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A Mormon in the White House?: 10 Things Every American Should Know about Mitt Romney

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This book covers well the life and career of Mitt Romney. It is not a comprehensive work, but rather an insightful approach to all important aspects of Governor Romney's past and what makes him tick. Clearly the evidence is well presented that Romney is a solid conservative who is arguably the most intelligent of all the candidates running for president in 2008, whether on the left or right.

Not including the Appendix, the book is 269 pages with 10 chapters. It is easy reading and is most compelling. The mainstream media would have us believe that Mitt Romney is purely an opportunist. My reading of this excellent book leads me to the opposite conclusion: That Romney may well be the only statesman among all politicians aiming at 2008.

My purpose in buying the book was to carefully study the man's character, as I think very few other traits in a leader matter more than his core character attributes. My conclusion from reading this book is that not only is Romney a highly principled leader, he is motivated chiefly by a long-standing family value or desire to serve others selflessly.

I join with Mr. Hewitt in stating that America may make a horrible mistake if she does not elect Mr. Romney as our next president.

My conclusion upon completing the book is that Romney's tremendous business experience, extraordinary CEO skills, principled leadership, and drive to attain the highest of goals imaginable place him well above all other candidates (as to qualifications) who seek power in the presidency. Since the DNC is doing everything in its power to assign trite labels to Mr. Romney, it is clear that they don't want anybody to read this book for the truth behind the man. In Romney, "What you see, is what you get."

I recommend this book as one of the best books on character and leadership that I have ever read and an outstanding addition to any library.

have just finished reading "A Mormon in the White House" 10 Things Every American Should Know about Mitt Romney by Hugh Hewitt.

First let me say that this is the third book by Hugh Hewitt that I have read. On occassion I listen to his radio show and view his blog, but neither of those rise to the level of his books. He books are well researched, well written and I believe are clearly from the heart. He believes what he writes and lets you know in his writing what he does not believe.

The first book of Mr. Hewitt I read was "In But Not Of", a book that every person with heart and a glimpse of faith should read, best before your thirty, good at any time (I gave copies to all of my early 20's kids). The second book I read was "Blog" which outlined the new media and its power in changing the location and the method of discussion of all issues in America.

Now comes "A Mormon in the White House". In a full disclosure environment I must note that at the sophisticated age of 12, I worked on the campaign of Governor George Romney in Flint, Michigan. I went door to door, gave out flyers, did paper work, and once, in a parade down South Saginaw I got a chance to meet the man and shake his hand, an experience I have not forgotten.

Much of Mr. Hewitt's book centers around the issue of Mitt Romney's Mormon faith. Even when I was 12, faith was an important part of my life. I was baptised, confirmed and raised a Missouri Synod Lutheran and that speaks for itself. In my teenage years, I went to various kinds of churches, I knew God was real, but was curious as to how different people approached God, and how God approached them. I admit that in those days I did not visit a Mormon church, mostly by chance not by choice.

Since then I have attended full Gospel (Pentecostal) churches, I have been back in Lutheran Churches, been immersion baptised in Southern Baptist Churches and have been a long standing member in several of them including The Korean Church of Houston; New Hope Baptist in Fayetteville, GA; Applewood Baptist in Wheatridge, CO; and two large churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, The Fellowship of Los Colinas, now called Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX and our current church, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA.

Thankfully, though the Mormon theme is in the book, Mr. Hewitt spends a great deal of time on the issues of the day that Mitt Romney stands for. Not just says but has acted upon in both his public and commercial life.

Though I would not vote for the Mormon Church, the 2008 election is not about the Mormon Church, though I would not become a Mormon as I believe my faith is where Jesus Christ wants my faith to be, I can be who I am, an evangelical Christian with a strong Southern Baptist underpinning, I will vote for Mitt Romney and give my support to him.

Again, when I was young and working for the campaign, and I mean I spent many hours in the offices, on the streets, nothing, but nothing came of George Romney's Mormon faith. In fact, until I read the book being described I did not know George Romney was a Mormon. And even at 12 I was aware of such things, but it never came up. What came up were his stand for family and for limited government and taxes and for the people of Michigan and that was enough to get me motivated even at 12.

I am much older now, disabled from questionable medical care surrounding cancer, but in some way I am going to get involved. This man (Romney) is the real thing, believes what I believe, wants what I want and is not afraid to say so. This country needs the 'not afraid to say so' so badly right now that even a disabled man, veteran, father, still working man will take what time, energy and finances and do what I can for Mitt Romney.

