Farewell to the Northeastern Nice Republicans

A large part of what's happening tonight is that the Northeast is kicking out, or failing to replace in kind, its elected Nice Republicans (except for Olympia Snowe and a couple of incumbent governors). It's kind of sad to see these people go, as it was pleasant to think that the Republican Party might have some sane politicians in it; but all in all they'd outstayed their welcome, especially the Congresspeople, acting as legislative stalking horses who for a time allowed the Bush Administration to rule by decree. They were relics of a model of bipartisan governance that was already dead.

Even locally, Nice Republicans provided national Republican politicians with campaign assistance and eroded the base of Democrats available for higher office. In Massachusetts, a series of Nice Republican governors (starting with Bill Weld, who I'd have voted for in a second against John Silber, had I been registered here at the time) were the wedge that got Mitt Romney into office. Liberal Northeasterners who once prided themselves on their nonpartisan high-mindedness are now better off without these people. It's an article of faith among many Americans that only idiots vote straight party tickets, but some years, a straight party ticket really is a good idea.

Vermont is a peculiar case: the seat being vacated by a retiring Nice-Republican-turned-Democratic-caucusing-Independent is passing to a socialist-Democratic-caucusing-Independent.





...Oh my God, Webb's ahead now in Virginia. By 2700 votes. Some crazy scary fun is a-brewing back in my old stomping grounds.

On the ground in Virginia

Lindsay Beyerstein has been reporting on the scene and thinks George Allen knows he's lost. I feel less confident from this distance, but it'll be interesting to see. Kevin Drum thinks control of the Senate is 2000 all over again. Fun! Fun! Fun!

Montana

...Meanwhile, Montana Senate's up in the air as well. What's going on there is that all but two counties have reported, but one of those is Yellowstone County, which contains Billings and a significant fraction of the state's population. So that's why nobody's called it even though Tester (D) has held a small lead for a while.

Arizona

has apparently become the first state in the union to reject an anti-gay-marriage constitutional amendment in a popular vote. Several others passed them (the one in Virginia is particularly bad).

Down to Virginia

Tester wins in Montana. Majority party control of the Senate now rests on the recount in Virginia, which will not happen for weeks.