No Muslims in a Romney Cabinet?

Posted: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 11:45 AM by Mark Murray

From NBC's Mark Murray

We have a feeling this story might get some play today: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, asked about putting a Muslim in his presidential Cabinet, said that he 'cannot see that a Cabinet position would be justified' based on the percentage of Muslims in the U.S., according to an Islamic businessman who asked the question at a fundraising reception.

"Kevin Madden, Romney’s national press secretary, told Politico: 'At this point, we're not focused on what Gov. Romney's Cabinet might look like. But the governor does not believe that in order to effectively fight radical jihad you need to have Muslims serving in the Cabinet.'"

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Comments

Would Mommon be in the cabinet, Gov. Rommney?

Bee (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 11:52 AM)

More fear mongering/pandering from millionaire Romney who is willing to say anything and/or fip-flop to get elected.

juan, ft lauderdale,fl (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 11:55 AM)

I can just see Hillary now......

"yes i will have a Muslim in my cabinet.......

so now the big test will be how many different types of gods can we put into one cabinet.....

I thought it was always about the best person qualified.....

jerry/corpus christi texas (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 11:55 AM)

hmmm...mitt is so full of s**t...he is appealing to the most ignorant and poorly educated in our midst...you know the typcial republican voter...can't wait to see what code words they use on obama if he is the dim nominee...

Rick, WS, NC (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 11:58 AM)

I guess the questioner gets a free pass on this? What a race bating question to ask.

the only real answer there should be a question: "do you have a quality candidate in mind?" That's all that matter.

sick of "washington" (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:01 PM)

romneyjust said he doesn'twant the best person for the job, he wants quotas.

Does that mean he'd be the one and only mormon?

Santa Ana (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:01 PM)

Hey Mitt, what if the most qualified person is a Muslim? This sounds like Dubya's practice of filling positions with completely unqualified people who get the job, purely because they are Evangelic Neocons who pass a 'Litmus Test'. Mitt's comment is obviously an overcompensating remark meant for the Radical Right.

Steve Turner Cedar Falls Iowa (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:06 PM)

Chalk one up to Romney! I hope other politicians will be brave enough to stand up for this for the good of our country. Call me a bigot or whatever but it's not Christians and Jews I see strapping bombs on their back.

Write On (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:06 PM)

NO MUSLIMS PERIOD. HECK, THE NAME OBAMA SCARES ME ENOUGH AND I AM A DEDICATED AND MONEY BACKING DEMOCRAT. HILLARY WHO?

MICHAEL , PALM BEACH FLORIDA (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:10 PM)

Of course, an article not even mentioning Hillary, having absolutely nothing to do with Hillary or Bill, and there goes Jerry again with his virtiolic comments about her....what? Have nothing to say about Mitt's obvious bigotry? How can anyone defend this? He's exposing his racism, as he has exposed his homophobia in the past, and his distaste for anyone not mormon.

pat huntington ny (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:17 PM)

Does this sound familiar to anyone?
" . . . no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

Check it out: US Constitution, Article IV.

rockon, Milwaukee, Wisc (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:18 PM)

It doesn't sound to me like Romney would disregard possible cabinet members because they were muslim, but that he wouldn't seek out a muslim for his cabinet. That is 100% the right position, how does anybody's religion qualify them for a top-level government job? That head is misleading. Would all of you be just as upset if he wouldn't appoint somebody because they were Christian (Mormons included)?

--NSMSNBC (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:21 PM)

"Call me a bigot or whatever but it's not Christians and Jews I see strapping bombs on their back. "

The "Christians" use Ryder trucks, and the Jews use Uzis.

Bigot.

Left on (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:25 PM)

What this suggests is that Romney will not put together a cabinet of the most capable advisors, but rather one that reflects demographic characteristics of America. That's an awfully interesting position to take, given that such a system would not have any Mormons in the cabinet (let alone the White House) either.

