Where are the Mormons?

UPDATED

Marc Ambinder asks an interesting question about the composition of Mitt Romney's National Faith & Values Steering Committee:

[Note: Ambinder edited his post significantly after I linked to it. The link to his updated post is here and in the update below. The copied text from Ambinder's blog should be read in the context of the update. - ed.]

Where Are The Jews?
14 Jun 2007 10:24 am

Press release headline:



GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY ANNOUNCES THE
NATIONAL FAITH AND VALUES STEERING COMMITTEE

Lots of Christians.

No Jews**, unless you count Jay Sekulow, born Jewish and born again in Christ, as Jewish. I'm going to let my colleagues argue about this one. No Muslims, either.

The full, Christian-only list of Romney's "Faith and Values" steering committee is after the jump.

** Based on a Google search through all the names. But maybe I'm missing one...


The Romney For President National Faith And Values Steering Committee Chairs:


· Dr. Robert Andringa, President Emeritus, Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, Arizona

· James Bopp, Jr., Romney For President Special Adviser on Life Issues, Indiana

· Barbara Comstock, Former Department of Justice Spokesperson and former Susan B. Anthony List Advisory Committee Member, Virginia

· Mark DeMoss, President, DeMoss Group Public Relations, Georgia

· Ovide Lamontagne, New Hampshire

· Chris Long, Chief Operation Officer, Foster Friess & Associates, Delaware

· Gary Marx, Executive Director of the Judicial Confirmation Network, Former Executive Director of the Virginia Christian Coalition, Bush-Cheney '04 Conservative Coalitions Director, Virginia

· George Seay, Co-Founder and CEO, Annandale Capital; Co-Founder and Chairman, Legacy, Texas

· Jay Sekulow, Constitutional Attorney and Supreme Court Advocate, District of Columbia

· Lou Sheldon, President, Traditional Values Coalition, California

· Matthew Spalding, Director, B. Kenneth Simon Center For American Studies, The Heritage Foundation, District of Columbia


The Romney For President National Faith And Values Steering Committee Vice-Chairs:


· Jim Anthony, South Carolina

· Rep. Dennis Baxley, Speaker Pro Tempore, Florida House of Representatives, Florida

· Dee Benedict, Christian Activist, South Carolina

· Jason Bonham, Illinois State Director, Legacy Law Foundation, Illinois

· Sen. Cameron Brown, Michigan State Senate, Michigan

· Nathan Burd, Director of International Program & Public Policy, Heartbeat International, Ohio

· Steve Chamberlain, Senior Pastor, Branford Evangelical Free Church, Connecticut

· Tom Coates, Vice President, Truth About Gambling, Iowa

· Dr. Jay Dennis, Senior Pastor, Lakeland, Florida

· Dr. Paul K. Driessen, Esq., Senior Policy Adviser, Congress On Racial Equality, Virginia

· Joe Earle, Former Director Of Church and Community Development, Iowa Christian Alliance, Iowa

· James Edwards, Government Relations Consultant, Olive-Edwards, Virginia

· Paul Erickson, Executive Director, Citizens for the Republic, South Dakota

· David French, Senior Counsel, Alliance Defense Fund, Tennessee

· Nancy French, Author, Red State of Mind, Tennessee

· Justin Hart, Virginia

· Jeff Hunt, Account Executive, The Clapham Group, District of Columbia

· Keith Hunter, Board Member, Iowa Christian Alliance, Iowa

· Don Hutchings, Senior Pastor, Evangel Temple, Arkansas

· M.F. Jackson, Pastor, South Carolina

· Gary Jarmin, President, American Service Council, California

· Sen. Dave Johnson, Conservative Activist, Iowa

· Jimmy Jones, Director, Christ Central Ministries, South Carolina

· John Kingston, Massachusetts

· Gary La Ferla, CEO, G3 International, California

· Wendy Long, Chief Counsel, Judicial Confirmation Network, New York

· Drew McKissick, National Board Member, Christian Coalition, South Carolina

· Charles Mitchell, Conservative Writer, District of Columbia

· Kathy Oltmans, Christian Activist, Iowa

· John Pudner, RNC Catholic Task Force, Alabama

· Melinda Ronn, Senior Faith-Based Consultant, MKR & Associates, Connecticut

· Sen. Alan Sanborn, Michigan State Senate, Michigan

· Jordan Sekulow, Former National Youth Director, Bush-Cheney '04, Virginia

· Rep. Fulton Sheen, Michigan State House of Representatives, Michigan

· Camille Solberg, Former President, Wisconsin Coalition for Traditional Marriage, Wisconsin

· David Vicinanzo, New Hampshire

· Mark White, Senior Pastor, Christian Assembly of God, South Carolina

· Joe Wiegand, Former Director of Voter Education, Christian Coalition, Virginia

· Lori Wortz, Former Board Member, Citizens for Traditional Values, Michigan

I have a question of my own: where are the Mormons?

I don't see anybody associated with an organization based in Utah, or identified otherwise as a Latter-Day Saint. Are there any Mormons on Romney's National Faith & Values Steering Committee? If not, why not?

As I have written previously, Romney's religious affiliation poses serious problems for him with members of the Republican Party's base, many of whom consider the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to be, literally, a cult. Even if he makes it through the primary somehow to win the nomination, many religious conservative Republicans will simply stay home on election day rather than confront the distasteful task of choosing between a Democrat and a Mormon. This, frankly, and not Romney's complete lack of any "perceivable political principle" is his biggest hurdle in becoming the GOP candidate for president. Unless he is deluded or an idiot, he knows this.

It is possible that there is at least one Mormon on Romney's steering committee. If there is, however, I have to wonder why he or she is not identified as such. It is, after all, a group which exists presumably to provide guidance to the campaign on issues related to religion. In that context, a member's religious affliation is of undeniable relevance.

If, however, there are no Mormons on the steering committee, it is worth asking: is Mitt Romney's faith just the latest part of his identity that he is willing to edit or delete completely in pursuit of higher political office?

UPDATE

Marc writes:

I originally wrote that there were no Jews. Well, I was wrong. There's Dr. Paul K. Driessen.

My observation is not at all subtle accusation of anti-Semitism or anything remotely like that.

It's more of an organizational question: why separate the campaign's Jewish advisory council (there is one) from its faith and values steering committee?

The Republicans generally mock the balkanization of Democratic interest groups -- that Dems send out press releases trumpeting the endorsements of gays, Latinos, etc.

Republicans kinda sorta do the same thing, but they have an innocuous name for it: affinity groups. And suffice it to say, some Republican campaigns think that Israel is the only "Jewish" issue. It's not. I presume any person willing to be publicly identified by his or her religion is interested in faith and values.

However, my question remains.