Reaction to the election (UPDATED)
By Michael J.W. Stickings
Post #2000 at The Reaction. Updated throughout the night. Scroll down for more.
Heraclitus's updated election post is right below this one. Scroll down or click here.
We've written a lot of posts on the midterms in the past day or so. Scroll down to find them below these longer posts at the top.
I'll be on Subject2Discussion tonight from 11-11:30 discussing -- what else? -- the election results. Click here to listen in live or here for the podcast thereafter. The Moderate Voice's Joe Gandelman will be on right after me.
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CNN projects a Cardin win in Maryland and a Whitehouse win in Rhode Island. Two tight races go to the Dems. The RI win is a pick-up. It's a shame that the moderate Republican Lincoln Chafee had to lose -- better moderate Republicans than the extremist kind -- but as a moderate his party is simply too far to his right now. (Steve Clemons defended him here.)
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And, of course, Lieberman has won in Connecticut. Quite easily. This could turn out to be a great night for the Netroots, with a number of House candidates poised to win, but Lamont, their most high-profile candidate, just couldn't pull it out. Lieberman is still too strong in that state, but Lamont's poor campaign didn't help.
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By the way, Clemons is providing some solid election coverage tonight at The Washington Note.
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10:01 pm ET: I must say, Santorum is exceptionally gracious in defeat. I've never much cared for him, to put it politely, but his concession speech impresses. His kind words for Casey seem genuine and sincere.
**********
10:12 pm ET: CNN's Jeff Greenfield is contrasting two maps to show that Webb is doing better in Virginia than Kerry did in '04, particularly in the northern suburbs. Fantastic (if hardly praiseworthy). But he's still behind by a point.
**********
10:41 pm ET: Russert just said the word: realignment.
What's up with CNN's panel of "experts"? Do they need both Carville and Begala? Couldn't they find a non-Clintonite? Or maybe a fresher face, a different side of the Democratic Party? And why Bill Bennett and J.C. Watts on the right? Is that the best they could do? Bennett is like Rush with a Ph.D. and an egotistical claim on virtue and gravitas, a bloated blowhard weighed down by hypocrisy and oversized outrage. And Watts was an interesting figure maybe ten years ago. Who cares what he has to say now?
In celebration of the Democrats' strong showing in Pennsylvania -- Casey and Rendell both winning, strong showings in key House races (more on them later) -- I've just opened a bottle of Iron City beer, brewed in the great city of Pittsburgh and, much to my delight, available here in Toronto. (Go Steelers! They're 2-6, but I still love 'em.)
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10:56 pm ET: NBC has just projected that the Democrats will take back the House with a majority of 231 to 204!
**********
11:38 pm ET: Good fun on S2D, as always.
The Maryland Senate race may be back in play. CNN has called the race for Cardin, but the Post isn't making a projection.
The anti-abortion initiative is going down in South Dakota. Great news.
Talent (R) is ahead of McCaskill (D) by six points in Missouri. Tester (D) is ahead of Burns (R) by ten points in Montana. Allen is up by about 6,000 votes over Webb in Virginia with more than 2.25 million votes counted. Recount, anyone?
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11:49 pm ET: Actually, the Post has withdrawn its projection for Cardin, but CNN is sticking with its projection that Cardin will beat Steele.
Webb is now ahead of Allen by less than 3,000 votes in Virginia. The remaining votes are coming in from Democratic-leaning Richmond, says Jeff Greenfield. And from the northern suburbs, says Wolf Blitzer.
**********
11:55 pm ET: Democratic Party HQ is going crazy. Emanuel and Schumer. Good times.
And I'm off to watch Indecision 2006 with Stewart and Colbert.
More soon.
**********
12:37 am ET: I can't stand George Allen. And there he is speaking to his supporters. What a buffoon.
But there's some rather odd news coming out of the Virginia Senate race. CNN is reporting that its numbers may be inverted. Which is to say, Allen may be slightly ahead of Webb, not vice versa.
Carville and Begala are tracking the very ballot boxes yet to be opened. It goes without saying that this could go either way.
**********
1:09 am ET: Webb speaks. And declares victory. Hmmm.
McCaskill has moved ahead in Missouri, and it's being reported that the St. Louis precincts have yet to report. Which, if true, bodes well for her. And Tester is up by eight points in Montana.
So this -- this being the Senate -- all comes down to Virginia, Missouri, and Montana. More or less as expected.
Ah, and Larry King's back. Who thought it was a good idea to put him on for two hours from midnight to 2 am? Sure, there are breaks, but it looks like he's about to fall asleep. So incredibly dull.