Carrie, Eastern Iowa (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:40 PM)

I'm a paralegal at a law firm. One of the associates at the firm is a practicing muslim and a really great person. He's a strong family man and a polite and personable boss and very grounded. Its really sad to me that people are still judging others based on their faith. Isn't that the very reason the founding fathers left England?? I feel Mitt's answer was not only an insult to Muslims but also to all Americans that feel the same way i do. It would have been ok if he have said he would go by qualifications and not race, religion or gender but its obvious his answer was only meant to pander to his conservative base. I hope he loses votes for this answer but knowing how narrow-minded conservative republicans can be he probably just gained votes.

Nancy of Kansas City MO (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:43 PM)

Write on- We just drop bombs from airplanes and kill thousands. Keep drinking that Republican kool-aid!

juan,ft lauderdale, fl (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:46 PM)

Have nothing to say about Mitt's obvious bigotry?

Actually i agree with Mitt......

It should be whomever is the best man/woman for the job.

They could worship the California three Toed bullfrog for all I care.

jerry/corpus christi texas (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:47 PM)

Give me a break. What would Hilary's honest answer be; "...my cabinet will be made up of whoever I need to put on it that will gain be political favor with as many special interest groups as possible..."

Frank H, Holden Mass (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:48 PM)

--NSMSNBC: If he would have said "I would hire the most qualified person regardless of religious backround" that would have been a completely acceptable answer but he didn't say that. He said he"cannot see that a Cabinet position would be justified based on the percentage of Muslims in the U.S" That sounds to me like he's saying no Muslims in his cabinet because there's not enough of a percentage of them in the country. I don't even know what percentages have to do with picking presidential cabinet members. In retrospect that answer looks not only bigoted but kinda dumb.

TC, WPB, FL (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:52 PM)

politicians these days have to cater, cater, cater rather than thinking about what is best for the nation! That is why i like obama, at least he claims to try and tell the truth straight and do what is best for this nation and not what sells best at the time. hillary caters too much as well. she is a shrewd triangulator and i have no idea what she stands for

crim selveing (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:58 PM)

Not a very thoughtful answer by Romney. Romney should be the last person to introduce emphasis on religion in political decision-making process

Edmonsky, Sacramento, CA (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:01 PM)

I agree with Sick of Washington -- the question is race-baiting. The correct answer, of course, is: "I would not include or exclude anyone from my cabinet strictly on the basis of their religion." But the question shouldn't have been asked that way in the first place.

cms (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:04 PM)

Americans hold their rights as individuals, not as members of groups. No one should be barred from any position by virtue of belonging to any group, including any religious group.

We also, as some here have noted, have a specific ban on imposing religious tests on any individual seeking any office in our government. Romney has basically said he would ignore our constitution and impose a system of proportional representation in its stead. His position also must be that an American who is a Muslim shouldn't have the same access to serve in our government as other Americans. He ought to withdraw from the race right now.

Felix Littleton CO (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:06 PM)

Why should Romney have to place someone in his cabinet purely because they are Muslim. Logic implies that you appoint someone to a position based on their qualifications, not just because they are Muslim. This isn't a Theocracy for crying out loud.

Jim Ward, Selden, NY (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:08 PM)

In Mitt's defense, it seems that a lot of people are misinterpreting his response. He did not say Muslims are out of the question for cabinet positions. He said that a Cabinet position would be justified based on the percentage of Muslims in the U.S. Rather, as is to be understood, it would be justified based on the qualifications, skill, experience of the particular Muslim in question. His argument was against appointing a Muslim for the sake of having a muslim cabinet member, not against Muslims in general.

Jon, Provo, Ut (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:13 PM)

There certainly aren't enough Mormons to justify one being the President. What a moron. The repugs deserve him.

