A proposal to amend the Wisconsin Constitution to ban civil unions and gay marriage passed by a 2-1 margin. The Republican-controlled legislature wanted this on the ballot to help Mark Green in his race against Gov. Jim Doyle. The strategy failed, as Doyle easily won reelection.

Right wing extremist John Gard was recruited to run for the congressional seat that Green vacated. He's exactly the kind of whacko who, in years past, has appealed to "values voters." Gard also expected a boost from the gay marriage amendment, but the folks in the Green Bay area -- known for their love of football, God, and hunting (with God and hunting vying for second place) -- chose Steve Kagen, a popular physician who happens to be a Democrat.

The cynical ploy to turn out "values voters" by allowing them to cast a gay-hating vote didn't work. They cast their anti-gay votes, then many of them voted for Democrats, who seized control of the state senate. This election was plainly not about "values" in the Karl Rove sense of the word. It was about not valuing the governance that Republicans have provided in Wisconsin and across the country in recent years.