Romney's "Faith in America" Speech: What Worked and What Didn't

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) has just delivered his long-awaited speech on the role faith and religion should play in the American political process.

The Fix watched the speech live -- thank you C-Span 3! -- and herewith are a handful of our thoughts about what worked and what didn't.

If you caught the speech, feel free to offer your own take in the comments section. .

WHAT WORKED

Optics: Romney's campaign made sure the room was as friendly as possible for Romney; he was greeted with huge applause when he was introduced and interrupted by applause several times during the relatively short (under 30 minute) address. Having most of Romney's immediate family -- his wife as well as four of his five sons -- was also a nice touch. The group was mentioned by former President George H.W. Bush in his introduction of Romney and the group came on stage almost as soon as the governor had concluded his speech.

Delivery: Romney is a gifted politician and he showed it. He had clearly rehearsed the speech thoroughly as he was able to not simply read it off the TelePrompTer but actually invest it with emotion and inflection. Many in the political class take the delivering of speeches like this for granted but it is a VERY difficult task. Romney was up to it.

Straight Talk: Romney is well aware that many voters have questions about his position changes on several key issues including, most notably, abortion. He used today's speech to subtly push back on that narrative, pledging to stand by his religious beliefs no matter the impact on his candidacy. "Some believe that such a confession of my faith will sink my candidacy, Romney said."If they are right, so be it. But I think they underestimate the American people. Americans do not respect believers of convenience. Americans tire of those who would jettison their beliefs, even to gain the world." A very nice turn of phrase.

Common Ground: Romney spent very little time on the specifics of the Mormon faith (more on that below), focusing instead on what he shared in common with other religious people rather than what was different about his faith. "It is important to recognize that while differences in theology exist between the churches in America, we share a common creed of moral convictions," he said at one point. Romney's goal in this sort of rhetoric is to take the emphasis off of his personal faith and put it more broadly on his status as a person of faith in hopes that will be enough to satisfy skeptical voters.

Separation of Church and State: Romney went out of his way to address unspoken fears about whether he would be guided by the Church of Latter Day Saints if elected president. "Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions," he said. "Their authority is theirs, within the province of church affairs, and it ends where the affairs of the nation begin." To show it was not simply a rhetorical turn of phrase, Romney cited his time as governor of Massachusetts as evidence; "As governor, I tried to do the right as best I knew it, serving the law and answering to the Constitution," he said.

WHAT DIDN'T

Mormon?: A quick search through the text of Romney's speech -- 2,540 words -- just once did Romney utter the word "Mormon." ("I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it," he said.) If Romney is embracing rather than diminishing his faith, it seems as though he would mention it a time or two more, no?

Short on Specifics: Romney's aides have said for months that if he did give a speech addressing his faith, he would not under any circumstances get into the specifics of what he believes. And, he didn't. "There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church's distinctive doctrines," Romney said. "To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the Constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith." The problem with that logic is that it leaves him open to the sort of under the radar whisper campaigns that have already begun to crop up in early states like Iowa and South Carolina. The less the average voter knows about the specific tenets of Mormonism, the more susceptible they will be to misleading and false allegations about what Romney believes.

Timing: Romney's speech comes right in the middle of the Huckabee surge both in Iowa and nationwide. Coverage of Mike Huckabee is nearing full immersion at the moment and it's uniquely possible that Romney's remarks will be eclipsed by Huck frenzy. Of course, that could work in Romney's favor as well; if he never really wanted to give this speech but felt compelled to do so, he can now answer every reporter's question about his Mormonism and its impact on the campaign by saying "That's old news and I've already addressed it."

source: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2007/12/romneys_faith_in_america_speec.html?hpid=topnews