Mitt Romney: America's First Mormon President?

President George W. Bush said he consulted a higher Father before invading Iraq but many would argue that faith and politics are a dangerous mix. The U.S. is dominated by the mainstream Christian faith but faith-based politics is falling out of favor. As candidates line up for the 2008 election, American's will be challenged to consider Mormon Mitt Romney for President. And the Church isn't on the ballot.

Next month, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will announce he is running for President. He's got a bank roll the size of Utah and a chiseled face that the media loves to capture on film. He's racked up a mountain of successful endeavors not the least of which was getting elected Republican governor in a democratic state. His profile is strong but so is resistance to the theological eccentricities of the Mormon Church.

A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll in July 2006 revealed that about 1/3 of Americans would not vote for a Mormon for president. The Republican Party will certainly face an internal dilemma in 2008 questioning any intrinsic bigotry against a Mormon presidential candidate.

However, the fact that Romney is a Mormon holds some appeal to those who consider the past six years as the dark days of American politics. The lingering stereotype of the rural Mormons with multiple wives is slowly giving way to the contemporary reality of the Church today and offering a glimpse of relief from faith-based politics - the Church does not involve itself in politics.

Forget polygamy, it has not been approved by the Church for 100 years and any members found to be practicing plural marriage are excommunicated, period. Mormons are social conservatives and proponents of family life and values. Mormons believe that family and marriage between a man and a woman is central in God's plan for them.

These values sit well with many voters and are the guiding principles in Mitt Romney's personal life. They do of course affect his professional outlook. Case in point: his drive for an amendment to the 2004 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling that afforded homosexuals the equal right to marry. Romney strongly disagreed with the ruling, believing marriage to be a "special institution that should be reserved for a man and a woman," but supports provision of basic civil rights and appropriate benefits to nontraditional couples.

Some question whether Romney's religious beliefs guide him on this issue. Others point out that the majority of the commonwealth agrees with him and thus the topic is driven by democracy. His approach is in his own words is "consistent with the feelings of the commonwealth about marriage."

In general, Mormons stress leadership through personal example rather than state enforced religious rules. Mormons are not threatened by science or enemies of the rational world, they are not creationists. Membership in the Church gives no indication to voting intention.

The media attention on the Church reveals the growing opinion that members are intellectually open and in possession of a sense of humanity. This last quality, which is lacking in the current administrative mix of faith and politics, has shaped Romney's political career.

Elected to governor of Massachusetts in 2002, Romney has managed to create vibrant social programs without compromising economic objectives. Unlike GW, Romney's background is marked by academic, entrepreneurial and managerial success both in public and private enterprise.

Mitt Romney graduated from Brigham Young University with Highest Honors and received an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar, and a J.D. (cum laude) from Harvard Law School.

Romney went on to found Bain Capital, one of the most successful venture capital and investment companies in the nation. Bain Capital was a factor in the success of companies like Staples, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Domino's Pizza, Sealy, Brookstone and The Sports Authority.

When the 2002 Winter Olympics faced financial crisis, Mitt Romney stepped in as President and CEO of the organizing committee. He erased a $379 million operating deficit, organized 23,000 volunteers and implemented unprecedented security in the ripple of the September 11^th attacks.

That pattern of success has carried forward into his gubernatorial career. He has presided over a period of sustained economic expansion in Massachusetts without tax hikes or debt increase. Under his govern, the Massachusetts job market has increased, unemployment has gone down and the state budget is at a surplus of nearly $1 billion.

As governor, Mitt Romney has reformed both health care and education in the state. The Commonwealth Care Health Insurance Program, created by Romney's health reform law, provides free or reduced cost health insurance to residents of Massachusetts. Health insurance coverage is free to people at or below the federal poverty level and otherwise on a sliding scale based on income. The program is overseen by a new state agency called the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority.

Another top priority for Mitt Romney is reforming the education system. He established the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship Program which rewards the top 25 percent of Massachusetts high school students with a four-year, tuition-free scholarship to Massachusetts' state university or college. He also recruited 1,000 skilled math and science instructors into the state, adding bonuses up to $15,000 a year for top-performing teachers and has plans for intervention programs for failing schools.

So, is America ready for a prime time Mormon? Massachusetts seems to be at ease with the fact that their governor's religion is outside the mainstream. Whether Governor Romney's faith is a factor is his success seems less important than what some call his Midas touch.

Personally, I don't care that Romney's religion believes that Jesus will return and set up his Kingdom in Jackson County, Missouri. It's as nice a place as any and the Second Coming is out of my hands. I do care that the White House not be mistaken by the world as the home of the country's religious leader. Mormon or not, Mitt Romney's effectiveness makes me wonder whether his time will come in 2008.

Resources:

"Massachusetts court rules ban on gay marriage unconstitutional", CNN feature, February 4, 2004

"Republicans begin long road to 2008" by Justin Webb, BBC News, Iowa, March 18, 2006.

"Safe in Mitt's hands", BBC News feature, February 5, 2002.

"2008: The race begins" by Richard Allen Greene, BBC News, December 14, 2006.

Wikipedia: Mitt Romney http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney, December 2006.