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July 29, 2008 | 8:51 pm

The folly of a McCain-Romney ticket

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

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Let me see if I get this:

Evangelical Christians were integral to George W. Bush’s presidential election and re-election, and can’t be lost if John McCain is to defeat Barack Obama this fall. But evangelicals remain cold on John McCain, and his solution might be to select real-life-Ken-doll Mitt Romney, whom evangelicals were downright frosty on, as his running mate?

That’s been the buzz for the past week, even though onlly in Israel do political moves make such little sense. Sure, Romney would gladly parrot whatever McCain told him to. And between McCain’s wealthy wife, Cindy, and former Bain business consultant and private-equity investor Romney, the two could personally almost keep pace with Obama’s breakneck fundraising. The problem is many people, evangelicals in particular, find Romney absolutely loathsome.

“I’m rich enough, I’m wingnut enough, but gosh darn it, people just don’t like me,” a commenter wrote on Matthew Yglesias blog.

Indeed, Romney is about as far from a swing-vote-grabbing running mate as McCain could pick. Even Mike Huckabee would make more sense. And so, again, evangelicals are complaining about McCain’s political wisdom:

“McCain and Romney would be like oil and water,” said evangelical novelist Tim LaHaye, who supported Mr. Huckabee. “We aren’t against Mormonism, but Romney is not a thoroughgoing evangelical and his flip-flopping on issues is understandable in a liberal state like Massachusetts, but our people won’t understand that.”

The Rev. Rob McCoy, pastor of Calvary Chapel in Thousand Oaks, Calif., who speaks at evangelical events across the country, told The Washington Times, “I will vote for McCain unless he does one thing. You know what that is? If he puts Romney on the ticket as veep.

“It will alienate the entire evangelical community - 62 million self-professing evangelicals in this country, half of them registered to vote, are going to be deeply saddened,” Mr. McCoy added.

What is James Dobson thinking now?

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Some of you people blow my mind, with how ridiculous your judgement is. Someone was indicating that Romney was saying” I’m rich enough”. This is stunning!  Never have I seen the man complain or wine once. Huckabee however loathes with all kind of petty qaulities. Romney is genuine. A truly good man who is upbeat and allways pausitve.  It did’nt have the Presidency handed to him like Bush, Who’s father was Pres. and jr.Bush who is evangelical.  Unlike Bush who had everything handed to him, Romney built his own company from the ground up.  Theres nothing stuck up about the man, but there sure is some holier than thou, coming from his enemies.  Many of them are anti mormon bigots, but not all ofcourse. This all ridiulous. He never lied about anyone, as was the case with the two Baptist tag teaming him, saying and lying knowingly, that he belived in timetables. Get over your hate for Romney, because I’m convinced he’s going to become a force to be reconed with. He is absoleutely underestimated.  AARON

Comment by Aaron on 7/30/08 at 1:29 am

Why would Anyone vote for Obama over Romney..?

http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/moste...

Romney hasn’t made his religion a problem. He has not tried to tear down any candidate because of religious believes.

Mr. Huckabee did a marvelous job of ticking off LDS members. So much so that there was talk that if Huckabee was either the President or VP, Utah would vote for Obama. Now Huckabee could have, and might still fix that. We have had the Al Sharpton’s of the world do that. Mr. Huckabee has not really tried, because he wanted the votes of all those that hated mormoms.

What does Romney have to do to decrease the number of people that won’t vote for him because of his religion? He already did the “speech”.

The US has elected Catholics, Quakers, and JWs, what has the “Mormon Church” done to deserve this attitude?

No group opposed to Same-Sex marriage, or elective abortion would be served well by Obama.

What about Lieberman? At this point I would rather him than several VP Options.

That said, it was a quote from the Washington Times that started this story. I would really surprised if Jewish voters would have a problem with Romney? (Aaron calm down).

Comment by Utah on 7/31/08 at 9:25 am

Utah,
I agree that Romney has not made his religion an issue, and it shouldn’t be one among the electorate, even if it is for some. Romney’s problem, though, is not that he is a Mormon but that he gives a lot of folks the heebie jeebies. His is not a case of religious intolerance but of the limits of political indigestion.

Comment by Brad A. Greenberg on 7/31/08 at 9:42 am

Nobody cares that Romney is Mormon. It’s that he flip-flopped-flipped on multiple issues and, curiously, they happened on a year where he was trying to get elected something. He just changes philosophies on a whim. Whether it’s turning a 180 on gay marriage or calling the amnesty bill reasonable while claiming he’s against illegal immigration, Romney would get hammered by the Democratic party on his flip-flop-flips.

