There were three main races that the nation's political pundit class were focusing on yesterday as possible referendums on the state of the Obama Administration and the state of the nation.
So, with Republicans winning governors races in New Jersey and Virginia, but losing a highly focused Congressional race in upstate New York, what's it all mean the day after?
What is not good for Democrats in those governor's races is that independents, who voted strongly for President Obama in New Jersey and Virginia last year, abandoned the party big time last night, in what surely was a reflection in part on the weaknesses of those candidates.
Republican Bob McDonnell defeated Democrat Creigh Deeds 59% to 41%, and in New Jersey, Republican Chris Christie beat Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine 49% to 44%.
According to an ABC News Exit Poll
Obama split Virginia independents with John McCain in 2008, en route to becoming the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the state since 1964. McDonnell, though, won independents by a thumping 66-33 percent.
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Corzine, too, lost independents in New Jersey by a wide margin, 60-30 percent – the reason he lost a state where Democrats outnumbered Republicans by 10 points.
But in NY-23, the Congressional race that came about after President Obama picked off the Republican Representative, John McHugh, to be his Secretary of the Army, the independent Conservative Party candidate Bruce Hoffman, ended up losing to Democrat Bill Owens, after the handpicked Republican in the race, Dede Scozzafava, dropped out of the three way race this weekend and supported Owens.
Hoffman became the darling of the Tea-Party right wing of the party. We're not hearing much chortling from those conservative commentators on what this all means.
More interesting, at least because it hasn't got as much attention, was the fact that in New York City, Michael Bloomberg was elected for a third term, but only by 5% over his much derided Democratic opponent, William Thompson.
There was a severe backlash against former Democrat/former Republican/current independent Bloomberg, who spent tens of millions of dollars against his lesser financed foe. He also strong armed the NY City Council to change their laws to allow him to run for a 3rd term, though the voters had previously approved of term limits. The lesson there: Don't screw with the voters.
Supporters of same sex marriage lost last night in Maine, in an election that had been billed for weeks as too close to call. Maine's voters repealed a state law that would have allowed same-sex couples to wed.
Gay marriage has now lost in all 31 states in which it has been put to a popular vote.
However, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, citizens approved adding sexual orientation and gender identity to a human right ordinance
But back to what this all means for the Obama Administration? Those numbers on how independents voted has to be somewhat troubling for the White House, despite White House Advisor David Axelrod's comments that national elections are where the President's policies will be voted on, not state races.
One wonders how the results might influence some Blue Dog Democrats in the House or centrist Senators, especially after it's been reported that the debate on health care reform is likely to last until next year
This article appears in Nov 4-10, 2009.