RSS Feed
February 5th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda
But they also propelled him on to the next contest – a rendezvous with a part
of America’s West where it would be impossible to ignore the Mormon
connection: Nevada, home to 175,000 Mormons, where an expected one in four
of the Republicans choosing between rival candidates in caucus meetings last
night were expected to be Mr Romney’s co-religionists.
It could have been another awkward moment for the former Massachusetts
governor, a former missionary and lay bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ
of the Latter-day Saints. He and his campaign are aware that his emergence
as leading Republican candidate has fuelled a national debate about whether
America is ready for a Mormon in the White House, given that the faith is
still viewed by many evangelicals as a bizarre cult.
Coverage often focuses on such esoteric details as the special under-garments
worn by the faithful and baptisms of the dead, a practice Mr Romney would
have overseen as a senior figure in the church.
In this climate, some Mormons wish that Mr Romney would advantage of his
profile to speak out more strongly, explain Mormon tenets and challenge what
church elders term “perception problems”.
But, although he repeatedly invokes his faith in general terms, aides say he
has no plans to deliver a speech going into his religious beliefs in detail
– aware that to do so would excite unwanted attention.
That fact has disappointed some followers of the church. And it may not be
unwelcome that a number, at least, of Nevada’s Mormons were lining up behind
another Republican candidate, complaining that Mr Romney’s Mormonism is not
as rigorous as it could be.
David IsBell, a conservative activist and television producer who works just
off Las Vegas’s world-famous Strip, the pulsing casino heartland of
America’s self-proclaimed Sin City, planned to support not Mr Romney but Ron
Paul, a Baptist Texan congressman who is campaigning on a libertarian
anti-government, anti-war message.
Mormons believe that the US constitution was inspired by God, and Mr IsBell
argues that Mr Romney’s support for the war in Iraq, sabre-rattling over
Iran and backing for the $700 billion bank bail-out all contradict it – and
hence Mormon teachings.
“As Mormons, we believe that the Constitution was a divinely-inspired
document that defines our liberties,” he said. “Only Ron Paul
adheres to that document.
“Mitt Romney makes statements to fire up the base and appeal to the
neocons that are not in line with the spirit of our faith and the US
constitution.”
The candidate’s tough stance on immigration has also put him at odds both with
church policy and with his cousins who live in a Mormon enclave in Mexico.
The church, which has a growing Hispanic membership, has pushed for guest
worker permits so that illegal immigrants with jobs can remain in the US – a
position supported by Mr Romney’s Mexican-American relatives who have
criticised his hard line.
Long before it became synonymous with sybaritic excess, Las Vegas was founded
by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s and the towers of today’s imposing white
Mormon temple tower over the eastern fringes where city merges into desert.
And most Mormons still planned to back Mr Romney last night: sweatshirts for
Brigham Young University, the church’s academic base in Salt Lake City, were
plentiful among those at Romney rallies and at one gathering, a young boy
carried a hand-painted placard declaring: “Romney!! Mormons Rock!!”
Joe Wyson, who owns a gun store and firing range, said: “Romney is a man
of integrity, faith and character, but he is also a successful businessman
who knows what it takes to turn this country around.”
Stricken by the collapse in the construction business and a slide in tourism,
once-booming Nevada now has the nation’s highest rates of house repossession
and also, at 13 per cent, unemployment.
So economic factors are prominent on the campaign trail. But there is always a
showbusiness twist to elections in Las Vegas. This year it was provided by
Donald Trump, the flamboyant billionaire, who endorsed an uneasy-looking Mr
Romney at his eponymous hotel, a 64-storey behemoth gilded with 24-carat
gold.
And Mr Paul also attracted some only-in-Nevada support with the “endorsement”
of prostitutes at the Bunny Ranch. The sex workers at the mega-brothel –
prostitution is legal in the state – are running a “Pimpin’ for
Paul” campaign for the congressman, attracted by his often-declared
view that people should be free to live their lives free of government
interference.
Mr Romney swept Nevada in his previous White House run four years ago, taking
51 per cent of the vote in a state that his rivals largely ceded to him.
About one in four of Republican caucus-goers were Mormon in 2008, and more
than 95 per cent backed Mr Romney.
Diminished or not, Mr Romney’s likely substantial share of the Mormon vote
made it all but impossible for Mr Gingrich, the only serious rival for the
Republican nomination, to compete with Mr Romney in the state. “Nevada’s
tricky because of the Mormon influence,” Mr Gingrich acknowledged.
But for all the pasting that the former House Speaker took in Florida, he left
the state insisting he would continue his fight – with the likely support of
conservative Republicans, who remain resolutely unpersuaded by Mr Romney.
They were encouraged by Mr Romney’s apparent ability to fall into traps of his
own making – such as last week’s ill-judged comment in a post-Florida
television interview that he was “not concerned about the very poor”.
And Mr Gingrich’s supporters pointed out that it cost the Romney campaign an
estimated $16 million to pay for the 3,000-plus television attack
advertisements that helped to defeat him in Florida – the largest state to
vote so far – and that this effort was more than doubled by outside groups,
which raised huge sums of money separately.
Mr Gingrich’s own campaign was meanwhile being kept financially afloat by at
least $10 million donated by Sheldon Adelson, a Las Vegas casino owner.
Over the next few weeks, though, the Republican race is shifting West, with
votes to come in Arizona and Colorado, both of which have sizeable Mormon
populations, and in Mr Romney’s home state of Michigan. For now, at least,
the geography of the race may be in the frontrunner’s favour.
Mr Romney’s campaign has long been plagued by speculation that his faith is a
hindrance. But by the end of February, it could have pushed him towards a
historic first Mormon presidential candidacy.
Related posts:
Views: 0
Posted in 
Tags: 
