My Apologies to the Optimists

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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — When I left Boca Raton at 3 a.m., I’d hoped to make it to the vicinity of Orlando before finding a cheap motel to crash in. But I was so tired and brain-fogged, I only made it a few dozen miles up I-95 before I began to get that nodding-off feeling, so I’m here. Woke up after four hours, got some breakfast, and now I’m about to go back to bed.

Before I crash again, however, I’d like to acknowledge that my pre-election gloom — fearing that polls had encouraged conservatives to over-estimate the size of the GOP “wave” — was unjustified. I was wrong, and the optimists were right. Jim Geraghty reports that Republicans have scored a net gain of at least 60 House seats, and possibly as many as 71.  (Better make that 70, Jim. It appears that Raul Grijalva managed to steal enough votes to defeat Ruth “Rocket Girl” McClung.)

Also, I owe beers to Joe Marier and John Fund for a couple of election wagers.

While I’ve been traveling, I’ve missed out on lots of important news: Demi Lovato became the latest Disney princess to enter rehab, and Miley Cyrus’s mom got busy with Bret Michaels.

Oh, yeah: And the president held a press conference today.

So there will be lots of catching up to do when I wake up. Please hit the tip jar, so I can afford to get back home.

UPDATE: Duh! Did I say “brain fogged”? Yeah, I forgot to link my American Spectator column about Allen West’s big win last night.

UPDATE II: More news I missed last night: Michelle Bachmann asked Chris Matthews, “Hey, how’s that leg-tingling thing workin’ for ya?”

UPDATE III: Sorry to keep updating like this — I swear, I’m going back to bed in a few minutes — but Bill Kristol has some interesting thoughts on the “What Does It Mean?” question. He suggests the possibility that Russ Feingold will mount an anti-war primary challenge to Obama in 2012.

Probably wishful thinking there, but something else in Kristol’s column shows how being on the scene of a big victory like last night’s Allen West party can obstruct one’s view of the larger picture. Kristol mentions the significance of Pat Toomey’s victory in Pennsylvania.

Hell, the last time I saw the results on the big-screen TV in the ballroom of the Boca Raton Marriott, Toomey was losing, and I figured it was over. Also, I lost track of results in several House races I’d previously covered. In New York, for example, it looks like Ann Marie Buerkle lost narrowly in the 25th District, and Maurice Hinchey beat George Phillips by about 5 points in the 22nd District. On the bright side, Richard Hanna won in the 22nd District and Nan Hayworth won in the 20th District (where my buddy Chris Cassone lives).

In Pennsylvania, Tom Marino won in the 10th District, but Tim Burns lost narrowly in the 12th. There was good news for my friends in Illinois, where Phil Hare got beat by Bobby Schilling in the 17th District, Adam Kinzinger won in the 11th District  and it looks like Joe Walsh has squeaked out a win over Melissa Bean in the 8th District. In Missouri, Vicky Hartzler defeated Ike Skelton in the 4th District.

Lots of Democrat “Blue Dogs” got beat in the South and, in general, a look at the map now shows a lot of Republican red, even in the Northeastern and Midwest states where the GOP was supposed to be dead. It was the biggest Republican congressional pickup in decades — even bigger than the historic 1994 “Contract With America” victory.

And you were the wave. Congratulations.

What Liberals Never Learn

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After winning in Kentucky last night, Rand Paul was talking to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, who dutifully repeated a Democrat talking point: “What if they just raised taxes on the richest, those making more than 250,000 dollars a year?” In answering the question, Paul invoked a basic argument against class warfare as an economic policy:

We all either work for rich people or we sell stuff to rich people. So just punishing rich people is as bad for the economy as punishing anyone. Let’s not punish anyone. Let’s keep taxes low and let’s cut spending.

As Ronald Reagan used to say, “No poor man ever gave me a job.” Whether as employers, consumers or investors, “the rich” are essential to economic growth and a policy of punishing wealth will therefore have the effect of discouraging investment and employment.

The demonization of the rich is, however, so essential to the liberal worldview that no matter how often their confiscatory schemes produce bad results, they never learn. Either you believe in class warfare, or you stop being a liberal. Lee Fang at Think Progress therefore attacks Rand Paul as “a protector of the privileged class.”

Yeah. And never mind the “privileged class” who pay the bills at the Center for American Progress.

UPDATE: Chris Wysocki takes notice of the expectation that Republicans should compromise, even though “We drank their beer, stole their horses, and danced with their women.” 

