Exit polling indicates that the biggest issue... THE issue on voters minds was the economy and they thought that Mitt Romney could do a better job bringing us back than John McCain.  Could it be that economic optimism, even if it isn't necessarily rooted firmly in reality, is exactly what we wanted to hear?  Looks that way.

But these results aren't all that surprising.  Polls have showed Romney in the lead for about a week now.  The two big issues are the turnout and the results in the Dem primary.  Early estimates peg turnout at under a million.  Back in 2000 we turned out 1.3 million and it was a one-party primary (though we could argue whether or not this was a one-party primary too).  

Then there's Hillary Clinton's performance.  With a full two-thirds of the black vote choosing NO ONE instead of the Governor's chosen candidate she cannot be happy.  Only 15% was required in each congressional district for delegates to have the opportunity to vote for Obama or Edwards (or Kucinich or a space alien) at the Democrat National Convention in Denver.  And you can save the "they stripped our delegates" mumbo-jumbo.  There is approximately zero way that either party declines to seat a single Michigan delegate.

The results put a serious damper on the Hillary express but they've got to also have Barack Obama and John Edwards kicking themselves.  If they hadn't flipped Michigan the bird they could very well have pulled off a major upset.  But they did flip us the bird.  Again and again.  And only about 300,000 democrats statewide forgave them thus far.

Then again, back in 2000 only about 160,000 dems were even allowed to vote in their anti-democratic Dem caucuses.  So I guess as far as the left is concerned this is considered "progress."