- This win is not a mandate for Gov. Steve Beshear. You cannot have a mandate if you only get 55.6 percent of the vote when you so greatly outspend your opponent and run on no agenda for the next four years. And, if you’re running against a candidate like…

- This is a mandate that Kentucky doesn’t like David Williams. In 2011 Kentucky, people are kind of fed up with snippy obstructionists (take note, Mitch McConnell). We’re just not that into you David.

- David Williams’ not-as-bad-as-it-could-have-been 20 percent loss means that he will likely keep his position as state Senate president, but his grip on that is still very fragile and he’s certainly not immune to a challenge this January. Frankfort Republicans will have to ask themselves which is more important: their agenda in the legislature, or their loyalty to/fear of David Williams.

- The Tea Party fad of 2010 in Kentucky is officially over, done and buried. Only 15 percent of Kentucky identifies as a member, and the two people of Tea on the GOP ticket were blown out. However, the two GOP candidates who presented themselves as moderate, moving to the center to embrace Democrats, fared the best. Comer, who blew out the joke of a candidate Bob Farmer, made an active push to win over Democrats, while KC Crosbie’s biggest advertisement starred an openly gay Democratic mayor endorsing her. Crosbie came out of nowhere to almost pull a huge upset over incumbent Todd Hollenbach (lost by 2 percent), and she probably would have won if it wasn’t for the presence of Tea Party Libertarian candidate Ken Moellman’s spot on the ballot, taking 4.6 percent of the vote. These two didn’t yell and scream about abortion and trivial Tea Party paranoia, and they totally outclassed and outperformed the likes of P’Pool, Kemper, Johnson and Williams, all of whom ran hard to the right during the general election – which of course doesn’t make any sense, as their blowout losses show.

- Alison Lundergan Grimes won her battle with Adam Edelen for who could blow out the fringe Tea Party challenger by the most points and get bragging rights in the Next Young Democratic Star rivalry, as she won by 21 percent and Edelen won by 11 percent. To be cointinued…

- Jack Conway is very lucky that he was running against a candidate who thought he was running for a Republican primary victory in 2010. Also, it is now official: No one cares about Sarah Palin anymore. Happy trails, Mr. Pee Pool and Mrs. Palin.

- Mitch McConnell will try to hilariously spin this home state humiliation to the national media as actually a great victory for him. I would expect him to st…

Oh, what’s that? Politico?

SILVER LINING – THE GOOD NEWS FOR MITCH MCCONNELL: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s party suffered an utter shellacking at the ballot box in statewide elections in Kentucky – with one exception, Republican James Comer in the race for agriculture commissioner. Manu Raju writes in a special dispatch for Score that McConnell quietly helped direct Comer’s campaign from Washington, laying out strategy and tactics throughout his race against Democrat Bob Farmer. McConnell, who has long employed his bare-knuckle tactics in local politics, told Comer to hold his cash until he could unleash a barrage of ads to dominate the airwaves in the campaign’s final weeks, rather than use his money on biographical ads early in the season.

McConnell personally urged well-known ad man Larry McCarthy — whose infamous 1988 Willie Horton ad damaged Michael Dukakis’ candidacy — to help with the race in the final weeks where Comer dumped $500,000 in ad buys. One ad got the most attention where Comer accuses Farmer of making fun of eastern Kentuckians during a stand-up comedy routine. Comer won by nearly 20 points last night even the top of the Republican ticket on down got thoroughly trounced by Democrats.

Oh, that’s funny. You know, considering Mitch almost exclusively worked on pulling the strings of Todd P’Pool’s campaign, who faced a humiliating blowout loss to a vulnerable candidate. But look at Politico dutifully playing stenographer for you, helping defend the leader of the national Republican Party against any correct perception that you’ve become politically impotent in your own home state. That’s why he’s the Evil Genius.