The estimable Kevin Drum advises California liberals to ignore tonight's result and focus on the bigger picture, which is to unseat George Bush next November. It's hard to argue with that; for all the talk about the significance of this result, it should be pointed out that a) there are not really significant political differences between Ahnolt and Gray, and b) that Ahnolt is a faux outsider, ie., although this was his first election, he comes from the class of people that usually dominate our government: lawyers, businessmen, celebrities, and heirs. If George B. Schwartzman had won tonight (and considering that the only thing he had going for him was that he was next to Ahnolt on the ballot, his ninth place finish is impressive), or if Georgy Russell had won (and yes, I admit it, I voted for her !!), that would be a sign that something historic had taken place. People like Schwartzman or Russell usually do not get elected to high office in this country, to our discredit.

But at some point, liberals have to fight back, or we risk being like the lowly gofers and A.D.'s that the next governor used to grope on his rowdy sets. We can either continue to be victims, or we can start to play hardball ourselves; it seems to me that's the only way to run a competitive race against George Bush. Being an Uncle Tom Democrat, willing to look the other way when we get bitchslapped, isn't a solution.

And we do have two things going for us. First, the charges that have come out in the past week aren't going away; even though the election is over, other women will continue to come forward, and it will put him further on the defensive. Although he won, the charges did take their toll on Tuesday [link via Calif. Insider]. As with the Clarence Thomas confirmation, the Republicans will find that they have won the initial battle, only to lose the war. And second, the transition will last several weeks. Democrats can graciously congratulate A.S. for his victory tonight, without having to worry about how they look when they change the tone next month.

So let's tip our caps to the winner, and give him the same honeymoon the Republican Party gave Gray Davis.