Yesterday, I wrote about the possibility that Mitt Romney could make history with his vice presidential selection. Should he pick a Catholic running mate (and several of the best candidates fit into this rubric), and then go on to win the general election, his would be the first winning presidential ticket not to include at least one member who identifies himself with a traditional Protestant denomination.
But that’s not really the most remarkable thing to consider.
It is entirely possible that the top echelons of political power in the United States would be completely absent a Protestant representative. The religious affiliation could very likely look as such:
President – LDS
Vice President – CatholicSenate Majority Leader – LDS
Speaker of the House – Catholic (Boehner or Pelosi) or Jewish (if Cantor were to stage a coup).Supreme Court of the United States – 6 Catholic / 3 Jewish (0 Protestant)
(Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is a Baptist.)
Note: I do not write this as a warning or a lamentation, but only to note the fact that this would be a quite remarkable occurrence — made even more remarkable by the fact that nobody seems to have noticed — or cared.