Eric, Scottsdale AZ (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:16 PM)

Left on SHUT UP! Muslims used ryder truck in 93. They also use Uzi in Utha mall. You stupid leftard. picking people for what they are and not there qualifications is a leftard thing to do. lets not pic the most qualified lets pick people because of there religion. If that was the smart thing to do don't you think FDR should have picked a nazi to be sect of war???

Rob, WD (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:16 PM)

Romney is just trying to reassure the Republican base that he too is xenophobic. But the base should take this with a grain of salt. Republican politicians are actually closet islamophiles. They like the fact that Dubai now runs our ports, that Dubai runs our banks, and that Haliburton is now headquartered in Dubai. Many of you saw Bush and the Saudi king walking through the rose garden holding hands.

So my point is this: if you are xenophobic, don't vote Republican, because they do not share your views.

Jack (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:20 PM)

There is a civil war in the Muslim world right now between radical nuts like Bin Laden vs. moderate Muslims. We initally backed the right group in Afghanistan by helping the Northern Alliance (all Muslims) to overthrow the Taliban. Then Bush attacked the evil nasty but absolutely secular Saddam in Iraq and we now find ourselves in a multiple shoot out. So NOT all Muslims are terrorists and we should see if we could strenghten our ties to the moderate Muslims.

Appointing a moderate American Muslim would be fine with me if he or she was the best qualified for the job.

Rob Boston (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:26 PM)

I am equally scared of all magical thinkers holding high political office. I just close my eyes, hope they really don't think the Earth is only 6000 years old, and punch the voting lever. Mark my words, it's gonna bite us in the ass one of these days when some President is found naked in the Rose Garden waiting for the Rapture. Oh, sorry...that was Clinton. (Ha! beat you to it Jerry)

Gary Schear, Bozeman Montana (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:29 PM)

He simply said it was not justified. How is that saying that he will not put one in his cabinet. The fact that people instantly jump to bigot shows how ignorant people are in terms of looking both at question and comment. This was a horrible article that would make the author's communication professors cringe. Let's think before we instantly respond.

N ~WA (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:30 PM)

Be careful about this line "according to an Islamic businessman who asked the question at a fundraising reception"

We should require a more journalistic approach than this by far. It is an unsubstantiated comment by someone with no journalistic reputation and it is being denied by the Romney campaign. Can anyone out there really say it happened?

Elbeau (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:37 PM)

Jerry/Corpus Christi, I didn't know you were a know-all mindreader, soothsayer regarding Hillary and can predict what she thinks and will do! As far as your comment "I thought it was always about the best person qualified", I wouldn't go there. Look at the large number of unqualified cronies Bush has put in key government positions and how that has worked out.

RC/Iowa (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:42 PM)

So does this mean Mitt thinks the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations should be someone other than Zalmay Khalilzad? I'd say thats a pretty high national security position in our government even thought it's not a Cabinet level position. If he's into quotas so much, someone should ask why a Mormon president is justified given their percentage of the U.S. population.

Neil Jones, New York, NY (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:46 PM)

- Maybe we should also ask if he might concider some crips and bloods on his cabinet too, or maybe a loco-13 .. or even an illegal immigrant ??. Not all of them are violent fellons either, infact most arent, but the fact is, we have to be realistic and look at the times we live in, and what groups are most likeley to cause harm to our way of life.
- If you keep you eyes closed in the course of not offending anyone, you will walk off a cliff and die.

- The Samurai

Samurai-X (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:48 PM)

Hey " Write on", you are a bigot. Of course we do not see Chirstians and Jews strapping bombs on their backs, they have planes and missiles which are capable of killing many more without risk of life. The truth is, if we had gotten our troops out of Sadi Arabia as we promised after the Gulf war there would have been no Bin Laden or World Trade center desaster. When you seek to impose your will upon others, do not whine when they fight back with whatever means they have. If we truely want peace on earth let us cease hostilities against others for the sake of national interest or oil, let us be a leader not Dictator, goodwill is more efficient than bombs.

