There are two disclaimers related to Mitt Romney’s campaign for president that should perhaps be taken with a grain of salt: the claim by leaders of the “I’m a Mormon” ad campaign that it has no connection whatsoever to the presence of two Mormon candidates in the GOP primary race, and the recent assertion by Pat Robertson of the 700 Club, after singling out Romney both for his politics and as “an outstanding Christian,” that he is not endorsing any candidate.
The “I’m a Mormon Campaign” is straightforward: It’s a general public relations campaign to familiarize Americans with Mormons. Running in nine major media markets last year and recently re-launched in 12, the campaign points people to an official LDS Web site, which contains profiles of a diverse set of “real people.” Under the headline “Meet Mormons: Discover Mormons who share your personal experience,” you can search for Mormons with particular characteristics, such as gender, age ethnicity, and even “previous religion.” While the campaign and the Web site mention neither Mitt Romney nor Jon Huntsman, as far as it is successful, it will function to diminish the “otherness” factor for the two Mormons most in the national spotlight this year.
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