The television once again belongs to commercials featuring quacking ducks and talking geckos. The phone only rings now with friends, family and pitches for air-conditioning service.
But before we close the book on Election 2010 - which really doesn't seem to want to go away anyway - we offer our general election awards.
• Funniest potshot award: We don't like to encourage him, but radio show host Jon Justice said Democratic Congressman Raúl Grijalva is so far left, that if Che Guevara were still alive today, he would wear a T-shirt with Grijalva on it. This year won't go down as one of Grijalva's favorites, but that kind of talk might just perk the progressive up a bit.
Runner-up: We had our share of celebs this season, from Shakira's 1070 protest to some spectacular fawning over Gov. Jan Brewer by Jon Voight and Chuck Norris. But singer Cher had a different take on the governor, telling Vanity Fair that Brewer's worse than Sarah Palin. "She's got a handle on the services of the state, and I would not let her handle the remote control."
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• Show-spoiler award: This one goes hands-down to the faux-earlies. They can't wait to get their ballots - and then insist on dropping them off at a polling place on Election Day. That makes them, in the height of irony, the latest voters we can actually have since those ballots have to be verified before they're counted. You know who you are. And those copy editors stuck with those anticlimactic "too-close-to-call" headlines in the wee morning hours thank you.
• The "are-you-kidding-me" hype award: The morning after the election, with several key races undetermined, Notebook received an "urgent" press release from the Phoenix mayor's office. The breaking news? The creation of a downtown dog park committee - not the park itself; just the committee. Guess former columnist-turned-flak David Leibowitz needs to make sure he earns the raise he got last month...but timing, David, timing.
• The whole new spin on police-protection award: It's no secret some tea party affiliates looked with suspicion on U.S. Sen. John McCain, first for his earlier bipartisan efforts and then for the drilling he gave their guy, J.D. Hayworth. So when he agreed to speak at the Tucson Tea Party rally, the last thing he needed was a bunch of embarrassing boos. The insurance policy? Walking out with a tea party superstar, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu. Problem averted.
• Most creative comeback on the least relevant issue: After some Democratic consternation about a Republican mailer depicting Grijalva with a larger mustache than he really has - interpreted in some corners as recalling "bandido" imagery - opponent Ruth McClung's campaign took the time-honored tactic of pointing the finger right back. With his own campaign signs using the icon of his famous facial hair, her campaign retorted, "He's made his mustache an issue."
• The overkill on the "serving voters" award: Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords spent the weekend before the election "connecting with voters" by serving them gelato at a dessert shop, busing tables at a diner and pouring beer at a bar. The campaign even sent pictures of her in full uniform. Call us superstitious, but with the electoral mood already in the tank for Democrats, we wouldn't tempt fate by demonstrating how well we could do a number of other jobs on the eve of Election Day.
• Best recruiting effort award: Libertarians and liberals don't usually mesh - all that knocking of the social safety net doesn't tend to sit so well with the left. But Libertarians made a big effort to let social liberals know they're the go-to party for the pro-gay, anti-war, pro-marijuana set. Meanwhile, Democrats were shopping them around in a couple close congressional races to try to help bleed fiscal conservatives away from the Republicans. The combo seemed to have worked: While there are only about 24,000 registered Libertarians in the state, David Nolan got 63,000 votes in his bid for U.S. Senate.
• Best way to end the campaign, win or lose: State Treasurer candidate Andrei Cherny didn't win the nod, but welcomed baby Belle on Nov. 1, half an hour before the clock struck Election Day. Baby Glassman, meanwhile, is due within the month.
Contact reporter Rhonda Bodfield at rbodfield@azstarnet.com or 573-4243. Contact reporter Andrea Kelly at akelly@azstarnet.com or 807-7790.
