SOUTH CAROLINA & RELIGION.

It would not be fair to denigrate one candidate in the Republican Party's race for the nomination of the individual, who would be running against President Barack Obama in the 2012 general election.

However, the South Carolina primary happened to be a little bit different from the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, in that there were more evangelicals involved, whose core beliefs were stable to such an extent that it would take a whole bunch of dynamite explosions to separate the two; meaning religion and politics.

To have the three main people standing before them and asking for their vote was more than just getting some speeches out and expecting the numerous religious groups to change their minds.

The three people were Romney, Santorum and Gingrich; and according to news reports, they (evangelicals) were looking at the past histories of those three, and for the moment, Santorum's credentials seemed to fall in line with their views on social issues.

Gingrich has not been sanctified in any way, being compared with the other two; yet, most people doubted whether he was religious enough. His core values were akin to their own, but he had marital problems in his background that gave him failed marks.

Romney's nature of flip-flop and jumping or changing his mind from one issue to another made him the least favorite; as ".... many evangelicals consider issues such as abortion “major” concerns, and, without naming Romney, said that candidates who have murky histories on positions like that will have trouble persuading religious voters that they’re sincere." (ABC News, 01/12/12).

That was a statement coming from a very influential evangelical, Brad Atkins, the president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention; and that would be denigrating, but that was how many religious voters saw him (Romney) to be.

There were others, who would not touch him with a ten foot pole, because of his own religion, Mormonism; as they considered that to be adverse to their faith.

It would make the situation in South Carolina more religious than political; although, some were saying that independent voters would have Romney up in the contest there; yet, would that be enough to put him over the top?

The media, of which most seemed to have already taken sides in the campaign and the political process, were saying that Romney was leading in the polls in that state.

However, the fact remained that all the candidates taking part in the SC primary would have to be gauged by their connections with the many organizations in the "bible belt", of which the state was prominent.

Rick Perry stood a chance of getting most people to vote for him, owing to his southern heritage affiliations; and being so, the religious vote could split several ways; and that would be to the advantage of Romney, for him to slip through, as he would be getting much of the independent voters on his side.

Paul and Huntsman would still factor in the primary; but no one was favoring them to be strong players as the other three candidates.

Nevertheless, the common man in the street saw the Republican race as a charade, and an effort to give more power to the wealthy people in the United States.

The huge amounts of monies that were changing hands in the campaign, with respect to media advertisements alone, gave the party's goal away. That, for economic reasons, the wealthy should be handed the scepter to dominate American politics.

Sovereignty would then be the name of the game. However, would that be what a great majority of citizens wanted? You and I should just think about that.