I’m no expert on the Church of Latter Day Saints, but I feel pretty confident in saying that their missionary work is pretty central to their whole belief system. For example, “young men between the ages of 18 and 25 who meet standards of worthiness are strongly encouraged to consider a two-year, full-time proselytizing mission.” I don’t think too many Mormons consider this some kind of clever way of avoiding military service, although it obviously can serve that purpose.
Steve Bannon, however, obviously feels differently. At a rally for U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore in Fairhope, Alabama last night, Bannon attacked Mitt Romney:
“Judge Roy Moore has more honor and integrity in that pinkie finger than your entire family has in its whole DNA,” Bannon said in his 30-minute speech at Oak Hollow Farm. “You hid behind your religion. You went to France to be a missionary while guys were dying in rice paddies in Vietnam. Do not talk to me about honor and integrity,” he said, referencing Romney’s Mormon faith.
There’s a lot of heat in those remarks. He accuses Romney not only of being a coward who lacks honor and integrity, but of being an insincere missionary who was proselytizing out of his own convenience instead of any conviction. Bannon’s condemnation is sweeping enough to call into question the LDS’s entire practice of missionary work if it happens to take place in wartime.
There are other religious faiths that would fare poorly by this standard, including the Quakers, but this is a pretty strong attack on a pillar of Mormon faith and religious practice, and I don’t imagine it will be received well.
Amazingly, Bannon thinks he can disparage Mormonism like this and still have standing to talk about who will represent Utah in the Senate.
Bannon has reportedly toyed with the idea of endorsing Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) for reelection, fearful that a Hatch retirement would allow Romney to walk into the Senate in 2018 and become a conservative thorn in Trump’s side.
I’d like to know how Orrin Hatch feels about Bannon’s assertion that young Mormon men on mission are lacking in honor, integrity, courage, or conviction. Does Hatch endorse that view himself? Does he want Bannon’s support? Will he disavow Bannon and defend the honor of Mitt Romney and their religious brethren?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Personally, I don’t give a flying fuck about what Steve Bannon thinks. He’s a slovenly political hack who lives to stir up controversy. It speaks volumes that Trump gave him a bigger voice and broader access to the media. The old school Republicans might pretend to be aghast at what comes out of Bannon’s mouth, but they secretly (and some not so secretly) like what he does to fire up the base.
I’m sick of seeing how despicable Republicans can be. Bannon is right at the top of my list of Terrible Subhuman Beings.
If I am not mistaken, it is also the case that neither Donald J. Trump nor either of his adult sons has served in the military. Perhaps Mr. Bannon is unaware of that.
Now, now, don’t bring logic or principle into this. Irrelevant and immaterial!
Since the response from all other punditry has been to let the Alabamans reach their own decisions without interference from outsiders it’s pretty amazing to hear Alabama crowd cheering outsider Bannon on.
Every time I watch, listen or read him it’s apparent all he has is a bad mouth. There’s no day after in him.
If we are going to start dissing people who managed to avoid going to Viet Nam to fight, let us all take a good long look at Mr. 4-F in the Oval Office.
What does Orrin Hatch think of this? Orrin Hatch is a honorless political hack. He has proven this by his actions under Trump.
Who gives a flying fuck what Hatch thinks?
It’s probably not so much what Orrin thinks about Bannon, but rather what Orrin thinks about how Provo, UT thinks about Bannon.
Indeed. And what Provo, UT, thinks about what Bannon said last night, when Bannon attacked one of their tribe.
Hatch is scum, but he’s LDS. Part of the OLD white boy LDS network. So he’ll take a stand for RMoney bc of tribalism. Plain and simple.
Ask ans receive:
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/363529-orrin-hatch-fires-back-at-bannon-for-attacking-ro
mneys-religious
just tapping on the wedge over here, my friend. just tapping on the wedge.
Screw Bannon – scurrilous venal deplorable scum that he is – for making me want to almost – almost – defend RMoney.
It’s been said trillions of times now, but how frickin LOW can the R-Tribe go?
Sadly I doubt we’re close to touching bottom. Ugh.
Bannon’s right but putting it in the wrong context, in this case Rmoney’s religion.
Rmoney does in fact lack honor and integrity…politically. I can’t speak to his character as it pertains to his faith.
