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Freindly Fire

Romney's Speech: Terribly Timed

by Chris Freind

He is Republican, pro-defense and hawkish on the War. He is also an unabashed Christian, although his particular sect is one that is viewed with suspicion and prejudice. Oh, and he's running for President of the United States.

Based on the huge speech delivered yesterday, it seems clear that we're talking about Mitt Romney and his Mormon faith. But we're not. The above description refers to none other than Dwight D. Eisenhower, President--- and a Jehovah's Witness for most of his life.

Eight years later, it was John F. Kennedy's turn, defending his Catholic faith.

Now, Mitt Romney is taking his greatest "leap of faith" by discussing how his Mormonism influences his values, and how he sees the relationship between religion and government.

Unfortunately for Mitt, his timing couldn't be worse.

An Act of Desperation

It has been widely reported that an intense battle has been waged inside Romney's camp over whether Mitt should address the Mormon "issue" head-on. One has to question the wisdom of both Romney and his advisers who thought that they shouldn't have to talk about Mormonism at all. Earth to the Romney campaign: Did you really think that Mormon questions would not dog you all the way to primary season, especially when you have been leading in Iowa and New Hampshire from day one? And do you really think that all will be well after just one speech?

Apparently, they thought they would emulate Kennedy's famous, and effective, speech about not taking orders from the Pope. This is a total mis-judgment on several counts. First, common perception is that Kennedy put concerns about his Catholicism to rest after the Texas speech. Wrong. Kennedy felt obliged to address the issue on three separate occasions. More importantly, Catholicism was the largest single religion in the nation, and Catholics made up a substantial and powerful voting bloc in many key states. Conversely, many view Mormonism as a "cult", and Mormons themselves make up just a fraction of the electorate, primarily in Utah and Idaho.

Romney will not be making this speech just once, for the onslaught of questions has already begun.

But it's the timing that will prove so detrimental to Romney's campaign. If the speech was going to be made, it should have been delivered three months ago. Romney would have been ahead of the curve, and would have been able to give his speech on his terms. But everything has changed.

Romney had been the leader in the early states from the beginning (in both money and polls), but now finds himself in second place in Iowa to the surging Mike Huckabee. The former Arkansas Governor is also breathing down Romney's neck in New Hampshire and South Carolina. So Romney decides now to talk about his Mormon faith? What message does that send? One of desperation, which is often the death knell for a candidate.

The slipping in the polls represents Romney's first major crisis, and he has reacted---some say over-reacted--- in a way that leads to questions of credibility. Do we really want a Commander-in-Chief who panics at the first sign of trouble? Can America afford a President who is seen as indecisive? And just how much of Mitt Romney's "strong faith" is believable, since his former position on abortion was a complete contradiction to the tenets of his religion?

Time will tell whether Romney can right the ship. If he loses the nomination, the reason given will undoubtedly be because he is a Mormon, not because of the growing perception that he is a classic waffling, calculating candidate. But as both Eisenhower and Kennedy proved, it's the man, not the religion, who will carry the day.