Jon Huntsman: Too Mormon, or not Mormon enough?
Dan Gilgoff at CNN.com has a fine examination of the religious outlook of Jon Huntsman, the latest Republican wannabe (and could be) to throw his hat into the presidential ring, and the second Mormon after presumptive leader Mitt Romney.
Huntsman has already received that usually lethal designation as the “media’s favorite Republican” (cf. McCain, John), though some believe that in this topsy-turvy field and political environment you can’t count anyone out. And Huntsman could benefit from the fact that economic concerns seem to be trumping “culture war” issues this year; Huntsman describes himself as pro-life but supports civil unions for gays.
But Huntsman has a particularly difficult needle to thread on religion, in that he is a Mormon, which makes him suspect to a large segment of voters. Yet he is also a Mormon of a different, stripe, as Gilgoff notes — one who is not “overly religious” and draws inspiration from many religions and philosophies. He and his wife are raising an adopted daughter from India in her native Hindu religion, and another daughter was married in an Episcopal Church (heaven forfend!).
I’m not sure whether it is harder to imagine a Republican candidate coping with such issues in a primary campaign or a Democrat trying to fend off Republican attacks if he or she had such a religious resume. Huntsman seems to have the worst of both worlds as a Mormon who isn’t all that observant. Or maybe he can make that work for him.
A weakly observant Mormon is not a problem for me, even as a devout Mormon raises red flags.
The more important factor, as Peggy Noonan said last week, is that he’s a grown-up and comes off as a (very likeable) grown-up; the issue of his religious practice will be seen in that light. Contrast that to Newt; people view his Catholicism with suspicion because he comes off as erratic and zainey.
Interesting article, David.
Here’s one from yesterday’s SLC Tribune: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/52048797-68/mormon-church-romney-mormons.html.csp
“How Mormonism could affect foreign policy under Romney, Huntsman”
From that:
“When Joseph Smith, the religious genius and sometime-treasure hunter who founded the Mormon faith, announced in 1844 that he was running for president of the United States, international affairs were not his top priority. In a pamphlet outlining his campaign platform, Smith quoted James Madison’s inaugural address declaring that he would “cherish peace and friendly intercourse with all nations.” But he never got the chance to elaborate on his foreign policy: Later that year, while Smith was in jail awaiting trial on charges that he had ordered the destruction of an anti-Mormon newspaper, a mob of armed men stormed his cell and fatally shot him as he jumped out of the window.”
(I don’t want to quote more, but the whole article is excellent, imho.)
“Erratic and zany”? You mean because he had a second line of credit at Tiffany’s this one for $1 million?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/newt-gingrich-had-second-line-of-credit-at-tiffanys/2011/06/21/AGP4U0eH_blog.html
Another thread for another time: why can’t we find a viable Catholic candidate?
I’m with Jeff on this one.
I don’t care how Mormon Huntsman is. He sounds like a refreshingly decent person who is interested in ideas, and I look forward to hearing them. Then, again, I come from Michigan, which has a significant LDS history and population (read about the Mormons on Beaver Island!), and an effective and popular governor, George Romney, Mitt’s father.
I am interested in how various news outlets make the call to include religious affliation in their reports and why they think it matters.
I think it’s probably true Huntsman’s Mormonism is “less orthodox” than Romney’s, I’m not at all terrified of him winning, the way I am of Bachmann, and I admire his family decision to raise their daughter a Hindu. The faked motorcycle thing was stupid, but par for the political course. Seems so far like a decent guy. I’d say I’d have a beer with him, but I don’t know if he follows the no-alcohol part of Mormon lifestyle.
