Mitt Romney, "Faith in America," and the Dance of Religion and Politics in American Culture

This essay examines the interplay of religion and politics in the 2008 Republican primary. It does so by using Mitt Romney's "Faith in America" speech as a lens for analyzing, interpreting, and commenting upon the place of religious discourse in American politics. Romney's speech functioned as a sort of Rorschach test through which various segments of the voting public read their own beliefs, values, fears, and prejudices. By examining audience response to Romney's speech across the elite media, I isolate the beliefs and attitudes of these media elites and their readers toward religion in the public sphere. I then subject those beliefs and attitudes to critical examination.