Can't believe I agree with Chris Matthews

As I watched Chris Matthews and Keith Olberman salivate over the GOP's defeat, Matthews made one good point. Claire McCaskill claimed victory before her opponent conceded defeat. As a former Carter man, Matthews was obviously rooting for McCaskill. But pointing out her mistake brought up a good point. In the past, a candidate would never call themselves victorious until the other side said "you win, I lose." It was once a more standard practice. Plus, it prevented you from looking foolish (does the name Thomas Dewey come to mind?). Must be a practice of the political past.

As of this writing Michael Steele hasn't conceded defeat. If he wants a political future he should admit defeat. The absentee ballots have no chance of putting him over the top. You don't want to give up -- but you should know when to say when.

One other observation...

It's a lot easier being a pundit than running as a candidate. We can criticize corrupt Republicans all we want. But as a critic it's easy to point out shortcomings than to go out and correct them. It takes a special breed of person to run for political office, whether they are a Democrat or Republican. It's easier for us to criticize when we're typing on a keyboard or behind a microphone.