The Commentariat -- Nov. 5, 2014

Defunct video, photo removed.

Unless you live in a solidly-blue neighborhood, look around. The majority of your neighbors are stupid or selfish or both. But, hey, what the fuck do I care? Yesterday was my birthday, & the Stupid & the Selfish gave ME, ME, ME a buncha great birthday presents.

Yeah, a lot of people are going to get sick & die unnecessarily because they can't afford health insurance & their Republican governors & legislatures will keep denying the Medicaid expansion. But I'm on Medicare & it's too late for Republicans to take it away.

A lot of decent, hard-working immigrants are going to remain in the shadows, suffering all manner of indignities & inconveniences (including death!), but I've got my genuine U.S. birth certificate, so I'm cool. Also, I no longer have to worry about the hordes of Ebola-carrying terrorists swimming the Rio Grande.

Yeah, black people will continue to get the shaft in too many ways to count. But you should see me: I am whitey, white, white. Nobody's going to stop me for driving while white or question what I'm doing in my nice neighborhood or keep me from voting.

Low-wage workers won't get decent wages in most states, but I'm not looking for a job at McDonalds or WalMart, so why should I care? My burgers are cheap & I can keep getting swell bargains at WalMart. Wages a bit further up the pay scale will remain stagnant, but my stock portfolio should be fine, so lucky me. Those wonderful Republicans will keep Democrats from raising my taxes, so thank goodness I won't have to kick in my fair share.

Public schools will get crappier, but I'm long past worrying about that. My neighbors might be ignorant, but their kids will definitely be ignorant. So what? Public universities? Aaah, let students be saddled for life with debt. I paid off the $750 loan that covered my college shortfall, so they can pay off the tens of thousands they'll owe. Good luck, kids!

Sure, the overall economy will continue to stagger along, but relatively-speaking, I'm doing fine. Okay, I've got that house in Florida in danger of falling into the Caloosahatchee, but I'm sure I can sell it for a good price to a climate-change denier before it submerges. Wahoo!

Justin Sink of the Hill: "President Obama will hold a news conference Wednesday afternoon, facing the White House press corps one day after Democrats were blown out in the midterm elections.... President Obama attempted to call Sen. Mitch McConnell, slated to become the new majority leader, last night, but couldn't connect with the newly reelected Kentucky Republican. The president left a message for McConnell, and spoke to numerous other Republican and Democratic House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates." ...

... AND, No, Peter Baker of the New York Times, Obama is NOT "left fighting for his own relevance." Presidents are relevant.

Marin Cogan of New York writes an excellent summary of the "meaning" of the Republican sweep.

John Cassidy of the New Yorker: "... if a 'wave election' is one that signifies important changes in the underlying dynamics of the American electorate, then this wasn't a wave election."

Victoria D. recommends Charles Pierce's liveblog of the results. So do I.

AND Rand Paul taunts Hillary Clinton & her gallery of losers.

The New York Times' liveblog of the election has a handy tabulator in the upper-right-hand corner of the page, which will show the Senate & House totals, by party, as races are called.

The Washington Post's liveblog is here.

Here's the Guardian's livefeed.

Greg Sargent says at 6:46 that exit polls show the demographics for Democrats are looking better than in 2010, not as good as in 2012.

Jim Kuhnhenn of the AP: "President Barack Obama compared the political landscape for the midterm election Tuesday to the 1958 elections during the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower when Republicans suffered severe losses in the Senate. One-third of Senate seats are up for election this year and Obama says many states with contested races tilt to the Republican Party. 'In this election cycle this is probably the worst possible group of states for Democrats since Dwight Eisenhower,' Obama said Tuesday on WNPR, a Connecticut public radio station."

Paul Rosenberg in Salon: This election is all about race. CW: I have wondered for a long time why Southern white voters were willing to put up with their own poverty levels in states which over the last several decades have been largely governed by Republicans. Rosenberg has the answer: the white voters blame blacks -- not government policies -- for their states' poverty.

Elliot Hannon of Slate: "A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Kansas to stop enforcing the state's ban on same-sex marriage, because the law violates gay couples' constitutional rights to due process and equal protection. District Court Judge Daniel Crabtree granted a preliminary injunction but put a hold on the ruling until Nov. 11 in order to give the state the chance to appeal."

Senate & House Races

The Party of No, Ctd. New York Times Editors: "Republicans would like the country to believe that they took control of the Senate on Tuesday by advocating a strong, appealing agenda of job creation, tax reform and spending cuts. But, in reality, they did nothing of the sort.... Campaigning on pure negativity isn't surprising for a party that has governed that way since Mr. Obama was first sworn in. By creating an environment where every initiative is opposed and nothing gets done, Republicans helped engineer the president's image as weak and ineffectual."

