398 thoughts on “Live Blogging the 2006 midterm election results”

1. A Kos commenter reported a complete shutout– no Republican knocked off a Dem (though several Republican incumbents won).

2. If only there could be a microphone between Pelosi and Vader for the State of the Union’s.

3. I love the smell of napalm in the morning…

4. Oh what a glorious day! Sometimes it just feels so good to watch good triumph over evil.

5. Else where in distant lands of Hawaii, senator Akaka stays 🙂

6. good triumph over evil

   Eh. Triumph of party is not necessarily a triumph in ends,

   It is the liberals, then, who count. They are, as it might be, the canaries in the sulphurous mineshaft of modern democracy. The alacrity with which many of America’s most prominent liberals have censored themselves in the name of the War on Terror, the enthusiasm with which they have invented ideological and moral cover for war and war crimes and proffered that cover to their political enemies: all this is a bad sign. Liberal intellectuals used to be distinguished precisely by their efforts to think for themselves, rather than in the service of others. Intellectuals should not be smugly theorising endless war, much less confidently promoting and excusing it. They should be engaged in disturbing the peace – their own above all.

   or ideas,

   What’s happened is both on the right and the left has been a revival of this millenarian fantasy of American omnipotence. The human rights and humanitarian left thinks the United States can right all the wrongs in the world. And the hard Wilsonians, the right neoconservatives, think the United States can remake the world in its own image. Both of these things seem to me to fly in the face of history and reason. The United States is a great power, but no great power is omnipotent. That’s, again, why the human rights left scares me as much, if not more, than the Bush administration.

   Sometimes same, same, you know.

7. Hello, fellow sepia mutineers, you didn’t think MD-didi would cut-and-run from the comments section just because the Republicans lost, did you? Never fear…..I will stay the course.

   First, congratulations and felicitations to my fellow dem-leaning mutineers!

   Second, to my (two, tops, despite abhi’s big tent wishful thinking theories) fellow repub-leaning mutineers: as conservatives (rather than republicans, I assume, this particular am: no one wants to be a loser), we are supposed to support limited government and a ‘throw the bums out’ election night is never really a loss for that type of person. Remember, whether right or left, the political types always need to know they can get bounced. It is like an extra dose of democracy vitamins.

   Third, silver linings for weeping, gnashing teeth, wasted republicans:

   a. Pelosi as face of democratic party. Hint: buy Botox stocks…. b. Bush will finally get his immigration legislation package with a democratic house (this is a silver lining for Bush. I leave it up t you to decide if it is really any kind of metallic lining at all). Paging razib:You are going to get the immigration policies you so love….not! Aw, I love ya man, just joking. c. Syria, Iran and North Korea are happy to talk and a good talking to they shall receive, those meanies (well, this is a silver lining for them….I leave you to decide if this represents any kind of metallic lining at all). d. Rangel as chair of Ways and Means and my fellow Massachusettian (sp?) Frank as head of Financial Services, I think? Repubs, this is rich fodder for future campaigns…don’t disappoint! e. Democrats now have to govern and responsibility for Iraq will be shared (okay, I stole that from that right wing idealogue, Mickey Kaus). f. Many of the elected House democrats are more conservative than a lot of the House republicans. Deal with that, Pelosi!

   Truly sad tidings from MD: I’m genuinely sorry about Steele losing. When Russel Simmons and Kweisi Mfume cross over to support a Republican, that must be one interesting Republican. We shall hear from the good Steele again….

8. As for Web vs Allen? Eh, can’t be bothered: economic isolationst vs Senator Macaca. It’s a race to the bottom!

9. It’s a race to the bottom!

   That’s exactly what Rep. Foley said…

10. Homophobe!

    *I kid, I kid…..

11. GO RAJ!!

12. I apologize if this point has been made before…haven’t read scanned all of SM this morning…

    Did it seem to any of you that one repub tactic this election was to make “Nancy Pelosi” a negative rallying cry for their faithful? Did you guys sense a hint of sexism there? Or was that just me? I can’t count the number of times I heard “Do you want to hand the house over to Nancy Pelosi?”

13. Re Pelosi – t’s not sexism…it’s stone cold fear.

    Why is Condi such a hero to the right if it’s all about the woman thing? As a woman, shouldn’t I take the ideas of women seriously, and, if I disagree, do them the intellectual favor of disagreeing?

14. Did you guys sense a hint of sexism there?

    Yes. Obama beware.

15. Condi is/was being trashed (for being soft) by the same who trash Pelosi.

16. come on guys – get out of your gender ghetto. Disliking Pelosi if you are right leaning is like disliking Condi if you are left-leaning.

