Mitt Romney for President My Man Mitt

The Associated Press’ Jennifer Dobner and Glen Johnson are loving life. They did some digging under Mitt’s Family Tree and found [drum roll] Polygamy. I know you must be shocked. The MSM was. Dobner’s and Johnson’s piece was picked up by no fewer than sixteen media outlets who think this revelation is newsworthy.

What’s the matter, boys and girls? Slow news cycle? Before people get too wrapped up in this, realize that Ms. Dobner and Mr. Johnson had to dig back to Mitt’s Great Grandfather Miles Park Romney and Great Great Grandfather Parley Pratt to find this information. How many of you (Mormons excluded) can name your Great or Great Great Grandaddy? Do you know anything about them? Are you responsible for their actions?

Get back to me when you can answer those questions. Till then, stuff a sock in it. Yes, I’m a bit perturbed because you don’t have to shake my family tree too hard before the polygamists start falling out. If we’re going to start this with Mitt, then I suggest each presidential candidate submit a seven-generation ancestry chart complete with family history so we can see exactly what his/her ancestors were up to.

As every family tree has some strange branches in it - especially when you look at history through the politically correct lens of today. I think some candidates would be surprised by what's in their tree. Hillary might find her forebearers practiced something worse than polygamy. Some of them were no doubt [gasp] Republicans.

Labels: Glen Johnson, Jennier Dobner, LDS Mormon Romney, mitt romney, Mormon, polygamy, religion


	7 Comments: I posted this comment already on this blog, but I want to tie it to this particular post: I did a bit of background checking on these two AP journalists. Jennifer actually works out of their Salt Lake City office -- obviously not happy by her LDS surroundings. If you look at her story history, she reports on polygamy all the time. If anyone wants to contact her and call her out on this shameful story, email her at jdobner@ap.org; or call her at (801) 322-3405. Glen Johnson on the other hand, a known Romney basher, reported from Boston where they are looking for every possible way to smear their former governor. And he is always looking for ways to highlight the other candidates. Take a look at this glowing piece that Johnson did on Obama that doesn’t mention a negative thing in it, and of course doesn’t mention that Obama’s own father had multiple wives - http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/news/231641,3_1_EL27_A7OBAMA_S1.article. The editors and publisher of the Associated Press should be ashamed. By Anonymous, at February 25, 2007 at 2:33 PM Anyone have Johnson's email address? By Anonymous, at February 25, 2007 at 3:25 PM I just don't understand the relevance of what Romney's ancestors did more than 100 years ago. The piece talks about Romney condemning polygamy, but that his great-grandfather had multiple wives? How does the fact that his ancestor practiced polygamy negate Mitt's views on the matter?!? I'm sure that other candidate's ancestor's were slave owners. Does that mean they must condone slavery today, despite what they say? Sheesh! The press is so transparent--and STUPID--sometimes. Like anyone is going to care about this smear piece or give it one ounce of creedence. By Anonymous, at February 25, 2007 at 3:26 PM It is interesting how much the press is interested in, golly, the generations of Romney family...why, not even Lincoln, Washington, or Jefferson get this much attention to family history in the modern press. Yeah, yeah, anyway... If it weren't such a veiled hit piece (this is muckraking? This is all they can come up with?), it is interesting to see obscure Mormon history suddenly become so relevant to everything political. You'd think the press was genuinely threatened by Romney's ancestors, but no, they're just scared of Romney and his potential, so they have to create an asinine hit piece. Also, just to echo the commentary above, Romney wasn't the only person who had polygamist ancestors. See this post about Obama's daddy: http://tinyurl.com/38l6p9 So, where's the fair treatment? Sheesh. By American Yak, at February 25, 2007 at 5:47 PM Great editorial! AWESOME! Please post the email address of Johnson if you find it. Their reporting on this along with all the other "hangerson" is hillarious. Gotta love it. My grandmother (not Mormon) loved geneology as a hobby. I found out in my youth that I had a horse rustler for a g-g-g-grandfather in Arkansas or some place like that. They hanged the guy --- it is a good thing he had kids first tho. To 206's point: My personal opinion is that it doesn't matter what the church thinks on this; for Americans and me at least. The most important issue at hand is to get the most qualified and best person in the President's saddle (If that person were a Quaker, I would be doing what I could to help him/her). That person is MR, hands down. I am sure the people who run the Mormon church know what could be coming and are well prepared for it. And I doubt they are complaining about all the free publicity. By Anonymous, at February 25, 2007 at 8:33 PM This is ridiculous. Why don't they find out which candidates had great grandfathers who were slave holders or something like that. I mean, c'mon By Anonymous, at February 25, 2007 at 8:35 PM It's all just too funny... I know who my great grandfather and my wife does too. Come to think of it, you may know her's as well... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynolds_v._United_States His name is George Reynolds, and his case (albeit not completely correct in description on Wikipedia) is a cornerstone of current debate on marriage. My wife is a lifer and I'm a convert (6 years after being married to her from being an Agnostic). It didn't stop me from marrying her - we had common values, end of story. They (the AP) can't stand a discussion on real issues - sideshow antics are what keep them alive and selling papers. FWIW for 206: As a second-gen Arizonan, Ev Mecham was perceived as a nut, not for the Mormon angle but because he took a hard line on things rather than lay down like a nice politician. MD By Anonymous, at February 26, 2007 at 1:16 PM Post a Comment