His father was good for Michigan, He was good for Massachusetts and will be good for America.

For those of you who are Christians like I am, we need to get past his faith, like it or not, and focus on what we have in common. Country, security, family and the list goes on. Thats enough for me and it should be for you. Our religion should not drive our decision about him through his, we should find our common ground and move forward with it. (There is not another Republican contender who can come close to your beliefs in reality, though they give them speaking space, what have they done?)

This is a good book, if you have any questions, read it. If it takes you farther away because of what you learn of Mormonism, then get past it as there is no room in this country for public office tests, except the Constitution alone.

livingthedream
turn the key and smile.
www.theweeds.blogspot.com
www.BizWizDumb.blogspot.com

You don't need a taste for politics to devour this tome. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of inside baseball here - details to satisfy even the most politically addicted among us - but the layman will also appreciate this candid and fair examination of Governor Mitt Romney and his presidential aspirations.

From the meticulous picture of Romney's Mother Lenore to the savvy analysis demonstrating the angst that many conservatives have towards John McCain, Hewitt weaves facts and insights in a way that is both sympathetic and honest. The picture that emerges is not the fainting, fawning, flush that some detractors predicted. Rather, the famous chiseled chin (which Hewitt admits will be used for and against Romney) comes even more clearly into relief; wrinkles and all. And, from the interviews in the book, this seems just fine with Mitt.

"Hang a lantern on your problems..." a maxim that Romney cites in the book seems a savvy approach to both business and politics. Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, calls it "facing the brutal facts." No doubt this was something that Romney practiced in the private sector. It's also something that Hewitt employs throughout the book. Whether detailing the failures of George Romney's presidential bid or handicapping the Mormon issue for Romney 2.0, Hewitt pulls no punches pressing sons, associates and political pundits about Mitt's advantages and disadvantages in the 2008 race.

Admittedly, I'm a fan of Romney, but the book provided me with numerous angles and views I hadn't considered before. For example, in my mind Romney has always stood solidly in the spotlight, always providing the solo with some ragtag chorus as backup. Hewitt brought into the foreground the interesting characters of Peter Flaherty, Kevin Madden, Spencer Zwick, and many others. In truth, what Hewitt shows, is that Romney is the man who brings the "team of rivals" together, constantly looking for people to challenge his assumptions and forge new ideas.

Hugh also handles the Mormon question extremely well. He provides both the pro-Mormon doctrinal viewpoint (from noted Mormon lawyer Rex E. Lee) and the detractors' stance (from Walter Martin). Hewitt wisely leaves this doctrinal debate to the professionals but elucidates the constitutional precedent for disposing of denominational litmus tests pretty handily. The book also does a masterful job of defining what bigotry against Mormons really looks like.

Hewitt's ultimate warning is this: "if because of his faith, he lost the Republican primaries to a less able candidate and that in turn led to the election if Hillary, the defeat of Romney on the grounds of his religious beliefs would be a great tragedy." [page16].

In short, "A Mormon in the White House" is great read about a tremendous subject and a boon to the conservative movement in this challenging election season.

I believe that the voters and delegates deciding whether to give Romney the Republican nomination in '08 have an obligation to read this book and think deeply about Romney in making that determination. This work is researched from a non-LDS perspective by a well-known constitutional law professor, trusted for his honesty and intellect in conservative religious circles. Hewitt's entire thesis, which I find credible, is that the Christian right faces a defining moment in its history with the 2008 election (attacks from the left threatening every fiber of America abound). If the Christian right mistakes friends like Romney and Mormons for enemies, it will lose the fight with its real enemies from across the world in time. As a Christian, I am aware of the seriousness of this decision. I am thinking deeply about Romney's compaign; physical, mental, moral and spiritual abilities; capacity for good; and religion. It was an outcast, a Samaritan, who saved a Jew on the side of the road and was praised by Jesus, not the Levite or Rabbi. Differing faiths can help each other when it is called for.

Hugh Hewitt is explicit about this book not being about endorsing Romney or Mormonism. What he is doing with this book is introducing America to a man that he believes to be a good man, a talented man, and a man that could make a fine President of the United States. Hewitt is clearly not enamored of John McCain whom he calls a great American, a poor senator, and a lousy candidate for President.

By way of disclosure, I am a Mormon but that isn't what interests me in Romney. Harry Reid is a Mormon and I could not be less supportive of him or his work in Congress. For me, it would be a pleasure to have a candidate who is not only articulate and obviously brilliant, but one who also has real and obvious in the way he treasures his wife and children and doesn't have a cargo ship of personal baggage. But this is really beside the point of the book. I am just letting you know where I am coming from.