17. Oh please. They don’t like the way she is dealing with Iran et al. Why is that a woman thing?

18. Historically women vote more Democrat and men vote more Republican. At a time when mobilizing the base is essential, any Republican appeal to what potentially threatens white men (women, and black people) has a POTENTIAL manipulative aspect. Obviously some targets are more plausible than other. Pelosi has been demonized as much as a “San Francisco liberal” (which itself is a wink to homophobia, in addition to perceived far-left policies), and if there weren’t that line of attack available, then the gender-appeal manipulation wouldn’t work as well.

19. It may have to do with your botox stocks crack.

20. 219 was about MD’s 217 comment.

21. It’s not a woman thing but it’s being played out as one on a deeper level- “we need someone stronger to fight the GWOT. She softens Bush’s ears.” I’m just relaying what I hear on righty radio, where the Pelosi hyperbole originated from.

    A better example than Condi to debunk the sexist charge is Jeanne Kirkpatrick.

22. siddhartha, my friend, her policies are certainly ‘perceived’ as far-left by those who are to the right of her. What of it? That’s the whole point of the two parties……

23. The Democrats ran Republicans-in-everything-but-name in several key house races. Good strategy, but hardly a victory for progressive politics.

    I predict grand talk about immigration, shifting the epicentre of the Terror War back to Afghanistan, but essentially nothing coming out of it.

    Stagnation, accusations, snivelly subpeonas for about a year, when the focus shifts to the Presidential election, when a real policy shift can talk place.

24. siddhartha, my friend, her policies are certainly ‘perceived’ as far-left by those who are to the right of her. What of it? That’s the whole point of the two parties……

    Nothing of it. You’re not getting my point, sorry if it wasn’t clear. (Little sleep, not enough coffee.) My point is that appeals to gender, race, or religious animosity/insecurities are difficult to unpack from other aspects of political messaging. That goes for any election, any party. In the specific case being discussed here, I’m saying that one can believe that the Republicans were subtly playing on sexism AND that they had policy-based anti-Pelosi messages simultaneously. It’s an answer to the person who asked if there was a hint of sexism: I’m saying yes there was, but there was plenty more, and sexism (or the absence thereof) is not what it boils down to.

    Make sense?

25. Check out the CNN front page. In their graphic showing the balance of power in the Senate they are showing 0 Independents and 49 Dems. This is of course wrong. 2 of those Dems are Independednt. It doesn’t matter since the I’s will vote Dem but I still think its funny to see such a glaring mistake.

26. It looks like Michigan voters approved a ban on affirmative action, by a comfortable 58% of the vote. Michigan Votes Down Affirmative Action

27. It looks like Michigan voters approved a ban on affirmative action, by a comfortable 58% of the vote.

    Michigan Votes Down Affirmative Action

    YAY!!! and the abortion ban was turned back in SD. happy days are here for libertarians?….

28. happy days are here for libertarians?….

    I certainly hope so – also note that a number of initiatives protecting property rights against teh abuse of eminent domain also passed. The voters seem to be telling the government to know your limits – don’t pay attention to our skin color when we apply to school, stay out of our bedrooms and off our property.

    Three cheers for divided government.

29. Oh, I am so happy. I want to extend all the fellow Macacas !!!!!! congratulations !!!!!! on this day of victory.

30. so it’s great that people will no longer be judged by the color of their skin, but just by how much money they have or what athletic skills they possess? how is it fair that all the other people still get in for reasons other than merit?

31. It looks like calling a desi a macaca turns out to be a good thing (for desis not so much for the wannabe cowboy).

32. as a friendly neighbor … who’s mopped your floors and cleaned your loos for minimum wage, i was quite pleased to see the bill for the minimum wage hike (MT?) get through. hey, 59 cent bean burritos get old after a while. 🙂

33. Pelosi’s victory speech made it crystal clear she’ll remember how importantexiting Iraq was in this election. See Yglesias (can’t link now), but anyone who says that this wasn’t a small first victory for globally progressive values is ignoring the facts.

    And what offends me about holding up Pelosi as a Bogeyman is precisely the SF liberal tag. That the Repubs constantly hawked the sensibility, starting in 1994, that some geographies are more valid than, more American, disgusts me. If the Dem’s joined in, it was late and out of desperation—and in this election they have dropped it, running successful, locally grounded candidates in “Red” states. But I get personally offended at the idea that so many would happily hack my Yay Area off the map, or have such a shallow, cartoonish idea of what it means to be an SF or Berkely liberal—a stereotype both ignorant of this locality and the real nature of policy. The homophobia, sexism, anti-multiculturalism, and anti-urbanism pandering of it is just the first order. The imprecision is also maddening. Liberals aren’t nearly as ready to call things unAmerican unless it’s a matter of unConstitutional. And it was exactly that kind of pandering that motivated the Macaca comment in the first place. It’s exactly the same battle we fight here—I’m from the Bay Area, and every bit as American as an anyone else.

