Barack Obama is the President-elect and in an electoral college landslide.  This morning he's sitting at 349 electoral votes and they're still waiting on MO and NC.  That ain't good.

US Congress: Republicans nationally got skunked.  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is claiming at least fourteen (14) pick-ups and they haven't called all of the close races just yet.  That number will increase by sundown, Wednesday.

US Senate:  Democrats picked up at least five (5) seats.  Not a single Democratic incumbent lost.  They've now got at least 56 seats.

Michigan Races

Congress: Republicans lost both battleground races.

Tim Walberg looked good at midnight but when the final precincts came in they gave the race to tax-hiker extraordinaire Mark Schauer.  

Joe Knollenberg conceded much earlier in the evening to CMU professor Gary Peters.

Supreme Court: One seat up for grabs and the Democrats snatched it up far easily than anyone anticipated.  Cliff Taylor lost to thirteenth tier Dem candidate Diane Hathaway, and by an ugly margin.

Proposal 2:  Prop 2 won.  Prop 1 did too, by the way.  Here in Michigan we can now carry on a conversation with our Democratic congressman while we smoke pot and kill babies.

State House:  Republicans lost nine (9) state House races.  That's actually pretty GOOD news.  Could have been worse.  But here's the damage.

District 1, Treder-Lang - LOSS

District 21, LaJoy - LOSS

District 24, Brandenburg - LOSS

District 32, Accavitti - LOSS

District 39, Peterman - LOSS

District 62, Moore - LOSS

District 70, Ginster - LOSS

District 101, Franz - LOSS

District 108, Falcon - LOSS

Also worth noting, Andy Dillon defeated the recall campaign against him and then defeated Sandra Eggers.  He'll be the Speaker again in 2009.

Education Boards:  The Democrats swept the education posts.  They won them all.  No exceptions.  Glad I'm not paying tuition today.

Big County Races: Oakland County saw the loss of the Republican Treasurer and the Republican Prosecutor.  Clerk and former Lieutenant Governor nominee Ruth Johnson is locked still, this morning, in a tight battle with her Democratic challenger.  RJ is up a few hundred votes right now but they're still working through returns.

The Republican Drain Commissioner is in a similar situation but on the flip-side.  He's down a handful as they finish counting.

Did I mention these results were ugly?

I'm reminded of the opening scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  A young Indy finds grave-robbers looting a dig site and does his best to rescue the "Cross of Coronado," a beautiful, priceless religious relic.  Of course the bad guys see him and a chase ensues.  Across the landscape, through a circus train, on foot, horseback and rail, pursued the entire way by a gang of blood-thirsty thugs.

In the end, the villains find themselves a corrupt constable to come and enforce his own version of the law, taking the artifact from Indiana Jones and giving it to his enemies.  At that point the ring-leader looks at the angry young man and puts a brown fedora on his head, uttering the iconic words; "You lost today kid, but it doesn't mean you have to like it."

Indy gets the cross back, by the way, but only years later.  Seems an appropriate analogy this morning.