Our long national nightmare may be coming to an end.
The Democrats have taken the House of Representatives, and the Senate is up for grab pending recounts in Virginia and Montana where the Democratic candidates both hold slight leads.
In the House, some sweet victories must be savored:
CA 11: GOP Rep. Richard Pombo, a rabid anti-environmentalist who the Republicans made chairman of the House Resources Committee — the proverbial fox in the henhouse, lost to a little known Democrat, Jerry McNerney.
AZ 05: Bombastic blowhard GOP Rep. J.D. Hayworth was trounced 52 percent-48 percent by Harry Mitchell.
OH 18: In Rep. Bob Ney’s district, Democrat Zach Space defeated Republican Joy Padgett, who once slimed former hostage Terry Anderson in a political campaign. Space won handily, 61 percent-39 percent.
AZ 08: As expected, Democrat Gabrielle Giffords took the seat being vacated by retiring openly gay GOP Rep. Jim Kolbe (who has been accused of being overly friendly with a former House page 10 years ago.)
NC 11: Conservative Democrat Heath Shuler defeated GOP Rep. Charlie Taylor. 53 percent-47 percent.
And there’s a tie:
NC 08: This is the district outside Charlotte where I went to high school. Republican Rep. Robin Hayes, heir to the Cannon Mills fortune, is in a recount with populist Democrat Larry Kissell.
