Comments about ‘Analysis: How a Mormon can be U.S. President’

Mormon Schmorman! Who cares? All I know is that the economy in Utah is booming compared to most other states. We have construction everywhere you look. Companies moving here in record numbers. The best Trax system, the only one I know that is actually growing. This state is being run very well and much of that was because of Jon Huntsman Jr, who really got Utah on track. It's obvious there are Mormons all through the government in Utah and they are doing one heck of a great job. And that is just what the rest of the country needs soon!!

a Mormon can't be elected in the US. Too much bigotry and mis-information which translates to fear. Huntsman and Romney are wasting their time running.

Romney's Massachusetts healthcare plan (with its requirement to buy insurance) was the model for what the right-wing calls "Obamacare".

Huntsman's association with the Obama administration, will be anathema to right-wing voters.

With "only" 21% saying they wouldn't vote for a Mormon, that's still considerable odds.

Put it all together, guys, and you'd be well-served to wait until 2016.

Hunstman will never get elected, he's waaaay too moderate...by him entering the race he will be splitting the Romney vote and may be helping Huckleberry or Palin win the nomination, which automatically equals four more years of Obama.

August 2010:
"I can't say I am overly religious," Huntsman tells Fortune, according to the Deseret News. "I get satisfaction from many different types of religions and philosophies."
I would agree, he's Mormon like many other Christians are Christians, when it is convenient and beneficial.

Even is a Mormon could get elected president (which will never happen) Huntsman has the added burden of proving to a new conservative - tea party based - GOP that he is somehow returning to his conservative roots. Easier said than done. Compare Mike Lee to Jon Hunstman and you see very quickly why the new GOP has left the old liberal GOP behind. The Nov elections showed that conservatism is back in full force and Huntsman is going to have to somehow distance himself from his current boss (Obama) whom he as praised for 2 years now and suddenly go on the attack. I think Jon has a credibility problem to overcome as well.

Senator Harry Reid has a better political chance of being the 1st U.S. President who is a Mormon.

Most Utah mromon's wouldn't vote for Reid, Romney or Huntsman...they aren't right-wing extremeist enough for them.

Oh, how I remember the whining about LIBERAL Reid, Romney and Hunstman are....[snicker snicker]

For the recond - I'd vote for Jon Hunstman Jr. in about 1/10th of a Nano-Second.

Seems to me if you're bent on making "religion" a deciding factor, and given all of the chaos we have to endure coming out of the Middle East on a daily basis, then why would you vote for a Muslim for President??

The interesting thing about both Huntsman and Romney, is that neither of them quite fit the right-wing stereotype that the left loves to hate and independents shy away from. When it comes right down to it they're populists who would probably govern from the center and could potentially wind up being popular presidents once people got to know them. This would do wonders for Mormons' image. And frankly, either one of them would have more relevant experience going in than Obama did, and I think either one of them would do a much better, more competent job than Obama. I'm not really an Obama hater, I just don't think he's qualified to be president.

What is sad is that for ANY OTHER job in the U.S. to NOT hire someone because of their religion is against the law and discriminatory. What a nation of hypocrites who won't "hire" a president because of his religious affiliation. Too bad presidential candidates can't sue the American public. And, when did it become a "bad" thing in this country for a "person of faith" to be a leader? What, so only athiests and agnostics can run the country? Good grief. Shame on America - a nation of bigots.

ute alumni | 11:33 a.m. Feb. 1, 2011
Salt Lake, UT
August 2010:
"I can't say I am overly religious," Huntsman tells Fortune, according to the Deseret News. "I get satisfaction from many different types of religions and philosophies."

=============

Nice --
Black & White
All-or-Nothing thinking there.

I too find "Mormonism" in EVERY religion.
From Shamanism to Taoism.
especially Judahism and Islam...maybe even more so than current Christianity.

He means he's not a religous zealot fanatic wack job.
Willing to start wars with others who pray different than he does.

And in order to represent all of America,
he needs to be tolerent and inclusive of EVERYONE -- not just the tiny little 0.05% of those who live and exist only in the Utah bubble.

"I get satisfaction from many different types of religions and philosophies."

Makes perfect sense to me. There is nothing in my LDS faith that precludes me from appreciating wisdom and truth found in other religions or philosophies. I think this statement just shows that Huntsman is a smart, reasonable guy.

It doesn't matter what level of devout practice either candidate has, they will be branded Mormon and even in 2011, it matters. In the South, you say Mormon, you might as well say Muslim. Mitt had a terrible showing in the South, terrible.

So I have a question. Does Jon Hunstman run in 2012 just so he has a better chance in 2016? I'm a young buck (in my 20's) and it seems to me that most republican nominees usually have to fail in a couple of primaries before they get their shot (Bob Dole, John McCain)

@ute alumni- his dad is a Seventy. I think he's pretty Mormon, but he might not let the public know that.

The fact that many conservatives are upset over Romney's Mass. health care plan show that they do not understand what the real issues are. The real issue threatening our republic is not big state government, it is big federal government. The fact that Massachusets took the initiative to do something about their own problems instead of relying on the federal government for a solution is a huge plus, regardless of what solution Massachusets came up with. If we stick to the federal system set up in the constitution, Massachusets can chose their own solutions and Utah can chose theirs, with neither state having to fear the federal government coming in and imposing their own solution that may or may not serve their best interests. Romney understands this, and has absolutely no intention of imposing a federal government solution to the problem, which shows that he is intelligent enough to understand what the real issue is, which is the right of states and individuals to govern themselves, without unecessary intervention from the federal government. Perhaps you think Mass. went too far, but that is the perogative of the people of Mass., who are more comfortable giving up freedom than you.

I honestly don't know if a Mormon will be elected President for years and years. There are too many other religions who would see to that. I was in a Baptist church when Romney was running for President and the pastor made a special point to tell his congregation not to vote for him because he was Mormon. Not because of any of his politics, but because of his religion.

Mitt Romney IS a Conservative. Huckleberry is a moderate.

The issue here is not the general election- in that format either Romney or Huntsman would probably do just fine and their religion would not be that big of an issue- of course that assumes they can make a general election- it is the republican primaries that is the issue- each one has its own flavor and so to categorize them together is useless but at least consider Iowa, N.H. and South Carolina and you can see why either has some problems but certainly not a closed door at this point- the ground game in those primaries matters and Mitt is way way ahead on that one- as the joke goes in Iowa- well I am not sure who I will vote for yet- I have only met each candidate 4 times personally and so I am still not sure what I think of them- ohhh that the rest of us had such power

Let's see....

"Religion doesn't matter": Gee, why did Romney have to give his Religion Speech? It matter or else he could have skipped it

"Mormons are accepted for office": State offices do not have the same rigor as the primary and caucus process present. WInning over portions of the country, particularly the South are mission impossible. Look at Romney's numbers in 2008, so weak.

"Vote for his politics": Romney is sunk, the Mass healthcare has his name on it, the one that requires everyone have insurance. No backtracking there.

"Huntsman does't even practice": First of all, his level of worship is his own business before God. Secondly, while it doesn't matter to me, it matter to to many people unfortunately.

I don't think that the question is "Can a Mormon be elected president?" The real question is "Can a Republican Mormon get nominated to run for president?" I think that Huntsman is just breaking the ice with this run for office, he's just giving the American people a little dose of his charm, and waiting until 2016 to make a real run.
By the way, Huntsman said to a reporter that he is not "overly religious" does that make him a Mino and a Rino?