Winners and losers

Here is a preliminary list of winners and losers from the election:

Some winners

Barack Obama. Congratulations to him and his team for another brilliant campaign.

Nate Silver. I often come away from his columns thinking I’ve learned something. Apparently, there is more for me to learn.

The MSM. To advance its pro-Obama agenda, the media kept the lid on Benghazigate when it counted. And one of its stalwarts, Candy Crowley, actively and deceitfully intervened on Obama’s behalf during his debate with Romney on the subject.

Kelly Ayotte and rising Republican Hispanic politicians. The presumption may well be that a woman and/or Hispanic should be on the 2016 ticket. Fortunately, the Party now has the bench to supply one. Unfortunately, I don’t know that doing so will help.

Sandra Fluke. Show her what she won: the Lilly Ledbetter memorial first dance with the president at his inaugural ball plus a lifetime supply of birth control pills.

Some losers

Senate candidates who talk about the intersection of rape and abortion.

The Republican voters who nominate Senate candidates who end up talking about the intersection of rape and abortion.

Dick Morris and every other commentator who predicted a decisive Romney victory.

Chris Christie, to the extent he wants to seek higher office as a Republican. To the extent he would like to be Ambassador to Malta, perhaps he’s a winner.

Me. This is the first presidential race I failed correctly to predict. And although I made my prediction grudgingly and without confidence, a miss is still a miss. I based my prediction on my instincts about the “fundamentals” of the race. They have never failed me before. But I’ve grown older, and the country has changed, and I fear that I no longer have a particularly strong grasp of the electorate.

* * * * *

I’m tempted to say that the country is also a loser. But every partisan on the wrong end of an Election Day judgment says (or thinks) this. History is full of surprises, though. So let’s see how this defeat plays out and what unexpected consequences it may produce.

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses