I hate weeks like this. I’m sitting here, Friday at midnight, trying to think of something to write about. My deadline is Saturday at noon, so I have a little time. But with so many topics to choose from, how can anyone be expected to pick just one? August used to be a traditionally slow time in politics – the month of Congressional recess and vacations when cable news tries out D-listers and new hopefuls desperately seeking fame and human-interest stories become all the rage. It’s still those things, mostly, but in 2018 there is never a dull moment, even when you want one.

This week saw a special election in Ohio that never should have been anything more than a footnote on a random Tuesday that was transformed into the most important election ever, or at least since the last most important election ever. Democrats, both in and out of the media, did what they always do – they assigned the weight of the world, and their personal hopes and dreams, to the results.

Of course, just like 2016, leftists were sure they knew the outcome. The Democrat was going to win, fairly easily for a Democrat in that district, and that victory was going to serve as a chance to inspire their base to the polls come November. The voters of Ohio’s 12th district had other ideas.