Romney to speak to major gathering of social conservatives
Washington (CNN) - Add Mitt Romney to the growing list of probable 2012 GOP presidential candidates speaking at a major social conservative conference early next month here in the nation's capitol.
The former Massachusetts governor and 2008 Republican White House hopeful will address the Faith and Freedom Conference and Strategy Briefing on Friday, June 3rd, according to an early Monday morning announcement on the organization's website by Ralph Reed, the founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition. A Romney adviser also confirmed the appearance. In recent months Romney's beefed up his campaign staff, and last month he formed a presidential exploratory committee.
Last week Reed announced that Donald Trump will speak at the conference on June 4. The billionaire businessman, real estate mogul, and reality TV star says he'll announce by June whether he'll make a bid for the GOP nomination.
Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania are the other probable White House contenders speaking at the two day gathering.
The Faith and Freedom Coalition is an influential social conservative organization. Its website says it's "committed to educating, equipping, and mobilizing people of faith and like-minded individuals to be effective citizens."
Social conservatives are a very influential voting group in the hunt for the Republican nomination. Romney, who is Mormon, courted social conservatives during his first bid for the White House in 2008, but his upcoming appearance at the Faith and Freedom conference looks to be his first major stab at reaching out to such voters in his second run for the GOP nomination.
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This is a gray area. Maybe it has changed because of "Citizens United." I need to research this; how a religous non-profit can be politically involved, yet still remain a non-profit. The only way I can think of being able to do this is if the non-profit group is not a registered as a religous non-profit despite what their chosen name proclaims itself to be.
If the voters were nervous at electing a Catholic J.F. Kennedy, they should be panic-stricken at the thought of electing a devout Mormon. Religion will never be absent from politics, as sadly the two don't mix.
here is the real deal...no jobs... gas to high.. home price drop again... fix these and the liberal voters will flock to you...no matter your faith...
Social conservatives will never fully accept Romney because he is a Mormon and evangelicals and others believe that is a cult and not Christian.
The GOP is just using Romney to keep the Mormon vote interested, with the plan to nominate someone else and then have Romney tell his supporters to vote for that nominee.
A republican will tell you what you want to hear and than lie about It later. You can't trust A Republican or the TEA PARTY. They keep saying they want less, But what they really mean Is they want Government to tell you what you can and can't do and take all are right away. And take everything you got or will have and give It to the RICH. The Republican and the TEA PARTY have to go In 2012 or the Middle Class ,the Poor and the OLD will end up with nothing. we need to get them out of the House and the Senate. Obama In 2012.
Social conservatives will never accept Romney because he helped tens of thousands of deserving people get the health care they needed in Massachusetts.
Social conservatives call themselves Christian while spending their entire lives stomping on virtually everything Jesus said in the New Testament.
SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES = WORLD CHAMPION HYPOCRITES!!
It seems like the only ones making noise about Romney's religion are Democrats. Here's some news. Yes he is electable and yes he can beat Obama. You know that.
These "conservative" voters are so dense. When are they going to wake up to the fact that the GOP is using them? All a politician has to say is they are anti-choice, pro-gun and anti-gay and these yahoos will vote for them – even though all of the GOP's economic, military and foreign policies are PROVEN FAILURES.
Tax cuts for the rich? When was the last time some of that extra cash tinkled down on you? Why do you want to give more money to the very people who are laying Americans off and shipping jobs overseas? Who want to cut funding for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, salaries for police/fire/EMT and teachers?
Haven't you yahoos ever traveled outside the US and seen for yourself what a third-world country looks like, how the average person lives when all the wealth and power is controlled by a few families?
Wake up and catch a clue! Stop being used!
"Add Mitt Romney to the growing list of probable 2012 GOP presidential candidates "
When hasn't Romney been on that list? It's been like FOREVER. Looks as if Mitty is facing more and more resistance from his own party ... to the point that GOPers are once again promising an *unknown* candidate to sweep into office come 2012.
I would like to know how an organization that professes to be "Christian" as well as "non-profit" keeps playing the Devil's Advocate?
Religion + Politics = Toxic Waste
Enough said.
"Conservative" is what is currently considered a "four letter word" that should never be said in public or polite company.
Sorry Mitt, not alot of people believe in Jon Smith or Bringham Young, Mormanism is the western version of Islam. I pity the fools who give this man money.
@ Four and The Door
It seems like the only ones making noise about Romney's religion are Democrats. Here's some news. Yes he is electable and yes he can beat Obama. You know that.
Got news for you, Four: his religion was an issue to GOP primary voters the last time out, so much so he had to issue a statement declaring his religion would not affect his decisions. Remember, the social conservatives control the nominating process. Romney did not carry a significant portion of the vote in the Bible Belt, and the thought of a so-called " non-Christian" representing them is anathema. Add his health-care plan he's been running from like a scalded dog to the discussion, and he won't win. We know he can't win, and so do you. We're just enjoying watching the Religious Right lay down terms and conditions about who is a good Christian, and then try to impose those on the nominating process. So much for freedom of religion in the GOP, its non-existant.