"Meet the Real Senate Majority Leader." Sahil Kapur of Think Progress: "Texas Sen. Ted Cruz ... is poised to make life very difficult for ... [Mitch McConnell] by harnessing the power of the GOP base's rightward drift to wage fierce battles with President Barack Obama. Cruz telegraphed his strategy in a post-election interview Tuesday night on Fox News, calling on Republicans to do whatever it takes to repeal Obamacare and and prevent Obama's upcoming executive actions on immigration."

Dana Milbank: "Republicans have set themselves up for chaos, if not outright fratricide."

Alex Rogers of Time: The Republican Senatorial Committee conducted exercises to try to gaffe-proof their candidates. It pretty much worked.

Jonathan Weisman & Ashley Parker of the New York Times: "An election that started as trench warfare, state by state and district by district, crested into a sweeping Republican victory. Contests that were expected to be close were not, and races expected to go Democratic broke narrowly for the Republicans."

The Times' interactive Senate map is here.

The Times' interactive House map is here.

States are listed in alpha order.

Alabama. Sen. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions (R) has won re-election against nobody.

Alaska. Republican Dan Sullivan is leading Sen. Mark Begich (D) by about four points with 100 percent reporting, but the race hasn't been called yet. ...

... Nathaniel Herz of Alaska Dispatch News: "Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan appeared to grab an insurmountable lead over incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Begich early Wednesday, with all of Alaska's precincts reporting. With results from all 441 precincts counted, Sullivan led 49 percent to 45 percent. The margin remained essentially the same from the first returns early in the evening."

Arkansas. NBC News projects Rep. Tom Cotton (RTP) has defeated Sen. Mark Pryor (D). This of course is a Republican pick-up.

** Colorado. Cory Gardner (R) has unseated Mark Udall (D).

Delaware. Chris Coons (D) has won re-election.

Florida. Gwen Graham (D), daughter of former Gov. & Sen. Bob Graham, has won a House seat in Florida's 2nd Congressional District, which usually polls Republican.

Georgia. David Perdue (D) is predicted to be the winner in Georgia, & should win more than 50 percent of the vote, thus avoiding a runoff.

Hawaii. CNN projects Brian Schatz (D) has won.

Idaho. Sen. Jim Risch (R) has won re-election.

Illinois. Dick Durbin has won re-election.

Indiana is reporting early results as of 6:45 pm ET.

** Iowa. NBC News has called the race for Joni Ernst at 11:30 pm ET. That means Republicans control the Senate. I'm going to bed. Good night. ...

... Ted Barrett of CNN: "Republican Joni Ernst has won the race for Iowa's U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin, defeating Democratic challenger Bruce Braley, according to a CNN projection."

Kansas. CNN has called the race for Sen. Pat Roberts (R) over independent Greg Orman. ...

... Dion Lefler & Bryan Lowry of the Wichita Eagle: "Pat Roberts won a fourth term in the U.S. Senate and probably the chairmanship of the Agriculture Committee on Tuesday, despite a strong challenge from independent candidate Greg Orman." ...

... At 8:49 pm ET, the Senate race is really close.

Kentucky. CNN projects Mitch McConnell will win. NBC News gives it to McConnell, too. ...

... Jay Newton-Small of Time interviews Mitch McConnell: "Some examples of things that we're very likely to be voting on: approving the Keystone XL pipeline, repealing the medical device tax, trying to restore the 40-hour work week, trying to get rid of the individual mandate.... I'll give you a couple of examples where there may be areas of agreement [with President Obama]: comprehensive tax reform and trade agreements. Most of my members think that America's a winner in international trade." He wouldn't answer questions about "undoing the nuclear option" on confirmation of nominees nor on immigration reform.

Tina Nguyen of Mediaite: Chris Matthews & Al Sharpton bashed Grimes' "concession" speech. CW: McConnell's victory speech, BTW, was gracious.

... Returns are coming in already at 6:20 pm ET. Looks mighty good for Mitch with a fraction of precincts reporting.

Louisiana. Bruce Alpert of the Times-Picayune: "Louisiana's Senate campaign is heading into overtime. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La. and Bill Cassidy were running neck-and-neck ahead of the field of eight candidates late Tuesday, but well short of the 50-percent-plus-one vote needed to avoid the Dec. 6 runoff. Rob Maness, the Tea Party conservative, was running a distant third." ...

... The Louisiana Senate results are here.

Maine. The NYT has called the race for Republican Susan Collins.