Hewitt divides this book into three sections. The first asks "Who Is Mitt Romney?" and uses four chapters to let you know about growing up in Michigan as the son of George Romney. His father was not only chairman of American Motors, he was a two term governor of Michigan and ran for President in 1968. We also learn about his schooling a and his superb and successful career at Bain Capital, his role in turning around the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and his life with his wife, Ann and their five sons.

Section II talks about "What He Believes and What He Has Done". Here Hewitt talks about why he knows Romney is Pro-Life, for the absolute support of traditional marriage, and what Romney did as the Republican Governor of the bluest of blue states. Massachusetts has a completely Democrat delegation in Congress. Talk about a challenge!

Section III talks about "The Campaign Ahead". Hewitt gives us a chapter of what he believes are Romney's advantages, a chapter on what seem to be the negatives (the campaign will actually decide what they are), and a chapter on "The Mormon Problem". Hewitt is of the belief that most of the problem will come from the left who are really against having a President who actually has a deep faith in God that is more than metaphor and use the Mormon connection somewhat cynically. Hewitt cites many great examples of this. The author talks about some of the evangelical problems with Mormons, but argues why they shouldn't use their theological differences, which Hewitt himself holds to, against a great candidate. I find Hewitt persuasive in part because it is how I vote in most every election. My choice isn't who believes most like me in all aspects of my life, but who will do the best job in supporting the values that matter in our public life. Hewitt supplies a transcript of a dialogue with non-Mormons discussing this matter in the appendix.

This book will help its readers get to know Romney is a deeper way than you are going to get from the TV, radio, and print media. After you read it, you may still want to vote for someone else, but at least you will know you are making a more informed decision. I recommend this book to you and hope a large portion of the voting population reads it soon.

I felt like this book was aimed towards conservatives, probably evangelicals, who refuse to consider Romney due to his religion. Democrats will find much of the book informative but the arguments are not directed to them. This book will compare Romney to Guiliani and McCain much more than to Obama and Clinton. Written to conservatives, the assumption that any Republican is better than what the Democrats are offering is simply accepted.
Romney's strengths and weaknesses are shown pretty well. I've liked him since the Olympics but I learned a lot about him. His strengths are presented as being just what the country needs. The weaknesses shown are only negatives from a conservative point of view (government mandated health insurance etc.)
Hewitt makes the point that those who would vote against anyone because of religion is a BIGOT. He reminds the reader that JFK faced the same predjudice as a Catholic but the country was supposed to have gotten over it. Because it appears that those who are openly admitting they will not vote for a member of The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints are mostly from the political right, who refer to themselves as Christians. These evangelicals will not vote Democratic due to the morality issues on which they differ. For them the choice is between Republicans. This book proves that Romney is much closer to what conservative evangelicals claim to want in a President. The reader gets the message that if Romney is the most qualified candidate, and the most morally conservative Republican, and a person votes against him because of his type of Christianity, hypocrisy reigns.
The one criticism I have for the book is that in the last 40 pages or so, the anti-bigotry point is made over and over and over again. It reads as if the author expected many people to pick and choose which chapters they read. If someone only reads the religion chapter, the main points are included in that chapter, even if they are made in previous chapters. For someone reading the entire book it can be repetitive.

Eighteen months before the 2008 Presidential election will be held there are ten Republican candidates seeking the nomination of their political party. Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Mitt Romney are the three Republican front runners at this point in the process. Most Americans at least know something about Giuliani because he was the Mayor of New York City when the Twin Towers came crashing down. Less Americans, but more Republicans and conservatives know something about Senator John McCain because of his long career in the Senate and previous failed Presidential races. Though many Republicans have heard of Mitt Romney, many have not and the general American populace knows even less about Romney than the average Republican and if anyone does know anything about Romney it is usually summed up as such, "Mitt Romney? Oh, yeah he's that Mormon guy." Hugh Hewitt's book, A MORMON IN THE WHITE HOUSE? is an excellent introduction about Romney: who he is, where he comes from, what his values are, what his advantages are, and what challenges he will face in his quest for the U.S. Presidency.

The book is divided into three major parts. The first section is basically a short biography about Romney. Though the section more closely examines Romney's political background (such as his father's failed 1968 Presidential bid), it also provides a basic understanding of how Romney was raised, the type of life he has lived, and the challenges he has faced and overcome in his life. Besides looking at Romney's successful run as a Republican governor in the very Democratic state of Massachusetts, it also details his business endeavors in charge of the large investment firms Bain & Company and Bain Capital as well as the successful turnaround of the 2002 Winter Olympics under Romney's guidance.

