by Jonathan Reisman

I got up early Election Day to watch the lunar eclipse. We were promised a blood-red moon amidst clear skies. It was clear, but all I saw was a dark blotch across the moon as it disappeared over the western horizon. The sun came up over a frosty morning. I should have recognized it as a foreshadowing of eclipsed hopes, a red mirage and a botched Arizona election, discouragingly long lines, and disturbingly convenient snafus, at least for the Democratic Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate who was in charge.

The red wave crested early in Florida with DeSantis and Rubio landslide victories. In Deep Blue New York, Sean Mahoney, the Democrat in charge of protecting Nancy Pelosi’s power and “Democracy,” was defeated. After that, the wave was less than a ripple, crashing hopes of rebuking Biden and the woke Democrats for Afghanistan, the open Southern border, inflation, high energy prices, climate alarmism, crime, defunding the police, covid mandate madness and pornography, and indoctrination in the schools. Democrats came out to defend their team in Maine and the rest of the nation. With the exception of Florida, Republicans did not.

Prediction Scorecard and Grades:

I predicted the GOP would gain 20-25 seats. They got about a dozen, a razor-thin majority. It is better than nothing, but sort of like opening up a deli order expecting prosciutto and roast beef and finding bologna and liverwurst. (C-)

I predicted that Poloquin would lose a slim plurality (F) to Golden in a ranked choice voting (B+) runoff (A-) and that Golden would assume backbencher status in a GOP House while waiting Baldacci-like to run for Governor in 2026 (A).

I predicted a 51-48 GOP Senate with a Georgia runoff. It looks like 50-49 with a Georgia runoff, so either more bologna and liverwurst or more cackling Kamala breaking ties- that is if Lisa Murkowski even bothers to occasionally vote Republican, assuming that ranked-choice voting saves her sorry hide     (C-). I predicted that Fetterman would win due to early voting (A-), resign, and be replaced by his wife (F)

I predicted that Janet Mills would defeat Paul LePage, losing the 2nd CD but thrashing him in the 1st (B-). I predicted that Angus King would resign from a GOP Senate (F), allowing Gov. Mills to appoint Hannah Pingree to his seat in a bid to hold it for the Democrats for the foreseeable future (A).

I predicted that the Maine Senate would have a slim GOP majority (F), the Maine House a slim Democratic majority (A-), and that Democrats would retain control of the Attorney General’s office (A). I also predicted that the Maine Education Association and the climate alarmists would retain control of the State (A), guaranteeing a hard winter (A).

Overall: C

Takeaways:

The Maine GOP should have a complete leadership change after clearing the field for the LePage sequel. However, it probably will not.

Biden will now almost certainly run for reelection in 2024. Ron Desantis should run for the GOP Presidential nomination. Donald Trump should not, but will, putting ego before country yet again. DeSantis would win, Trump will lose (again).

Democracy was not on the ballot, but the Republic was. It is not at all clear who won