[soflorattler]

Dismayed by the prospect of Mitt Romney as the Republican presidential nominee, conservative Christian leaders are intensifying discussions about jointly backing an alternative candidate from a field reshaped by Rick Santorum’s strong performance in Iowa.

The plan disclosed this week for dozens of conservative Christian leaders and political strategists to meet in Texas next Friday and Saturday, a week before the South Carolina primary, is the latest of several such efforts in the last six weeks to seek an elusive unity. Among the conveners of next week’s gathering are luminaries of the evangelical movement, including James C. Dobson, the head of Focus on the Family, and Donald E. Wildmon, the retired president of the American Family Association.

Other evangelical leaders are holding discussions and raising the possibility of later meetings if the gathering in Texas does not yield a consensus.

But time is running short. Like evangelical voters, the leaders of the religious right have been divided over which Republican to back, dispersing their support in a way that has helped Mr. Romney and undercut their influence on the nominating process. With Mr. Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, in a strong position heading into the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, the leaders said they knew they must move quickly if they wanted to shape the outcome.

In a campaign defined in large part by the conservatives’ intense desire to eject President Obama from the White House, the differences among evangelicals underscore the difficulties Republicans have had in putting aside divisions and getting enthusiastically behind someone they feel embodies their values and can win the election.

By effectively tying Mr. Romney in Iowa, Mr. Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, has convinced some influential evangelicals to give him another look. But others argue that only Newt Gingrich — who, like Mr. Santorum, is a conservative Catholic — has the campaign resources and intellectual heft to win. A few still think that Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, who is not actively campaigning in New Hampshire but plans to contest in South Carolina on Jan. 21, should stick around in case the other two burn out. Both Mr. Perry and Mr. Santorum are headed to South Carolina Sunday.

“This is the $100,000 question: can the evangelical leadership unify behind Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum or Rick Perry?” said John Stemberger, president of Florida Family Policy Council.

“There’s a conversation going on as we speak,” he said. “We’re attempting to see if leaders can get on the same page.”

How the splintering of like-minded opponents is helping Mr. Romney was illustrated on Friday by the results of a CNN/Time poll in South Carolina, where, as in Iowa, religious conservatives are an especially important component of the electorate. Mr. Romney was the choice of 37 percent of all likely voters. Mr. Santorum was at 19 percent and Mr. Gingrich, a former House speaker, was at 18 percent. Mr. Perry was at 5 percent.

Many religious conservatives question Mr. Romney’s bona fides on what to them are non-negotiable issues, like opposing abortion and same-sex marriage. Pointing to the large conservative electoral gains in 2010 and Mr. Obama’s weakened position, they see a rare opportunity this year to put a “true conservative” in the White House, and many say they will be disappointed if Mr. Romney, a Mormon, wins the nomination.

Evangelicals are haunted by what happened in the South Carolina primary in 2008, when many of them did not rush to support Mike Huckabee, a former Baptist minister who had won in Iowa. Former Senator Fred D. Thompson of Tennessee took some of his potential votes allowing Senator John McCain, who never won the affection of evangelicals, a crucial victory.

“We’re moving closer to the point where a decision needs to be made,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a leading Christian conservative group. “I think people understand that the stakes are very high.”

But some political experts say that a Texas-style meeting cannot solve a problem that must be sorted out by voters, and that changes this year in the Republican primary rules will give candidates more time to gather delegates.

“It’s way too early to panic,” said David Barton, a Christian author and political strategist who has been a consultant to several candidates. “If leaders did endorse one candidate, I think they’d wind up being ignored by their followers.”

NMore...

[iceman4221]

Many religious conservatives question Mr. Romney’s bona fides on what to them are non-negotiable issues, like opposing abortion and same-sex marriage. Pointing to the large conservative electoral gains in 2010 and Mr. Obama’s weakened position, they see a rare opportunity this year to put a “true conservative” in the White House, and many say they will be disappointed if Mr. Romney, a Mormon, wins the nomination.

Evangelicals are haunted by what happened in the South Carolina primary in 2008, when many of them did not rush to support Mike Huckabee, a former Baptist minister who had won in Iowa. Former Senator Fred D. Thompson of Tennessee took some of his potential votes allowing Senator John McCain, who never won the affection of evangelicals, a crucial victory.

I hear what these SPLINTERED guys are saying, but I thought religious leaders could lose their exempted (church chartered) tax status, if they threw their voice into the political process...  

Additionally, Southern Baptist have always consider the Mormon Church to be a Cult, so what has the POTUS done to make them want to circumvent this thought and unite against his re-election?  

I guess supporting gays in the military is more egregious than the plural marriage principles of Joseph Smith...

My bad only the fundamentalist wing of the church continues with this practice today...    