Comment by Anonymous on 7/31/08 at 2:22 pm

Again, I’m stunned with some of the non sense I’m hearing.  First lets talk about the supposed flip flops. Last person commenting says"or calling the amnesty bill reasonable while claiming he’s against illegal immigration”. This ofcourse is a distortion. When he said that the bill was not the same as eventually ended up. Also, I don’t think that’s an endorsement and could have been a poor use of one word, with Romney. Obama is the master of flipping and not knowing where he stands.  Romney really is’nt that bad. This is an exageration and lies by left wing media and anti mormons. Even Howard Dean along with others said they secretly feared Romney the most.  The abortion flip flop is distorted as well, even though I’ll admit there was a change or whatever yoy want to call it.  He’s allways been prolife, but he said he would respect the laws as they are. Then he changed his mind and decided to fight abortion, rather than respect ones free agency to choose, keep in mind it’s been legal for quite some time.  He’s the only politician to be honest about his changes.  Do you think this is worse than McCain and Smuckabee, deliberately and knowingly lying saying” Romney belives in a secret timetable”  Also the gay marriage deal is a lie, as well as the gun position.  He simply said that if” he had no choice whatsoever, that he would rather have civil unions, than gay marriage.  Can anyone think forthemselves and not be decieved, or will you continue to not stand on principle.  One more thing about another comment up there.  No one gets the heebie jeebies from Romney, other than the liberals who got them from Reagan and the small chunck of evangelical mormon bigots.  He won more evangelicals in some states than Smuckabee, including Minnesota, where he spent allmost no money, where he won, even after early endorsement from Pawlenty for McCain.  Look at Fred Thompsons campain or the famous hero mayor” Rudy”. Romneys not the person people have heebe jeebies for.  It is so irrational to hear what I’m hearing. It allmost comes across like some are trying to look dum or dishonest..  Also that nobody cares Romney is Mormon is bizare.  There is no man like Mitt Romney and that is why some of those trying to demean him are doing so.  AARON

Comment by Aaron on 8/01/08 at 5:51 pm

May I just add, that no one in this country has defended traditional marriage, as has Romney.  Remember he was mormon Gov. of the bluest state in the union.  Anyone who would dislike Romney for liking politics and perhaps doing the dance a little, should dislike every politician even more, if they don’t there out of touch and don’t understand politics and polititicians.  I’m not say it’s OK to be flipping all over the place, like Obama and in my very strong opinion and Senator McCains, for Obama to be playing politics with the war.  Romney is an absolute, patriotic american.  Anyone who thinks Romney is not genuine and does’nt have any conviction, I suggest getting on http://www.article6blog.com.  There is a speech by him, acouple months after he dropped out.  Talk about genuiness and true absolute conviction, of the matter your talking about.  I’ve never heard any politician come across as so certain.  It’s allmost like he knows what he’s talking about, rather than believing only.  He talks about God, the founding this nation.  Go check it out. AARON

Comment by Aron on 8/01/08 at 6:06 pm

I just wanted to say that some of you people would make the worst political strategest, making allmost certain defeat.  The lies and exagerations and Romneys supposed flip flops will not hurt McCain but help him.                                      I’ve heard that, as well as Romneys religion will hurt McCain. Let me make this point quick and clear.  any focus on what Church someone belongs to, or there flip flops, will #1 bring endless videos and reminders of Obamas bitter and somewhat anti american Church, as well as the fact that he is the true flip flopper, which even many liberals in the media have conceded and blacks. Also, for the record McCain has flip flopped way more than Romney.                                    Another powerfull point, MCAINS AGE. Never has a vice presidential selection been so important, for more reasons than that. McCaian needs someone who can draw attention away from that. I think he turns 72 next month. Pawlenty is to young, unexperienced and unready to be President, he appears weak as well. Like I mentioned above, Romneys religion will help Romney"including in some of the states that matter most” but also it will draw attention off McCains age and make Romneys and Obamas Churchs the controversey, if the media dare go there, since they know it will bring Obamas associations up.                                        One more last and powerfull point.  People seem not to get it.  For example, some say picking Sarah Palin will help with women and some men NATIONWIDE.  A few more women nationwide won’t help, unless she got a bunch in a handfull of the key states.  This is not a national election, it’s about key states.  She can’t do that and besides, she would make the old skinned cancer McCain look old.  Romney is by far the best choice, even if McCain lost a few votes nationwide.  He has a house in New Hampshire, Where him and McCain were at the top” a key state”  Michaganders are sick of there leaders.  Gov. Granholm “Dem”  and the adulterous black mayor of Detroit, not to mention there horrible economy and that Romneys dad is beloved there.  I could go on, but I’ll just say, Romney is the guy who can hold back the floodwaters in” Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and other states, not to mention, he won more republicans than McCain in Florida.  AARON

Comment by Aaron on 8/01/08 at 9:59 pm

Aaron, who are you responding to?

You began the first comment in this thread by stating, “Some of you people,” and just repeated that in your latest comment about home lame “some of you people” would be as political strategists.

As far as I can tell, the only other commenters to this post were me, Utah and anon. It we were a consensus, and we’re clearly not, that would barely constitute “you people.” But its hard to imagine some of three.

Comment by Brad A. Greenberg on 8/01/08 at 10:10 pm

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