Political Review – realoutlook.com

Mitt Romney delivered his “Faith in America” speech this morning powerfully owning to his own faith and the responsibility of the political office he seeks to respect the faith of others. Like Kennedy, Romney made the speech to erase doubts about his allegiance to a Christian faith considered out of the mainstream, particularly among Iowa’s Evangelicals who have favored the former Baptist minister and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Though many comments were made today regarding the two men and their speeches the difference in political circumstances and the part their beliefs played in the way they lived their lives couldn’t be more different.

The uplifting Romney speech [ Part I - Part II ] is an affirmation of faith referencing it’s place in the American tradition in contrast to the Kennedy speech that begins by pointing out there are far more important considerations than the “religious issue” and is condescending to those whose vote would be decided in a religious context. In the latter, one can see the seeds of the “Secular Religion” Romney addresses in his speech. I doubt however that either Kennedy or any other popular Democrat of his day could imagine that separation of church and state, wrongly perceived by many to be part of our constitution, would evolve to the anti-Christian manta of the left it is today.

Kennedy states that the church he believes in “should only be important to me” and claims that ones faith should be his “own private affair.” He then reminds us of the service he and brother Joe delivered in WWII. But shouldn’t we be entitled to know the beliefs of one who would be President in addition to the acts he puts forth as qualifications for the job? In his 1997 book A Question of Character: A Life of John F. Kennedy Thomas Reeves discloses behavior with mob boss girlfriends and East German spies that compromised the President which in turn compromises the American people. The private life of public officials is a rightful concern of the public they represent even if that includes a total disregard for religious traditions. The life of Romney, on the other hand, has been an open book led by a man of extraordinary accomplishment who has followed his convictions.

What benefits can Romney expect from this speech? Dick Morris, former political adviser to Bill and Hillary Clinton, has suggested Romney’s decline in the Iowa polls has more to do with his recent conversion to “right to life” in the eyes of Iowa’s evangelical Christians than his Mormon faith. However, a recent report by The Pew Research Center “Public Expresses Mixed Views of Islam, Mormonism” suggests something quite different. The percentage of American’s with a favorable opinion of Mormons is the same as that of Muslim Americans at a paltry 53%. That’s only 10 points higher than Muslims in general at 43%. This is in stark contrast to 76% favorable for both Jews and Catholics. If anything the speech was an opportunity for Romney to display his passion for American tradition and any endeavor he cares to undertake. In light of the Pew Report it is doubtful more potential voters will become comfortable with his Mormon faith.

If there is anything Romney can learn from the Kennedy phenomenon it would be to expound on the other positive aspects of his life. We knew Jack to be an avid sailor, participant in family football, Harvard grad as well as war veteran. With his accomplishments he could embellish his image without resorting the deceit of Joe Kennedy spinning the only commander of a PT boat in the fleet to get run over by a Japanese destroyer into a war hero. Even most Republicans know little of Romney beyond his being a successful Mormon businessman who was part of the Salt Lake Olympics, was Governor of Massachusetts and can afford to add his own money to his presidential campaign.

Romney comes from a political background, his father being the former Governor of Michigan, George Romney. His educational accomplishments are unparalleled in the field of candidates graduating Brigham Young as valedictorian earning his BS degree summa cum laude in 1971. He went on to a joint JD / MBA program graduating cum laude from Harvard Law School while being named a Baker Scholar for graduating in the top 5 of his class at Harvard Business School.

His business career is storied as well. Over the 14 years he headed Bain Capital, a spin-off he co-founded with then employer Bain & Company of Boston, the company realized an average annual return of over 100%. When the original employer, Bain & Company, faced collapse in 1990 Romney would return completing a successful restructuring and turnaround in one year without resorting to massive downsizing. He would leave to head up the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee.

In 1999 the President and Vice President of the Salt Lake Olympic Committee were force to resign. Bribery allegations occupied a recurring space on the national news and the organization was $379 short of revenue expectations. Enter Romney. In spite of added security requirements in the aftermath of 9/11 the games would go on in glorious fashion finishing with $100 million in profit. Mitt’s book about the experience, Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games is an entertaining study of leadership.

Next stop, Governor of Massachusetts and the rest as they say is history. If he will go on to be his party’s candidate for the Presidency it will come from finding something a wider voting public can admire and raising public awareness of it. He has plenty of that to share. It won’t come from expounding on his Mormon faith.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 6th, 2007 at 11:43 pm and is filed under Election, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.