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Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) delivered the much-anticipated speech on his Mormon faith Thursday morning but only used the word “Mormon” once. Polls have shown that many Americans believe that the country is not ready for a Mormon president, and the speech is seen as a possible “make or break” event in Romney’s campaign. It appeared that Romney avoided the term “Mormon” in his 2,000-word speech from the George H.W. Presidential Library in College Station, Texas. “I believe in my Mormon faith, and I endeavor to live by it,” Romney said roughly a third of the way through his speech. More often, when he did talk about his religion, Romney used terms like “my faith,” “my beliefs” or “my religion.” Romney used the words “Catholic” and “Islamic” and their variants more often than he used the word “Mormon” and its variations. While other candidates have said that religion should not matter in the race for the White House, polls have shown that Romney still has to convince the American public. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll last month showed that 50 percent of respondents said the country is not ready to elect a Mormon president. Romney has stayed clear of going into his religion’s doctrines, repeatedly referring such questions to the church itself. |
