Scrutinizing Romney: Supporters False-flagging 'Bigotry' Calls?

This excellent Blogometer article scrutinizes Romney through major blogs. It begins with a look at a National Review article looking into the rumors that Romney's campaign or supporters were actually false-flagging the anti-Mormon calls (feigning they were made by his oppositions' push pollsters), and the vehement yet vague "spin" behind Romney's answers. This of course he dismisses as a "conspiracy theory". Yet in this article even his supporters wonder.

Willard Milton Romney is a crafty silver-spooner who has played the anti-Mormon legitimate concern into a "bigotry" and "feel sorry for me" campaign. It would be stupid to not consider any candidates personal beliefs, and the true nature and history of Mormonism (which is not the Christian faith, but is similar to freemasonry, and based upon a work of fiction, the Book of Mormon) which he has defended, as consideration of a man's rational capacity, philosophy, and ideological principles.

As far as the religious issue and theological honesty a blogger Dotan in an article worth reading "Who is Willard Milton Romney" breaks down Romney's defensive tactics on the Mormon question (in order to garner the powerful Christian conservative vote) into three protocols, none of which are forthright debate, but dishonest evasion and confusion:

Here is the full Romney protocol as we understand it.

(1) Stonewall and ridicule: “Did Inglis say that to you?” I asked. “I don’t know,” Romney said. “He may well have.” “You don’t recall the conversation?” “I have a lot of conversations. I don’t recall the exact words of people, but if he says he said that, I’ll take his word for it.”

(2) Muddy the waters: “You know, the term ‘Christian’ means different things to different people,” Romney told me.

(3) Blur distinctions: “I’ll just describe what I believe and not try to distinguish my faith from others.”

Note the primary Romney strategy IS religious--i.e. to deceive and blur his proud Mormonism as equivalent to Christianity in religion, to capture the conservative evangelical vote block. THIS ISSUE IS VALID THEREFORE FOR POLITICAL REASONS, THAT A DISHONEST BLURRING OF "MORMONISM IS CHRISTIANITY" IS BEING PLAYED FOR POLITICAL POWER. This legitimizes the religious issue as a principle concern. (Anyone who has read anything of Mormon history knows they were considered a cult and seceded into the Utah territory while attempting to draw many with them by this same manner of confusion). It is an issue of Trustworthiness, and therefore worthy of public scrutiny as a valid issue on the principles of intellectual, religious, and political honesty. If Mitt is proud of his Mormonism, why does he blur it then with mainstream or historic orthodox Christianity, as if there were not different origins and distinctions? One man's "bigotry" is another man's convictions and principles. Everyone judges and divides, only by different standards. Perhaps he is not so full of conviction of his own "faith" as he would have you believe, since he sees it as not much different than others!

The mark of pragmatism haunts Romney as much as Giuliani, and political pragmatism is the mark of untrustworthy opportunists, not principled statesmen. Note the final part of the clip demonstrates Romney is really unprincipled, a vote-seeker, (his principles, and the Constitution "evolve with him") who speaks on an issue what the voters want to hear.......UNTIL HE GETS INTO OFFICE! No one like this could be trusted, period.

People also should note that Iowa has a large active Mormon constituency who always vote monolithically for Mormon candidates (always), and they were rallied during the state's earlier straw poll for Romney. Do not expect his Iowa support to be replicated in other states, except Utah and Idaho.

clipped from blogometer.nationaljournal.com Yesterday's Mark Hemingway article on NRO, which investigated that rumor that Mitt Romney's supporters paid for the anti-Mormon phone calls in order to gain sympathy for their candidate, provoked angry denials from both the Romney campaign and TargetPoint Consulting. In the conservative blogosphere, however, the speculation and finger-pointing continues unabated. It remains to be seen whether this scandal will have a lasting impact on the race or will simply blow over in the next couple of days. ROMNEY: Overplaying The Bigotry Card? The Directors at Red State accuse misguided Romney backers of funding the calls Soren Dayton examines Romney spokesman Kevin Madden's increasingly vague statements of denial and writes: "You can smell the rubber of the backtracking." Wolf also addresses Romney's shift on social issues: "I'm going to maintain some intellectual honesty about all of this. I think a lot of his positions are staked out based on his estimation of what the voters he needs want.