‘Twilight,’ Mitt Romney and the Mormons

Probably not many people with actual lives have noticed, but several scholars have pointed out that the vampires in the “Twilight” movies, the third of which — “Eclipse” — opens next week, are not really the “undead” as in the tradition.

They are Mormons. And they are not really bad, like the old-school vampires in the Transylvania tradition. They are good. In fact, they are really angels. Really well-organized, helpful and competent angels.

More organized than I am. Like Mormons. You would have to Google it to follow more closely, but in a word, Stephenie Meyer, the author, is a Mormon. She said the series came to her in a dream. Critics have speculated that Meyers consciously or unconsciously modeled the Dr. Carlisle Cullen family, the most decent, dedicated, moral, competent, capable, striving-for-perfection vampires ever to reach the silver screen, on parishioners at her church. Can’t think of a better model for my younger children, who devour the books.

Could be a sign of our times. I have a latent “inner compass” theory about politics. It goes that we happy and playful Americans, like myself, who are not as organized as Mitt Romney just send forth anyone to be governor or president based on the fun factor: how much fun we can have, how much we can get away with, how much money we can make, how many entitlements we can squeeze out of it before it all goes to pieces. Then when we feel it start to wobble, we send out for a Roosevelt or an Eisenhower or a Reagan to put the pieces back together. That is, we get the guy with the unflappable overview, resolute discipline and unwavering moral compass to put us back together. We enter rehab voluntarily. We put ourselves into receivership. We throw ourselves at the mercy of the courts.

We could well be there by the end of “Recovery Summer.” Time to send in the Mormons …  I mean, the Cullens. Mitt Romney, save us!

Visit Mr. Quigley's website at http://quigleyblog.blogspot.com.