However, I expect Iowa to hit back--and hard--when caucus goers there pick John Edwards for the Democratic nomination.
Remember, he has yet to run much in the way of television ads there while Clobama have spent literally millions on ads.
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Mitt Romney's candidacy has put the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the spotlight, some of it harsh.
The church has made many claims over the years about the circumstances surrounding its origin and in its growth, and it has been heavily criticized:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded in a log cabin by Joseph Smith and five members in upstate New York in 1830. Members believe Smith revived the early church after receiving revelations from God through the angel Moroni. From those early American beginnings, the church has grown rapidly, fueled mainly by black and Latino converts won over by Mormon missionary zeal.
The global surge of Mormonism has been hotly debated, with one scholar, Rodney Stark, claiming it is the fastest-growing religion in the world, rivaling Islam. Stark predicts there will be 60 million Mormons by 2080. Many have attacked that claim as a myth, saying the church also struggles with retaining members.
Its origins have been disputed by many who claim the religion and the Book of Mormon were elaborate hoaxes perpetrated by a master con man, Joseph Smith.
While the church receives kudos by many for its pro-family message, its attitude about women basically having no value other than wives and mothers (I exaggerate only slightly) doesn't endear itself to many outside of the faith. The church also deserved much criticism in recent decades over its racism with regard to blacks. And it also has to continually confront its long-ago history of polygamy.
I honestly don't know if Romney's religion--considered a cult by many fundamentalist and evangelical sectors of Christianity--will make or break him. I think if somehow he wins the nomination, he may--if he's smart--pick Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, as a way to counteract the criticism.
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