Massachusetts. Sen. Ed Markey (D) wins his first state-wide election. ...

... Seth Moulton (D) wins House race, per NBC News. ...

... Stephanie Ebbert & Kathy McCabe of the Boston Globe: "Seth Moulton, an Iraq war veteran and first-time candidate, swept to victory as a change agent for the Sixth Congressional District on Tuesday, denying Massachusetts Republicans their best hope of picking up a seat in the US House this year. With 89 percent of precincts reporting, Moulton was beating Republican Richard R. Tisei, 55.4 percent to 40 percent. Tisei conceded the race around 9:40 p.m." ...

How to win ...

... And lose a Congressional race:

Michigan: Gary Peters (D) wins, per NBC News.

Minnesota. Sen. Al Franken (D-Terrific) has won re-election. ...

... Katy Bachman of Politico: "Democratic incumbent Sen. Al Franken coasted to a second term over Republican challenger Mike McFadden. With four percent of Minnesota precincts reporting..., the Associated Press called the vote. The 2014 race between Franken and McFadden, an investment banker, was a stark contrast to six years ago, when Franken barely pulled out a win against Norm Coleman. Separated by a mere 312 votes, Franken didn’t take office until July 2009, following a protracted recount." With 100 percent reporting, Franken garnered 53.2 percent of the vote to McFadden's 42.9 percent.

Allison Sherry of the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "Republican Tom Emmer, who failed in his bid to be Minnesota’s governor four years ago, won the seat being vacated by Rep. Michele Bachmann in the conservative Sixth ­Congressional District, ushering in an era that Emmer vows will be marked with civility and service to constituents. Emmer, who was known as a fiery state legislator, has simmered down this election season, touting conservative messages of fiscal responsibility and a willingness to reach across the aisle."

Mississippi. The NYT projects Sen. Thad Cochran (R) has won re-election.

Montana. The Republican Steve Daines wins, according to NBC News. This is a Republican pick-up. It's the seat held by Max Baucus (D), then John Walsh, the plagiarist guy.

Nebraska. Ben Sasse (R) has won, per the NYT.

** New Hampshire. Dan Tuohy & Mark Hayward of the Union Leader: "Sen. Jeanne Shaheen kept 'purple' New Hampshire from turning to Brown. The Democratic incumbent defeated Republican Scott Brown, the former Massachusetts Senator who moved to the Granite State last year, in one of the hottest U.S. Senate races in the country. ABC News projected a Shaheen victory shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday. An hour later, it was a razor-thin margin, and Brown supporters clung to hopes he could pull off the upset. But Shaheen tallied yet more votes, and won a second term. She pulled ahead, 51 percent to 49 percent, with 80 percent of the precincts reporting."

... Scott Brown is not conceding (at 10:55 pm ET) & is insisting he hasn't lost the election. The count is very close right now, about 192K (Shaheen) to 190K (Brown). ...

... ABC News has called the race for Jeanne Shaheen @ 8:45 pm ET. "The Constitution provides that every state has two Senators, but not every Senator has two states." -- Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)

... Jeanne Shaheen is looking good against Scott Brown, with 13 percent of the vote in, but @ 8:25 pm ET, the networks haven't called the race.

... Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D) of New Hampshire's first district lost to Republican Frank Guinta, so New Hampshire no longer has an all-female Congressional leadership (or an all-Democratic one).

New Jersey. Sen. Cory Booker (D) won re-election.

New Mexico. Sen. Tom Udall (D) retains his seat.

New York: Staten Island Rep. Michael Grimm (R), despite a 20-count federal indictment against him, won re-election, largely because his Democratic opponent, Domenic Recchia, is a dimwitted hack. CW: I seldom endorse third-party candidates, even when they're the best in the field, but I'm with the woman cited at the end of the New York Times story linked here. She voted for the Green party candidate. Once in awhile throwing away your vote is the only thing you can do.

North Carolina. The repugnant Thom Tillis (R) has unseated Kay Hagan (D).

... Kay Hagan is "in a world of trouble," according to Steve Kornacki of MSNBC.

Oklahoma. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Neanderthal) has won re-election. ...

... James Lankford (R) has won the special election to replace retiring Sen. Tom Coburn.

Oregon. Sen. Jeff Merkley has won re-election. ...

... Jeff Mapes of the Oregonian: "Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley cruised to a strong re-election victory over Republican challenger Monica Wehby. Merkley's victory was clear minutes after the polls closed as he held a commanding lead of a more than 2-to-1 ratio over Wehby in partial results.... Republican strategists once had high hopes for Wehby, 52, a pediatric neurosurgeon from Portland. She was one of several doctors around the country recruited by Republicans to run in a year when the new federal health care law -- known as Obamacare -- was having a rocky rollout."

