Watertown -- It is that special time that happens every four years, where political debates take place and the country gets to vote for a new President.
Every election deals heavily with partisan politics, smear campaigns, and rhetoric that leave undecided voters often more confused. Party politics is difficult to put aside, when it is election season one never knows what will be magnified and scrutinized.
Ever since Mitt Romney surfaced in 2008 running for the Republican nomination, his religious beliefs have been under the spot light. Being a Mormon has never been more discussed, as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints caused most of the country to seek answers regarding the details of Mormonism. In a recent article by The Guardian, “Mitt Romney’s Mormonism has no community at Heart” focused criticizes the running of Romney’s campaign.
The U.K. columnist Michael Steinberg states- “The Mormon presidential candidate's social vision is a far cry from the communitarian ethos of early Mormonism. Mitt Romney's campaign has been all about individualism – a Randian dream of unregulated markets and untrammelled self-interest.” At one point in time, the North Country once held the most LDS members in the world. Tucked away in Watertown, New York LDS church, what the Mormons call “Ward” holds an equal amount of civilians and military members.
MYABC50.com spoke with Ashley Stuart a radio DJ by day and a Public Affairs volunteer representing the North Country LDS Ward. Although Mitt Romney has been scrutinized as of late, whether it be his taxes or religious beliefs, some North Country LDS members prefer to focus on the moral and family values Romney represents. As the debates draw near, the importance of who can steer the country out of our current economical slump and the 8.1 percent of the national unemployment rate lowered, getting people back to work will be the main focus.