Where were these demands for compromise when Nancy Pelosi was calling the shots?

UPDATE II: Kathy Kattenburg of the (badly misnamed) Moderate Voice thinks she’s cute:

No poor man ever closed a factory and shipped all the jobs to Southeast Asia, either.

Why does Kathy hate Southeast Asians? Less facetiously, why does Kathy believe that, once a factory is opened in the United States, that it should never close? Like any other business — restaurants or shoe stores or whatever — factories start up and shut down all the time, everywhere all over the world.

Why this liberal intellectual fascination with factory jobs which — in point of fact — these intellectuals never worked at? I believe it is because the factory worker occupies a special place in the Left’s iconography. “Workers of the world unite!” has a lot better ring to it than, “Grocery clerks of the world unite!” or, “Dental hygenists of the world unite!”

This reflexive celebration of “workers” (as if no one except factory employees actually works for a living) was always blinkered nonsense, but it now has the extra advantage of being nostalgic blinkered nonsense.

Liberals now expect to be taken seriously when they harken back to the “good old days” of factory smokestacks belching carbon emissions into the sky and spewing, while all-white-male unionized workforces built big steel gas-guzzling cars with tail fins and no seat belts. The coal to run those factories was strip-mined, of course, and the gasoline contained lead. This was the industrial heyday of America — the early ’60s, when JFK was president, when women stayed home and raised babies, when minorities were effectively frozen out of high-wage union jobs, and when corporal punishment was routine in public schools where the dropout rate was much higher than it is today.

Somehow, the decline of Industrial America always gets blamed on Republicans (“Reaganomics,” sneers Kattenburg), but liberals absolutely hated the Industrial America whose destruction they now so loudly lament. That the shuttered factory in Michigan might have been rendered economically uncompetitive by liberal policies — regulations, taxes, unionization — is something they ignore, and instead blame on those evil greedy right-wing capitalists.

Kathy Kattenburg is a liberal, and being a liberal means feeling good about yourself because you are so much more sensitive to the plight of the downtrodden than everybody else. So she sneers at “Reaganomics” and Southeast Asians, and congratulates herself on her moral superiority.

It’s so much easier than actually learning anything about economics.

LIVE AT FIVE – 11.03.10

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TOP NEWS
House Passes To GOP Control; Seats Added In Senate

Senator-elect Marco Rubio arrives at a victory party in Coral Gables

At least 60 seats projected to turn Republican in the House; Rubio, Paul, Coats, Hoeven, Boozman projected to win Senate seats

Why Do Euro Lefties Hate The Tea Party?
I smell FEAR!

Over 100 Killed In Multiple Bomb Attacks On Baghdad Shiite Neighborhoods
Al-Qaeda continues attempts to spark sectarian war in Iraq



POLITICS

Manchin, Coons, Blumenthal Hold Seats For Democrats; Empire State Remains Mostly Blue

Governor Manchin campaigns with former President Clinton on Monday

Another Cuomo governor in Albany; weak GOP Senate candidates may hurt House races down-ballot

Perriello Loses Seat Despite (Because?) Obama Campaign Appearance
Boucher, Nye also gone


Snyder Scores Lopsided Win In Michigan; GOP Could Sweep Statewide Offices
Three, possibly four House seats also flip to GOP

Five More House Seats Turn Red In Florida
Widely-despised Alan Grayson goes down; Allen West to be first black Republican Congressman from Florida since Reconstruction



THE ECONOMY, STUPID

Home Ownership Lowest In A  Decade

IPO To Cut Government Ownership Of GM To 35%; Legacy Bonds Hit Hard

U.S. Stocks Close Higher Ahead Of Elections, Fed Meeting

Supremes Appear Split on CA Violent Video Game Ban

Electrical Glitch Delays Discovery Launch



SPORTS

Garnett Leads Five Celtics In Double Figures Over Pistons

Celtics prepare to whip on Pistons

Hamilton sorely missed by Detroit

Bears LB: We Don’t Need Randy Moss Here

Wall & Wizards Beat Sixers In OT

Heat Burn The Timberwolves, 129-97

Kobe Tells Coach K He’ll Play For USA In London If Needed

Retarded Sportswriter Claims He’s Not Playing Race Card, Then Plays Race Card



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS

Miley’s Parents Splitting Up Due To Mom’s Affair With Bret Michaels

Bret Michaels and Tish Cyrus

It’s one thing to sing country songs. It’s another to have to live through them. 🙁

