The media are going be stating and restating over the few months who won tonight, but they’re going to make the most obvious choices. What about the not so obvious winners and losers. There are those who won big silently, or lost big and are in hiding. It’s time to bring these winners and losers into the light to get the full picture of what election night means for the next four to eight years.
Winners:
Historians:
Between the historic nature of the primaries, and the election, not to mention the thrills of the campaign, this will talked about by historians for years. First African American president, first potential female nominee, republican vice presidential nominee, first potential Italian nominee, there were a lot of firsts. Looking beyond labels, the election was the most exciting in years. While 2007 will likely be glossed over, everything from Iowa on will be meticulously examined and debated in political science classes, and will provide easy work for plenty of political advisors, analysts and professors.
Howard Dean and the 50 state strategy:
Dean argued in 2004 that democrats needed to expand beyond Ohio Pennsylvania and Florida. Dean lost, then Kerry lost in 2004, but Obama learned from their mistakes. Obama adopted the 50 state strategy, and reconfigured the electoral map. Obama won States that haven’t gone democratic since 1964, like Indiana and Virginia. Republicans also lost North Carolina for the first time since 1976. Margins in strong republican states diminished greatly, nearly costing McCain Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, and possibly Missouri (the results are still out). Democrats gained house and senate seats in Virginia, possibly Maryland, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Alabama, Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida Nevada, New York and others. Democrats won democratic and republican districts, in democratic and republican states. Republicans retook three very republican districts and one seat from a scandal plagued incumbent. The fifty state strategy worked.
Rasmussen Reports
This polling firm correctly pegged the final result at 52-46 for Obama. Unlike zogby, Gallup, and all the others that gave Obama a larger lead, Rasmussen was dead on.
Southwestern democrats.
Democrats made major gains in the southwest, McCain’s region of the country. New Mexico democrats gained two house seats, and now have an all democrat congressional congregation. Democrats in Nevada, Colorado, and Arizona all gained a house seat, along with a senate seat in Colorado and New Mexico. Starting with making Nevada an early primary state, and choosing Denver as the convention location, to election night, Democrats are laying down roots in the south west.
Oprah
Her endorsement helped Obama in Iowa, gave him some much needed extra star power in the beginning, and the sudden camera shot to her in the crowd during the speech was hilarious. Oprah in 2016? 
Saturday night live.
Rather than explain it, just go here
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