In December 2007, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) delivered a speech on religion, in which he addressed how his Mormon “faith would inform his Presidency if he were elected.” Though Romney claimed it was “not a Mormon speech,” it was widely believed to be an effort to dispel “skepticism about his religion” among some conservatives.
Since losing the GOP primary to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Romney has insisted that the Republican Party’s base doesn’t have a problem with Mormonism. “I believe that religion will not be a factor of a significant nature in selecting our nominee, regardless of who might run,” Romney told the Deseret News last month.
But RNC Chairman Michael Steele disagrees. While guest-hosting Bill Bennett’s radio show yesterday, Steele debated a caller who thought Romney could have beat Obama if Democrats and the New York Times hadn’t “co-opted” the GOP primaries.
Steele insisted, however, that Romney couldn’t have won because the GOP base “rejected Mitt because it had issues with Mormonism”:
STEELE: Yeah, but let me ask you. Ok, Jay, I’m there with you. But remember, it was the base that rejected Mitt because of his switch on pro-life, from pro-choice to pro-life. It was the base that rejected Mitt because it had issues with Mormonism. It was the base that rejected Mitch, Mitt, because they thought he was back and forth and waffling on those very economic issues you’re talking about. So, I mean, I hear what you’re saying, but before we even got to a primary vote, the base had made very clear they had issues with Mitt because if they didn’t, he would have defeated John McCain in those primaries in which he lost.
Listen here:
Steele regularly claims the Republican Party is “still a big-tent party.” But apparently he doesn’t believe it is big enough to accept a Mormon candidate for president.
Transcript:
CALLER: I have with me in front of me here, Michael, one of your blue envelopes addressed to 310 First st.
STEELE: Yes sir.
CALLER: I’ve been recieving a lot of them and honestly, a disheartened Republican.
STEELE: Ok, tell me why.
CALLER: Well, one of your earlier callers, a lady, kind of stole my thunder, but she’s making a lot of the points I do. But I’ve said and watched in my lifetime, liberals co-opting everything they can, whether it be, you know, the judicial process or even the Republican selection process. That is one of their tactics. It’s right out of Saul Alinsky’s book. And she made the point and I totally agree with her that the New York Times, who you’ve mentioned a couple times, alright, has co-opted our primaries by backing John McCain. And I totally believe that…
STEELE: Well, let me..go ahead.
CALLER: Well, their evaluation. I believe that their evaluation at the time was that they saw that Mitt Romney could win. He had the money.
STEELE: Well, wait a minute Jay, let me ask you. But Jay.
CALLER: He had the ideas and they did all they could to back John McCain and get independents…
STEELE: But Jay, do you really, I mean, I’m going to ask you an honest question here. Look, I don’t have a dog in this fight one way or the other because I think that there were other problems that went well beyond who our nominee was. But do you honestly think that Mitt Romney or any of the other nominees. I don’t care, pick ‘em, would have won in last year’s cycle?
CALLER: I believe Mitt Romney could, yeah.
STEELE: Ok, ok.
CALLER: I believe he could stand on the stage and he could, he could, pronounce his ideas clearly, as well as Barack Obama without a teleprompter and there’s certainly.
STEELE: Alright.
CALLER: Certainly would have the confidence of the common voter about financial knownledge of what happens in the financial world. And he wouldn’t call…
STEELE: Yeah, but let me ask you. Ok, Jay, I’m there with you. But remember, it was the base that rejected Mitt because of his switch on pro-life, from pro-choice to pro-life. It was the base that rejected Mitt because it had issues with Mormonism. It was the base that rejected Mitch, Mitt, because they thought he was back and forth and waffling on those very economic issues you’re talking about. So, I mean, I hear what you’re saying, but before we even got to a primary vote, the base had made very clear they had issues with Mitt because if they didn’t, he would have defeated John McCain in those primaries in which he lost.
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