by Matthew Sitman
Gopnik believes that class, rather than faith, is at Mitt Romney's psychological core. I'm not so sure. As Gopnik concedes, faith does impact how a person views wealth and success. Why shouldn't we prioritize the specific religious motivation for that? For Romney, the theological thrust of Mormonism really could be behind his temporal pursuits. Accumulation – of land, wives, and wealth – stretches back to Mormonism's beginnings; we don't need to bring in the amorphous formulation of "American tycoon" to explain this.
But more importantly, and despite the amount of press it has received, wealth is not the most interesting facet of Mitt Romney. Many wealthy men have run for the presidency. While Romney might be especially rich, and use that money in ways easy to poke fun at, its not surprising that a wealthy man is the Republican nominee. Romney's personality tics are far more arresting – particularly the massive inability to handle criticism and the shamelessness, opportunism, and ease with which he changed positions over the years. Those, and not his wealth, are what stand out. This pattern has all the marks of a disposition shaped by a religion that has been notably wary of criticism from its start, as well as an understanding of doctrine that, as Gopnik notes, has built within it the ability to shift stances in a moment's notice. When the Mormon President, the church's "prophet, seer, and revelator," speaks, what Mormons are required to believe changes. Mormonism is the Etch-a-Sketch American religion. Whatever you make of it, I think it tells us as much as we are likely to know about Romney's inner life.
The Dish 