The second section of the book looks at three of the core values that have shaped Romney's life and political career: life, family, and faith. Romney's relationship with his family is also examined in the first section of the book, but the second section Hewitt illustrates how Romney's strong relationship with his family has influenced him in defending traditional marriages.

The last section of the book examines the advantages that Romney has in running for President as well as the challenges he will face in his bid.

As a moderate conservative who is a registered voter, I found A MORMON IN THE WHITE HOUSE? to be a very valuable read. I learned some things about Romney that I didn't know about before and have a better understanding of Romney as a person and not just a pretty face on television and in print.

As evidenced by the book's title, the biggest challenge facing Romney initially will probably be his faith. The book goes to great lengths to explain why voters should not let Romney's Mormon faith even be an issue, especially to Republican voters and particularly to evangelical Christians.

My only complaint about the book is that most of the interviews in the book are from people who seem to think that Romney has very few flaws. I realize that part of this is, as noted by Hewitt early in the text, because many who have worked with Romney and who might not have such a positive opinion about him refused to be interviewed. Nevertheless, this realization does little in balancing the overly positive opinions and reflections about Romney.

A MORMON IN THE WHITE HOUSE? is not a book that everyone will enjoy reading. At this point in time, the book will appeal mostly to Republicans, conservatives, and possibly Libertarians who are considering who they will be voting for in the primaries and the upcoming election. As the 2008 primaries draw near and if Romney remains near the top of the pack, A MORMON IN THE WHITE HOUSE is a book that many more people will be reading and should Romney win the Republican nomination in 2008, A MORMON IN THE WHITE HOUSE? will probably be at the top of most bestseller lists.

You shouldn't vote for or against Mitt Romney until you have read this book. Sure, Hugh Hewitt is unabashedly optimistic about Romney's chances for the presidency and his ability to lead our nation, but Hewitt's optimism is a result of thoughtful and extensive research combined with prodigious political intelligence. Hewitt has exhaustively analyzed Mitt, his family, his private and public endeavors, and makes the case that not electing Mitt Romney would deprive us of being led by one of the best presidents we've seen for generations.

Mr. Hewitt has done an excellent job of communicating his well thought out point of view. Of great importance is his position that if we allow often misunderstood theological points to become the center of discussion about this candidate then we are opening the door the wrong kind of analysis about any future candidate of faith. Romney's life is obviously greatly influenced by his religion. But look at the results - strong family values, honesty, morality, devoted service. And Romney's record is simply amazing as an executive.

In spite of being a native Michigander and also a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I knew almost nothing about Mitt Romney before reading this book. I knew a little about his dad, George Romney, as governor of Michigan and a cabinet member but since that was in the early 1960's when I was only a teen, that was very light info. All I knew about Mitt Romney was that he had successfully taken over the Salt Lake Olympics and been governor of Massachusetts and he was LDS.

Whether you like Mitt Romney or not, I would suggest that reading this book will give you a good background on his values, attributes and policies as well as his business, Olympic and political history. Like many others I had seen some of the YouTube clips of Romney's debates with Ted Kennedy and had not been overly impressed. In this book the author details both all that was said in the debates and what Romney has learned since and how his opinons have evolved politically.

Mitt Romney's business acumen with both the Bain consulting and then investment firms have given him the tools that helped him turnaround many businesses, save the Olympics and help the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He has an approach that others would do well to copy consisting of gathering all the data from as many sources as possible and as many viewpoints, analyzing the data and using his well-picked teams to come up with solutions. Mitt Romney's very thorough and well-researched analyses could as the author state be brought to bear on areas in the Federal government such as the Pentagon which stand in need of overhaul.

Mr. Hewitt also does an excellent job in detailing Governor Romney's background, his father's campaigns for governor and president, and his close knit family of wife of 38 years, five sons and eleven grandchildren. Mr. Hewitt shows that like any person Romney is not perfect but that he sticks by his beliefs and values even when governing in a blue state like Massachusetts. Governor Romney's refusal to kowtow to the former president of Iran is just one example of his firm foundation.

Finally the book addresses the issue of "a Mormon in the White House" and has comments from various Catholic and evangelical leaders that are well worth reading. The issue is not his religion but rather how he lives his life as Mitt Romney says. The arguments whether one is for or against electing a Mormon President are valuable for their reminder of what our Constitution and nation stand for.