The LDS faith is still too “out there” for many Americans and I guess he’ll end up having to construct his faith narrative to make himself seem a lot more traditional fundigelical Christian and (even more) less Mormon. His co-LDSers will accept that strategic choice as worth it to get a Mormon into the Presidency. I don’t see how he gets the nomination without significantly reassuring the base that he’s more Christian than Mormon (and for them the latter isn’t the former). Of course, if he wins the nomination anything’s better than Obama, but getting there will be hard. Fundigelical Christians already think his religion is a problem because of things like: continuing revelation, dicey trinitarianism, baptism of the dead, deification of humans, etc. Of course every religion has beliefs that seem kooky to outsiders, but Mormons have it really tough. Even among those who want to say he’s entitled to his theology, there still will be questions about what specifically he believes and his relationship to LDS leadership. Just for example, here’s what I’d want to know as a citizen with a legit right to know how his beliefs affect his educational policies:
–Does he believe and should American History classes be taught that the Native Americans are descendants of lost Hebrew tribes?
–Does he believe and should students be taught that Jesus Christ literally came to North America?
–Is it literal truth that the Garden of Eden is in Missouri? How should that affect the teaching of human origins?
–Does he support the teaching of evolution?
–Does he believe and should science classes teach there is a planet Kolob?
–Does he believe and should our science curriculum teach that the planet Earth was formed elsewhere in the universe and migrated to its current location?
With regard to the role of religion in public life, I would want to know:
–What, specifically, does he consider to be the authority of the current LDS Prophet and Apostles? What to him does “Follow the Prophet” mean?
–Does he consider the role that the LDS Church played in American political issues such as Proposition 8 in CA and the national ERA to be a model for how he thinks churches should conduct themselves in public life?
On the ex-Mormon board, they suggest he be asked about Nephites.
http://exmormon.org/phorum/search.php?2,search=huntsman,author=,page=1,match_type=ALL,match_dates=30,match_forum=ALL,match_threads=0
I hope it’s a Romney/Huntsman ticket.
All the discussion about the candidates’ religious affiliations drives me nuts. I don’t see why having any religious affiliation makes candidates more suitable for the presidency than candidates without any religious affiliation.
I care more about his or her personal integrity, connections to and dependency on corporate donors, stricter regulations for the financial industry, policies on reviving the economy, universal health care, the environment, educational reform, support for the arts, and reconciliation in the Middle East. These determine who I vote for.
John — Nobody really cares about Huntsman or Romney being Mormon.
Democrats will not vote for either one of them because they are Republican, not Democrat.
Conservatives will not vote for either one of them because they are lukewarm moderates at best, not conservative.
Their religion is way, way down the list of anyone’s genuine concerns.
Jean, John & Bender: Religion matters because voters say it matters — and in a big way. It’s not just about what we want or think, but about what the rest of the public thinks as well.
David, what voters think may also be driven by what they read/hear in various news outlets.
The fact that Huntsman was the father of seven children and was a Mormon was the second sentence after the lead in the stories I heard (almost as if to explain why he had the seven children). Did his religious affliation belong that close to the top of the story? Does that reflect the interest people have in his denomination? Or does it reflect the fact that reporters view Mormonism as a curiosity?
Maybe I just know too many Mormons to get too jacked up about this. I’m much more afraid of my fundie-gelical relatives.
I think religious issues matter when there is little else in terms of real crisis. This is not the case in the US during this election cycle.
The US faces some significant economic challenges as well as diminishing international influence.
These issues will, I believe, be the ones that drive the next election. I think it will be a pragmatic judgement call based on the economy and America’s standing and role in the world.
I think it is evident that for good or ill religion is now pretty much understood as a private matter that has little impact on governing philosophy. In the US there are politically far right and far left practicing Catholics. Ditto for Jews, ditto for almost any other religious group.
George, that’s not what the surveys and election results show. In fact religion does matter, or the lack thereof, or what kind of religion one practices.
Jean, I think the media is in fact reflecting reality rather than shaping it. Mormons have a long history of facing prejudice and outright persecution, and the prejudices go back long before our new media culture. There’s an interplay, of course, but I think Nativist prejudice against Catholics and the current Islamophobia are not products of media coverage. And I don’t think the obvious prejudice against a Mormon candidate, especially among evangelicals, is a result of evangelicals listening to the New York Times telling them how “defective” Mormon theology is.
