Illinois' conservative blogosphere coping with the week's events

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The Illinois Review, which bills itself as the "crossroads of the conservative community" and is probably the best-known politically conservative web site in the state, is as good a place as any to see dismay on display among state Republicans processing Tuesday night's election results.

The open forum thread started there on Wednesday asks for "your thoughts on what happened. Where we went wrong. What needs to be fixed or changed. And how we do that."

A post by Curt Mercadante titled ". . . And Now For Some Good News . . . " seems to preach patience: "It's obviously a tough year when we have to make 'positives' out of this bad news. But we must always remember that the political pendulum swings both ways. In 1994, the Democrats were down and out. 14 years later, they're firmly back in power."

Mercadante also writes that "We must remember that last night's results were not a repudiation of Conservative ideals - but rather a repudiation of a President and Congress that had failed to implement Conservative ideals. These elections happen every two years. The planning for 2010 starts today."

Another post blames the Obama victory for another bad day on Wall Street.

One post urges readers to "Turn the Page on the IL GOP" while another wonders if a conservative can win in Illinois.

An anti-Obama cartoon and an Onion News Network report finding that Obama supporters are discovering that their lives are empty now that the campaign is over also grace the site. All in all, it's pretty gloomy.

At Reverse Spin, Dan Curry wonders if Keith Olbermann will be Obama's press secretary and predicts that "At all big moments, the press will tend to defend Obama because in part they helped create his historic presidency."

BackyardConservative (Wilmette's Anne Leary) writes that "Conservatives always see a morning in America, as we do this morning. Barack will be Barack, whatever that is. So God Bless, back soon. America will be."

John Rubbery, writing as Marathon Pundit, finds a silver lining: "There is some good news for Illinois Republicans this evening. Despite Barack Obama's overwhelming support in his home state - receiving over 60 percent of the vote - his coattails in the Land of Lincoln were short.

"The Democrats targeted three House seats for pick up. The district that begins about a mile north of me, the 10th, looked like it could slip away from the GOP. But moderate Mark Kirk prevailed."

The official Illinois Republican Party website - whose address is WeAreIllinois.org, as if - picks up on the same theme, featuring a large photo of Kirk on its home page followed by headlines ballyhooing the congressional victories of Aaron Schock and Peter Roskam.

By the way, you won't find the names John McCain or Barack Obama here - it's as if that race never happened. Sometimes that's the best way to cope.