Hewitt claimed attacks on Romney's Mormonism and "flip-flop[ping]" "come from the left"

On the March 15 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, nationally syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt denounced as "a myth" host Wolf Blitzer's suggestion that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's (R) Mormon faith will be a "problem with the conservative right." Hewitt asserted: "Most of the public attacks on Romney for his faith in the last three months have come from the left," and added, "He's also been attacked for being a flip-flopper from the left. That's not a conservative critique of him, either." But as Blitzer noted, recent polling data suggests that more liberals would be willing to vote for a Mormon for president than conservatives. Further, Media Matters for America has documented several instances of conservative and evangelical leaders' demonstrated hostility towards Mormonism. Moreover, numerous conservative voices -- including Fox News political analyst Dick Morris, WorldNetDaily.com columnist Bruce Wilson, and reportedly numerous attendees at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) -- have branded Romney a "flip-flopper."

Hewitt cited three examples of "public attacks on Romney for his faith" that have "come from the left": "Jacob Weisberg at Slate; a cover story in The New Republic; a vicious attack in The Nation today on Mormons serving at the Department of Justice." Blitzer then brought up a February 9-11 USA Today/Gallup poll that found that 75 percent of "liberal" respondents would be willing to vote for a Mormon for president, compared with 66 percent of "conservative" respondents.

Hewitt went on to note that he had discussed the issue of anti-Mormonism with several such "opinion leaders" -- including ex-Watergate felon and Prison Fellowship Ministries founder Chuck Colson, Catholic Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver, and Mike McCurry, a former press secretary for President Clinton -- and claimed "the consensus position is ... that this is bigotry." But as Blitzer later noted, Colson himself has made anti-Mormon statements. Indeed, as Media Matters noted, in a "BreakPoint Commentary" delivered during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City-- an event directed by Romney -- Colson criticized Mormonism as un-Christian. Colson wrote: "Mormonism either affirms historic Christianity, or it doesn't. Since it doesn't, it can't call itself Christianity -- a fact that all the good will and public relations in Utah can't change."

When confronted by Blitzer with Colson's previous statements on Mormonism, Hewitt responded that Colson "has enormous respect for Mitt Romney. ... But a good theologian -- and Chuck Colson is an excellent theologian -- will never minimize theological differences. But what he'll say is it's the American story that we don't ask people about what they believe or why they believe it. We ask them what they're going to do and have they lived a good life."

However, there are numerous other Christian leaders who -- like Colson -- have spoken out against Mormonism. For instance, Shirley Dobson, the wife of Focus on the Family founder and chairman James C. Dobson, barred Mormons from conducting services during the 2004 National Day of Prayer. The Southern Baptist Convention, America's second-largest religious community after Catholicism, has classified Mormonism as a cult. Further, Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) has also identified Mormonism as a cult. A 1992 CBN pamphlet -- titled "Cults" -- reportedly declared:

A cult is any group that has a form of godliness, but does not recognize Jesus Christ as the unique son of God ... One test of a cult is that it often does not strictly teach that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God who Himself is God manifested in the flesh ... Christian-oriented cults include the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons), the Worldwide Church of God, Christian Science, Unity, Unitarianism, The Way International, Rosicrucian Society of America, Bahai, Hare Krishna, Scientology, the Unification Church, and the Jehovah's Witnesses.

In addition to stating that most of the attacks on Romney's Mormonism have come from "the left," rather than conservatives, Hewitt asserted: "He's also been attacked for being a flip-flopper from the left. That's not a conservative critique of him, either." But a February 28 Washington Post article reported that Romney's campaign views the perception that he has been inconsistent on various issues as a possible impediment in the GOP primaries. According to the Post, Romney's "flip-flop reputation" and "newly conservative positions on social issues" were noted in an apparently internal Romney campaign strategy document listing "challenges that the former governor faces as he seeks the Republican nomination." (Romney's "belief in the Mormon faith" was also listed as a potential liability.)

Furthermore, conservative media outlets, such as news website WorldNetDaily.com, have criticized Romney's "flip-flop[s]." In a February 13 WorldNetDaily "commentary" -- titled "Mitt Romney's flip-flop: Like father, like son?" -- columnist Bruce Wilson asked of Romney's shift on abortion:

Is he a political opportunist willing to take one side of a life and death issue when seeking liberal votes and quite willing to take the other side of the same issue when seeking conservative votes?

