Last night I was getting ready for bed when my husband announced that "Mormons across the country are jumping for joy right now..." Why, you may ask? Simply because long-time Democratic Senator Harry Reid (also an active member of the Mormon church) is not seeking re-election. Hubs is probably right that many conservative Mormons are breathing a collective sigh of relief because someone they see as an embarrassing associate will presumably no longer be on the public stage.
Well, I think that those who are jumping and sighing have missed out on a great national leader in their corner. It is never a bad thing to erase the erroneous white wash that narrowly paints a group of people as being all the same, rather than being a collection of unique individuals. It is never a bad thing to challenge society's prejudicial assumptions about a minority group. Categorizing any group as being "all the same" invariably leads to misunderstanding and often leads to hate. I love Harry Reid simply for the fact that he proves to the world that not all Mormons are the same. We don't all feel the same way about every issue, we don't view the world in the same way, and we clearly don't even vote for all the same things.
Senator Reid's liberalism might not be average among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but he is certainly not an anomaly. As I have met members of the LDS church across the eastern seaboard and further Northeast, it has become incredibly uneventful to meet a Mormon who identifies as a Democrat or as politically liberal. Now don't fall off your chair here, but consider this-- I know a generous Mormon man who believes that all media censorship across all genres should be banned. Are you shocked yet? I know an accomplished Mormon woman who is a vociferous proponent of a woman's right to an abortion. I know a humorous Mormon man who "just couldn't live with himself" if he ever voted for a Republican candidate for anything. And, yes, they are all my friends. And of course, there's me :-) I am in good company here in New England! And if Harry Reid wants to retire and move out here, he would be among good company, too.
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