[lonster]

bullshit. a loss is a loss. period. say it. we lost. period.

[Jonty30]

It is a lost, but could a credible tea-party candidate have come so close to winning just a few years ago?

IMO, it’s a win because we are changing mindsets. It may take another election, or two, to start electing candidates, but we are moving forward.

[deadrock]

You are right. Any ‘this is a moral victory’ talk is loser talk.

[granada]

much better than expected. In this election, GOP elites are more like a bunch of backstabbers.

Tea party is still a growing movement.

[G Larry]

We showed the GOP establishment how well the Tea Party can do WITHOUT THEIR HELP!

That should make the GOPe nervous about how they might perform WITHOUT TEA PARTY help.

THAT message is a WIN!

[RB156]

Agreed. Virginia is a microcosm of the country, and it’s a must win in presidential elections for the GOP. The fact that it elected a corrupt slimeball like McAwful, even if it was a narrow margin, is a huge loss.

[Zhang Fei]

bullshit. a loss is a loss. period. say it. we lost. period.

Actually, the media mantra was that the shutdown would lead to across-the-board GOP defeats, whether or not they were affiliated with the Tea Party. The effect was supposed to be especially big in blue states. Christie crushed Buono with a margin in excess of 20 points. In Long Island, NY, the Nassau County Executive is a Republican incumbent) who just shellacked his Democratic opponent (and predecessor) by 20%. This is in a county Obama carried by 7% in 2012.

Ultimately, Cuccinelli lost because he (1) was outspent 2 to 1, (2) had a Libertarian splitting the GOP vote, (3) lacked charisma, (4) had a corruption issue and (5) had the bad luck to run for office in a region where the bulk of the workforce gets its paychecks from the Federal government just after a shutdown initiated by the GOP.

[Zhang Fei]

The bottom line here is that outside of the Federal employee-rich DC region, the shutdown did the GOP no electoral damage in blue states, and that’s cause for celebration.

[clamper1797]

What the hell is the matter with you Virginia... There Is NO excuse for electing McAfull you should hang your heads in shame

[maddog55]

Agree.. horseshoes, hand grenades etc. The liberal disease is spreading.

[Shane]

You are correct, Elections have consequnces. Lokk at what we have gotten with Obama. McAwlful may be a sleazebag, but he now has power. This is NOT a good thing, no matter how the Tea Party tries to spin it.

[Yorlik803]

Yep....a Loss is a loss....if you didn’t win then you lost.
no amount of spin can change that.

[chimera]

You’re right. There is no solace in losing. In politics, a narrow loss is still a loss, you go home and the winner takes the win to the bank. And you can bet the ‘Rats will do that. They are already crowing about a “mandate for Obamacare”.

[Paul46360]

THANK YOU...we constantly lambast the Demorats for spin..well this article is SPIN.
The T.P lost the race. Don't think it is a sign of anything except that some voters are idiots.

[LeonardFMason]

Exactly.

Democrats are winning the small battles(Organizing,GOTV,fundraising,mobilization) that in turn win the war.

This lesson better sink in quickly. 2014 is a chance to beat back the America hating horde. Conservative and, yes, Republicans need to get it together fast.

We lose the Supreme Court to the Left and this country may never recover.

[Luke21]

Hate to see what a loss looks like.

[Pikachu_Dad]

True. It is a loss.

But, on the bright side. His governance will probably be so horrible that in a few years we will get a win.

[A CA Guy]

Well people have to wise up to third party candidates who are there to elect Dems.
Republicans, Conservatives and Tea Party folks should make sure all these races have conservatives running as green party folks to make the playing field more even.