Takeaways from last night--aside from a hangover

What if you gave people a tax cut and nobody noticed? Democrats not only ran away from things that people might have liked if they'd explained them in a manner that someone without a PHD in business administration from Harvard could possibly understand but somehow failed to take credit for things that people would like if they knew about them. The Obama messaging team--so sharp in 2008 so hopeless in 2010.

Negative ads work--except when they blow up in your face. Case in point--Rand Paul should probably go out and sacrifice a goat--or a maybe bottle of Kentucky bourbon--to Aqua Buddha since that ad Conway ran against him regarding a stupid college hazing prank probably made him a U.S. Senator.

Money can't buy you love but it may buy you a Senate seat or a governorship. Of course you have to know where to spend it. Case in point--Meg Whitman would have been a whole lot better off if she'd spent part of that $140 (or was it $160 million) paying off her illegal alien housekeeper instead of on negative ads demonizing Jerry Brown. Brown, on the other hand showed great fiscal restraint by running a wonderful ad starring Meg Whitman extolling the virtues of California back in the early 80s when Brown was governor. The ominous voice over actors union may not be happy with Governor Moonbeam, but if your state's budget is the biggest work of fiction set in California since "The Grapes of Wrath" who are you going to vote for? Jerry Brown, of course--a man who knows how to get his money's worth. I just want to know if he's gonna bring back Linda Ronstadt and the famous plymouth. Well maybe not Linda--don't think the wife would go for that. Back to the Future for the Golden State.

Having a nice guy insider type as DNC Chairman may not be such a great idea. Sure the Washington Establishment hated Howard Dean but Dean dragged them kicking and screaming into House and Senate majorities plus the presidency. So far Tim Kaine has managed to lose the House, a whole slew of governorships and almost lose the Senate. James Carville and Raum Emmanual were calling for Dean's head when he was winning everything in sight. Where is the party establishment now? Probably consoling Tim Kaine.

Sometimes you just get lucky. So they find out you exaggerated your service in Vietnam--really exaggerated it--in fact the closest you ever came to Vietnam during the war was a pan-asian restaurant in Greenwich. Fortunately, the election gods are smiling on you because your opponent turns out to be the former head of the World Wrestling Federation who manages over the course of the campaign to make herself so disliked that the voters are eager to turn out for you in droves.

Mean Girls finish last. Ladies, there's a difference between being tough and being a #@&#*. Telling your opponent to "Put on his man pants". Running countless negative personal ads on your opponent until voters are ready to put their fists through the TV and getting catty about your female opponent's hair style are not, I repeat, not, things that are going to endear you to the vast majority of voters. In fact they will probably bring out people who were going to sit this one out because they couldn't stand either you or your opponent to vote--against you.

Sadly, sometimes the good guys finish last. We salute you Russ Feingold.