Corzine'05 Does Worse than McGreevey'01, Kaine'05 Does Worse than Warner'01 (FACTS over FICTION)

[new yorker 77]

Virginia-2005 Election Reults

----------------------------------------------

Precincts Reporting: 2418 of 2426 (99.67%)

Registered Voters: 4,451,542

Total Voting: 1,971,284

Voter Turnout: 44.28 %

----------------------------------------------

Kaine-(D)-1,019,366-51.71%

Kilgore-(R)-907,212-46.02%

Potts Jr-(I)-42,919--2.18%

Write Ins-----1,787--0.09%

Total:----1,971,284

----------------------------------------------

Virginia-2001 Election Reults

----------------------------------------------

Precincts Reporting: 2493 of 2493 (100.00%)

Registered Voters: 4,108,104

Total Voting: 1,905,511

Voter Turnout: 46.38 %

----------------------------------------------

Warner-(D)-984,177-52.16%

Earley-(R)-887,234-47.03%

Redpath(L)--14,497--0.77%

Write Ins------813--0.04%

Totals---1,886,721

----------------------------------------------

New Jersey-2005 Election Results

6,131 of 6,310 Precincts Reporting

----------------------------------------------

Corzine(D)-1,152,347-53.03%

Forrester(R)-948,372-43.64%

Other---------72,453--3.33%

----------------------------------------------

New Jersey-2005 Election Results

----------------------------------------------

McGreevey(D)-1,214,043-56%

Schundler(R)---908,984-42%

Schluter-------23,475---1%

[kesg]

I agree with you about Ohio and Texas. But the rest sounds a bit like the Democrats after they lost the special Congressional election in Ohio earlier this year. The other side still won these elections. Frankly, it really does not matter by how much. In politics as in football, winning isn't everything, it's the only thing.

[SmoothTalker]

"It's the candidate, stupid."

Exactly. You had two weak and inadequate candidates who lacked ideas and the voters went for the one who didn’t make himself look like a jerk.

[albie]

The fact is that Virginia has been headed down the "blue state" highway for a few years. The influx of NJ & NY into Virginia is amazing. All to escape traffic and taxes. Funny thing is, they continued voting dem here too and will find taxes going up soon! They never learn. Over all it was a wash. Nothing lost, nothing gained.

[tanknetter]

The other side still won these elections. Frankly, it really does not matter by how much. In politics as in football, winning isn't everything, it's the only thing.

Yes and no. The important thing from now forward is making sure that there is a good understanding of why the elections were won/lost, the correct lessons are learned and the knowledge from the lessons are applied appropriately.

[TheRobb7]

A little research (instead of taking what the MSM tries to spoon-feed us) reveals the following:

-starting in the 1880's, Democrats would dominate the Virginia Governor's mansion for 85 years.

-the GOP wouldn't win a Virginia gubernatorial race until 1970.

-the GOP wouldn't win there again until 1994 and 2000.

Here's the kicker:

-any talk of Virginia govern elections being a "harbinger of things to come" is blown away by the fact that a GOP Presidential nominee has carried the state for the past 40 years! The last Democrat to carry Virginia was LBJ.

[HostileTerritory]

No, Potts ran as a liberal Republican who bashed Kilgore for being too conservative. He was pro-choice and pro-tax hike.

Virginia voted more Democrat now than in '01. New Jersey's race was much closer this time.

[Gabz]

Nothing lost, nothing gained.

Maybe not. Remember, Kaine is now saddled with a Republican Lt. Governor who may very well be able to keep a rein on the GOP Senate, and possibly avid the jumping ship again of those who went with Warner on the tax increase last year.

[goldstategop]

That may change as northern Virginia becomes more liberal. Kerry was able to keep it close and lost because he had all the personal warmth of a dead horse. The next national Democratic candidate could take the Dominion State. It depends on who the Democrats nominate and what their positions on the issues are and whether the country agrees with them. And don't forget every decade voters just like to change over the Presidency to get a look at the other side of fence.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[albie]

Good point! If Mc Donnell pulls off the win for Attorney General, he is the guy next time around!

[cogitator]

Potts is a Republican and ran as a Conservative independent. So if you take him out, where do you assume all his votes go?

