K Lo: That Slate piece by Adam Reilly criticizes a joke that Romney likes to use, and which I’ve heard him say a couple of times, in order to defuse the skepticism some people have about Mormons:

I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman … and a woman … and a woman.

Reilly admits that the joke is funny (which it is, and Romney’s well-practiced delivery of it is perfect) but says it merely points out the Mormons are, well, different from other kinds of Christians. My own sense is that the joke actually helps him. Whenever I discuss Romney with a friend, the Mormonism question comes up–is he electable? I always say that I don’t know, but that Romney tells this really funny joke as a way to build bonds and defuse skepticism, which I then repeat. It always gets a laugh, often followed by some positive comment about Romney’s personability. At some point, everyone will have heard this joke and Romney will have to come up with a new one. But for now it works, its self-deprecation makes him likeable, and it subtly reminds listeners that Romney has fought for traditional values as hard as any conservative in the country.