Looks like Coakley is conceding.

[Cali Coug]

Unreal. She can't even wait until results are all in. What a truly terrible candidate. She didn't campaign, didn't bother with ads until the end, wondered aloud why she should "stand outside Fenway Park in the cold" to shake hands, and totally failed to inspire anyone or anything. She deserved to lose. It is still a surprising result, even as lousy as she was, simply because the state is so blue.

Oh well.

[MikeWaters]

Ummm, part of me is hoping that this is the only lesson the dems take away from this election. Because it will lead to their devastation, and a new crop of new GOPers to take their place.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

Unreal. She can't even wait until results are all in. What a truly terrible candidate. She didn't campaign, didn't bother with ads until the end, wondered aloud why she should "stand outside Fenway Park in the cold" to shake hands, and totally failed to inspire anyone or anything. She deserved to lose. It is still a surprising result, even as lousy as she was, simply because the state is so blue.

Oh well.

The good guys are still way down, 41 to 59, but at least they are not completely irrelevant. Having one party dominance is not really that great for anybody.

How a Republican could ever win that seat is beyond me. Yes it took a perfect storm, but in part one would have to speculate it's related to all the spending going on in DC. And the "health care" "refuse" I mean "reform" is not exactly exciting the electorate.

Scott Brown avoided from what I can tell the social issues usually used by Reps to shoot themselves in the foot. Good for him, although other than being against the bloated government advocated by Obama, I don't know what he stands for.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Ummm, part of me is hoping that this is the only lesson the dems take away from this election. Because it will lead to their devastation, and a new crop of new GOPers to take their place.

Nothing could make me happier if they agree with Cali and ignore any other lesson.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Ummm, part of me is hoping that this is the only lesson the dems take away from this election. Because it will lead to their devastation, and a new crop of new GOPers to take their place.

If she had spent any significant effort at all campaigning and actually talking to the voters, this wouldn't have happened, so it is pretty hard to extrapolate much more than "she was awful" out of this.

Worse things have happened. It's a setback, but it moves Dems from the largest majority held by either party since the 1970s to the second largest majority held by either party since the 1970s.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by Archaea

The good guys are still way down, 41 to 59, but at least they are not completely irrelevant. Having one party dominance is not really that great for anybody.

How a Republican could ever win that seat is beyond me. Yes it took a perfect storm, but in part one would have to speculate it's related to all the spending going on in DC. And the "health care" "refuse" I mean "reform" is not exactly exciting the electorate.

Scott Brown avoided from what I can tell the social issues usually used by Reps to shoot themselves in the foot. Good for him, although other than against the bloated government advocated by Obama, I don't know what he stands for.

Then what should we extrapolate from NY-23 which had been in Republican hands since the 1800s until Dems took it 3 months ago? Let me guess... nothing, right? And I would agree.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

If she had spent any significant effort at all campaigning and actually talking to the voters, this wouldn't have happened, so it is pretty hard to extrapolate much more than "she was awful" out of this.

Worse things have happened. It's a setback, but it moves Dems from the largest majority held by either party since the 1970s to the second largest majority held by either party since the 1970s.

You're completely correct, everybody is pleased with the Obama agenda and nobody is displeased. Coakley was a crappy candidate and those gubernatorial races recently won by the GOP mean nothing too.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

Then what should we extrapolate from NY-23 which had been in Republican hands since the 1800s until Dems took it 3 months ago? Let me guess... nothing, right? And I would agree.

We should extrapolate that incumbents are in trouble because the electorate do not like what's going on.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by Archaea

You're completely correct, everybody is pleased with the Obama agenda and nobody is displeased. Coakley was a crappy candidate and those gubernatorial races recently won by the GOP mean nothing too.

Exit polls in November showed Obama and his agenda was still quite popular with the electorate, so you are correct- those races had little to nothing to do with national issues.

I do expect Dems to lose some ground in the Senate and House this year slightly more than what is typical in normal midterm election swings (while still maintaining control of the House and Senate).

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by Archaea

We should extrapolate that incumbents are in trouble because the electorate do not like what's going on.

Right- except there wasn't an incumbent running in that election.