Once the central pillar of the GOP base, the religious right is facing a big, divisive problem. They can either vote for a moderate white conservative heretic with a checkered past, or stand idly by and let a black progressive Christian win a second term. Wingnut activists have been cooking up this shit sandwich with Mormon bashing for years:

(NYT) — Mr. Roberts has traveled throughout the United States, and to some countries abroad, preaching that Mormonism is heretical to Christianity. His message is a theological one, but theology is about to land squarely in the middle of the Republican presidential primary campaign.

Roberts actually has a pretty good point. All religions are farcical in the light of modern science and history, but the fraud of Mormonism is so recent and glaring it’s difficult even for fellow believers to get past. At one time Mormons believed that Native Americans were a direct descendent of a lost Middle Eastern clan. A claim that has had to be seriously massaged after genetics shot it down in flames. They also believe, or at least used to preach, that in the afterlife true believers becomes Gods and are awarded their own planet to rule with supernatural powers. They even sometimes refer to mainstream Christians as “Gentiles.”

Needless to say these beliefs combined with the general authoritarian intolerance practiced by social conservatives is a big sticking point for Mittens. And while Obama will no doubt be painted as Satan or worse in the coming months, the fact is a lot of those cards have already been played.

For the rest of us it’s great theatre though. Let’s all go the lobby!