America's Feeling Blue: Dems Shine On Election Day '07

Washington Post:

Kentucky: The biggest news of the night was in the Bluegrass State where former Lt. Gov. Steve Beshear (D) crushed Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R) 59 percent to 41 percent. Fletcher had long been seen as a dead man walking politically; ethics problems in his first four years in office had badly hamstrung his reelection chances. Beshear restores Democratic control to the Kentucky governorship, an office that the party has held for all but four years since 1967. Elsewhere on the ballot, state Auditor Crit Luallen (D) was reelected with 59 percent, a margin sure to stoke speculation of a challenge to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) in 2008.

Virginia: Republicans appear to have lost control of the state Senate, as at least three Republican incumbents and a GOP-held open seat have gone to Democrats. The race we were watching most closely -- the 34th district battle between state Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis (R) and Chap Peterson (D) -- turned into a rout, with the Democrat unseating the incumbent 56 percent to 44 percent. Democrats' gains are yet more evidence of the rapidly shifting demographics in the Commonwealth. Sen. Mark Warner (D) anyone? (Full Va. results.)

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[OckhamsElectricRazor]

It is time to purge Congressional Leadership in Both houses and in Both parties. Vote against incumbents in 2008; press your representative and senators to vote in NEW blood for all leadership positions in the next Congress; email current Congressional leaders to step aside in the next Congress and let new blood assume the reins.

[dcazal01]

The country have four ideologies, rep, dem, left and right; but the electoral system only allows two; when a third option exist it only helps electing the opposite side. We should have an election with four options and then we could count the right and the left, the center right and the center left, it will be more democratic.

[GrouchoMarxist]

Lost in the news about VA and KY was the fact that Democrats took the MS legislature -- the whole thing, not just the Senate like VA. They may have reelected Haley Barber, but he'll have a democratic legislature to deal with.

[leftLibertarian]

If Bush and Cheney staged a coup
What would the Democrats do?

Vote to fund it.

[BlueLogic]

Hillary, Obama or Edwards CAN be elected President.

To heck with Florida, they key state is OHIO and the GOP brand is tarnished thanks to Taft and Ken Blackwell. They are in love with their new Democratic Governor and newly minted Senator Sherrod Brown. Hillary will carry the Buckeye state.

[mogando]

If we look at 2006 and 2007 elections as well as recent polling data, they collectively suggest Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, and Arkansas (for Hillary) are in-play for 2008. If VA flips blue, plus *any* of the other 3, then Dems can win, without even needing Ohio or Florida. Recent trends would suggest VA has the best chance to flip among the 4.

And even in a weak scenario in which MO+AR yields 269 electoral votes, guess who decides the outcome?...walla, the House.

The weakest 2-state win would be KY+AR, yielding 266. Then we need another small swing state (IA or NM) to flip. But judging by the fact that both were being won by 1% in 2004, won't be totally out of reach.

[Dantheman99]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_colour

Here's the wikipedia article on political colour. It seems the Dems have been "blue" since 2000. It has to be a DLC gimmick. (At least as a Green, I know what my party's positions and representative color are).

Liberals should seek to take back "red" for the Democrats and end this nonsense.

And, while were at it, we should have adopted the metric system decades ago.

I love this country, but sometimes the rest of the world makes sense.

[GoodwithWood]

“Dems Shine on Election Day”

If they’re still shining after 72 hours, seek medical help!!!

[Dantheman99]

By the way, who decided that the Republicans were now red and the Democrats were now blue. Around the world, the mainstream party of the right is usually represented by blue, while the mainstream party of the left, including Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, etc. is represented by red. (I believe this tradition started after the French Revolution). My history books had Republican blue and Democratic red.

What irks me is that probably some media consultant decided, "Ooh, red is for commies, so were going to make the Democratic party blue so they are equated with left-wing politics."

Well, God forbid the Democrats should every have to associate themselves with anything ideological. Why haven't the Democrats joined Liberal International in the way the Republicans joined the conservative equivalent? It's the purposeful watering down any liberal or progressive symbolism that I resent. It had to be something a DLC-er came up with.

-----------

On another note, almost as important as the Democrats recapturing the Virginia State Senate, indicating that state is moving "purple", was the Democrats recapturing the Mississippi State Senate, which got no media coverage. While Mississippi like like to stay rock solid Republican blue (I'm a traditionalist), the fact the Democrats took back full control of the legislature while Haley Barbour won convincing re-election means that the Democrats are likely to advance in Congressional races and state legislatures in 2008, which is expected. Conservatives are retreating in their core areas and they will have to play defense next year in many places they currently take for granted.

