Romney's defining moment
Reviewer sls
March 02, 2008
Romney's speech was outstanding, but it could have been enhanced. It was obvious that he imitated some aspects of JFK's famous speech in Houston. However, Romney is in a unique situation as a member of the only major religion in America that was founded here. He could have drawn parallels between his own religion and other persecuted religions that would have made the speech even more powerful. He could have emphasized the American roots of his faith in the way that Yale Prof. Harold Bloom did. Romney also could have entertained questions, as Kennedy did, to assuage evangelicals who base their perceptions of Mormonism on statements taken out of context by some detractors of the faith, just as was the case with Kennedy. In short, the speech was excellent but it could have been great.