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_church

Eventually, the church adopted a policy of excommunicating its members found practicing polygamy and today seeks to actively distance itself from “fundamentalist” groups still practicing polygamy.[46]

Here's additional info:  

Smith introduced plural marriage to his closest associates.[25] He also established ceremonies, which he stated the Lord had revealed to him, to allow righteous people to become gods (joint heirs with Christ)[26][27] in the afterlife,[28] and a secular institution to govern the Millennial kingdom.[29] He also introduced the church to a full accounting of his First Vision, in which two heavenly "personages" (LDS interpret them to be God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ) appeared to him at age 14. Long after Smith's death, this vision would come to be regarded by the LDS Church as the most important event in human history after the resurrection of Jesus.[30]

The church has become a stronger and more public champion of the nuclear family and at times played a prominent role in political matters, including opposition to MX Peacekeeper missile bases in Utah and Nevada,[52] opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment,[53] opposition to legalized gambling,[54] opposition to same-sex marriage,[55] and opposition to legalized physician-assisted death.[56]

It's time to snatch some chartered churches tax-exempt status I believe...  

[bigram$]

They need to unite for Santorum

[Strike79]

 .............man, this is an interesting article and quite a bit to chew. You peeps may want to consider reading ALL of the article before posting a comment.  soflo posted about half of the article (New York Times), but he provided access to the balance with the link to "NMore".

In a nutshell, I think what you're seeing in this election, and what subsequent historians will write about, are the final throes of "white patriarchy".  These so-called Christian evangelical, who purport to represent a substantial portion of the white electorate, have decided amongst themselves that the presence of a black man in the White House is so egregious that his ouster must trump any and everything else, including the good of the country.

They are willing to overlook not only Newt Gringich's MULTIPLE marriages, but the circumstances surrounding those marriage, cheating on the first two wives and subsequently marrying the paramour. And that's not to even mention so many of his other WELL DOCUMENTED flaws.  They are willing to overlook Rick Perry's PALPABLE ignorance on so many issues that will face whoever occupies the White House. And that he is PROFOUNDLY unfit to be POTUS.  They are willing to overlook Rick Santorum's ABJECT inexperience in so many areas the president will face, a guy who lost his reelection as US senator from Pennsylvania by 17 points.  And their "view" of America, embodied by such television shows as Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, The Brady Bunch, et al, will simply NOT tolerate a Mormon in the White House, a religious group, as iceman mentioned, these folks consider a "cult".

So this upcoming presidential election REALLY WILL represent a turning point in American history.  The demographics in this country are changing.......really at a RAPID pace.  Non-white births are substantially HIGHER than white births.  Those who call themselves "white" in this country are now having to compete and hustle like never before.  So-called "whiteness" does not have the prestige and engenders the "reverence" it once did. Nonwhites don't "defer" to whites as they once did.  And on and on and on.

Put your seatbelts on boys and girls, this one is gonna be a VERY interesting ride. 

[SkegeeFAMU]

In a nutshell, I think what you're seeing in this election, and what subsequent historians will write about, are the final throes of "white patriarchy".  These so-called Christian evangelical, who purport to represent a substantial portion of the white electorate, have decided amongst themselves that the presence of a black man in the White House is so egregious that his ouster must trump any and everything else, including the good of the country.

They are willing to overlook not only Newt Gringich's MULTIPLE marriages, but the circumstances surrounding those marriage, cheating on the first two wives and subsequently marrying the paramour. And that's not to even mention so many of his other WELL DOCUMENTED flaws.  They are willing to overlook Rick Perry's PALPABLE ignorance on so many issues that will face whoever occupies the White House. And that he is PROFOUNDLY unfit to be POTUS.  They are willing to overlook Rick Santorum's ABJECT inexperience in so many areas the president will face, a guy who lost his reelection as US senator from Pennsylvania by 17 points.  And their "view" of America, embodied by such television shows as Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, The Brady Bunch, et al, will simply NOT tolerate a Mormon in the White House, a religious group, as iceman mentioned, these folks consider a "cult".

So this upcoming presidential election REALLY WILL represent a turning point in American history.  The demographics in this country are changing.......really at a RAPID pace.  Non-white births are substantially HIGHER than white births.  Those who call themselves "white" in this country are now having to compete and hustle like never before.  So-called "whiteness" does not have the prestige and engenders the "reverence" it once did. Nonwhites don't "defer" to whites as they once did.  And on and on and on.

Put your seatbelts on boys and girls, this one is gonna be a VERY interesting ride. 

Strong points all the way around Strike.

What you posted outlines my strong disdain for the Evangelical and religious nuts out there.

From a political POV, this election is what amounts to "Custer's Last Stand of the Evangelical Christian Community. 

[CIAA-FAN]

YOU ALL HAVE MADE GOOD POINTS.  WHO DO YOU SEE AS AVIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO ROMNEY WHO IS NOT A CURRENT GOP CANDIDATE?   

[iceman4221]

YOU ALL HAVE MADE GOOD POINTS.  WHO DO YOU SEE AS AVIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO ROMNEY WHO IS NOT A CURRENT GOP CANDIDATE?  

Mitch Daniel of Indiana

@Strike79 - The point I was attempting to make with my initial  post is that Southern Baptist/Evangelicals, etc... have historically rejected Mormonism as nothing more than a cult and thus they will have a difficult time supporting and convincing their FLOCK's to support Romney in an election against the POTUS...

I believe this brings clarity to my initial post - LOL!!!