National election results

One thing that we need to remember is that Virginia as well as New Jersey have continually voted for governors opposite of the party of the president since the 1980's. This is just a continuing ongoing pattern.

Don't forget the other election results with national implications: Maine voted to rescind the freedom to marry for LGBT people. Who's next America? Who's rights to equality will be eliminated next by the religious right wing?

It seems to me the most important lesson in this election if the each vote counts. If you sit on your hands and don't get to the polls, the winners are determined by someone else.

The only relevant (to Washington) elections were U.S. House wins, re: upper State New York. That one sent someone new to Washington, to influence Federal decisions. CA also sent someone new to Washington but that was expected. These both went to continuing Democratic-base, moderate, decisions.

Electing Governors is all about local needs and perspectives. Even here in the liberal-minded CA, we elected a GOP guy last term and in mid-term before and given the choices now, CA may do a repeat???

The GOP poster-girl, drop the ball Palin, actually helped to influence for the Democratic win. What does that say about buffoons like Rush and Palin eh who seem to represent the GOP view right now?

At the risk of trying to prove a negative, had the conservative candidate won in New York, with all of the national pressure and attention the race received, that result would have been used by the GOP as 'evidence' of the "Failure of the Obama Presidency". Comparing the failure of a strident conservative's failure to GOP governorship wins by candidates that avoided such partisanship is the greater message the GOP needs to hear.

And, aren't upstate New York Republicans less conservative in general, much as they are throughout New England?

I just heard the received wisdom that Republicans are good fro the economy. I have seen a couple of studies that show just the opposite: that Republican administrations yield lower economic growth than Democratic....

The election results mean that incumbents are being blamed for the economy, rightly or wrongly. Considering most forecasts are for very slow growth over the next few years, that doesn't bode well for the President or Congress, regardless of party affiliation.