Discussing Romney, “Keith and Gail” expressed concerns about a Muslim candidate for president
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
While discussing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's presidential candidacy on News Radio 600 KCOL's Mornings with Keith and Gail!, co-host Keith Weinman asked why Romney's Mormon faith was an issue. He acknowledged, however, that he would care about a candidate's religion if a Muslim were seeking the presidency.
On the February 14 broadcast of Fox News Radio 600 KCOL's Mornings with Keith and Gail!, co-host Keith Weinman, discussing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's (R) recently announced presidential bid, wondered why anyone should care that Romney is Mormon, saying, “Why should I care about what his religion is?” Weinman, however, also said that he “would care” if a Muslim ran for president.
Weinman's comments were prompted by co-host Gail Fallen, who asked, "[I]n making your decision on potential presidential candidates, how important is their faith?" She later asked Weinman if he would care about a Muslim candidate's religion “knowing as you do the tenets of Islam? Knowing that Islam is not only a religion but a code of law. Knowing that if you swear allegiance to the Quran you cannot swear allegiance to ... defending the Constitution of the United States because Islamic law supersedes man-made law.” After Weinman responded, “I would care,” Fallen asked, “Does that make you intolerant? Does that make you racist? Does that make you a xenophobe or a bigot, or any other negative characterization you can come up with?”
Weinman also announced that they would be hosting KCOL Saturday talk show host John Clarke for an “Ask a Mormon” segment later in the broadcast. According to Weinman, “We, together, will learn about the LDS [Latter-day Saints] faith so that we can factor that into our decision to support Mitt Romney or not for the Republican nomination for president.”
Colorado Media Matters previously noted that Weinman and Fallen repeated conservative falsehoods directed against U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim elected to Congress, when Ellison decided to use a Quran for a ceremonial swearing-in photo opportunity.
From the February 14 broadcast of Fox News Radio 600 KCOL's Mornings with Keith and Gail!:
WEINMAN: We can look at various presidents. Let's just go backwards in time a few years. George W. Bush: Methodist. Methodists make up 7.2 percent of the U.S. population. William Jefferson Clinton: Baptist. Baptists make up 17 percent of the U.S. population. George H. W. Bush -- Bush 41 -- Episcopalian, 1.8 percent of the population. Ronald Reagan: Disciples of Christ, which are Presbyterian, 2.8 percent of the population. And Jimmy Carter: Baptist, 17.2 percent of the population.
FALLEN: Which begs the question: In making your decision, and looking forward toward '08 -- in making your decision on potential presidential candidates, how important is their faith? How important is their religious affiliation to you? And how do you think it impacts the presidency?
WEINMAN: My first reaction to seeing all the concerns to stories that say that Mitt Romney can't, can't achieve this goal, because -- and the stories will go on to say there has never been a Mormon president, that America will not elect a Mormon president -- my first reaction was, why? Why should I care? Why should I care about what his religion is? Then I asked myself a question that Michelle [the show's producer] brought up earlier. Would I -- if we were, instead of talking about LDS here, if we were talking about somebody who was bandying about, who'd thrown in a hat -- who's thrown his hat in the ring for the nomination who was Muslim, would I ask myself the same question: Why should I care?
FALLEN: Would you ask yourself that question, though?
PRODUCER: Of course we would. Of course we would.
FALLEN: Would you care? And I'm gonna call you on this one, Keith. I'm gonna call you out on this one. Because would you ask yourself that question, knowing as you do the tenets of Islam? Knowing that Islam is not only a religion but a code of law. Knowing that if you swear allegiance to the Quran you cannot swear allegiance to --
WEINMAN: You want to know the truth?
FALLEN: -- defending the Constitution of the United States because Islamic law supersedes man-made law.
WEINMAN: Want to know the truth? Let me reset the question.
FALLEN: I want you to answer the question.
WEINMAN: I will, I will.
PRODUCER: [laughing] Skirting. Skirting.
WEINMAN: When the story came around, Mitt Romney throwing his hat in the ring for the nomination for the Republican candidacy for president in '08, my immediate reaction was why in the world should I care? Then I went through a thought process and said, what if he was Muslim? Would I ask myself the same question? The answer is no.
PRODUCER: No you wouldn't care, or no you wouldn't ask yourself the same question?
WEINMAN: I wouldn't ask myself the same question.
PRODUCER: 'Cause you would care.
WEINMAN: I would care.
PRODUCER: Yeah. Because we had this conversation when what's-his-name swore on the Quran into Congress, right?
FALLEN: Keith Ellison. Mm-hmm.
PRODUCER: Right, and that was a big deal, and we all know why it was a big deal. So for us to say that we wouldn't ask ourself the same question, I mean, that's --
WEINMAN: I'm not saying I couldn't get around it. But what we're -- what you've asked me here is would I ask myself the question: Why should I care?
FALLEN: And is it wrong of you to ask that question? Does that make you intolerant? Does that make you racist? Does that make you a xenophobe or a bigot, or any other negative characterization you can come up with?
WEINMAN: 866-triple 8-5549. Now, all of this is why we decided to do “Ask a Mormon” at 8:05. A respected individual that we know and love is going to come and join us in studio, and enable you to ask the questions that have been -- we know they've been in your head for years, but you've never had anybody to ask them to. Nothing is off-limits. 866-triple 8-5449. We, together, will learn about the LDS faith so that we can factor that into our decision to support Mitt Romney or not for the Republican nomination for president.