Today’s Reading List – March 13, 2007

Posted by: John Schroeder at 04:58 am, March 13th 2007 — Comment on this post »

In USAToday, Susan Page looked at all the "barriers" that this election cycle could crash through. I cannot help but wonder if we as a nation will ever outgrow this kind of identity politcs. I certainly don't think so as long as some politicians insist on using these identity factors for short-term political advantage. I find it very instructive that despite his opportunity to break one of those barriers, Romney is personally not discussing it. Neither are McCain (age) or Giuliani (Republican-Catholic). The other side of the aisle is an entirely different story.

Another small paper covers The Question. This one is distasteful to me as it opens with the question of whether Mormons are Christians or not. It would be a huge mistake to play that game, it reinforces religious bigotry rather than breaks it down.

Lowell: It's a little discouraging to read this stuff over and over again, by writers who seem to be discovering it for the first time. Don't they read this blog?

Don't know how we missed this last week, but I'm not sad we did. (HT: GOPProgress) Texas based pollster David Hill is doing a series on how the Romney campaign will collapse.

Yes, the Romney camp can try to sell the notion that Americans will look past Romney’s religion — and some will, for sure — but for most Americans, Romney’s embrace of secretive Mormon Temple practices…

…yada, yada, yada (same old stuff). I wonder who Mr. Hill's client is for this cycle?

Lowell: We posted a perspective on "secretive Mormon Temple practices" here. (Look toward the end of the post.) Maybe our readers will find it helpful.

Romney on Hannity & Colmes. (You'll have to search for it a bit on the Fox video page – look under "Shows.") He stays on message with The Question.

Lowell: I thought it was interesting that in the Hannity interview the "message" Romney stayed on shifted ever so slightly, as he focused on his family and they way they reflect his values, much as he did in the interviews he gave to Hugh Hewitt for Hugh's book (as we discuss below).

I hope Cal Thomas is right and Evangelicals are maturing politically, at least as far as religious affiliation goes.