For the first time in more than 30 years a Republican, Robert Ehrlich, has been elected governor of Maryland. His running mate, Michael Steele, becomes the first African-American lt. governor. Ehrlich is a right-wing reactionary who promised to bring slot machines and the ICC to Maryland.

As I write this piece, MSNBC has called Missouri for the Republicans and this has given the Senate to them with a slight majority of 50. Also, Mondale is behind in Minnesota. There are a few races that haven't been decided but in the Senate, if there is a tie vote, Vice President Cheney breaks the tie.

In the crucial races across the country, the Republicans won most of them, including Colorado. Now it appears that they will control the House and the Senate. And Jeb Bush won in Florida. Because of gerrymandering by the Democrats and Republicans, there was only a real contest in a few races in a few states.

With the Republicans controlling the executive branch and Congress, one of the most serious aspects of their power is their ability to appoint and confirm extreme right-wing judges to the federal judiciary and the Supreme Court. These judges remain for years after the current president and many members of Congress are long gone.

The environment is going to suffer even more with these corporate protectors in power also. The Democrats remain a confused, unfocused mess. Some of their leaders believed it would help them to vote to authorize Bush to attack Iraq but that seems to have backfired. If they had showed courage and stood up to Bush and voted against the war resolution, the voters might have decided that they had some fortitude and offered an alternative and been willing to vote for them.
The national picture is very gloomy. In Maryland Kathleen Kennedy Townsend chose Admiral Charles Larson, a white male and an ADMIRAL!, as her running mate. Ehrlich, the reactionary Republican, chose an African American. Townsend didn't excite voters and Ehrlich didn't scare them enough.
If Townsend had chosen a male from a minority group to run with her, she might have generated enough enthusiasm among African Americans that they would have worked and voted for her in larger numbers. A large turn-out of African Americans is crucial for Democrats to win.

At this time, I don't know how the Greens did in the races they were in. I can only hope that they did well because the Democrats are a disaster. Earlier in the evening the state picture was dreary and late at night the national picture became dismal. When will we ever see dawn?