Is Mitt Romney's Mormon religion fading as a negative?

[cbayer]

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-mitt-romney-mormon-religion-20120830,0,2716942.story

By Paul West
August 30, 2012, 8:07 a.m.
TAMPA, Fla. -- As Mitt Romney prepares to give the biggest speech of his life Thursday evening, a new national poll suggests that one of his perceived political vulnerabilities — his Mormon faith — has receded as an issue.

The opinion survey, by the Pew Research Center, asked Americans what one word came to mind when they heard Romney’s name. Last fall, “Mormon” was the most frequent response when the independent polling operation asked that question.

Today, it is the Romney descriptor that has changed the most. Only eight out of 1,010 adults volunteered “Mormon,” compared with 60 in the 2011 survey.

Instead, reflecting the country’s shifting impressions of the Republican presidential nominee — and the impact of hundreds of millions of dollars of ads by both sides — words that came to mind most often were honest, businessman, rich, good and conservative.

more at link

[catbyte]

1. There's so much other crap to choose from

I think it's being pushed aside for now.

[cbayer]

2. Interesting comments in some of the speeches last night

about how he's a god-fearing, church-going man.....

just like them.

I will be interested to see whether he mentions his religion tonight.

[dimbear]

3. The big push comes just before the election. No reason to drag it out.

The story of Joseph Smith being tarred and feathered by a Mormon mob is going to play well. Americans just need to know the facts.

[Max100]

4. Mormonism has a fascinating history

A good way to find out more about the Mormon faith, as well as the fundamentalist offshoot that practices polygamy, is to read the new mystery, Prey for Zion, by E.D.MacDavey. It's available from Amazon on Kindle Books. It's a riot to read, now 13th on the Kindle Humor list. It's also very timely, because it's about a Mormon politician running for office. It's set in Zion National Park.

[cbayer]

5. Welcome to DU and to the Religion group, Max100.

I will definitely look into this.

I loved the musical "Book of Mormon" and learned a lot from that as well (in between the hilarity).

[Adsos Letter]

7. Have you read the works of either Brodie or Bushman?

I'm thinking specifically of Brodie's No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith and Bushman's Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling.

Just curious. If you have, I would be interested in your opinion on their treatment of Joseph Smith.

I was researching E.G. White and the formation of SDA-ism during my college days and the subject came around to the foundation of uniquely American religious foundings. My adviser suggested these as broader contextual reading, although Bushman's work had just come out and he had not yet read it.

[cleanhippie]

9. The best book on Mormonism I have read is "Under the Banner of Heaven".

[Adsos Letter]

6. "...hundreds of millions of dollars of ads..." will do it for ya every time.

[MineralMan]

8. His religious beliefs have been overshadowed by his shallowness

and mendacity.