Social “conservatism” certainly can make for some strange bedfellows: Bannonite Alt-righters, Nazis/white supremacists, Southern Baptists, Mormons, Israel Firsters, etc etc. All united in hating the same foes as their Prime Directive. These little conserva-quarrels won’t stop future Senator Rmoney from co-authoring a boat-load of legislation with Senator Teen Abuser and bitterly opposing all things Dem. Bannon is just resurrecting for old times sake the traditional Baptist-Mormon fault line, a longstanding family dispute, haha.
But however seemingly fragile the chords of memory that hold these groups into their politically destructive coalition in the (almost 40 year old) Conservative Era, nothing can alter the landscape now short of American Gotterdammerung.
Good points. Quite agree. LDS RMoney will have no problem working the Hebephile Southern Baptist. After all, they both hate the same enemies, plus they’ll both do what their 1% Overlords demand.
And at any rate, some LDS members view women and children in the same vile way that Southern Baptists do: as chattel to do the bidding their male masters.
So eh? Kinda 2 peas in a pod, really.
The relations between the LDS and conservative Christianity is an interesting and evolving question. The traditional Southern Baptist condemns Mormonism as heresy (which from an objective POV it certainly is), but in recent years the LDS have made an effort to emphasize the more Christian strands of its strange theology, and so many Southern Baptists have felt less hostile toward the LDS because they have been “becoming more Christian.”
https:/www.christianpost.com/news/baptist-scholar-says-mormonism-is-evolving-toward-becoming-christ
ian-denomination-with-biblical-evangelical-view-of-christ-and-salvation-140518
So, was it Bannon who chased Chaffetz out the house?
Bannon is clearly demonstrating his willingness to turn the Evangelical Right against the LDS and establishment GOP, potentially opening a deep, painful schism in the Right coalition of decades. What does this suggest to you?
Bannon is not a Republican; he is a political terrorist and the GOP’s worst nightmare.
Not the LDS, just Romney.
You are missing the point. Fundamentalist Christians believe that Mormons aren’t true Christians – that Mormonism is a pagan heresy and that Romney and other Mormons will go to hell when they die.
Bannon is forcefully reminding the fundie base that Romney spent two years luring people away from Chistianity to an evil blasphemous false religion.
Romney will be damned for eternity while Moore will go to heaven to be with Jesus.
That’s what the speech was about.
Hatch of course is a Mormon and did his mission in the Midwest. He knows what Bannon was saying, but I suspect that he is too craven to speak out.
Turns out not only that Hatch understood it but that it was a bridge too far for him.
https://twitter.com/senorrinhatch/status/938432965222240256/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vox.com%2Fpolicy-and-politics%2F2017%2F12%2F6%2F16743160%2Fsteve-bannon-mitt-romne
y-alabama-utah-senate
Bannon has a high opinion of his service in the Navy at the Pentagon and aboard ship during Operation Eagle Claw, which failure he lays totally at the feet of Jimmy Carter. The after action report said that failure of service cohesion was the major issue. The services were competing for glory in the rescue. Each wanted they piece of the action whether it made sense or not. What was it that the Navy was supposed to do?
This for Bannon is more national service than Mitt Romney’s missionary service for the LDS in France.
A plague on both their houses. Bannon seems bitter about his Navy service. Romney seems bitter about the response of the public to his dad telling the truth about the military briefings in Vietnam. Mitt decided that he’d never let the truth get in the way of his getting to the White House. Bannon decided he’d never let the truth get in the way, perios.
It doesn’t matter what Bannon says, he’s not running for office. That will be what the Mormon’s use as an excuse.
When 45% voted for Trump, and Clinton only got 27%, they are nothing but ordinary republicans, and their religion nothing but a facade to hide behind. So, like ordinary republicans, they will vote the party, and to hell with the country, and their own religious beliefs.
And of course Romney used his missionary work to avoid the draft! I was there, and trust me, many many young men were looking for anyway possible to avoid being drafted.
.
Hatch doesn’t need Bannon’s support in Utah. He may not even run again, but that seat is his forever if he chooses. “will Hatch disavow Bannon?” I’d say it’s the other way around. Bannon’s the one who needs support for his cause, which is to run establishment Repubs like Hatch and Romney out of the party. And Bannon just fucked up the Utah part, IMO. He won’t keep Romney from taking over Hatch’s seat by trashing the LDS. But that said, if he does, so what? So what if Romney loses to a Bannon protege who beats an opposing, galvanized LDS? Would a Democrat have a chance to beat that guy? Doubtful. Besides… screw Romney. And Hatch. And Bannon.