Good News for Conservatives

It may surprise my readers that I’m actually in an upbeat mood this bright morning. Yes, Obama won by a greater margin than I expected. The polls were actually right! What’s with that?

(Unless I missed something, I was also wrong in predicting that a Missouri judge would once again try to rig the election by holding polls open longer in Democrat areas. I’m glad to be wrong on that one.)

But I was right in predicting election night wouldn’t be a disaster. Democrat gains in the Senate were even less than I feared/expected. The race I cared most about, the Minnesota Senate race, has been called for Coleman by AP and CNN over Franken. And right before I post this, the unofficial results are all in with Coleman ahead. It is very close though, and there will be a recount. Franken and his team are lowlifes who will still try to steal this election if they can. So I am still a little nervous. But let’s keep this post upbeat.

Another Senator I’ve thought well of for many years is Gordon Smith of Oregon. But Oregon in this election year . . . I didn’t think he had a chance. But it looks like he will pull it out. (Due of Oregon’s mail-in ballot regime, the vote count is very slow in coming in.)

(UPDATE: Gordon Smith has fallen well behind now. I guess that was too good to be true. *sigh* He’s a good guy, too.)

Now someone I don’t think much of is (I’m embarrassed he’s a) Republican Ted Stevens of Alaska. He’s long been an obstacle to needed spending reforms and is just flat out sleazy. It looks like he will pull this one out in spite of just being convicted of taking illegal gifts from a crook. Hopefully, he’ll be kicked out of the Senate and Gov. Palin will appoint a replacement, which would be a good outcome in the end.

So the Senate won’t even get close to filibuster proof for Obama. It looks like Democrats 56 - Republicans 44 (now 57-43). Heck, if Obama overplays his hand, the Republicans might even have a chance to take the Senate in 2010. (I say that without previewing the 2010 Senate races, however.)

There are other reasons to be encouraged. For one thing, anti-gay marriage referendums passed across the country, even in California.

So last night was no disaster. And it could have been with the financial crisis. With God’s help and mercy, if we all do our part and fight well, we can persevere and recover and be better as a nation for it.