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A few days ago on The McLaughlin Group one of the stranger blow-ups we’ve seen lately came when O’Donnell began discussing Mitt Romney’s so-called “Faith” speech. Seemingly out of nowhere, O’Donnell launched into a full-scale attack on Mormonism:
O’DONNELL: Here’s the problem. He dare not discuss his religion. And he fools people like Pat Buchanan, who should know better. This was the worst speech, the worst political speech, of my lifetime, because this man stood there and said to you, “This is the faith of my fathers.” And you and none of these commentators who liked this speech realize that the faith of his father is a racist faith. As of 1978, it was an officially racist faith. And for political convenience, in 1978 it switched and it said, “Okay, black people can be in this church.”
He believes — if he believes the faith of his fathers that black people are black because in heaven they turned away from God in this demented Scientology-like notion of what was going on in heaven before the creation of the earth —
BUCHANAN: Are you saying that his Mormonism disqualifies him from being president of the United States?
O’DONNELL: I’m saying he’s got to answer — when he was 30 years old —
BUCHANAN: He does not have to answer.
O’DONNELL: — and he firmly believed in the faith of his father that black people are inferior, when did he change his mind? Did the religion have to tell him to change his mind? And when he talks about the faith of his father, how about the faith of his great- grandfather, who had five wives?
BUCHANAN: Well, look, my great-grandfather had slaves, and I don’t believe in slavery.
Filed Under: Mitt Romney, PBS, Racism/Bigotry, Religion
Tags: Lawrence O’Donnell, mclaughlin group, pat buchanan
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Blacks were allowed into the LDS almost immediately, and briefly held the priesthood.
Then in 1978 the priesthood was restored to them permanently.
In between times they were members, but like women had little say.
Women still have little say.
Don’t care for the Mormons eh Larry?
I don’t see anything wrong with Lawrence’s passion. I’d like to see some more passion out of our political journalists and leaders during this time of universal deceit and war.
I think Mitt can give all the speeches he wants and it won’t change the simple fact… He is wrong on Iraq. 70%+ want us out, I think its tome to do some representing.
Ooh ooh me first! Go LOD!!!
Orangutan. @ 3:
It just needs to passion pointed in the right directions.
I’m not sure this rant by O’Donnell qualifies.
Oh well, still, go LOD!!!
I think the point was missed entirely. Mitt came forward to ask for tolerance of his religion, baggage and all, and then called “secularism” a religion and declared it was evil and intolerable. Mitt wins the ‘08 election cycle award for Largest Hypocrite imaginable, though Pat Robertson has had a strong showing.
The station that I watch the McLaughlin Group on didn’t show it this week. I wonder if this was the reason I have it on autorecord on my HD Dvr that’s why I know it didn’t air.
ysbaddaden @ 1:
Well, they are subservient to men …isn’t that what the Huckmeister said.
This is a SNARK, ladies…a SNARK!
“hiding under desk from the incoming handbags and shoes”
Hey, Pat, my great-grandfathers fought against slavery, my great-grandfathers each had 1 wife, my great-grandfathers religion preached, all men and women are equal.
We are in the 21st century after all. Evolution is a wonderful thing.
not only is odonnell spot-on in his passion, he is right in questioning mitt’s sincerity and true beliefs.
Larry, could have chosen a better shortcoming of the Mormon church to run with here. Hell, racism is present in religions because it is present in all people.
I think what he was getting at was that the Mittster pretty much dodged really talking about his religion and was trying to use racism as an example. There are plenty of surreal beliefs in Mormonism and the other flavors of Christianity as well.
We should stop coddling religion and shine some light on the hypocrisy. Larry did it exceedingly poorly.
Hell, pointing out that Mormonism is racist is a plus for Buchanan anyway, what was Larry not thinking?
I know this is OT, but important.
U.S. says homegrown attack poses biggest risk
The United States faces a heightened threat of terrorist attack “for the foreseeable future” but any attack will likely be homegrown, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said on Wednesday.
Don’t look for this administration leaving office gracefully, they will probably do a Giulianni and say they need to stay in office for the safety of the country.
