But to understand his attitude towards the poor, it may be necessary to look at the interesting—though unsystematized—tradition of Mormon economics. Romney is certainly aware of the tradition—in fact, as a local leader of congregations, he helped administer it—and there’s little doubt that it has informed the way he thinks about poverty, wealth, and the dynamics of government assistance.

Mormonism has from the beginning thought of itself as less a church than a community, a place where, as Mormon scripture states: "They had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free,” and “there were no poor among them.” The Book of Mormon states quite flatly that there is no such thing as undeserving poor: It is the obligation of any Christian to offer aid whenever it is requested, no questions asked. And so it’s not surprising that, during the nineteenth century, Joseph Smith and Brigham Young repeatedly tried to implement a form of Christian socialism, asking their followers to deed all their property to the church and redistributing it as need might demand.

These attempts rarely worked: Joseph Smith complained that greed sabotaged what he called “the law of consecration.” Still, the church went on to establish a rather extensive internal welfare system. Members are regularly asked to contribute money to assist the poor of their own congregation, and the Church Welfare Program, run largely by volunteers, produces food and clothing in farms, canneries, and factories for distribution—both to those inside and outside the church.