A Washington Post writer visits the exotic land of Arkansas (I can just hear the editor making hick jokes) and reports that there are a lot of evangelicals there and some of them really hate Mormons. It is in Arkansas, you see, where the descendents of many of the families killed in the Mountain Meadows Massacre live today.
There aren’t many places in America more likely to be suspicious of Mormonism — and potentially more problematic for Mitt Romney, who is seeking to become the country’s first Mormon president. Not only do many here retain a personal antipathy toward the religion and its followers, but they also tend to be Christian evangelicals, many of whom view Mormonism as a cult.
And yet, there is scant evidence that Romney’s religion is making much difference in how voters here are thinking about the presidential election and whether they are willing to back the former Massachusetts governor.
So, to be clear: There is “scant evidence” of any reason to tie this story to Mitt Romney, yet the Washington Post still finds a way to do it. And the Church and Romney have both apologized profusely about this 150-year-old story, but it is still important enough to merit a lengthy story in the Washington Post.
And just in case there is any doubt, the Post reporter ends his story by reaffirming there is really no story here at all: “None of that history, though, including the massacre, may make much of a difference at the polls,” the reporter writes.
You got that? There is absolutely no story here. It has no effect on the campaign in any way or on the Church or on Mitt Romney. But we must write a story anyway. Doesn’t the Post have better things to do? Well, given its plummeting circulation, apparently not.