Thom Hartmann: Just Asking - Does Mitt Romney Think he's Jesus - Who'll Save America?

[thomhartmann]

In the wake of Mitt's 47% comments - pundits and politicians on both sides of the aisle are wondering just what the heck is wrong with this guy. He's taken each side of every issue - he panders to whoever he's in a room with - and (look at plasma) even may change his skin color to appeal to a certain demographic of voters. The man seems to have no core - he seems hollow. But maybe politicians and pundits are looking at Mitt from the wrong angle. Hear me out on this - because I want to suggest a theory that explains everything about Mitt Romney - his campaign - and what he sees for his presidency. And it all centers on one very personal, core belief he holds - and that's the way he was raised, and how it interfaces with his Mormon religion.

First - let's rewind back to the 1840's. The founder of the Mormon Church - Joseph Smith - was gearing up for a run for the presidency. And at the same time - he was said to have told his followers about a prophecy. This prophecy wasn't revealed until after Smith's death - he was killed months before the election by an angry mob. But this prophecy - which Smith himself was trying to fulfill by running for President - is known as the White Horse Prophecy. Smith's successor as head of the Mormon Church, Brigham Young relayed this prophecy, writing in 1855: "When the Constitution of the United States hangs, as it were, upon a single thread, they will have to call for the 'Mormon' Elders to save it from utter destruction; and they will step forth and do it." Several other church leaders have since confirmed that this is indeed what Joseph Smith said. Basically - the idea behind the prophecy is that one day our Constitution would be "hanging by a thread" - and a Mormon will rise up, win the Presidency and save the nation by being led by divine providence.

This all seems pretty far out there - but believe it or not - this prophecy has apparently helped shape Mitt Romney's life in several different ways, literally since he was born. As Sally Denton writes in Salon: "From the time of his birth - March 13, 1947 - through adolescence and into manhood, the meshing of religion and politics was paramount in Mitt Romney’s life. [He was] called 'my miracle baby' by his mother, who had been told by her physician that it was impossible for her to bear a fourth child..." From the get-go - Mitt was raised to believe there was something divinely special about him. His dad - George Romney tried to fulfill the White Horse prophecy himself - running for President in 1968. According to the Salt Lake Tribune - George was asked about the prophecy and he was quoted as saying: "I have always felt that they meant that sometime the question of whether we are going to proceed on the basis of the Constitution would arise and at this point government leaders who were Mormons would be involved in answering that question..."

George didn't win the presidency - but his son Mitt grew up and, at least in his mind, evidence began to mount that Mitt was selected by divinity for a special purpose. He was popular in school, he succeeded in business life, he earned a whole lot of money. Just imagine if you're someone who's heard of this prophecy - who was raised to believe you are special and your life is being divinely guided - and who has had everything work out wonderfully in your life - then you might start to believe it's all true, too. That might be the case with Mitt Romney.

One interesting insight into his thinking that he may be the fulfillment of the White Horse Prophecy is an interview that Romney's campaign manager - Matt Rhoades - gave to Politico talking about which President Romney may try to emulate. Here's Politico's Mike Allen relaying the story: "[W]hen I asked Rhoades … what Romney might do with the budget and entitlement reform plans Ryan had already outlined, Rhoades’ eyes lit up. He gave me a name: James Polk. … Rhoades and the rest of the members of Romney’s inner circle...think a Romney presidency could look much like the White House tenure of the 11th U.S. president." President James Polk? - that seems like an odd answer. But it fits right in with the prophecy.

James Polk is the man against whom Mormon prophet and founder Joseph Smith ran for President back in 1844. At that time, the Constitution was hanging by a thread - the tensions between the North and South were getting so heated that the Civil War was lit later in that same generation - and Joseph Smith thought he would fulfill his own White Horse Prophecy by becoming President and saving the Union. So, could it be, that Romney's fascination with James Polk might have something to do with his picking up where Joseph Smith failed in 1844?

Perhaps. Others certainly believe this is the case. Glenn Beck - a Mormon - had fellow Mormon Senator Orrin Hatch on his radio show back in 2008 - where they had this exchange: "BECK: Senator, do you believe - I mean, when I heard Barack Obama talk about the Constitution and I thought, we are at the point or we are very near the point where our Constitution is hanging by a thread." SENATOR HATCH: "You got that right." Is it just a coincidence that Beck and Senator Hatch would use the exact same language - "Our Constitution is hanging by a threat" - that Joseph Smith used in his 1844 White Horse Prophecy? Who knows?

But it definitely explains a lot about Mitt Romney's blundering campaign thus far. If a person believes God is leading them - as Mitt Romney may well believe of himself - then it doesn't matter what positions he takes during a campaign. It doesn't matter if he flip-flops. It doesn't matter if he refuses to give any details of his economics plan. Heck - it doesn't even matter if he has an economic plan at all. It doesn't matter if he tells a room full of millionaires and billionaires that peace in the Middle East will be accomplished by just seeing what happens in the future. None of this matters because once he's in the White House - divine providence will lead him the rest of the way.

We can't know for sure if this is what's fueling Mitt Romney - but it's worth asking the question. We just saw a Republican Primary filled with candidates like Michele Bachmann, who openly said and apparently believed that God was telling her to run for President. Mitt Romney seemed like the one reasonable, sane guy in the pack because he didn't use such fundamentalist language. But little did we know that he might be, in HIS mind, riding high above all the others as the prophesied white horse. Just something to think about...

The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann on RT TV & FSTV "live" 9pm and 11pm check www.thomhartmann.com/tv for local listings

[freshwest]

1. K & R. Is this what the American people really want? If so, why?