Thursday Hillary Bash - #Hillary'sLosers

Hillary and Bill Clinton endorsed a number of losing candidates in the midterm elections.  I mean it wasn't just bad, it was startlingly bad. Just ask Rand Paul, who wasn't wasting time not thinking ahead to 2016.  

Although I'd argue that the real losers were those left behind in Benghazi, her endorsement performance will not be without consequence.

Election Fallout Part 2 - GOP

The GOP has just bought themselves two years to prove themselves to voters.  In 2016 the next election cycle hits and they have to convince voters of three things (1) they deserve to keep Congress (2) they deserve to keep the senate and (3) they deserve to win the presidency.  Some of those orders are taller than others.  Keeping Congress should be easy, barring major unforeseen events. But the other two are another story.

Setting the presidency aside for a future discussion, let's focus on the second goal.  Winning the Senate means that legislation will actually get past Harry Reid and reach the president's desk.  Many of the items put forward by the GOP will get vetoed but not all of them.

Election Fallout Part 1: Obama

President "I Won" (circa 2008) will not be able to bring himself to face the fact that in two midterms in a row he has lost, and done so in record numbers.  He's an ideologue with a progressive agenda.  He will say in his speech today that he'll move to the center and that he'll compromise, but he won't actually do it.  He will use executive actions and his veto power to thwart the results of the election because let's face it, for Democratic politicians, elections don't matter.

From everything like changing the rules for reconciliation and filibustering, to the Cornhusker kickback to the Louisiana Purchase (the Obamacare version) to voting in a lame duck session prior to Scott Brown's swearing in to the senate to vote against Obamacare, politics come before governance.  The evidence is in.

But president Obama cannot say that this has been an anti-incumbency election.  He himself said that his policies were on the ballot.  He's also said that elections have consequences. A & B inevitably mean C - the results of this election were a consequence of his policies.

He can't blame it on an ill-informed or jaded electorate.  Voters saw more advertising in this cycle than most expected.  And the Democrats had a vaunted Get Out The Vote machine they deployed to help them win.  Without that who knows how badly the Democrats would have been beaten.

HE can\t blame it on electoral math.  True the Democrats had to defend red states.  But the Democrats previously had won in those states.  HE lost it for them in those cases by driving Democrat-friendly voters away.  In addition, Republicans won governorships in 3 blue states.  The excuse just won't fly.

But it won't matter to him.  He has an agenda and it comes first.  I expect in private that the president was livid over the results.  And I suspect to see that seething anger in his actions going forward, despite the conciliatory tone he is likely to strike in minutes from now.

Election Recap - Senate summary

Highlights:  The race for control of the Senate was the big one to watch and the Republicans scored big, taking control of the Senate with a minimum of 52 seats in the 100 seat Congress, with the possibility of as many as 54 by the time all is said and done.  While the result wasn't a sweep, the GOP moved from a 45 seat minority to moving to control both the House and Senate.  That's a big deal.  Harry Reid can no longer run interference for president Obama and a number of bills will come across his desk that he never had to consider before.  He can't veto everything.  Things will have to change.

In  Colorado, Cory Gardner unseated Mark Udall.  It's a terrific pick-up for the GOP, ensuring the state's recent trend from Red to Purple does not maintain its momentum.

 In North Carolina: Thom Tillis defeated incumbent Kay Hagan in a hotly contested race and one the Democrats fully expected to successfully defend.  This race was practically called for Hagan early on but Tillis votes kept pouring in and it was a sweet pick-up for the Republicans.

In Iowa Republican  woman Joni Ernst defeated Bruce Braley.  I expect her to shine in the next six years and her victory should help kill the Democratic meme that the GOP have been waging a war on women.

In Kansas, Republican incumbent Pat Roberts survived a challenge from supposedly independent Gregg Orman. While Roberts was expected to struggle, holding on was an important hold for the GOP given the tight margins for control of the senate. Combined with Capito's win in West Virginia the war on women meme should die the death it deserves.

In Georgia, not surprisingly Republican Perdue Defeated Democrat Michelle Nunn, but perhaps a little surprising was the margin of victory.  His win was big enough to avoid a runoff election.

In New Hampshire, Democrat Shaheen fended off Scott Brown but the race was a lot closer than many expected and if I were Scott Brown, I would consider not hanging up my spurs and trying to run at Shaheen again in six years after more firmly planting my stake in New Hampshire.

In Kentucky, supposedly vulnerable Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell trounced the Democrat Grimes. Enough said.

In less clear results,  Alaska has not yet been called but at last count the Republican challenger was ahead of incumbent Begich.  And in Louisiana, the Republicans split their vote, resulting in the need for a runoff election where incumbent Mary Landrieu faces a very tough challenge to hold onto her seat  come January.

And finally in the unexpected race in Virginia, incumbent Democrat Warner and Republican, challenger Gillespie remain in a tight race.  This was probably the biggest surprise of the night and even if Gillespie loses the race was shockingly close and bodes well for future Republican efforts in that state.

All in all a terrific night for the GOP in the U.S. Senate.

Election Recap - Governorships summary

If you needed evidence that the Republican victories were a wave, you need look no further than the governorship races.  Going into the 2014 midterm elections the GOP had a sizable lead in the number of state governors they had (29-21 advantage over the Democrats).  In solidly blue states, enemy territory for Republicans, they made advances.  Illinois, Massachusetts and Maryland the GOP picked up governorships.  Mike Beebe picked up a win in Arkansas, another gain for the GOP in what has become a red state.

Election Recap - Congress summary

In the 2014 midterms all eyes were on the senate because it was kind of a big deal.  Meanhile, no one expected control of Congress to change.  It didn't unless you consider the GOP winning a bigger majority a change in control.  But really it's a change in the dynamic of Republican control and if you are a supporter of the GOP, it's a big change in the dynamic.

Via AP:

The GOP easily won the 218 seats required and was on track to match or surpass the 246 seats they held in President Harry S. Truman's administration more than 60 years ago. President Barack Obama will face an all-GOP Congress in his final two years as Republicans regained control of the Senate...

Democrats had a few bright spots, but their hopes of keeping losses to a minimum disappeared under the GOP onslaught...

Overall, the GOP gained 14 seats and counting; Democrats, just one.