Credit where credit is due: I’m pleased as punch we Dems have the Senate. And I am grateful to Conrad Burns and George Allen, two Republican senators who went down to narrow defeats, for conceding quickly and graciously.
After the Florida 2000 debacle, I worried that we would never again see quick and graceful concessions. But like John Thune in 2002 in South Dakota, and John Kerry nationally in 2004, Burns and Allen (!) did the right thing at the right time. Thanks for giving us closure, boys, and doing so politely — and, relatively speaking, fast.
Is this your other blog or is someone trying to slander your reputation?
http://hugoschwyzer.net
It’s my future blogsite, for when I leave Typepad… coming soon!
I’m so, so glad that Burns and especially Allen conceded today. I’m really happy to be a Virginia Democrat right now!
Lorie, my Virginia cousins were on both sides of this one… glad you were a reliable Webb vote!
Geez, I’m getting old- at first I thought you meant the comedy team of George (Burns) and Gracie (Allen)… and well commented re: Santorum’s daughter. I thought you handled that especially well.
I second Louise on the comments re Santorum’s daughter. It was well handled and I was very glad to see someone make the comment.
Folks, the Santorum’s daughter thread is here. I don’t want to go criticizing one of my absolute favorite feminist bloggers, but someone I admire immensely did something I think she ought not to have done, and I called her on it at her place.
In Pennsylvania, Senator Rick Santorum’s concession speech was a model that Congressperson Melissa Hart should have followed but didn’t.
I may not have liked Santorum’s politics, but at the end, he was a class act.
So Santorum has decorum. He’s still a jerk in my book and I’m happy to see him out of office, but I agree, while I did laugh at the poster of Santorum’s daughter, that it’s unfair to criticize the kid for anything. I feel bad for the girl.
On the other hand, I think people should demand re-counts if there is a real concern. I wasn’t happy that Kerry didn’t contest the OH vote.
I’m sure Burns and Allen had good intentions (seriously) but a drawn out recount process with Republicans on the losing side might have finally been the push we needed to force our voting machines to have a paper trail. The uglier the fight the better.
Kerry’s refusal to have a re-count in Ohio made me want to never vote for him - ever!
catty/cindy: I completely agree. If a candidate has grounds to suspect that he or she has been shortchanged out of an election, they should pursue a recount. Gore was right to challenge what happened in 2000, and if the Supreme Court had ruled sensibly, the candidate who unquestionably represented the nation’s popular choice may very well have become president. (The N.Y. Times gave Florida to Gore under every recount scenario they looked at). We would have avoided the human disaster of the Bush II regime. Kerry let us down by rolling over in Ohio.