Demi’s Dad: Hollywood Pressure Got To Her

Britney Wants Protection From “Shakedown”

Sheen: I’m Not Into Reality TV Divorce

LeAnn Rimes Cries Over Her New (Married) BF During Interview

The New Hollywood Reporter Debuts

Jamie Chung Joins “Hangover 2” Cast

Randy, Evi Quaid Skip Court, Could Lose $500,000 Bail



FOREIGNERS

Cameron, Sarkozy Hail New Defense Treaties

Indian Software Companies Seek Relief From U.S. Visa Tightening

PRC Rejects U.S. Mediation In Territorial Dispute With Japan

Afghan Offensive Pushes Taliban Into Kandahar



BLOGS & STUFF

Jawa Report: Rushdie Says Stewart Was Okay With Having Yusuf Islam On His Rally, Even Though Islam Called For Rushdie’s Death

NRO: Remember All Those Nauseating Faux-Musical Obama Ads From 2008? So Do We.(Video)

Moe Lane: Remember, These Are Supposed To Be The SMART Voters (Video)

Althouse: When Does The Bloodbath Start?



— compiled by Wombat-socho

VIDEO: Allen West Victory Speech

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BOCA RATON, Fla. — Will be uploading these segments in stages, in no particular order. It was freaking awesome, is what it was.

UPDATE: My plan for Election Night had been to end up at Marco Rubio’s victory bash down in Coral Gables. But I was a little late leaving Panama City in the morning and, though I drove like a bat out of hell, it was obvious I would be late getting there. So I called the West campaign, found out they were having their victory party here about 45 miles up the coast from Miami and . . .

Well, Colonel West has been a sentimental favorite for a long time, ever since he was Pamela Geller’s “Colonel from Kandahar” columnist inAfghanistan. I interviewed him during his 2008 campaign, back when the NRCC wouldn’t give him the time of day, so it’s like destiny that brought me here.

The congressman-elect meets the press after his victory.

Mrs. West and the couple’s lovely daughters.

Smile and say, “Charles Johnson!”

ELECTION NIGHT RESULTS HQ UPDATE: GOP Gains Roughly 60 House Seats, Takes Over Majority From Pelosi UPDATE: O’Donnell, Angle Defeated, ‘Looking Bad’ for Joe Miller in Alaska UPDATE: Griffith and Hurt Win VA-9 and VA-5, Webster Beats Grayson in FL-8; UPDATE: Rand Paul Stomps to Victory; Marco Rubio Wins Florida Senate

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Election coverage tonight is coming from the Tea Party Patriots event at the Hyatt Capitol Hill in D.C., with Florida field reporting from Stacy, and Massachusetts from Pete, Da Tech Guy.

UPDATE 3:15 a.m. (RSM)
BOCA RATON, Fla. — It looks like Republicans will post a net gain of about 60 House seats, so that Nancy has to give up the gavel after four years of heinousness as speaker of the Worst Congress Ever.

UPDATE 3 a.m. ET (RSM):
Hey, didn’t I tell you to get a nap Tuesday? I’ve decided that being right in the middle of a victory celebration isn’t necessarily the best place to do nationwide election coverage. Everybody else is gone here at the Marriott. I just got a call from a friend (and tip-jar hitter) in Alaska who says it’s “looking bad” for Joe Miller. Ace calls it “RINOgeddon.” 

My Alaska friend says that if Murkowski wins, it will be “the start of a civil war” in the Alaska GOP. It’s pretty obvious that many Republican establishment types (secretly or not) supported Murkowski and sabotaged Miller in order to undermine Sarah Palin. Bastards.

Of course, the losses of Christine O’Donnell and Sharron Angle were bitter. It’s also sad to see both Ruth McClung and Jesse Kelly trailing by 3,000 votes in Arizona. And whatever magic Scott Brown had in Massachusetts, it appears to be non-transferable to other Republicans, as the Massachusetts GOP got skunked Tuesday.

UPDATE 12:10 a.m
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Just uploaded video of Allen West’s victory speech. Now on deadline for the American Spectator.

UPDATE 10:35 p.m.
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Sitting here at Allen West’s victory party, I found myself talking to Judy Kone, who told me her daughter, Susan Kone, is the Republican challenger to Jerrold Nadler in NY-8. With 2 percent of precincts reporting, Nadler has 72 percent of the vote.

Tom Marino has won in PA-10, a district I visited with Da Tech Guy a couple of weeks ago. Sadly, we’ve learned that Barney Frank has won re-election in MA-4.

