Saturday, Mitt Romney addressed the graduation crowd gathered at Liberty University with a strong but broad defense of the role of Judeo-Christian values in America:
Central to America’s rise to global leadership is our Judeo-Christian tradition, with its vision of the goodness and possibilities of every life….The American culture promotes personal responsibility, the dignity of work, the value of education, the merit of service, devotion to a purpose greater than self, and at the foundation, the preeminence of the family.
Romney steered clear of specifically referencing his Mormon faith, instead concentrating on broader cultural comments. He did, however, explicitly state that he defines marriage as between one man and one woman.
This was in response to President Obama’s “aha!” moment when he realized, last week, that he does support gay marriage after all.
With the economy in tatters, to some the issue of gay marriage hardly seems central compared to other pressing concerns facing our country.
But research I’m working on shows that it is exactly these issues, where the sides are clearly defined and the issue is uncomplicated (at least in understanding the core question), that many Americans are using as proxies for understanding which party represents their broader political preferences.
In the words of one research participant, “I’m a smart person, and I have NO idea what most of these issues are about. The issues that are the easiest for me to grasp–like gay marriage and abortion–where there’s not much wiggle room…those are the ones that cause me to say i’m a liberal. And I think we need to cut taxes, but it’s just too complicated.”
It’s helpful, if jarring, to understand that some fellow Americans aren’t able, or willing, to make their decisions based on anything but the most surface-level issues.
Yesterday, Romney listed personal responsibility as one of the core tenets of American culture; as the responsibility or burden to investigate issues beyond that superficial level is shirked, can we have hope that American culture will be sustained?
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“but it’s just too complicated”
And that ties in two posts back (Bad News for Obama, Michigan In Play):
“Barack Obama, if he wins, will win it on the women’s vote”
From the Dems, expect a lot of “don’t worry your pretty little heads about politics, ladies, we won’t let those Republican men mess with your minds. We’ll take care of you! Go make yourself beautiful now”.
Ir really puts that simple-minded Julia thing in perspective. Shows why liberal heads exploded when Sarah Palin hit the scene – good grief, a woman with opinions.
Well said Anne. Democracy is hard work.
By the way, Happy Mother’s Day to all the women who read this blog & post comments here. Also to the mothers (some of have passed on) who raised us guys to be conservatives and respectful of the women who we interact with, including at Legal Insurrection.
Here Here! I miss you Mom, Happy Mother’s day
Romney steered clear of specifically referencing his Mormon faith …
After a President who sat in a Black Liberation Theology church for 20 years, how who Romney’s Mormonism ever matter ?
Of course, since opposing comments are censored on this blog, you never get to hear a different point of view.
You are on a censored blog…hope you’re aware of that.
This is kind of funny:
“that many Americans are using as proxies for understanding which party represents their broader political preferences.”
…considering that it’s conservatives who largely introduced the ‘wedge issue’ over stupid social issues rather than core economic issues. Anybody remember how gay marriage helped Bush get elected in 2004?
Of course now, eight years later, that issue is largely gone, the liberals have won for the most part, and we are just waiting for you rotten bigoted monsters to die off.
Hurry up already.
“You are on a censored blog…hope you’re aware of that.”
Your delusions reach even there, where you prove you are lying with your post.
Wow.
Really, what is it about people and self-government you so hate?
I’d really like to see more of your anger and hatred expressed here.
It makes for wonderful material to show people what Collectivists are really like.
Hey Vimmer, I guess it isn’t as censored as the Daily Kos is. We can read your post and reply to it!
In biblical days it was considered a miracle when an ass spoke. But, it’s clear there’s no intelligent design associated with your comment.
You sound like the typical liberal victim who can only abide one point of view, yours.
@ Vimmer: we are just waiting for you rotten bigoted monsters to die off
Hey Troll, yesterday I was reading a comment somewhere else about why some gays need to remain closeted. Assuming that gay traits are genetically passed on (as opposed to being behaviorally), gays have a better chance of propagating by impregnating straight women, something that might be harder to do if they are openly gay. Something with the demographics about not enough lesbian women to take on that task.
So, be careful about wishing for anyone to die off. The outcome might not be what you expect.
Vimmer,
Are you impatiently waiting for my two ‘bigoted monster” partner-in-laws to die off? Hubby’s (1 of 8 siblings) two youngest gay brothers and all their former and current partners are against the whole concept of gay marriage. One current partner, who is bisexual and has two children from a former hetero marriage, would never ever enter into another marriage with anyone! Mr. Bisexual is the only one of the 5 partners of my two brother-in-laws who is even remotely “progressive”. Same goes for Hubby’s gay nephew and my own blood relative gay cousin, lesbian cousin (out of 45 first cousins), and lesbian aunt (out of 12 aunts and uncles). Auntie, aged 85 years, has lived in San Francisco for 62 years and has never come out of the closet! All the rest of our numerous family members live in very red conservative areas, and the conservatives greatly outnumber the progressives. Some voted for Obama in 2008, but no one is saying they will vote for him in 2012.