Homegrown my ass … more like Admin-Grown.
SOOOOOO?!? What’s the problem?
Let’s say some whackjob from Westboro Baptist Church (the one’s who picket all the soldier funerals) were to run for President…
The beliefs of that church would be VERY MUCH the point of the debate.
As I have said elsewhere, Mormonism is no more or less loony than any of the other major superstitions that pass for religion.
Over three thousand years of belief, not a shred of rational evidence.
Pax, Steve
I don’t see anything wrong with what O’Donnell said, either. This is a very, very valid concern to have regarding someone who’s running for President: is he or is he not racist? And for all of those other folks to defend him simply because he “has faith” is ridiculous; having faith doesn’t make a good leader (as countless leaders have shown throughout history, up to and including today), and in fact that sort of religious litmus test is expressly proscribed by the Constitution itself in Article VI.
I don’t care if Mitt Box is a Mormon, would you care if he was KKK. I know he thinks Guantanamo Bay Cuba Prison Camp should be doubled in size or something. Awful. I truly hope Ron Paul ends up representing the Republican values come 08. And I’d like Barack Obama to win the presidency. Peace.
it must be mentioned, the ‘freedom requires religion’ speech is–not only ahistorical and glaringly inaccurate–an afront to American values and tradition.
mitt, in the words of dick cheney: fuck off.
More folks on the tee-vee need to blow gaskets like this.
Spend my spare time unbrain-washing the LDS out here in Mesa…
It is one of the strangest cults we have, and should be treated so.
If O’Donnell had been just a little better in explaining his criticism, then I’d say this was a good moment. Namely, if he mentioned Mitt’s talk about secularism being an evil religion. Then we would understand this moment of passion.
His words about Joe Smith were dead-on correct.
Religion should not be an issue in politics. Politicians should not bring it up, and they should not be asked about it.
But Romney made it an issue - therefore it’s not only fair game, it’s NECESSARY that his religious attitudes be examined and criticized where proper.
You can toss religion into the race in order to win cheap brownie points and then claim its hands-off for discussion.
Now we just need to see the rest of the religion-based candidates’ beliefs get questioned similarly. But if they don’t run on religion, then its hands off.
Way to go O’Donnell pop that slimey jerk in the mouth, he is as fake as that plastic hair.
Mitt does have to answer, if he in fact supports (or supported) a racist organization… but Buchanan was right about slavery… that’s the one and only time you’ll see me saying he’s right!
That’s a great video clip. Now when are others in the media going to start asking the tough questions to religious bigots who justify rape, racism and homophobia by claiming these oppose the tenets of Christianity?
Unlike Huckabee, NO christian would pardon a rapist - especially after hearing from his victims.
Oh yes you can see it out in traffic.
Everyone hates everyone.
(_(_) @ 11:
What’s your point? Are you judging people based on what their great-grandfathers believed?
On one hand, LOD’s criticism seems fair– mormonism officially sanctioned racism up until the 70s when there was one of these convenient “revelations” that happened to line up with new civil rights laws (just like they reversed on bigamy conveniently when they wanted to become a state). At the same time, I wish people would be more critical and skeptical of ALL religions rather than blindly tolerant of all faiths because as someone above said, they’re all pretty loony.
I guess if you’re looking for a thread tying Romney to his religion, it’s that both seem to cave and reverse their position when politically convenient…
B
BUCHANAN: Well, look, my great-grandfather had slaves, and I don’t believe in slavery.
Do you own a plantation, Pat?
I think the point your co-panelist is getting at is that Romney is a practising Mormon. Religious beliefs and practices compared to slavery=apples compared to anything that is not an apple.
John F. Kennedy’s Speech on Secret Societies - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QheIE_kQrQ
This is apparently from a different era..!!
Moe Zilla @ 14:
No,No, No. Any home grown attack will be caused by the Liberal Media , just ask Tony Perkins.
Bill Norton @ 27:
Pat Buchanan was…
Pat’s forefathers owned enslaved Africans, and Pat himself is a bigot who believes that non-white people don’t know how to, or would not be able to, run a democracy.
