Well, we’re glad that’s over.
Sublime, ridiculous and everything in between, Midterm Elections, the 2002 edition, had something for everyone.
Tempo took names and kept score.
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Best display of class, local: Vanquished incumbent state Sen. Bill Shaw conceding the sometimes bitter race, then driving to the Rev. James Meeks’ campaign headquarters to embrace his rival.
Best display of class, national: “I have no regrets. Thank you for calling,” former Vice President Walter Mondale tells Minnesota supporters as he slipped back into political retirement after losing the race for the late Paul Wellstone’s U.S. Senate seat.
Worst local concession phone call: DuPage County State’s Atty. Joe Birkett to Attorney General-elect Lisa Madigan: “Congratulations, Lisa, you’re a prosecutor now.’ “
Worst repeat performance: NBC’s Tim Russert pulls out his big gun: the erasable board.
– Best local victory performance: Gov.-elect Rod Blagojevich was part Jay Leno (reaching into the crowd to shake hands) and part Elvis (“I’m all shook up. . . . a whole bunch of hunka-hunka burnin’ love for each one of you!”).
Best employer of “Dan Rather-isms”: Once again, in a landslide, it’s Dan Rather. Among the CBS anchor’s comments: “If the Democrats lose in Georgia, they’re in a heap of trouble, son,” “it’s closer than fuzz on a peach,” and “it’s widely believed that it’s as tight as wet jeans.”
– Best attempt to avoid media attention: Controversial chairman Harvey Pitt announces his resignation from the Securities and Exchange Commission in the middle of election night.
Best shout-out from the audience: “FOUR MORE YEARS” from the crew at Republican Rep. Saxby Chambliss’ headquarters after Chambliss beat incumbent Democratic Sen. Max Cleland in Georgia. Obviously, no one told the crowd that U.S. senators serve for six.
Best relentless candidacy: Convicted and expelled Ohio Rep. James Traficant lost his bid for another term, but he still picked up about 15 percent of the vote — from jail.
– Best use of headgear: As the GOP racked up more and more wins, a humiliated liberal CNN analyst James Carville put a trash can over his shiny head. Co-host Paul Begala said Carville was practicing for the Democratic witness protection program.
Worst use of two years to fix things by anyone other than Florida election officials: Voter News Service, the polling and vote-tabulating outfit that helped the networks screw up their Florida projections in 2000, announced Tuesday that none of its exit-polling data was reliable enough to be released.
Worst spin job: Terry McAuliffe, embattled chairman of the Democratic National Committee, telling Larry King on Tuesday that it was a good night for the Dems.
Most spin stamina: After the nightlong proof of a Democratic debacle, McAuliffe telling NBC’s Katie Couric Wednesday morning, “The good news is 52 percent of Americans are waking up today and they now have a Democratic governor.”
Worst perky condolence to loser: Matt Lauer on CBS, to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, who will lose that title in January. “Sen. Daschle, good morning to you. Guess it’s time to change the stationery, huh?”
Worst gracious winner: Soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott telling NBC’s Katie Couric, “Actually, Katie, I thought that might happen.”
Most demure acceptance of congratulations: Marc Racicot, chairman of the Republican National Committee, saying, “Well, thank you. I don’t feel quite deserving, but that’s very kind of you.”
Most candid morning-after analysis: DNC Chairman McAuliffe on “Today,” saying, “I’m not sure what we did wrong.”
Most obvious morning-after analysis: Sen. Daschle (D-SD) on “Good Morning America,” predicting, “Well, I think there will be a lot of studies to try to figure out why there wasn’t a greater correlation between the polling information that we had just within the last 48 hours and what happened last night.”
Worst short-term historical memory: WLS-Ch. 7 anchor Ron Magers and reporter Chuck Goudie each asserting that Al Gore had failed to carry Illinois against George W. Bush. Gore won the state by 560,000 votes.
First local station to abandon election coverage: WGN-Ch. 9, which cut off Atty. Gen.-elect Lisa Madigan’s acceptance speech to get back to regular (sitcom) programming.
Best election-night panel: CNN’s gang of Jeff Greenfield, Judy Woodruff, Aaron Brown, Paula Zahn and Bill Schneider.
Worst election-night panel: The poor saps at MSNBC who had to deal with belligerent Chris Matthews as “moderator.”
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Weirdest struggle to be last: Commentators who rushed to announce rival media predictions of winners, but added the disclaimer, “We aren’t calling that race yet.”
Surest sign things were back to normal Wednesday: Cable news channels jumping to provide live continuous coverage of the Winona Ryder shoplifting trial verdict.