Romney's run imparts valuable lessons

Mitt Romney is out. With his close ties to Utah, it's worth examining the impact of his historic campaign.

Did Romney's presidential efforts improve the image of LDS Americans?

Pignanelli: Mixed bag. He diverted the national attention on Mormons, which had been focused on all things polygamous, including Warren Jeffs and the HBO television series "Big Love." Also, through Romney, many Americans were introduced to a famous Mormon who is a successful, attractive businessman who enjoys a good family life. Now the down side: It has been my experience that even the most soft-spoken LDS adherents will defend their faith with zeal when challenged.

Romney's dodging and weaving on various church doctrines is not an accurate reflection of his fellow Mormon brothers and sisters. Although I have megabytes of e-mails from readers offering flimsy excuses for his stumbling, there is no reason a man of his intelligence and experience could not provide satisfactory answers to inquiries. His public discomfort led to unease with voters curious about his faith and positions.

Webb: Over the long term, the LDS Church and its members will absolutely benefit from Romney's campaign. The church received more focus, more scrutiny, more attention, more publicity, both nationally and interna- tionally, than any time in its existence. Not all of the publicity was positive, and prejudice and bigotry clearly still exist (especially in the South). But, on balance, it has been a big benefit for the church. All of the "weird" stuff was discussed, scrutinized, vetted, written about and, to some degree, left behind.

Romney emerges as the most prominent Mormon political pioneer ever, and the path he forged will make it easier for other Mormons to follow. The whole experience has boosted the maturation and mainstreaming of a global religion with more than 13 million members. The nation confronted the real possibility of having a Mormon president and didn't flinch — too much.

What lessons can Utahns learn from Romney's efforts?

Pignanelli: One cannot negotiate with terrorists ... or bigots. The Republican primaries demonstrated that many Southern evangelicals view Mormons as subhuman and unfit for the presidency. Any appeals to a sense of decency were rejected. LDS politicos and friends must end their quiet acceptance of such behavior and openly disparage this intolerance. (Take a cue from Catholic zealots and Christian fundamentalists — they scream at anything.) Further, we must all remember that Romney may be Mormon, but he is not a Utahn. Many of our residents may be proud of Romney, but we do act and interact in a different manner. Thus, Utahns should not personalize the rejection of Romney.