Here's My Take On Yesterday

Because I know you're all so interested, here are some of my thoughts regarding last night's election:

• The GOP killed it in state legislatures and governorships. They did not fare well at all in the Senate. They gained about 63-67 seats in the House, and so far only 6 Senate seats when most people were projecting 8-9. It looks like they'll get Alaska, and while Colorado and Washington are still up for grabs, and I mean, really up for grabs, somehow Dems always seem to eek out these extremely close races.
• The Republican party itself is much more diverse than people give it credit for. Two Hispanic Americans were elected governors in Nevada and New Mexico, with New Mexico's being the first ever female Hispanic American to be elected governor in the entire country. Two Indian Americans were also elected governors who are convservative Republicans, and several African Americans were elected to various positions throughout the country in behalf of the GOP. The best of all of these, however, is Marco Rubio.
• Marco Rubio is a Cuban American who ended up winning the Senate seat for Florida over former (current?) FL governor Charlie Crist. This guy is a rising star. Between Rubio and Chris Christie, the current governor of New Jersey, there are some real superstars rising in the Republican party. And I don't just mean charismatic and all that. These guys are hard core conservatives on all fronts and they are tough. There are dozens of videos of Governor Christie taking it to various people floating around on the internet. You can't help but get behind a guy like that, and Rubio is no different. 2016 and 2020 look really great for our Presidential prospects.
• The referendum on gay marriage. Here's the interesting thing about gay marriage. Are you ready for it? In every case where gay marriage has been a ballot measure voted on by the citizens, it has always failed (I'm about 95% confident that is correct). The only times when it has been legalized in this country has been when judges have usurped the will of the people and asserted their own opinions as law. This was the case in Iowa in 2009, and you know what happened yesterday? The three justices who were up for reelection yesterday were all voted out. Normally it's just a formality, but that was a definite referendum on those efforts. Last month PEW came out with a poll showing that the American people are becoming more accepting of alternative lifestyles, but my gut says that those results are not truly representative of what's actually occurring. In people's opinions it is always easy to say that they are open and accepting to that point of view about homosexuality, but when it comes down to it, people always vote against endorsing that behavior. That was especially true in California. Polls showed that opponents to Prop 8 were always leading, but when it comes down to it, people don't ever really want to endorse that behavior. That's my gut feeling.
• California reelected Jerry Brown to governor and Barbara Boxer to the Senate. Jerry Brown was the former governor of California back in the late 70s, and he is the current attorney general in California. He is the same guy who refused to defend the California constitutional amendment of Prop 8. Barbara Boxer is just an idiot. They were both reelected in spite of huge unemployment rates and fleeing businesses. Did you know the national unemployment rate is hovering around 9-10%, but in California it is upwards of 12-13%. It's just a terrible economy. I'm pretty sure that California will go bankrupt before the people really start to wake up to what's happening. Concerning California, Jay Nordlinger said:

  How bad does California have to get, before the voters turn from the Democrats? How dire does the state’s economy have to become? Going down the tubes, Californians still know how to do one thing: reach for the Democratic lever. As far as I’m concerned, that’s like grabbing an anvil when you’re drowning.
  
  And as the Republicans vote with their feet, California will become “bluer,” I’m afraid. Businessmen, entrepreneurs -- they’ve been hightailing it to Nevada, Texas, Arizona, North Carolina. They will probably hightail it further, seeking a state that will allow them to flourish.

  I wonder how long it will be until California is completely unsustainable. Sad thoughts. But still, it's a great place. (You're still the only person in the whole world that I know that would complain so much about living there. You know who you are.) Also from NRO:

  Why did the Republican wave stop at the California state line? There will be much speculation about problems with the Whitman and Fiorina campaigns, and some of it will be valid. Nevertheless, much of the answer lies in the makeup of the electorate.
  
  According to the exit poll, Democrats had a 13-point party identification advantage among California voters, compared with an even split nationwide. California voters approved of President Obama’s performance by a ten-point margin, whereas the national electorate disapproved by nine points. It’s just a different kind of state.

  
  
• Harry Reid was reelected to the Senate. Say what you will about him. That guy had every reason to lose yesterday, but he knows how to maneuver. He's an excellent politician, but then again, his opponent was not very strong either. Republicans should have won that seat.
• No matter how the results turned out in the places that you voted, it's always worth voting, if for no other reason than you're expression of faith in the American system of government. We live in an amazing country. The two-party system works, no matter how far off you think the government is from your own personal views. We get the most representative government in the entire world. If you don't think so, try living somewhere else for any amount of time and you'll see how wide-ranging the world's politics are. It will blow your mind.
• I think the GOP is in a really good position. Sure, they only control 2/3 of the elected federal offices, but conditions are still not very good for the incumbent party. The economy is still dragging, and probably will for a while longer. Health care is a mess in spite of the major overhaul. The war abroad is still very nebulous and we haven't seemed to make much progress since the success of the surge a couple years ago. Housing prices are still leveling out. The stock market has rebounded, but the economy continues to lag. If this keeps up, then it will do no favors for the party in power. The GOP can make small strides and the country will too, and then they'll be poised for another strong showing in 2012. The only problem I have with with 2012 is I don't like any of the possible candidates for POTUS that we have in the GOP. I love Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, and Marco, but they all still need some more seasoning. I don't think Palin is right either, but not for the same reasons that most people dislike her. There are some other possibilities - Tim Pawlenty, Huckabee, and Romney. While I like a couple of those all right, the problem is, I don't think any are really nationally appealing.

And that's about all I got.