UPDATE 8:45 p.m. ET (RSM)
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Just got off the phone with Doug Hoffman, whose conservative campaign in New York’s 23rd District last fall lit the grassroots fuse that’s exploding tonight. Hoffman lost this year’s GOP primary by about 700 votes and endorsed his Republican opponent, Matt Doheny. As might be expected, Hoffman is “disappointed” that he won’t be part of the 112th Congress but is excited about the powerful message being sent by voters tonight. As he said, “it’s about doing what’s good for America.”

Just heard that Morgan Griffith has defeated Rick Boucher in VA-9 – that’s a key result, because the race was rated a “toss-up.” I covered Griffith for the American Spectator last week. Also, Ali Akbar informed me by phone that Ray McKinney is leading with about 15 percent of the vote counted in GA-12. There was a big cheer here at Allen West’s victory party when Dan Webster was declared the winner over Alan Grayson, and West himself is currently leading 57-43. Nobody has yet brought me a cold Corona.

Navigation
Live reports
Called races
Tea Party Patriots
Poll closing times
Others blogging

Live reports
UPDATE 2047EST
MD-5 Lollar 54, Hoyer 44, 3% reporting, which will be salve for the wound in VA-8. The dark side of the force is strong in VA-8.

UPDATE 2038EST
Via National Review

Sen. Jim DeMint (R., S.C.) has released this statement on Marco Rubio’s win in Florida:
I want to thank the voters in Florida for electing a true champion for freedom today. Marco knows that America is exceptional and he’s passionate about the principles of freedom that are the backbone of our nation. I was honored to support Marco’s campaign in the primary when the Washington establishment opposed him and even laughed at his chances. Now the people of Florida get to have the last laugh as they send an outstanding leader to represent them in Washington.

UPDATE 2026EST (RSM)
VA-9 Griffith leading Boucher 52-46 69%. Related RSM reporting at American Spectator.

UPDATE 8 p.m. (RSM)
BOCA RATON, Fla. — The crowd here at the Allen West victory party has been cheering all night at encouraging early results. West is leading 54-45 in early  results, and Fox News just declared Marco Rubio the winner in the Florida Senate race. Meanwhile, Kentuckians have given elected Rand Paul to the U.S. Senate. A stomping good night for the GOP so far.

FITCHBURG, MA, 1854EST
Pete Da Tech Guy reports record turnout in all districts. Exceeding Scott Brown, and 2008 turnout. Democrat pollwatchers seem worried, Republican and Independent turnout is huge. Da Tech Guy’s latest post: Check the photo of “Bill Gunn (r) and congressman John Olver (D) civil and honorable opponents”.

BOCA RATON, FL, 1926EST
Stacy McCain reports 54-45 Allen West leading in early returns

Called races:
Senate:
1908EST KY for Rand Paul
1909EST SC for DeMint
1922EST IN for Coats
1930EST OH for Portman

Tea Party Patriots
The Tea Party Patriots held an event on the West Lawn of the Capitol, where they planted a brace of flags, the Stars and Stripes and the Gadsden Flag, reclaiming our government for We The People.
Thanks to Chris Cassone for the photos.

Keli Carender, who famously held the original Tea Party over in Washington, with the charming Cassone:

Poll closing times:
6:00 pm ET
Indiana
Eastern Kentucky
7:00 pm ET
Florida (except Western panhandle which close at 8 pm.)
Georgia
Western Kentucky
New Hampshire
South Carolina
Vermont
Virginia
7:30 pm ET
North Carolina
Ohio
West Virginia
8:00 pm ET
Alabama
Connecticut
Delaware
Washington, D.C.
Illinois
Kansas
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
New Jersey
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
8:30 pm ET
Arkansas
9:00 pm ET
Arizona
Colorado
Louisiana
Minnesota
Nebraska
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Wisconsin
Wyoming
10:00 pm ET
Idaho
Iowa
Montana
Nevada
Oregon
Utah
11:00 pm ET
California
Washington
12:00 am ET
Alaska
Hawaii

Others blogging:

Quantitative Easing

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by Smitty (via Donald Marron)

This is very well done:
Take it straight, take it sober: the country is in for a bumpy ride. The plutocrats whose plans suffer a setback today could very well afford to put a horse head in every bed, for small, wooden, PETA-approved values of ‘horse’.
The Founding Fathers were deeply suspicious of central banking, for reasons that will be discussed in a breadline near you. End the Fed.