“And I don’t think the obvious prejudice against a Mormon candidate, especially among evangelicals, is a result of evangelicals listening to the New York Times telling them how “defective” Mormon theology is.”
Touche.
But, not being a born Catholic, I have always been a little surprised by the invective by Catholics about Mormons. Most of them are lovely people who will help you in a crisis and won’t come to your house and embarrass themselves by drinking up your liquor.
Jean, I couldn’t agree more about Mormons.
I want to see the “Book of Mormon,” if only so I can critique it with some semblance of credibility…
Hello Jean (and All),
Like David G. I also could not agree more about Mormons (although I think they might prefer that I refer to them as Latter Day Saints). But unlike you, I am not surprised that some Catholics have a certain animosity towards our Mormon sisters and brothers. I think we see this because Catholicism and Mormonism have so much in common, although we might not always be so eager to admit it.
There are a lot better reasons to oppose Huntsman and Romney than mere religious bigotry.
To say that it is a significant factor is like saying that the only reason that conservatives oppose Barack Obama is because he’s black. Nevermind that they oppose Pelosi, Reid, et al. for the exact same reasons.
Give the American electorate a little more credit.
that’s not what the surveys and election results show.
Sorry missed, David missed the rest.
I thought that what surveys showed was that people who attend religious services weekly are more likely to vote conservative (or Republican) than more sporadic worship attenders.
Obama’s participation is a progressively oriented liberation theology styled religious community was only problematic for people who would not have voted for him anyway.
I think what voters want to see is that the candidate has some kind of moral compass. Religious participation is one way to show it. But with Obama, he has a nice family, seems like a decent, sincere person so people generally like him even if they do not like his policies.
Romney was elected in Massachusetts and his Mormonism was not an issue one way or the other. Maybe it will be different among Republican primary voters but from what I can see, they see a political vulnerability and want to pick somebody who will be competitive. From what I can see of the field, if I were a Republican primary voter, he would be my pick even over a devout Catholic for he simple reason that he would be the most competitive.
I like the quote from Eisenhower that “Our government has no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith, and I don’t care what it is.” I think basically he is correct as far as the US is concerned.
I think it is bad for religion if it is put to front and center in politics – it can only diminish its value. I am a religiously oriented person and somewhat political and politics can be a dirty business. I think we need religion to help keep us on the path to moral betterment.
My guess is that even evangelicals are understanding that their faith might have become too wrapped up in politics. They will still vote Republican but the religious right as a political force is diminished and that is good for politics and good for religion too.
The claims asserted by Mormons (see Mary’s post above) are to my mind so ridiculous that I do question Mormons as people I want in positions of political power. I admit to a prejudice against LDS that I would have to work on. I can imagine how many felt about Catholics in an earlier age.
“There are a lot better reasons to oppose Huntsman and Romney than mere religious bigotry.”
Well, of course. They’re Republicans.
In their book, “American Grace,” Robert Putnam and David Campbell (a Mormon who teaches at Notre Dame!) found that Mormons are regarded with greater suspicion than any other religious (or non-religious) group except atheists and, no surprise, Muslims.
A June Gallup Poll found that “Though the vast majority of Americans say they would vote for their party’s nominee for president in 2012 if that person happens to be a Mormon, 22% say they would not, a figure largely unchanged since 1967.” That polls people on preference for the candidate of their own party.
