Congratulations, Jon Tester. While we all could have used a big ol' victory party last night, the news was just as sweet this morning. But I sure did want to see those balloons come down from the ceiling!
Driving back to Boise from Great Falls today was even kind of fun, knowing that I was driving through true blue Montana (even though a number of those counties on the way to Idaho didn't fall Tester's way). It gave me time to ruminate a little on the wins and the losses, where we've been and where we go from here in the west. I'll write about it more when I've had more of a chance to digest it all, (and more sleep), but want to say a few things now, while the feelings are fresh.
I'm with Markos in feeling a little bittersweet today. I, too, got emotionally invested in these races, spending time with the candidates and their campaign staff and volunteers, learning about the districts, the opponents, the driving forces for each of them in taking on this enormous task. Each and every one of them--Burner, Grant, Brady, Kleeb, Paccione, Winter, Fawcett, Trauner, Hansen, and Tester--was motivated by the sense that their country and their states have veered drastically off track, and that they had to do something about it.
Each and every one of them is of the highest caliber, politically, ethically, morally. I deeply appreciate the opportunity I had to meet them and spend time with them. Each and every one of them should have won. I knew going into this project that I was venturing deep into enemy territory, that the combinations of incumbancy and numbers against us would mean that most of them would not win. I knew that intellectually, I knew it in my gut yesterday waiting for the returns. While I expected them, I sure didn't like seeing them. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Trauner and Burner, waiting for the final numbers.
But here are a few thoughts. The Musgraves, the Salis, the Lamborns and Cubins in this GOP class were already on the edges of their party. They will be completely marginalized in the minority party in Congress. The damage they will be able to do in two years is minimal. And the good they might be able to do for their districts will be even smaller. They will be vulnerable in two years, and the Dem candidates can come back and the campaign structures they've established can be built upon and we can take these seats.
And from my perspective, no Senate seat was more important than Montana's. This win was obviously huge for the netroots, but a far more important victory for the Party, the state of Montana, and the nation. Jon Tester is the new face of the Democratic majority, reflecting integrity, pragmatism, and a rock-solid commitment to using government to fix the things that it should be fixing--health care, energy independence, education--and away from the things that should be irrelevant to governance, those values issues the GOP became so fond of in recent years. He's shown us how to win with a new message of change. We'll take that message, and use it to get the rest of those western red states in '08.
I don't have any real victory photos, since I was already on the road when it was finally called, but here are a few photos snapped last night while we waited it out.
See those balloons up in the corner? I really wanted to see them drop.
The crowd reacting as the first results started coming in:
This is Mrs. Tester, Jon's mother. She's a big fan of the blogs, and was as pleased to meet me as I was her. I think I convinced her to come to Chicago for Yearly Kos. I think she'll bring her son, too.
And finally, a very gracious, though at the moment slightly preoccupied with the vote count, Jon Tester taking time out for a souvenir photo.
Finally thanks, Jay (4&20 blackbirds) and Matt (Tester Time)! It was great meeting and hanging out with you. Even if we couldn't blog. Montana was just one big Internet connectivity conundrum.