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McCain’s Mom Swipes At Romney’s Mormon Background

November 11th, 2007
By JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief

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Senator John McCain’s mother is 95 and quickly apologized so she’ll probably be spared a media and blogosphere pile-on — but this would create huge trouble for a candidate and their relative otherwise:

John McCain’s 95-year-old mother, in a swipe at her son’s rival Mitt Romney, said Friday that Mormons were to blame for the scandal that rocked the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

During an appearance on MSNBC, Roberta McCain laid out why her son, John, deserves to win the Republican presidential nomination. But in evaluating McCain’s primary rivals, she criticized Romney’s Mormon faith and his time in Salt Lake City.

“As far as the Salt Lake City thing, he’s a Mormon and the Mormons of Salt Lake City had caused that scandal. And to clean that up, again, it’s not a subject,” Roberta McCain said.

John McCain quickly stepped in: “The views of my mothers are not necessarily the views of mine.”

“Well, that’s my view and you asked me,” Roberta answered.

The issue of religion correctly remains one of the uglier factors in the 2008 race. Two days ago I sat in a hotel room in Billings, Montana, talking to an entertainer who was a Mormon and we agreed that there is indeed a chunk of bigotry out there in politics that has hampered Romney’s chances. His stands….the actual issues…his reported flip-flops….those are separate areas. But there is a segment of the Republican Party and most likely in the United States electorate at large that remains as resistant to him as some Americans were when Catholic JFK ran for President in 1960.

Mrs. McCain’s comment is a particularly ticklish one. The Romney camp can’t ignore it, yet they are dealing with a 95-year-old woman who later apologized. So what happened next?

The Salt Lake Organizing Committee had enticed International Olympics officials with lavish gifts and accusations of bribery mired the Games in scandal while resignations sullied the region’s reputation.

Utah officials tapped Romney to lead the effort and as president and CEO of the organizing committee he pared the budget, boosted revenues and worked to repair the committee’s reputation.

A Romney campaign spokesman said the McCains made a mistake.

“I would disagree with any candidate or any campaign surrogate that chooses to disparage someone based on the faith that they hold, and instead implore other candidates and their campaigns to make a case to voters based on the important issues facing the nation,” said Kevin Madden.

That’s as fair, controlled and classy a statement as any political camp has made this year — not seizing on the statement to trying and demonize the other side.

And, indeed, Mrs. McCain quickly had regrets:

Roberta McCain immediately apologized to her son.

“I didn’t mean to say it,” she said as they stepped away from the cameras.

So this can’t be described as a calculated effort by McCain to get the issue out there.

Meanwhile, John McCain — who as his chances to actually become President dissipate seems to be running a better, wittier and more solid campaign — hit just the right note, too:

“Mormons are great people and the fact that Mitt Romney is a Mormon should play no role whatsoever in people’s decision,” McCain said.

“What she meant was the Olympics were screwed up by the people in Salt Lake when Romney came in and fixed the problems there. But I know my 95-year-old mother is certainly in favor of Mormons.”

Still, the “issue” lingers out there and it’s just one more thing that Romney as a political realist (and professional) needs to be on his guard to confront. But a few nice, top placings in the primaries, and strong debate showings, and partisan political pragmatism (and needs) will trump lingering doubts.

Even so, every time the religioius “issue” is raised by a politico or a politico’s family member — even if it is later retracted — the issue has been thrown out there. The irony is that in 2000 McCain was slimed by the Bush camp that used bigotry to try and chase votes away from him.

If the rotten red meat is thrown out there it can be later removed but the stink remains…and some can still smell it.

And some like the smell.



This entry was posted on Sunday, November 11th, 2007 at 10:26 am and is filed under John McCain, Mormons, Bigotry, Mitt Romney, Republicans, 2008 Elections, Religion, Politics. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

 
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