THE heated by-election in New York ended in a way that would make Minnesotans proud: No winner, and both parties claiming a kind of victory. The Republican candidate, Scott Murphy, blew an early lead and came up less than a hundred votes short of the Democrat, Scott Murphy. Democrats were unable to call it a vote of confidence in the president. Republicans were unable to say the public was in revolt. Bless 'em, they tried anyway. First, reporters got this blast from the Republicans' congressional campaign committee.


From the Democrats' own campaign committee:


And finally, by this morning, the Republicans again:

Don’t let the Democrats steal this election. Less than 80 ballots separate Republican Jim Tedisco and his Democrat opponent. We cannot afford to allow the Democrats to steal this election. 

What's the opposite of Hope and Change? Despair and Stasis, perhaps, or Agony and Stalemate.