After getting in hot water for his comments on "true" believers defeating the "one Mormon" in the race, Sharpton gets out his shovel and keeps digging. The logic runs thus:
1) Mormonism didn't allow blacks the priesthood before 1978 2) Mormonism is therefore racist 3) Romney was a Mormon before 1978 (1965 or whatever) 4) Romney is not a believer in God
I am not a member of the LDS church. The bigotry Mitt has endured ENRAGES ME especially that from the right as I expected better of them. But Al Sharpton is doing Mitt a huge favor here. The RIGHT is going to rally to Romney's defense against Sharpton's bigoted and ignorant rantings.
The debate now is not about Mitt being a Mormon but about the right of all American citizens to worship as they wish.
This will be a defining moment for the Romney campaign. If it can handle Sharpton's barbs really well, then it can survive anything and yes it will thrive.
I will be a curious observer how this will be done.
P.S. Isn't Katie Adams, a Mormon, on the Rutgers Woman Basketball Team. I would be curious of her thoughts on the matter?
You really need to let this issue die. I am as big a Romney fan as they come, but continuing to push this issue is not going to win allies. Just about everyone outside of Sharpton sees the folly of his remarks. Dwelling on it incessantly is unnecessary and overplayed. Let's not waste more bandwidth on this chump and get back to the real issues of the campaign. Unfortunate as it is, continuing to drag this out just opens the door, as Sharpton points out, to focus on obscure aspects of Mormon history that simply will NOT play well with most voters if given continual airtime. It removes the focus from Mitt's message and places squarely where the MSM wants it. Stop giving your opponent a podium. It isn't helping ANYONE anyone, anymore - particularly GMR.
Am I the only one who sees this episode as potentially harmful to Romney? The beginning of the whole affair was a comment by Sharpton's debate opponent regarding the status of blacks in the LDS church in decades past. Sharpton made his inappropriate comment in partial response. That was where the issue should have been left to die. Instead, the Romney camp implies that Sharpton is a "bigot" with the result that Sharpton has now turned the bigotry accusation back on Romney and the LDS church and gone on record (with CNN) demanding that Romney repudiate the church's former position on blacks.
I fail to see how this does anything but put Romney on the defensive and call attention to an issue that would better be left out of the headlines.
Already, in comments from all corners, I see various glaring errors in the way the LDS church's relationship to blacks is being portrayed. Stuff like this definitely hurts Romney more than helps. I have to wonder what the Romney camp expected to have happen once they opened this Pandora's box. I suppose they were thinking that any publicity is good publicity. I would respectfully disagree.
Sharpton's comment highlights a fundamental truth. Mormons and Evangelical and Pentecostals don't believe in the same God. Mormons believe that a man ascended to godhood, I say they believe in 'that guy, god.' Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians believe in God who always existed, is eternal, and manifested as a man in Jesus Christ. It's an important distinction. I live in a 99% mormon community and have heard all sides of the doctrine. The mormon community should not try to blur doctrinal lines.
You see, before 1978, black males were not allowed to hold the priesthood (for a deeper discussion see here). So Mormons are bigots and don't deserve to run for President.
I can't cite the quote yet (I'll look for the transcript somewhere shortly here) but essentially Al's logic is thus:
1) The Mormon church didn't allow blacks to hold the Priesthood until 1978 2) The Mormon church was therefore racist and bigoted 3) If you belonged to the Mormon church before 1978 that made you a racist and a bigot 4) Therefore he can decry any Mormon running for public office and wave them off because "true" believers in God will defeat them.
Did I get that right? Can I take that shovel from you Reverend?
You will seriously not believe what you hear when the YouTube is posted.
I don't particularly expect anything more than this from Sharpton. What we must realize, I think, is that he is merely part of the democrat smear machine. Since the official candidates will, hopefully, not be dirtying themselves too much in religion bashing, they need surrogates to perform the role for them. Sharpton wants to reinforce those who may be inclined to pre-judge Romney based on his religion, and pre-judgment is prejudice.
From my perspective, I don't believe you can ever kick a guy like Romney down. You only kick him up. His vision to strengthen the economy, the military, and the family shine through amidst the slander. Ultimately, I, like him, have faith in the strength of the American people to be conscious, considered, and informed voters. We believe in the ultimate good of America and the voter's ability to resist demagoguery. In the end, we believe in the triumph of reasoned discourse over ad hominem argument. That is why it is so good to be a part of the party of ideas and to support the candidate of ideas, Mitt Romney.
Justin - while your efforts to combat Sharpton's unfortunate antics are sincere and well-placed, I offer that you are playing right into his hands, and into the hands of whoever may have put him up to making his comments.
He now has a forum and for at least two days, the attention from Romney's campaign and post-debate successes has been diverted to a bright spotlight, once again, on his religion, with Sharpton using the stage to highlight (as unfairly and out of context it may be) the LDS former ban on black priests.
Continuing to respond to Sharpton does nothing more, at this point, than keep the attention right where the liberals, democratic candidates, and MSM want it: squarely on hard to understand nuances of Mitt's religion.
Both the campaign and volunteer supporters alike should rise above this and refuse to let it generate discussion. Rather, after a brief calling out of Sharpton, time to return the focus onto Romney's agenda for America. A return to that focus can't come too soon. This is a loser of a fight and time to cut the damages.
Paging Don Imus: MSNBC and CBS are seeking your input on this latest Al Sharpton episode of bigoted faith-baiting. I agree with the previous comment, this only helps elevate Romney. Sharpton pulls these stunts to try and raise his own profile as he's being overshadowed by more sincere and untainted persons. Hopefully after this 2008 cycle his days as "leader" are over. Or sooner.
So after offending 
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