Southern Radio Hosts Confront Mitt Romney With Mormon Questions In Tense Interview

[Are_grits_groceries]

Mitt Romney is touring the South this week in anticipation of Tuesday’s primaries in Alabama and Mississippi. He has described it as something of an “away game,” and an interview on the nationally syndicated Rick and Bubba Show this week proved why: in discussing his policy stances, the hosts changed the subject to ask Romney about his Mormon faith, and to answer whether he thought America was the Promised Land, and not Israel.

Rick Burgess and Bill Bussey, hosts of the Rick and Bubba Show, were as polite as they were direct to Romney, asking questions that many had about the candidate’s ability to win the South. Asked whether he believed he could connect well with Tea Party conservatives and Evangelicals, Romney responded that he was “battling an away game” but thought his small government policies would win people over. He was asked specifically about his Mormon faith and what it meant that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believed in America as a promised land. Romney turned it into a policy question on Israel.

“I am without question committed to Israel as a Jewish nation,” Romney replied, adding that “Bibi Netanyahu and I are old friends.” He noted that he was not averse to “military, kinetic action” in Iran should they take possession of a nuclear weapon, either with or without Israel’s help. The candidate then spoke about the size of the government and how to reduce spending for most of the interview, save for the last question, which returned to the original question on faith Romney had dodged. “Do you, as a Mormon, believe America is the new promised land?”

“You’re going to have to go talk to the Church and ask what they think about that!” Romney replied, laughing, adding that “there’s no question that Israel is the promised land” but that his best guess was that “other lands are promised to other people.”

Clip of interview: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/southern-radio-hosts-confront-mitt-romney-with-mormon-questions-in-tense-interview/

Evangelicals will never trust him!

[bluestateguy]

1. This is what sticks in my craw

The Mormon church was very involved in the passage of California's prop 8 to ban gay marriage. They parachuted in with negative ads, demagoguery and outright homophobia. The LDS church arguably violated its tax exempt status with their campaign. Anyway, it was successful.

Now to hear Mormons complain about not being accepted and treated with tolerance, as you can imagine that rubs me the wrong way.

Nor I have I forgotten that a good many people on their side saw fit to make Obama's religion a major issue in 2008.

[Loudmxr]

2. One thing I noticed about him.. when you are

disagreeable he has the tendency to say the same thing

ONLY LOUDER!!!!!!

Such a little baby.

edit for spelling

[madrchsod]

3. dam......

i knew i was right..southern fundy christians will never ever trust a mormon. the baptists and the mormans have been fighting a war since the 1800`s. back then they used guns.

[pangaia]

4. He noted that he was not averse to “military, kinetic action” in Iran

military, kinetic action... HUH !! WTF is that...Oh OH yea... bomb them back into the stone age..
Nice. really nice..

[left on green only]

5. Answer in translation:

You can strap that one onto the roof of your car and then hose it down on your way to bible school.

Too bad the radio audience was not able to watch him kissing any babies.

[TeamsterDem]

6. I think faith *IS* an issue, and I believe that it should be one

If there was a candidate sworn to Satanism or voodoo I do want to know about it and hear them defend why they'd be a reasonable candidate. Also, I think commitment to the US and its Constitution is the supreme law of the land, so I also want to hear dominionists like Santorum explain how they won't put their faith ahead of this nation's laws.

I don't want a religious "test" of any kind. But yes, I do think it's fair to ask someone about their faith if that question relates to how they see administering the laws of this country, provided the person asking isn't a government official conducting a religious test. But a reporter? Yes, I'd like them to ask ALL candidates about their faith and if they think it conflicts at all with the laws of this country, and when and where it does conflict, how they plan on resolving that conflict. Because their conflict resolution affects ME, and I think I have a right to know about that.

[DonCoquixote]

7. “Bibi Netanyahu and I are old friends.”

Reason one million and running this guy cannot be allowed in the Oval Office.

[demosincebirth]

8. I wonder if Bibi knows that.

[monmouth]

9. That was the CEO response they all give when asked if they know someone important.

I doubt they are old friends, perhaps acquaintances or met once or twice before. I grew up in the same town as Bruce Springsteen and remember him well and he often blew the truck horn to me. However, Bruce is not an "old friend." The donald does the same thing if you listen. Mention a name and he's all of a sudden pushing the "he's a great guy/gal" which ever serves him the best.