The Davids - Axelrod and Plouffe: they spearheaded a near flawless campaign.
Katie Couric: her multi-part interview with Sarah Palin was the turning point in how the country saw Palin -- and by extension John McCain. And she did it in a way that left no room for accusations of being unfair or playing "Gotcha!"
Colin Powell, Scott McClellan, Ken Adelman, Chris Buckley, Kenneth Duberstein, et al: crossing party lines to endorse the eventual winner can't hurt the rep.
Saturday Night Live: went from "Is that still on?" to Must See TV (or, at least, Must See on YouTubeTV)
Tina Fey: her take on Palin was pitch perfect; a comedy mugging for the ages. And with Palin's obvious weight loss during the campaign, she ended up looking more and more like her 30 Rock doppelganger.
Sarah Palin: lost an election but there has to be a reality show in her future.
Michelle Obama: smarts, grace, style, charm, and a serious "good mommy" vibe -- she's got the whole package.
The View: went from gal chat to political headline maker.
MSNBC: Keith, Rachel, Chris... they sent a collective tingle went up the leg of progressive viewers everywhere.
The Internet: click here.
Joe Lieberman: failed to deliver Democrats, independents, or Jews. And on the way to losing his committee chairmanships.
Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Dick Morris, and hate-mongers everywhere: the stink didn't stick to Obama but it stuck to them.
Bill Clinton: it's gonna take a lot of work to repair the rep.
John McCain: see Bill Clinton.
Liddy Dole: see Clinton and McCain. Her "Godless" ad will be taught in What Not To Do poli sci classes for a century.
George W. Bush: the repudiation of his presidency was overwhelming and across-the-board.
The Republican Party: the emptiness of its philosophic underpinnings was exposed for all to see.
Joe the Plumber: the clock just hit 15 minutes, and the wakeup call will not be pleasant. Joe the Plumber, meet Clara Peller ("Where's the beef?!").
Okay, these are my picks... what are yours? Please post your winners and losers in the comments section below.
If you are in the San Francisco area, I will be speaking at the Web 2.0 Summit on Friday, November 7th.
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