You Could Say It Was A Mixed Bag For Election Night

It wasn't without adventure. Regardless of how you felt about the results of the 2018 midterms, there was definitely a mixture of the triumphs and disappointments in the air for many to experience.

A great question to ask here is, "Where do you begin"?

Much has happened. We had the good and the bad. Certainly, as you've watched and followed everything along, different emotions and feelings and nerves all became part of the election night coverage as much as the candidates themselves.

First, the good:

Republicans flipped four states from blue to red in the Senate after President Donald Trump had made visits with well-attended rallies to boost support for the candidates in those locations. Those states now have new senators and fresh air.

Texas saw important victories for incumbent Republicans Greg Abbott, Ted Cruz, Ken Paxton, and Dan Patrick in their re-election bids. Congratulations, guys! Yeah, so much for Beto O'Rourke, who somehow netted zillions of dollars on what amounted to a nothingburger campaign, only to fizzle out in the end. It wasn't even supposed to be a close race between O'Rogue and Cruz, but that shows you that people will say anything to get elected. Texans know better and it showed in the end.

The Senate gained a couple of seats with Republicans last night. That just means stronger representation for the important things. Such will come in handy by the time President Trump nominates his next Supreme Court justice, and possibly even another. I hope so, anyway.

Florida ended up with an exceptionally great night, with Ron DeSantis winning the governorship and Rick Scott getting a spot in the Senate. Nicely done, but it wasn't without a fight from the Bad Guys. They pulled through.

By the way, did anyone notice that Vermont and Massachusetts elected Republican governors? Just thought I'd point that out. That was pretty good. Hopefully, those two outcomes will be a harbinger of good things to come in New England. Now, if we can just get California, Nevada, New York, and Virginia to turn red. I know, I know, but it's not impossible.

Blue wave? Red wave? Hush your mouth, cowboy. The only waves are in the ocean, and you can go splash in them at your leisure.

Wave goodbye??

And now, the bad:

Montana still could not elect a Republican to the Senate, so voters stupidly picked Jon Tester once again. This was one of the areas Trump aggressively campaigned for, but we didn't see this one bear the fruit we hoped for.

And then there's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She actually won last night. America's most illiterate congressperson actually nabbed a seat in the U.S. House. There's no way in Hell that she gets through her term. It's going to be way over her head, unless, of course, she decides to be absent from a lot of the upcoming sessions. Folks, she's hopeless and clueless. New York City, what were you thinking???!!

Kansas elected a Democrat for governor. Laura Kelly, right? In a reliably conservative state, how does this even happen??

West Virginia decided on Joe Manchin for the Senate again. You'd think those citizens would have learned by now.

Scott Walker, the great incumbent governor of Wisconsin who seemingly could never lose, actually did lose last night to a Dem opponent. That's just utterly wrong.

New York, California, Illinois, and Nevada continue to put Democrats in office from the chambers to the Capitols. They'll never escape the sad shape they're in as long as they continue to seek blue and vote blue. Sooner or later, something in those places has to change.

It's amazing how many close races we've had around America, and it all puts you on the edge of your seat, wondering if your candidate will end up on top. It's also troubling that, given the Democrat Party's horrendous reputation bestowed upon them in recent years, many people representing that hate group still support it for whatever reason.

And can we please shut Jim Acosta up? You know him as the out-of-control CNN field reporter who is proving to be more disruptive than a junior high student in class with a substitute teacher. I remember him as a former field reporter here in Dallas at KTVT-TV (Channel 11) some twenty years ago, and he actually was pretty good here. He could have just as easily stayed in Dallas and made a much better world for himself. But Jim Acosta decided to go national, and it's been downhill ever since. Might as well call him Jim Accoster, since, in essence, that's what he's doing by abusing his trade in an obvious effort to distract and rattle President Trump. Journalism is dead, and what passes for media in this nation is all the more reason why some of the negative election results have resulted the way they did.

And, speaking of results, we have the House of Representatives. Say what you will about last night, but you can point to a number of things. What about the way Republicans did not work with Trump very much in two years' time? This, more or less, has become a referendum for Congress and not so much our president or the great things he's already accomplished. It also hasn't helped that some forty congressmen/women in the House have decided to retire. No doubt this had to have some effect on the outcome. Had a decent number of them stayed, chances are, they might have gotten re-elected, and that would have, at least, had conservatives hang on.

Well, it didn't happen.

So, now, the House will be run by Democrats for the next two years. They don't really deserve to be rewarded any space in Congress, but when conservative politicians can't get anything done, especially when they have a huge advantage, what other choice did we have? Conservatives squandered this for the stupid reasons they have, and that advantage is gone for at least two years. Conversely, if Dems keep behaving the way they have the last two years, then Republicans should have no problem in 2020 when Trump is re-elected and House seats can be won back. Looking far ahead, it has the potential to be cake.

Don't be surprised if the #WalkAway movement picks up even more momentum than we've seen. The conservative resurgence I've mentioned previously is still in its infancy, and it's going to take time for many folks who have been on the other side to come to their senses. It's happening, but my prayer is that it happen even faster.

Election night. Yes, it was a mixed bag with different results for both sides. And Trump, incredibly, is taking the House loss very well. Perhaps we all should, too, since conservatives lose with class. And that's but one thing their opponents can never say.