I wish the parties would rename themselves Conservative and Progressive-Liberal, so that actually have a party that stands up for progressive-liberalism even in name only, which the corporatist Democrats aren't doing even though they have a congressional majority.

[Dantheman99]

I think the various red/blue election state and congressional elections maps distort the picture because Republicans tend to represent rural, sparser Congressional districts, while Democrats tend to represent more urban, densely populated ones.

Maps that don't show geographically boundaries, but have all congressional districts or electoral votes sized equally can be more representative of the overall picture.

[GOPiousness]

Today's prayer:

Dear Baby Jesus of the GOP, as you lay in your baby saviour manger, with your frankensense filled, little miraculous Baby Jesus rattle, please watch over our Dear Holy Party as we travel the dangerous and liberal waters of the treasonous American electoral field. Help us to bring all of that wonderful Jesus inspired sanctimony to a successful campaign trail fraught the potholes of tempting vaginas and willing male prostitutes. Please allow our unfettered access to these, your most wonderful gifts, by keeping them from the general public (and our wives, who we enjoy loveless, unfufilling relationships just to maintain the illusion of righteousness) so we can once again bring to the American people the Gospel: Unfettered Freemarketeer Christian Values. Namely, unending war for fun and profit, corruption at the local, state and federal level, and last but not least, information obtainable by illegal means of our politcal opponents. And also help our Most Glorious leader GWB regain a modecum of approval in the polls so he can be the Hero of the Holy Codpiece again and move on to blowing up the next group of the Browner Than We Are People of the World and help them come to you, in your little Baby Jesus Manger, and convert them from their devil worship and embrace the Church of the Freemarket Christians.

That way, we can all get really cheap area rugs for the foyers of our homes and our prayer meeting facilities can be carpeted in a fashion that would make you, Jesus, comfortable to join in fellowship and voter registration.

[GOPiousness]

Today's prayer:

Dear Baby Jesus of the GOP, as you lay in your baby saviour manger, with your frankensense filled, little miraculous Baby Jesus rattle, please watch over our Dear Holy Party as we travel the dangerous and liberal waters of the treasonous American electoral field. Help us to bring all of that wonderful Jesus inspired sanctimony to a successful campaign trail fraught the potholes of tempting vaginas and willing male prostitutes. Please allow our unfettered access to these, your most wonderful gifts, by keeping them from the general public (and our wives, who we enjoy loveless, unfufilling relationships just to maintain the illusion of righteousness) so we can once again bring to the American people the Gospel: Unfettered Freemarketeer Christian Values. Namely, unending war for fun and profit, corruption at the local, state and federal level, and last but not least, information obtainable by illegal means of our politcal opponents. And also help our Most Glorious leader GWB regain a modecum of approval in the polls so he can be the Hero of the Holy Codpiece again and move on to blowing up the next group of the Browner Than We Are People of the World and help them come to you, in your little Baby Jesus Manger, and convert them from their devil worship and embrace the Church of the Freemarket Christians.

That way, we can all get really cheap area rugs for the foyers of our homes and our prayer meeting facilities can be carpeted in a fashion that would make you, Jesus, comfortable to join in fellowship and voter registration.

[GOPiousness]

America has turned her back on God.

No more manna for you, America. None.

This used to be a Godly nation.

From the boardrooms to the bathrooms.

I guess we will have to seek our pleasures and profits in enemy territory.

We still have Louisiana and Indianapolis.

Do they charge to get into a public bathroom stall in those places?

While we watch the inevitable shift from red to blue in my former beloved USofA, I have to shudder at the prospects of a national election. We will only have Jesus and Liberals to blame.

Damn that new testament! If it weren't for the infernal book, we could have continued the raiding of the treasury and the buggering of America.

Well, the buggering will continue. But without the money, we're going to have to lower our standards when it comes to male prostitutes and extramarital concubines.

This country has now turned it's back on God's Own Party.

If this trend continues, Bin Laden will have won.

I blame Cinemax After Dark.

[dezzertguy]

In AZ, the Dem governor won re-election because the Reps ran an social conservative. He basically lost the race so she won. In the prior Senate race, the Rep conservative beat the lib Dem even though Bush was in trouble. If Reps stay away from social conservatives, AZ will continue to vote Rep. The latin vote is not a slam dunk Dem win. Many legal latins do not want open boarders. They are independent business people. The Dem socialist message does not win all of the latin vote. It is up to the Reps to lose the West. If they put up a social conservative, the Dems may well win.

[innerpeace]

Democrats don't exist in numbers that matter.We have Republicans and Republican lites.This is noise and not news.