Don't believe 'em when they say it's not a referendum on Democrats and President Obama. People still like BO personally, but his policies suck.
From Hot Air:
He won by six points in Virginia last year, remember. Two thoughts here. One: You would think that a guy who appeared multiple times on the trail in two states that he carried just a year ago could generate enough excitement that the number who voted to show some support for him would exceed the number who voted to show opposition. But you would be wrong, wouldn’t you? Two: The problem with asking whether Obama was a factor in someone’s vote is that there’s a disconnect between the man himself and his policies.
Obama's personal popularity will make him harder to unseat in 2012. Republicans will have to ensure that he is tarred with his policies.
UPDATE: McDonnell and Christie both win, and Hoffman loses. Via Hot Air:
Points to take away from the loss: (1) PPP’s last poll was way, waaaay off; (2) Scozzafava’s endorsement must have had some impact on her supporters, as it erased the five-point lead Hoffman held in the last Siena poll after she dropped out; (3) third-party challenges, while sometimes warranted, are a very risky proposition (attention Glenn Beck!); (4) the win in New Jersey, where The One staked his own political capital in campaigning for Corzine, was huge compared to the loss here; and (5) as I said over the weekend, the actual result of this race is unimportant. The point in torpedoing Scozzafava and swinging the GOP behind Hoffman was to send a message to the Republican leadership that only fiscal conservatives will be tolerated henceforth, and that message has been sent even with Owens winning a squeaker. The loss is disappointing but it’s a detail on an otherwise great night.
As I said before, voting for third party candidates is almost always a throw-away vote. The system is set up to handle two parties, regardless of how everybody feels about it. There is the point to be made here, however, that pressure from Hoffman and his supporters made a difference, and there's no shame in losing in this case. One place I visited noted that those voting a straight party Republican ticket (like I typically do) could have inadvertently voted for Scozzafava rather than Hoffman. Oh, the irony!
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