By way of comparison, 7 percent said they would not vote for a Catholic, 9 percent said they would not vote for a Jewish presidential nominee. 32 percent would not vote for a gay or lesbian candidate, and 49 percent would not vote for an atheist.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/148100/Hesitant-Support-Mormon-2012.aspx
Also, a June survey by the Pew Research Center showed that 25 percent of Americans would be less likely to vote for a Mormon candidate for president, while 68 percent said it would make no difference. Resistance to a Mormon candidate does remain higher — at 34 percent — among white evangelicals, a key GOP voting bloc.
http://people-press.org/2011/06/02/section-2-candidate-traits-and-experience/#mormon
There are a lot better reasons to oppose Huntsman and Romney than mere religious bigotry.
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Considering a candidate’s religious beliefs and practices is not always bigotry. E.g., for one interested in education reform, voting for a person who belongs to a group that denies evolution and revises history would be impossible. And for one interested in universal health care, voting for a member of a religion that prefers prayer to medicine would be absurd. And, imho, for a Catholic to vote for a member of a religion that inculcates children with hatred for Catholics would be strange. And to vote for a member of a group that believes all women are inferior to all men and boys would be lunacy.
All those individuals might be very nice in person, good neighbors, etc., but when it comes to selecting someone for public office, I prefer someone who has not been indoctrinated with notions that I find repulsive.
My guess is that most Mormons would welcome answering Mary’s questions and that that discussion would be salubrious for us all, just as some of those same questions and the reasons for them arose when JFK ran for president.
I sympathize with Gerelyn’s fears about nutty religion affecting secular politics, but the crazy train has left the station, and the passengers are colorful, varied, and Mormons may not be the majority among them.
David:
Wow. Interesting. I had no idea. Romney’s Mormonism will be a problem for him.
Gerelyn:
I completely support universal health care, and universal access to higher education irrespective of class and income. That said, there are clinical studies regarding the efficacy of prayer, meditation, and other forms of psycho-spirituality in mental and physical health. I think a holistic orientation to medicine is quite important and not as whacky or new-agey as many think. I would hope Catholics would embrace that.
Ivan Illich, a Catholic and a priest, wrote both “Medical Nemesis” and “Deschooling Society”. Both these works are important critiques of these institutions.
Hi, George!
I hope I didn’t give the impression that I’m anti-prayer. (More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.)
As far of “clinical studies regarding the efficacy of prayer?” I don’t believe them. Actually, I think there have been studies debunking the other studies, but I don’t believe them, either. Science cannot measure what our invisible friends do for us, and those who pretend to quantify such matters are either deluded or seeking to delude others, imho.
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I know nothing of Mormon theology, belief or practices. However, I hesitate to castigate beliefs.
We all have our faith stances that we need to reconcile.
Afterall, as Christians we all recite the Creed and hold to the Virgin Birth notwithstanding the biological problem of how Jesus could have obtained a Y chromosome.
This is the purpose of theology and we are called to inter-religious dialogue. My wife’s boss is a Wiccan
Politics is a different matter. But that is just me. Everything is thrown into the mix and let the votes fall where they may.
“I sympathize with Gerelyn’s fears about nutty religion affecting secular politics, but the crazy train has left the station, and the passengers are colorful, varied, and Mormons may not be the majority among them.”
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Hi, Jean.
Agree that it’s too late. I’d prefer a Mormon to a Catholic who belongs to one of the newer right-wing groups.
I guess religion is less important to me than respect for history. Someone who thinks the shot heard ’round the world was fired in New Hampshire alarms me. As to Mormons, I agree with the poster who said we have a lot in common.
Maybe not but they can measure placebo effects (I understand that this is a bit different but it goes to belief and touches eventually on many other unexplored areas of recovery such as other social determinants of health) There have been clinical studies on the effect of anti-depressants on remission rates. The placebo effect accounts for some 20% (or near that) of remission of clinical depression!!!
True for other areas of medicine as well.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=placebo-effect-a-cure-in-the-mind
I think the solution to this kind of problem is to run atheists for POTUS. No danger of any outside religious influence there!
I hereby nominate and support Fortney “Pete” Stark, Democrat and US representative for California’s 13th congressional district.
http://www.opencongress.org/wiki/Fortney_Stark