Saturday, March 19, 2016

Donald Trump on Mitt Romney: ‘Are You Sure He’s a Mormon?’

I don't think Hunter Thompson would have even come up with this approach for Donald Trump. Trump clearly understands the masses in a way I don't.

Ashley Parker reports for NYT:
Speaking in Salt Lake City — home to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ headquarters — Donald J. Trump questioned Mitt Romney’s membership in the faith on Friday, asking a crowd at a rally, “Are you sure he’s a Mormon?”

Mr. Romney, who was the Republican presidential nominee in 2012, comes from a prominent Mormon family, and he remains popular in Utah, which has a sizable Mormon population.

After first praising Mormons generally — “And do I love the Mormons, O.K.?” Mr. Trump said. “Do I love the Mormons?” — Mr. Trump added that he has many friends in Salt Lake City. But he noted pointedly that Mr. Romney, who has been urging Republicans to deny him the presidential nomination, is not one of them.

“Did he choke? Did this guy choke? He’s a choke artist,” Mr. Trump said, referring to Mr. Romney’s loss to President Obama in 2012. Mr. Trump added, “Are you sure he’s a Mormon? Are we sure?”
Is this the lesson we are learning form Trump's candidacy: Never overestimate the masses?

 -RW

6 comments:

  1. I saw the promising headline but then was immediately disappointed by the trivial nature of what he said. Think how beautiful it would have been for him to say "Are you sure he's Morman? I can't imagine you wonderful people being as bloodthirsty as he is. He's using his Mormonism as a cover to shill for war." instead we get something goofy "Are you sure he's a Morman? Well, he didn't win when he ran and that shows that he's not one of you."
    Did he at least get a laugh from the audience?

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  2. Find your opponents weakest point, no matter how superficial, then make it into your mantra. Express it in a few words and exaggerate it: little Mark, lying Cruz, they chop off heads.

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    1. Michael, I don't think it is about an opponent's weakest point. Trump just makes things up. How is Romney's Mormon faith his weakest point? There is no evidence that Romney is not a Mormon.

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  3. Robert, It's tough not to overestimate Mormons (I am one, BTW). They fell for Dubya like no one else. People used to get up in fast and testimony meeting to express their thanks to God for Dubya. You should have seen the tears in the eyes of the Mormons when Romney lost. They thought he was going to save the country. The Mormons aren't the brightest bulbs in the box.

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  4. Whatever Romney is or is not, Romney sure did not have the Mormon "burning in the bosom" to win the presidency. He played patty-cake with Obama. 2012 was the easiest race in the world to have won.

    Instead Romney campaigned saying, Obama was a nice guy, family man who was in over his head and incompetent.

    Obama demonized Romney, even portraying him as a murderer for taking away health insurance so that people would die of cancer.

    Americans voted for the nice but incompetent guy instead of the mean, nasty guy who killed people by stealing their insurance.

    My perception on the other hand is that Trump wants to win. And will fight hard and dirty to win. He has no problem demonizing his opponents.

    Should be fun to watch him against Hillary.

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