And here's Arianna Huffington! And there's David Gergen! Will the fun never end?
**********
1:48 am ET: Alright, one last entry for tonight. I'll look at the House and some of the gubernatorial races tomorrow (uh, later today). Here's more on the Senate:
Remember that race in Maryland that the GOP was hyping and that the Post said was still too close to call? Well, Cardin is up over Steele by nine points, 54 to 45.
Obviously, much of the focus is now on Virginia, Missouri, and Montana. There isn't much more to say about them. The Dems are doing quite well in Missouri and Montana, and Virginia... well, we'll see.
McCaskill's on. And she declares victory. (Amid long-winded platitudes.) Just like Webb. Obviously, Democrats have learned one of the key lessons of 2000. When in doubt, if you're ahead even by a slim margin, declare victory. It's pre-emptive public relations.
Anyway, what strikes me is the margin of victory for the Democratic candidates in many of other key races. Cardin by nine in Maryland, Menendez by eight in New Jersey, Brown by ten in Ohio, Whitehouse by six in Rhode Island. Everyone knew that Kennedy, Clinton, and Hatch were going to win, and by a lot. But Democrats, it seems to me, have done exceeding well in race after race. Casey by 18 in Pennsylvania. Cantwell by 15 in Washington. Even Ford's three-point defeat was a strong showing given recent polls.
In other words, an exceptionally impressive showing by the Democrats in the 2006 midterms. Even if they don't win the Senate they will have narrowed the Republican majority. (Although Webb seems to have expanded his lead. If his lead and McCaskill's lead hold, all that's left is Montana, where Tester is currently up by four points. And CNN calls Missouri for McCaskill.) And in the House they now command a strong majority.
For me, anxiety and anticipation turned to relief and happiness. The Democrats have met heightened expectations. A message was sent. Enough is enough. Bush is still president and the Republicans may still control the Senate, but the American people have spoken. And the Democrats are back.
And that's it for me tonight. I hope you all enjoyed our coverage. We'll be back with more before too long, including much more on the midterms.
Good night.
Post #2000 at The Reaction. Updated throughout the night. Scroll down for more.
Heraclitus's updated election post is right below this one. Scroll down or click here.
We've written a lot of posts on the midterms in the past day or so. Scroll down to find them below these longer posts at the top.
I'll be on Subject2Discussion tonight from 11-11:30 discussing -- what else? -- the election results. Click here to listen in live or here for the podcast thereafter. The Moderate Voice's Joe Gandelman will be on right after me.
**********
CNN projects a Cardin win in Maryland and a Whitehouse win in Rhode Island. Two tight races go to the Dems. The RI win is a pick-up. It's a shame that the moderate Republican Lincoln Chafee had to lose -- better moderate Republicans than the extremist kind -- but as a moderate his party is simply too far to his right now. (Steve Clemons defended him here.)
**********
And, of course, Lieberman has won in Connecticut. Quite easily. This could turn out to be a great night for the Netroots, with a number of House candidates poised to win, but Lamont, their most high-profile candidate, just couldn't pull it out. Lieberman is still too strong in that state, but Lamont's poor campaign didn't help.
**********
By the way, Clemons is providing some solid election coverage tonight at The Washington Note.
**********
10:01 pm ET: I must say, Santorum is exceptionally gracious in defeat. I've never much cared for him, to put it politely, but his concession speech impresses. His kind words for Casey seem genuine and sincere.
**********
10:12 pm ET: CNN's Jeff Greenfield is contrasting two maps to show that Webb is doing better in Virginia than Kerry did in '04, particularly in the northern suburbs. Fantastic (if hardly praiseworthy). But he's still behind by a point.
**********
10:41 pm ET: Russert just said the word: realignment.
What's up with CNN's panel of "experts"? Do they need both Carville and Begala? Couldn't they find a non-Clintonite? Or maybe a fresher face, a different side of the Democratic Party? And why Bill Bennett and J.C. Watts on the right? Is that the best they could do? Bennett is like Rush with a Ph.D. and an egotistical claim on virtue and gravitas, a bloated blowhard weighed down by hypocrisy and oversized outrage. And Watts was an interesting figure maybe ten years ago. Who cares what he has to say now?
In celebration of the Democrats' strong showing in Pennsylvania -- Casey and Rendell both winning, strong showings in key House races (more on them later) -- I've just opened a bottle of Iron City beer, brewed in the great city of Pittsburgh and, much to my delight, available here in Toronto. (Go Steelers! They're 2-6, but I still love 'em.)
**********
10:56 pm ET: NBC has just projected that the Democrats will take back the House with a majority of 231 to 204!
