Absolutely. You know, in 2008, Romney was known for attacking his opponents. He has generally held back. But with the threat from Gingrich, here we have it: Mitt happens. And what we have here is Mitt Romney basically saying in this ad, "Yes, I'm a Mormon. But at least I'm not a philanderer, like Newt Gingrich."What's worse is the casual swipe against Mormons. Tapper seems to think that's cute. Despicable.
December 8, 2011
"Mitt happens."
Newsbusters takes Jake Tapper to task for that "toilet" humor, but what I think is worse can be seen in the whole quote:
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I did not know that Newt collected stamps.
I had heard that Mitt is Morman and therefore is an imminent threat to jobs at coffee distributors and cigarette manufacturers.
I don't think it's out of bounds. Say what you want.
Yes, I'm a blogger. But at least I'm not a journalist like Jake Tapper.
I'm pretty sure that was a swipe at the Republican primary electorate, not Mormans per se.
Come on. Mormons can be mocked on Broadway or HBO. What do you expect?
Yes, but we can't talk about Jeremiah Wright.
That would be raaacissst.
PS Tapper should be taken to task for lousy writing. He has shown he can do better.
In the comments section, one I liked.
"Mitt Romney is not perfect. I wish he was better. But
his are the flaws of an adult and not a juvenile delinquent. He is not Nancy Pelosi or Jon Corzine or Newt Gingrich."
The only casual swipe against Mormons Ann, is the one you project onto Tapper.
What Tapper is doing is saying that Mitt is acknowledging he is a Mormon. Laying it out on the table and not shying from it. He is also putting out there that some Christians do have a problem with that, but that is their problem, not Mitt's.
I don't think the intention was a casual swipe at Mormonism. It comes across to me instead as a snarky reference to the idea that Mitt, aware that his faith may be an issue with some voters, is trying to change the subject by lashing out more loudly at someone else.
Whether or not Tapper's jab succeeds, I think it's meant to be a swipe at Mitt's short-sighted shallowness and predictability, not at his faith.
I think our Professor would enjoy New York Times Story Idea Bingo.
http://blog.vickiboykis.com/2011/12/01/new-york-times-story-idea-bingo-2011/
Mentioning that Romney is a Mormon isn't inappropriate. If it is, Althouse is anti-Mormon for bringing the quote to our attention.
And mentioning that people hold Romney's Mormonism against him isn't inappropriate. I hear it from Romney supporters constantly.
Methinks the perfesser has some residual pissed-offedness from being cut off by a bitch in a Yaris.
Congrats on making the top 100 blogs in the ABA Journal survey!
Man, I thought he said Mitt was a Moorman.
And I thought, hell no, not two in a row.
Yes, I'm part of the whole Joseph Smith and the Golden Plates cult - which, having been invented in the modern era, anyone can discover to be a fraud - but at least I'm not an adulterous bastard like that guy.
Or a racist black socialist idiot asshole out to destroy the nation either, presumably.
oh, what is an ethical atheist patriot to do? I know:
Continue to be portrayed as the weird one amongst THIS crowd,...
"The Mormon disease is a desperate one and the rope and the shotgun are the only cure," the newspaper [St John's Apache Chief}wrote. "Hang a few of their polygamist leaders such as ... Udall, Romney ... and others of their nature and a stop will be put to it."
Neither Udall nor Romney were hanged in 1884. Neither have some attitudes changed very much in 130 years.
Mitt's typical moralistic rant against Gingrich sounds typically mormonic. Gingrich is not an ideal candidate but he's been in the trenches so to speak. The PC liberals are portraying him as the loony right yet on many issues Romney's as conservative as NG or more so (immigration for one). And Romney is, well, a member of the Cult of the Salamanders of Fire.
Newt Gingrich co-sponsored 418 bills with Nancy Pelosi. Whatever he is, he is neither small government nor conservative.
Don't you love the smell of bigotry in the evening? What about "Sister Wives?" Hell, 4 years ago the FBI decided that some unknown "prophet" of some Mormon spinoff was #1 on the list of the MOST WANTED--ahead of any terrorists or murderers, or anyone.
What? Well, you see, them damn Mormons (insert OTHERS as needed) must be constrained. Hide the womenfolk. Write some catchy Broadway tunes and, God Bless us, let's rev up what's left of our racism and use it against whatever is in our way. (Mitt?)
Some tunesmiths can't seem to get much melody to Rev. Wright. Praise God.
I don't think it's a swipe from Tapper (I don't think he'd do that), but I do think there are a lot of people who play that kind of game.
We saw it with Obama, when people said Barack Hussein Obama. There were those who used it thinking that name would raise our standing in Muslim nations. And there were those who used it thinking it would hurt him with the American electorate.
