Two politicians and one religion

Members of the LDS Church are always happy to point out the accomplishments of other members in the world arena. Famous members of the LDS Church are found in various endeavors from sports to entertainment to business and to politics. Two members are currently in the public eye in the arena of politics at this time, one a Republican and the other a Democrat.

The Republican is the current governor of the state of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney (Pop quiz time. Q: Which state of the union has the most useless pair of senators? A: Massachusetts (Senators Edward Kennedy and John Kerry) but California (Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein) is a good guess.) He pretty well saved the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics and wears his faith on his sleeve. He has tackled some of the thornier social issues like gay marriage and stem-cell research and although he may not have won, he has not backed down from his viewpoint. Many in the Republican Party have talked about him running for the office of president and although he would probably only carry the state of Utah during the Republican primaries, I can see him doing a John Edwards and becoming a good pick for Vice President.

However, the Democrat in the public eye is Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid from Nevada. Yes, Brother Reid is a member of the LDS Church, but how good of a member, I do not know. He has a website that you can go to find out more about him, but nowhere on it does it mention his faith. As a member of the LDS Church, I cringe whenever he opens his mouth and spews the Democratic line. I often wonder if he knows that he is lying or that he just is repeating Democratic talking points.

The LDS Church does not endorse any political candidate. The members of the church are counseled to participate in the election process and to vote for those candidates who share the same views and beliefs as the members. Today, most members of the LDS Church vote Republican but it was not always the case. Back in the early 70’s, Democrats held many offices in the state of Utah and also in the Utah congressional delegation. However, when the national Democratic party decided to align itself with abortion and the feminist movement, members of the LDS Church started leaving the Democratic party in droves to the point where during the Reagan administration years, the only Democrat in higher office was the governor of the state. The only time that the LDS Church gets involved in elections to endorse a certain viewpoint is when there are moral issues on the ballot, like gay marriage or gambling, etc., which go against the teachings of the church.

So, the big question is "Oh Great El-ahrairah, who would you vote for, Mitt Romney or Harry Reid?" Well, from what I’ve seen of Mitt Romney, I would vote for him. He strikes me as a good politician who shares the same point of view as I do on most of the important challenges that we face in the United States today. As for Harry Reid, I could not vote for him since the Democratic Party stands for those things that I’m against. He may actually support the same things that I support, but like John "War Hero" Kerry, he doesn’t feel that his personal beliefs should influence his political views, ergo, he sounds like all the rest of the defeatist Democrats in Congress.