Why are Romney SuperPac Donors Shy?
At Religion Dispatches, Joanna Brooks explains why Mitt Romney’s wealthy Mormon donors have exploited SuperPacs to remain out of the spotlight. According to Brooks, such campaign donation anonymity fits into broader Mormon cultural norms about wealth and philanthropy. “Wealth means status in the world of Mormonism, as it does just about everywhere else,” Brooks writes. But in Mormon communities there are “no plaques bearing donor names affixed to Mormon chapels or temples … People may know who the big givers are in Mormon communities, but it would be a breach of cultural etiquette to advertise one’s own contributions.”