Senate Election Analysis

Remember back on October 26, I gave an analysis of the upcoming Senate election and what I thought it might mean.
http://swoopsfromsnowyowl.blogspot.com/2010/10/senate-races-to-watch-on-november-2nd.html

Well, the election commission in Washington State can finally put their shoes and socks back on now that they have used all their fingers and toes to add up the result of their Senate race between Dino Rossi (R) and Patty Murray (D) the incumbent.

In that post I listed six races and I felt the Democrats needed to win at least half to take the Senate.  Well, what happened is the Democrats won four of the six and did indeed hold the Senate . . . not by much but a good hold.

The winners were;
   In Nevada, Harry Reid (D) over Sharron Angle (Mars).  There were actually nine people in that race which diluted the votes down to where it might have been hard for one person to win a majority.  But Harry finally pulled it out.

In Washington, Patty Murray (D) over Dino Rossi (R). It took several days to hand count the ballots which were, by all appearances, written in Sanskrit and being read by a visually impaired election commission.

In Colorado, Michael Bennet (D) over Ken Buck (R).  Buck was ahead for several hours at the beginning but Bennet held the lead once he got it.

In West Virginia, Joe Manchin (D) over John Raese (R).  This again was a nail biter in that Raese had a lead for a long time at the beginning.

The two Democrats that lost were Joe Sestak to Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania and Alan Giannoulias lost Barack Obama's old seat in Illinois to Mark Kirk.

Now, if the President wants anything done in the Senate, he'll have to do it with reconciliation from the get go.  That is what "W" did most of his terms in office and that is how Obama will have to do it, too.