By the way…my favorite sibling in-law, and the one I enjoyed and shared the ‘bestest of hootin good times’ was gay partner-in-law #2 of baby brother-in-law. Was devastated when they split up. My Hubby, Dr. Gastroenterologist MD, and myself, RN, have just always felt and expressed our loving concern for their continuing health (AIDS and Hepatitis esp.) and happiness.
So…exactly just who is hateful, bigoted, and monstrous?
1. The speech is here. After a quick reading, it doesn’t seem very eloquent. Maybe it was meant to be low-key and reassuring.
2. From the Monitor link:
Huh? Obama was pushed off his economic message?
No mention of actual elections, NC most recently. The media bias is clear, IMHO. No need to say more.
3. If we base our votes on the Left’s distractions, we deserve Obama. I trust that on Election Day the American people will have more sense than that.
I wouldn’t worry about the distraction, all the Democrats did was to add one more issue for people to check off for either not voting for Obama (not vote at all) or voting for Romney (vote GOP).
Liberals know Obama is going to lose this November, so gay marriage is their way of turning a belly flopper into a swan dive. The narrative is being laid that America just wasn’t ready for gay marriage and thus Obama got caught up in the backlash.
You see, we are just not superior thinking or mature enough, it’s our fault, all those bitter clingers (Democrat primary voters Obama was referring to in 2008) just couldn’t get past their prejudices. Never you mind the economic Keynesian fail, wholesale corruption, blatant racism at the DOJ, complicity in murders of 300+ Mexicans (Fast and Furious) and politicized science to benefit campaign contributors.
Hence the core liberal belief system is kept intact by the pseudo sacrifice of Obama engineered by Biden in an et tu Brute moment. This explains why the gaffe master stabbed his boss in the back by outing him on gay marriage at the same time it energizes the liberal base with the false moral outrage that drives them.
Liberals know Obama is going to lose this November, so gay marriage is their way of turning a belly flopper into a swan dive. The narrative is being laid that America just wasn’t ready for gay marriage and thus Obama got caught up in the backlash.
Heh. The Martyrdom of St. Barack. Thanks for this perceptive observation.
Obama is a Chicago machine politician who will do whatever he can get away with to hang on to power; he has the advantages of an incumbent and the all-out support of the MSM. IMHO his richly deserved defeat is far from assured. IMHO the Left’s martyrdom narrative is a contingency position.
Nevertheless, I am more constructive about our prospects than, during the rancor of the primaries, I expected to be at this point.
I think the ultimate narrative will be that American society just isn’t enlightened enough to keep a “black” president and reverted back to its nasty racism of the past.
It’s all whitey’s fault.
Fall back position or no, now Newsweek has saint Obama on the front cover as the “first gay president” ala Bill Clinton (the first black president).
But alas there is no certainty with the voting moderate and independent on any of the substantive issues, it all falls on the price of gas in November. Gas up, Obama out, gas down, Obama stays. It’s cynically that disgustingly simple.
Indeed. A politician’s attitude towards gun control is an absolutely reliable metric about their attitudes towards liberty, although at a national level it’s been sort of useless for a long time since so few are sincerely pro-Right to Keep and Bear Arms (RKBA). I.e. right now I’m only sure about Tom Coburn and Ron Paul, and we hope the latter’s son.
As recently as the ’60s it was much more useful, or so I’ve read; I suppose it’s not surprising given the substantial increase in the size and most especially scope of the Federal government since then.
I’m a smart person, and I have NO idea what most of these issues are about.
LOL. But I’m smart I tell you, smart.
If you say so.
Should we or should we not spend our way out of debt? It’s all so complicated.
[…] Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion: Romney and our American culture […]
I think Mitt missed a great opportunity to start talking about his Mormon faith. The progressive bigots, but I repeat myself, plan to unleash thermonuclear war on his faith as its massive first strike, during Sept and Oct. Why not lure ’em out now, so he has plenty of time to rebut “their issue” and expose them for what they are?
I once thought I would need to hold my nose and my breath to vote for Romney, but 0bama is helping. The more 0 talks the more willing I am to embrace Mitt. And Operation Counterweight!
In leadership, timing is everything
Tuesday: North Carolina voters endorse President Obama’s stand on gay marriage.
Wednesday: President Obama changes his stand.