Providence Republican chairman Dave Talan gets the rose-colored glasses award for this headline on his latest email newsletter: "120 R.I. Republicans win on November 4th.''

While most of the post-election chatter has centered on the GOP's legislative losses here and in Washington, Talan chose to focus on the 120 Republican candidates who won their local races, while calling for the head of the unnamed "moron afternoon radio talk show host ... [who] continues ranting that the R.I. Republican Party should close up shop and go out of business.''

By Talan's count, the120 winners "represent 45 percent of all the Republicans who ran this year. Among the highlights were GOP takeover of the mayor's job in Cranston; and Republican capture of previously Democrat town councils in North Kingstown, Coventry, Glocester, Portsmouth and Smithfield, where Republicans also control the school committee.

"Also, in East Providence, the GOP took over the "non-partisan" council and school committee. And in Charlestown, a coalition of Republicans and Independents took over the entire town council. In addition, a North Smithfield Republican ousted a Democrat state representative.

Talan congratulates the winners and offers "special thanks to the 149 GOP candidates who ran, but did not quite win this time out.They presented a positive face of our party, and forced their Democrat opponent to take notice that someone will be watching his every step for the next 2 years.''