It's not Romney's church that's worrisome

Stephen Stromberg weighs in on the Mitt Romney thing today in the Washington Post, essentially saying that Mormons are basically mainstream, and we shouldn't worry about that, instead focussing on Romney's actual politics. I won't comment on the religion - frankly, I don't much care what someone's religion is (as long as they're civilized about it); what I object to is people who want to turn it into the law of the land.

And as far as being Mormon goes - well, it's hardly a monolithic political entity, is it? You don't have to look any farther than that senatorial pair of Orrin Hatch and Harry Reid to see that.

Stromberg ends by saying

Instead of focusing on his faith, it would be much more worthwhile for voters to judge Mitt Romney on his evolving political agenda.

I agree. Focus on his "evolving political agenda" and realize how fast he's tacking to the extreme right. As a previous Post editiorial says

He has disavowed previous positions backing a federal law to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and calling for an end to the ban on gays in the military; now he emphasizes his opposition to the ruling on same-sex marriage by Massachusetts's highest court. Once he touted his support for abortion rights and backed the use of leftover embryos for stem cell research; now he endorses overturning Roe v. Wade, a position he says he came to during the stem cell debate.

And no need to say where he stands on that.

Romney is positioning himself as a more conservative alternative to people like Giuliani and McCain - McCain who's cozying up to the Discovery Institute and Jerry Falwell! So I agree with Stromberg: ignore what church he goes to. Listen to what he admits he wants to the country. And think about the people he's courting - and what they want to do.