That's unexpected good news. The worm is turning.
Two "ordinary" Republicans (middle-of-the-road and not spectacular candidates) won in Virginia and New Jersey and the NY District 23 wingnut got trounced. Doug Hoffman didn't even get "edged out." The guy went down in flames to Democrat Bill Owens. An historically Republican district wound up giving the left another vote in Congress.
Psst! Corzine is no loss. Turning him out for a Republican is a healthy sign. Too bad Obama backed him. The winner -- not a wingnut -- has been an effective prosecutor and a muckraker. He hasn't shown a strong grasp of what it takes to be a governor and could turn out to be a one-term wonder.
Creigh Deeds went down in Virginia. Are we sorry? Big gain for the Republican party in Virginia? No. Bob McDonnell carefully avoided identifying as a Republican whenever possible. But he is a social conservative and Virginia has been moving left for years. He'll only have staying power if he keeps the Limbaughs and Becks at great distance.
Something tells me the tea-colored flag of the right wing of the Republican party got trampled in the mud of battle in these off-year elections.
Disgrace of the year: Michael Bloomberg.
The politician who has the most to account for? Barack Obama and/or his advisers. Not listening to the people who voted for him has exacted a price he (and we) can't afford. An energized Republican party will probably be that much more intransigent in Congress.
