This comes several days after the special election in Massachusetts that saw Ed Markey become a Senator after decades in the House of Representatives  but I just wanted to say that everyone’s a loser because of Markey’s appointment. His win — to conclude a miserable campaign that interested voters just about as much as watching paint dry — is a loss for the Republicans, those in the middle, and even loyal Democrats.

Senate Republicans are understandably perturbed by the results, as they know that they will now have to face another stubborn, fiercely partisan Democrat who sees it as sacrilegious to agree with the other side. For them, Ed Markey is the prototypical political adversary, whose support for the Democratic Party and its wildest beliefs never wavers. Certain Republican-sponsored initiatives that would benefit the people in this country will be stopped dead in their tracks by Democrats like Markey.

It’s the way of the world in American politics — the Democratic Party is as blue as it is because of the Ed Markey types.

But, independents nestled somewhere in the middle of the two major parties shouldn’t be celebrating, either. All that this election does is reaffirm the gridlock and stalemate emblematic of Washington today, more clearly defining the colors of blue and red, as well as the separation between them.

(Markey actually vowed to fix this gridlock, saying that he’s fed up with the bickering between both sides. That’s just laughable to me.)

The former Congressman will remain in the camp of blue on each and every hot-button issue, just as he’s done in the House for almost forty years. He’s a Democrat through and through, so don’t let his call for bipartisanship convince you otherwise — Markey will talk the bipartisan talk, but the walk will be a stubborn, divisive, and one-sided one. You will never see him willingly consult and vote with Republicans, whether it’s on environmental issues or gay marriage. Such a dedicated partisan is any political moderate’s worst nightmare — any hope of cooperation will be supplanted by the harsh realities of groupthink and polarization.

It goes without saying that this wouldn’t have been the case had Gabriel Gomez, a sure-fire RINO, been elected.

Still, even staunch Democrats should be skeptical. Of course, Markey is their guy and he will stick with them through thick and thin. But, the reason that certain segments of the Republican Party are becoming more and more conservative with each passing day is because of stubborn Democrats who propose nothing else but bigger government and more taxes. Ed Markey ensures that conservatives will move ever more to the right — if the Democrats shift to the left and become bluer, than the Republicans will react by shifting to the right and becoming more red. That’s the way these things work. You cannot elect a fiery partisan and just expect for the other side to fold.

Many liberals don’t understand that this is the real reason behind the emergence of the Tea Party, and any other examples of reactionary politics since 2008 — the Barack Obamas and the Nancy Pelosis and the Ed Markeys spur these movements. To all of the leftists out there, the right-wingers aren’t at fault; it’s actually you, for ramming “reform” down their throats and giving them ammunition. Thus, the archenemy of the Democratic Party — that scary thing called right-wing conservatism — is only fueled and strengthened by efforts to push the United States leftward.

It’s a shame that Gomez lost on Tuesday night, even if it was pretty much expected. After running an abysmal campaign and overseeing a shoddy ground game, Markey ultimately relied on a huge discrepancy in funding and party support to cruise to the finish line. And his win was a loss for everyone else — conservatives, moderates, liberals, lovers of charisma and youthful energy, advocates of bipartisanship, just everybody.

Well, on the bright side, at least he’ll be gone in about 17 months. That day can’t come soon enough.