Gee, how fitting then that the racism of Mormonism is called into question!!
Pat, your great-grandfather isn’t running for president. Is reality that difficult of a concept for reich-wingers?
Religion is so fucking stupid.
Pat Buchanan (Jesus, does an hour ever go by on MSNBC without Asshat Buchanan being on?!?), as usual, makes a disingenuous point.
If Pat Buchanan had been a slave-holder until 1978, then maybe it’d be a valid comparison. But O’Donnell is right on the money here. If you’re 30 years old, and you belong to a sect whose leaders officially consider black people to be of an inferior species, that’s pretty damning. Mitt belonged to an officially racist organization — the fact that it was a Church is more or less irrelevant — and he needs to do what Democrats are always forced to do — distance himself from that history and denounce it.
ditto #35
BUCHANAN: Well, look, my great-grandfather had slaves, and I don’t believe in slavery.
Clever use of words. He doesn’t believe in it because it no longer really exists in America. Not so much because he thinks it was a bad thing. You bet your sweet waspy ass that Patty would have a whole stable of slaves if it helped his profit margin.
This from a man who would ship all the illegal immigrants back to Mexico - I presume in shipping containers like so much human chattle.
If I could ask Mitt a question, it would be:
You seem to believe that all religions are equal and should be equally respected. Does this mean you find Satan Worship to be a religion which should get equal respect to mormonism? If not, why?
Go O’Donnell. He’s just saying how fucking hypocritical Romney is.
werenotgonnatakeit @ 35:
Believing in any form of superstition is what’s stupid.
I’ve always viewed The McLaughlin Group as a bunch of serious nut cases trying to cover to many topics on a very tight schedule.
(Nervous Laugh)
Yeah, okay Larry, nice going calling the Mormon out for some pretty offensive practices, but where was this rant when it was revealed that Huckabee asked the parole board to go easy on a brutal rapist? Why aren’t you screaming that Huckabee, who also said that women should submit to their husbands, is a misogynist? You’re taking the easier path by picking on the Mormon. The evangelical Christian is no better.
The problem with mixing religion and politics is…they don’t mix.
I don’t have anything against Mormonism but it does seem rather cultish, anti - black and demeaning to women. Oh, erm - am I talking about mormonism or Protestantsism?
Keeping people poor and uneducated is a form of slavery.
craig @ 22:
Right on, Craig. Romney brought this on himself. I think O’Donnell makes a completely valid point here.
In other news, I’m shocked to hear that Pat Buchanan isn’t in favor of slavery.
Religious wars in the United States. Sheesh who would have ever seen that coming.
We live in dangerous times.
If Willard intends to goven based on his faith, then damn straight I have a right, no, an obligation, to question him as to EXACTLY what that faith is about. Anyway, that ‘freedom requires religion’ remark ought to eliminate him from contention for ANY elected office.
I don’t want my politicians to be religious and I don’t want my religious leaders to be politicians. Mixing the two is not only counter-productive, but it’s a volatile cocktail that is self-destructive.
liberalista @ 43:
The Disciple of Ann Rand has spoken!!!!!
The Roots of the Mortgage Crisis
By Alan Greenspan
WSJ
On Aug. 9, 2007, and the days immediately following, financial markets in much of the world seized up. Virtually overnight the seemingly insatiable desire for financial risk came to an abrupt halt as the price of risk unexpectedly surged. Interest rates on a wide range of asset classes, especially interbank lending, asset-backed commercial paper and junk bonds, rose sharply relative to riskless U.S. Treasury securities. Over the past five years, risk had become increasingly underpriced as market euphoria, fostered by an unprecedented global growth rate, gained cumulative traction.
The crisis was thus an accident waiting to happen.
ray @ 2:
I believe that Larry’s beef is more a statement against racism. Yes, clearly, he has no love lost on the LDS. This is what the Repugs reap for toying with the 6th ammendment of that rag formerly known as the U.S. Constitution; a religious test for serving. And today comes the right Reverend Huck suggesting that mormons believe that Jeebus is Satan’s brother. On election eve, lo