Obligatory Election Post

I cannot go without at least mentioning the elections that took place yesterday. There were three races that carried with them some national implications, at least as much as such elections can ever help to keep a finger on the pulse of American voter trends.

The governorships in both Virginia and New Jersey swung to the Republicans after several years in Democratic hands. While the Virginia governor's chair is prone to flipping back and forth with some modest frequency, it was the New Jersey office that had people paying the most attention. New Jersey is a state recognized as being a political cesspool of corruption and is also recognized as being a state with some of the most punishing taxation policies in the history of life on this planet. It appears as if New Jersey voters are tired of being the laughingstock of America everywhere outside of Detroit.

In the NY 23 special election for the House of Representatives, a well connected mainstream Democrat closely defeated a self-made grass roots politician that only a couple of months ago was politically anonymous. That the election was so close between the two candidates clearly indicates that there is a groundswell of politically active conservatism in the country.

The seat has been traditionally Republican in years past, and the loss of the seat has to be considered a blow to establishment Republicans. However, as a conservative myself, I see no downside to having this single district fall to the Democrats for another year. Republicans have, over the course of the past ten years or so, turned their backs on conservative principles, instead putting the reward of sitting in public office ahead of the rewards of serving in public office. The meteoric rise of a political unknown to the status of true contender for high public office is more than a little eye opening.

Establishment Republicans have proven themselves to be not the most perceptive of people. Perhaps this shot across the bow got their attention.