Huckabee Attacks Romney Over Religion
Mike Huckabee will ask in an upcoming article: “is Jesus the brother of Satan” according to the Mormon faith?
In an article that will be published in New York Times Magazine of Sunday 16 December, Governor Mike Huckabee writes that he doesn’t know much about Mormonism. Therefore, he has some questions. One of them: is Jesus the brother of Satan according to the Mormon faith?
Frankly – questions out of curiosity are one thing but – this question strikes me as an attempt to smear Romney and Mormons in general. I think very highly of Governor Huckabee, but if it’s true that he asks this question, he’ll have lost all possible support I was willing to give him. This is way over the line. You can ask something like that in a private conversation, but when you do it in an article like that, while you’re main opponent is Mormon I find it to be beyond the pale.
Why are they even talking about religion? Mitt Romney rightfully responded to the charges in a tremendous speech, that should’ve been the end of it. That Huckabee isn’t quite willing to let it go troubles me, and I believe that all American traditional conservatives should be worried by it.
UPDATE: just to be clear – I’ve asked the Huckabee campaign for a response. Currently waiting to hear back from them.
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Seems as if Huckabee has the same respect for the feelings of Mormons that he has towards those of homosexuals.
Xel: I’m very disappointed in Huckabee if the coverage in Time is correct.
If this is accurate, I agree with that, Michael. But I wouldn’t be too surprised if this was leaked in the most damaging possible light, so I’ll reserve judgment until I see it in context.
Yes, I’ll reserve judgment, to a degree as well. But I have to say that there can be just about no ‘right’ context. The only right context? "Some Christians wonder whether Mormons believe Satan is the brother of Jesus, I don’t find that an interesting questions, at least not in this campaign."
It can be less bad than TIME suggests, though. And you’re right. So we’ll see about that.
Doesn’t sound good.
Yes, I’m having trouble figuring out what would ameliorate the ’smear’ feeling I get from this- but I’ll never put it past journalists to take things out of context (I’ve even been on the receiving end of this- having given interviews and felt that I made my points clear and then read the articles and felt that my words had been so twisted to have a completely different meaning.)
"Xel: I’m very disappointed in Huckabee if the coverage in Time is correct."
A position and statement much to your credit.
This sounds very much like "so when did you stop beating your wife?". Even if it turns out that Mormon doctrine says nothing of the sort, or it is a very tortured interpretation, the accusation sticks. If true, I don’t believe for a moment that it’s some "inoccent question", he could just as well have asked about the Mormon belief that the American Indians are directly descendent from one of the tribes of Israel (the Lamanites), which, while silly, is not nearly as damaging.
That’s playing dirty. Again IF TRUE, I too find it very disappointing. I held Huckabee to be a sort of conservative Obama, someone I disagree with on issues, but who seems like a good guy. Somehow I suspect that if he does do this, it won’t help him. Sure it may make some on the religious right inch away from Romney, but it will probably also chase away conservatives who were drawn to Huckabee by his apparent integrity.
For all we know at this point, Huckabee in his essay said something like: "Many people wonder if Mormons believe that Jesus and the Devil are brothers. I asked, and I can tell you the answer is NO."
Ask yourself why only this particular question is being leaked at this point. That’s not likely to be Huckabee’s doing, but the New York Times Magazine’s, and Time’s.
For all we know at this point, the article is an attempt to address those nasty questions that people in the evangelical community are wondering, to tell them that there’s nothing wrong with Romney and Mormons. That would be an appropriate context in which to publicly ask the question.
Of course, the context may be much different, too. We just don’t know yet. We’ll know in a few days, maybe sooner if this generates much controversy.
Pat, obviously and that’s exactly what Christine and I argue. However, one doesn’t get the impression it’ll be like that, but we’ll see. As I said, if there’s not a ‘good’ context, he will have lost my sympathy. Frankly, I find it hard to believe the context will be that innocent. I can’t see how Huckabee would write an article explaining that Romney doesn’t believe this and that religion shouldn’t matter anyway.
Exactly – even in the ‘right’ context, you have to wonder why the hell the issue is raised in the first place.
Again, there’s room for a better context, but even then I think many people will wonder ‘why raise it at all?’
As Lynx says, the accusation sticks. Especially if Huckabee says "is that true? I don’t know, but I do wonder."
Of course, I think he knows that would be fatal which is why I think that he’ll first ask it, and then argue that it doesn’t matter much. Still, though, the smear, the accusation is there. And that’s of course the intention.
We’ll see but I’ve got my suspicions.
We’ll have to wait to truly judge this issue, but I’ve got to say that I find it difficult to imagine a right context for a political opponent of Romney – especially his main contender for the religious vote basically – to raise such a question, even in jest or even when immediately arguing that it shouldn’t matter or isn’t true.
By the way, I’ve asked the Huckabee campaign for a reaction.
Huckabee would do well to take the high-road, and let evangelicals and other concerned groups do the dirty work. It’s apparent that the temptation to overreach and/or overplay a hand is irresistable to many pols. The GOP did it with Bill Clinton’s impeachment, and that’s the political risk that Huckabee runs here. On the other hand, he knows his constituency groups much better than me.
My belief in the supernatural is less crazy than yours