Mitt Romney the person, not the politician


Heather
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With the announcement by McCain tomorrow of who will be his running mate, there has been a lot of speculation about Romney taking the roll. Don't use this thread to discuss political agendas or who one should or should not vote for, but discuss Mitt Romney specifically with regards to his background as a Mormon and what it means to be a Mormon. Mitt Romney Mormon

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Being a Mormon is political. Politics is who gets what, when, and how; just ask my Political Science 101 teacher who used to ask it every day and get an answer in unison from her class.

Like it or not, we are viewed mainly in the realm of politics. The treatment of the saints from the beginning has been political. The abuses endured by our LORD himself were the political ramifications of His ministry. The Massacre of the Innocents was political. The murder of the Apostles was all politics.

The main complaints against us today are all political. Who do we ordain to the Priesthood? What criteria do we expect for enterance into the temple? What romantic relationships do we condone? How much tithes, offerings, and real property do we collect and what do we do with it? These are the issues that cause all the trouble.

Perhaps this is the last time we can talk about Mitt on this site until November. Perhaps tomorrow he will be a candidate in a political campaign. But for me, the very Gospel itself is a political agenda. Christ came and made possible the great call of freedom: 'Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!'

-a-train

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Well, I'll bite and see if I can stay within the rules.

From what I've read and seen on TV, I think Mitt is undoubtedly very intelligent. I also think we could do worse than having a successful businessman in a high political office. I suspect that in his private life and his business life he has an engaging personality and a sense of humor, because I think it's hard to be really successful without those attributes -- but I find his public persona stiff and dull.

I consider Mitt to be a self-made man, although one who was given an excellent start with every possible advantage.

So, we'll see if I stayed within the posting rules or not . . .

Edited by Heather
Nope you didn't :P
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I don't know anything of Mitt Romney outside what he did for the Olympics and his run for the oval office. But, from what I can tell, he seems to represent the church well. I think he is moral man and generally honest....if that is possible in politics and I think that he has raised a family to be proud of and one that seems to also be great moral role model.

I am excited to see someone of our faith make such a successful run for the presidency. It is certainly proving to be a good test for the American people and their ability to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to the question of religious freedom and diversity.

I think his chances of getting chosen as a running mate are nil. Don't think this country is ready yet. I would love to see it happen....just for the sake of breaking down some of the barriers that have plagued the church for so long. I do think Mitt has broken barriers as other have...like Steve Young and the Osmond family and other prominent LDS professionals. I think any strides we make on that front will only help the US be a better place to live and the American's better people.

Edited by Misshalfway
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Heather - what about this?

7. Do not post or upload any names of political candidates or posts that insinuate a particular candidate. Do not make post, messages, videos, or uploads in reference to political candidates.

:confused::confused::confused:

I know. It was getting too hard to moderate the posts to stop people from talking about why to favor one candidate over the other, so I made a sweeping rule. This thread is a test to see if it can be discussed without favoring one side or the other.
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How about because Mitt Romney is a Mormon, and you are a Mormon, what does that tell you about him?

Well.....I hope it means what I hope it means! I hope he is an upstanding man. I hope that he believes in our core doctrine and that wherever he went in his life he would do so by following the spirit.

But....having said that. I took for granted that John Edwards was a squeaky as he claimed to be. Sadly, I was wrong.

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I met Mitt at a rally in Florida during the primary........ he was very charismatic. He is a former Bishop and Stake President........

Bytor,

I mean this as a serious question, not a slam against Mitt. I believe you when you say he is charismatic, but I don't think that has come across at all on television.

Any ideas of why? Do you find him charismatic on TV?

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Bytor,

I mean this as a serious question, not a slam against Mitt. I believe you when you say he is charismatic, but I don't think that has come across at all on television.

Any ideas of why? Do you find him charismatic on TV?

Um....I thought when he gave speeches and Towne Halls he was very good.......the debates seemed to get him off message or take him away from who he is at the core, maybe. He did get attacked a lot, so maybe it was the venue.

When he gave his speech on religion...I felt the Spirit. At the rally I attended, he was very engaging and accesible and just gave you the impression that he was very sincere....a really warm person. He seems very perfect and maybe that puts some people off. He is a well spoken, handsome person and has a picture perfect family. His wife Ann.....wow. She is impressive....IMO. I wasn't that impressed with him, until I met him.....maybe it is just the venue....

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I think you may be right. I agree that he is handsome and looks very polished, and I would expect him to be more compelling than what I've seen.

I think, too, that sometimes charisma can't be captured on film. I saw a documentary about Jim Jones and Jonestown. (To be clear, I am not comparing Mitt to Jim Jones.) I assume that Jim Jones had amazing charisma, as I think virtually all cult leaders do. People who followed him and survived Jonestown say he did. I just didn't see it in the film they had of him, and the clips were fairly extensive. When I saw the old TV movie with Powers Boothe as Jim Jones, I thought Powers Boothe was very compelling. Seeing his performance as Jim Jones, I could understand why people would follow him. Seeing the actual Jim Jones, not so much . . .

Edited by OtterPop
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I've written about this before, but since you asked:

I attended church with Romney in '74.

He was at Harvard, getting either his MBA, JD, PHD or NAACP--I don't remember. What I do remember is that he would actually talk to me, face to face, in a real conversation, even saying my name once in a while. :P

The point being, not all people in the branch gave me the time of day, and I'm not complaining. But Romney did, and I'll never forget that. I also hang on to that image, very tightly, if you get my drift.

His wife, that's a totally different story. Her nose was stuck up so high she would drown if it were raining.

Elphaba

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Doesn't matter now about Mitt Romney since McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. She is the governor of Alaska. This is according to breaking news on CNN.

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Guest bren1975

The fact that Mitt Romney was a bishop and a stake president speaks very highly for his integrity. It's a shame we won't be able to benefit from his economic experience, in the government. I hope he receives a cabinet position at least.

Did I break any rules?

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I, usually, more often than not, refrain from making &/or giving opinions about people I'm not personally acquainted and have spend enough time to actually form a round opinion of the person. I tend to do this with everyone, anywhere, including here. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and tend to clearly separate behavior and the core person. ;)

With that said, I just know some things about him, about his career as a governor of MA, which I was very surprised..., but then again, I'm still just gathering facts and truths about him, but don't really KNOW him.

I find it kind of hard to make an opinion about someone I see on TV under stressful circumstances. He gave me the idea he's very intelligent, and he seems to be business savvy since he funded most of his campaign, if I'm not mistaking (If I am, I know someone will correct me :-P, which believe it or not, I truly appreciate), I didn't see a lot of charisma, but that doesn't necessarily mean something bad. Some people has it, some don't, and they can be good or not.

That does not tell me, though, what type of person and member he is. I do like that he sort of opened up the possiblity for people to learn more and become more familiar with The Church, thus sort of, possibly, reducing the negative stigma people see... However, because someone is of my faith, it does not mean that I'd support it though... I'd need to really come to know him more than the little things I know. I think that is a very faulty foundation,i.e., to support someone just because he is a mormon.

There are many other people that can be equally or better qualified for the position who is not a mormon, although I truly would like to see a true member of The Church in a position as such.

I hope I'm still "within" the rules... :D

Edited by PapilioMemnon
decorating, Notification
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