Lawn Signs Report to Landfill....Politics Gives Way to Santa

       With lawn signs giving way to Christmas decorations, it's time to sort out the winners and losers of this year's elections.
        Among the winners is Rep. Bill Owens, who for the third time beat back the GOP and now knows there is no one who has the time, money or inclination. to challenge him in 2014 or beyond.
        Senator Patty Ritchie's 70% win for a second term against a credible opponent cannot be ignored. While the Senator was winning, President Obama was carrying large portions of her district. Running better than 20 points ahead of her party's standard bearer is testimony to her pull at the polls.
        Assemblymembers Russell and Blankenbush were unopposed and are now fixtures, not to be challenged in any serious way.
        Senator Gillibrand is a big winner gaining national attention for her crushing win and Governor Cuomo is a winner as he gets to play like a cat with a toy with the Legislature weakened by a Senate on the bubble and likely to be ruled by a bipartisan coalition.

Former Senator Wright Prepares Burial for Thousands of Signs at

the Regional Landfill in Rodman

       Among the losers of 2012, Matt Doheny suffered the most ignominious defeat, spending millions on a second major bid for Congress only to come up a couple of points short.  While he can still be a behind-the-scenes player in local politics, he needs a Churchillian stint in the wilderness before trying again. Good news is at his age there is plenty of time for a bid later. Even if he waits out Mr. Owens, Doheny will be only about 50.
        On the operative side, June O'Neill was once again a winner as was Middle Class Mike who despite his churlish ways did pick the winners. Republicans locally and nationally are proving that the tenets they run on combined with the demographics they attract leave them at best in the mid to high forties in a competitive race. Former Times scribe Jude Seymour gambled on leaving journalism for politics and didn't find the promised land , but he has been blessed with a new son and a wife who is a teacher.
        In media, the blogs continue to be a source of information and entertainment for the political class. The MSM provided spotty coverage in part because some in management jobs believe in their heart of hearts that politics is not news worth covering.  In the printosphere, the Times has lost their political reporter and Newzjunky lost its prime reporter as well.
         Here in Watertown, we landed a pro hockey team and welcomed a new city manager who is doing a great job.
         The year ahead bring local elections  with few contests expected and City Council members widely assumed to be unopposed as they were in 2011.
          As we close the book on the 2012 season, the biggest conclusion one can reach is that nationally and locally a lot of money gets spent to achieve the same results as last time.