The Voice Of One Crying Out In Suburbia

To give "The Speech" or not to give "The Speech"

That is the question facing Mitt Romney. Some quarters think he should give a Kennedy-esque speech on his mormon faith, explaining it and reassuring voters that he would not take his marching orders from Salt Lake City. According to the AP, many of his advisers are recommending against "The Speech", out of fear that it will bring the issue of his mormonism back into the spotlight.

"I'm happy to answer any questions people have about my faith and do so pretty regularly," the former Massachusetts governor said. "Is there going to be a special speech? Perhaps, at some point. I sort of like the idea myself. The political advisers tell me no, no, no — it's not a good idea. It draws too much attention to that issue alone."

Romney faces a major hurdle in seeking the nomination and to a much lesser extent the Presidency (I think most Republicans, even the most staunch evangelical Christian, would swallow hard and vote for Romney if the other choice were Hillary Clinton). For most of the GOP's evangelical Christian base, his mormonism is a huge issue. It is partly because mormon theology is so aberrant, so outside of orthodoxy. It is also largely due to the mormon practice of proselytizing Christians, setting them directly at odds with everyday Christians in a way that even Muslims are not (when was the last time you saw to imams riding bikes and going door to door giving away Korans?).

Personally, I think that at some point Romney has to address the mormon issue. There is no way that he can win the nomination without a great deal of support from the most evangelical Christians, and as long as they are suspicious of mormonism (and rightfully so) he will remain an also-ran.