English Script Request

Romney: Let me help you understand – and it’s, it – you don’t understand my faith like I do. Alright, so, so give me for a moment the benefit of the doubt of having been the leader of my church, a bishop and a state president – I understand my church better than you do. Alright, my church has very strong beliefs that Mormons should not participate in, encourage, in any way support abortion –
Mickelson You can be excommunicated if you do, says right there, that’s what they say, I didn’t say it!
Romney: Are you thinking of disagreeing with it?
Mickelson: No, I don’t know, but I mean it’s strong
Romney: Are you disagreeing with me? Let me once again say: I understand my faith better than you do.
Mickelson: Right.
Romney: You don’t believe that, do you.
Mickelson: I’m not sure.
Romney: Well, that is, that is hardly worth having a discussion over.
Mickelson: Well no, no, I’m…
Romney: Listen, let me, can I complete the point?
Mickelson: Well, the reason I said that is because you also said in another forum, I think it was on Stephanopolis (sp?) about the second coming of Christ
Romey: Right.
Mickelson: And you said it’s going to happen in Jerusalem.
Romney: It is.
Mickelson: Your church says it’s going to happen in Missouri
Romney: No it doesn’t.
Mickelson: Alright, is that wrong?
Romney: Is what wrong? Is what wrong? The church says that Christ appears on the Mount of Olives (?) and splits them out of Olives and appears in Jerusalem. That’s what the church says. And then over a thousand years, the millennium, the world is reigned in two places: in Jerusalem and Missouri. That’s what the church says. The second coming, the arrival of Jesus Christ, our church says is in Jerusalem. That’s the chuch that I know.
Mickelson: Stephanopolis misquoted your church. Which is not surprising –
Romney: That’s fine.
Mickelson: I was basing my question on that premise.
Romney: Leon Scottson (sp?) has a book called a A Thousand Years you can talk about, Christ appears – it’s throughout the bible – Christ appears in Jerusalem, splits them out of Olives, to stop the war that’s coming in to kill the all the Jews, our Church believes that. That’s when the coming and glory of Christ occurs. We also believe that over the thousand years that follows, the millennium, he will reign from two places.
Mickelson: Right.
Romney: That the law will come forward from, ah, from one place and ah, from Missouri and the other will be in Jerusalem. Alright, that’s… but now back to abortion.
Mickelson: Before, but I have to get back on air, but before we do anything else, I want you to understand one thing – I take this stuff real seriously.
Romney: Oh I don’t though, for me this is all frivolous (laughs)
Mickelson: No, I take you, no seriously, I take you
Romney: Come on, I’m running for president!
Mickelson: I take you seriously, and I take what you’re saying seriously.
Romney: But you’re not giving me the opportunity to explain to you, that my, that my faith has very strong beliefs that if I commit abortion, encourage an abortion I – look, I was beaten up in Boston because I pointed out time and again that I encourage girls not to get abortions, that I told her to have adoptions. I have never done anything that in any way violates the principles of my church in that regard. I have made other mistakes, but in that regard. But the church does not say that a member of our church has to be opposed to allowing choice in the society. And therefore, there are Mormon democrats. There is a democratic party in Utah, filled with Mormons, and the church doesn’t say, “They’re wrong, they’re excommunicated.” No, it says, “Look, we are vehemently opposed to abortion, ourselves, and for ourselves. But we allow other people to make their own choice.” I disagree with that view. Politically I look at that and I say, “You know what, that’s wrong.” And it’s not a Mormon thing, it’s a secular position to say, you know what, I was wrong, we should have as a society, a prohibition on abortions, under the following circumstances.
Mickelson: When ah…
Romney: But it’s not violating my faith, let me assure you.
Mickelson: When we… I hope we can do this when we can spend some quality time on here, rather than… sound bites.
Romney: Now I, I mean I don’t like coming on the air and have you go after my church –
Mickelson: I’m not going after your church!
Romeny: That’s right, but I’m not running as a Mormon, and I don’t think I’m that – and I get a little tired of coming on a show like yours and having it all about Mormon.
Mickelson: See I don’t mind it being about that…
Romney: Yeah, I do.
Mickelson: I agree with the ethics of your church for Pete’s sake!
Romney: So do I, so do I.
Mickelson: Well, I was trying to…
Romney: No, you’re trying to tell me that I’m not a faithful Mormon. Or that I’m not a fai – the ethics of my church.
Mickelson: No, I’m trying to get you to reconcile what I think is a disparity –
Romney: And then - and have a great discussion about Mormonism and the Mormon church and read the documents of the church and where my view is – and you know what, I – I – I’m not running to talk about Mormonism.
Mickelson: No, but the point is, I – the people who are likely to vote, don’t want to elect a (?) candidate, uh, who comes back here (?), comes here to Iowa and says “I’m pro-life,” and then when he gets to Washington stands up and becomes pro-choice.
Romney: Here’s your opportunity to have that settled in your mind. I was governor four years. So that is what I’m talking about. I was governor four years. I had a number of pieces of legislation that came to my desk that dealt with abortion, abstinence education, argued 486, and so forth. I vetoed any bill that was in favor of choice; I was entirely consistent in favor of life. So it’s not just my word you have to take, look at my record.
Mickelson: Ok, thank you.
(Background chatter)