What do you get when you pair Jennifer Dobner (the LDS Church watcher) and Glen Johnson (the Romney basher) together on an article about Romney's Marmon family roots? A hit piece like no other.

Jennifer is fairly tame in her decidedly left-leaning muckraking, though at times she inserts some fun axiomatic assumptions into her pieces (implying that the Mormon church would "punish" a man who entered into a "legal, same-sex marriage"). Glen has cut his teeth far deeper than Jennifer implying disappointment that Governor Romney doesn't carry over his displeasure with the Mass. Supreme Court into the public arena (see here and here). With their dual agendas the path to literary sniping was almost inevitable.

Actually, I got a call from a friend this morning who indicated that reporters were poking around down in Mexico trying to interview some of the supposed long-lost polygamous cousins of Mitt Romney. It says something about the personal integrity of Governor Romney that his detractors have to scour back 3 generations to literally dig up a skeleton in a closet... since his closet is pretty darn clean.

You see the main problem with AP hit pieces is that they don't state their claims.... they simply insinuate. So the article starts out like this:

While Mitt Romney condemns polygamy and its prior practice by his Mormon church, the Republican presidential candidate's great-grandfather had five wives and at least one of his great-great grandfathers had 12.

This would be funny if it weren't so contorted. They set up the sentence as a dichotomy but can't quite come to the realization of what that dichotomy is. So we need some MORE insinuation:

Romney's father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney, was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, where Mormons fled in the 1800s to escape religious persecution and U.S. laws forbidding polygamy. He and his family did not return to the United States until 1912, more than two decades after the church issued "The Manifesto" banning polygamy.

So the whispering voices that Dobner and Johnson want you to hear is that Romney Sr. was possibly a closet polygamist himself, that his immediate kin were Mormon defilers for decades and that Mitt obviously must have polyamorous leanings.

What any of this has to do with Romney's presidential aspirations is unclear. Except this: Dobner and Johnson do not want you to vote for him. And nothing pulls on a voters heart strings like the strange estrangement and tears of Mitt's Great Great grandmother:

"I felt that was more than I could endure, to have him divide his time and affections from me. I used to walk the floor and shed tears of sorrow. If anything will make a woman's heart ache, it is for her husband to take another wife. ... But I put my trust in my heavenly father, and prayed and pleaded with him to give me strength to bear this great trial."

Again, I ask. What does this have to do with Mitt? This is agenda press politics at its best!

Labels: AP, family, Glen Johnson, Jennier Dobner, mitt romney, polygamy, press


	2 Comments: Do we have email addresses for these two? I'd like to see a Brody-style flood of email sent to them. By Anonymous, at February 25, 2007 at 10:07 AM I did a bit of background checking on these two AP journalists. Jennifer actually works out of their Salt Lake City office -- obviously not happy by her LDS surroundings. If you look at her story history, she reports on polygamy all the time. If anyone wants to contact her and call her out on this shameful story, email her at jdobner@ap.org; or call her at (801) 322-3405. Glen Johnson on the other hand reported from Boston, where they are looking for every possible way to smear their former governor. And he is always looking for ways to highlight the other candidates. Take a look at this glowing piece that Johnson did on Obama that doesn’t mention a negative thing in it, and of course doesn’t mention that Obama’s own father had multiple wives - http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/news/231641,3_1_EL27_A7OBAMA_S1.article. The editors and publisher of the Associated Press should be ashamed. -Cory By Anonymous, at February 25, 2007 at 2:27 PM Post a Comment

Polygamy In Spades

Mitt Romney's Closet Finally Uncovered! 3 Generations Ago!