Rhode Island. Sen. Jack Reed (D) has won re-election, per the NYT.

South Carolina. NBC News projects Sen. Tim Scott (R), a Nikki Haley appointee, has won his special election. ...

... NBC News projects Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) has won re-election.

Texas. Sen. John Cornyn (R) has run re-election.

South Dakota. Mike Rounds (R) wins, per NBC News. This was a 4-way.

Tennessee. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R) wins re-election.

Virginia. Mark Warner (D), a heavy favorite going into election day, barely won. Gillespie (R) had predicted he would lose by one point or less. He was right. ...

Byron Tau of Politico: "Democratic Sen. Mark Warner is clinging to a small lead over Republican Ed Gillespie in an unexpectedly tight Virginia Senate race. With nearly all precincts reporting, about 13,000 votes separated the two men -- with Warner edging Gillespie by less than 1 percent of the vote. Warner made a brief victory speech on Tuesday night, despite the fact that the Associated Press still considers the race too close to call.... Virginia law does not have an automatic recount process but allows the loser in any race decided by less than a 1-percent margin to request one. Gillespie declined to concede in brief remarks to supporters, urging patience with the final vote tallies and the few remaining outstanding precincts." ...

... At 10:08 pm ET, Republican Ed Gillespie is still ahead. This has been considered a safe Democratic seat. ...

... Mark Warner's numbers are looking better now. (8:05 pm ET) But NBC has changed from "too early to call" to "too close to call." ...

... It's not looking so good for Sen. Mark Warner (D); his challenger is the weasel-y Ed Gillespie. However, the burbs around D.C. usually come in late. Warner was expected to win handily, so there has been little national attention to the race.

West Virginia. NBC News has called the Senate race for the Republican Shelly Capito. This is a Republican pick-up; Democrat Jay Rockefeller is retiring. Capito is the daughter of a former W. Va. governor, Arch Moore.

Wyoming. Mike Enzi (R) holds his seat.

Gubernatorial Race Results

Trip Gabriel of the New York Times: "Republicans won the two most intensely followed, high-stakes governor's races of the year as Rick Scott of Florida and Scott Walker of Wisconsin won re-election on Tuesday in states that both parties are looking to as a gauge of voter sentiment in the run-up to the 2016 presidential campaign. Their victories were part of a sweeping tide of Republican victories in governors' races. With Republican control of a majority of legislatures, the party was left in firm control of the nation's state capitals.... Surprise winners for the Republicans included Bruce Rauner, a money manager who defeated the Democratic incumbent, Pat Quinn, in Illinois, and Larry Hogan, who defeated the current Democratic lieutenant governor of Maryland, Anthony Brown. In Kansas, Gov. Sam Brownback, on the defensive because of the state's embattled fiscal situation, turned back his Democratic challenger, Paul Davis. In Maine, Gov. Paul R. LePage, a staunch conservative, defeated Mike Michaud, a Democrat. And in Massachusetts, Martha Coakley, the Democrat, lost a close race to Charles Baker, the Republican." ...

... The Times' interactive map is here.

States are listed in alpha order.

Alabama. Gov. Robert Bentley (R) has won re-election.

Arizona. Doug Ducey (R) has won the race.

Arkansas. Asa Hutchinson (R) has won the gubernatorial race. The current governor, Mike Beebe, is a Democrat.

California. Jerry Brown has been re-elected to his 4th term. ...

... Seema Mehta of the Los Angeles Times: "California voters decisively elected Gov. Jerry Brown to a historic fourth term Tuesday, a rare bright spot for Democrats on a night when Republicans celebrated huge victories in the rest of the nation. Brown handily defeated GOP challenger Neel Kashkari and voters also approved the two propositions that the incumbent championed -- a $7.5-billion water bond measure and a state rainy-day fund."

Colorado. Lauren French of Politico: "Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has been reelected, fending off GOP challenger Bob Beauprez, according to The Associated Press. The Democrat trailed Beauprez in the polls for most of Election Day, but eventually pulled ahead, earning 48.3 percent of the vote with 93.4 percent of precincts reporting. Beauprez trailed by only 1 percentage point."

Connecticut. Matthew Kauffman, et al., of the Hartford Courant: "Gov. Dan Malloy appeared poised to pull ahead of Republican challenger Tom Foley as Connecticut's neck-and-neck race for governor came to a close. Around 12:30 a.m., as registrars in Hartford, Bridgeport and elsewhere were still tallying votes, Malloy gave a rousing speech to supporters, telling them 'We are going to win this thing' -- while stopping short of declaring victory. Twenty minutes later, Foley in turn told supporters 'We probably have lost this race' -- while stopping short of conceding." ...

