Today’s Reading List – November 13, 2006 | Article VI Blog

The general election gets a bit tougher. Would've been like fish in a barrel.

The WaPo Friday line is back, and Romney is on the rise. (There is a fascinating commenter in there somewhere ) (Lowell: A little more on that post from the same commenter here.) CQPolitics adds their weekly wrap up.

The WSJ on election '06 and how it affects presidential election '08. (subscription required) Interesting words about Romney, and no mention of religion!

In case you missed it, and I doubt anyone reading this blog did, the Massachussets legislature adjorned rather than vote on bringing gay marriage to the ballot. Romney will have an interesting last few months as Governor. K-Lo reminds us precisely where he stands on this vital issue.

Typical leftie anti-Romney rant – notable only because of its insistence on including a mention of his religion in the headline.

An analysis of the just completed election and Evangelicals. Quoting David Gerson in the piece:

While many evangelicals are impatient with the priorities of the religious right, it would be a mistake to argue that they are disillusioned by politics itself. The new evangelicals are not calling for cultural retreat, but for broader engagement. Politics, at its best, has the goal of serving your neighbor.

This Evangelical, while not in line on all of the issues thinks this is a great move in general. I also think it is the kind of evangelical political engagement that would not have a lick of problem voting for a Mormon, or Jew, or Hindu, or….

Here is some numbers and additional quotes on the same issue. An interesting quote:

Evangelical Christians are "fed up with the Republican leadership, particularly in the House," said the Rev. Richard Land, head of the public policy arm of the 16 million-member Southern Baptist Convention.

Results matter more than stance. That means a maturity among religious voters, which means I think they will look for candidates that gets it done, not the ones that just say the right things.

Hugh Hewitt looks at the same numbers.

The Philly paper says Election '06 puts Romney in the top two Republicans for '08.

Mehlman on board with Romney?! If true, this would confirm two things:

Guliani is out – the rumors all week have been Mehlman would join Guliani
Romney is the traditional Republican base guy of choice.

Lowell: Romney could do a lot worse, if Ambinder is right about Mehlman's political genius.

K-Lo dreams — Andrew Sullivan overreacts.

You read something like this and you cannot help but think that if we insist on a presidential candidate that believe "just like us" no one would ever get elected.

Looks like someone in Utah reads this blog – sorta. I am not sure it is wise for Mormons to try and "score points" because Evangelicals have a loss – they're significantly outnumbered, making this a competition of any sort between Mormons and Evangelicals is a loser idea. That said, some of the other arguments they make sound remarkably familiar. Lowell: Agreed. I did not like the editorial's argument that because of Ted Haggard's fall, "the evangelical Christian wing of the Republican Party lost all claim to moral superiority." Imputing one man's sins to an entire group makes no sense. The Provo Daily Herald is the most conservative newspaper in Utah (and that's saying a lot), but that line reminds me more of my liberal friends' gloating over Haggard's hypocrisy.

Lowell adds: This comment from Power Line suggests that questions about some religions may be considered off-limits. It also suggests that Romney is not the only candidate being asked irrelevant questions about religious affiliation.