No, he lost b/c he changed his views to match the far right in order to get the R nomination. If he had been the same guy he was before he started pandering to the nutjobs, he might have won.

Seriously.

And as for your assumption, OP, Southerners voted fervently for Romney. They wanted "God back in the White House" and felt he was the one to put it there. I think your assumption is way way off base. I think the GOP and their rape comments ("old white men with $2 haircuts" as Tina Fey put it) helped pave the way. Seriously. Get with the times. Put up a Moderate, Fiscal Conservative who leans socially liberal...and you will win.

Show me a state he lost b/c he is a Mormon.

I seriously doubt being Mormon impacted his voting base. There are definitely some idiot Republicans out there that didn't want to vote for him simply because he is Mormon, but they still embraced him fervently when the alternative was four more years of the "evil Muslim Communist" president they were trying to defeat. The votes that swung the election didn't care about religion either way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no doubt that bias against Mormons played a role, but I don't think Romney lost solely for that reason.

Agree. He contorted himself to appeal to the Tea Partiers and then he tried to shake the etch-a-sketch and go back to being moderate. I'm sure there are bigots who didn't vote for him because he's Mormon - and for that he has my sympathies - but, really, the Republicans blew it. If he had been able to run as a moderate Republican from the get-go, he would have won.

He wouldn't have gotten out of the primaries.

That's why I said the Republicans blew it. I don't believe for a minute that Romney wanted to move to the right. He just knew that that was his only choice if he wanted the nomination. Blaming this on Romney being a Mormon is ridiculous.

If there was a problem with him being a Mormon, he wouldn't have even become a candidate. No one dislikes Mormons more than the evangelists/baptists already within the Republican party, duh.

He lost because he's a extraordinary liar.

Part of me hopes the Rs convince themselves this is exactly what happened--then they can try to win another election appealing only to aging white men-- maybe try Bob Ehrlich-- after all he's was also a failure as governor of a blue state? Or George Allen-- third time could be the charm?

Anonymous wrote:At first I thought your post said Moron, that I was going to agree with you. But the fact he's a mormon I don't think played a huge factor - My ILs HATE Obama, and are born again, right wing, women should stay home and submit to their overloard husbands kinds of people, and they voted for him and so did all their friends and family.

I should add, all their born again friends and family, including DH, I am the only liberal in that entire family, will make thanksgiving so much fun! NOT.

At first I thought your post said Moron, that I was going to agree with you. But the fact he's a mormon I don't think played a huge factor - My ILs HATE Obama, and are born again, right wing, women should stay home and submit to their overloard husbands kinds of people, and they voted for him and so did all their friends and family.

The same people who would have such significant problems with Romney being a Mormon, to the extent they wouldn't cast a vote for him, are certainly not going to vote for a guy they still think is Muslim.

I don't think religion had much impact on this election at all.

Mrs.R isn't what ppl want in a first lady either. People see Mormon women as week and controlled by men.

He should have picked his battles more carefully. All he needed is another 2 mil votes, that could have made a difference in some swing states.
I say stupidity

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no doubt that bias against Mormons played a role, but I don't think Romney lost solely for that reason.

Agree. He contorted himself to appeal to the Tea Partiers and then he tried to shake the etch-a-sketch and go back to being moderate. I'm sure there are bigots who didn't vote for him because he's Mormon - and for that he has my sympathies - but, really, the Republicans blew it. If he had been able to run as a moderate Republican from the get-go, he would have won.

He wouldn't have gotten out of the primaries.

Anonymous wrote:Let's just admit it. A certain percentage of Republicans could not bring themselves to vote for a Mormon. As a Republican, this prejudice saddens me. For all celebrating Obama's win, Romney ran a sensible campaign and projected sound fiscal ideas with an argument for bringing the country back from the brink that should appeal to Republicans. Yet he pulled in fewer Republican votes than J. McCain. People stayed home. He lost, because he is a Mormon. That is nothing to celebrate.

If it makes you feel better to think that way, OP, ok.

It's been fascinating to watch the reaction on the right.

The only silver lining for the Rs is they won a few more governor's mansions.

But otherwise:

We have a black man reelected as president. Voters in two states approved gay marriage on the ballot, and rejected a ban on gay marriage in a third. Recreational use of marijuana was legalized. Democrats picked up seats in the Senate and the House. Republicans in Arizona lost their supermajority in the legislature.

NPR story announced the Rs have decided the loss demands only a change in tactics, not a transformation. Sure. Good. Please. By all means, if that's the lesson you want to take away, go right ahead.

The more fundamental problem for the Rs, as someone else observed, is that it's a Mad Men party in a Modern Family world.

Anonymous wrote:I have no doubt that bias against Mormons played a role, but I don't think Romney lost solely for that reason.

Agree. He contorted himself to appeal to the Tea Partiers and then he tried to shake the etch-a-sketch and go back to being moderate. I'm sure there are bigots who didn't vote for him because he's Mormon - and for that he has my sympathies - but, really, the Republicans blew it. If he had been able to run as a moderate Republican from the get-go, he would have won.

He made it further than other non-mainstream religious Republicans though. The Republicans wouldn't have done better with a Jewish candidate from Florida. Maybe next time they will stick to a Bible Belt Born-Again Christian like Bush, but I don't think it will help their base expand, and THAT appears to be the problem for future elections.