“Huckabee: Perceived anti-LDS comment taken out of context, misunderstood”

12 February 2008 by David H. Sundwall | 2 comments

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“Huckabee: Perceived anti-LDS comment taken out of context, misunderstood”

Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says it is “unfounded” for anyone to say he has alienated the Mormon community or that he used rival Mitt Romney’s LDS faith as a wedge issue.

Try explaining that to the reddest state of the untion which would prefer Obama to Huckabee 58 to 42 in a head to head to race.

It’s good that Huckabee can’t escape (yet) what may be his legacy of the 2008 campaign.  But in the end it may be best for the rest of us to move on.

Huckabee ran television spots in Iowa calling himself a “Christian leader,” and refused to say whether he thought the LDS Church was a cult, referring that question instead to Romney. Kirk Jowers, director of the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute for Politics and a Romney friend and supporter, said he wonders whether Huckabee’s response Tuesday was “revisionist history.
  “[But] I’m very happy to hear him say that,” Jowers said. “And I suppose the best thing to do is accept him at his word. However, his approach to Romney’s religion seemed very different in the days leading up to Iowa.”

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2 comments

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12 February 2008 at 3:14 pm

jh

I was pretty involved in the Huckabee campaign and many of us went to the lengths to make sure that there was no anti Mormon Rethoric. However with a skeleten camapign staff it seems that every thing a Huckabee supporter said was attritributed to Mike.

IF there are fences to be mended or in fact that a discussion needs to take place I think that is great. In fact I think it is needed However if the goal is to convict and make a legacy independent of all the facts then that is quite different.

I have read Mormon blogs quite a bit the last few weeks and I understand there is hurt. However living in the deep south at the end ROmney’s mormon faith was not that big of a deal among most voters. At least that was perception when as the year went on. That is indeed progress. In fact as I thought the whole issue was overblown down here by largely the medai. I knew many of a Evangelical that voted for Romney. I knew many that did not. Rarely was the Mormon issue the factor in that vote. Voters confronted something new and most(not all) but most.

I say this not only as a Huckabee Supporter but as a Catholic that is always on the lookout for anti Catholic rethoric. I was very empahatic to the Mormons concerns.

As to Huckabee saying he was a Christian leader. I was up in Iowa in 2000 and Bush was doing the same message. In fact Romney was doing the same thing in living rooms across Iowa last summer. I read accounts of that all the time on Romney blogs.

I do think there should be a discussion that takes place. However I hope it one that is open on all sides. For instance many Huckabee supporters and many people in my neck of the woods are getting tired of being portrayed as ignornat bigoted yahoos that are convinced we are being smeared to cover bas political consulting choices. There needs to be some fence mending and a honest view of what happen

12 February 2008 at 4:14 pm

David H. Sundwall

jh -

Thanks for stopping by and posting your perspective.

I do think that the Mormon issue was overblown somewhat by the media spoiling for a fight. Romney did get a significant amount of Evangelical voters and the endorsement of many prominent Evangelical leaders. I thought it was even promising that Dobson said he could vote for Romney in November and that he didn’t endorse Huckabee until after Romney dropped out.

But I was very disappointed that Huckabee did not do anything to denounce anti-Mormonism but walked a fine line that instead benefited from it. From his NY Times interview to his surrogates/supporters actions, Huckabee could have easily put any question of his views on the issue to rest. Instead he refused to comment.

Almost as grating was his personal and petty shots at Romney. I know that’s politics but he seemed to go so personal, it only amplified questions whether Mormonism was an issue.

I wish Romney played up more his experience as a Mormon lay leader. The only real mention of it I saw was in this local Utah article:

http://www.asoftanswer.com/2008/01/11/mitt-romney-as-a-christian-leader/

I think if he highlighted these experiences it would have greatly dispelled his image as a plastic CEO.

I agree that this should be the start of more discussion. Hopefully some fence mending and bridge building can result. I also agree that the South and the conservative right are too often maligned. I just wish there weren’t so many who do the same to their conservative Mormon brethren who should be seen as allies, not enemies, at least politically.

Thanks again for the comment. I’ll check out your blog.