We’ve had two long, disastrous, chaotic years with bill after bill stuffed down our throats. Last night was our chance to reject the massively destructive agenda we’ve witnessed over the last 2 years, and WE DID!

Republicans gained more than 500 legislative seats across the country. While we continue to sip on our Slurpees in celebration, let’s see what we’ve won.

First, let’s look at the NATIONAL scene.

1. Republicans win the House!

Ding, dong, the witch is dead. Nancy Pelosi will be packing up her office soon and John Boehner is the Presumptive Speaker of the House. If he fights and talks like this, then we have a chance to defund ObamaCare. Listen, Obama says the Republicans have driven a car in a ditch. That’s not true. If America is a car, we’re always in motion. He’s in the driver’s seat and he’s driving 150 mph on a long, windy, country rode. We can’t hit the brakes because we’re not driving. But we can pull the parking brake. That’s what we did last night. We changed who is sitting in the front seat next to Obama so they can pull up the parking brake. Sure, we might fishtail or spin around, but that’s what we need to do! Stop the dang car and turn it around! Our lives are at stake here! (Obama uses these ridiculous car memes because he’s in charge of a car company now. Way to go, Government Motors.) Look at all this red and enjoy the change in view from the back of the car to the front.

2. Republicans gained 5 Senate seats.

Yeah, I know, we wanted more. We wanted Harry “this war is lost” Reid sent back to Searchlight, Nevada. We wanted Senator Ma’am Boxer boxing up her DC crib and shuffling back to California, too. We wanted everything and the kitchen sink, but we don’t have to get it all in one trip. Knowing the state that sent Snarlin’ Arlen Specter home for the primary and didn’t elect his opponent in the general feels extremely liberating. Let Specter squawk and condescend those at his local coffee shop, just get him packed, out of his office and off my TV during judiciary hearings. He awakened the sleeping giant in Pennsylvania and it showed him the door, and his party. We also took Obama’s former seat (how you like them apples, Barry?). So that’s Pennsylvania and Illinois along with Wisconsin, Indiana, North Dakota and Arkansas. (You can see the map here.)

I’ll always take more wins than losses but I think this sets up the Republicans well for the Presidential run for 2012. Even when Obama had the majority in the House and Senate, he said the Republicans were obstructionists. Imagine how many people would believe him if both chambers had switched from blue to red. Look, even if we had taken the Senate we wouldn’t have had enough to repeal ObamaCare. As much as the American people have rejected ObamaCare, some lack the stomach to fight for it. They’re waiting to “test the waters” when they don’t realize that one sip will do you in. We must spend the next 18 months sounding the alarm on the deadly effects of ObamaCare while encouraging the electorate that they can actually do something about it!

Now let’s zoom in and look at the STATE scene.

1. Republicans swept the Gubernatorial races in 26 states.

They kept 7 and gained 10, including Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. South Carolina has elected their first female Governor, which will matter to those who love identity politics, but just makes me plum happy because my home state got it right (yay, Nikki Haley!). As for the Democrats, they kept 6 and gained 2. If you look at how The Governator has led California, I wouldn’t blame you if your tallies were 7 kept, 1 gained.

If you aren’t sure how a Governor’s race can affect the mood of the country, look no further than Jan Brewer and her fight on illegal immigration and its murderous effect on cities in her state. Or, Bobby Jindal who didn’t pull punches over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and Obama’s reactionary job-killing oil drilling moratorium. Who lives in the Governors mansion matter to us as individuals (I have another 4 years of Deval Patrick, no thanks to the “Independent” Tim Cahill, thank you very much) but they can sue the Federal Government over ObamaCare and take cases to the Supreme Court that affect all of us. I’m looking at those 26 states to see which ones to put on my destination list for my next move. I’m not sure how much longer I can put up with Massacusetts. 8 years is a heck of a long time!

2. To go along with those Governorships, Republicans now run 55 legislative chambers.

That’s up from 36. If you aren’t sure if the message of fiscal reality and responsibility has taken hold, look at this number. The people have gone to the polls for local and national issues and the message has been sent.

In Conclusion

1. Obama will not heed the message. As you well know, he held a press conference today. His answers boil down to, “I Won.”
2. The GOP is on notice. They need to be the Grand Ol’ Party and not the Grand Ol’ Parent or the Grand Ol’ Patronizer.
3. John Boehner and the House of Representatives need to roll up their sleeves and fight, fight, fight. Learn to throw a proverbial right hook and use it.
4. This is a win, a big win. But it’s a win at the ground floor. We need to support those Republicans that have won SO LONG AS they support us and our efforts to halt Obama’s agenda.
5. We need to get together and make our message for 2012 crystal clear. We’ll be fighting each other over the Presidential nomination, no doubt, but if our goal isn’t to Stop Obama then shame on us. If our own personal favorite doesn’t win and we whine about it, then good job. You just got us 4 more years of Barack Obama.

See the big picture. Focus on the big picture. Adopt the big picture. Otherwise, this wave will crash and burn. I’d rather ride it all the way through 2012 myself.

