A few thoughts on Mitt….

Today Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney talked openly about his Mormon faith.  It was fairly obvious that Romney was trying to draw parallels between himself and President Kennedy (The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library is about 90 miles from the site the Kennedy was at when he addressed concerns about his Catholicism).  I should take a moment to say I’m not a big fan of the Mitt, I think his flip flopping makes John Kerry look like  stable, but I digress.   I think Romney is trying to have it both ways personally.  He said “I will put no doctrine of any church above the plain duties of the office and the sovereign authorities of the law,” I have to say that if this is true then I have my doubts that Romney really believes his faith.  As most of you know I’m Catholic, and trust me no one thinks they should run a country more than I do, but if I was running I would have to say that Church teaching and law would most defiantly effect the way that I would govern.  My faith is what tells me things like abortion and the Death Penalty are morally wrong, and as President I would work to over turn these laws.  I wouldn’t do it because I’m a religious zealot but because my faith has taught me these are wrong.  As a leader I feel as though I have to fight for what I believe to be right, and I learn that often (though not always) through my faith tradition.  In fact if Romney is going to “believe in my Mormon faith, and I endeavor to live by it,” then I have to assume that means standing up for things he has been taught by the Church of Latter Day Saints.  This is the sort of political double speak I think we tend to get sick of in modern politics, I need to be religious enough to court evangelicals but not religious enough to scare people off in a general election.

With all that being said I should say that addressing his religion in such a forum  was brilliant and almost certainly will earn him some sympathy votes.  And giving Huckabee’s propensity to have hatchet men attack you based on your faith without being directly linked to him (see Sam Brownback).  Anyway this is just some thoughts, be good out there.

Chris Johnson