Cross-posted at Iowa Independent
With hopes of gaining the support of influential social conservatives for his presidential campaign, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney regularly denounces the “cesspool” of pornography on the campaign trail. But recently, those would be supporters have been grumbling that Romney did not do enough to shut down hardcore movie options in Marriott hotels while he was on the company’s board for nearly a decade.
Iowa social conservatives, who play a large role in determining the winner of the Iowa caucuses, said Romney’s ties to pornography could be a problem for his campaign. And his involvement with Marriott also brings his Mormon faith back into the spotlight, another potential obstacle to recruiting evangelical Christians.
Romney served on the Marriott Board from 1992 to 2001, during which time On Command Corp. provided for the hotels’ television and movie services, which included pay-per-view pornography, according to Glenn Johnson of the Associated Press.
President of the Iowa Right to Life Committee Kim Lehman, who had not heard about the growing controversy, said if true, it would have negative consequences for Romney’s campaign. “If he had the opportunity to protect families and didn’t take the opportunity, he’s going to be viewed as a hypocrite,” she said. “If it’s true if he could have, but chose not to … and to say you’re for families and for children, when you have a tremendous opportunity to take, these are all issues he’s going to be faced with.”
Lehman noted that she was formerly director of the Iowa chapter of Concerned Women of America, which counts pornography as one of CWA’s six “core issues.” “That was a really big issue because it destroys families,” she said.
Steve Scheffler, president of the Iowa Christian Alliance also called pornography “a major issue,” though he said he wasn’t “familiar with the circumstances” surrounding Romney.
The story broke in June, though it did not seem to breach the national consciousness until recently. David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network reported last week that the issue would be a problem for some social conservatives. “My attitude toward board members is that they are fully responsible,” John Harmer, President of the anti-pornography group The Lighted Candle Society, told Brody.
CitizenLink, which is affiliated with the influential social conservative group, Focus on the Family, then quoted Phil Burress of Citizens for Community Values saying, “The fact that Marriott hotel chain was dealing in the worst kind of hard core pornographic material and Mr. Romney was sitting on the board at the time is extremely disturbing.”
After Johnson’s coverage in the Associated Press, the issue became nationally known.
An interesting subplot also exists amidst this mini-controversy as it inevitably brings up Romney’s Mormon faith, which some evangelicals do not consider to be Christian. That’s because founder, J. Willard Marriott was also a Mormon, and in fact, was close to Romney’s father, presidential candidate and former Michigan Gov. George Romney. The elder Romney even named his son after Marriott (Mitt’s given first name is Willard). Marriott also endowed the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University.
The Deseret Morning News, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, recently criticized Romney and Marriott in an editorial. And on one financial message board discussing Marriott stock, someone named ldsmachoman wrote, “It is interesting that you often find Book of Mormons in Marriott Hotels. A lot of their hotels also offer adult–hard core movies. Is that the Mormon way of doing business. Just curious. … Mitt Romney for president and legalize polygamy now.”
Evangelical Christians, many already nervous about Romney’s faith, may now have even more reason to be wary of Romney’s candidacy.
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