Ellis B. Kingman, Az. (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:49 PM)

I don't get these stupid questions....From a Muslim,Christian, whatever....I do agree that Mitt really stumbled...Why couldn't he have said, "Why are you asking me such a question...any president looks in his/her own party then remains open to others"...He is a robot....what does he really believe??? HILLARY would have been right on track...Why??? Read her book....It's the way she was raised!!!

Brenda Cassell, Virginia Beach, VA (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 2:01 PM)

Damn Mitt if you're going to act like this you should join the democrat party. They have a whole network set up to give racist in their ranks a pass.

Dave, Tn (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 2:10 PM)

Jerry, you should know of all people. Republicans only care about loyalty. They do not give a rats ass whether they are qualified. It is all about kissing repuke ass. As long as you kiss their asses you have a job. Just like the 24 year old repuke loyalist who was sent to Iraq to set uo the stock exchange. He had no knowledge or experience in running stock markets, but he was a loyal Bushie. So Jerry it is all about loyalty to the repuke party and has nothing to do whether these people are qualified or not. Qulified people need not apply with repuke leaders, they only accept cronies and loyalists that put the party over country. Typical republican in my book.
Hey Write on, you are a coward and a bigot. It must suck going through life always scared. It looks like the terrorist already own you : Write On. You are such a typcal repuke chickenhawk. All cluck no guts.

bobf (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 2:20 PM)

This is just inuendo...listen to the source:

"according to an Islamic businessman who asked the question at a fundraising reception"

This is just heresay and the Romney campaign is denying it. What evidence does anyone have that this actually happened? There are several stories today pointing out that this is just heresay and completely unsubstantiated.

Elbeau (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 2:21 PM)

Content of charactor or color of skin? Ask blacks about Thomas? It is too bad we have not grown up with so many stuck on stupid. We need people who can do the job not just look like us. Hey lets get the handsom idiot and not the ugly smart guy. It will loog good and that all that matters.

Kirt Silvers KCMO (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 2:43 PM)

Mr. Jones. Do you even know the number of Mormon's in this country. It is one of the largest an increasing religions in the world. And I am not a Mormon.

Jennifer Garets (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 2:48 PM)

Republican Kool-Aid? Thank you! It's quite tasty. Hopefully the Libs will quit taxing the sugar I put in it.

Write On (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 2:56 PM)

Kirt Silvers KCMO (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 2:58 PM)

No Muslims in a Romney Cabinet...or how about no Romney in a Muslim Cabinet.

Jane (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 2:59 PM)

No Muslims in a Romney Cabinet...or how about no Romney in a Muslim Cabinet.

Jane (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 3:04 PM)

Mitt didn't "Stumble" here at all...this supposed reply is completely unsubstantiated. It was not recorded by any journalist. It is just somebody saying they heard him say something. He didn't even write it down. He later just told a real reporter what he supposedly heard Mitt say. Come on. This is NOT a story if there was not journalism involved!!!

Elbeau (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 3:04 PM)

I believe Mitt (as much as I wouldn't vote for him) has to be understood in what he said regarding having people in his cabinet. I believe he wouldn't have any in his cabinet unless they were qualified. How he qualifies people is up to him. In George W. Bush's cabinet, the primary rationale was could the person be loyal to Bush.

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 3:04 PM)

Jerry from Corpus Christi needs to stop watching Fox news and listening to Ann Coulter. "how many different type of gods we can put into one cabinet"...what a moron. Muslims worship the same god as Christians and Jews..believe in the same prophets, etc. Do your homework before making such an ignorant comment

Dr A, Dallas TX (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 3:09 PM)

Typical left wing thinking wants an explanation from Romney about his religious beliefs, yet they are the first to put words in his mouth about muslims, and then hang him for something he didn't even say. Could it be that they are scared of a president who has morals?

Andrew, Logan, Utah (Sent Tuesday, November 27, 2007 3:13 PM)

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