It has been almost 35 years since a young, progressive Irishman ran for President. He was from a wealthy New England family, had gone to prep school and had graduated Harvard. He was also a veteran of World War II, an able Congressman, an effective Senator and a Pulitzer Prize winning author. Yet in 1960, in many areas of our United States, there was a substantial part of his life and character that worked against him.
John F. Kennedy was a Roman Catholic.
When Kennedy received the Democratic Party's nomination for President in 1960, he became only the second major party candidate in U.S. history who was a practicing member of the Roman Catholic faith. Alf Landon was the other, a Republican who was defeated by Franklin Roosevelt in 1936. There was a great deal of prejudice in 1960, and in the South especially, many Americans were wary about the prospect of electing a Roman Catholic to this nation's highest office. In a race that was as close as the contest that year between Kennedy and Richard Nixon, this question of faith, and any vote against a candidate because of it, was very important.
To quell any doubts about his allegiance to his country and not only to his faith, JFK spoke before the Greater Houston Ministerial Association in Texas, a hot bed of Protestantism. He made the clear point that there were many more important national issues than religion that should have been shaping that race in 1960 and affirmed his dedication to the policy of the separation of church and state. More importantly, he made the clear distinction that he was not the Catholic candidate for president, but that he instead was the Democratic Party's candidate for president.
Well in 1994, Mitt Romney is not the Mormon Church's candidate for the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts, he is the Republican Party's candidate for the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts. Unfortunately, Senator Ted Kennedy, Romney's opponent, has forgotten that distinction, so clearly laid out by his brother in 1960.
Senator Kennedy has instead made faith an issue in this close and nationally important race, querying Romney on the social stands of the Mormon Church and his involvement within it. Kennedy specifically questioned the Mormon Church's stand on minorities serving as priests. "In 1978 there was a change in terms of the teachings [of the Mormon Church to allow blacks as priests]. Where is Mr. Romney on these issues in terms of equality of race prior to 1978 and other kinds of issues in question?" When Kennedy questions Romney on issues of faith within the Mormon Church from 1978, he also opens doors to questions of his Catholicism, and the fact that women cannot serve as Catholic priests.
In an election where important issues such as health care reform, welfare reform and crime should be the overriding issues, this political tactic of questioning faith has no value. Church and state are separate in this country and the secular nature of campaigning has been duly defended by JFK.
No candidate for office should impugn an opponent for their religious faith. That tactic is particularly reprehensible when resorted to by a Kennedy.
