tone of Wright's more incendiary sermons, which she knew had the power to damage her standing as America's favorite daytime talk-show host.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2 ... right.html

So Oprah, who attended Trinity United for far less than the 20 years Obama was there, heard Rev. Wright give incendiary sermons but Obama didn’t. Anyone who believes this also believes in the tooth fairy.

[_Joey]

The greatest deflection the Romney camp has to offer for attacks against his belief could be the Senate majority leader in Obama's party!!