A name often mentioned is Mitt Romney, who looks and speaks the part and as an entrepreneur himself could help on the economy. The former Massachusetts Governor failed to catch fire in the primaries, though, and, however unfairly, his Mormonism seems to be an issue with many evangelicals. Our own concern is that he continues to defend his state health-care reform even as it looks increasingly like a fiscal disaster.
(Emphasis added.) This is fascinating on several levels. To begin with, the same piece describes Senator Joe Lieberman as "a splendid VP in our book" who "is solid on foreign policy and taxes," but would "probably alienate too many social conservatives." No mention of whether Lieberman's Orthodox Jewish faith would "be an issue" with any voter demographic.
So maybe Judaism has passed the "Kennedy test" and is now an acceptable faith for a presidential candidate, just as Catholicism is. (I am not so sure.)
I always like to re-cast statements made in the press about Romney's Mormonism, using other personal characteristics. Try these evaluations of any potential vice presidential pick:
- "However unfairly, his Hispanic heritage seems to be an issue with many anglo voters."
- "However unfairly, his African-American ancestry seems to be an issue with many white voters."
- "However unfairly, her female gender seems to be an issue with many voters."
Kind of hard to imagine, aren't they?
What we have here is the foremost conservative editorial page in the country throwing up its hands on this question: Can a Mormon be elected president?
No, they say; that's unfair, but it's the reality.
I am not convinced, but for discussion purposes, let's assume they are.
If you're a Mormon kid in this country, your parents cannot yet tell you that you can grow up to be president of the United States .
If you're an evangelical, even one who supported Romney for president and who would like to see him as vice president, you must accept the distasteful reality that enough of your co-religionists have made such a stink about Romney's faith that the leading conservative newspaper in the turns thinks the Governor is not viable as McCain's running mate.
If you're an Evangelical leader, you might toss and turn just a bit in your bed at night and wonder if you should have shown a bit more leadership -- even a little spine -- toward those who look to you as a leader. Maybe you regret just a little bit that a paper like the Journal, which is friendly to the folks you lead, simply accepts that so many of those very people are unfairly prejudiced against a political figure because of his religion that he is not a viable candidate for vice president. That cannot feel good, deep down.
We might have a chance to see if the Journal is right, if McCain does pick Romney.
I have my doubts. But what we should all be thinking about is the place to which we have come.
It is not pretty.