... Here's where the Connecticut race stands now.

Florida. Aargh! The NYT has called the race for Gov. Scott. Very bad for the working poor who need health insurance. ...

... Marc Caputo, et al., of the Miami Herald: "Bolstered by a $100 million campaign and a stronger economy, Gov. Rick Scott overcame his own political liabilities and a fierce challenge from Democrat Charlie Crist on Tuesday as he won a second term that solidified Republican control of the state. Polls showed the race would be tight, and it was. As Scott clung to a 1.4 percentage point lead, Crist conceded before 11:30 p.m." ...

... With 95 % of the vote in, Scott is about 120K votes ahead. ...

... Crist's early lead has evaporated @ 7:50 pm ET. ...

... Crist is asking for an emergency court order to keep the polls open an extra hour in -- wait for it -- Broward County, because of voting machine problems. Update: Crist's petition has been denied, but everyone in line in Broward County @ 7:00 pm will be allowed to vote. ...

... Crist (D) is ahead in early returns.

Georgia. Gov. Nathan Deal has retained his seat over challenger Jason Carter (D).

Kansas. Maybe the worst governor in the U.S., Sam Brownback (RTP), kept his job. ...

... Bryan Lowry & Suzanne Perez Tobias of the Wichita Eagle: "Gov. Sam Brownback triumphed over Democrat Paul Davis late Tuesday, collecting 50 percent of the vote in a hard-fought race."

Illinois. Bruce Rauner (R) has unseated Pat Quinn (D).

Maine. The horrid Gov. Paul LePage won in a three-way race. ...

... Steve Mistler of the Portland Press Herald: "Republican Gov. Paul LePage secured a second term early Wednesday morning, defeating Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud after a long, expensive and often bitter campaign. Michaud conceded defeat at 12:30 a.m. in a speech at the Port City Music Hall. LePage triumphantly took the stage at the Franco American Heritage Center in Lewiston before Michaud finished his speech."

Maryland. Larry Hogan (R) defeated Anthony Brown (D). ...

... John Wagner & Jenna Johnson of the Washington Post: "Republican businessman Larry Hogan pulled off a stunning upset in heavily Democratic Maryland on Tuesday, winning the governor's race against Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown by relentlessly promising to roll back tax increases and chart a new direction for the state."

Massachusetts. Charlie Baker (R) beat Martha Coakley (D) by a slim margin. (Thanks, Boston Globe!) ...

... Robert Scalese of the Boston Globe: "Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley called Republican candidate Charlie Baker Wednesday morning to congratulate him on his victory. Coakley will address supporters at 11 a.m., according to multiple reports."

Michigan. Gov. Rick Snyder (R) has won re-election, per NBC News.

Minnesota. Gov. Mark Dayton (D) is the projected winner, per NBC News.

Nebraska. NBC News has called the race for Republican Pete Ricketts.

Nevada. Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) prevails.

New Hampshire. NBC News has called the race for Gov. Maggie Hassan (D).

New Mexico. NBC News projects Gov. Susana Martinez (R) has won re-election.

New York. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) retains his seat, per CNN.

Ohio. NBC News has called the Ohio race for Gov. John Kasich (R).

Oregon. The New York Times has called the race for Gov. John Kitzhaber (D). ....

... Laura Gunderson of the Oregonian: "Rep. Dennis Richardson refused to concede the governor's race on Tuesday night, saying the margin was too slim and that he planned to 'go to bed happy tonight.' About the same time Richardson spoke at his election party in Clackamas, Gov. John Kitzhaber thanked his supporters at the Democrats' function in downtown Portland for the "incredible honor" to serve another four years."

Pennsylvania. Democrat Tom Wolf defeats Gov. Tom Corbett.

Rhode Island. Gina Raimondo (D) won the race.

South Carolina. NBC News projects Gov. Nikki Haley (R) has won re-election.

South Dakota. Republican Dennis Daugaard has won re-election.

Tennessee. Gov. Bill Haslam (R) has won re-election.

Texas. CNN projects Greg Abbott (R) wins over Wendy Davis (D).

** Wisconsin. Scott Walker hangs onto his seat. ...

... Jason Stein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Republican Gov. Scott Walker defeated Democrat Mary Burke Tuesday, ensuring himself a second term in Madison and raising the prospect of a political future at the national level."

Wyoming. Gov. Matt Mead (R) has won re-election.