Today is the moment of truth. Today we find out if Massachusetts will send a second shot heard ’round the world, or, at least, heard ’round the nation. Millions of citizens have rallied, from local town hall meetings to Washington, DC. We’ve raised our voices, hoisted our homemade signs and thrown symbolic tea into our waterways, all while being called despicable, raunchy and crude names by the media lap dogs. However, despite the tricks and schemes of Pelosi, Reid, Obama, SEIU and closed-door compromises sans C-SPAN, current health care legislation hinges on this all-important vote: the Massachusetts Senate seat to replace the departed Ted Kennedy.

Yesterday afternoon we went to a rally outside the TD Garden. We got to shake hands with Scott Brown, speak with him briefly and have our pictures taken. (It’s not the first time I’ve heard Scott Brown speak but it was the first time I shook his hand as I didn’t have a cold this time!)

A Bruins game was about to begin inside the TD Garden which meant crowds dressed in yellow and black were drifting by us. One man said, to no one in particular, “Hey, is that Brown over there?” to which I replied, “Yeah, he’s shaking hands with everyone. You should go over and say hello” and off he went. There were chants of “Go, Scott, Go!” and “41st Vote!” but what struck me the most was the amount of smiles on people’s faces. Look, I’ve lived in Massachusetts long enough to know that smiles outside TD Garden (and its myriad of former names) only occur after a Celtics or Bruins victory. Perhaps that is what was in the air: a prelude to victory. We could almost taste it.

After the rally, Brown left for North Attleboro and we headed for our relaxing day in the city. As we turned to walk away, a reporter from the New York Daily News asked if we could answer a few questions. I read through their account of the Boston rally and we weren’t quoted. No surprises there as the article was pro-Coakley. The questions were what you’d expect:

Q: Why does Scott Brown have your support?
A: He has promised to be the 41st vote against the current health care reform bill.

Q: What do you think about a Republican winning Ted Kennedy’s seat?
A: It’s not Ted Kennedy’s seat. That’s not just a line, either. It’s the truth. This being the people’s seat has resonated with the state. Once they heard Scott Brown articulate that in the final debate, people began to say, “Yeah, that’s right! It’s our seat!”

Q: How do you feel about his chances?
A: We’re optimistic. The polls look good and he’s drawing large crowds.

Q: Why do you think Coakley is trailing?
A: For one, she took the Democrat vote for granted. She didn’t think she needed to work for it. Also, in the same vein, as you are probably aware, the majority of Massachusetts voters do not align with either major party. Independents like to be courted and they haven’t been courted by Coakley. Scott Brown has made a concerted effort to woo Independents over to his side.

Q: Do you think the people of Massachusetts will turn out for Coakley, though, because they want to do it for Obama, especially since he came to town yesterday?
A: No. (My husband and I were laughing as we said No and the reporter started chuckling as well.)

To many who are skeptical about Scott Brown and his conservative credentials, let me keep it simple for you. Our current struggle is to avoid government-run health care. As you can see from my prior entries, the health care debate is what started this blog and is the thread that runs through my posts. I am determined to do what I can to keep the current health care bill from passing. I’ve e-mailed my Senators and Congressmen but this is the one thing, as a resident of Massachusetts, that will actually get attention. I am voting for Scott Brown for the very reason I listed above: He has promised to vote against the current disastrous health care bill.

To those who think Scott Brown is the prototype for 2010 elections, quit wasting your ink. He is the best candidate for Massachusetts. He may not be the best candidate for the other 49 (or is it 56?) states. If I were back in my native South Carolina, I would want a fiscal and social conservative, like Jim DeMint. Jim DeMint is a fantastic Senator. He has served South Carolina well and continues to spearhead efforts to reduce the size of our federal government. As great as I think he is, he would likely have a difficult time winning a Republican primary in a New England state. This is the beauty of state elections. Each state gets to choose the candidate that best fits their needs, their values and their priorities.

Massachusetts, this Brown’s for you! Cast your vote for Scott Brown to send a message to Washington that even the most stubborn amongst them would be hard-pressed to ignore. What’s at stake is immeasurable: our freedom to choose our doctor, make our own decisions about treatment and the inalienable right to pursue life.

That’s why, for this state senatorial election, I join in unison with fellow Scott Brown supporters to say:
Go, Scott, Go!
Go, Scott, Go!
Go, Scott, Go!

UPDATE I: Follow Hot Air’s ongoing election coverage here and tune in to local radio (www.wrko.com or www.wtkk.com) for anecdotal coverage from local callers.

UPDATE II: Join us on Hot Air with the open thread for the election results!

UPDATE III: Scott Brown wins! Scott Brown is now the Senator-elect of Massachusetts! We’ll send him to DC with a big red bow on his GM truck. It’s rather fitting, then, that tomorrow is President Obama’s 1st year anniversary as president. Our gift to him is, of course, Scott Brown. To reflect a sentiment familiar with the First Lady, for the first time in my adult life, I am proud to be a Massachusetts resident.