What now? What's next? "Towanda?"

“Thank the Lord!  It is nice to know that we haven’t completely lost our minds.  As for the House, the Republicans will have to either learn the art of compromise or they won’t get anything done in the next two years which is okay with me. Either way, it will be their turn to take the blame in 2012.  Now if we just didn’t have to listen to their shit for the next two years… ” - An Alert Reader

It’s hard to not come out of this election feeling shaken and wondering what’s next. This is especially true, when you consider that our electoral system is now based on a Wild West model of campaign finance by shadowy groups that don’t have to make their donors public.

Although Crossroads GPS didn’t prevail this time won’t stop them. They thumbed their noses at the American electoral system and will continue to try and break it permanently.

This - plus an uncompromisingly arrogant and emboldened GOP majority in the House - is the underpinning of an economic system that is becoming ever more lopsided - in favor of the ultra wealthy. A plutocracy. Makes you kinda want to throw it in and say WTF? Especially since Obama is still making those ‘hands across the aisle’ noises, and looking for ‘common ground’ post-election. WTF? As BlueLyon says, “in what universe?”

More than one Alert Reader of this blog is saying that we could still see What’s-her-name in the Senate, should the less than worthless John ‘Pretty Boy’ Ensign now choose to resign before formal charges are levelled, leaving the less than lame duck Gibbons to appoint somebody equally worthless to that seat.

At least Ensign was smart enough to know that Harry Reid was probably his best and only friend in the Senate. She isn’t.

This Nevada apple cart is still plenty wobbly. As Alert Reader, Peg, suggests, we could be looking at a future of Sandoval and Heller in the Senate. But I can’t even think that far ahead. I’m leaving that to the paid strategists.

The bright spot here: Even Karl Rove’s money bomb couldn’t put Sharron Angle over the top. Similarly, Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman both of the billionaire brand, proved that it still isn’t entirely about money. It’s mostly about money, but not completely.

Another hopeful place: I really do think that the efforts of the Nevada blog-o-sphere had some positive effect in this race. Especially toward the end, I felt that so many of us - while not exactly coordinating our efforts - were allowing each to focus on what they did best and speak to what we best understood and were most passionate about. That made us effective.

I really want to thank Carissa at BlueLyon, and Barbara at Desert Beacon. I think we made a hell of a tag team. It was fun. At least for me. The Las Vegas Gleaner was a hoot at times too, but I won’t thank him. He’s been too important to communicate with me. Sheesh.

At the end of the day, however, Reid’s superlative team ran a brilliant ground game that brought it all home for Nevada. They should be congratulated, as they trumped Angle’s considerable echo machine of the Fox and conservative radio variety. It sort of reminds me of that ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ scene when Kathy Bates rams the arrogant young chick’s car in the parking lot.

TOWANDA!

Unfortunately, ‘Towanda!’ doesn’t exactly express Harry Reid’s post election action list. Hmmm. Immigration reform? Jobs? Green energy? These are all important and lofty goals - which he’s sure to get constant obstruction from the GOP over. If Harry Reid is all primed to make the GOP look like a bunch of jerks then why not make it over something really good - campaign finance reform. Oh, even better - publicly financed campaigns.

Each time Democrats try to play to the middle of the road and make nice, they get it shoved up their backsides. When will they ever learn to stand up proudly, as the conscience of the people? Like the party that gave America Social Security and Medicare. The healthcare reform legislation was just a start.

Democrats can’t seem to understand that their ‘kumbayah’ spirit of cooperation is not shared by the GOP. The GOP understands that they are not operating in a corporate board room and that it’s war. All out war. Winner take all. This isn’t about negotiating to ‘yes’ for them.

Everybody needs to kick back and take a well-earned breather for a while now. But we’ve still got a lot to do. I’d love to see the effort we put forth during this election to continue, on perhaps, a more coordinated level although I’m not sure right now what that might look like.

I’m open to suggestions.

But as ColinfromLasVegas says - we’ve got to deal with this regrettable Ensign problem first. He is a slop-bucket that needs to be carried out and dumped.

And buried.

Cheers.

-maven