Most of Potts' votes would have been Kilgore votes if Potts wasn't in the election. Potts was also really, really critical of Kilgore, and that may have changed a few minds in the northwest parts of the state.

[albie]

Dick Morris hit this on the head. Kilgore ran a "dumb" campaign. Focused on the death penalty. Noone cares. Focus should've been illegal immigrants. Kaine will start waving white flags and putting illegals in the Omni for free room and board the day after the swearing in.

[cogitator]

VA was a real loss...

I disagree, though I'm surprised Kilgore lost. Warner was a successful governor, and Kaine ran as the second term of Warner (because of Virginia's one-term governorship). A Kaine loss would have been a repudiation of Warner's success, and that would have hurt the Dems more than a Kilgore loss hurts the GOP. The Lt. Governor is a strong conservative who defeated a very liberal Dem, and the Attorney General is very, very conservative, and hopefully will end up winning (there will be a recount).

So VA is still solidly GOP.

[WestPoint90]

You are right in your analysis, but the big variable I think that is left out is how the media will spin this from now to '06. As they are saying now, this is proof of a referendum against Bush. All that will be repeated. Sheeple will eat it up.

We may hate the msm, but there is now mistaking their ability to get across the points they want. Everyone see Iraq as a failure, because that is what the msm wants it to be. All great stories of thriving businesses and iraqi's thankful to the us will never be seen.

[counterpunch]

Just need to point out, it can't really be all that "solid" if it was close enough for a recount. Considering the closeness of (all) the races in VA, "marginally" may be a more appropriate word.

[AMHN]

Another case of straining the nat and swallowing an elephant.

Who cares that Dems have gained by less than a nats eyelash while the GOP loses by the length of an elephants trunk.

Rhetorical Question: Who has more power in the boardroom or four people, 1) 40 votes, 2) 40 votes, 3) 10 votes, and 4) 10 votes?

In a country split down the middle, like it or not, it's time to take the issues of life and death seriously...that is in lieu of everything else. The far left is embracing the death culture and the far right the culture of life. The two are as diametrically opposed as night and day, east and west, right and wrong, heaven and hell.

We can analyze narrow margins, and insignificant nuances till the donkeys come home...but it will not bring the vote’s home.

40-50 million children have died since Roe v Wade. All the whining about how we GOP's need to stick together and how not voting GOP will bring down the party doesn't bring the children back to life. Action does.

Here's the real analysis. GOP can expect to lose big time until it sinks in. No more wishy washy ambiguous Supreme Court selections and impotent GOP action against the DNC. What good is a majority if the power is worse than that of a minority?

Don't like this message...too bad...it's here to stick until the GOP moderates realize that they have to work with the more powerful in the boardroom. Otherwise, the DNC will always get 50 votes and from now on we'll always get 40.

Hint for the GOP: It’s not about the Supreme Court; after all they only interpret the constitution (at least that’s how it was meant to be). It’s about the legislature doing their job as legislators. It’s time to show true muscle…it’s time to see a real power struggle between the branches of Government and enough of the lying back and watching as the checks and balances of our nation are trampled underfoot by nine unelected, lifetime appointees. Instead we have 635 members of congress, their entire staff, the White House all catering to the concept that these nine run the country. True, these nine need to be reeled in, but it’s time to see some backbone in the other two branches of Government and it’s time to show the American people how this Government for the people and by the people really works. Not how a country can be run amuck by a group of spineless spin-misters.

[Gabz]

I'm going to leave my Mc Donnell billboard up for a few days before I put in storage. I can alaways change the AG portion of it to Governor in 09 :)

[new yorker 77]

The 'Independent' was a Republican.

That means Kaine did worse than Warner.

[FCVMCT]

I agree -- it would have been great to be able to take one of these governor spots from the left. Truth be told, I am a bit concerned about this. We should have won at least one race.

[new yorker 77]

Only a lib would project a mandate for 2006 from worse numbers in 2005 than they recieved in 2001.

Status quo with weaker numbers is not a win.

[johnny7]

So VA is still solidly GOP.

For now... we'll see how long the MSM/DNC cabal can milk this.

Just watching the behavior of our Senators, and to some extent Bush, over the last six months doesn't promote confidence.