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Romney turns tables on Sharpton 'bigotry'

M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 10, 2007 at midnight

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AMES, Iowa - Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney defended his Mormon faith and accused the Rev. Al Sharpton of religious bigotry on Wednesday while barnstorming through central Iowa.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, grew emotional at times when denouncing Sharpton's statement Monday night that "those of us who believe in God" would defeat Romney.

"His comment was a bigoted comment," Romney told reporters after his first stop of the day in Clear Lake, Iowa. "It shows that bigotry still exists in some corners."

As the day went on, Sharpton tried to clarify his remarks, initially saying he did not mean to disparage Mormons during his Monday night debate with atheist author Christopher Hitchens.

But by Wednesday evening, in an interview broadcast on CNN, Sharpton took issue with being called a bigot and challenged Romney to say whether he believed in the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the past, when blacks were not considered equals.

"That's not bigotry. That's responding to their bigotry," Sharpton told CNN.

Romney, who has faced questions about his religion throughout the campaign,bristled when asked at a news conference in Ames if there was anything positive that could come out of a public dialogue about religion and Sharpton's comments.

"Do I think a bigoted statement is positive? No, I do not," Romney said.

Some have worried that Romney's religious background will make it hard for him to win votes among a key Republican constituency: Christian conservatives.

At his question-and-answer session in the northern Iowa town of Clear Lake, he won some supporters with his call for strengthening America's military, economy and families. Local resident Mary Ann Baago said he won her vote, and she criticized the media and political analysts who continually raise the religion issue.

"Don't look at his religion," Baago said. "The first election I voted in was for John F. Kennedy. People said, 'Don't vote for him. He's a Catholic. The pope will run the country.' "

Her husband, retired truck driver Wade Baago, said he was undecided on the election until Romney answered his question about immigration policy and talked about scaling back the size of government.

"Values, attitude and grit . . . getting back to American values," Wade Baago said when asked why he supports Romney.

Reporters in Ames also asked about Romney's wife's $150 donation to the abortion rights group Planned Parenthood in 1994 - at a time when Romney said he considered himself "pro-choice."

"I'm pretty straightforward. I'm not trying to have it both ways here. I was effectively pro-choice, and (now) I'm pro-life," he said. "There are other great Americans that had the same recognition that they were wrong. And I'm one of those that is willing to admit it. I was wrong. I am pro-life."

As for his wife's contributions: "Her contributions are for her and not for me."

After adjourning a news conference, however, he quickly called reporters back so he could point out that his wife now serves as co-chairwoman for Massachusetts Citizens for Life and that the couple had donated 100 times as much - about $15,000 - to its efforts.