ThinkAgain
Tax cuts for the rich? When was the last time some of that extra cash tinkled down on you?
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When was the last time a poor person gave you a job? By the way, when Obama extended the Bush tax cuts ( for everyone, by the way ), finally he saw some instant improvement in unemployment and jobs created. It's more politically acceptable and gives a lot of hard working people satisfaction to talk about ," stickin' it to da man", but the truth is America needs jobs and it is people of means who are creating these jobs and making decisions to hire. They are already taxed higher than everyone else, but don't expect them to start hiring more if we tax them even higher.
Got news for you The Real Tom Paine, the only reason his religion was even a factor is because the GOP felt that Obama could be beaten no matter who ran against him. Trust me, Mitt can win the nomination and WILL be Obama in 2012 because of Obama's failed economics policies.
"It seems like the only ones making noise about Romney's religion are Democrats."
I have no problem with Romeny's religion. Fact is, I won't be voting for him regardless of how many tiers of Heaven his religion professes as truth, or whether or not he continues to pray for all the Mormon souls who have since passed and now need help achieving those Heavenly tiers - even after death - through the worship of the living. It's his POLICIES (or lack thereof) which cause me to second guess him as a viable candidate.
The Faith and Freedom Coalition is an influential social conservative organization. Its website says it's "committed to educating, equipping, and mobilizing people of faith and like-minded individuals to be effective citizens."
It really means they want everyone to have the freedom to live their faith, which they don't even live themselves. They are the American Taliban.
@Four and The Door
It seems like the only ones making noise about Romney's religion are Democrats. Here's some news. Yes he is electable and yes he can beat Obama. You know that.
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Pick one of the GOP candidates and stick with them. All of them are not going to get the nomination, so not all of them can "beat Obama". Commit yourself to logical and rational choice of candidate, please. We would like to debate issues instead of meaningless, monotonous, ideological rhetoric. Because the louder you chant the same old same old, and beat your war drum, the more noticeable it becomes that the GOP is preparing another sucker punch for the American voters.
Tax cuts for the rich are actually a tax shelter for privately owned multi-billion dollar businesses known as S-Corporations. The rhetoric is that S-Corporations are "small businesses" and tax cuts for the rich help these "small businesses." What you are not told is that "small" refers to the number of owners, not the gross or net income of the "small business."
He may be front runner...but he would not win.....we need jobs, manufacturing back, strong dollar, energy efficiency, gas to go down.Immigration,..etc, these Obama is already focusing....o.k, so O be our POTUS.
Blah, blah - blah, blah blah, blah. Mitt, give it up and move to Utah. No one with any sense is going to vote for you.
"Pick one of the GOP candidates and stick with them."
Sorry, Rudy... not ready to do that yet. There's only been 1 mini-debate so far. I believe Herman Cain won that hands down, and indeed he's my man at this point. There's lots more discovery to be had.
@ Four and The Door
When was the last time a poor person gave you a job? By the way, when Obama extended the Bush tax cuts ( for everyone, by the way ), finally he saw some instant improvement in unemployment and jobs created. It's more politically acceptable and gives a lot of hard working people satisfaction to talk about ," stickin' it to da man", but the truth is America needs jobs and it is people of means who are creating these jobs and making decisions to hire. They are already taxed higher than everyone else, but don't expect them to start hiring more if we tax them even higher
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Where are you getting this info. frm.. because Corp./ Job sector has been holding onto more than a Trillion dollars, due to tax cuts but still have not felt comfortable about hiring due to an unstable market, when you have both side that cant get along and come to sum term that will put strenght in the market you get investers who hold back and from that you get companies scared to hire it had nothing to do with the bush tax cuts .. those been in place for yrs, they where just extended nothing new .. only when a company see consumers spending more will they start to hire again.. but you see it how you want to.. GOP loves to take credit for all good things but cant admit when they r wrong .. but as they say "tell yourself what you need to hear"
@ Four and the Door:
" When was the last time a poor person gave you a job?"
When was the last time the GOP admitted that tax cuts had to be paid for? When was the last time the GOP admitted the whole idea of supply-side is flawed? Reagan raised taxes 3 times during his administration because even he saw the need for new revenue. Would you support closing the loopholes in the taxcode, like the ones that allow corpoations to pay nothing while you and I subsidize them? Will you end the Ethanol subsidy? Will you stop the other goodies for corporate America? If you aren't willing to sacrifice something for the good of the country, stand aside.
@four and the door, you have been posting that same tired nonsense for a long time now. This is wishful thinking on your part. The majority of Americans do not worship at the feet of Limbaug, Beck, Palin and Fox New. And now that Paul Ryan has presented his hateful budget, many more get the picture of what they are all about.
Sorry for you but, happily for me, the President will be re-elected in 2012.