Post election hangover musings

*See? As I courageously predicted last night, the sun rose in the east today.
*I don't think this election was a base turnout election. With turnout what it was at the polls, I can't help but think that this election was decided by those occasional voters who don't follow politics closely but do watch the evening news and read newspapers, and they broke heavily Democrat.
*A note to Republicans...some of you poorly executed the robo calls. 4 or 5 calls in two days is inexcusable. After the 3rd you just start burning any good will you may have developed on the first two. Next time, ask yourself this: Would I personally call a complete stranger 5 times in 2 days to convince them to vote for me? Your answer should be no.
*I'll say this much, I think Democrat leadership has taken on a very even tone over there victory...so far. I wouldn't expect that to last.
*As for the politics, President Bush must be careful not enter lame duck territory too quickly.
*On those ornery, disenchanted conservatives out there. Their desire for ideological purity, while admirable, is fool hardy. It just isn't possible here in the real world, not when conservatives are much less than a majority in this country and votes are needed from non-conservatives. That's not to say that I'm pleased about the Republican performance the past two years because I'm not. But those disaffected conservatives helped start last night's forest fire. Now they better be out in the field planting the seeds for the regrowth before the weeds sprout and choke everything out.
*I'm more than a little stunned that Wisconsin sent Jim Doyle back to the Governor's mansion by such a wide margin. He must have dominated the creepy, bald, white guy vote.
*Another thing about Doyle. I hope my fellow Wisconsinites come to understand that this election showed that Doyle has no compunction about building a political machine out of the capital.
*I was very stunned by the turnout here in Wisconsin's 37th Assembly District. It wasn't going to be an easy election for the Gasper campaign, but the results were not what I expected.
*Perhaps the Founder's should have set the Presidency up as a single 6 year term. American patience seems to wear thin at 6 years.
*I can't help but think that voters reacted to being tired of the fighting, the negative news stories, and the war. I wonder if they realize that they probably just made all three of those things even worse.