If I had not been preparing for tonight's disaster for a few months;

[greiner3]

I would be almost as depressed as election night 2004, and that lasted for months.

Shit nuggets!

[kelly1mm]

1. The Senate I was prepared for. The Governorships were where we were going to pick up a few.

I am SHOCKED at how badly we have done, especially here in MD. We may also lose the recently 'gerrymandered' towards the Dem MD 6th! I am in freaking SHOCK!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

5. I'm in MD, too. Silver Spring. 100% shocked by the loss. I thought it could be close, but a loss?

Really?

I have many theories as to what happened, but turnout was a big one. Brown was a very weak candidate who didn't make the case for how he could build on the successes of the O'Malley administration.

Two big things:

1. The botched Obamacare rollout in the state. We can't blame Republicans here. Brown was directly in charge of ACA implementation and screwed that up royally.

2. The disaffected white voter who's upset with high taxes. Truth be told, we are competing with Fairfax County, VA and other areas of that state that have lower taxes basis, but still boast high-performing schools while attracting businesses. I would never move to VA. It's still a bit backwards to me. However, I can understand that reasoning I guess. Montgomery County schools have apparently fallen to VA County and City schools as far as performance goes in recent years. Some are on edge: why the incredibly high taxes and only marginally good schools compared to VA? Why more affordable housing in VA counties but few choices in MD's wealthier, high-taxes counties?

Baltimore City and Prince George's County was a huge let down in terms of turnout. People just didn't vote. Complacency. Believing that Brown would win? I'm not certain, but this is a shocker!

I'm still trying to process this loss.

Maybe we should go out for a drink or something. Drown our sorrows over sweet libations.

Really, I'm sick! Embarrassed after employing my friends and family down in GA to vote and giving my friends in VA a bad name for being a Red state. Tonight I got a taste of my own medicine.

Still haven't fully processed tonight's result in Maryland. Totally unexpected.

[flying-skeleton]

2. as prepared add I thought I was

I was not prepared for this blood bath

[Kalidurga]

3. Well I wasn't prepared and I knew it could be as bad as this...

I was really hoping people were smarter than everyone was telling me they aren't, err you know what I mean.

[MFM008]

4. as bad as 94

[Odin2005]

6. I knew it was going to be bad, but not THIS bad.

[Awsi Dooger]

7. I'm glad I didn't pay any attention throughout the fall

Once Obama's approval rating tanked it was always going to be a disaster. And worse than it appeared. I posted Monday night that the side with the wind at its back invariably receives the late surge and picks off the vast majority of the close races.

I hoped I could avoid that here in Florida but Charlie Crist ran a horrible campaign. I had to laugh last night when I briefly tuned in MSNBC and Ed Schultz was raving about the Crist campaign using Obama's lists and Florida strategy from 2012. My father died in late October 2012. I occasionally check his old email address. The Crist campaign was bombarding him with multiple emails per day. Meanwhile, I am very much alive and registered Democrat in Miami in spring 2013. I never heard from the Crist campaign. Not once. Crist also allowed Scott to define the race virtually unchallenged throughout summer and on local radio shows.

It's ridiculous because Rick Scott never could have been elected in this state other than running in two incredibly favorable GOP cycles in 2010 and 2014 and benefiting from two weak Democratic candidates. We never would have had to deal with Scott in the first place if Alex Sink and her advisor hadn't made that debate gaffe in 2010.