Red? Blue? Ah, to hell with it ...

Ain't it strange -- an earthshaking shift of power in the mid-term election, and this blog snoozes on. Well, I'll report from Big Sky country. The Senate race was one of the bated-breath cliff hangers that caught national attention. Jon Tester (D) ousted Conrad Burns (3-term incumbent R) in a race decided by less than 3,000 votes. Way to go, Jonny! Rep. Denny Rehburg (R) held on to his seat by a handy margin.

With the Senate results and a sitting Democratic governor, I expected the Dems to bolster their hold on the state legislature. Not so. The state senate tied 25-25, and the house went 50-49 GOP, with one Constitutional party (i.e. radical conservative) victor.

But hold the phone! In the house, a couple recounts are underway, and one race in Yellowstone County looks deadlocked. In case of a tie, the Gov gets to appoint the winner, so it could shift 50-49 Dems. In the senate, the results were all in, then a sitting GOP senator decided to switch parties. On top of that, this senator recently went to work for the current administration's (D) revenue department and sits on the Finance Committee.

So, 4 for 2 Sam has shaken the tree of power, and a lot of vocal Republicans are going nuts. It's fun, actually. I think there's more mud in the air after the election than before it. And the campaign mud was pretty thick.