Certainly had enough steam yesterday

Random thoughts the day after:

Had there been no clerical abuse scandal in Massachusetts, it is unlikely Mitt Romney would have been elected governor. Mormonism remains foreign to the culture of the Bay State, but Catholics are no longer in a position to be judgmental.

Tim Russert deserves an Unsung Hero award for his role in turning the gubernatorial election in Massachusetts. His sharp interrogation of the candidates, particularly on the question of age of consent for an abortion, drove the Herald debate last week that sank Shannon O'Brien.

Emily's List, which backs Democratic women candidates who favor abortion rights, is a good indicator of who not to support in a given race. They can't be pleased with the results on the tote board today. The record of their endorsees in races spotlighted on their main page: Senate, 0-for-3; House, 2-for-9; Governor, 3-for-9.

Boston journalist-blogger Jay Fitzgerald at Hub Blog has been providing fine reporting on the election in Massachusetts. Meantime, some of the best – and only – regular coverage of the Bay State Republican Party has come from a local gadfly with a web site at NewtonGOP.com.

Also from Massachusetts: Election coverage from the Globe and from the Herald, including reflections on the unbecoming Shannon O'Brien by Howie Carr.

Nationally: Andrew Sullivan offers outstanding analysis today, as do the Weekly Standard and NRO. Also worth visiting: The New Republic and the Washington Post.

UPDATE: The dominoes start to fall.

EL Core notes the grave state of Peter Jennings' kisser as the returns poured in, and also asks the question: Which party elected two black lieutenant-governors last night? Hint: It wasn't the Democrats.

Meantime, visit Democrats.com and see the best they can do today. Hmmm. Too Stupid to be President doesn't appear to have been updated either. (The angel-winged Bobby Kennedy appears to be announcing a car for the late Sen. Wellstone. Limousine liberalism, even in heaven?)