Well, the carpetbagging professional fund-raiser won. His 2.5% victory was helped along by the 6.5% of the vote garnered by the "libertarian" candidate whose presence on the ballot was made possible only by a big contribution from a high-powered Texas Democrat. Clever strategy; more so than the old Democratic techniques of getting out the graveyard vote or buying the street bum vote with cigarettes, booze, and a ride to the polls, but it still is distasteful and shows just how far "progressives" will go to win elections.

It didn't help that the Democrats continued to push the false "war on women" supposedly being waged by Republicans (tell that to the single moms whose health insurance has been cancelled thanks to Obamacare). Nor that they portrayed Cuccinelli's desire to limit abortion as "absolutist" while their own position of abortion anytime, anywhere, for any reason is called "moderate." They even dubbed Cuccinelli "an ideological extremist;" funny coming from disciples of Saul Alinsky. Pot meet kettle.

It also didn't help that, near the end, they made numerous misleading robocalls trying to confuse the issue in conservative households by asserting that Cuccinelli was FOR abortion or that they pounded Cuccinelli for his alleged connection to the gift scandal that affected Gov. McDonnell and ignored the fact that the Commonwealth Attorney's office in Richmond had cleared him of any such connection months before. But then this is, after all, "the Chicago Way."

What to expect from McAuliffe? His experience, according to the Washington Post, consists mostly of using "government programs, political connections and access to wealthy investors of both parties in pursuit of big profits for himself." That won't help him govern Virginia but it might help him accomplish his real goal of securing the state for Hillary in 2016. Obamacare, however, will be a problem as it was during the last couple weeks of the gubernatorial campaign, almost causing him to lose a race which everyone had declared he would win big.

Afterwards, Cuccinelli said, "The race was a referendum on Obamacare … and Obamacare lost." That obviously is true and has become even more so since the election with the revelation that the Dear Leader lied his way through the entire process (no surprise there) and also because of the several million (and counting) insurance cancellation letters that have gone out. It is becoming ever more obvious, even to some hard core Obammuists, that Cuccinelli and the Tea Party Republicans were right all along about the disaster that Obamacare would (has) become.

It is said, perhaps correctly, that the GOP could have done more for Cuccinelli; given him considerably more money and generally put more effort into his race than it did into Chris Christie's sure thing in New Jersey. Certainly, there is no question that the Republican party nationally and in Virginia was divided and this disunity is clear in the predictable post-election breast beating. Various sources have blamed the government shutdown or the Republican National Committee or the Republican Governors Association. Take your pick. Money clearly was a problem as Cuccinelli was badly outspent. In fact, National Review said that "he probably suffered the worst financial disadvantage of any gubernatorial candidate in modern Virginia political history." McAuliffe raised over $34 million to Cuccinelli's $19.7 million and he efficiently focused those funds in his ad campaign, especially during the last few weeks when concern over Obamacare nearly negated the advantage.

So what now? Should the GOP become more "moderate" (i.e., Democrat Lite) or more conservative? That argument will continue but at least it shows that Republicans don't march in lockstep or follow a pre-determined party line as Democrats do. That reflects diversity, properly understood, and it hopefully will help the good guys hold the country together. Now, on to 2014!