People do a similar thing with Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley. They used Jindal's first name (Piush?) pretending *they* certainly aren't racist but goshdarn those Southerners usually are. Don't they know he's Indian?
And with Nikki Haley it's all about her religion. They pretend they aren't sure she is really Christian, but they aren't concerned. They are just afraid the voters of South Carolina would be bigots if about it if they thought such a thing.
I think there are plenty of people who do that with Romney. The whole, "I'm not a bigot but did you know he's Mormon?" thing. But I don't think Tapper was doing that. I suppose he's saying the voters of Iowa care that Romney is Mormon.
I think I am with 27183.
What I don't trust, ever, is some journalist deciding that some politician is or isn't known for attacking his opponents.
FWIW, here's a Media Matters piece from 2007, complaining that Jake Tapper used the name Barack Hussein Obama even though the WaPo had declared doing so a "sleazy tactic".
I don't think Tapper was using that or this in a sleazy way, but it is true some do/did.
IMO Mitt's ad was in tune with what most Christians think about Mormons. Namely that the Mormons are good people with good families that we would do well to imitate...but they are still heretics.
Mitt lives with that and he uses his strength in that view point to put down a serial monogamous man with a backhanded slap that says the non-heretic Newt is the not worthy one.
Mitt is the one playing his religion hand.
where is the Althouse-Fail tag?
Let us all say a prayer for mittens, as he definitely is in need of divine intervention ...
Runnin' behind Gingrich lol oh the humanity!
Our blog mistress could use some intervention also as she totally misconstrued said editorial.
I think I am with 27183
Me, too.
The swipe isn't "I'm a Mormon;" it's "But at least I'm not..."
I was expecting to see, at the very least, some clarification from Althouse. Guess she'll just put up a bunch of posts to hide this one.
Tapper is usually pretty solid.
It's mild compared to some of the other dreck the media relies on day in and day out.
It is a brave new world out there for the New Mitt. Why George SteffenApocalypseNow says that Chris Christie has been dispatched to bad-mouth Mr. Newt for the sake of the GOP's liberal candidate.
Seems like much ado over not much. Jake Tapper is pretty solid, in general. Way better than the typical journo list.
I see absolutely no problem with this at all. What Tapper is pointing to in that comment is the fact, and it is a fact, that a good number of folks on the Christian right simply resist considering Romney because he is Mormon.
BTW, The Sonic-Mate is from a Mormon family. For the 15 + years we've been together his family has treated us with great respect. Even though they gave money and support to anti-gay propositions here in CA, I am included as part of the family.
We just have different positions on the marriage issue.
Is it possible? Could Tapper be J?
Why don't democrats like Chuck Schumer or Gerald Levin use the "Yes, I'm a jew" moniker more often? Really, these guys are JINO's and not orthodox or practicing jews.
Its because calling them jews the way people call Romney a 'mormon' would be 'anti-semitic'.
Example: "Today, Chuck Schumer, democrat New York, and jew, held a press conference today..."
It is interesting the obsession some people have about Romney being a mormon. Why doesn't the press ask politicians like Schumer and Levin more questions, as they do with Romney, about being jews???
Don't tread:
You know the answer. It's the protected species act at work. Jews, blacks, women, GLBT are sacrosanct. All others you can shoot. There is no closed season or bag limit.
Mitt's Mormon? At least he's not a byro-wiccan.
Mitt's typical moralistic rant against Gingrich sounds typically mormonic.
Until the general election, at which point reiterating that that he’s on his third wife will be considered a “legitimate issue” and emphasized in every other “news” story.
It is not bigotry to acknowledge that Mr. Romney has to overcome the anti-LDS bigotry of some voters, including (gasp!) some Republican primary voters, many of whom are (gasp!) evangelical Christians.
In fact, the most under-reported story of this primary season has to be the way the 'anyone but Newt' train wreck is heavily driven by such bigotry. No one wants to acknowledge, for example, that Perry only got into the race late (he was "drafted") by evangelicals who agreed to pony up millions for a startup, until such time as he could get his own fundraising organization up and running. I mean, think about that...millions of guaranteed dollars that he didn't have to pay back were flashed at the Governor just to get him in the race. This wasn't about rallying around a clearly well-vetted candidate, as his subsequent poor showing has demonstrated. It was about "hey, we have to find a True Christian to run against Romney."
Until the GOP is willing to have a very public JFK-style moment on the topic of faith, and quit allowing the narrow Christian right to drive so much of the discussion, they will have a hard time building the broad coalition that not only wins elections, but sustains majorities.
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