The American Prospect is calling Romney a joke of a candidate—all hair. But, meanwhile, in Newsweek‘s version of the “The Evangelicals Have No Candidate” story, we find this:
The Bush family seems to be moving its chips to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Several of Jeb’s gubernatorial staffers have signed on with Romney, and Jeb’s sister, Doro Bush Koch, is cohosting a fund-raiser for him. Mom and Dad are reportedly telling friends he’s a fine man and the class act in the race. With front runner John McCain faltering and Rudy Giuliani an unlikely fit with Republican primary voters, Romney looks like the Bush Dynasty’s best bet.
Suddenly it’s the Republicans floundering for a half decent candidate! And in another echo of bad Democratic moments past, evangelicals are threatening to throw the vote. Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, told Rolling Stone in its “The Evangelicals Have No Candidate” story, “It’s true we have nowhere else to go, except to stay home. [But] we would rather go down on our principles. We lose? You lose!”
Predictably, the evangelical groups are blaming the media (these guys actually compare the influence of the liberal media to slavery!) for making a deal out of Romney’s Mormonism. But The Nation documents some instances of religious groups calling Mormonism a cult.
The truth is, and I’ve said this before, Romney made his own bed by running on a holier-than-thou platform. And then there’s the simple fact that it’s really cool to watch the religious right Goliath fall.