Or is he someone who adopted a political position on a moral issue without giving any serious thought of his own to the life and death implications of the position he adopted?

In a March 15 op-ed on the conservative website Townhall.com, Morris, along with Eileen McGann, co-author of the anti-Clinton book Because He Could (ReganBooks, 2004), wrote of Romney:

"He can't get nominated or even become the consensus candidate of the right wing. He's too Mormon (it shouldn't be an issue, but it is) and flip-flop-flipped from pro-life to pro-choice and back again. These problems, combined with his flip-flops on gay rights and stem cell research, make him incapable of becoming the right-wing candidate to oppose [former New York City Mayor Rudy] Giuliani."

Finally, according to a March 16 American Spectator article, during CPAC, "Romney opponents were handing out flip-flop sandals to symbolize the ex-Massachusetts governor."

From the March 15, 5 p.m. ET, edition of CNN's The Situation Room:

BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about the -- the general consensus out there is that if it's a problem for a Mormon, it's a problem with the conservative right, the religious right in the Republican Party. But this book that you've written suggests that's not necessarily what you believe.

HEWITT: I don't. I think that's a myth. In fact, most of the public attacks on Romney for his faith in the last three months have come from the left -- Jacob Weisberg at Slate, a cover story in The New Republic, a vicious attack in The Nation today on Mormons serving at the Department of Justice.

BLITZER: Were these attacks against him on policy issues or because he's a Mormon?

HEWITT: A Mormon. These are specifically Mormon. He's also been attacked for being a flip-flopper from the left. That's not a conservative critique of him, either.

Now, there are concerns. When you have a Reuters poll that says 43 percent of Americans have some question, obviously that's going to be on the right as well as the left.

But the public attacks that have been the most vicious -- and I go to the Slate one as probably the most bigoted attack -- have come from the left. I think it's because he's the conservative in the race, as you know. And, as a result, they have the most interest in bleeding him, and they're doing their best to try to do so.

BLITZER: In this USA Today/Gallup Poll, which we took a look at, willingness to vote for a Mormon, amongst liberals, self-proclaimed liberals, 75 percent say they are willing to vote for a Mormon. Among moderates, 77 percent. Among conservatives, though, only 66 percent. Nearly a third, apparently, among conservatives, if you believe this USA Today/Gallup Poll, say they wouldn't vote for a Mormon.

HEWITT: And their opinion leaders are addressing that. I talked to a bunch of people for this book -- I've been working on it for a year -- whether it was Chuck Colson or Archbishop Chaput in Denver, [historian] Doris Kearns Goodwin, Mike McCurry -- left, right, center, north, south.

And the consensus position is evolving that this is bigotry and that we have to remind people about that. If someone were to say today, "I wouldn't vote for a Catholic," they'd be hooted out. They'd be thrown out of the public square. Or an African-American or a Jew.

And for people to routinely say, "I won't vote for a Mormon," that's going to get the same status, but it's going to take some time for people to get there.

[...]

BLITZER: You mentioned Chuck Colson earlier, the founder of the Prison Fellowship Ministries. He said this last year -- or two years ago, actually: "While Mormons share some beliefs with Christians, they are not Christians. They rely not on the authority of the Bible alone, but also on Joseph Smith. I respect Mormons, work with them, and consider them co-belligerents in many causes. But we can't gloss over our fundamental differences."

Tell us about your conversation with Chuck Colson.

HEWITT: Chuck and I went for a very long time because we're old friends. And the theological chasm is vast. But he also says he has enormous respect for Mitt Romney and he wants to communicate that, because of his defense of marriage in the Bay State, because of his 37 years married to Ann Romney, his five wonderful sons.

He likes the story. He likes the character and the ideology.

But a good theologian -- and Chuck Colson is an excellent theologian -- will never minimize theological differences. But what he'll say is it's the American story that we don't ask people about what they believe or why they believe it. We ask them what they're going to do and have they lived a good life.

And Romney has got a good story there.