« Let's just get this out of the way. . . | Main | Is this relevant. . . »
November 8, 2006
I have no problem saying it. . .
I was wrong, and wrong in a rather big way.
Barring some MAJOR switcheroos the House is now controlled by the Dems, and it's very likely at this point that either Joe Lieberman is the most powerful man in Washington, or the Senate is fully lost (there's a chance we can hold the Senate now, but it seems unlikely).
It would be so easy to start with the Democrat tactic of claiming that the elections were stolen, that Diebold machines threw votes, or that operatives were suppressing votes. It would be easy to do that, but I won't. The Republican Party, my party, lost this fair and square, and largely through their own doins.
It unfortunate that this election now means that we may see the Democrats able to create the Vietnam in Iraq that they've been dreaming about for years now. I'm sorry for all of our men and women in uniform who now rightly fear that Pelosi and her comrades will de-fund them whilst they are in harm's way. I'm also very upset that we are handing to al-Queda the very victory they asked for.
I do see bright points of light however, and I see a very bright point of light in '08. I'll get to those another day.
For now, I'm going to have a beer, kick back and relax. That may seem flippant, but hey, I'm not a sore loser, never have been and never will be (except that one time, and that other one). I don't like it, but I won't let it consume me and drive me into a frenzy nut-case rage a la Al Gore. I also realize that things are going to get VERY sketchy the next two years; and since our national security is about to go straight down the tubes, it might be one of the last chances I have to relax for quite a while.
Oh yeah, if you're catching this early and haven't already done it, it might be a good idea to set up some automated trade triggers in case the Dow decides to tank.
--Jason
PS - On the plus side, the Republicans get to play the game like the minority party now, and boy oh boy will that be fun. Ya'll ain't seen nothing yet. If the Dems thought Rovian Campaign Strategy (which was certainly void in this election cycle) was dangerous before, they have no freakin' clue what happens when the gloves come off, and now they won't be able to cry the "we have no power to control that" card.
Actually, now that I reflect a bit, this isn't all that bad after all, and I feel so much better about '08. Enjoy your two years Dems, don't expect any more than that.
PPS - I want to retreat back a bit from the statement that a Republican Senate hold "seems unlikely". It's going to come down to Montana (where the polls are still open) and Virginia (where Allen is down by less than 3K, there WILL be a recount, and more than a few votes are still uncounted), if the Dems win both those races, it's lost. I am still very optimistic for both the VA and MT races, but we'll just have to wait till morning to see what shakes out.
One bright point is that a good friend is up and about in Montana and still working to get Republican voters to the polls.
Ya know, it'd be a great idea to pass a law that ends the publication of election results prior to a full count. I know it'll never ever happen, both sides would cry foul and the media would freak out about their loss of influence in the Western elections. However, it'd be a good law.
-JC
Posted by JasonColeman at November 8, 2006 12:18 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.jasoncoleman.com/MT/mt-tb.cgi/432
Comments
Montana's all but over now, but Burns will probably take it to court. Still don't know about Montana.
Posted by: Talmadge East at November 8, 2006 1:49 PM
Well, nobody can see the future. I expected the Dems to get either the House or the Senate but not both. I also worry about our troops and well-meaning Iraqis who the Dems would have us leave hanging. At least they only get to do 2 years of damage. Although I'm a bit worried that because republicans are in the leadership spotlight, whatever happens will be blamed on them. It's lose-lose. '08 could be bad. I'm so glad that I have the fetal position to curl into. It's so....comforting....
Posted by: Shosh at November 8, 2006 4:11 PM
