That’s the headline on the statement from current Virginia governor and DNC chief Tim Kaine. It will also be the narrative the media pushes today, because if there’s one historical trend that didn’t change with yesterday’s election it’s the mindmeld between the Democratic party and the Washington press corps. But the McDonnell win is going to scare the heck out of the moderate Democrats in the South and Mountain West — the same Democrats who gave that party its current majority. How could Democrats not look at radical right-wing extremist (see the Washington Post‘s 37 articles on his thesis) Bob McDonnell’s crushing victory without feeling a sense of fear and impending doom. The race in New Jersey is the real stunner, though. Corzine was a unpopular, but Chris Christie was no dream candidate. Yes, there are historical trends that helped Christie, but the 1994 Republican Revolution is part of that history, too. New Jersey is deep blue, and still a plausible Republican candidate was able to beat a weak Democratic incumbent. How many 2010 races will see a plausible Republican face off against a weak Dem incumbent? A whole bunch. Republicans are no longer toxic. This is change we can believe in. The vote preserving marriage in Maine sends a clear message: Democrats will repeal DADT at their own peril. In NY-23, it’s a shame that Republicans, or conservatives, allowed expectations to get so out of hand. It’s a tough loss. But then again, the Republican party couldn’t have botched things any worse all the way from the local level where party hacks picked Scozzafava, to the national level where the NRCC and the RNC spent a small fortune on an atrocious candidate that the rank and file loathed. How many races can the party botch this badly in 2010? Certainly not more than few. Republicans are in surprisingly good shape heading into 2010 and the Obama-Pelosi agenda is looking surprisingly shaky. The media and the Democrats can try to spin this any which way, but the bottom line is that Republicans have been able to capitalize on Democratic failures and pick themselves up off the floor after the twin massacres of 2006 and 2008. We’re back, and we’re every bit as extremely right-wing as we ever were!