**********
11:38 pm ET: Good fun on S2D, as always.
The Maryland Senate race may be back in play. CNN has called the race for Cardin, but the Post isn't making a projection.
The anti-abortion initiative is going down in South Dakota. Great news.
Talent (R) is ahead of McCaskill (D) by six points in Missouri. Tester (D) is ahead of Burns (R) by ten points in Montana. Allen is up by about 6,000 votes over Webb in Virginia with more than 2.25 million votes counted. Recount, anyone?
**********
11:49 pm ET: Actually, the Post has withdrawn its projection for Cardin, but CNN is sticking with its projection that Cardin will beat Steele.
Webb is now ahead of Allen by less than 3,000 votes in Virginia. The remaining votes are coming in from Democratic-leaning Richmond, says Jeff Greenfield. And from the northern suburbs, says Wolf Blitzer.
**********
11:55 pm ET: Democratic Party HQ is going crazy. Emanuel and Schumer. Good times.
And I'm off to watch Indecision 2006 with Stewart and Colbert.
More soon.
**********
12:37 am ET: I can't stand George Allen. And there he is speaking to his supporters. What a buffoon.
But there's some rather odd news coming out of the Virginia Senate race. CNN is reporting that its numbers may be inverted. Which is to say, Allen may be slightly ahead of Webb, not vice versa.
Carville and Begala are tracking the very ballot boxes yet to be opened. It goes without saying that this could go either way.
**********
1:09 am ET: Webb speaks. And declares victory. Hmmm.
McCaskill has moved ahead in Missouri, and it's being reported that the St. Louis precincts have yet to report. Which, if true, bodes well for her. And Tester is up by eight points in Montana.
So this -- this being the Senate -- all comes down to Virginia, Missouri, and Montana. More or less as expected.
Ah, and Larry King's back. Who thought it was a good idea to put him on for two hours from midnight to 2 am? Sure, there are breaks, but it looks like he's about to fall asleep. So incredibly dull.
And here's Arianna Huffington! And there's David Gergen! Will the fun never end?
**********
1:48 am ET: Alright, one last entry for tonight. I'll look at the House and some of the gubernatorial races tomorrow (uh, later today). Here's more on the Senate:
Remember that race in Maryland that the GOP was hyping and that the Post said was still too close to call? Well, Cardin is up over Steele by nine points, 54 to 45.
Obviously, much of the focus is now on Virginia, Missouri, and Montana. There isn't much more to say about them. The Dems are doing quite well in Missouri and Montana, and Virginia... well, we'll see.
McCaskill's on. And she declares victory. (Amid long-winded platitudes.) Just like Webb. Obviously, Democrats have learned one of the key lessons of 2000. When in doubt, if you're ahead even by a slim margin, declare victory. It's pre-emptive public relations.
Anyway, what strikes me is the margin of victory for the Democratic candidates in many of other key races. Cardin by nine in Maryland, Menendez by eight in New Jersey, Brown by ten in Ohio, Whitehouse by six in Rhode Island. Everyone knew that Kennedy, Clinton, and Hatch were going to win, and by a lot. But Democrats, it seems to me, have done exceeding well in race after race. Casey by 18 in Pennsylvania. Cantwell by 15 in Washington. Even Ford's three-point defeat was a strong showing given recent polls.
In other words, an exceptionally impressive showing by the Democrats in the 2006 midterms. Even if they don't win the Senate they will have narrowed the Republican majority. (Although Webb seems to have expanded his lead. If his lead and McCaskill's lead hold, all that's left is Montana, where Tester is currently up by four points. And CNN calls Missouri for McCaskill.) And in the House they now command a strong majority.
For me, anxiety and anticipation turned to relief and happiness. The Democrats have met heightened expectations. A message was sent. Enough is enough. Bush is still president and the Republicans may still control the Senate, but the American people have spoken. And the Democrats are back.
And that's it for me tonight. I hope you all enjoyed our coverage. We'll be back with more before too long, including much more on the midterms.
Good night.
posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at
2:06 AM
2 Comments:
Damn, I wanted to post the 200oth post. But I suppose it's only fair you do, since you did start the blog and build it up and do almost all the work.
Blackwell's concession speech, or the little I watched, was also classy and heartfelt. There was actually some recent Peggy Noonan column about how Santorum and his wife prayed a rosary for the Caseys on the way to a debate. I suppose it just goes to show, yet again, how complex people are.
By
., at 10:22 PM
I just hope, since the Senate looks good for the Dems, that the rumors are true and Hillary opts for the Senate majority leader post and skips the 2008 presidential race.
By
Edward Copeland, at 9:37 AM
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