34. Oh, Saheli, where is your usual good common sense and cheer? Rick Santorum is (was) just as much a bogeyman and unAmerican to some types as Pelosi is to, uh, other types. I live in Boston. Trust me on this. I had my trainer (my last trainer) tell me that New England was closer to real America than fly-over. I heard her say it a million times to me, but then her parents are friends of Howard Zinn, so the poor thing had no chance in life.

    It is the nature of politics to believe your side is more American than the other and having an honest disagreement about what is constitutional is does not mean one side or the other is evil.

35. Sometimes I wonder whether sending a dark-skinned man to tape Allen, given his known racist tendencies, was a Webb masterstroke.

    having an honest disagreement about what is constitutional is does not mean one side or the other is evil.

    Torture, suspending habeas corpus and disappearing citizens is evil. You’re either with me or against me on this.

36. The Democratic win isn’t a mandate for liberal policies (thinking that their vision is what won the race). It was a vote against GWB’s management at the end of the day. Independent voters, that came out in full force FOR GWB in the 2004 election have shown their distaste in his static/unpragmatic style of leadership.

    If the Dems use this opportunity to immediately push, against the grain, policies that don’t sit well with the public, they won’t have much left for 2008.

    I think they understand this and won’t make any radical moves in the next two years, more or less chip away, play Clintonian tactics, and go along with the flow.

37. The Democratic win isn’t a mandate for liberal policies

    ’06 is about Iraq just as ’02 and ’04 were simply about security. Methinks Dubya purposely misunderstood.

    won’t make any radical moves in the next two years

    Because they don’t control the presidency (impeach! impeach!) and judiciary.

38. This is of course wrong. 2 of those Dems are Independednt

    i saw this in the morning too and thought it was a obvious mistake b/c of lieberman but then i wondered if lieberman was switching back or something …

    the dems will control the senate too …. *smiles thinking of the handsome pool i’ll win 🙂

39. Torture, suspending habeas corpus and disappearing citizens is evil. You’re either with me or against me on this.

    sort of a side-bar, but I was just reading Heather Mallick’s opinion on waterboarding and why it should not be accepted practice.

    Cautionary note – she’s a vibrant writer, but can be a tad over the top sometimes on issues she is passoinate about.

40. The voters seem to be telling the government to know your limits – don’t pay attention to our skin color when we apply to school, stay out of our bedrooms and off our property.

    Voters are just voting their interests not some high principle. Don’t forget the gay marriage bans.

    Manju congratulations on winning gaum.

41. Santorum was done in by the Sodmites. wink, wink.

42. There were a lot of oddities about the exit poll in Webb’s race.

43. There were a lot of oddities about the exit poll in Webb’s race.

    Isn’t it surprising that his allegedly sexist reputation did not affect Webb’s popularity among women? The ‘horny women’s dream’ comment doesn’t seem to have had much effect. On the other hand, macaca sank Allen.

44. Impeachment GWB now !!! I know as soon as right wingers here impeachment of Bush they will say “we are at war” …. Well I have news for them, “you are not at war .. you attacked another nation in imperialist fashion” there is a difference !!!!

    Its OK to impeach a president over consensual physical actions, but not OK for causing genocide in a country that he has invaded??? GWB has caused a genocide in Iraq and must be held to account. Otherwise democracy doesnt mean shit. This might as well be a 4 year dictatorship (with an option to extend the dictatorship to 8 years).

45. Dude, Chill. A majority in the house is not enough to impeach. Plus, they did so why cant we is not a good argument.

46. they did so why cant we is not a good argument.

    It’s not about Clinton, “it’s about the lying” 😉

47. montana will go the democratic way too, it seems.

48. rummy’s stepping down. u heard it from me first.

49. Yep, in just about 5 minutes

50. happy days are here for libertarians?….

    Looks like it – especially with a sizable %age of winning Democrats being conservative. Demoplicans and Republicrats brings the right balance to the process.

    Pelosi will be put in her place soon enough. We will bring back troops from Iraq as soon as the troops from Germany and Japan are brought home.

    Economy will do well. Big Oil and Pharma will have to grease some Democratic palms.

    Some lessons for Republicans, most important of them being: Don’t spend beyond your means and piss off Libertarians and fiscal conservatives from both parties.

    M. Nam