Now, before you start with you religion and politics argument, let me tell you, right up front, it makes no difference. The simple fact is that Gov. Romney hasn’t a snowball’s chance of reaching the oval office… except as a visitor.
The so-called “Whisper Campaign” aside, the governor has two things going against him… one, he is a northeasterner, and two, he is a Mormon. Not to mention the fact that, as a northeasterner, he is from the great “Peoples Republic of Massachusetts”. Or “Taxachusetts” as some call that near socialist state.
Now, I know there is no religion requirement, or non-religion requirement, to be President of the US. (Not "officially", anyway.) But the plain truth is there IS an UNOFFICIAL Religion Requirement to be a candidate for President of the US and that is the requirement that the candidate be a member of a mainline denomination of the Christian faith.
We’ve been through this with John Kennedy. I distinctly remember the church I was attending, as a young man, passed out pamphlets which stated, flat-out, that if Kennedy was elected... the Pope would rule the US. (I left that church shortly after that event.)
The thing is, you see, since John Kennedy ran successfully for President the Evangelical movement, in the US, has grown tremendously! They have enough power now to swing an election their way. There is no doubt they will "ramp up" their efforts to deny the nomination to Romney.
Frankly, I feel that once the primaries reach the South, on Super Tuesday, I believe it is, Romney will be history. He is unable to carry a single southern state, whether he is a Mormon... or not. To a Southerner… being a "Northeasterner" is far worse. Southerners tend to view Northeasterners as running a close second, on their “Most Hated” list, to the Islamofacists!
The recent success in Massachusetts, by Gov. Romney, with the new state law that everyone must have Health Insurance, will not help him in the South. In fact it will be a millstone around his neck. Southerners see it as simply a preamble to national healthcare, which is anathema to Southerners.
You see, we don’t like socialism down here. In fact, we hate it! We see it as just a way to make everyone suffer equally, as did Winston Churchill. So, do not bring your socialist programs down here and expect us to support you. We won’t.
Besides, we like rich folk down here! You see, it was rich folk who provided jobs for our fathers, Grandfathers, and even Great Grandfathers. We remember that.
Even though the great plantation houses are, for the most part, gone, except for a few tourist attractions around the Holy City of Charleston, SC and the second Holy City of Savannah, Georgia, there are still a goodly number of “old money” families here. We live side by side now. We interact with each other and we have respect for each other. Quite often we sit side by side in the church pews on Sundays. This is a South Hollywood has totally missed and somehow, the Democrats and even the Republicans have missed.
I was born and reared here in the South. My roots run deep into the red clay and sandy loam of this precious part of our nation. I know my people. And I am telling you here, drawing from my years of experience growing up and living day today in the South, the South is different. We think differently, we speak differently, our culture is different, our food is different, our religion is practiced differently, and even our politics are viewed and practiced differently. But, the US wanted us so badly they went to war to force us to stay, at bayonet point… so, hey, you’re stuck with us!
So, when election time rolls around do not be surprised when we vote as a block, or vote differently than the remainder of the country. As I told you above, we are different.
Mr. Romney may be a great guy. I expect that he is. Most Mormons I have know were/are extremely good people. But, if the Republican Party thinks that the Southern electorate will not consider his religion in the primaries, they are dead wrong.
Longstreet
4 comments:
Interesting post!
That is exactly why Evangelicals should not be alowed to vote! They will ruin this country and sacrifice freedom in the name of religion. They will stifle scientific progress and "stunt" the sociological growth of this nation. and again, "Lord Jesus protect us from your ""followers"", for THEY know not what they do."
Frank, the Evangelicals are the fastest growing Christian "church" in America. I would not be surprized if they do not already outnumber the membership of the mainline denominations. They weild awesome power in politics.
Me? I'm a conservative Lutheran very much like the old German Lutherans. The Lutheran denomination, of which I am a member, has been hi-jacked by the Left and has slid so far to the left that it is basically a civic club now, rather than being a scriptural church as Luther himself would have liked.
The Lutheran church used to be "scripture centric". No longer. Political Correctness has replaced scripture and the church is in really bad shape.
I no longer attend church... at least not regularly. When I do go, I drive 100 miles round trip to attend a Missouri Synod Lutheran Church which practices a faith as close to mine as , I suppose, it is possible to be.
Don't mean to preach a sermon here, but I think "The Church" meaning The Christian Church has sold it's members out. I am of the belief that The Church should set the standards for society to live by. Not conform to the standards of society. That, seems to me, is exactly what the church has done, though.... conformed to the standards of society. When that happens, the church loses it's leadership role and most, if not all, of it's influence.
Now, I say all this to try to explain why, I think, the evangelicals are growing so fast. You see, they set standards based on scripture. Our mainline churches used to do that. When they failed their membership by no longer adhereing to scripture, the members of those mainline churches fell away. At some point, they discovered the Evangelicals DO offer what we humans need. The knowledge that God is STILL God, that Jesus remains His son, our Savior, and the Holy Spirit moves among men on this earth. There is a comfort in that knowledge that the bishops of our mainline denominations have failed to understand, or they simply no longer believe it themselves. Frankly, I believe it is both.
In other words... the mainline denominations have ceded the field to the Evangelicals.
I am tempted to say "Here endth the Lesson."... but, I won't. Well, actually, I just did... didn't I?
I'd like to see Mitt as President. A nice side effect of that (Jay crosses himself) would be a widespread end to the animosity toward Mormons by certain Evangelicals. I can assure you that you won't ever go to a Mormon meeting where a teacher is systematically trashing another religion, but that routinely happens down in the south toward Mormons. Name calling (they're a 'cult', or 'not Christian') and flat out misrepresentations. Evangelicals would be perceived in a much more positive light by the rest of the country if that kind of nonsense would come to an end. The Mormons could do certain things too that would improve their perception by the rest of the country. But this silly annoying contention between evangelicals and mormons ought to stop. Can't we all just get along?
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